Chapter 196. Mobius
"Mobius? Elysia, do you mean Dr. Mobius from Shencheng Technology?"
Hearing the name Mobius, Xander Masato hadn't even had time to be surprised when Bronya's voice came from beside him.
"Eh~ Duck-duck, you know her too?"
With surprise in her voice, Elysia leaned on Xander's shoulder and curiously looked to the other side.
Seeing Xander's gaze turn as well, Bronya furrowed her brows and thought for a moment before speaking: "This goes back to when we were at Anti-Entropy HQ. I heard it while chatting with Mother Cocolia. Even she spoke of Dr. Mobius with genuine admiration and respect."
Even Cocolia said that?
He felt a bit surprised, but if it was the Mobius in his memory, that reaction seemed quite reasonable.
"According to Mother Cocolia, Dr. Mobius advanced from graduate studies to a doctorate in a very short time. Her first published paper caused a sensation in the field of biology."
"In her graduation year, Schicksal, Shencheng Technology, and Anti-Entropy all threw big money to recruit her. In the end, it seems that because of Shencheng Technology's bio-mechanical tech, Dr. Mobius chose them. When she said this, Mother Cocolia sounded full of regret."
"So amazing?"
Playing along, Xander soon heard Elysia's cheerful voice by his ear again: "Right—Mobius is just that amazing~"
"By the way, Elysia, how did you come to know Dr. Mobius?"
After finishing the info she knew, Bronya casually asked while pulling a bag of chips from a tote. She was just about to open it when Seele, who'd been stealing glances this way, suddenly hurried over. Before the seal was even torn, a pale little hand reached over the sofa back and snatched it away.
"Bronya, no snacks before dinner~"
"Tch, I know."
Bronya shot Seele a dissatisfied look, only to meet an unyielding gaze in return. Bronya's eyes quickly softened; with a helpless pout, she relaxed and lay down on Xander's lap.
Looking at Seele, Bronya deliberately stroked Xander's thigh as if to show off, then flashed a smug smile: "Seele, go cook~"
"Mm..."
Puffing out her cheeks in a huff, Seele chose out of sight, out of mind, scampering to the kitchen on quick little legs. Decision made—tonight she'd follow her brother's earlier advice and just tie Bronya up for the whole evening!
"Don't bully Seele all by yourself."
"What, getting soft-hearted?"
"Not quite. Just, next time tell me in advance—count me in."
"You little punk."
Thanks to the little spats between Bronya and Seele, he'd made quite a bit of "war profits." He considered himself way ahead.
Of course, sometimes Bronya and Seele might be putting on an act, so who ultimately came out on top was hard to say.
Nudging Xander's stomach and giving it a little rub, Bronya finally steered the topic back.
"Elysia, you still haven't answered my question from just now."
"Hmm? You mean how I met Mobius?"
Elysia quietly set a hand atop Bronya's head. Bronya, thinking it was Xander's hand, closed her eyes in bliss.
Seeing that, Elysia happily began to gently pat while speaking: "This is actually sort of Mobius's secret, but, well, she never asked me to keep it, so telling you all isn't a problem."
"That was when I'd just left the orphanage. Travel needs money, right, so back then I'd occasionally apply for some short-term jobs. One time, I received a job offer to model for a magazine, and that's where I met Mobius."
At that moment, Bronya noticed something felt off. She opened her eyes to see one of Xander's hands near Elysia and the other resting on her own chest, which made it obvious whose hand was on her head.
Elysia's hand was promptly slapped away. A hint of regret crossed her face; she retracted her palm, then hugged Xander's arm and went on: "Back then, Mobius was still a college student. Her research needed funding, but as an undergrad, no institute was willing to invest in her, so she had to earn money herself."
At this point, Elysia suddenly leaned in and pecked Xander on the cheek: "Of course, we were doing a proper fashion magazine. We never went to anything that required revealing outfits. Xander, you can relax~"
"I didn't say anything..."
Honestly, if Elysia hadn't brought it up, he wouldn't even have thought of that.
"Hehe, because I want Xander to know. Is that reason good enough?"
His cheek poked by slender fingers, Xander turned his head aside, a little embarrassed.
"..."
Still flirting. Still flirting. Terrifying, Elysia, Bronya sighed inwardly.
"After that, we worked together a few times, so we became very good friends."
Mm, good friends—as far as Elysia was concerned.
"Then, for this weekend, do we need to prepare in advance?"
"Of course~"
With a mysterious smile, Elysia answered happily.
...
Cold lighting outlined the room. The metal walls flickered with info screens, adding a touch of sci-fi.
All kinds of instruments, large and small, nearly filled the space, leaving only narrow paths to walk.
At a lab bench under a bright lamp, a tall researcher stood with long green hair draped casually over her shoulders. Earrings shaped from two connected Möbius rings reflected golden glints. Gazing down, her blue eyes mirrored a small white mouse on the bench, its four limbs bound.
Shaking a test tube of pale green unknown solution, she drew it into a syringe, then, without hesitation, pierced the needle into the mouse and slowly pushed the liquid in.
The mouse was clearly anesthetized; it didn't react even as the needle pierced its skin.
But soon its body began to spasm, convulsing violently. A few seconds later its eyes snapped open, and shrill squeaks echoed through the lab: "Squeak—squeak—squeak—squeak—"
Not long after, the mouse's head lolled to the side, and all sound ceased.
The mouse was dead.
"This one only lasted one minute and fourteen seconds?"
Checking the timer, the researcher was visibly displeased with the result.
"Was the one that lasted five minutes and fourteen seconds yesterday just an outlier?"
Recording all parameters in the experiment log, the researcher muttered to herself.
She wore a white lab coat that draped to her heels. Her upper body—curves nearly rivaling Aponia's—strained her blouse as if it might burst at any second; the tie hanging from her neck had nearly kinked to a right angle. Below, a pencil skirt hugged the alluring curve of her hips, connecting to sheer black stockings pulled up her thighs—an undeniably tempting sight.
Yet that cool, beautiful face and serpent-cold eyes radiated palpable danger.
Mobius—that was the researcher's name.
Tap—tap—tap.
Footsteps approached; a weary voice sounded not far away: "Dr. Mobius, you have a call."
A phone vibrated incessantly in the woman's hand, its screen flashing.
Mobius glanced over; seeing the caller ID, she frowned in impatience.
"Investors again? Tiresome busybodies. All they need to do is pay."
Her gaze shifted to the figure holding the phone—another woman with the same green hair, only more unkempt, a haggard little face ringed by heavy dark circles.
It was Mobius's favorite assistant, a person without falsehood—Klein.
Seeing Klein, Mobius's eyes instantly softened, and a smile rose to her once-cold expression.
Klein, however, relaxed not at all—instead, she had a bad feeling.
"Klein, would you answer for me~?"
That syrupy, coaxing tone drew a helpless sigh from Klein. She had known it would come to this.
"Those investors know nothing, yet want to meddle in my experiments nonstop. Aren't they outrageous?"
No, what's outrageous is you, Dr. Mobius.
Klein offered a silent, inward quip; her expression never changed.
They were bringing in huge sums, yet only cared about their research—if it were anyone else, the investors would have pulled out long ago.
But there was no help for it. Dr. Mobius was too exceptional—so exceptional that some things simply had no substitute. The investors could only hold their noses and accept their "misfortune."
Despite being the ones with the money, they treated Mobius as if pleading with a grand elder—nothing but abasement.
"I understand."
Klein nodded, connected the call, and deftly handled the conversation.
That call ended quickly. Just as Klein was about to return to her daily workload—which might not be finished even after an all-nighter—the phone rang again.
"Klein~"
The saccharine voice chimed once more. Klein nodded helplessly.
"I understand."
Only, this time, as she took the call, Klein suddenly froze. Seeing the caller name on the screen, she stopped Dr. Mobius, who was about to move on to the next unfortunate mouse.
"Dr. Mobius, it's your private line."
"Hmm?"
Mobius withdrew the hand reaching toward the mouse cage. A peacefully sleeping mouse, unaware it had just escaped a calamity, was happily feasting in its dreams.
Taking the phone from Klein and seeing the name on the screen, Mobius arched a brow.
"Hateful Pink-haired Woman."
Her finger instinctively hovered over "hang up," but after a moment's thought, she tapped "answer."
Soon, a sweet voice came through the speaker.
"Mobius, I—"
"Busy. Not going. No time. Get lost!"
Before Elysia could finish, Mobius cut her off in retort.
Enjoyed the story? Support me and get access to early chapters by joining my Patreon!
Find me at: Patr*eon*.com/Resium
Free members can read 10+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Paid member can read 150+ chapters ahead of webnovel
Stories Available
Honkai? No, This Is Daily Life
Hogwarts Pet Master
Pokémon: Who Let Him Leave Pallet Town!
Scrolling Yu-Gi-Oh! Shorts