"So... what is going on here?"
Tian Shi stood outside a room filled with a pungent smell, somewhat lost in his thoughts.
He was very familiar with the room in front of him: wasn't that Mobius's medical room and office?
He visited this place frequently during his simulations with Hua and Dr. MEI.
"But that's not the point. The point is... where is Elysia?"
"Where did that huge Elysia go?"
Tian Shi looked around dazed.
Even though it is supposed to be a built-in simulation, isn't it a bit abrupt to suddenly change to this form?
"And since the task objective has already been given, couldn't she have provided more clues?"
"Are we really going to push the door open and go in?"
Although it doesn't seem impossible...
"But, when did this happen?"
If this occurred before he was in Shenzhou, then from a practical point of view, Mobius had never met him.
Tian Shi looked at himself and realized that, at some point, his unchanging black clothes had been replaced by the Fire Moth staff uniform.
"So you also have to worry about whether you've been assigned a different role... But for now, it seems there really is no better way than to simply enter."
After all, given his current state of knowing nothing, if he wandered around gathering information, things could turn out even worse.
In addition, to be fair, Mobius was relatively lenient with those at the bottom of the hierarchy.
Knock, knock...
Tian Shi reached out and knocked on the door.
"Please, come in."
A distant and indifferent voice came from behind the door.
After receiving Mobius's reply, Tian Shi pushed the door open with a click, and a pungent mixture of smells flooded Tian Shi's nostrils.
"Get to the point."
Mobius was washing her hands, with her long green hair casually gathered behind her and her back to Tian Shi.
"If you are here to disturb my work, I hope you understand the consequences of doing so."
"..."
This truly has that typical Mobius indifference.
For Mobius to treat him this way was actually a rather novel experience for Tian Shi.
Tian Shi looked around again.
A comatose person was strapped to a medical immobilization chair next to her.
Judging by the white spots on his body, it was clear he was suffering from Honkai disease.
"So, did Mobius just perform surgery on him?"
"I've come to collect Miss Elysia's badge."
Tian Shi replied diligently.
"Eh? Darling?"
Mobius turned her head in surprise, looking at Tian Shi's face.
Her coldness vanished instantly, and she gave him a gentle smile.
"Why are you here? Coming to see me during working hours, did you miss me?"
"..."
"Wait, what kind of development is this?"
"Darling?"
"This title is new, but judging by the fact that Mobius wasn't surprised at all by my own appearance, this simulation does have a certain disconnection from reality."
"Didn't I say I was here to collect Miss Elysia's badge?"
Tian Shi showed an official business attitude mixed with a touch of helplessness.
"Elysia? Who is that?"
Mobius tilted her head.
"I've never heard of this person... and having the badge has nothing to do with me, right?"
"Eh?"
"Well... Darling, you might not care much about what happens here, but right now... I'm basically confined to the lab and the medical room."
Mobius turned on the electric kettle.
"Darling, what would you like to drink? Coffee or milk tea?"
"Milk tea."
Tian Shi replied, but then fell into deep thought.
"Why would there be something like that in Mobius's medical room?"
"What is meant by 'restriction'?"
"It means I've been excluded from the inner circle, which has also hindered my recent experimental progress."
After preparing the milk tea, Mobius handed it to Tian Shi and gestured for him to sit on the sofa.
"So the badge thing has nothing to do with me and is not my responsibility."
"Is that so?"
"That's right..."
Mobius stretched and sat on the sofa next to Tian Shi, then rested her head on Tian Shi's shoulder.
"Darling, do you want to have a drink with me? I have nothing to do right now anyway."
"Given your drinking habits, I sincerely hope you don't drink in broad daylight."
"Oh..."
Mobius, who was leaning on Tian Shi's shoulder, suddenly turned around and straddled Tian Shi's waist.
"Then that means... tonight is okay?"
At that moment, Tian Shi could clearly feel Mobius's warm breath.
"Or rather... a warm and sweet breath?"
Perhaps the so-called sweetness is a psychological effect; Tian Shi couldn't understand it.
In that moment, Tian Shi truly lost his ability to think.
Mobius's green hair fell over Tian Shi's ears.
Even though it was broad daylight, since the falling green hair blocked the sunlight, Tian Shi felt a kind of... nightly impulse?
"Coo... coo..."
"Ugh..."
The sudden attack left Tian Shi's mind completely blank.
"Even though we've been married for so many years, darling, you still seem to be living your first love~~"
Mobius looked up, a content and satisfied smile on her face.
"Darling is getting excited too, right? What a pity..."
Mobius glanced at the scene in the office.
"It's working hours now."
The excitement and pleasure on Mobius's face faded, replaced by slight disappointment.
However, even so, Mobius didn't seem to have any intention of letting go of Tian Shi.
Instead, she went a step further and lay down on top of Tian Shi.
"Perhaps this is 'a step back' compared to the sudden attack just now?"
"By the way, what kind of person is this Miss Elysia that Darling mentioned?", Mobius suddenly asked as they snuggled, feeling each other's presence.
Hearing this question, Tian Shi snapped awake and came out of his mental void.
"Ordinary combat personnel."
"Liar."
Mobius reached out and pinched Tian Shi's cheek.
"Judging by Darling's reaction, the other person must be a pretty girl?"
"Well... more or less..."
"Snort..."
Mobius's eyebrows arched, either because she allowed herself to be reluctantly persuaded or simply because she was too lazy to pursue the matter.
"It seems you are trying to cheat on me with another woman, I'll settle accounts with you tonight, darling."
"?"
"Of course, it's about paying grain taxes."
Mobius revealed a slightly maniacal smile and reached out to touch Tian Shi's face.
"Perhaps it's because I haven't been paying enough attention to Darling lately and that's why he has time to involve himself with those suspicious women."
"She's not exactly a suspicious character."
"Isn't it considered immoral to seduce a married man?"
Mobius changed her touch to a tug, looking quite dissatisfied.
"Is it possible that this is just a legitimate attempt to help?"
Tian Shi swatted Mobius's hand away and said with a certain helplessness.
"Hmm~ Since Darling said so, I'll believe you this time, but don't even think about escaping tonight's punishment."
Mobius lazily lowered her hand and touched Tian Shi's chest.
"Tonight's punishment... Why am I inexplicably excited and looking forward to it?"
"No, maybe this is the normal reaction a man should have?"
"But then again, is the setting of this simulation one where Mobius and I present ourselves as an old married couple?"
They were completely inseparable...
Given what just happened, if this place weren't a mix of an office and a medical room, but just a simple office, it would probably have turned into daytime debauchery.
Helplessly, Tian Shi seemed to remember something and looked at the desk beside him.
"If I remember correctly, there was a photo there of just Mobius..."
The group photo that featured only Mobius has now been transformed into a glamorous wedding portrait, in which Mobius, dressed in a wedding dress, is blushing intensely.
"Could this simulation be a true 'otherworld line'?"
"Darling, I want beef stew tonight," Mobius suddenly said in a low voice.
"Tomato? Potato? Or radish?", Tian Shi replied softly.
This quiet and warm atmosphere...
"Let's have beef stew with tomatoes."
"Okay, I'll make it for you tonight."
"Then it's settled."
Mobius got off Tian Shi and stretched.
"With energy recovered, it's time to get back to work... As for the badge... I don't know what that person wants to do with it, but if she needs it temporarily, she can use mine."
Mobius went to her desk and rummaged through several drawers.
Finally, under nineteen fines, she found her forgotten badge.
The number [1] is engraved on the back of the badge.
"Here, remember to have her return it, and tell her you're already married."
Mobius casually tossed the badge of honor to Tian Shi.
When Tian Shi caught the badge, an expression of helplessness appeared on his face.
[Objective achieved]
[This simulation has ended]
…
"..."
Mobius, feeling a bit of a headache, sat up from her desk.
"I think I drank too much last night... but I even dreamed about that guy Tian Shi... um..."
As if remembering something, Mobius's face immediately turned red.
"Ugh... Dammit, why would I have a dream like that, and I... I was with that guy..."
Mobius subconsciously licked her slightly chapped lips.
"Whatever, let me get some water first..."
Mobius staggered to the faucet, turned on the tap, and took a drink shamelessly.
After taking a sip of water, Mobius felt much better.
"Phew... But thinking about it, this dream was too bland, wasn't it? Shouldn't I have fast-forwarded it to the night?"
"Did you really take the badge and leave? You should apologize to the whole country for this dream!"
"And speaking of which, Tian in this dream was more real and perfect than I imagined in previous dreams... Haha... Maybe this is what they mean by gains and losses? But why is it a badge? And why did the names of other women appear?"
Mobius sat back at her desk and sank into deep thought.
"Elysia... Eternal Paradise? Sounds like something out of a fairy tale? Does this imply that all of this is just a fairy tale?"
Thinking about this, Mobius's face darkened.
"What is this? Stabbing oneself in the heart? Are you crazy?"
"Never mind, it was just a dream."
Mobius scratched her messy green hair.
There was nothing she could do; she had a hangover and no time to take care of her hair...
Besides, without Tian Shi around, Mobius wasn't actually that motivated to take care of herself.
The motivation to deal with things every day in the past had less to do with habit and more to do with being prepared for Tian Shi's return at any moment.
"Sigh... Let's look at today's work schedule, Blanca... ah, that guy already left."
Mobius looked helpless.
"Like doctor, like assistant; the doctor was fooled by a man, and the assistant was also fooled by another man... It seems we need to find a new assistant."
"Thinking about it, even my assistant is married."
If my relationship with Tian Shi were truly like in my dream, then maybe his son would be in school by now.
"So that dream still had flaws."
Mobius smiled wryly and then found the schedule she had prepared before leaving work the night before.
Just as she was about to review it, there was a knock at the door.
Knock, knock...
"Please, come in."
Mobius said without looking up.
"Get to the point, if..."
"Um... wait a minute, does something not sound right in this sentence?"
Mobius put down her agenda with a crooked smile and looked at the person who had approached her.
It was a staff member wearing a work uniform that covered her entire body.
Mobius sighed with a mixture of disappointment and relief...
It didn't matter; she didn't want Tian Shi to see her so disheveled.
Then, looking at the full group in front of her, Mobius began to ask questions professionally:
"Who are you?"
"What department are you from? What are you doing here? Is it necessary to wear a gas mask?"
"Um... well..."
…
"Tian is truly extraordinary."
The pink-haired girl beside Tian Shi gave him a bright smile.
"To think you could pass the level using that method, you must be very good at interacting with girls, right?"
"Um... this..."
Tian Shi deeply noticed the resentment in Elysia's expression.
"Did you see it?"
"I just said Elysia was only average, which was fine, but Mobius got to the point of using a word like 'bad'..."
"I saw it! Tian Shi's method is practically a cheat! It almost made me fail! It's completely useless as a reference!"
Elysia puffed out her cheeks, but the topic she was focused on seemed to be something different from what Tian Shi had in mind.
"I almost became Dr. Mobius's target!"
"Well..."
"So, isn't it too much for Tian to be so intimate with Dr. Mobius?"
"So, is that the main point?"
"Isn't this important?"
Elysia hugged Tian Shi.
"I want to eat beef stew with tomatoes too!"
"I thought you'd use my words against Mobius."
"Isn't Tian working hard for me?", Elysia asked, caressing him.
"As for Dr. Mobius... you two aren't really husband and wife... on the contrary, it didn't show that Dr. Mobius had such a bold idea."
"After all, she's a mad scientist..."
"So, beef stew with tomatoes!"
"Okay, okay..."