I am a hero of the former civilization.

'Hmph, that guy definitely needs Honkai energy. This information will fetch a good price. Then we'll settle all the scores in his little notebook, making sure he can never pay them back.'

This took her quite a bit of time, but she had already come up with a reason:

The more powerful you become, the more I will benefit.

Mebius stretched and suddenly noticed Klein's stiff expression, glancing over casually.

It was an entertainment website, something Mebius had always looked down on, but in order to monitor Ryan—no, to ensure Klein had a break—he let her see related news, limited to Eden's concert, of course.

Hmph, I wonder if they filmed Ryan at that woman's concert. He must have been surrounded by that pink fat woman and that fox.

"So, Klein, any results?"

She pushed off the floor with her stockings and slid across the chair; by then, it was too late for Klein to close the webpage.

"Doctor, this is..."

Just as he was about to explain, Klein noticed that Möbius was already sitting frozen in his chair, expressionless, with his mouth slightly open, like a sculpture in the process of weathering.

In the center of the webpage is a beautiful photo: a black-haired man is holding the hand of a stunningly beautiful girl. The creators thoughtfully added a diamond ring to Ryan's hand, while the equally beautiful Eden stands between them, smiling elegantly and witnessing their happiness.

"Ah, him, what, what's going on?"

After a full ten seconds, Mebius finally reacted, pointing a trembling finger at the photograph.

An instinct surged within her, recalling her mental instability after the last surgery and how she had embarrassed herself in front of the pink-haired fox. She felt that being too direct was actually harmful.

If I fail, I'll have to kill him, but I can't beat him, so I'm just staring at the photo.

That invincible brain, overloaded by the sheer volume of information, completely lost its ability to think in that instant.

Chapter 157 Watch My Deceptive Techniques!

Achoo—

Ryan suddenly sneezed, rubbed his nose, and looked puzzled.

Did the river breeze make me catch a cold? Impossible! What kind of powerful wind could make someone like me, who holds two kinds of authority, catch a cold?

He glanced around. The restaurant had a nice ambiance, was sparsely populated, and faced the river, where he could see the towering buildings on the opposite bank.

A beautiful young girl is singing Eden's Song on stage, the same new song from earlier that day, which has now become a worldwide sensation and has countless imitators.

This girl must be a music major, with good singing skills, but she's just missing something; she can't evoke a soul-stirring feeling like Eden.

"It sounds so nice. It seems to quiet everyone down." Alicia sat across from me, propping her head up with her hand. Her face was flushed from drinking beer.

“It’s far worse than Eden, but it’s still somewhat of a bargain.” Ryan handed the waiter a fifty-euro tip, which the waiter immediately passed to the counter. The beautifully dressed girl winked at him and then asked the waiter to bring over an address.

Ryan just smiled and let it go. He didn't have time to develop relationships beyond friendship. Having grown accustomed to Alicia and others, he wasn't interested in ordinary people, but he didn't despise such behavior.

As a scientist, Ryan thought deeply and knew why the Fire Moths were trying so hard to maintain world order. Girls like her could only survive under the protection of order. What if the Earth really became a global PUBG tournament?

The best outcome for her would be to use her body to survive, which would be too cruel. It would be better for her to pick up rich men in bars.

As for how long it can last, that's up to fate; in any case, those abandoned areas have become this chaotic world.

“That’s why I tolerate the Fire Chaser Council. These things can’t be accomplished by force alone. It’s easy to disrupt order, but difficult to establish it,” Ryan muttered to himself.

"What are you saying, Ryan?" Alicia was enjoying her pizza and sipping her cocktail.

"Some sociological stuff, Ellie. You seem quite content with your life right now?"

"I'm satisfied. If we only look at the surface, it's not enough. There was a lot of darkness before the collapse, but we can see light and love. The world is just the two of us now, and we're happy." The girl gently shook her head, enjoying life.

Ryan paused for a moment, then nodded seriously, indicating that he had learned something new.

Yes, it's really easy to stay by Alicia's side. Although she has a lot of whimsical ideas, she radiates warmth like the sun and dispels the darkness.

Just like now, he wasn't thinking about anything, nor was he talking about any plans; he was simply enjoying the moment.

With her by your side, it's hard to go crazy. It makes you feel like the Battle of Britain never happened. No wonder she gets along so well with Eden.

As Ryan was thinking, he heard his phone ring. He saw Alicia pick it up and stare blankly for a moment, her expression full of confusion.

"Eden?"

"No, it's Mebius. She sent a nonsensical text message." Alicia turned her phone around; the message was very short.

Thief.

There was only one word that Ryan couldn't figure out. Just as he was wondering what Mebius was doing because he was overworked, his phone rang.

His heart skipped a beat when he saw that the contact was Klein, and he instinctively pressed the call button.

"Dr. Ryan, something's wrong! The doctor is in trouble!"

"What's the problem? Has the hypermutant factor mutated, or did you recklessly use some drug again?" Ryan's muscles tensed, and his eyes sharpened.

"No, that's not it. She...she just saw a photo, and then..."

"Klein!"

Ryan suddenly heard Mebius's voice, and then the call was disconnected, followed by a busy tone.

He and Alicia exchanged a glance, seeing each other's confusion; their words were completely nonsensical.

What exactly happened to Mebius?

"I don't know. Although she's always been sarcastic, Klein wouldn't make things up."

Ryan lowered his head and thought for a moment, connecting all the dots. Suddenly, his pupils contracted, and he knew something was wrong.

The photo, it's that photo!

But that doesn't make sense. Mebius couldn't possibly have seen that. She's always been dismissive of entertainment. Could it be that the website I gave her for finding pirated movies had ads?

The probability is extremely low, but it's not impossible.

"What bad luck, Mebius saw the photos we took."

Alicia was taken aback, but quickly understood. A strange smile appeared on her face, and she slapped her forehead.

"Oh dear, I've messed up. I'm sure I've upset Mebius."

It's good that you know your place.

Ryan rolled his eyes at her, lowered his head and started thinking of a solution, but then he felt something was off.

Mebius and I are just collaborators, why is it acting like we've been caught cheating and are busy explaining ourselves?

No, rationally speaking, Möbius is extremely valuable; we can't afford to offend her. Yes, everything is for the greater good of humanity, far exceeding my personal honor or disgrace.

Alicia's gaze turned somewhat strange. She was watching the play, wondering whether she should step forward to explain, not wanting to upset her beloved Möbius, when suddenly the man in front of her exuded a divine aura.

"Ryan, should I step in and explain? Although I like you a lot, our relationship shouldn't affect Mebius. I'm still waiting to see your sweet romance!"

That sounds really strange, like some kind of harem permission.

Ryan, unable to keep up, stood up, leaning on the table: "I'm going out to call her. Don't come with me!"

"Oh." Alicia, who had just gotten up, pouted and sat back down. Then she saw Ryan walk a few steps away and then quickly come back.

Snapped.

His hand was on the table, his face unusually serious: "Also, there's no romance drama involved. The reason I'm trying to appease people is out of a sense of responsibility to all of humanity. Personal honor and disgrace are insignificant. I'll just let it go if I lose face."

After saying that, Ryan quickly left, and Alicia finally understood where the divine aura from earlier had come from.

She pursed her lips, took a leisurely sip of beer, and comfortably closed her eyes.

"Hmph? You two are equally stubborn."

Ryan didn't care what she was thinking. He quickly walked out of the restaurant. The river breeze calmed him down a bit. In just a short while, he had already come up with a solution.

There's no need for explanation. Mebius isn't stupid; he'd definitely check the source of the information and knows that given Alicia's personality, she wouldn't be serious.

She's not a stupid woman, nor would she intentionally lower her intelligence; she wouldn't stoop to such a melodramatic level.

So the point wasn't to explain the photo, but to soothe Möbius's pride while avoiding losing face himself, thus paving the way for his next act of revenge.

"It's so difficult, so why should I try to outsmart her? We're on the same level, it's hard to determine a winner, but this damn competition has to be decided."

Ryan gritted his teeth, thinking to himself that he was going to have to pay a price this time. Didn't Mebius just care about him and Alicia having fun outside while he left her in the lab? He'd see if he could trick her into coming back!

The man stood ramrod straight, exuding an aura of warrior-like strength, and quickly took out his phone to dial a number.

After a brief busy signal, he heard a cold voice.

"I'm very busy, don't call me unless it's important."

"Klein said you've run into some problems. Is it a side effect of the fusion surgery?"

There was a moment of silence on the phone before a cold voice came through.

"Yes, Shesa made me mentally unstable and occasionally caused me to lose my composure, but I'm fine now, and it has nothing to do with you."

He was stubborn, but his actions betrayed him as he accepted the step and began to talk.

Ryan stroked the railing, as if he were manipulating someone, maintaining his indifferent tone: "Do you want to know why I went to see Eden?"

“I don’t want to…” Mebius glanced at Klein, who was buried in documents, and suddenly changed his mind: “Tell me, if it has nothing to do with me, then you’re wasting my time. I’m not interested in listening to your nonsense.”

"Of course it's related to you. You know Eden donated 200 billion euros to the Fire Moth, right? I specifically approached her and felt that she should also make a special donation to the Fifth Research Institute. After all, your research is of great significance and has always lacked funding. She is of great value to you."

what?

Mebius's expressionless face immediately softened; she felt quite pleased with the flattery and unconsciously tightened her grip on the phone.

"Hmph, go on."

“But Eden is a very clever person. She wouldn’t donate for nothing, so I changed my approach and made a deal with her as an artist.” Ryan paused for a moment, gritted his teeth, and tried to keep his voice steady.

"You? An artist?" Mebius raised an eyebrow, his sarcastic voice returning.

"I know more than you think. Someone like Eden, besides being an artist, would he also be interested in scientific research or murder?"

"Hmm, that makes sense, but what does it have to do with me?"

"I told you I'd get funding for you, how can it be irrelevant now!" Ryan's voice suddenly rose, not only asserting his authority but also concealing his unsteady tone:

"The first deal was to take promotional photos for her. You know Alicia's personality; I didn't need to coax her at all. She took the bait herself. Eden was very satisfied with the photo and paid her well."

remuneration!

Mebius held his breath, completely forgetting his earlier displeasure, and asked, holding his phone, "How much?"