Mount Taixu Secret Base, seven hours remaining until hibernation.
Because Fu Li had bought humanity an additional 24 hours, Dr. MEI was able to perfect more of her plans. And now, at last, everyone had some free time.
Most of the remaining people had paired off, sitting beneath the setting sun at the base, watching the final twilight of their world.
If one listened closely, they could almost hear Eden's heavenly singing.
Most of the staff in this base did not have a chance to enter the cryogenic pods, but they still chose to remain here.
Within the base, the final banquet of this era was unfolding. Those who had fought to protect the kindling of humanity would meet with the very people they protected for the last time.
Among them, Dr. MEI, after entrusting all her remaining research to Mobius, also chose to pass away with this era.
Even without using the Key of Blankness, her body and mind had long since burned out.
Knock, knock...
The sound of knocking echoed, but there was no response.
After a moment of silence from outside the door, Klein's voice came through.
"Miss Hua, I'm coming in."
Pushing the door open, Klein's eyes immediately fell upon a slender back.
The figure was slightly curled up, her back straight, yet she looked so fragile. It was hard to imagine that this was one of the fifteen Flame-Chasers.
No, perhaps it was more accurate to say that the figure had always been that strong; it was only now that she appeared vulnerable.
"Miss Klein? Is something the matter?"
Hua turned around. The resolute light in her eyes had softened, and they were rimmed with red, veiled by a hazy mist.
Her voice was soft, deliberately laced with a gentleness and kindness that still couldn't mask an unshakeable sorrow.
Like a margarita glass beaded with condensation.
For a fleeting moment, Klein thought she saw her former self.
Her hand, holding a booklet, tightened. Klein did her best to steady her own emotions.
Right now, Eden and Mobius were extremely wary of Aponia. And from what she knew, Hua was also somewhat reluctant to approach Aponia.
The reason, perhaps, was because it was Aponia who had taken her away from the moon.
"Actually... Dr. Li is not truly dead."
"What?"
Klein's words were stunning, easily shattering the facade Hua had worked so hard to maintain. A hint of disbelief escaped her lips.
"That's right. You might not believe this, but we are trapped in a time loop that originates from the future."
"The period of time we exist in seems to have been deliberately excised by some entity, connected head to tail like an Ouroboros, forming a never-ending closed loop of time."
Seeing Hua's completely bewildered expression, Klein suddenly stopped, swallowing the rest of her explanation, which was filled with countless technical terms.
She realized that for a girl whose education was still at the high school level, those words were probably far too complex.
"...In short, to put it in simple terms, our time is repeating. Anyone who has had close contact with Li can become aware of this after suffering a major psychological shock."
"Like us. At first, we thought we would only regain our memories after Li died, but in reality, we regained them after his feigned death."
"And based on our current experiences, we suspect that it is Li's very existence that has created our time loop. He is trying to find the best possible outcome by repeating the cycle over and over again."
"So you're saying..." Hua frowned, trying her best to understand the meaning behind Klein's words. "In the next cycle, Brother will be resurrected?"
"Correct. But in that cycle, his identity will not be your brother," Klein nodded, adding, "Incidentally, this is my fourth cycle."
"Is that so? Then what do you need me to do?"
The light in Hua's eyes dimmed slightly, but a glimmer of it soon returned.
She didn't believe that someone like Klein would use such a nearly absurd reason to deceive her.
"It's simple. Mobius, Eden, and I all need your strength. Of course... Aponia might also need your strength."
"You need my strength?"
Looking at the hand extended towards her, Hua slowly reached out her own, but did not immediately clasp it.
"I can agree to your request. But in exchange, I want to know your memories of the other cycles."
"Of course. That is a very fair trade."
The two hands clasped. A stiff curve formed on Klein's lips; she liked this feeling of straightforward cooperation.
After all, even if time is plentiful, laziness is still a waste.
---o---
Meanwhile, in Mobius's laboratory.
Behind Mobius stood a figure about the size of an adult woman.
This body was very strange. Its skin was an unnatural white that shone with a metallic luster, but its facial features were exceptionally exquisite and beautiful.
This was an advanced version of the [Gray Serpent] developed by Mobius. It was a puppet made of pure Soul Steel, codenamed [White Fox].
She possessed over twenty spare bodies, each with an interconnected yet independent network, and she also had a [backdoor] left by Vill-V hidden within her.
"Hah... What a risky venture..."
Mobius looked at a computer with an independent network. A single sentence was displayed on the screen, and a dangerous smile appeared on her face.
The cold reflection of the screen shone in her serpentine eyes. Wearing special gloves, Mobius took a black gem from a box.
It was the Gem of Corruption, left behind on the moon. As long as she installed it into this specially made puppet, Mobius could ensure her complete control over it.
Moreover, based on preliminary communications, this rather nascent Herrscher consciousness seemed to have a feeling of being assimilated by Li.
"Hah... I hope I'm not doing something I'll come to regret."
Having made up her mind, Mobius placed the core into the [White Fox]'s body.
A dark electric current flashed. The White Fox slowly opened its eyes. Its pure white irises first turned pitch-black, and in the next second, they transformed into humanoid red pupils.
The atmosphere in the laboratory instantly grew tense. Mobius wore a playful smile, but in reality, her hand was already on the remote control.
With a single press, all Herrschers of Corruption, aside from the gem itself, would be instantly destroyed.
Fortunately, the newborn White Fox's eyes were filled with confusion. It looked around its environment, showing no signs of malice.
Seeing this, Mobius let out a sigh of relief, lowering her guard slightly.
The first step of Project Ouroboros had finally been taken.
But at the very instant the White Fox was born, Aponia, sitting in the corner of the banquet, also revealed a profoundly meaningful smile.
Mimicking Eden, she gently swirled her wine glass, took a small sip of the crimson liquid, and concealed the smile that was about to break free.
The threads... had already entangled them.