"Dr. Mei..." Pardofelis scratched her chin,
"Quite famous, huh? The head honcho at the Moth Scientific and Technological Research Fire Institute, a very young and capable person!"
"Dr. Mei..."
Floating nearby, Fu Hua paused for a moment, realizing she also had an impression of this name. Dr. Mei frequently appeared in the prehistoric scientific and technological data she and Otto found. It seemed that any technology related to the Honkai disaster could be intricately linked to Dr. Mei.
So, was Fu Hua's impression of Dr. Mei extracted from her own mind?
Fu Hua herself was a pioneer who survived from the previous era to the present, although she had burned many of her memories with Fenghuang Down, not long ago, when she observed Luo Lin's consciousness space, she recalled some subtle facts that even if the Divine Key burned memories, those profound memories would still linger in her mind in fragmented form...
Fuxi, Nuwa...
Fu Hua suddenly began to anticipate whether these two individuals would appear in this so-called Fire Moth Scientific and Technological Research Institute.
"As for what you said about Kiana Kaslana, I saw her name when I was stocking up at the institute. Maybe we can find her while looking for Dr. Mei," Pardofelis suggested.
"You went to the institute to 'stock up'? That's so like you, Pardofelis," Luo Lin tossed the crystal she had been pinching to the cat-eared girl, then waved grandly, "Alright, then it's up to you to lead the way. Also, tell me about any gossip in this city on the way."
Pardofelis carefully tucked the crystal into her waist pouch, zipped it up, and put on a bright smile as she looked up, "Of course, boss, I'll tell you everything I know!"
So, the cat-eared girl began to chatter incessantly, introducing everything she knew, but unfortunately, most of the information Luo Lin had heard in the previous cycle, so there wasn't much novelty.
And since Sieg left silently earlier, Sirin didn't seem as excited as last time. She didn't clamor for Pardofelis to tell more stories like before; instead, she listened obediently, observing everything around her as the cat-eared girl narrated.
Without Sirin's request for stories, Pardofelis quickly finished recounting the ordinary sightseeing stories. She carefully glanced at Sirin, who was nestled in Luo Lin's arms, and said, "Next, I might talk about some not-so-happy rumors. Boss, are you still interested?"
Naturally, Luo Lin wouldn't object. "Of course, I trust your ability to gather intelligence."
Seeing this, Pardofelis paused for a moment, seeming to organize her words: "It seems that there has been some...uh, annoying atmosphere in the city recently? Anyway, many people suddenly became irritable and prone to arguments with others..."
"Arguments?"
Luo Lin blinked. This was not mentioned in the previous cycle; she noted this information.
Pardofelis added uncertainly, "And also, there have been some mysterious disappearances in the past few days, involving people of all ages. If you plan to go home at night, remember to go back early. The nights in Nagazora are not very peaceful right now."
"Disappearances?" Luo Lin recalled the empty streets illuminated by neon lights and the quantum shadows lingering on the streets earlier, feeling a sinking feeling, a sense of urgency gradually emerging.
It seems the situation in this consciousness space is deteriorating...
"Besides these two, Pardofelis, do you have any other news?"
"Not at the moment." The cat-eared girl shook her head, pointing to the giant buildings not far away. "Boss, we've arrived at the Fire Moth Scientific and Technological Research Institute."
Luo Lin looked at the serious-faced institute security guards scanning their group. She turned to Pardofelis and said, "Pardofelis...can you take us in to find someone?"
"Ah, sure." Pardofelis opened her waist pouch, scrutinized the crystal shimmering with blue light once again, and then took out her black pass to show to the gatekeeper.
The gatekeeper opened the door and took the initiative to remind them, "Respected guests, I don't recommend visiting the institute now..."
"Huh? Has something happened?"
The gatekeeper lowered his voice, explaining to them, "It seems that something big happened in the research department this morning, alarming many people, and even the alarm sounded."
"Incident?"
Luo Lin frowned. The last time she came here with Sieg, they passed through the gatekeeper quite smoothly, then encountered Rita who was brought by Elysia, followed by Raiden Mei and Kiana Kaslana...
What happened in the institute?
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Raiden Mei felt very anxious right now.
With every blink of her eyes, the world turned into something she couldn't comprehend.
At least when Raiden Mei woke up from the desk, everything was still within her understanding, but after she finished talking with the green-haired girl who called herself Klein, she immediately pressed the alarm button, attracting a large crowd.
Now, Raiden Mei was sitting in a laboratory with a strange chair, with something like a steel helmet fastened to her head.
"Alright, little guinea pig, relax... I just need to check a bit, and I'll know what's going on now," said the woman with long green hair, Dr. Mobius, as she stood up from the chair at the operation table, rubbing her temples with some impatience.
"Mei...but I'm Mei, Raiden Mei. I'm not the person you know..."
"..."
Dr. Mobius looked at the black-haired girl in the white coat seriously, her pupils constricting into the shape of elongated snakes.
"She's not even pretending to have amnesia... could it be that if Elysia is absent for half a day, things will completely go awry?"
Mobius picked up the phone and dialed a number.
"Hey? Is it Sakura? Your vacation is canceled. Come back and check something for me, something important..."