"...hah..."
A sigh came from the past.
Mobius lifted her head from the desk. Her eyes, momentarily dazed, quickly cleared, pulling her back from the dream of days long gone.
The lab was still cold and silent—
Only now, it lacked the one person who used to fill it with noise and life.
The diligent worker was gone.
Her one and only assistant —gone.
Now, Mobius's appearance was different from before.
Her body had shrunk, now smaller than before, a black metallic crown sat atop her head, and whenever she went out, she traveled by flying suitcase...
Her expression had become colder, no longer showing the occasional smile of the past.
Her eyes—much more indifferent.
The world was in turmoil.
Honkai outbreaks continued to erupt.
Even her one and only assistant had perished.
"Dr. Mobius, here is the data analysis report for this week's experiments."
Fuxi handed her a sheet of paper.
"Got it. Make a chart for me, Klein —"
Mobius responded without much thought. She didn't even look up as she spoke, her tone automatic.
But halfway through the name, she froze.
She stopped.
Right... that person... wasn't here anymore.
"Just leave it over there,"
She said tiredly, her voice dull, her eyes filled with a gray despair—
As if nothing in the world mattered anymore.
Grief clung to her.
With death so close,
She could no longer treat that sorrow as mere numbers.
"Doctor... come on, cheer up! I even bought you some bubble tea!"
Nuwa tried her best to encourage her, remembering the lab's once-bizarre traditions.
"I don't like that kind of thing,"
Mobius replied coldly, not even glancing at the sealed drink.
Her attitude was the complete opposite of before.
"But before, you always—"
Nuwa spoke in shock. She couldn't believe it.
"You idiot. You still don't get it?"
Fuxi whispered, elbowing the clueless Dan Chu.
Had she really not noticed?
Ever since senpai (Klein) disappeared, there hadn't been any bubble tea in the lab.
It was clear—
The one who liked bubble tea wasn't the doctor...
It was senpai.
The doctor kept the drinks because they always ended up in senpai's hands in the end.
---
"Dr. Mei said she wanted to compare Herrscher candidate data with the remains of the deceased."
"She asked our lab to assist, since, well... Klein-senpai..."
"You two go. That's enough."
Mobius replied plainly, showing little interest.
Her eyes stared blankly at the familiar data—lost in thought.
She didn't look back.
She had no hesitation.
"But... Doctor, this might be the last time... At least—"
Nuwa stood up, a little flustered.
Based on what she knew of senpai and the doctor, she thought for sure Mobius would want to go see her one last time.
After all...
Weren't they very close?
"The dead... lose everything."
Mobius muttered faintly, lowering her gaze.
She didn't look back.
She walked away.
She understood human fragility better than anyone.
No one escapes death.
But...
Why is it always you who dies, again and again...?
Klein.
Even this so-called demon scientist—
had now lost her last trace of warmth.
---
[A knife out of nowhere… Mihoyo betrayed me again.]
[ Your bubble tea and my curry... They're just not the same.]
[ So everything sweet before… was just a dream?
After the memories fade, only cold and cruelty remain?]
---
In the golden courtyard.
"So this is why the lab no longer stocks bubble tea? Personal habits leaving traces on others' lives… it makes sense."
Elysia sighed softly.
Prompted by the video reminder, she easily noticed the changes before and after Klein's disappearance—and the difference in Mobius's lab.
Before Klein vanished, it was all just rumor.
But after she disappeared, Mobius really did change—becoming much colder.
As for what happened after that...
Even Elysia didn't know.
Though she'd heard the changes were drastic.
"Bubble tea, huh... Klein, do you still like it?"
Mobius was stirred by the memories, sorrow thick on her face. She turned to Klein beside her and asked.
"...What do you think, Doctor? If you hope I like it, then I can."
Klein raised her head, answering seriously.
Mobius paused for a moment, thought for a beat—
Then suddenly laughed, not asking any further.
After all, they both knew—
That Klein... wasn't that Klein anymore.
...
"So this is what happened after Mobius shrank down, huh? Even as a Q-version, the difference is pretty noticeable,"
Elysia said playfully, her sharp eyes scanning everyone as she spoke with a teasing smile.
She liked watching people get flustered—
The bigger the contrast, the better.
"Hmph. Cut it out."
Mobius snorted and glared at her, letting her figure it out for herself.
---
At Theresa's Mansion – Luo Mo(Wipe It Away).
"Knives again! Another knife scene! But this time, I won't be emotionally affected!"
Theresa said proudly, showing no sense of restraint as a Herrscher.
Beside her, Luo Mo shook his head helplessly.
>l"This is just the beginning. With this tone, trying to make players truly immerse themselves... that's still too difficult. What you're seeing is just some soft-hearted setup."
"What comes next... there's a lot more."
He said meaningfully, letting Theresa enjoy her moment before it all came crashing down.
"Ugh, you're the worst! I barely get any spotlight in the main story!"
Brownie shouted, phone in hand, headphones on, rapidly tapping away at a game while still able to keep up with the conversation.
At this moment, Brownie typed "GG" in the game, then took off her headphones, ignoring her angry teammates who were shouting in chat.
She turned around and glanced at the script — it looked like another one of those emotional drama scenes.
She was the type to enjoy gameplay, not story content.
And yet... this game's story was kind of cruel.
It actually tricked her into crying!
"Brownie, I've always been curious — back then, when the Binding Herrscher appeared, were you still able to use your reality-bending powers to create objects from nothing?"
Luo Mo furrowed his brows, asking curiously.
"The answer is — Of course not."
She answered firmly.
"I passed out, you know? What do you expect me to do? Try staying conscious for a full day and night and then suddenly having to deal with an outbreak! Do you know how that feels? I nearly died of exhaustion!"
Brownie gave Theresa a side-eye.
After knowing what happened to her, all she could say was—
She had completely underestimated that dumb girl!
How could she end up becoming a Herrscher in the game?
Was it...
Was the will of the world specifically choosing airheads to become Herrschers now?
"What I'm even more curious about," Brownie added,
"is whether Mobius in the game can turn back into her old self?
We've heard a lot of stories about going from small to big — like that so-called 'big sis' becoming little — but shrinking first and then going back? That's rare."
She spread her arms and shrugged.
"Big sis, want to bet on it with Bronya?"
Luo Mo teased, smiling.
"If it weren't for you interfering, how could she have won that easily? She would've been stuck at the bottom rank for at least another three or five years!"
Brownie grumbled with frustration.
---
Unconsciously, after finishing a long day of exhausting experiments, Mobius reached for a cup of instant noodles on her desk.
But then, she seemed to hear a faint voice at her ear, muttering something about "junk food"...
Annoying.
After a long silence, she let go of her chopsticks.
As if she were playing a quiet game of chess with an invisible opponent, she muttered:
"Fine... This time, the cafeteria should still be open..."
"Even if no one there wants to see me, that's fine."
She spoke indifferently.
After all, if she cared about how others looked at her, she wouldn't be Mobius.
Besides...
There were still people who were willing to see her there.
If that's the case—
Then she would live... as the version of herself she wanted to be.
....
From then on, Fuxi and Nuwa took over Klein's duties.
They reluctantly accepted, but the biggest reason they could manage it—
was because Mobius had stopped being so moody and unpredictable.
"Doctor, here are the documents from Dr. To."
"Got it. I'll look at them later."
"Doctor, Dr. Mei says there will be a briefing at 9 AM tomorrow about the next Herrscher response plan."
"Tell her I'll be there on time."
"Doctor, Elysia has invited you to a dance."
"Reject it."
Mobius replied swiftly, her tone clear and cold.
She processed everything in perfect order, no longer acting as capricious as before.
Because now,
there was no one to tolerate her missing things, or letting her be irresponsible.
And besides...
that helpless expression others used to show—
wasn't something pleasant to see.
....
"Doctor..."
Nuwa hesitated as she entered again. She looked conflicted.
Whether this was a good or bad thing, she didn't know.
But the only one qualified to handle it... was Mobius.
"We found a personal item among Klein-senpai's belongings. It's a little green snake doll... handmade.
There's also a birthday note stitched onto it. It seems like... it was meant to be a birthday gift for you."
Nuwa handed the adorable, curled-up green snake doll to Mobius.
She glanced at it briefly—
and still accepted it.
She muttered,
"Always doing unnecessary things…"
Yet she treasured it deeply for a long time.
---
In Fu Hua's room.
Fuxi and Nuwa exchanged glances.
Though they were part of the events themselves,
when looking back at the stretched timeline in memory—
they hadn't realized Mobius had changed so drastically.
But in this short theater segment, just a few minutes long, they could clearly see the contrast between before and after Klein-senpai's disappearance.
It was unmistakable.
And it made them believe—firmly—
"So it was real... the doctor really did act spoiled with senpai before. I always thought I was just imagining things!"
Nuwa gasped in disbelief.
She honestly never thought Mobius could be that kind of person. But it seemed outside influences and rumors had blinded them.
"Yeah, exactly," Fuxi agreed with a serious nod.
"To us, the doctor always kept things strictly professional.
That's why it felt so impossible that anyone could replace senpai's role. But in the end... we somehow managed it."
Thinking back on all the strange things before...
Those unreasonable tasks and chaotic moments...
They had all been meant for senpai.
She was the specialist.
And every time they handed over a task, some weird thing would happen.
Mobius would act spoiled again—
Spoiled...
Fuxi's face suddenly went pale.
She stood up in shock, clearly shaken.
That word alone... was terrifying.
Her face instantly turned pale as she stood up, clearly flustered.
"As expected... Mobius is so stubborn-mouthed. No wonder people on the net say she's the toughest thing in the Elysian Realm."
"Compared to Kevin's great sword or Elysia's crystal essence... nothing can outmatch Mobius and her eternally unyielding mouth," the Herrscher of sentience sighed, then proudly agreed with her own golden words of wisdom.
---
In the darkness—
It was as if she were deep under the sea, in an abyss without end.
Waves of green light shimmered faintly in the depths.
A voice slowly rose up, searching, sinking, recalling memories and echoes—
melding together into one.
She knew she had created something entirely new—
a continuation of her own will and existence.
"Emotion... Personality..."
"Thoughts... Will..."
"A new... form of life."
"Eternal and undying... a declaration across time..."
"Humanity will one day have broader horizons."
"Welcome to this world—『Klein』."
She smiled softly, looking at the newly born creation in her hands.
"You... who are you?"
"I am Mobius. You may call me Doctor, or just Mobius—whichever you prefer."
She gazed at this new-born version of Klein, and for the first time, her eyes held not scientific scrutiny or clinical curiosity—
but joy.
Propping her chin with one hand, she stared gently,
as if comparing this image with the one in her memory.
Only to her—only to her—
could Mobius show such tenderness.
But deep down, she knew—
That original Klein... was truly gone.
"This world... well... maybe it's no longer the same," she murmured.
"But that doesn't matter anymore. What matters is—"
She looked at her with warm eyes and spoke softly:
"That you live freely."
Yet the newly created Klein—still just a mechanical puppet—
looked a little confused.
But in her heart, she faintly felt something.
She was seeing... someone who wasn't herself.
Just then, Nuwa and Fuxi entered the lab.
They were shocked to see an unfamiliar silhouette inside.
It was Klein-senpai!
Though... the small version!
But why?
Connecting the dots with Mobius's experiments,
they quickly realized what had happened.
"Mm. A newly created artificial lifeform," Mobius explained.
"I know this Klein isn't the real one. I merely used her appearance as a reference..."
But even so, compared to her usually cold and gloomy face,
Mobius now looked visibly softer.
Nuwa, still curious, poked Klein's cheek again—
Only to hear a weird screech come from her.
Then, as if a hidden mechanism had been triggered, Klein suddenly looked around and asked:
"Work! Work...! Is there any work I should be doing right now?"
Nuwa was startled.
She's just been born—
and already asking to do work?
Fuxi cast a look at Mobius, expressionless.
"Doctor... you said you only used her appearance as reference?"
Mobius looked a bit awkward—
but still forced herself to sound confident.
"Well... since I used her as the base model, I figured I might as well carry over her workaholic tendencies into the lowest-level personality settings."
She gave a bright but slightly embarrassed smile.
Fuxi could only sigh deeply.
She felt deeply concerned for the future of this newly born lifeform.
Workaholism... as a core setting...
This really was the work of a true devil.
"Work! Where's the work!?"
Klein now dashed around like a machine, searching for tasks—
as if working was an inseparable part of her soul.
Nuwa chased after her, trying to stop her.
Mobius chuckled faintly, gently touching her lips.
For once, the lab had regained a trace of its former liveliness.
She silently watched this little chaotic scene unfold.
And for this experimental lifeform, she felt a new kind of hope.
A fragment of the past had given birth to new life.
And she would use that fragment as the cornerstone—
to move forward in this world.
Perhaps...
this was what humanity called evolution.
And perhaps, Klein...
this too was an answer, wasn't it?
"Until we meet again... my assistant,"
Mobius murmured quietly, bidding farewell to the one who had always understood her.
---
Meanwhile, at Theresa's mansion,
"As expected, even in the end-world, after reshaping her entire elemental structure—Klein still shouts, 'I need to work overtime!'"
Luo Mo nodded firmly, very much in favor of this kind of overzealous work ethic.
Especially in his company, it ought to be highly promoted.
"If only we could slap an 'Overtime Specialist' tag on Su Lu too."
He rambled on—
Even though the employees were already overworked and running on three-shift rotations,
the one managing the entire project's progress still needed to improve!
"Uhh... that sounds awful."
Theresa wiped the sweat from her forehead, horrified.
"If someone lives just for work... what meaning is left in this world?"
What does this guy even think about all day?
"But Theresa, your daily tasks now are way more packed than when you were a headmistress,"
Luo Mo muttered thoughtfully.
"...Ugh. I really don't like where this conversation is going."
Theresa clutched her head, body going limp.
"I really don't like it... but there's nothing I can do."
She sighed deeply, staring blankly at the ceiling in despair.