Chapter 24: Elysia: Do you want to touch my ears?

[The Seventh Herrscher subjugation war ended with Kevin completing the subjugation alone. You don't know how Kevin did it, but it's a good thing.]

[When the reinforcements arrived, Eden and Hua described your condition to others, so you were semi-forced to leave the battlefield and return to the Fire Moth to rest and recuperate.]

[You can't help but blame Hua and Eden in your heart. After all, this will make Elysia and Sakura worry. Instead of doing this, it's better to keep it a secret. Anyway, it will be fine in a few days... But in the end, you didn't say it, but silently accepted their kindness.]

[It was only when others lifted up your clothes that they discovered that almost the entire combat uniform had merged with your skin. It could be said that you had shed a layer of skin in a physical sense, so much so that the doctor in charge of you didn't know how to proceed.]

[After learning about your condition, Sakura asked Mobius to come and check on you. Of course, you think that Mobius would have come even if Sakura didn't say anything. After all, this is a rare opportunity for her to observe your "characteristics" as a matter of course.]

[That is exactly what happened. You rested in the ward for seven days. During these seven days, apart from Sakura taking care of you, Mobius came with her assistant to collect your physical data, and prescribed some medicine for you, and did some tests.]

[Even with this "casual" treatment, your condition is recovering rapidly. The burn wounds are fading quickly. By the seventh day, only shallow marks are left on your body. After two more days, there will be no marks left.]

[Your recovery amazed everyone, and many people exclaimed, "You are worthy of being Dr. Mobius."]

[Mobius has become more "interested" in you, and her two new assistants, Cang Xuan, and Dan Zhu, have also developed a strong interest in you... Although one of them is a money-grubber who wants to drag you into some "highly profitable job", and the other is an ACG enthusiast who is very interested in your body that can maintain perfect skin at any time.]

[Perhaps because they both have petite bodies like little girls, you are more tolerant of them than others. Even though they always like to touch you, you don't mind. But if Mobius wants to take the opportunity to approach you, you will immediately refuse her to get close.]

[During these seven days, you also gradually learned about the situation of the "Seventh Great Honkai" from Sakura, Mobius, and others.]

[For example, Kevin was able to defeat the "Seventh Herrscher" alone because Mobius and Mei urgently activated the "Fusion Warrior Project" and fused the genes of the Honkai Beast into Kevin's body to gain inhuman power.]

[For example, even though the Herrscher was defeated, the fire she spread could not be extinguished. With the help of everyone, and even with the help of Kevin who became a non-human and had the power to control ice and snow, the fire that affected the entire Australia still burned for seven days. The entire Australia was in ruins and turned into scorched earth. There was also residual Honkai energy stranded on the land, making it difficult to carry out the recovery plan that was originally planned.]

[The whole of Australia could originally accommodate tens of millions of people, but now all the urban areas suitable for reconstruction combined can only support a million people.]

[But the good news is that the number of people who survived in Australia is less than one million. It can be said that the rebuilt urban areas are just enough for them to continue living in their homeland, and other countries don't have to worry about the refugee problem, haha~]

[Not funny at all]

[When all the operations were over, you met your teammates again... Well, although only a quarter of them were left, it seemed that they were lucky, at least not all of them died.]

[On the way, you also met Kevin. He has become inhuman and exudes a biting coldness all over his body, making it difficult for people to get close to him... He is still unable to control this power, and he doesn't have the energy to do so now. He seems to have some psychological problems and looks very depressed. After returning to the Fire Moth, he often needs psychological treatment.]

[This fire that directly affected the entire continent also attracted the attention of the world, and the Fire Moth had to stand on the stage and announce its existence and the disaster called "Honkai Impact" to the world.]

[Perhaps because the lesson this time was too painful, the Fire Moths temporarily put aside their internal conflicts and began to take active actions. On the one hand, they promoted the world's understanding of "Honkai" on a large scale, and on the other hand, they put more plans on the agenda and began to promote them at all costs. The "Fusion Warrior Plan" that had just achieved brilliant results was naturally the top priority.]

[Although the success rate of fusion warriors' surgeries is shockingly low, they can no longer care about that at the moment. Fire Moth begins to recruit volunteers within the army to perform surgeries, striving to get a few lucky ones to survive.]

[And you are naturally on the list of people who will undergo surgery.]

[You are not surprised by this. You have already anticipated that you might be "abandoned" by the higher-ups, but you also know that they will not "deal with" you directly. After all, there are not many people who can "deal with" you, and they cannot directly command those who are capable of "dealing with" you. This plan with a very low survival rate is naturally a good way to "deal with" you.]

[If you die in the "Fusion Warrior"'s surgery, that's fine. After all, you are no longer necessary to them. They already have enough "knives", even if they are not as sharp as yours, they are enough.]

[If you survive, that's even better. The "knife" in their hands becomes sharper. Although it becomes more dangerous for them, they can still command you safely before they completely fall out. After all, although the "scabbard" plan was not completely successful, it did not fail completely, right? Especially since they still have a certain degree of control over the "scabbard".]

[Although you vaguely guessed their thoughts, you didn't mean to refuse... although you couldn't refuse either.]

[For you, these things don't matter. You will survive. You will definitely survive.]

[But what you don't understand is... why are Elysia and Sakura's names also on it?]

[Also, when you found out about the situation, why was it all over?]

"Elysia..."

Seeing that there seemed to be no change in her, Xi Wang called out her name softly.

"Long time no see~ Wang~"

She is still as cheerful as ever, and her smile is as dazzling as ever, making people unconsciously feel good about her and want to get closer to her.

"You've been on this mission for a long time. Thank you for your hard work."

"Well, it's just a little bit complicated, it's not a particularly troublesome task."

The main reason was that there were too many people who panicked and caused riots, and he also had to deal with the "failures" caused by various messy [plans], so it took him a lot of time to "deal with" them.

"How is it? Did you notice any slight difference in me?"

Elysia leaned forward slightly and deliberately turned her face to the side in front of him, as if she was deliberately showing off something.

"…even cuter?"

Xi Wang glanced at her ears which had become pointed like the elves in the legend, paused for a moment, and then made a little joke in a calm tone.

Ah... But for Elysia, this shouldn't be a joke~

"Well! Although I'm happy that you said that~ But it's better to say this to Sakura~ I think Sakura will be happier than me!"

"Take a closer look?"

Elysia deliberately moved closer to Xi Wang, her blue and pink pupils full of anticipation.

"...ear?"

Xi Wang then gave the answer.

"Yeah~ Very cute, right~ Just like the legendary [elves]~"

After getting the answer she wanted, Elysia smiled happily, held Xi Wang's hand and placed it on her face, blinked her eyes with a slightly cunning look, and asked with a smile.

"Want to touch it?"

"...yes."

"Wang, you should be a little reserved at this time~ Well… But I also like your straightforwardness~"

As she spoke, Elysia tilted her head slightly, lowered her eyes, and gently placed his hand on her changed ear, feeling his careful caress, as if he was afraid of hurting her, and the corners of her mouth unconsciously raised.

"Is it a side effect of the surgery? The same as the low temperature surrounding Kevin?"

"Almost. But this is just a derivative effect. The real [side effect] is not this."

After satisfying his curiosity a little, Xi Wang withdrew his hand. However, Elysia seemed a little dissatisfied with his "cowardly" behavior, but she soon responded to him with a smile, blinked at him, and looked forward to his response.

"What is that?"

Xi Wang asked at the right time.

"Hehe~ Actually, my [side effects] are pretty serious!"

"My body's metabolism is totally messed up now! It's really serious!"

"Wouldn't that be terrible?"

Although he had already realized that the actual situation was not as exaggerated and bad as Elysia said, Xi Wang still said this at the right time in a fairly calm tone.

And Elysia was aware of this, so she didn't care about Xi Wang's tone which was not in character, but continued.

"Not really. It just means that no matter how much I eat, I won't gain weight. I can still have a beautiful figure even if I don't exercise."

"My skin is getting better day by day. I don't know if it will be affected if I mess up my sleep and rest schedule in the future, but it doesn't seem to be a big deal now..."

"The same goes for my hair. I don't have to spend time taking care of it and it looks great. Sigh... I won't have time to spend on dressing up anymore. I'm so sad..."

"...Will other girls not get angry when they hear you say that?"

After hearing what she said, Xi Wang tilted his head and asked a matter-of-fact question.

"Hey, I usually don't say that."

Elysia stepped forward and whispered in his ear.

"So this is just a little secret between the two of us. Please keep it a secret, okay?"

After saying that, she quickly stepped back and stuck out her tongue at Xi Wang, revealing a sly and cute expression, which made Xi Wang feel helpless.

"But Sakura has changed a lot too. Can't you go check her out? She's currently being examined in Mobius' lab."

Elysia started talking about another topic.

"Sakura might need you right now~ And don't be scared by her appearance when you see her~"

Elysia tilted her head and thought for a moment, then added another sentence at the end.

"And Dr. Mobius too~ Her appearance has changed a lot~ Don't be fooled by her appearance~ Dr. Mobius is very cute~?"

"I see."

He was going there anyway.

"Then I won't bother you with what's happening next. Do your best!"

Having said that, Elysia ran away quickly without waiting for Xi Wang's response.

"......"

Hearing this, Xi Wang paused for a moment, then quickly returned to normal and walked towards his original destination. Then, for the first time, he took the initiative to knock on the door of the Mobius Laboratory.

"Who is it? Hmm? Brother Wang? How come you have time to come here?"

A petite girl with long brown hair and scarlet eyes opened the door. The white coat seemed a little too big for her. The long sleeves covered her slender arms, and even the hem dragged on the ground. But she didn't seem to care, and even particularly liked this way of wearing.

When she saw Xi Wang was a little surprised, she reminded him.

"Your surgery hasn't been scheduled so soon. Even the physical examination will be tomorrow, okay?"

"I'm here to see Mobius."

"Ah...I see. That's right. Sakura is here too. You're here to see her, right?"

"…About the same."

"That's what I said~"

As if he knew the truth, Dan Zhu smiled and nodded, then took Xi Wang into the laboratory.

"Sakura's surgery was very successful. Although it did leave some... um... some obvious side effects, she was lucky enough to survive and has become very cute! Be sure to praise her more when you see her later!"

"...Um."

"Really... why do you always react so calmly... Oh, by the way, do you want to do what I proposed before? I've already told Sakura and Elysia, and they both agreed. I've even picked out the characters to play, prepared the COS costumes, and even bought a brand new camera! I'm going to take lots of photos when the time comes!"

"…Whatever."

"Then I'll take that as your agreement! Hehe~ It won't take up too much of your time~ I'll send the photos to you after they're taken! Ah, or I'll make a figurine for you as a souvenir! I'll make it based on your appearance, and I happen to have the materials..."

As if she thought of some particularly wonderful scene, Dan Zhu held his face and smiled happily, muttering something like "It's so nice... It's so nice to have a pair of CPs around me who match their personalities and experiences~ We can perfectly reproduce the contents of the animation~", "I must post pictures on my social accounts later to let others know that there are people in the three-dimensional world who are as handsome and beautiful as in the animation!"... and so on.

In the end, one could even hallucinate strange pink heart bubbles appearing around her, and no one knew what she was thinking.

"It's settled then!"

Dan Zhu excitedly reached out and grabbed Xi Wang's sleeve, as if afraid that he would go back on his word.

"...Brother Wang, instead of agreeing to something weird like that from my sister, you should consider my affairs."

On the other side, a girl with a similar appearance and body shape to Dan Zhu, but with blue pupils and a small tuft of blue highlights in her long brown hair, and even wearing the same clothes as Dan Zhu, quietly came to the other side of Xi Wang, grabbed the sleeve of Xi Wang's other arm, and spoke in a calm tone similar to Xi Wang's.

Xi Wang naturally knew who she was...Dan Zhu's twin sister - Cang Xuan.

"If you're willing, I can contact several skin care companies. Of course, I also have connections in cosmetics. I believe that with my means and your looks, plus your uniqueness..."

Cang Xuan stretched out her hand and touched Xi Wang's waist as if out of habit, as if she could touch Xi Wang's skin through her sleeves and clothes.

"We will definitely make a lot of money! Of course, the advertising and endorsement fees will also be yours. How about I give you 5% of the sales?"

"......"

Looking at Cang Xuan's expression that was about to turn into ( $ _ $ ), Xi Wang was speechless.

"Cang Xuan! Brother Wang has already agreed to take photos with me first! Even Sakura and Elysia have agreed! You don't want to break the agreement between three... no, including me, there are four of us, right?"

"Things like taking photos can be done anytime. You also said it won't take up much time, so I can naturally make requests for the remaining time, right? And what do you know? Money, only money is the most important thing! Haven't you seen that the funding for our laboratory is getting less and less?! If this continues, we will have to eat instant noodles for another two or three months!"

"Are you dissatisfied with the situation in the laboratory? Cang Xuan?"

A dangerous, predatory-like voice sounded faintly. Xi Wang could clearly feel that the two girls who were grabbing his sleeves trembled violently, and even had bumps on their skin.

"Of course~ If you are willing to help solve the laboratory's difficulties, I would also be happy to do so~"

Mobius walked forward slowly, staring at Cang Xuan and Dan Zhu with pupils that were no different from a "snake". Looking at the two people who shrank behind Xi Wang because they were caught gossiping, she narrowed her eyes slightly and quietly probed with her snake-like tongue, giving people a feeling full of temptation and danger.

"Hey... Doctor, I just made a suggestion... I hope you haven't agreed yet."

Cang Xuan hid behind Xi Wang and spoke with a little embarrassment.

"Oh? I think if it was you two, he would definitely agree."

Mobius shifted her gaze to Xi Wang and smiled sweetly.

"After all, this guy is very gentle to children. Sometimes I wonder, if I had a body shape like you, would I be able to easily pull him onto the operating table?"

As she spoke, Mobius came forward, like a snake trying to persuade someone to eat the forbidden fruit, and spoke in a voice that was more seductive than before.

"Do you think you will agree? Little white mouse~"

It was full of temptation, yet full of danger. Even the two people who were hiding behind Xi Wang unconsciously let go of Xi Wang's sleeves and quickly took a few steps back, keeping a distance from Mobius at the moment to avoid being "hunted" by her.

"Dr. Mobius, I need your help."

In response to this, Xi Wang just responded calmly, and after a slight pause, he continued.

"…Also, I want to see how Sakura is doing."

When he said the second half of the sentence, Xi Wang's tone became slightly weaker, with a hint of request.

"Ha~ You are such a stubborn guy~"

The dangerous snake eyes narrowed slightly, and finally Mobius sighed as if amused, and waved her hand casually, making way for him.

"Go find your girlfriend~ Of course, ~ Don't be scared when you see her~"

"And... let's look forward to your surgery, little white mouse. After all... I specifically asked to be your lead surgeon. Hehe."

"......"

Xi Wang ignored her and had no time to correct her description of the relationship between himself and Sakura. He just walked quickly forward and into the experimental area in front.