"The number of elites in the Moth of the Flame is small right now, and you barely count as one. Therefore, the headquarters won't approve your mission requests until your injuries are completely healed." Mobius flicked her earring. The golden surface glittered under the light. She casually set her cup down on the table and picked up a file from the messy stack to peruse.
Mobius knew exactly what those people were thinking. The so-called rest for Lin was just an excuse. Soldiers were consumables, and their demand that Lin forcefully go to rescue Mei indicated that their attitude toward this so-called "elite" was no more than that of a high-grade rifleman.
The reason they were now hypocritically protecting Lin was probably due to the disagreement among the higher-ups concerning Mei. Lin's involvement was neither insignificant nor too major, and he was in the phase of rising popularity as a great hero after the Third Honkai Eruption.
Furthermore, they couldn't quite figure out Lin's true intentions. Compared to others, Lin lived like an ascetic—he didn't smoke, didn't drink, his routine was precise to the second, he didn't purchase anything beyond necessities, he never socialized, and rarely even logged into the intranet. There was no way to curry favor with or recruit him.
Could he truly be a saint who wholeheartedly dedicated himself to humanity? Yet, before joining the Moth of the Flame, he was just a normal high school student, orphaned, and surviving through part-time jobs. He showed no sign of devotion to a greater cause.
There must be an ulterior motive.
So, after some discussion, they decided to start with Lin's Honkai Sickness.
"Mei and her little follower will soon be assigned to the Fifth Science Department for research on Honkai energy adaptability. You will, unsurprisingly, follow them. The most likely place to develop a cure for Honkai energy corrosion is there."
Mei had been with the Moth of the Flame for too short a time, and throwing her immediately into heavy work wasn't appropriate. Although she had already proposed some... shocking theories, the conditions and practice to support those theories were insufficient. Therefore, for a time, she would be studying aspects of the Honkai in various places where research results were relatively mature.
Given her abilities, she should be able to formally begin working in less than two months, and what change that would bring to the high-level officials' perception of her remained to be seen.
"I'm going too? But right now, I..."
Lin suddenly noticed something. He glanced at the engrossed Mobius. Seeing that she didn't look up, he tried to tap his toes on the floor, then frowned and used a little force to place his sole flat on the ground.
A firm, solid sensation.
Mobius, looking down, subtly widened the curve of her mouth.
Lin thought for a moment, then simply used his hands to push off the operating table and stand on the floor.
"..."
He took a few steps forward; his gait was steady.
A feeling of overall weakness still persisted, but it was much better than the state where he could barely stand. At least basic walking was now possible.
This couldn't be a sudden miracle.
Lin looked at Mobius. She happened to put down the paper files, revealing a chilling smile.
Was it the injection just now, after all?
"Muscle atrophy is not a major issue for a living organism. Stimulating muscle tissue to restore it to its previous state is even less of a problem for me." Mobius's explanation was concise, as if injecting a substance of unknown composition into a human body was a matter of course.
Lin stretched his arms in place to test the extent of his recovery and asked, "What are the side effects?"
Mobius sneered, "Do you take me for some trash who hasn't even graduated from university? Medication of this level would have side effects? It's just that if you came here pushing a wheelchair like a cripple every time, I'd find it annoying."
Lin pondered for a moment, then looked up and asked, "Anything else?"
Mobius had already expected this question. She pointed to a few syringes in a plastic-sealed bag on the table: "Once a day. Let me warn you, don't try to use them all at once to cure yourself. I don't want any more rumors spreading that products from Mobius's lab are all poison."
Lin silently accepted the bag of syringes, whose colors all screamed of Mobius's bad taste.
That, in a way, wasn't a rumor.
"If there's nothing else, you may leave. The following experiments involve knowledge you can't assist with."
The lighting in the lab was quite bright. Under the white-toned walls, however, files and documents were in disarray. Only the experimental equipment was neatly arranged. Everything else—cups, instant coffee, wrappers, finished instant noodle containers, and even bedding—was piled up in a chaotic mess.
Despite a formalin-like smell in the lab, Lin felt his nostrils were hit by a sour stench when he saw all this.
Mobius casually picked up a container of instant noodles, glanced at the motionless Lin, and asked, confused, "What? Do you want instant noodles too?"
"Instant noodles?" Lin's memory of this word was from when Kevin invited him to his place for dinner and said he would cook.
He clearly remembered Kevin bringing out two identical black messes from the kitchen, calling one Scrambled Eggs with Tomatoes and the other Shredded Pork with Green Peppers.
Then, the helpless Lin ate instant noodles for the first time in his life with Kevin.
Lin asked expressionlessly, "...Why not eat at the cafeteria?"
Mobius scornfully pouted: "It's time-consuming, energy-consuming, and... I don't want to be watched like a monkey."
Mobius rarely left her lab, but her notoriety and trademark green hair were known far and wide. Even the rats of the Moth of the Flame dared not approach Mobius's lab. Her appearance outside would cause a commotion, even if it wasn't her intention.
Lin nodded: "I'll cook."
"...What did you say?"
"What I promised you before."
Mobius was stunned, then remembered he really had promised to cook for her once.
"And all this." Lin pointed at the indescribable piles of garbage, his eyelids twitching slightly. "Dr. Mobius, how do you think you smell compared to a Honkai Beast?"
"What do you mean?"
"I think the smell is probably similar." Lin subtly took a small step back.
Mobius's expression solidified on her delicate face.
This was the first time Lin had used such harsh language.
...
"Minister? Minister? Minister!"
"Stay back!"
Delta suddenly opened his eyes, let out a strange cry, and jumped three meters into the air, pointing the screwdriver in his hand at the bewildered department members, his head drenched in sweat.
"Huff, huff, huff..." He panted, his confused mind failing to grasp the situation. He looked around the scene with glazed eyes.
What happened?
"Minister, are you okay? You suddenly fainted just now. You really should get some rest," the subordinate in front said with concern, spreading his hands to persuade the mentally unwell Delta.
Delta stared blankly at the screwdriver in his hand: "I... fainted..."
After the Party yesterday, he immediately threw himself back into research. The prolonged high-pressure work had finally overwhelmed his body.
He put down his tools, his mouth dry, and sighed, "But, the Titan's development is still at a standstill."
"But Minister, there's no need to rush so much, is there?"
"...Disasters never stop and wait for you."
Delta's lowered gaze was gloomy. A silhouette flashed before his eyes, then dissolved in the light.