NOVEL NEXT Chapter 444: Mobius's Lab
"Mei-nee, I don't want to die..."
"Pardo!"
Mei awoke with a gasp, as if surfacing from drowning. She looked around, relief washing over her as she realized she was in a room filled with unfamiliar machinery, not next to Pardo's corpse.
Just a dream? Breathing heavily, Mei sat up, pressing a hand to her forehead, which was drenched in sweat. Her long, flowing hair was tangled and disheveled.
She closed her eyes, the nightmare fading, replaced by the memories of reality. She remembered the beast's attack, and how, at the last moment, she had intervened.
This time, she had succeeded, saving the girl.
Her heart rate slowed, and despite the lingering aches throughout her body, she felt a profound sense of relief.
She scanned the room, filled with various instruments. She realized she wasn't lying on a bed, but on a cold...
"An examination table?"
This was clearly not a hospital, but some kind of laboratory.
She looked at the edge of the table, noticing restraints. A shiver ran down her spine, but after checking herself, she found no signs of experimentation, only a deep exhaustion.
"Where am I?"
Her mind raced with questions. She remembered seeing the beast about to kill Pardo, feeling a surge of emotion, then a flash of lightning, followed by unconsciousness.
Unfortunately, there was no one to answer her. The lab was empty except for the running machinery.
Out of caution, she didn't get up immediately, instead mentally reviewing the events leading up to her current state.
The trial, Elysia, Pardo...
"Something went wrong with the trial? Or was that girl, Elysia, lying to me?" Because of The Obsidian Concord's endorsement, Mei had initially felt a sense of goodwill towards Elysia, leading her to challenge herself further.
But when the beast had nearly killed her, Elysia's rescue had failed to materialize. Instead, it was The Obsidian Concord's mark that had saved her.
"Wait, the mark of The Obsidian Concord?"
Mei paused, instinctively raising her left forearm. Her pale skin was unmarked. But when she thought of the mark, a black and white spiral appeared on her skin.
"When did this mark appear?" Though a member of The Obsidian Concord, Mei hadn't undergone any initiation ritual. She knew many members had this mark, but she hadn't encountered it before.
Then, she remembered the words of the person disguised as Kiana, before she joined World Serpent – The Obsidian Concord would be with her in the Elysian Realm.
"So, someone from The Obsidian Concord also entered the Elysian Realm? And that mysterious white space... was it their doing?"
Mei clearly recalled that she had been completely exhausted when the beast attacked, unable to even dodge. Yet she had been unharmed in the white light. If it wasn't The Obsidian Concord, she couldn't imagine who else would have helped her.
And when she had seen Pardo about to die again, a surge of power had flowed through her, allowing her to unleash that final, all-severing strike.
Looking at the mark on her arm, a strange feeling came over Mei. Recalling Elysia's explanation of the Elysian Realm's rules, a thought formed in her mind.
"Could the mark of The Obsidian Concord... be another kind of signet?"
Before she could dwell on it further, the sound of footsteps echoed from the hallway. She held her breath, quickly lying back down.
Soon, a young girl with long green hair entered the room. From the corner of her eye, Mei saw the girl walk straight towards her, stopping by the examination table.
"Blood pressure normal, heart rate normal, wounds healing perfectly..."
To avoid detection, Mei kept her eyes tightly shut, then heard the girl add, "Oh my? A healthy Herrscher body. Perfect for experimentation."
She felt the girl lean closer, her words dripping with malice, "I hear Herrschers have strong regenerative abilities. I wonder if she'll survive if I remove her heart..."
"..." Mei remained silent, slowly opening her eyes.
"Big sister, I thought you'd keep pretending." It was clear the girl had known Mei was awake from the moment she entered the lab.
It was understandable. A person could feign unconsciousness, but the machinery wouldn't lie. As the owner of the lab, she could easily determine Mei's condition from the equipment.
"Who are you?"
The girl looked fifteen or sixteen, but Mei knew that a MANTIS warrior's age couldn't be judged by appearance. Fu Hua, for example, hadn't aged physically in fifty thousand years.
"Oh? Don't be so guarded, big sister. My name is Mobius, and I'm the owner of this lab."
Mobius's voice was childish, seemingly harmless. But Mei felt a chilling malice emanating from her.
"Please don't call me 'big sister'. My name is Raiden Mei."
"Oh my, it's all the same to me. I prefer the name 'electric white mouse' as it describes more clearly."
Noticing the girl's serpentine gaze, Mei felt a chill. "But I'm not your white mouse, and I'm not your test subject."
"It doesn't matter. You're already lying on my examination table." Mobius's vertical pupils glinted, her intentions clear.
Hearing this, Mei's scalp tingled. But before she could react, another voice echoed from the doorway.
"Oh my, Mei is already awake? You gave me quite a scare." The timely arrival of the pink-haired girl eased the tension. She walked between Mei and Mobius, separating them.
"Mei, don't worry. Dr. Mobius loves using white mice for her experiments, but thanks to her, your rampant Herrscher energy was quickly suppressed."
She smiled at Mobius, who responded with a cold snort. Elysia, unfazed, explained, "She promised me she wouldn't do anything extra to Mei, so you can relax."
Mobius, with a disgruntled look, offered Mei a knowing glance. "Only this once. Maybe next time, this Herrscher big sister will willingly come to my lab."
"I highly doubt that." Mei didn't back down, their gazes locking.
"Hehe, you never know~"
With a strange smile, Mobius waved at Elysia and left the lab.