What a shame.
Even so…
The higher-ups still shot it down.
Mainly because Kiana's family pulled some strings behind the scenes.
In the past, they might've considered it, weighed the pros and cons. But now? Not a chance.
They've got Finality backing them, serving Finality itself—they don't need to care about anyone else's opinions. They *are* the biggest shady power around.
And honestly, it makes sense.
Think about it—so many research institutes worldwide, so many scientists.
Even if it's just hair.
If you pluck one strand, and I pluck another…
Wouldn't Kiana and Elysia be bald in no time?
Even if they limited it to higher-tier abilities and said those should be eligible for application…
But how strong can you really be? Stronger than Mobius?
Might as well give it to Mobius instead of you guys.
She's literally been declared by the Sky Screen as one of the most brilliant scientists of our era.
Vill-V can't be pinned down right now.
Dr. Mei is still quietly developing in the background.
If even Mobius can't crack it, what makes you think you can?
Do you really believe three mediocre minds can equal one mastermind?
Dream on!
And so…
They had no choice but to turn their attention back to Mobius.
Regarding this, Kiana's mom didn't have much to say.
If Mobius was willing to share some of the materials she'd collected or some of her interim findings, that was her prerogative. But based on what she knew of her, that was like trying to snatch a tooth from a tiger—pretty much impossible.
If she *did* actually release something and share it with you all…
It'd probably only be because she needed lackeys to do her bidding.
Otherwise, she looked down on these people—why would she care about them? It's really not hard to figure out.
Just like what was happening now.
Over the past few days.
People had been approaching Mobius, both openly and discreetly.
Even higher-ups had hinted to her that if possible, she should try to speed up research on the MANTIS Project or one of the major god-making initiatives.
Well, the latter was basically an upgraded version of the former.
But that could wait for now.
Since the MANTIS Project left such a significant mark in future history…
It was still worth putting faith in.
MANTIS, MANTIS… since they're warriors! They must've been meant to fight the Honkai.
The more they thought about it, the clearer it became.
The Honkai was already starting to ramp up in intensity.
But on their side, aside from Elysia, they really had no top-tier combat strength.
Developing equipment was one thing.
But the individual soldier's own strength mattered too, didn't it?
Even if they didn't know what the MANTIS Project entailed exactly…
That didn't stop them from pushing, and pushing, and pushing.
So Mobius was annoyed.
But when she thought about it… what else could they do? In the future, she might be incredibly powerful—some kind of Aeon, following some Path. But right now, she was still only human.
The Origin and the Finality were Herrschers, beings that transcended humanity—they inherently had research value.
But *she* was just human.
If they weren't focusing on her future achievements, not trying to get even a hint of inspiration from her, not looking to scavenge something from her…
What else were they supposed to do? Use some sample from her for experiments?
Would that even work?
Truth be told.
If it was ideas they wanted… she did have some.
But Mobius needed time to think them through. If even she hadn't figured out how to proceed yet, what made them think they could do it if she told them?
So these were all very practical issues.
She was even eager to meet that so-called Vill-V. She wanted to see just how much of a genius she was, to be considered her equal.
It'd be great if she could lend a hand.
But alas…
According to what was said in the projected video earlier.
Vill-V was more skilled in mechanical engineering.
That wasn't really Mobius's field.
While crossing disciplines wasn't a big issue for people like them…
Still.
Wouldn't it be better to have a specialist?
Because of that, she was more interested in Miss Mei than Vill-V.
Even if Miss Mei hadn't reached that level yet, it didn't matter.
As it happened, Miss Mei was also attending the academic conference in Mu Continent, so they'd have a chance to meet properly then.
To be honest, this academic conference should've started much earlier. But because of the Sky Screen's appearance and all the revelations it brought, every country and every organization was in turmoil, busy cleaning house internally.
So it kept getting postponed until now.
This actually worked in Miss Mei's favor.
She had been planning to leave the Far East as soon as possible—or at the very least, take her boyfriend and his little follower with her. This was the perfect opportunity: it wouldn't attract too much attention, and she wouldn't have to worry about paperwork or other complications.
Even if the higher-ups in Fire Moth were wary of her potentially seizing power in the future…
They wouldn't try to stop her at a time like this.
But she also believed her value was enough to make them overlook everything else.
Rather than leaving her in the dangerous Far East, it made more sense to keep her under their control.
That was the kind of logic those in power tended to follow.
Miss Mei was now almost certain that the content shown in the Sky Screen videos was true.
Kevin and Su believed her too.
As for why she hadn't told others to evacuate the Far East…
The answer was simple. She didn't care.
She was a rational monster, but deep down, she was intensely emotional. She cared deeply about those close to her, but to those she didn't, they were merely strangers.
More importantly!
Large-scale evacuation of the Far East's residents was the government's responsibility.
How to relocate them, how to transport them…
For her to worry about that would be putting the cart before the horse.
She saw that very clearly.
When Kiana's mom came across news about Miss Mei's movements, she couldn't help but feel impressed.
This girl was truly efficiency-driven.
She knew exactly what needed to be done.
Actually, information like this wasn't hard to find.
Even if the Sky Screen only briefly mentioned it without going into detail, plenty of reporters would dig into their current situations.
Especially since Miss Mei had been specifically highlighted. In the feature on Mobius, Mobius was naturally the focus, but Miss Mei was just as noteworthy.
Sometimes, that alone spoke volumes.
So even though no one had managed to get close to Miss Mei yet, she had already captured the world's attention. The same went for Kevin and Su, who were often by her side.
Kevin the Savior…
To bear the title "Savior"… was enough to show how exceptional he was.
Keep in mind.
Any name recorded in history, even if just a title, wouldn't be there without reason.
Especially in official histories.
There might be falsehoods, or political factors leading to some obfuscation.
But!
If it was written down… it definitely wasn't baseless rumor or pure speculation.
Still, they knew very well that unlike Mobius, who was already in her prime, Dr. Mei, Kevin, and Su were still students—clearly in their fledgling phase.
Knowing the future allowed for early planning.
But sometimes, excessive interference would only stunt their growth.
That was their concern, which was why they chose to let things be.
Their attitudes varied, though.
Overall, it was… complicated.
--+--
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