[Age 16: Your experiments remain in a state of constant failure, with progress crawling at a miserable pace. The reason is simple: you underestimated Herrscher genes far too much.]
[Herrschers may still look human on the outside, but in essence they are an entirely different species. Their resistance and adaptability to Honkai energy are so high that it borders on the incomprehensible.]
[To fuse Herrscher genes, the first problem that must be solved is resistance to Honkai energy. Otherwise, the test subject will collapse from Honkai erosion before anything else can even begin.]
[You also hear of a genius young girl who, suspecting Fire Moth of ulterior motives, secretly opposed them and caused no small amount of trouble. In the end, she was found by Elysia, brought back, and imprisoned.]
[After a period of review, she is eventually recruited and joins the Weapons Development Division.]
[The most obvious effect this has on you is that your research funding is reduced slightly.]
[And today, you finally meet her.]
Mo Xie let out a sigh as he looked at the girl standing before him, even though she was technically older than he was.
No, seriously—why had she been blocking his path for this long without saying a single word?
"If I remember correctly, you should be Director Vill-V of the Weapons Development Division, right?" Mo Xie said with certainty.
Vill-V still did not answer. Her face was flushed bright red, her head lowered so far that it looked as though she wanted to bury it in her ample chest.
Strange. Hadn't he heard that Vill-V was supposed to be eccentric, unconventional, and utterly one of a kind? Why, then, did the person in front of him look like nothing more than a shy, timid girl?
The next second, Mo Xie changed his mind.
Because Vill-V's entire bearing suddenly shifted. A confident smile appeared on her face, and as she adjusted her top hat, she declared, "It is not some mere Weapons Development Division—it is the Helix Workshop! And I am the master of the Helix Workshop, the great magician, Vill-V!"
Mo Xie watched her exaggerated performance without the slightest reaction.
"So, did you stop me for something? If not, I'm leaving."
"Oh my, how impatient..." Vill-V blinked.
Seeing that he really was about to walk off without a shred of mercy, she hurried forward and blocked his path again.
"It's just that after arriving at Fire Moth, I kept hearing your name everywhere, yet never actually met you in person. So I thought I'd come and make your acquaintance."
"Well, now you have," Mo Xie replied just as coldly. "And where exactly did you hear about me?"
"Hehe..." Vill-V let out a light laugh, then said, "It seems you still lack a clear understanding of yourself."
"Do you really think you're some nobody? You were personally invited by that woman Mobius to be her experimental assistant, and then you went on to establish an independent laboratory of your own." Her tone grew more theatrical as she gestured with her hands for emphasis.
"And on top of that, you've managed to get those short-sighted higher-ups to keep pouring money into your lab without end..."
Before she could finish, Mo Xie suddenly nodded in realization and cut in, "So you're here to complain that the higher-ups have put too much funding into my research?"
"I really don't think you should be bringing that complaint to me," Mo Xie added, genuinely puzzled. "And your Weapons Development Division shouldn't be short on funding either, should it?"
After all, after witnessing the might of the Second Herrscher, no matter how petty and self-serving those higher-ups might be, surely they would not skimp when it came to developing new weapons.
"Hah?" Vill-V planted her hands on her hips, wearing an expression that practically screamed You insult me. "I just came to see for myself what kind of genius you are!"
"Genius? I'm not one. You and Dr. Mobius are the real geniuses," Mo Xie said, as self-aware as ever.
"Hmph, hmph." Vill-V gave two soft snorts, the corners of her lips curling into a meaningful smile. "Just as Mobius said."
"Perhaps you truly believe that. But your every action says the exact opposite of what comes out of your mouth."
Mo Xie frowned slightly, confusion showing on his face.
Vill-V stared straight into his eyes for a moment before continuing.
"You keep saying you're not a genius, putting on this humble and cautious front... but in truth, you're even more arrogant than anyone else!"
The moment those words fell, the air itself seemed to freeze.
When Mo Xie parted his lips, clearly about to say something, Vill-V cut him off before he could.
"Don't rush to deny it. Think first—why exactly did you leave Mobius's laboratory? Even a genius like me has to admit that woman is a genius too."
"As far as I know, you and that woman clashed because your ideas didn't align. Compared to her vision, you believed even more firmly that your own was correct. That's why you chose to leave and pursue your research independently. Am I wrong?"
Mo Xie fell silent.
"If you were truly just an 'ordinary person,'" Vill-V's voice rose steadily, "then why wouldn't you accept Mobius's ideas? Why would you dare insist on your own path? If you were really 'ordinary,' then when faced with a genius like her, shouldn't you have obediently followed along and learned?"
"Or is it that—" she drew out the words dramatically, "you believe you are not the slightest bit inferior to that so-called 'genius' of yours?"
Vill-V paused, as though deliberately giving him enough time to digest every word.
Then she drew in a breath and declared, almost as if delivering a verdict:
"Just admit it! You are a genius too! A genius who simply differs from me and Mobius!"
At that, Vill-V struck a pose—one hand on her hip, the other pointing straight at Mo Xie, her face full of confident triumph.
Silence.
Mo Xie lowered his gaze slightly, his eyelids shadowing his eyes and hiding whatever thoughts lay within.
He simply stood there, motionless and wordless, like a statue.
One second.
Two seconds.
Three seconds.
After a moment, Vill-V was still holding the pose, but the self-assured smile on her face had already started to stiffen.
No, seriously, man? Say something already!
At the very least, move or react or something!
Holding this pose the whole time is exhausting!
But if I move now, won't that be super awkward?
Then again... if I just keep freezing like this, that's just as awkward!
Oh no. I've trapped myself at both ends of the road.
Vill-V's brain spun at top speed, while her face still had to maintain that increasingly fragile smile.
The corner of her eye had already started twitching involuntarily, and the arm she was holding out was beginning to ache.
Just as she felt she was about to hit her limit and was on the verge of abandoning all dignity and casually withdrawing her pose as though nothing had happened—
Mo Xie finally moved.
Only...
"Oh. Got it."
Vill-V: "..."
-------
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