Mobius was utterly exasperated, her senses overwhelmed, especially after that... incident.
Regarding that strange recording Elysia had brought over, Mobius had become so flustered and exasperated upon hearing just half of it that she'd practically shoved Elysia out the door.
But naturally, Elysia had just laughed teasingly, tossing out infuriating lines like, "Don't be so hasty, Mobius," "My, my, getting all flustered, are we," and "Alright, alright, I'm leaving~!"
And even as Mobius was chasing her out, Elysia didn't forget to forcibly stuff that detestable megaphone into her hands, adding with extreme annoyance, "Remember to give it back to me!" before finally, finally, Mobius's little sanctuary fell quiet once more.
"Such a busybody!"
Once she confirmed she was truly alone, Mobius couldn't help but grit her teeth and mutter.
She wasn't even sure who that anger-fueled curse was aimed at. Was it Elysia, the one who orchestrated this whole prank? Or maybe Su, who always loved meddling in her affairs? Or perhaps... that Lin Wei, who seemed to pop out of nowhere and radiated an annoying aura from head to toe?
Honestly, she didn't care which one it was. She couldn't be bothered to differentiate. She'd just mentally curse all three of them and be done with it.
"Hmph, and then there's this thing!"
Mobius scowled down at the megaphone Elysia had thrust upon her. Her brow tightened, and for a moment, she desperately wanted to crush the equally detestable object into fragments. But... after a second thought, she couldn't quite bring herself to do it.
"Whatever. It's Elysia's thing. I won't break it."
Mobius muttered to herself, putting on an air of magnanimity, feeling she was doing Elysia a huge favor. Then, as if guided by some unseen force, she pressed the play button.
The other half of the recording, the part she hadn't finished listening to, once again filled her ears with crystal clarity. By the time she registered her "mistake," it was clearly... "too late."
Mobius huffed, already making excuses for herself. A cold smirk touched her lips as she muttered aloud,
"Hmph, let's just see what kind of tricks Elysia is trying to pull this time!"
Obviously, once the first self-deceiving thought gets a pass, the slide down that slope only becomes more natural.
Having found a reason to justify continuing, Mobius scurried like a wisp of smoke into the depths of her lab, almost as if terrified someone might witness her awkwardness.
When she recognized her own panicked, flustered state—akin to fleeing in disarray—she grew even more infuriated.
And when she finished listening to the entire recording on the megaphone, especially Lin Wei's "remarks" about her, she absolutely blew her top!
"Damn guinea pig... What business is it of yours what kind of person I am or what others think of me?!"
Clearly, the target of her curses this time was extremely specific...
But anger was anger. Even as black spikes erupted from her, wrecking the surrounding floor and walls, she was simultaneously very careful not to accidentally crush the fragile megaphone in her fury.
"Hmph, Elysia, look what you've done!"
Mobius continued to find high-sounding excuses for herself.
"This piece of junk, I don't think you're getting it back!"
Although there wasn't a single soul around to respond, Mobius acted like a victorious rooster, proudly strutting in her form-fitting fishtail dress. She carefully placed the megaphone—which she outwardly pretended to despise—into her personal safe. It rested alongside her most precious possession: the memento of Klein—the real Klein.
However, before she could fully immerse herself again in the fragile emotions of "sadness" and "nostalgia," she suddenly recalled something very awkward... Thanks to Elysia's meddling, Lin Wei had apparently been left waiting outside her door for quite a long time...
"....."
The weight of reality easily shattered Mobius's sentimental mood. Snapping back to her senses, she rushed exasperatedly to "open the door" for Lin Wei. Then, to mask her own embarrassment, she launched a preemptive verbal assault:
"Oh? Guinea pig, didn't expect you to be so slow?"
Mobius taunted with an exceptionally nasty attitude.
"I practically fell asleep waiting for you~"
As she spoke, she even put on a show, stifling a yawn as if she had genuinely just woken up.
"....."
Having just been basically shut out, Lin Wei stared at her, utterly bewildered.
Of course, he had no idea about Elysia's recent meddling visit. He was just relentlessly complaining in his head:
Seriously, lady? Can't you come up with a slightly better excuse?
Also, aren't you holding a grudge a bit too much? Didn't we already agree on things?
And isn't this method of petty revenge a little... childish?
Don't you realize acting like this doesn't actually annoy anyone? If anything, it just makes you look kinda cute?
---||---
Naturally, he wouldn't dare voice these inner complaints. He simply plastered on a smile and said meekly,
"Ran into a bit of trouble on the way..."
His demeanor showed none of the commanding confidence and composure he'd displayed when facing Su earlier.
Well, what could he do? When you're under someone else's roof, sometimes you have to bow your head. Dr. Mobius wanted to start with a little power play, so let her.
As long as I get the actual benefits I came for, what's the harm in letting her score some points verbally?
Go ahead, vent all you want! Be my guest!
Lin Wei, being extremely adaptable, was actually pleased. The more Mobius lost her composure like this, the easier it was for him to seize the opportunity and press his advantage.
Yuno, standing beside him, was clearly displeased with Mobius's unreasonable behavior. However, seeing Lin Wei's approach of de-escalating the situation, she suppressed her own dissatisfaction and didn't lash out.
This obvious shift in the girl's expression didn't escape Mobius's notice, but she merely glanced at Yuno's face before dismissing it.
Truth be told, not long ago, Mobius had held a strong interest in Yuno, along with some... unique, unspoken ideas. Just as she herself had said, her own body was fused with the genes of the Third Herrscher's associated Honkai Beast, and Yuno's current state was also a result of that same Honkai Beast. Wasn't it a perfect match?
However, most of these thoughts had already dissipated after her previous conversation with Lin Wei. After all, she was someone who valued promises immensely. Since she had agreed to cooperate with Lin Wei, she wouldn't go back on her word. Besides, Lin Wei's own terms already permitted her to research Yuno's special constitution.
As for those other little ideas, she had just discarded them completely moments ago. For reasons unknown to others, she decided to cut Lin Wei some slack, maybe even look after this interesting little girl a bit more.
Besides, having personally witnessed a completely different, brand-new future, the prospect of acquiring a "suitable vessel" seemed utterly trivial compared to such a monumental revelation...
"So this is your... Other Half?"
Mobius's serpentine eyes flickered over Yuno momentarily, then fixed entirely on Yae Sakura. She showed no particular attraction to Sakura's appearance, despite its near-identical resemblance to the SAKURA within the Elysian Realm. Instead, she commented with keen interest,
"Merely a Stigmata, yet able to maintain such a stable form within the Elysian Realm. Now that's a curious phenomenon. It seems somewhat akin to that inexplicable fat orange cat that appeared beside Pardo."
"....."
Yae Sakura frowned. She deeply disliked being scrutinized and discussed like this, as if she were merely an object, an accessory.
Although, strictly speaking, the strange, green-haired girl before her was merely stating a fact.
"Other Half..." Yae Sakura mulled over the word uncomfortably.
While she had long accepted the reality of being just a Stigmata, hearing it stated so bluntly by someone else still felt rather harsh.
"Let's not use terms like that, Mobius."
Hearing the word for the second time, Lin Wei frowned, subtly moving to shield Yae Sakura behind him. He retorted,
"She was originally just an ordinary human girl. Circumstances forced her to adopt a different form of life. She is herself—a girl named Yae Sakura. She has never been anyone's 'Other Half'!"
"....."
"....."
Yuno felt a pang of empathy upon hearing this. After all, before her own transformation, wasn't she also just an ordinary human girl?
Yae Sakura's heart warmed. Although she always knew how Lin Wei felt, hearing such caring and protective words still brought her joy.
"In some ways, you're just as irritating as Elysia!" Mobius felt her interest wane, sneering coldly.
"Such boundless love! No wonder there are always people defending you. Even Elysia herself never tires of it—you must be quite proud of that, hmm?"
Tch, this guy was trouble. The more Mobius thought about it, the angrier she got, unable to resist shooting him another fierce glare.
"?" Lin Wei was completely lost. What is she even talking about?
After snapping at him, Mobius couldn't be bothered with him anymore. Her serpentine gaze shifted slightly, bypassing Lin Wei's shoulder to once again land on Yae Sakura, whom he was protectively shielding. Her lips twitched slightly, but ultimately, she refrained from saying anything harsher. After a moment's thought, she turned decisively and walked away, leaving only a cool, indifferent sentence hanging in the air,
"Alright, follow me, little lambs walking right into the trap~"
I absolutely must teach you a lesson!
"....."
Mobius always had to get the last word in, a habit Lin Wei was already quite used to. He just shot a reassuring glance at the two girls beside him, signaling them to follow along.
"How truly fascinating..."
Perhaps owing to the nature of the Elysian Realm, Mobius's laboratory seemed as vast and expansive as the cosmos itself. The group walked silently along an invisible path. Suddenly, Mobius, walking ahead, let out a strange chuckle. Her tone dripped with an odd sort of sarcasm as she spoke,
"After all these years, you're the first guinea pig to volunteer for my experiments. It's quite a novel experience, makes one want to interview you about your current feelings—"
The words sounded harsh, but in reality, Mobius wasn't actually trying to attack or mock anyone at that moment. She simply felt the silence was a bit thick and wanted to say something to liven things up, except...
This genius doctor clearly lacked basic social skills...
Thinking about it, it made sense. This talented doctor, who usually holed herself up in the lab, was somehow even less popular than Vill-V, who was always jumping around causing trouble. Aside from the increasingly outrageous rumors circulating about her, Mobius's unique way of speaking—which consisted almost entirely of either passive-aggressive remarks or sharp retorts—undoubtedly played a significant role.
At this very moment, Lin Wei couldn't help but feel the urge to roll his eyes.
Can you even hold a normal conversation?
If someone who didn't know you heard what you just said, they'd probably turn tail and run on the spot!
In that instant, Lin Wei suddenly seemed to understand why this doctor was surrounded by so many terrifying rumors. The people you scare away like this? It'd be a miracle if they went home saying anything nice about you!
Keep this up, and it'll be a miracle if your reputation ever improves!
"The first? Surely not?"
But Lin Wei was clearly not just anyone. While silently Tsukkomi-ing in his head, he replied aloud, sounding rather puzzled,
"According to the records I've seen, didn't Dr. MEI also participate quite actively in your research?"
Letting the atmosphere freeze was impossible with Lin Wei around!
"You mean that woman?"
Mobius was clearly drawn in by Lin Wei's somewhat tangential reply. She scoffed lightly,
"She wasn't a guinea pig like you. She wanted to study you little guinea pigs alongside me!"
"....."
Mobius, you're actually kind of cute. You'd be even cuter if you could just filter that sharp tongue of yours.
Lin Wei really wanted to say that, but at the same time, he found teasing this green-haired doctor quite amusing.
"I don't see much difference. After all, Dr. MEI put herself, along with the person she loved most, on your operating table back then—MANTIS CM-001, Kevin Kaslana."
Lin Wei chuckled softly, easily springing the verbal trap he had casually laid.
"Back then, the 'MANTIS' project you proposed wasn't just an unverified plan on paper; even the mathematical calculations showed a terrifyingly high mortality rate. Yet, despite all that, Dr. MEI believed in your abilities. Not only did she let her lover become the first test subject, but she also withstood immense pressure to personally oversee that first experiment."
Here, Lin Wei met Mobius's serpentine gaze calmly, smiling faintly.
"So, from that perspective, I don't think I'm any different from her. At the very least, unlike those spreading baseless rumors, we both firmly believe in your capabilities and are willing to bet something on it."
"....."
Mobius fell silent, feeling that making any more snide remarks at this point would be somewhat inappropriate.
Just then, the group officially entered the core of her laboratory. Mobius instantly returned to her comfort zone, knowing exactly what to do next.
Her signature, cruel smile reappeared on her face as she announced in a seductive tone,
"We're here. Let's begin~"