I am a former Flame Chasers

Click.

The door lock clicked as Mobius entered, carrying a document bag. She held onto the cabinet next to her, lifted her long, black silk legs, and kicked off her high heels.

After working overtime for four days, she was exhausted. "Why did I even come back to this noisy villa instead of just sleeping in the lab?"

She paused for a moment, then quickly dismissed the thought. "No, no, I feel relaxed when I come back here... right?" She tried to convince herself, but the most reasonable conclusion soon formed in her mind.

"That's right, this group of idiots needs someone to take care of them. And I'm the only one mature and ruthless enough."

Determined to maintain her professional image, Mobius immediately shook off her fatigue and returned to her usual sharp and energetic self. But as she took a few steps forward, the delicious aroma of food wafted to her nose, and she gritted her silver teeth slightly.

"Okay, I said I would come back for dinner, but you didn't wait for me. I'll start with Pardofelis later."

Da da da da

Her black stockings tapping against the floor, Mobius walked aggressively into the living room. There weren't enough chairs, so the group was sitting on the floor. The modular dining table, built by Vil-V, was piled high with food.

Sushi, sashimi, grilled eel, and plates of pickled kelp with rice sat in front of everyone. Kalpas was proudly showing off two bowls, while Pardo was fighting Himeko for sashimi. Most of the group was eating and chatting, looking more like friends than anything else.

Seeing this, Mobius immediately felt her nerves start to relax. But when her eyes landed on the black-haired man sitting at the head of the table, her sharpness returned.

"Why are you here?!" she demanded, her voice cutting through the light chatter.

At her words, everyone turned their heads. Himeko, who was closest to the door, quickly moved over and opened a can of beer for Mobius.

Ryan, who had been deep in thought, was startled by Mobius' sudden outburst and rolled his eyes, trying to cover it up.

"I just woke up, why can't I come back?" Ryan replied nonchalantly.

"You're the general manager now. Don't you have anything to do? I'm the one who's been busy," Mobius said as she leaned over, grabbing the beer, then walking over to Ryan. She glanced at Pardofelis, who was sitting next to him.

"Sister Mobius, please sit down," Pardofelis said kindly, immediately making room. Ryan frowned slightly at the scene.

"You're not allowed to bully Pardo," Ryan warned.

"When did I bully her? She was obviously willing." Mobius raised her chin proudly, kneeling on the floor, pulling her skirt taut with her thighs. "But you still haven't answered my question. How come it's easier to be the general manager now?"

"Because everything gets thrown to Mei to do. This guy gets paid for nothing." Himeko, slightly drunk, shook her beer and pointed upstairs with a grin. "Brother Kevin ate a bowl of noodles and went to help. Really miserable."

"Heh, that woman deserves it," Mobius chuckled. "Doesn't she like working? Now she's a fusion warrior and won't even die from overwork."

"You'd better not get too complacent. Chief Mei has all the budget now. Be careful not to make things difficult for you," Ryan interjected.

"Am I afraid of her?" Mobius scoffed. "Anyway, she's not here. Who's going to stop me?" But then she paused, noticing the gentle smile on Aponia's face, Kalpas's provocative expression, and Vil-V's rolling eyes. "Heh, I believe Ryan will handle it impartially. He is the general manager after all."

"What a coward and despicable person," Ryan thought, feeling that Mobius had learned to please him after so many years.

The group laughed, and Ryan, observing the scene, thought it wasn't so bad. Despite everyone being afraid of Mobius, he had come to realize over time that she wasn't as scary as they all made her out to be.

He picked up a piece of dace and placed it in his mouth. The fish roe exploded in his mouth, and he squinted in pleasure.

"Mobius, how's the investigation going?" Ryan asked.

"I've dissected several Cocoone corpses. They were implanted with biochips, and after long-term subtle influence, they're programmed to obey a specific mental frequency." Mobius took a sip of pineapple beer, her chopsticks tapping on the table. "I suspect this is linked to someone's ability. Remember the memory wipe you mentioned?"

"It seems like the 'credit' goes to the chief of staff. He's been planning this for a while, colluding with Damian to pit the general manager against us," Ryan said, rubbing his chin, his mind growing more perplexed. "But what's his ultimate goal? A smart man like him should know the Herrscher is unreliable. Does he not fear death?"

"Maybe he has an obsession that transcends life," Himeko said, slamming her beer can on the table. "What he's planning must go beyond the limits of humanity, but no matter his reasoning, he can't betray humanity!"

She represented the thoughts of ordinary fusion warriors. Everyone had their own obsessions, but there was a line that couldn't be crossed.

"For instance, if I want to stay alive, I won't cross that line. But I've chosen the toughest path."

Ryan nodded, silently considering the situation. It was troublesome when there was no bottom line. At least he could still calm the Fire Moth's public opinion. But if things spiraled out of control, he'd have to intervene. And then there was the Herrscher of Death—who knew what tricks they might play.

The Herrscher of Death might not be literate, but their ability to manipulate biological cells was far from trivial. Ryan couldn't forget the horrors of the Holy City—the supervirus created from a piece of flesh.

Luckily, he had Mobius, a biologist beyond human comprehension, by his side. The vaccine for that virus had been developed, but who knew if the enemy would create a new plague?

"You guys eat first," Ryan said, setting down his chopsticks. "I'll call Mei. It seems like we can't let them settle in too comfortably."

No one stopped him. Everyone knew that Ryan, as the general manager, wasn't just a figurehead. If someone had weak psychological endurance, they'd be crushed by the weight of 'carrying humanity's survival.'

"Let me make it clear first," Mobius said with a smirk. "This is none of my business. If anyone wants to talk about work, it's all you, Ryan."

Hua glanced at Mobius and said calmly, "No one's blaming you. Senior Brother has a lot of pressure. I'm just thankful that Elysia created a home for us, even if it's just for a brief period of rest."

"I'm involved in this plan too. Why don't you thank me?" Mobius said, not backing down.

"You don't do anything all day, so why should I thank you?" Hua quipped, picking up an empty plate. Then, she paused and remembered something. "By the way, it's your turn to wash the dishes tomorrow. Don't be lazy."

"Hmph, I'll work overtime tomorrow and come back in the middle of the night. Let's see what you'll do then," Mobius thought, as she happily ate her sushi.

She glanced at Pardo and Kalpas, both of whom were sitting nearby, and wondered about the future.

"What's going on?" Mobius asked, intrigued.

"Well," Kalpas said bluntly, "I want to undergo Project Soldier surgery."

Mobius paused mid-bite, staring at him. "Project Soldier surgery? That's incredibly dangerous. Aren't you afraid of dying?"

"No," Kalpas replied. "I want more power."

"The surgery is expensive. Can you afford it?" Mobius asked.

"I'll help you kill people to pay off the debt."

Mobius choked, then muttered to herself, "Who can I kill for you? Well, Ryan is unique again."

Both Kalpas and Kevin were strong, but they were both just fighters who knew nothing but battle and killing. Mobius gave it some thought, wondering if she could use Kalpas in the future.

"Come to the lab tomorrow. Remember, you owe me a big favor," Mobius said with a grin.

"I will definitely pay you back!" Kalpas promised before walking off.

Mobius smiled sinisterly and was about to go up to Ryan's room to discuss something when she saw Elysia sneaking over.

"What are you doing?" Mobius asked.

"The hot spring in the basement has been repaired. Shouldn't we girls have a good chat?" Elysia replied with a grin.

In the villa, most of the inhabitants were women. According to Elysia's rules, evenings were for bathing and chatting.

"Hot spring? I don't have time for that," Mobius muttered, about to refuse, but before she could, she was picked up by Elysia.

"Let go, I'm not going!" Mobius protested.

"Let go, Hua, wash the dishes quickly. We'll wait for you downstairs. The natural hot spring is so comfortable," Elysia cheered.

Elysia's plans were already set, and Hua, who had been busy in the pool, heard the invitation and nearly protested about missing her boxing practice. But when she turned, she saw that the group had already disappeared.

The house felt so lively with Elysia around.

Hua shook her head and glanced at the closed door on the third floor. She finally decided not to disturb Ryan and walked into the side door installed the day before.

As she descended the stone steps, she could hear Pardofelis' cheers and the sound of someone jumping into the water. She opened another door to find the bench filled with clothes that had been taken off.

Some clothes were neatly folded, while others were haphazardly piled. Hua paused and her eyes twitched.

Among the clothes, she noticed various underwear. It was clear that there was only one thought on her mind:

"Why are they more wasteful than each other? Can I go back now??"