A long time later.
When Cecil finally raised her head, she wiped the corner of her lips and stood up, walking over to the lab bench. She took a test tube from the rack, parted her rosy lips, and spat into it.
Mo Chen was still frozen in shock.
Cecil had done something like this—without the slightest psychological barrier.
"What, surprised?"
Cecil took out a pristine white handkerchief, wiped the traces from her lips, and tucked a stray lock of hair behind her ear. Her gaze remained clear and undisturbed, as if she hadn't just done that for Mo Chen moments ago.
Mo Chen: "..."
She turned around, sweeping her long white hair aside as she stopped a short distance away from him.
"Shame is nothing more than a man-made shackle humans impose on themselves. On the path of pursuing scientific truth, what matters more is practicality—constant experimentation and practice to make progress. So, you don't need to feel any psychological burden just because I assisted you."
Ziiip.
The zipper was pulled up.
The alluring sight was now completely concealed beneath her white lab coat, restoring her image as the cold, ethereal beauty of a researcher.
What she didn't realize was how provocative her actions were—especially when paired with that ascetic tone of hers.
Cecil clearly noticed Mo Chen's expression, as if he was holding something back, his breathing slightly unsteady.
But she paid it no mind. In fact, she even added seriously:
"Don't worry. The surge of hormones in your body accelerates blood flow, causing heat and discomfort—it's only temporary. Also, please don't misunderstand: you're the first I've done this for. I've never engaged in such intimate acts with anyone else, nor will I in the future. I'm not saying this to claim I'm not like certain animals that act purely on reproductive instincts driven by hormonal desire."
"Rather, Commander, don't assume that just because I performed an experimental extraction, I would naturally agree to bear your child. Though I have full confidence in my superior genes, I have no intention of getting pregnant."
Mo Chen was thoroughly dumbfounded. Was this really something you could just say so casually?
If this wasn't lack of restraint, then what was? Yet Cecil showed no trace of lust—just an overbearing, almost cold level of composure.
She was completely different from any other Nikke he'd met. Was this the difference between humans and Nikkes?
But after hearing her words, especially that last part, Mo Chen couldn't help but grow even more curious.
Finally, he gave in to temptation and asked:
"...Why don't you want to get pregnant?"
He expected her to say something like "Work comes first," or that she didn't want to be held back, didn't like children, hated noise, or even feared pregnancy would ruin her figure.
But when Cecil answered, Mo Chen could only facepalm.
"Afraid of pain."
Huh? Afraid of pain?
Seeing Mo Chen's stunned expression, Cecil glanced at him but didn't stop what she was doing.
"This isn't something shameful. Pain itself is a biological warning response to harmful stimuli. It's an important product of evolution. Creatures that don't feel pain wouldn't know to avoid danger and would quickly go extinct in the natural world governed by survival of the fittest. For example, humanity—because they fear pain and deeper harm, they created places like the Ark and Eden."
After listening for a while, Mo Chen came to one conclusion:
Her mouth really was something else.
"If the Commander has nothing else to discuss, then I'll begin the experiment now."
Cecil picked up the tablet on the table and tapped a few commands onto the screen. It was clear she was politely asking him to leave.
Leaving the lab, Mo Chen turned to glance back. As usual, she had resumed her experiments with calm precision—it was hard to associate her with everything that had just taken place inside.
He walked through Eden's central courtyard, and upon seeing him, Johan approached with long strides.
"You're leaving?"
Mo Chen raised an eyebrow. "How do you know I'm leaving?"
He hadn't told anyone yet.
If it were someone else, he might suspect they were subtly trying to push him out. But Johan wasn't the type to bother with such tricks: if he wanted someone gone, he'd just say so.
"Yeah, I'm heading back to the Ark."
Mo Chen nodded slightly.
He had just received intel from Sin: Heavenly Ascension was likely planning a terrorist attack on the Ark, and their target seemed tied to his mission to capture the Mother Whale.
Originally, he had considered returning to the outpost first, but given how urgent things were, Mo Chen decided to head to the Ark instead.
"Alright."
Johan gave a small nod, then after thinking for a moment, added another sentence.
"Be careful on the road."
The man really treated words like gold, spitting them out one at a time.
Mo Chen knew his personality well and didn't take it to heart. He smiled and replied, "Thanks."
Just as Mo Chen was about to leave, Johan suddenly called out to him.
Mo Chen turned around, puzzled. "Something else?"
A rare trace of seriousness appeared on Johan's usually cold face as he spoke in a low voice. "Watch the Ark's upper brass."
"The upper brass?"
Before Mo Chen could ask more, Johan had already turned and walked away.
Watching Johan's broad back as he strode off, Mo Chen thought for a moment and roughly understood what he meant.
Still, Johan was overthinking it.
Mo Chen had never trusted those maggots running the Ark in the first place. Those people would do anything for their own benefit.
That said, Johan's warning still warmed him a little. The man wasn't made entirely of stone after all.
On the way out of Eden, Mo Chen didn't want to bother the Nikkes busy with reconstruction, so he took a less-traveled path and exited quietly.
The moment he stepped outside, sand and fierce wind howled at him.
Compared to the evergreen, vibrant Eden, the outside world—ravaged by war for years—was now a wasteland of scorched earth. Forget plants, even microbes were scarce.
Mo Chen raised a hand and snapped his fingers. With a loud boom, the ground trembled violently, and a massive mechanical behemoth burst forth from the earth.
It was a heavily armed train, its front shaped like a massive drill.
A fusion of Alteisen MK.VI and Grave Digger.
Mo Chen climbed aboard. Two petite figures were already inside—humanoid Heretic fusions, the twin girls Mo Ran and Mo Bai.
When they'd just been born, they could barely do anything but fight. They couldn't even speak.
Now, they were already writing the words they wanted to say on signs and holding them up.
Mo Chen was stunned.
They had only been "alive" for a few days—equivalent to newborn babies—and yet they could already read and communicate. It was like watching a baby learn to write and talk in under a week.
In the original Punishing Gray Raven, humanoid Red Tide fusions had insane learning speeds, capable of mastering various skills in record time. A few years of development could equal a human lifetime of learning.
Their intelligence matched their learning power.
If the twins hadn't been just born, and were allowed to grow… there was no telling how terrifying they might become.
Mo Chen couldn't help but get excited. He wondered what these girls would grow into—just how brilliant they could become.
Take now, for example. These two beautiful twins were already holding up new signs.
Man, they really are fast learners.
Full of anticipation, he leaned over to see what amazing ability they might've picked up while he was gone.
Then he saw the signs… and was speechless.
"Hungy, Hungy!"
"Food, Food."
Mo Chen: "…"