[You took a plane to the headquarters of the MOTHs Who Chase the Flame and once again fought your way through the entire facility.]
[After defeating everyone at the MOTHs headquarters and injecting each of the high-level officials with a special Honkai Beast virus, you became a guest of honor.]
[Having no interest in power struggles, you cheerfully made your way to Laboratory No. 1.]
[The Mobius of this time was still young. When she saw you, her expression was a little unfamiliar, but there was no sense of distance between you.]
[You handed Mobius the MANTIS data you had prepared long ago and spent three days and three nights discussing academic knowledge with her.]
[After that, you became good friends, and you took the time to make her another freezer full of dumplings.]
[Before parting, you decided to invite Mobius to see Eden's concert with you.]
---o---
"Eden? I remember her. She's that superstar who's all the rage right now, isn't she?"
"That's the one."
On the bustling street, Mobius weaved through the crowd, making casual conversation with Fu Li.
The evening breeze blew through her long, green hair. Perhaps because she had been dragged out against her will, she stubbornly remained in her white lab coat, though even that couldn't conceal her stunning figure.
To be fair, Mobius was an incredibly charming woman, but the aura she exuded was enough to intimidate the vast majority of living creatures.
That included both humans and animals.
"Li, I never thought that you, a fellow researcher, would actually enjoy listening to that kind of noise. Isn't the ticking of machines more appealing?"
Mobius's complaints were ceaseless.
For her, who had just obtained the MANTIS data, being forced to listen to meaningless noise instead of conducting experiments was nothing short of torture.
It was safe to say that if it hadn't been Fu Li who dragged her out, she would have died—died in her laboratory—before ever taking a single step outside.
"Sister Mobius, work is important, but a good balance between work and rest leads to better research, don't you think?"
Fu Li took the fox and snakey sugar cakes from the vendor, smiling as he handed the fox-shaped one to Mobius. "Here, need a sugar boost? This is a delicacy unique to the Mu Continent."
"You…" Seeing this, Mobius looked a little helpless. She took the sugar cake and, as if in a fit of pique, bit the fox's head off in one go.
She clearly could have refused to come out, but for some reason, she just couldn't bring herself to say no.
Perhaps it was because he had given her so much interesting data free of charge?
No, that couldn't be it. She never felt any hesitation or pity when experimenting on her little lab rats.
Lost in her confusion, Mobius was led by Fu Li into the VIP box for Eden's concert, barely noticing her surroundings.
Looking at the luxurious decorations, Mobius suddenly asked, "How much did you spend to book this place?"
"Hmm…" Fu Li thought for a moment, then named a figure. "For two super-invincible black diamond VIP tickets, about 100,000 US dollars. And that's the internal price."
"100,000?!" Mobius leaned back tactically. "That's enough for me to conduct a small-scale experiment."
"Relax, that's just pocket change." Fu Li leaned back on the soft sofa, watching the star of this era once again take her stage.
"I've already 'punched' my way into making connections within the MOTHs. From now on, you won't be short on funding. But don't forget what you promised me."
"Yes, yes, I won't lure people into cooperating with experiments anymore. Li, I really don't understand. As a researcher, why do you have the heart of a Bodhisattva?"
Mobius rolled her eyes. Although she was a bit unhappy about it, she was a woman of her word.
Regarding her question, Fu Li thought for a moment before borrowing a line from Eden.
"Perhaps it's because the people of this era are already doing everything they can just to survive. They deserve a better ending."
"A better ending?"
Mobius said no more, because her lips were gently covered by a finger.
Unexpectedly, she didn't dislike the feeling.
"Sister Mobius, it's a rare day off. Let's not talk about these things. The concert is about to start. Just relax."
"Hmph. Fine."
The concert lasted for an hour. Mobius noticed that as Fu Li watched the shining star on stage, the smile on his face never once faded.
For some reason, she suddenly felt a little annoyed.
What was so great about all that noise anyway?
After the concert ended, Fu Li and Mobius walked back to the laboratory.
Under the moonlight, Fu Li habitually fell half a step behind, silently accompanying Mobius just as he had before.
Only this time, they would be parting ways for a while.
"You're going back? Not coming in for a bit?" Mobius invited.
"Not this time. I need to go back to Twilight Street to handle a few things. After that, I'll come back to help you. Until then, I'm leaving the Honkai Sickness suppression drug in your hands."
"Fine, I get it."
Mobius shrugged helplessly. In her opinion, it didn't really matter whether that drug was invented or not.
Humanity needed to evolve, and during the process of evolution, those who couldn't adapt would inevitably be left behind by the times.
But since Fu Li was the one who asked, she supposed she could reluctantly help him out.
"Well then, see you next time?"
"I know, I know. See you next time."
After they said their goodbyes, Fu Li watched Mobius's figure disappear into the laboratory before heading towards the landing pad.
---o---
However, what Fu Li didn't know was that at this very moment, back in the underground chapel of Twilight Street…
"So, you're saying that the Priest locked you in here, intends to torture you, and is plotting some grand conspiracy."
Aponia set down an empty bowl of congee. She looked at Sakura, whose hands and feet were bound, and couldn't help but frown.
She could naturally see the anxiety and fear in the girl before her.
Aponia's gaze swept over Sakura's body. On her fair skin, there wasn't a single sign of torture.
On the contrary, there were extensive bruises on her wrists and ankles, clearly from her own attempts to escape.
Between a person entangled in dangerous threads of fate, and another who she had grown up with and who had always helped her—was there even a choice of who to believe?
"I'm sorry, Sakura, but if you claim the Priest wants to torture you, why is there not a single mark on your body?"
"But that damned priest is a truly dangerous person!"
Sakura was on the verge of a breakdown. She wasn't worried about herself, but about her sister, Rin.
She was afraid of a scenario like, 'Rin, you wouldn't want anything to happen to your sister, would you?'
However, the nun before her was completely impervious to persuasion. With an expression of universal compassion, she was skillfully sidestepping the issue.
"Sakura, do not speak of others so lightly. Every life is equally precious."
"I…" Sakura opened her mouth, but in the end, closed it in resignation.
Compared to her current situation, she would rather have died on that rainy night with her dignity as an assassin intact.
But then, Aponia's next words rekindled a spark of hope within her.
"Rest assured, Miss Sakura. When the Priest returns, I will have a serious talk with him about you."
"If he cannot give me a convincing explanation, I will be very angry."
For some reason, despite the soft and gentle voice, Sakura could detect a feeling of restrained anger.
It was like… the feeling of discovering that a respected person was actually a pervert who imprisoned young girls?