The rustle of fabric continued, conjuring the image of cloth brushing against skin, the faint friction of hair against collar.
Her graceful figure was slowly being veiled—mountain peaks fading into morning mist, leaving only a deep valley. The hem of her coat swept across her upper thighs, baring nothing but her long, smooth legs.
But damn it, too slow! A single coat shouldn't take thirty seconds!
Of course, Mobius hadn't abandoned her grudge. She wanted her pride back—with interest.
Ryan clenched his teeth softly. This woman's thirst for vengeance was relentless. If not for the fact he needed her to be the first High-tier 『MANTIS』—to merge, stabilize, and offset side effects—he wouldn't be tolerating Mobius at all.
She was already insufferably sarcastic without power. What would she be like as a superhuman?
'I might actually regret my rational choice. This is chaos incarnate.'
"Hmph, I'm dressed." Mobius stood calmly, eyes darting to Ryan's lower half, only to show faint disappointment.
Ryan caught her glance instantly, his face twisting into a just as I thought expression. "Mobius, your little tricks don't fool me. Disappointed, are we?"
"Haha, tricks? On the contrary—need me to brew you a potion? That sort of thing is child's play."
"What did you say? Don't get ahead of yourself. Even fused with a Judgment-Class Honkai Beast, you wouldn't stand a chance against me."
"I'm not some brute who solves everything with screaming and slaughter." Mobius flipped her long hair, chin tilted high. "If you want to fight, I'm not afraid anymore."
Freshly reborn as a 『MANTIS』, she could feel raw power coursing through her body. Suddenly, learning a bit of combat didn't sound bad at all.
Wasn't this man so smug about his physical prowess? If she could pin him down—wearing black thigh-highs, pressing his head beneath her foot—that would be the sweetest victory.
"Want to try?" Ryan narrowed his eyes. This Mobius was becoming harder and harder to control.
If he could pin her down and spank her properly, maybe she'd learn obedience. Some people only understood force.
Their eyes locked, both itching for a clash—when suddenly, the door burst open.
"Doctor, I brought your clothes…" Klein rushed in, arms full, then froze.
The air was thick with killing intent, so sharp it made her tremble. What on earth had she walked into?
A massive breakthrough, and not even a hint of celebration? Instead, a standoff of predators? These two doctors were beyond eccentric.
The interruption jolted Ryan and Mobius back, both realizing they looked like children bickering over nonsense.
What would either of them gain from forcing the other to yield? Truly, a hollow contest.
"Hah, fine. Thanks to you, I won't be bothered so easily anymore." Mobius spread her hands, smug and victorious.
"That's your way of thanking me? And since when have I ever bothered you?"
"Always. You deliberately provoke me—like some child tugging on the sleeve of the girl he likes."
"Don't spit lies with a straight face. Someone here was just naked, utterly shameless. Did you think I'd fall for that? Ha, with your pitiful charm?"
"You dare claim I have no charm at all?!"
The two bickered all the way out of the operating room.
Klein wanted to laugh but bit her tongue. As she turned to follow, she suddenly remembered something crucial.
The twisted door still stood. Klein edged closer, peering inside—her eyes widened in shock.
Nothing. The hundreds of specially caged Honkai Beasts had vanished without a trace. Could it be…?
As Klein scrambled for answers, Ryan and Mobius had already returned to the data room, brewing two cups of instant coffee to calm their frayed nerves.
"Strange… it actually tastes good. My sense of taste seems sharper?"
Mobius arched a brow, checking the packaging—her usual brand.
"Any other changes?" Ryan asked, watching her lap at the coffee with her tongue, catlike, setting aside their earlier spat. That could wait.
"Biologically speaking, it feels like my whole being has been sublimated. As for 『Honkai Energy』, I seem to have forged a link with the Imaginary energy. It feels… controllable." Mobius set her cup down, her tone carrying a faint thrill.
"There are also unfamiliar abilities I'll need to master, though I can't explain why. They feel more like instinct."
So, 『MANTIS』 weren't born maxed-out; they had to slowly unearth their potential.
Ryan stroked his chin. Unlocking potential took talent—like Kevin, who had reached his ceiling fast and gone toe-to-toe with the Seventh Herrscher.
'Never mind. That lunatic isn't part of this discussion.'
"Side effects?"
"My mind feels over-stimulated, yet I'm oddly drowsy." Mobius yawned, brushing the corner of her eye. "Visually, the biggest change is here—my eyes. I'll need to research what they can actually do."
"Sounds like the procedure was a complete success. How will you keep it under wraps?"
"Already prepared. 『Fire Moth』 retrieved Śeṣa's corpse. I want a sample with extracted genes, but compared to yours, the gene difference is about seventy-five percent." Mobius suddenly looked up, her expression sharpening. "How did you know the black mud was Śeṣa's most valuable part—and even discarded the body on purpose?"
Ryan gave a light shrug, one hand braced on the table, leaning close.
"Because I just knew. No explanation needed."
Mobius clenched her teeth as the man leaned in, his head so near. Her lips parted.
Her movements were dozens of times faster than before. Ryan instinctively tilted his head, only for her teeth to graze him—his hand slapped his cheek, feeling the faint bite marks.
"Are you a dog? You actually bit me—licked me too."
"Hmph, I told you not to be so arrogant. I'm nothing like before!"
Mobius declared triumphantly, tongue flicking across her lips. But when she noticed Ryan tightening his grip on his sword hilt, she simply waved a hand. "Relax. Let's talk business."
'You provoke me just to talk business?'
"『MANTIS』 is only the beginning. I've uncovered other interesting possibilities. For example—turning surgery into injections."
"What do you mean?" Ryan's grip loosened, though unease lingered. Even if it was just theater, the thought of Mobius lying unconscious on an operating table didn't sit well with him.
She would never kill him, but trusting her not to do something while he was vulnerable? Impossible.
"By refining genes and injecting them directly with a syringe. The dosage can be increased step by step, controlling the pace of the super-reaction, which reduces mutation side effects." Mobius pulled open a drawer and took out a syringe.
Inside sloshed a dark green liquid, sinister and alive.
"The [Meta—Morph] serum. I used myself as the first subject. Confirmed effective."
This was the point of making Mobius the pioneer—she could experiment on herself, discover improvements no mere assistant could provide.
Ryan took the syringe, staring at the swirling air bubbles. Something felt off.
"But your super-reaction was enormous. If I'm not mistaken, the surgery had problems."
That black mud had engulfed the entire operating room—far greater than any failed attempt by 『Fire Moth』.
"Because I wanted to test the limit. I pushed past it recklessly." Mobius shrugged, utterly unbothered.
'This lunatic… does she enjoy courting death?'
Ryan's eye twitched. Mobius had clearly overloaded, yet somehow survived. He couldn't help recalling the earlier sight—
That body, flawless, reborn. Too perfect. Seamlessly fused with Śeṣa's traits.
"You clawed out new life through destruction?"
"Ah… you noticed?"
"Because you look younger. Don't underestimate my eyes." Ryan's gaze slid to the pale legs beneath her coat, fingers stroking his chin.
Indeed, multiple micro-doses would let the body adapt gradually, trimming down the side effects.
'That guy Kevin owes me another favor. But it's not his turn to fight yet, so a little delay is fine. Pfft—why am I even thinking about this?'
"Ryan, that sudden smile of yours is downright lewd." Mobius wrinkled her nose, her gaze sharp. "Who exactly are you thinking about?"
"Kevin." The name slipped out before Ryan could stop it. Mobius's disgust twisted instantly into shock, her snake-like eyes widening.
"So that's it… that's it. You don't need drugs, you need therapy."
Mobius muttered, piecing together countless loose ends in her mind.
'I knew there was something off. I kept analyzing him, but my premise was wrong. No wonder Mei didn't want Kevin getting close to him.'
"Hey, I don't know what you're cooking up, but for some reason, I'm getting furious." Ryan's fists clenched tight.
"Haha, humanity is free—and so are its… preferences."
Ryan blinked, baffled by her line of thought, but sensed that if the conversation continued, he'd lose his composure entirely.
"Too lazy to argue with you. Did you finish what I asked?"
"All data is ready. Once you walk out of the Fifth Research Institute, you'll be a 『MANTIS』."
"No irregularities?"
"Who do you take me for? Sure, the council set up their own schemes, but they're just leeching off my work." Mobius scoffed, arms crossed, brimming with arrogance. "I'm the authority in this field. If I declare someone a 『MANTIS』, then they are a 『MANTIS』."
'Look at you—so proud, not a shred of humility.'
Ryan curled his lips, but still trusted her. Then he noticed her lifting a needle.
"But are you really not tempted? I'm pushing deeper into the Hypervariable Factor. From my own case, I think it's possible to splice multiple genetic traits into one body. I've even named it—the Chimera Project."
'Chimera Project?'
Mobius had already grafted a sliver of Honkai Beast genes into herself; technically, that was a primitive form of multiple-trait fusion.
Ryan's interest stirred. He lowered his head, deep in thought.
Science didn't deal in mysticism—that's why he painstakingly maximized success rates. Even with his own genes, it never hit 100%, hence his extreme caution.
Take Kevin for example: with every condition stacked, his success rate was 59.5%. Infinitely better than gambling on fate, but who could guarantee he wouldn't fall into the other 40%?
Maybe it was holding back at the last minute yesterday. Maybe just a slip of weakness. Luck was always elusive. In any objectively acceptable conditions, slow and steady was safest.
Because the cost of failure was beyond unbearable—for anyone. For Ryan, it was no different. It was like swapping a lottery ticket for stocks: seemingly stable, yet at its core, still gambling.
"No. If I'm betting, I want a bigger payoff. Śeṣa's most valuable factor is already inside you; the rest won't push me much further." Ryan's tone was cool, rational. If risk was inevitable, then only maximum return was worth it.
Mobius blinked. "So picky. Then whose factor do you want?"
"I don't know yet." Ryan's eyes narrowed slightly, sweeping over the Honkai Beast records. A vague target already shimmered in his mind.
It would either possess unique abilities… or be Vipralopa-Class.