Sorry, you scumbag woman, you can do whatever you want.

"I'm sorry, I... I'm used to it." Fu Hua opened her mouth, but could only apologize like this. She didn't have many requirements for clothing.

Besides, wearing a suit to an amusement park...it shouldn't be a problem, right?

“Go change your clothes on the way,” Möbius said, leaving no room for refusal. Then he turned to Theresa beside him and chuckled, “Theresa, change your clothes too.”

"Is it necessary?" Theresa lowered her head slightly, looking at her outfit, and felt there wasn't much of a problem.

“It’s necessary!” Mebius said matter-of-factly. “Actually, I want to see you all wearing nice clothes.”

Chapter 15

The Open Pandora's Box

Shencheng Pharmaceuticals.

Rooftop.

The cold wind is biting.

"...I really want to go too, to the amusement park." Kaoru rested her hands on the railing, looking down at the night view below the tall buildings.

Although she wanted to go, she knew she shouldn't be a third wheel; it was a date between Möbius and Theresa.

She could still see that.

As for why Fu Hua went along, it was simply because Dr. Mebius had casually extended a polite invitation to her.

Ms. Fu Hua then readily accepted the invitation.

Surprisingly, it's kind of cute.

“Being too considerate can sometimes lead to greater loneliness inside.” A voice, almost chanting, came from a man holding a black umbrella—no… more accurately, a modified human.

Most of their bodies have undergone mechanical modifications.

"Mr. Gray Snake, what brings you here at this hour?" Kaoru turned around and smiled brightly at Gray Snake.

She had some recollection of this man who had altered most of his body; he was Dr. Mebius's... henchman.

"...I have a request." Gray Serpent said calmly, gazing at the smiling girl. "There is a patient who is dying. It's a terminal illness, and there are currently no medical treatments available."

"..." The sunny smile on Xun's face gradually disappeared. She looked at the indifferent gray snake in front of her. The other party's mechanical pain seemed to have no emotion. It was as indifferent as a snake in the shadows, sticking out its cold and sticky tongue at her.

A sense of danger made her instinctively take a step back.

“I want to contact Dr. Möbius.” She clenched her fist and pressed it against her chest, trying to explain to the gray snake as best she could, “At the very least, I need Dr. Möbius’s permission.”

When she heard Gray Serpent ask her to save people, she immediately realized something terrifying: after being corrupted and infected by Theresa, she also possessed the ability to corrupt and infect others.

This is not a good thing. She knows how troublesome and terrifying this ability is, and what if it were to be accidentally spread?

It's not impossible that this could trigger a zombie crisis in the movie.

"That's your right, you can contact me anytime." Gray Serpent didn't care, but his voice was a little low. "But are you sure you can get an answer that satisfies you? This world isn't... gentle."

He gave Xun a cold explanation.

"You are a smart child and should understand your own value. I believe you also understand that there are no free gifts in this world."

"..." Kaoru was silent for a while. In the previous experiment, Mebius had said that there was no need to be grateful to her.

Because she needs to cooperate with subsequent experiments after the surgery, even if she calls, she won't get a satisfactory answer.

"If it's a request, please forgive me for refusing!" She gritted her teeth and hardened her heart to say the words of refusal. She knew the consequences of agreeing. Once that was started, sooner or later the bacterial Honkai Beasts would encounter accidents during the spread.

This could trigger an unpredictable and terrifying crisis.

Therefore, the choice is obvious: sacrifice a minority for the sake of the vast majority.

Even though she was clearly... saved by the bacterial Honkai Beast, saying that is just too shameless and brazen.

However, if this leads to the deaths of countless people.

That is clearly wrong.

"Is that so?" the gray snake said meaningfully, then calmly turned and left, disappearing into the darkness.

As Xun heard the receding footsteps, she collapsed to the ground as if exhausted, her body trembling slightly, her hands tightly hugging her knees.

This refusal deprived someone of the chance to live.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that her choice killed someone.

after a while.

A cold breeze blows across the balcony.

"...We meet again?" The gray snake returned, looking at the guilty girl, and spoke calmly without emotion, "This time there's a new patient who's dying. Will you save her?"

"I refuse." Xun buried her head between her knees and mumbled to the gray snake, who didn't seem to care and turned to leave the rooftop.

After some time.

The gray snake reappeared and stopped in front of Kaoru, the shadow of the umbrella covering them.

"There's another patient with a terminal illness. What's your answer this time?"

"..." Xun's body trembled slightly, no longer showing the determination to refuse with gritted teeth, nor the ever-increasing price of her life.

This was something an ordinary girl like her couldn't handle.

"Mr. Gray Snake, how many more times do you need to come?" she asked Gray Snake. "Are there really that many patients?"

“Humanity will never lack patients,” Gray Serpent said matter-of-factly, yet with a profound meaning. “Since the beginning of human civilization, death and disease have always accompanied humanity, and no one can escape them.”

"So, you want me to use Theresa's power to save everyone?" Kaoru raised her head, looking at Gray Serpent's indifferent face, as if she was probing something, or perhaps trying to confirm something.

If it were just one person, she could refuse for the sake of more people. However, the gray snake elevates the issue from the level of "one person" to the level of humanity's struggle against disease and death, which means it's not just a matter of one or two people.

Moreover, every time she refused, she could clearly feel that her refusal led to someone's death.

That's not at the level of a bystander in a movie.

And there is indeed some connection.

“Even the most outstanding heroes of the past could not save an era.” Gray Serpent’s voice carried a hint of sarcasm, then he shook his head. “However, we can guarantee to save as many people as possible.”

"..." Kaoru paused for a moment, then asked a question, "If it's just about infecting humans, wouldn't it be better to choose Lady Theresa?"

Whether it's mastery of power or understanding of bacterial Honkai Beasts, Theresa is probably superior.

In terms of safety, Theresa should be the priority.

“Because she doesn’t owe us anything,” Gray Serpent replied, but this was a lie.

From the very beginning, their goal was to infect 'humans' themselves and spread the bacterial Honkai Beasts. Therefore, after humans obtained the carriers of the bacterial Honkai Beasts...

There's no need to involve Theresa; rather, it's better to keep it a secret from her for the time being.

This creates a fait accompli.

“But Miss Fu Hua went out to cooperate with the treatment.” Xun said softly with her head slightly lowered, but it sounded more like a last stand.

Although Ms. Fu Hua looks very cool and capable, in this industrialized age, no one is irreplaceable.

Moreover, she does not believe that Shencheng Pharmaceuticals' actions and plans have any precedents or alternatives.

That's a large multinational pharmaceutical conglomerate.

“Even without human assistance, we can use machinery to help,” Gray Serpent replied calmly. “We have already prepared the relevant data and information.”

In this world, apart from destiny and anti-entropy, the world serpent possesses the most cutting-edge technology. Moreover, in terms of the accumulation of consciousness technology, the world serpent is superior to any current power. It not only preserves the past paradise of heroes from previous civilizations.

They also have the ability to transfer the 'cadre' mentality to machinery.

In short, while it may not be as effortless as Fu Hua's, it is enough to preserve a person's consciousness.

Moreover, with the iteration of research and technology, the cost will only become lower and cheaper.

It's good enough for ordinary people to use.

……

……

Accompanied by the sound of a door being pushed open.

Gray Snake entered the ward and his gaze fell on the woman on the bed. She was a woman with delicate features, but her excessively thin body and weak breath ruined much of her beauty.

"This is the patient you need medical treatment for." He turned around and looked at Kaoru as she walked in, introducing her in a calm voice.

"A well-known young female tycoon in Canghai City, unfortunately, has terminal cancer, and her wonderful life is about to end."

"Don't say that, I'm already very lucky." The sickly woman looked at Kaoru who had entered, revealing a weak yet gentle smile. "You must be Kaoru, right? Mr. Gray Snake said you could heal me, right?"

"Hmm." Xun nodded gently, her inner resistance lessening considerably. The person she was treating was a young person, and life shouldn't end here.

"What do you want me to do?" The sickly woman smiled, tilting her head and jokingly asking, "Do I need to take off all my clothes for the examination?"

"No need, just expose your neck." Shaking her head, Kaoru walked towards the sickly woman.

The sickly woman cooperated, lifting her hair to reveal her pale skin, allowing Kaoru to bite down on her neck. Her sharp teeth pierced her skin, and blood and bacteria from the Honkai Beast were exchanged.

The gray snake silently witnessed this, and after Kaoru stopped sucking blood, it led her out of the ward and to the next room.