MTLNOVEL Chapter 196: Between a Snake and a Lee
"Lee, listen, this is complicated. Don't listen to Vill-V's nonsense!" Mobius said frantically. "That new drug… that ingredient… it's gone. I can't make it anymore. I'm already working on a solution for this disaster, I promise—"
"Doctor, you don't have to hide it…"
Lee shook her head. "The ingredient… it's my blood, isn't it?"
"—"
Mobius froze, then glared at Vill-V. That little snitch!
"It wasn't Vill-V, Doctor. I figured it out." Lee stopped Mobius's death glare. "I recently discovered my blood can cure Honkai sickness… What better ingredient for an anti-Honkai drug?"
"Lee, we can talk about this later…"
"There's no time, Doctor. This is urgent." Lee gripped Mobius's hand, holding her gaze. "If we don't act now, there won't be a later for these people."
"You don't understand what this means, Lee!" Mobius said urgently. "Once this gets out, you'll be a target! Not just the higher-ups, everyone will see you as—"
"I understand, Doctor."
Lee's voice was gentle, but her eyes were firm. "But… people will live. So many people."
[Energy +180,000]
"…You can't save everyone, Lee."
"I know. But that's not a reason not to try."
Lee smiled, her blue eyes gentle. "Doctor, remember what I told you? My dream? If I can't even save the people in front of me, how can I achieve that?"
Mobius looked down, unable to meet Lee's gaze.
"But if you do this, you'll never achieve that dream."
"I know."
Those two words held an unshakeable resolve.
"It's okay. Even if I can't do it myself, others can." Lee chuckled. "Kevin's already stronger than me. There will be others, even stronger. Saving the world… maybe it's not my job anymore."
"So let me be the savior of this city, at least… Give me a chance to fulfill my dream."
"…I understand."
The words Lee spoke so easily were heavy on Mobius's tongue.
If this was Lee's decision, she couldn't stop her… She could only try to ease her suffering.
"Thank you, Doctor." Lee smiled. "I'll go help Kevin with the blockade. Let me know when you're ready."
Lee walked towards the exit, her steps lighter than before. She smiled at Vill-V. "Thank you, Vill-V. For everything."
"—Wait, what's going on?"
Vill-V suddenly realized things weren't going according to plan.
"Shouldn't we be mobilizing Fire Moth's scientists to study Lee's blood, to find a substitute for future use?" Vill-V chuckled nervously. "Such a valuable resource should be taken back to HQ for safekeeping, right?"
That was the plan.
If Lee revealed her blood's properties, she'd be taken to HQ for research. They'd take some blood, but Mei, Mobius, Vill-V, and Kevin would ensure she wasn't exploited. There would be trouble, but Lee could handle it.
This city's people were beyond saving. Even with Lee's blood, there wasn't enough. The real goal was to develop a substitute, to save future lives.
So why was Lee helping with the blockade?
"Are you saying… you're going to make the drug now, to save these people…?"
Impossible. They couldn't.
Mobius's drug only needed a small amount of Lee's blood, but this was a city of nearly ten million!
Even draining Lee dry wouldn't be enough!
"Of course." Lee smiled faintly, walking past a stunned Vill-V. "No one deserves to die, right?"
"…"
Lee left, leaving Mobius and Vill-V in a silence heavier than their earlier argument.
"Happy now?" Mobius's voice was hoarse. "Contact HQ. We're making the drug to deal with the 6th Herrscher's aftermath."
"…Are you insane?! This is impossible!" Vill-V slammed her hand on the table. "There are too many people! Even with all of Lee's blood, it won't be enough!"
"If once isn't enough, we'll do it again." Mobius's voice was eerily calm. "Lee regenerates quickly, including her blood… I don't know her limit, but based on my experiments, she can handle twenty extractions without any side effects, and up to three hundred without permanent damage."
"We'll need… one thousand to fifteen hundred times her blood volume, accounting for losses during production and distribution."
"You're crazy… she'll die!" Vill-V took a step back, surprised by her own fear.
"Maybe. I'll do everything I can to prevent that." Mobius's eyes were cold. "Isn't this what you wanted?"
"No! I just wanted…"
"It doesn't matter what you wanted. The moment you showed Lee those suffering people, told her her blood could save them, she was going to do this—she can't just watch them die! Didn't you realize that?!"
Mobius's voice rose, ending in a low growl. "Vill-V, if she dies because of you and Kevin, I swear you'll regret it!"