Chapter Two: Ling Feng

“Beep, beep, beep…”

In the bright and spacious laboratory, a silver-white life-support pod emitted a gentle beeping sound. Two rows of indicator lights along its edge flickered in succession, signaling that the health of the person slumbering inside was being checked.

As the inspection process finally concluded, the indicator lights transformed, like triumphant warriors returning from battle, into a reassuring green, then gradually faded out.

“Hiss... swish...”

With a sound reminiscent of air escaping, the pod door slowly slid open from both sides, revealing the quietly sleeping youth within.

He appeared to be about sixteen or seventeen, his exceptionally handsome face seemingly crafted by the heavens themselves with utmost care. Even as he lay there peacefully, his serene sleeping visage possessed an invisible charm, drawing the gazes of all the researchers in the laboratory toward him.

It was only natural; such flawless features were so excessively perfect that even the most extraordinary paintings could hardly capture a fraction of their spirit. Before seeing him in person, one would never have imagined that the word “catastrophe” could aptly describe a boy.

In this era obsessed with entertainment, an outstanding face wields extraordinary influence.

A face like his—one that would shatter the confidence of men and utterly captivate ninety-nine percent of women. If not for his family’s careful protection, he would have been surrounded by swarms of admirers since childhood.

Indeed, even with his family’s efforts to keep outsiders at bay, the girls who could approach him always found ways to linger nearby. Some, more infatuated than others, could stare at his face in dazed delight for an entire afternoon.

“Mmm, hmm~”

Just then, the sleeping youth’s brows furrowed slightly, as if awakening from a long and distant dream. His eyes, deep and boundless as the night sky, slowly opened, reflecting two breathtaking figures.

“Uh, Miss Mobius, Miss Vilvi, you…”

It turned out that two beautiful women in white lab coats were leaning on either side of the pod, watching him intently.

Seeing him wake, the green-haired woman’s lips curled into a smile.

She rested one hand elegantly on the edge of the life-support pod, propped her chin, while the other hand, sinuous as a probing snake, slipped inside, her fingertips gently touching the youth’s still youthful face. Her hand traced the graceful contours, gliding from his neck and collarbone to finally rest, feather-light, upon his chest.

“My adorable little lab rat, you’re awake. How was it? Did you have fun?”

Her alluring voice, intoxicating as an invisible current, left the male researchers weak in the knees, nearly collapsing in embarrassment.

The female researchers could barely endure it, though their reaction was mostly one of stunned disbelief as they stared at Mobius.

Was this truly the Dr. Mobius they knew?

Over the past seven days of working together, many of them had been pushed nearly to exhaustion, bordering on collapse.

Now, just hearing Mobius’s name made them jump like startled birds, some even on the verge of developing PTSD.

They remembered how, seven days ago, news arrived that two distinguished experts, Mobius and Vilvi, had been sent from Tianheng to lead the monitoring experiment. Everyone had been excited, scrambling to volunteer.

Given their extraordinary achievements, many here had been avid admirers.

Now, all they wanted was to slap their past selves. In just seven days, their idol’s image had shattered completely.

Mobius’s relentless demands would put even the most ruthless capitalist to shame; she deserved a toast and a lesson from them.

But the enchanting face, teasing words, and drowning gaze before them now—was this not a snake in heat? Where was the cold, strict, and merciless viper from before?

The male staff now looked upon the youth in the pod as a hero, their gazes filled with admiration.

Meanwhile, Ling Feng’s handsome face was flushed from Mobius’s actions. Despite being considered mature for his age, he could never quite handle Mobius’s constant teasing since their first meeting.

He hurriedly caught Mobius’s hand as it roamed, removed the connecting helmet from his head, and sat up in the pod, attempting to shift her attention.

“Ahem, Miss Mobius, how did the test turn out?”

Earlier, during the awakening adaptation phase, he had learned a little about the test results from Prometheus, but he still knew nothing of the specifics.

Mobius arched an eyebrow, letting Ling Feng hold her hand without withdrawing it. “Relax, the test was perfectly completed. What’s wrong, little lab rat? Don’t you trust my skills?”

“Ahem, of course not! You’re the world’s foremost authority in biology. I have full confidence in Miss Mobius’s abilities.”

“Oh? So, Ling Feng, you don’t trust my technical skills then?” Vilvi, who had been watching Mobius tease Ling Feng, interjected with a hint of displeasure.

Virtual brain-machine technology is the product of biology, mechanics, and information science. In this collaborative project between Tianheng and Shining Age, Mobius handled the biological side, Ling Feng’s own company, Shining Age, managed the information aspect, and Vilvi was responsible for the mechanical components.

Now, with Ling Feng expressing trust in Mobius and his own self-assurance, the only one left to be questioned was Vilvi.

Hearing Vilvi’s obvious unhappiness, Ling Feng skillfully released Mobius’s hand and took hold of Vilvi’s instead. He had dealt with such situations since childhood and knew just how to soothe them.

“Absolutely not. As the greatest physicist in human history, my admiration for Miss Vilvi is endless, like a mighty river. Doubting Miss Vilvi is something I could never do, not even in ten thousand years.”

His tone was resolute, like a knight pledging loyalty, his eyes shining with sincerity. Anyone who met his gaze would believe his words beyond doubt.

Though Vilvi was no stranger to his admiring looks, she still felt a surge of delight, her cheeks tinged with red. She turned her head aside, pretending to cough twice. “Ahem, as long as you know.”

Seeing this, Ling Feng’s lips curled with a sly smile, a glimmer of triumph in his eyes.

Heh, so easy…