Noon…
"I told you, my emotional state isn't quite right at the moment. I'm very sensitive, and it's easy for me to get worked up. Just like a teenager going through puberty. Saying it like that, it actually seems to fit my appearance," Xin Yu said, looking helplessly at Mobius, who was sprawled on the bed like a boneless heap. His expression was a mixture of amusement and exasperation.
"I feel like my stomach is a bit bloated, as if I don't even need to eat lunch," Mobius said, patting her slightly pudgy little belly.
"That's just your imagination. Before long, that energy will fuse into your body. It's pure life force. Otherwise, given your previous physical condition, you'd probably have fainted again by now."
"The 'me' from the original timeline detested death and feared the weak human body, which is why she desired evolution. The current 'me' has to add another reason to that list: to avoid fainting again."
"The future you is crying right now! That reason for evolution is too outlandish!"
"Essentially, it's all for obtaining a more resilient spirit and a stronger physique. It's just that the way of putting it is a little different. What's the difference, really?"
"Say what you will, but it really does feel incredibly strange."
Xin Yu rubbed his brow, deciding not to pursue the topic further. If they continued chatting like this, it definitely wouldn't pass muster with the censors.
"Speaking of which, don't you have any research projects today? It's already noon. Given your current state, you probably won't be able to immerse yourself in work this afternoon either."
"Originally, yes, I did. To secure experimental funding, I indeed recently took on some rather irrelevant, quite meaningless small research projects. But now that you're here, I don't think experimental funding is an issue anymore. So, those unimportant projects can just be tossed aside."
"The research I had to halt that day due to a lack of funds can be restarted. Even if my reputation leads to a shortage of manpower, as long as there's enough money, there will always be some desperate, yet intelligent, individuals willing to come here and join my research."
Mobius, like a sated snake, curled lazily on the bed, her eyes slightly narrowed, looking as if she could drift off to sleep at any moment.
"Xin Yu, I'm sleepy."
Mobius gazed at Xin Yu with her emerald-green eyes.
Xin Yu, wearing an expression that screamed, "I'm utterly helpless against you," climbed onto the bed. The moment he was on, Mobius, like a water snake that had spotted its prey, coiled around him, hugging him tightly.
"I'm truly terrified. Back then, you left a note and just departed, unwilling even to see me. I knew then that you were definitely going to do something incredibly dangerous, something you yourself weren't even sure you could survive. Xin Yu, in this world, only you are willing to support and accompany me. Don't speak of the future; I know nothing about the future, nor do I know what it holds for me. But I only know, within my own perception, from the past until now, only you have supported me, helped me. I am lonely. In this world, I am like an anomaly—born able to speak, born able to think for myself. But this doesn't mean I'm a monster. I have my own feelings. I know who I should hate, I know who I should detest, and I also know who I like. You are my companion, my witness, the harbor I can rely on. Without you, it means I'll have to face this world alone once more. So, at least until I die, you cannot die."
Xin Yu looked at Mobius, who was pressed against him, eyes closed, as if murmuring in her sleep. He offered no promises, nor did he make any grand declarations about his own immortality. Instead, he embraced Mobius, his actions conveying to her that he was here, accompanying her.
Perhaps the earlier exertion had already consumed a great deal of her stamina, or perhaps she had once again returned to that reassuring embrace. Mobius quickly fell asleep.
Xin Yu also closed his eyes. He quietly savored the warmth of the person in his arms, felt her heartbeat.
For now, let them cherish this moment of companionship.
The two slept until seven in the evening before stirring. Xin Yu got up to prepare dinner. Mobius, finally, put on some clothes, opened her computer, and began using her channels to convert the gold Xin Yu had provided into cash. Then, she went online to post recruitment advertisements, maxing out the offered benefits in every aspect.
Mobius was naturally aware of her reputation outside. It was even said that if she ran out of experimental materials, she would directly strap her researchers onto the operating table for dissection.
Such a crude, barbaric, and ignorant perception.
Only fools and unskilled, half-baked amateurs would directly dissect a precious experimental subject on an operating table.
"This should be fine. Fifty thousand a month. I wonder if this price is enough?"
Mobius had initially wanted to raise the price even higher, but then she reconsidered. If the price was set too exorbitantly, those who saw it might assume she was a fraud, luring them to the laboratory only to use them as experimental subjects.
Therefore, to prevent them from thinking she was deceiving them, Mobius had no choice but to set a price that was, at least, somewhat presentable.
"Next is the project restart. The research on the so-called Honkai must also be put on the agenda. The Flame-Chasers promised me a special specimen, which should be a mutated creature infected by Honkai. Now that I have sufficient funds, once the experimental equipment is purchased, I'll have them send that special specimen over quickly."
"And then, there's the research on Xin Yu. The previous blood analysis revealed no genetic material or cells whatsoever. This time, however, I directly obtained genetic material. Although it's composed of energy, perhaps I can still study it a little…"
After Mobius finished tending to her affairs, she heard Xin Yu's voice from downstairs, calling her down for dinner.
Mobius closed her computer, walked over to her nightstand, took the snake-shaped pendant she had removed earlier, and put it back on. That somewhat flirtatious smile reappeared on her face, and then she left the room.
After the two finished dinner and chatted for a while, a certain someone with a short memory started getting handsy again.
Although it was very draining and exhausting, the pleasure derived from the process indeed made the first-timer develop a taste for it and crave more.
After being provoked like an impish vixen, Xin Yu's emotions were stirred once more, and then they re-enacted the events of the previous night. The only difference was that this time, Mobius managed to hold out a little longer than yesterday.
But in the end, she still ended up crying and begging for mercy.