I am a hero of the former civilization.

"Dr. Möbius, the experiment on sample N3021 has been completed. This is the summary report."

"Doctor, we have tried the requirements in the third memorandum 35 times, with a success rate of 7%."

“Our discussion with the First Institute has just ended. They put forward 17 hypotheses, and here are the details.”

"PhD......"

Ryan looked at Mebius, who was surrounded by a group of bald men. He was no longer the strange man he had been before. He just had a cold face, his eyes constantly scanning the documents, and occasionally giving a few pointers. He looked every bit the big boss.

"You're wrong. Such a basic mistake. Do you need to go back to school and practice again?"

"If the experimental data is incomplete, redo it. If the materials are insufficient, apply to the higher-ups. If it's rejected? Then bombard them with information until they get impatient."

Indeed, everyone is different, making them unpredictable.

Having been in the previous civilization for so long, Mebius and Alicia were the two people he couldn't figure out the most. Mei and Velvi were a bit easier to understand, but as for those self-righteous high-ranking officials, they were beyond question.

As he walked, he was lost in thought. When he looked up, he found that the crowd had all stopped and everyone was turning to look at him. Mebius and Klein had both entered an elevator and were waving at him.

Ryan frowned slightly, quickly understanding why it was called the peripheral research lab, but the bald men's gazes annoyed him.

Playful, ambiguous, and disdainful.

Do you think I'm Mebius's lover, someone who keeps her company and alleviates her loneliness?

He didn't bother to explain, simply said "Excuse me," and went straight into the elevator. As soon as the doors closed, Mebius, who had just been acting like a cold researcher, immediately chuckled.

"Don't you feel disgusted by their gaze?"

“A little, but I don’t act in Dragon King dramas. Besides, researching this kind of thing isn’t like martial arts, which can be directly quantified. Am I supposed to compare my diplomas and qualifications with them?” Ryan shrugged. Those people looked incredibly intelligent; they were all PhDs.

"Diplomas and qualifications are meaningless. Do you know why I'm so determined to get your help?"

"Strong work skills, or taking out a loan to work?"

“None of those.” Mebius quietly leaned closer and whispered, “You learn very quickly, and your occasional flashes of inspiration surpass those of those blockheads. If you can focus on your studies, your achievements will not be inferior to mine, overturning another of my assumptions.”

"What hypothesis?"

“You are getting stronger, not just in terms of strength, nor in the kind of superficial devouring and plundering, but in a kind of evolution that interests me more, an evolution in all aspects of intelligence, physical strength and even knowledge.”

Ryan's pupils contracted slightly. This Möbius is so clever; he's only known him for a short time and he's already getting closer to the truth.

His destiny is not one of devouring or plundering. For example, the Herrscher authority he just acquired is merely a foundation waiting for him to develop, which of course has both advantages and disadvantages.

The downside is that it can't be used immediately, but the upside is that it's very well concealed. If it really is devouring, the Fire Moth isn't stupid; of course it will check the Herrscher's core. If it detects any energy changes, it can figure out the truth.

“Being too smart can lead to an early death.” Ryan grinned, and saw satisfaction in Möbius’s eyes.

If there was no denial, then she had guessed correctly. She enjoyed this guessing game and knew that Ryan was keeping his promise, so she immediately pressed her advantage.

Mebius practically clung to Ryan, his head close to his ear, his voice languid and seductive.

"Then what caused your evolution? Don't worry, the Fire Moth can only monitor the upper areas. Speak boldly and tell me everything."

The black stockings rubbed against the trousers, and Ryan's hand had already sunk into the breasts, feeling their softness. The warmth of Mebius's breath tickled his ears.

Klein quickly turned her head away, watching the elevator numbers keep changing; the scene was a bit too exciting for her.

Ryan stood quietly, seemingly unaffected, before finally turning his head to meet that burning gaze.

"you guess."

The originally sweltering air inside the cramped elevator cooled down rapidly. Mebius's expression froze, and he lowered his hand as if his face had changed, even giving Ryan a shove.

"Hmph, I'll extract all your secrets sooner or later!"

"Hehe, it's a waste of your energy. Go ahead and try."

The two glared at each other, just as the elevator doors opened with a 'ding,' diverting their attention once again.

The lighting was dim, and the corridor gleamed with a metallic sheen. Ryan then realized that the underground area was enormous, but everything was eerily quiet, giving off a feeling reminiscent of a horror movie.

This is Möbius's true lair, and only his assistant, Klein, is allowed to enter. No wonder it looks terrifying; the scene inside is even more horrifying through the thick, blast-proof glass.

Bubbles rose from the glass container, which was filled with body tissues or mutated organs, including animals and humans, as well as Honkai Beasts of various levels.

"Isn't it beautiful? My research institute, the cradle of human evolution." Seeing Ryan's country bumpkin appearance, Mebius's mood improved considerably.

"I think 'horror' is a more accurate description; he looks like a villain no matter how you look at it."

“Vulgar. Science has no distinction between good and evil. Let me tell you, I have never forced anyone to participate in experiments.” Möbius snorted, then looked at Ryan’s expression and frowned, “I didn’t mean to explain to you either, it’s just… I don’t want you to have such a strong sense of justice.”

After saying that, she turned and left, leaving Ryan somewhat puzzled.

I'm not a saint, why am I bursting with a sense of justice? And what's there to explain? Isn't human experimentation just a basic operation for moths to a flame?

Without giving it much thought, he followed Möbius through a dimly lit, narrow corridor to the core laboratory.

This place is probably over 10,000 square meters, with complete facilities including archives, specimen rooms, and operating rooms. Some of the instruments inside were ones that even Ryan had never seen before, which shows the scale of the investment.

"Take your time looking around. I'll enter the data. Klein, come help me."

Your master just dumped me aside?

Ryan resisted the urge to destroy the two machines and cause Möbius unbearable pain. He slowly strolled around the laboratory and found that the facilities here were extremely luxurious, a stark contrast to the beat-up pickup truck. Any one of the machines could buy ten luxury cars.

Mebius is a very proud person. She could easily get someone from the Firemoth to pick her up with just a few words, but she prefers to ride in a beat-up pickup truck. She could get more funding by showing her loyalty, but she disdains asking for favors.

'Am I the only person she ever begged?'

Ryan grinned, feeling inexplicably pleased; the unfulfilled desire filled him with joy. But then, he heard a soft exclamation.

"What's wrong?"

Mebius stood in front of the computer, his hands resting on the table, his brows furrowed in confusion. He beckoned Ryan over.

"While I was away at Canghai, someone broke into the lab and copied data from the central computer. They're really skilled; they managed to crack my key."

Ryan was baffled. The Fifth Research Institute was heavily guarded; it was impossible for anyone to infiltrate, nor was there any need for them. Anyone opposed to genetic modification could simply be blown up, unless—

Was it done by one of the Moths of Flame's own people?

Chapter Seventy I'm Going to Eat You

Möbius's departure to the sea was entirely accidental, but she did leave for more than a week, leaving this underground depths completely unguarded.

Theoretically speaking, this is harmless, because the defenses above are not just for show; outsiders have no way of getting close to this underground laboratory. Of course, Ryan also discovered a huge loophole.

This place is only for guarding against external enemies, not internal thieves. However, Möbius's research was supposed to be reported to the parliament every month, so there was absolutely no need for him to steal it.

As for the rule that outsiders are not allowed to enter the laboratory, it is entirely an unspoken rule and Mebius's personal character, and of course, there is also the reason that her experiments are too dangerous.

"Who would be so bored as to do something so unnecessary?" Möbius frowned, his clever little brain unable to find an answer.

"It's because your security is so bad, you have no precautions at all."

"Who can a scientist like me guard against? Even if something is lost, I'll still have to get it back from the Fire-Chasing Moth. Oh, right, Klein, hurry up and check if anything has been stolen, especially those instruments I just bought." Möbius suddenly became anxious at this thought.

Her experiments were no secret to the fire-fighting moths; those instruments were their most prized possessions.

"Yes, Doctor." Klein could also see the urgency and jogged off to take stock of the assets.

Ryan remained silent, watching the two hurriedly take inventory. After a while, he realized that nothing had been stolen or damaged; the person had simply hacked into the computer.

This is very strange. If someone disapproved of Möbius's research, they would definitely sabotage the equipment to slow down the experiment.

There is weirdness.

Ryan held Möbius's hand down and shook his head at the latter, who was about to pick up the phone and yell at the security department.

"First, take a look at what data has been copied. This isn't just about sabotage."

Mebius lifted his chin and quickly understood what Ryan meant. This man was different from himself; he had been involved in those troublesome power struggles and was very experienced.

She thought about it and decided to follow Ryan's advice.

As one of the most powerful hackers, her fingers flew across the keyboard, lines of data flashing by, as if only the supercomputer could match her speed.

"It's confirmed. The copied materials are all related to the Fusion Warrior Project. Luckily, I left a secret door. Hmph, they even copied other materials specifically to mislead me."

it is as expected.

Ryan nodded. He guessed it was also part of the Fusion Warriors program and also noticed the word 'misleading'.

"In that case, it wasn't done by those who oppose your research."

"why?"

"Because of 'misleading,' if we were to really make this plan public and turn you into a pariah, there would be no need to mislead. Instead, we should leave a message saying: 'Doctor, you wouldn't want this evil plan to be revealed, would you?'"

Mebius didn't quite understand, which was something she wasn't very good at. She wanted to humbly ask for help but was too embarrassed to do so, so she just stubbornly refused.

"So what does this mean?"

"The Fusion Warrior Project is an 'S' level project, right?"

“Well, all the data needs to be archived, and access requires parliamentary approval…” Möbius paused, finally understanding, “So someone wants to copy this research without letting parliament know.”

"You are indeed clever. This research belongs to the Moths of Fire, to the warriors of all mankind fighting against the Honkai. It is not a henchman of any one person or force, but this power is very tempting."

Ryan sighed softly, vaguely feeling that this was his fault again, because he had been too useful over the years, and such a sharp knife could not be used by only one.

Knowing the reason is meaningless; even a fool could figure out that finding out who it is would be incredibly difficult, and I'm not here to be a famous detective.

Mebius scoffed, adding ten layers of key to the data with a vicious glare: "Boring. Using a half-finished product that has just made a breakthrough to harm people is an insult to my reputation. Never mind, maybe they can come up with something interesting that can serve as a reference."

The world isn't just about the Fire Moths researching Honkai energy; there are many secret laboratories within them, employing extremely cruel methods and processes. These are the ones that Velvet destroyed, but because they have no bottom line, they manage to create some interesting things.

Thinking of this, Möbius suddenly turned his head: "Do you have the desire to uphold justice?"

"A little, but not much. These kinds of trivial matters are simply beyond our control. Every year, local governments struggle to count the number of missing persons."

“Knowing your own limitations is good.” Möbius nodded in satisfaction and slowly stood up. “You’ve rested enough in the car, so let’s get started.”

I haven't rested at all; haven't I been fighting you hand-to-hand the whole time?

Ryan was speechless, but he understood Mebius's style. Before he could even ask about the mission, she had already chased Klein away and dragged him to the deepest part of the laboratory.

After passing through several protective doors, he entered a room with solid walls on all sides. In front of him was a metal operating table, and on both sides were glassware. The air was filled with catastrophic Honkai energy.

All electronic devices would fail in this environment, or rather, no man-made object can resist the erosion of Honkai energy for long, and this energy comes from deeper within.

Living Honkai Beasts? It turns out they were constantly releasing Honkai energy; this was the core of the Fifth Research Institute.

A look of surprise flashed across Ryan's face, but he turned his head expressionlessly: "Mebius, I understand now what the higher-ups are worried about."