MTLNOVEL Chapter 198: The Winner Is Elysia! (as ATM!)
"Sir, her blood regeneration rate has significantly decreased, and the antibody concentration has also been drastically diluted…"
After an unknown amount of time, a staff member in Lee's lab anxiously addressed their superior.
"The amount of blood extracted has far exceeded Dr. Mei's limit. We should have stopped three hours ago… At this rate, Ms. Lee will die."
"You know, the reason her blood is effective is not only due to the high concentration of antibodies, but also some unknown component that increases the body's adaptability to Honkai energy. The combination of the two makes Lee's blood act like a miracle cure for Honkai corruption."
The impeccably dressed superior gazed at the test tube filled with blood, a look of fascination in his eyes.
"Although the antibody concentration has decreased, this unknown component, as if bound to Lee's very being, still exists. So, we have no reason to stop, do we?"
"Getting Mei transferred out of here cost us a lot, even some of our best Poison Cocoon agents. We can't just end it here."
A smirk curled the superior's lips. He reached past the staff member and pressed a button. More, thicker needles extended from the experimental capsule, piercing through skin and directly into Lee's bones.
"Continue. This hero is so dedicated; I believe she would approve of my actions."
…Nah, bro, not really.
Inside the capsule, Lee feigned unconsciousness, hearing everything clearly.
From blood to bone marrow, huh? These guys really will stop at nothing.
It was perfectly in line with her understanding of these people.
But to orchestrate an attack on HQ just to get Mei transferred… I almost have to admire their dedication.
Because of their actions, Mei hadn't been able to return since she left. And this allowed the Moths to stockpile far more of Lee's blood than Mei had planned.
You can never have too much of a life-saving resource. Lee could understand their motivation.
But if they keep this up, I'll be drained dry. I need to think of something… I can't exit the stage just yet…
But I can wait until they've taken a bit more. I'm sure I can rake in more energy that way, right?
This time, however, Lee didn't need to save herself. After a while, a commotion broke out near the lab.
"Those Poison Cocoon are useless. They let someone get here this quickly?"
The superior's expression soured, but he didn't say much. He wasn't ready for a direct confrontation with Mei yet. He ordered his subordinates to take his share of the blood—after all, he deserved a little something for his efforts in securing all this extra blood and bone marrow for humanity, right?
Shortly after they left, the lab door was kicked open.
The pink figure that rushed in was Elysia.
"Lee! Are you—?!"
Elysia's eyes widened as she took in Lee's pale face and the countless needles connected to her body.
[Energy +100,000]
Without a word, she dashed towards the capsule, ripping the door off its hinges with her bare hands. But then, staring at the dense array of needles, Elysia froze, unsure what to do. She wanted to pull them out, but was afraid of hurting Lee. Frantically, she began searching the lab.
She found several bodies—researchers and guards—the people Mei had left behind to ensure Lee's safety. Now they were dead, their mission a failure.
Elysia couldn't understand.
She knew humanity had both good and evil, but how could malice reach such depths?
Lee was willing to sacrifice herself to save others, enduring the agony of being drained of her blood countless times—yet some were still not satisfied?
They were willing to kill their own kind, attack the _Moths_' base…
Since its establishment, the _Moths_' HQ had been an impenetrable fortress. Even the elusive Herrscher of the Void had perished here without inflicting any real damage. But this internal rebellion had caused unprecedented losses.
Elysia was strong, but even with her presence, the casualties were devastating. She'd initially assumed it was an external attack, but every time she defeated a group of enemies, more would appear elsewhere…
It was only later that Elysia realized there were no external enemies. These were people who had entered HQ normally, brought in by their own to be used as tools against others.
Elysia couldn't tell how many were involved… She suspected it had started as a small riot, but others quickly seized the opportunity to eliminate rivals… Until, like a snowball, it spiraled out of control.
Many higher-ups had died in this purge—perhaps from the midway point, the main objective had become eliminating each other.
Mei had nearly been killed, and it was only after Elysia rescued her that she learned about Lee.
Elysia had immediately abandoned everything else and rushed here as fast as she could…
But it seemed she was still too late.
Frantically searching, Elysia finally found the stop button on a console. The needles retracted from Lee's body.
Not daring to waste a second, Elysia rushed to Lee's side, calling her name anxiously.
"Lee? Lee, can you hear me…?"
Elysia reached out to touch Lee, but hesitated.
The needle marks, which would have healed in an instant yesterday, showed no signs of closing… There wasn't even a trace of blood.
The reason, though Elysia didn't want to admit it, was crystal clear.
Elysia grew more frantic as her calls went unanswered. A possibility she refused to acknowledge surfaced in her mind.
"No, it can't be…" Her voice trembled, tears welling in her eyes. "You're joking, right, Lee? Kevin told me you played dead to trick him before! You're doing the same now, right? Haha, you can't fool me… You can't fool me, so…"
Elysia took Lee's hand and gently pressed it to her cheek, feeling no warmth at all.
"So, please wake up…"
[Energy +500,000]
Yes! Yes! Elysia, you're such a high-return, low-cost ATM! You're my employee of the month!
Seeing the system notification, Lee struggled to suppress a laugh.
Everyone should learn from Elysia!
As Elysia wept, she felt a gentle caress on her cheek.
She looked up in disbelief. Lee, inside the capsule, was giving her a weak smile.
"Honestly… who made our Elysia cry?"