279. Playing Dead
"Get down and walk yourself, it's just a few steps." Said Ling as he lifted the person onto his back.
"No, it's freezing!" Mobius shrank further inside.
"You're incredibly heavy." Ling couldn't help but complain.
Mobius weighed 54.7 kg. Carrying someone weighing over 50 kg in this freezing weather was quite a challenge for an ordinary person.
"Who told you to build the lab in a place like this?! Take responsibility for it yourself!" Mobius placed her hand directly on Ling's neck.
The biting cold made her shiver.
Ling rolled his eyes and could only continue walking.
Not far from them, a pink figure flashed by.
"Hmm~ Two such important doctors traveling together naturally need someone to protect them. Sigh, how about letting the kind-hearted pink fairy do you this favor~?"
Elysia lowered her binoculars, and a sly glint appeared in her eyes.
Finally, she had a chance to witness Dr. Ling's dark side... how to put it? Was she filled little bit of anticipation?
Carrying Mobius, they advanced a few hundred meters before finally arriving at an iceberg.
"Ai, it's me," Ling called out from in front of the iceberg.
"Identified, individuals are Dr. Ling and Dr. Mobius. Welcome."
Ai's holographic image appeared before them, making a welcoming gesture.
The iceberg slowly opened, revealing an elevator leading directly below.
The two figures quickly disappeared into the iceberg.
This put Elysia in a bit of a predicament. If someone tried to identify her, how would she get in?
Back to Ling, Mobius was looking at him with a teasing expression.
"Tell me, how come my identity is recorded here?" Mobius narrowed her eyes, wanting to hear the answer from Ling.
"If I'm discovered and executed one day, it'll make it easier for you to inherit my research," Ling said calmly.
Mobius's eyebrows furrowed, and she pinched Ling's waist hard with her fingers.
He always said she was stubborn, but Ling's words weren't much softer either.
"Correction, when Dr. Ling added Dr. Mobius's identity information, he said it was the mistress's information, so it needed to be recorded." Ai's projection appeared beside them.
"Ai, don't say anything unnecessary."
A hint of anger seemed to appear on the usually composed doctor's face.
"Heh heh, mistress, huh?" Mobius's lips curled into a smile.
"Ai defined the identity herself. Einstein had just added the learning template to her, so she hadn't had time to learn many things yet…" Ling explained, trying to maintain a blank expression.
"Mmm…" Mobius nodded vigorously, continuing to listen to his sophistry.
"We're here." Ling walked ahead alone, leaving Mobius behind.
Mobius, however, showed no annoyance, leisurely following behind.
Clearly, the title of 'mistress' truly delighted her.
Crossing a platform, the two quickly arrived at the laboratory.
The laboratory was filled with thousands upon thousands of nutrient tanks, countless tubes connecting to the experimental subjects inside.
An ordinary person would probably be overwhelmed by just looking at it, but Mobius merely curiously surveyed her surroundings.
"Such a large laboratory, and only your AI manages it?" Mobius inquired.
"All the experimental equipment is connected to Ai's terminal. She can control everything here. There are also robotic arms in the lab to meet certain operational requirements, and some mature clones can also help. Of course, I recently ordered a batch of parts from Vill-V, and we'll be able to create a body for her soon."
"Why create a body? Isn't it convenient now?" Mobius countered.
"What? Afraid your charm can't compare to a robot?" Ashed Ling tilted his head.
Mobius immediately fell silent.
Ling showed Mobius all his experimental results, from the initial Honkai serum to the powerful beings fused with Herrscher blood and Honkai Beast ICHORs—each one made Mobius's heart tremble.
"Is that Kiana outside just one of them…" Mobius seemed somewhat incredulous.
"She's different. She is indeed the most perfect clone I've created so far. Other clones can hardly reach her level, but…"
Ling led Mobius further in.
Soon, clones with Honkai Beast characteristics appeared before Mobius.
"These are clones injected with Honkai Beast ICHORs, but they seem to be following a different evolutionary path."
"What do you want me to do?" Mobius guessed Ling's thoughts, but still asked.
"Perfect this branch. This might allow Kiana to break through her current limits and reach a higher level."
"And the reward?" Mebius asked without hesitation.
"What do you want?" Ling put one hand on his hip and looked at Mebius.
"Looks like it'll be a very difficult project…"
Mobius knew that Ling must have encountered some insurmountable problem to come to her, so she was prepared to ask for a hefty sum.
"I want fifty percent of the use of this laboratory." Mobius looked at Ling and stated her desired reward.
Ling paused for a moment, then couldn't help but laugh.
"What are you laughing at?" Mobius crossed her arms and looked at him quietly. Was this request really too much? No, it's simply outrageous.
"Dr. Mébius, your current access here is 100%. Would you like to change it to 50%?" Ai asked considerately.
Mobius finally understood why Ling was smiling so happily; the reward included a reduction in her access.
What Mobius hadn't expected was that Ling had actually set her access to 100%, meaning this laboratory was jointly owned by the two of them.
And Ling hadn't lied earlier; if he were arrested or something happened to him, Mobius could perfectly inherit everything from this vast laboratory.
"Alright, stop pouting, it's not like you at all," Ling gently poked Mobius's cheek.
"I apologize for interrupting your flirting, but there's something I must report to you both," Ai suddenly said.
Then, an image pop-up appeared before them, showing Elysia lying in the snow.
"Elysia? Why is she here?" Mobius raised an eyebrow. Could she have followed the two here?
"So, are we bringing her in?" Ling looked at Mobius, his tone questioning.
"Yes."
"It seems this warrior named Elysia holds a high place in Mobius's heart."
"Shut up!"
…