"To better understand each other, cheers."
Clink.
The two cups of coffee collided awkwardly, and Ryan took a sip of his iced coffee, glancing at Möbius, who had a smile on her face, clearly in a good mood.
Then he picked up his chopsticks but froze. He didn't even know where to start.
The entire table was filled with dark dishes. In the black soup, there were two fish heads staring at him with bulging, unblinking eyes. There was also a plate of something that looked like burnt charcoal, which, if he remembered correctly, should have been a fried egg.
"What, what are you staring at? This is all because you asked me to chat and I ended up making it like this!" Möbius noticed Ryan gaze and flushed with embarrassment, trying to defend herself.
Yeah, yeah, it's my fault again.
Ryan couldn't be bothered to argue with her. He picked up a piece of fish meat, which was so dry it almost fell apart in his hands, and put it in his mouth. The intense bitterness and dryness made him almost spit it out.
It tasted bitter, dry, and even had a mushroom-like flavor. Turning this into such a disaster really showed some skill. It was almost the other extreme of cooking.
"How does it taste? Can you eat it?" Möbius asked eagerly, her eyes clearly warning him: If you dare complain, I'll explode.
Ryan swallowed forcefully, barely holding back. He managed to force a smile. "I mean, it's edible... By the way, you didn't put anything weird in it, did you?"
Weird things? Huh, how did I not think of that? Since he let his guard down, this is the perfect opportunity.
"No, I forgot. No, I wouldn't just throw weird stuff in there," she replied with a look of feigned regret.
Forgot? And why do you look so disappointed?
Ryan was stunned by her thick skin. From now on, I'll have to be extra careful. But at least this time, it was clean.
Once he relaxed, the dark cuisine didn't seem as bad. As he ate, he again covered his face.
I'm probably going to develop some kind of serious illness.
"Alright, you must have something important to do here, right?"
"No, not at all."
"Then you just want to mess with me?"
"Bullshit!" Möbius's voice became sharp as she leaned on her chin, "I just thought you'd like this kind of feeling, so I'm giving you a little reward."
This feeling? Do you think I'm some sort of masochist or a taste-deprived fool?
Oh, you mean that kind of feeling.
Ryan realized what she meant and snorted, "You got this from Elysia, didn't you?"
Elysia once asked him which moment he missed the most, and Ryan answered honestly that it was his time in Lion City—the simple, sometimes warm days when life felt calm and without the imminent threat of the apocalypse.
Möbius first nodded, then shook her head violently, muttering, "I thought of it myself."
"You thought of it yourself?… Never mind. Anyway, you guessed it right. The road to exploration is limitless, but there's always a starting point, whether it's a train or a small house. After every journey, there's always a place to return to."
Ryan continued eating the dark cuisine slowly, and as he spoke, he saw Möbius's eyebrows twitching, as though they were wriggling like worms.
So, there's this kind of saying? The infinite journey has an anchoring point. It's invisible and untouchable—very philosophical.
"No wonder you love meddling in other people's business."
Ryan gaze deepened. "Whether it's a train or a small house, it only matters if there are people there to give it meaning."
He noticed that Möbius had fallen into deep thought. He sighed softly and stood up, as if loneliness were his only companion. He gently moved her hand aside.
"I'll wash up. You think about whether that makes sense."
"Oh, this is definitely a serious philosophical question."
Ryan looked at the dead fish eyes and silently turned around, a smile slowly creeping onto his face.
You fell for it, idiot!
I threw out a question, made Möbius think about it, and I'll just take this away after a few bites. Though I'm a little hungry, I'll just cook some instant noodles later.
Better toss this out before I really throw up.
He quickened his pace, heading for the sink to wash the dishes. He couldn't help but reflect—Möbius was starting to feel more human, almost as if she had gotten over some of the residual effects of Shasha's legacy.
That's a good thing. It's a lot easier to get along with her now. Elysia mouth probably played a part in this.
However, at the same time, behind him, Möbius looked up, staring at Ryan back. A mocking smile slowly crept onto her face.
You fell for it, idiot!
Heh, I deliberately made it taste terrible. I knew you'd try to outsmart me, but you ended up cooperating so well and even revealing some secrets.
What is the path to exploration? The small house is definitely a distraction, the key point must be the train, right?
The train? The second Divine Keys? The barrier of space?
Möbius's mind flashed with countless clues. She found some gaps in the space barrier and intuitively knew this connection wasn't wrong. Her smile became even more evident.
See? A little trick, and I got the information out. In this atmosphere, his guard is down. I'll make sure to write this in my notes when I get back.
Hehehe.
Both of them were smiling when the door suddenly opened again. Fuxi stood in the doorway.
"Dr. Ryan, Dr. Möbius, the meeting…"
Her cold voice immediately faltered when she saw Ryan washing dishes and Möbius sitting at the table. At first glance, it seemed ordinary and warm, but she couldn't shake the feeling that there was an undercurrent of danger in the room.
This completely different atmosphere was present at the same time, making her amazed at the complexity of the genius strategy at play.
Having just advanced her plan significantly, Möbius was in a great mood. She turned to Fuxi with a smile, her expression softening.
"Fuxi, is it Mei meeting?"
"Mm, Dr. Mei asked for both of you to attend. The other attendees include Director Vil-V." Fuxi quickly responded, lowering her head. She couldn't shake the feeling that if Möbius knew what she was thinking, she'd be silenced.
At that moment, Ryan also walked out, drying his hands. He cast a quick glance at Möbius, sensing something was off but not dwelling on it. He turned and went to put on his coat, focusing on the task at hand.
Fuxi, you showed up at just the right time. Heh, you just helped me avoid her intuition.
Möbius immediately beamed, her eyes softening as she looked at her assistant. She decided to focus giving Fuxi her assignment, but the latter lowered her head even further, not wanting to attract attention from Möbius.
"Hey, Fuxi, why are you looking down? Has Möbius been bullying you?" Ryan asked, wearing a new white lab coat and adjusting his shirt. He could clearly sense the girl's fear.
"No, not at all. I have work to do, so I'm heading back now." Fuxi stared at her toes, hurriedly leaving, leaving Ryan standing there confused.
"What did you do to her? Bullying your subordinates, be careful of the streetlights."
"Nonsense, I've been sitting here doing nothing. Probably her sister caused the trouble. That old fool Nuwa is always dragging her feet." Möbius complained as she stood up, her small feet in black stockings gently slipping into her high heels.
"Fuxi is still somewhat useful. Nuwa is either late or asleep during tasks. She's really useless."
"Then why do you keep her?"
"Heh, it's nice to have someone to entertain me occasionally. Besides, her family's pretty well-off, so if she breaks something, I can make her pay double."
You really are…
Ryan looked at the glint in her snake-like eyes, speechless.
The two of them left the room, walking side by side down the hallway. When they passed by other researchers, Ryan mostly nodded in greeting, while Möbius couldn't be bothered to acknowledge anyone.
Only a few people in the Fire Moth received her genuine attention. Sometimes, she would glare at gossipers with her cold snake-like eyes, making anyone who dared speak instantly fall silent.
Her intimidation was strong. She then turned and continued complaining about how lazy Nuwa was.
"I thought you didn't care about people like her."
"Heh, turning an idiot into a smart one gives me a sense of accomplishment. Besides, I need someone to run errands in my lab. As for real assistant work, Klein and Fuxi are enough."
"So you don't need me anymore?"
"You, always running around. If I wait for you, all the work will be delayed." Möbius gave Ryan a sidelong glance, ready to make a sarcastic remark but then suddenly changed her tone. "The truly important work still relies on you, so when you come back, you have to stay in my lab and help out."
She said this, but her eyes darted forward, where at the end of the hallway, a blast-proof door was open, and a pink-haired girl stood beside it.
Sakura pressed a long knife against her side, standing tall and vigilant, scanning her surroundings. When she saw Ryan coming, she instinctively flashed a faint smile.
Hmph, this long-eared fox.
Möbius snorted, thinking that if she hadn't come in time, Ryan would have already gone to Sakura's room for lunch, and there wouldn't be any of this later. As for their cooking skills…
I'll just ask Klein to teach me!
Ryan had no idea how many layers of schemes Möbius had. He smiled and waved at Sakura. This assassin was his most reliable partner, as the internal conflict within the Fire Moth had become increasingly intense. There had even been ballistic missile assassination attempts.
Möbius was dangerous, and Kevin couldn't always be by her side, so Ryan had arranged for Sakura in advance.
"I originally wanted to ask Elysia for help, but this fool talks too much and got kicked out of the lab by Möbius."
He slowly approached, about to greet her, but saw Sakura take out a silver thermos from her bag.
"Ryan, you didn't come for lunch, so I've already brewed some tea for you. Same ratio as usual."
"Thanks. It looks like I'll be more focused for the afternoon meeting." Ryan took the thermos, as he really liked the flower tea Sakura made. He casually put it in his pocket, noticing Sakura seemed to hesitate to speak.
"Is something wrong?"
"Did you have lunch yet? If not, I brought..."
"He already ate. I made him a big bowl of Chinese Food," Möbius suddenly stepped forward, smiling broadly.
Wow, you lie so easily. What chinese food? This is dark cuisine!
As Ryan silently cursed Möbius's thick skin, he saw Sakura's expression darken a little. She placed the lunchbox back into her bag, paused, and then asked, more interested than before:
"Dr. Möbius can cook?"
"I'm a jack of all trades. What's so special about basic life skills?"
"Then next time, let me try it too. What cuisines are you good at?"
"That depends on my mood. Alright, alright, let's go to the meeting." Möbius realized she was about to slip up, so she hurriedly pushed Ryan toward the core area. As they passed by Sakura, she winked at her.
"Leave the little stuff to me. Ryan will be in my lab every day. Running back and forth is too troublesome."
Their eyes met for a moment, then quickly parted. As the blast-proof door closed behind them, Sakura stood still, and after a few seconds, she slightly tightened her grip on the knife.
For some reason, she felt inexplicably angry.