The dimly lit basement was illuminated by the cold, flickering light of LED lamps. Although the atmosphere was shadowy, everything in the room was clearly visible. In fact, this color palette seemed to add a peculiar charm to the scene.
Mobius woke up—it was already the evening of the following day.
"Little lab rat, how do you feel?"
"..."
"I must be better than Aponia, right?"
Mobius had no idea that she had been carried back to the bedroom by Ye Feng, only to be returned to the basement before she woke up.
She raised her head proudly like a triumphant rooster, her fingers sliding across Ye Feng's chest as she gave him a sly, confident smile.
"... We shouldn't have done this," Ye Feng muttered.
Mobius's expression darkened instantly. "Stop playing your 'role-playing games'! Do you really see yourself as my father? Hmm?"
"If that's the case, why is Snake so upset?" Ye Feng retorted with a smirk.
"I..." Mobius faltered.
Months of companionship.
The love she never received as a child, the joy of being acknowledged by someone close, and the reassurance of having someone by her side no matter how rebellious she acted—all of it was real. Every moment spent here had become precious memories.
"I just can't stand Aponia," Mobius admitted, her tone more sincere than she intended.
If it hadn't been for Aponia's provocations, Mobius might never have taken this path in her entire life. She believed she wasn't one to seek physical pleasure but rather spiritual fulfillment. However, the comparisons and contrasts changed her perspective entirely.
Forget the soul—physical possession was also a kind of possession!
Why was Ye Feng allowed to spend nights with that shameless nun while she had to stay behind closed doors, playing with trivial distractions?
It wasn't fair. And it certainly wasn't scientific.
Mobius was determined to reclaim Ye Feng from Aponia's grasp!
Thus, on Aponia's engagement day, Ye Feng had spent his time entangled with Mobius.
That shameless nun was likely still waiting naively in the chapel right now.
Just the thought of it brought Mobius immense satisfaction.
She cupped Ye Feng's face with her hands, her serpentine pupils locking onto his gaze.
"You said this world exists because of me, so keep your eyes on me."
"Is Snake confessing her feelings?" Ye Feng teased.
Mobius's once-icy gaze wavered, and she quickly looked away, her cheeks slightly flushed. "You're so full of yourself, little lab rat."
"Hey, why are you suddenly calling me 'little lab rat' over and over again? What did I do to make you lose all respect for me, even refusing to call me 'Father'?"
"Oh~~" Mobius stuck out her soft, pink tongue, licking her lips playfully. "So you enjoy this kind of game, huh?"
"Do you think I'm playing, Snake...?"
Before Ye Feng could finish, Mobius forcefully silenced him with a kiss.
"Enough talking. You promised to always stand by my side. Now, little lab rat, take my hand and join me on the path of evolution."
Once again, Mobius wrapped her soft, serpentine body tightly around Ye Feng, her grip unrelenting.
On Twilight Street, near the Maplewood Church, a cozy cottage in the suburbs had become a fixed point in Ye Feng's world.
Ever since Mobius had dragged Ye Feng into the basement, Aponia had stopped appearing in front of her.
While Mobius took pride in this small victory, she couldn't help but feel a tinge of guilt. Had she gone too far? Was she being unnecessarily cruel to Aponia?
However, her pride wouldn't allow her to go to the chapel and apologize. Even if she returned to the Elysian Realm, she would never set foot in the [Deep Place]. What could she possibly say?
"Sorry, Aponia. On the day of your engagement, I... ahem... made your fiancé utterly mine?"
Forget it. For now, things would stay as they were.
Time returned to its usual flow.
Several hours later, Kiana barged in with her characteristic gusto.
"Long time no see, Bug!" she exclaimed.
"Long time no see?" Ye Feng replied, confused. "Didn't you show up just last night?"
"Ah, but one day without seeing you feels like three autumns," Kiana quipped dramatically, clasping her arms as if swooning.
"Ugh... that's disgusting," Ye Feng said with mock exasperation.
Kiana hugged herself, leaning back slightly. She still wasn't used to Ye Feng's straightforward manner of speaking.
"Don't be like that. As soon as I finished my tasks, I came straight here to wait for you, Bug."
Kiana squinted at Ye Feng suspiciously, her clever mind working overtime.
"Oh~~ I get it now. You know you're no match for me in our duel, so you're already trying to find an escape route!"
Kiana crossed her arms triumphantly. The tight-fitting material of her outfit clung to her slender waist, accentuating her perfect figure.
"It's too late to flatter me now. Think about all the things you've done to me. Hmph! Once I win, I'm going to make you pay double..."
Suddenly, Kiana froze mid-sentence. Her body tensed as she turned toward the hallway, her breath catching.
A streak of violet light approached from the corridor.
It was Mei Raiden.
Kiana instinctively straightened up, her body on high alert.
"Relax," Ye Feng reassured her through their mind link. "I won't do anything today."
"Really?" Kiana gave him a doubtful look.
Based on her observations over the past few days, Ye Feng seemed to become more energized whenever Mei was present. She found it hard to believe he wouldn't try something.
Ye Feng smiled gently. "I'm not a demon, Bug. You and Mei haven't had a proper moment to relax in this world yet. Today, it's all about you two."
"...Alright," Kiana muttered hesitantly.
But then, she felt a strange sensation. Something small and pink was suddenly affixed to certain parts of her body—and it vibrated.
"What did you put on me?" Kiana hissed, trying to pull at it, but to no avail.
"Just a little toy," Ye Feng replied nonchalantly.
The low hum of the device wasn't loud, but it was undeniably stimulating.
"This is what you meant by 'I won't do anything'?" Kiana demanded.
"I put it on you before I said that," Ye Feng clarified. "Besides, I said I wouldn't do anything. I never said Mei wouldn't."
"What?!"
"You know that electromagnetic micro-bomb in Mei's heart? It can monitor her heartbeat in real-time. I simply synced the frequency of your little toy to her heart rate. The faster Mei's heart beats, the stronger the vibrations."
Kiana's eyes widened in horror.
"Don't let Mei's heart race too much," Ye Feng added with a sly grin.
Sure enough, Kiana knew this scoundrel was up to his tricks again.
As Kiana stood there in stunned silence, Mei had already arrived.
"Good evening, Mr. Ye Feng," Mei greeted.
"Good evening," Ye Feng replied warmly.
"Kiana, you're here too. That's great!" Mei said with a smile.
"Y-Yeah, Mei... You're here..." Kiana stammered, her composure crumbling.
Mei tilted her head in confusion. "What do you mean by 'You're here'?"
Realizing the unintended implications, Kiana clenched her thighs and quickly clarified, "What I meant was, with tomorrow's mission at the Abyssal Ruins, we should rest properly tonight to ensure we're fully prepared."
The launch is tomorrow—June 21st, 2024, Friday.
It took over a month to get to this point, which is already considered quite slow. (Most authors on Hedgehog Cat get published within 20 days or so.)
Even though I write so slowly, I still have so many lovely readers supporting me. I'm truly flattered.
So, let me show my belly and thank you all sincerely.
I won't say any empty words. As long as this book is still up, I will finish it.
Now, about tomorrow's update time—it'll still be at night.
As for how many chapters… honestly, I feel ashamed. You know I don't have any backlog...
Sigh, I really want to go crazy and update like 10,000 words or more, otherwise I'd feel like I'm letting you down.
But—I'm unfortunately clumsy, and I still have to practice martial arts. Just surviving each day is already exhausting...
Unless something unexpected happens, it'll probably be two chapters.
As for bounties—I don't even dare to open that up.
Because I know I won't be able to deliver. I don't want to waste your enthusiasm on something I can't fulfill.
That being said... if you can, I really hope you'll vote for the monthly ticket. This is the first time I've even gotten close to the top ten on the chart.
I'll also try to update more if I can.
I don't really understand why some of the big names on Hedgehog Cat vanish even though their books are doing well,
But for me, the better the stats, the more passionate I get, and the more motivated I feel to write.
As for knife letters—let's ask for those next month. I've already missed the full-attendance reward this month. (Sad)
Next month... I should be able to make it. Probably.
Now for the thing everyone's curious about—the group.
I don't plan to make one for now.
Actually, I've made groups before—three times—and disbanded all three.
I have a bad temper, and I'm incredibly stubborn. Worse than a bratty girl. I'd just make everyone miserable, so I stopped making groups after that.
As for whether I'll make one in the future… we'll see. For now, I'm trying to cultivate my mind and temper.
Moving on to what's next in the book.
The upcoming arcs will include Honkai: Star Rail. That was part of the plan from the start.
After all, Honkai: Star Rail is still part of the Honkai series.
I like a lot of characters in Honkai Impact 3rd, but Star Rail has plenty I like too.
I really want to go hard on Jingliu, Ruan Mei, Firefly, and Fu Xuan.
Sparkle—Sparkle is adorable. That skintight suit? Absolutely amazing.
Robin, the great singer—what kind of incredible music will come out of her voice?
Qingque the slacker, and the quirky Dan Shu.
Honestly, I think Aventurine is still full of charm too.
And then there's Shironeko—a beauty so pure and exquisite, she should be made a Star Wrath!
March 7th isn't bad either...
Come to think of it, there really are quite a few I like.
Especially Jingliu. From the moment I saw her, I wanted to [BLEEP] her.
...
Got a bit carried away there.
Back to the point: the book launches tomorrow.
If you can, I hope you'll support with a first-time subscription...
Even better if you turn on auto-subscription.
Also, if you have any fun ideas or playstyles, feel free to share them in the comments!
Someone mentioned a "Duck-Duck" playstyle earlier—I thought that was great.
Alright, that's it for now.
See you tomorrow night.
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Advanced 30+ Chapters in pat/reon.com/SenatusPopulus