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

“She was crying and shouting, constantly trying to escape, until we decided to get rid of her, at which point she admitted her identity.”

“…” Mebius remained silent, staring at the live stream on his laptop. He saw Padofilis tied to a wooden chair, his mouth taped shut, his eyes revealing a despair that was as if he had lost all hope.

She was surrounded by several masked men in black, armed with guns, who guarded her, leaving her no chance to escape.

"She seems to know quite a few of your secrets. Do you need us to help you get rid of her?" The old man gently tapped the ground with his cane, making a somewhat dull sound. Then, the masked man in black tore off the tape stuck to Padofilis's mouth and raised his pistol to aim at Padofilis's head.

With just one command from him, the little girl on the twilight street would be gone forever.

And that is the absolute power he wielded.

"Boss, help!"

On the computer screen, Padofilis burst into tears, sobbing and shouting, "If you save me, I'll be devoted to you for life! I'll do anything you ask!"

“But I don’t know you,” Möbius lied without a hint of guilt, while Padofilis, on the other side of the computer screen, shook her head vigorously, insisting on the truth despite the facts:

"Boss, you can't not save me! They really are going to kill me. If you save me, I'll be your slave for life!"

"Heh...it seems your boss doesn't care about you." The old man's clear laughter rang out, then his voice gradually turned cold. "Then the only option is to get rid of you, you little thief."

"Boss, I'll really follow you for life! I'm very useful, I eat little, and I don't need a salary!" Padofilis shuddered and kept expressing her loyalty, even though she didn't even know the other person's name.

But that was the only lifeline.

“Let me think about it.” Möbius raised his hand and gently rubbed his temples, asking the trembling, fearful Patophis on the computer screen, “Are you sure you want to follow me for the rest of your life?”

"I'll follow the boss my whole life!" Padofilis declared decisively. "I'll stay by the boss's side until I die!"

"Will you do whatever I tell you to do?" Mebius asked again, and Padofilis nodded without hesitation.

"I'll do whatever you want me to do. Even if you ask me to steal a nuclear bomb, I'll do it!"

"Alright." With a sigh, Mebius turned to look at the old man beside him, his expression cold and disdainful.

"Using an innocent little girl to threaten me, you guys are really despicable."

"...Isn't she one of your subordinates?" The old man was somewhat taken aback. He genuinely believed that the little girl was Möbius's subordinate, the source of Möbius's live experiments.

“I don’t even know her name.” Möbius shook his head. “Your intelligence gathering capabilities… are problematic.”

"Is that so?" The old man didn't believe it, but he didn't intend to say anything more. As long as he could survive, he would pretend to be blind to what Möbius said about him being flat-chested and think that Möbius was right.

And on the other side of the screen.

"I'm saved, thank you boss!" Padofilis breathed a sigh of relief, feeling like she had almost peed her pants in fear. She had been arrested for no reason and forced to confess that she had helped her boss transport living people for experiments.

If they don't agree, they'll kill themselves.

"You're welcome. I'll send someone to pick you up later." A pleasant female voice suddenly replied, its indifference like a sharp blade, cutting through the air and touching the skin, sending a shiver down one's spine.

"Okay, okay, I understand." Padofilis nodded frantically, but in her heart she had already decided to run away soon, leave Twilight Street for a while, and find a safe place to hide.

Getting involved in the power struggles of these big shots, a nobody like her could easily lose her life.

We must stay far away.

However, until the handover was completed, she had no chance to escape. The men in black who were guarding her were... a bit too professional.

Even if you wanted to run, you couldn't find a chance.

Dark alley.

"Hehe, hello there." Padofilis's voice was somewhat awkward as she forced a smile that looked like she was about to cry as she faced the guy holding a black umbrella and wearing a metal mask.

This guy seems more dangerous than those men in black from before; it feels like being approached by a venomous snake.

“Padophilis, the righteous thief of Twilight Street.” Gray Serpent’s voice was calm as he stared at Padophilis. “When did you become the Lord’s subordinate? Why didn’t we know?”

"Um... this." Padofilis's eyes darted around, looking for a chance to slip away. Then, she noticed that Gray Snake had raised his pistol and aimed it at her head. If she tried to run away... she would probably die.

"This is a very confidential matter, and I can't just tell anyone," she said casually, making it up.

Otherwise, she might be dead right now.

"I see." Gray Serpent put down his pistol, turned around and led the way. "Come with me, I'll take you to see the Lord."

(Just like that?) Padofilis blinked, staring at the gray snake's retreating figure, and after a moment's thought, decided to run away.

"Bang!" An unknown bullet struck her path from behind. Its origin was completely unknown. If she tried to escape, she would die.

Hmm, it's safer to just follow them.

"Why did things turn out like this?" She dejectedly caught up with Gray Snake, who usually had good luck.

Why is she so unlucky at this time? Could it be that meeting that venerable master is a good thing for her?

Or perhaps her good luck has run out.

"Aren't you happy to have the opportunity to meet the Lord?" The gray snake didn't turn around, its voice unusually calm.

"That is the highest honor."

(These guys, could they be a cult?) Padofilis thought to herself, but still managed a smile.

"I feel very honored, but I'm a little nervous."

“Is that so? I understand that feeling. I always feel very excited whenever I see the Lord,” the gray serpent said to Padophilia. “I hope you can enjoy that joy too.”

(She felt no joy, but she was certainly frightened.) Padofilis remained expressionless, yet she still went along with the gray snake's words.

She hoped that the so-called lord was a gentle and kind person, but Gray Snake's appearance and demeanor always made her feel that the so-called lord was... a gangster boss.

They might even chop off her little finger.

It was used as punishment.

Chapter 62

Troublesome little devil

"Let me state upfront that I am not absolutely certain the surgery will be successful." Möbius glanced at the closed laptop, his voice cold and devoid of emotion, "especially given your age."

"How can we increase the success rate?" The old man asked calmly, seemingly unconcerned. "Do you need money, or do you need test subjects?"

Before he arrived, he had already consulted with his advisors and analyzed in detail what Mebius might ask for.

One possibility is that his body is not able to adapt to the surgery.

"If you do nothing, you might live a little longer," Möbius kindly advised.

However, the old man shook his head and continued talking to himself.

"I will try my best to satisfy everything you want, but I hope you can give me a more specific time."

"What do you consider research to be?" Möbius frowned. If technological hurdles were so easy to overcome, humanity would have already set sail for the stars.

They will not be tormented to the point of civilization extinction by a mere cocoon of the end.

"..." The old man understood this principle, and after a moment of silence, he asked, "Can you do this before I die?"

“That depends on how much you can invest,” Möbius said with a cold smile. “With sufficient funding, it might be possible to complete it sooner.”

“You seem very reluctant to help me prolong my life,” the old man sighed. “It shouldn’t do you any harm.”

He held a high position of power in Mu Continent. As long as Mebius extended his life, he would help Mebius in return. Their interests were completely intertwined.

There is no need for mutual hostility.

“Old geezers like you are doing nothing to benefit this world. Even if you regain your youth, you’ll just become even more greedy vampires.” Mebius frowned, his voice filled with disdain.

"...Hahaha, what an interesting idea." The old man laughed heartily. "I never expected you to have such a naive idea."

He spoke in a tone that seemed to be giving advice to a younger generation.

"Even if I die, even more greedy vampires will be born. As long as humans are still humans, nothing will ever change."

“It’s precisely because you have this idea,” Möbius shook his head. “I have no interest in helping you.”

“Mébius, you are undoubtedly the smartest person.” The old man’s cloudy eyes were deep, like black holes, staring at Mébius as he spoke, “However, you, who only know how to conduct research and experiments, are completely unaware of human malice, and some of your ideas are far too naive.”

“…” Möbius paused for a moment before replying, “Perhaps quite the opposite, you are the one who knows the least about human malice.”

"Are all researchers so stubborn?" The old man chuckled, stood up with his cane, and replied to Möbius, "However, I have no intention of arguing with you; it's pointless for me."

His voice became heavy.

"Furthermore, Mebius, do you think it's better to let one old relic live, or a group of old relics live?"

“I don’t think either is good,” Möbius answered without hesitation, but the old man shook his head and smiled.

"Mebius, if I die..."

He stood up and walked towards the door, speaking with his back to Möbius.

"The conversation we have here today will spread to every corner of the world, and then I won't be the only old codger left."

"Full of passion, wanting to create a better world, believing in equality for all—I had those naive thoughts when I was young,"

"Later, I grew old."

As soon as he finished speaking, the old man disappeared, and the door slowly closed, marking the end of the negotiation.

The story ended with the old man's victory.