"Haha, Mr. Vássago is quite the regular guest here, but this is Dr. Mobius's first time, isn't it? It seems like ever since Fire Moth was established, Doctor, you've hardly made any public appearances?"
"Hmm? My last public appearance seems to have been the Mu Continent academic conference six years ago. Fire Moth's work is very demanding, almost every day is spent in the lab from morning till night, with barely any rest for years." Mobius's smile was generous and appropriate.
Ever since her initial rise to fame, she had become intimately familiar with this almost routine interview process.
Although someone always thought Mobius wasn't very reliable, judging by her current performance, perhaps that was just his prejudice against her.
"The academic conference on Mu Continent? I heard that's where you met Dr. Mei and subsequently introduced her to Fire Moth, is that correct?" The sweet-faced host relentlessly pressed Mobius for details, completely ignoring the sidelined Vássago [Welt].
After all, everyone knew now that Vássago was just a mascot within Fire Moth. Many people who joined Fire Moth in recent years only knew Mobius and had never even heard Vássago's name.
Whether in terms of real power or fame, he didn't even need to compare himself to Mei; he was already utterly overshadowed by Mobius beside him.
Besides, as someone who appeared on TV for interviews every few days, this host sitting beside him had practically drained him dry over the past few months... Drained him of everything he knew about Fire Moth.
There was no more valuable information to extract. The interviewer herself was very clear on this, so there was no need to interact much with Vássago anymore.
"Mei, ah, she was just a high school girl back then. She caught my attention because of a paper she published on relativity. Later, when I talked to her, I found her academic level was no less than mine, so I was determined to get her to join Fire Moth."
"So there's a story like that... But Dr. Mei's father is a famous scientist, and Dr. Mobius, your mother is also a famous scientist. You two really share quite a connection."
Mobius couldn't be bothered to respond to such meaningless sentiment, opting for an awkward yet polite smile.
However, the host seemed relentless. She changed the subject, and the questions suddenly veered in a strange direction:
"Speaking of which, Dr. Mobius, you should be... How exactly do you maintain your physique to look so young?" Mobius's issue, of course, wasn't just about looking young.
"And, I remember many years ago, your search engine entry listed your height as 173 centimeters, whereas now..." The host glanced at Mobius's feet, which barely touched the ground, unsure what to say.
If Fire Moth hadn't vehemently guaranteed this was Mobius herself, even providing photos from her teenage years as verification... Few would believe the green-haired girl before them wasn't Mobius's daughter.
"Heh..." Mobius let out a cold chuckle and stated bluntly, "These are all side effects of the surgery. Yes, the MANTIS surgery."
"Doctor... If rejuvenation is also a side effect, then surely many people would be clamoring to become MANTIS warriors?"
"Where would such a good thing come from! The MANTIS surgery itself carries enormous uncertain risks, and the side effects are bizarrely varied. I was just lucky enough to get this side effect, which is neither good nor bad." Speaking of which, Mobius suddenly thought of a certain woman who hadn't suffered any "side effects" at all, and couldn't help but grit her teeth.
"Enormous risks? Right, Doctor, there have been recent rumors that the success rate of the MANTIS surgery is infinitely close to zero."
"That's impossible, of course. Firstly, what exactly does 'infinitely close to zero' mean? Zero point zero something percent? Or zero point something percent? With such a success rate, unless faced with an unavoidable emergency, HQ would never approve such a plan. How stupid would someone have to be to believe such rumors?"
Uh... theoretically, yes. But if Mobius remembered correctly, when Mei sent Kevin to the operating table, the model calculated success rate was less than eight percent. When she performed the surgery on herself back in Canghai (Sapphire) City, she also faced a single-digit success rate.
But at least the success rate was in the single digits. If it were truly infinitely close to zero, then unless it was a matter of life and death, a situation where there was no hope without the MANTIS surgery, Mobius didn't think the plan would ever be approved.
"But I heard that just the fusion experiment with... uh, that Honkai Beast called Vishnu, resulted in nearly ten thousand casualties among the test subjects." The host still wore a smile, but clearly, there was no kindness in it.
"Oh? And where did this data come from?" It would be a lie to say she wasn't nervous. But before coming, Mei had assured Mobius that no further Fire Moth secrets had been leaked, at least not copied and taken by the Herrscher.
If faced with unfavorable situations, just firmly deny the other party lacks evidence.
"Ahem, ahem! It's just a saying." Sure enough, the host gave a dry laugh and didn't pursue the matter further.
Mobius secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Although prepared, this smokeless battle of wits was never relaxing.
But she hadn't expected the host's next question to push the atmosphere to an extremely sharp point—
"So... are MANTIS warriors still considered human?"
"We are certainly human." Mobius shrugged; there was no hesitation needed on this matter. Regardless of what others thought, regardless of what other MANTIS warriors thought themselves, in Mobius's view, MANTIS warriors were human.
"But, I heard many MANTIS warriors grew horns or second pairs of ears, things like that. Their physical structure must be completely different from humans, right? If their physical structure is different, can they still be called human?"
"Why not?" Mobius shook her head disdainfully. She had pondered similar questions many years ago, so answering was effortless:
"The relationship between ordinary humans and MANTIS warriors is one of evolution, not two unrelated parallel lines. The MANTIS surgery merely replaces genes in ordinary humans, removing unsuitable ones and adding necessary Honkai Beast genes.
"Does this description sound familiar? Correct. Assume an ordinary human is a ship, and the Honkai is an ocean. A ship soaking in the ocean will inevitably have parts damaged. At this time, we replace the parts, making it new again, better suited for survival in the ocean.
"Perhaps regarding whether the ship with replaced parts is still the original ship, we can give diametrically opposed answers from different perspectives. But one point is undeniable—we cannot say the ship with replaced parts is no longer a ship, correct?"
"Mmm... Dr. Mobius, is this also what you call... replacement?" The host smiled apologetically and turned to point at the large screen behind them.
"Sorry, Doctor, but let's appreciate a few photos now?" Although unsure what photos she intended to show, Mobius knew the situation was bad.
Yet, under the watchful eyes of the public, she couldn't think of a way to stop the host.
The large screen soon displayed a scene all too familiar to Mobius. In the center stood a behemoth, surrounding cable equipment pulling fitted armor plates towards its body.
The photo was taken from a great distance, likely near the shelters of the underground city, but even so, the monstrous figure, barely recognizable as humanoid, filled the entire frame. It stood with its back to the bright morning sun, appearing as just a black silhouette, yet tinged with a hint of blood-red.
"Dr. Mobius, are you sure this still counts as human?"
"Tch!" Mobius's lips twitched—This is what Mei meant by no more information leaked? Alright, considering the shooting location, it might have been taken by family members living in the underground city, so it wouldn't count as internal Fire Moth information.
But the host's aggressive posture instantly ignited Mobius's temper. She let out two cold laughs, narrowed her eyes at the young female host, and asked through gritted teeth:
"Then you tell me, in what way is it not like a human!!!"
The female host felt her scalp tingle under Mobius's serpentine gaze. An invisible pressure constantly battered the top of her skull. But thinking of the conditions promised by the director, she also gritted her teeth and continued:
"This... clearly doesn't look like one in any way..."
"I—" Mobius had just started to speak when someone kicked her foot. The elderly Vássago, often mentally foggy, was sharp at this moment. He gestured for Mobius to be quiet while quickly glancing at the female host's thigh, finally saying lightly:
"This... how should I put it? Judging whether someone belongs to 'humanity,' we cannot view it from the traditional narrow perspective of bloodline.
"You see, in the earliest times, we humans lived in tribes. What bound us wasn't interests, beliefs, or anything else, but blood ties.
"But soon, this blood distinction was broken, and humans developed the concept of nations.
"Analogous to this matter, our original ordinary humans represent a fixed bloodline concept, while MANTIS warriors have broken through this bloodline concept, becoming humans in another sense.
"They may differ slightly from ordinary humans in appearance or other aspects, but this is development, a form of human evolution. Because before becoming MANTIS warriors, they were human themselves. Even if they differ from current humans, they should be described as 'New Humans.' Besides...
"Certain 'ordinary people' who have committed acts harmful to humanity are still considered human by everyone. So why wouldn't MANTIS warriors, who have always fought to protect humanity, be considered human?"
"Mmm-hmm." The host seemed to give Vássago face, nodding vigorously, then changed the subject:
"But, Mr. Vássago, Dr. Mobius, are you really sure the thing in this photo is human?"
"It's not a thing!" Mobius's low growl made the host shrink back into the sofa. Vássago quickly waved his hands, playing peacemaker between the two women:
"Hey now! Let's not be like this! Harmony! Harmony!"
Seeing Mobius almost resort to violence, the director and staff below made no move to intervene. The director even gestured to the host, signaling her to intensify the pressure.
"No, no, Dr. Mobius, I think you misunderstood my meaning."
"Hmph! I don't think there's any misunderstanding. He is a person, not a thing!"
The host gave a nervous laugh, unsure why Mobius reacted so strongly. In truth, she only had a partial understanding of the overall situation and could only follow the director's step-by-step instructions.
"What I mean is, Dr. Mobius, if we say MANTIS warriors were human before becoming MANTIS warriors, and became 'New Humans' after, that makes sense. But... are you truly certain that the one in the photo is a MANTIS warrior, is human?"
Before Mobius could respond, the director switched the photo on the large screen behind them to a video segment:
It started with the familiar black screen, then a large white line of text appeared:
"Who is he?"
The initial footage showed Michael standing before the Tower steps, invoking the Authority of Death to summon numerous green vines. Mobius didn't even need to watch further; she could guess what came next.
And it didn't disappoint:
"Michael, born in Vostok City, raised in Vostok-51 Orphanage, disappeared on the day of the First Honkai Eruption.
"Six years later, he was specially recruited into Fire Moth due to his Honkai energy adaptability and physical constitution far exceeding superhuman levels. In the quickly following Second Honkai Eruption, his Fifth Squad was almost entirely wiped out. The three survivors defeated the Second Herrscher without any supporting video evidence.
"Half a year later, during the Third Honkai Eruption, he revealed his special identity, forcing him to flee Fire Moth until its reorganization after the Fifth Honkai Eruption allowed his return.
"In summary, wherever a Herrscher appeared, this person was never far away.
"So, what exactly was the special identity he revealed during the Third Honkai Eruption?"
The text finished scrolling. The large screen flashed through photo after photo, all showing Michael using his Authorities.
"This person, who seemingly never missed a single battle against the Herrschers, is himself a Herrscher!"
The director deliberately paused the video at this moment, seemingly leaving time for Mobius and Vássago to refute.
Mobius couldn't be bothered to say anything. Vássago looked troubled but ultimately decided to do his best to defend everything:
"So what if he's a Herrscher? MANTIS warriors were human before becoming MANTIS warriors. Weren't Herrschers human before becoming Herrschers?
"Besides, we shouldn't just see 'Herrscher.' Herrscher is just an identity, a designation for someone holding certain abilities. It doesn't determine their attitude.
"And his personal attitude towards civilization, given that he rushed to the forefront in almost every Honkai Eruption, suffering serious injuries or near death... I think his attitude is already clear, needing no further elaboration."
The host blinked, looking pleadingly towards the director below. The director remained unfazed; Vássago's defense seemed to play right into his hands. He said nothing, simply pressing the play button silently. The image on the large screen behind them started moving again.
"You say he stands with humanity? Is that really the case?
"If he stands with humanity, then how did the recent tragedy in Third New Heaven City happen?"
Vássago genuinely didn't know the specifics of what happened in Third New Heaven City and couldn't comment.
Mobius just sneered throughout, disdaining to even offer a rebuttal. After all, the best counterattack would be to find the complete, unedited footage and present it to everyone, but the original recordings were now completely gone.
"But this isn't the first time he has attacked humanity—"
The photo switched back to the behemoth previously captured in the underground city.
"This is Fire Moth HQ. Regarding the identity of the Seventh Herrscher, Fire Moth has always been secretive. But in the two years between the end of the Sixth Honkai Eruption and the start of the Eighth, the only time humanity suffered major losses was this incident in the underground city.
"And the mastermind behind these casualties, besides this monster over a thousand meters tall before us, who else could it be?"
The image began to zoom in continuously. The pixels shouldn't have been very high resolution, but it seemed to have been enhanced, allowing a clear view of the behemoth's face. Though somewhat distorted, though obscured by backlighting, it was unmistakably Michael's features.
"Enough!" Mobius stood up angrily. She knew perfectly well that everything she was doing now, everything happening here, would be broadcast live, but she couldn't tolerate it anymore.
"You simply don't understand him! You don't know what he has sacrificed!"
She turned to leave, but suddenly felt an inexplicable weight in the air.
"Not good!"
She spun around. Purple Honkai energy surged out from the screen, from the cameras. The director, the on-site staff, the host, Vássago—almost simultaneously transformed into Zombie.
And all of this would be seen by everyone worldwide—
Look! Dr. Mobius of Fire Moth, just standing up angrily, the overflowing Honkai energy from her anger turned all the humans present into Zombie!
Thus, all previous defenses, whether regarding Michael or MANTIS warriors, lost all meaning.
Of course, Mobius didn't care about meaning anymore.
"Got dumped, huh? Hmph!" She let out a long breath, her expression turning equally ferocious. Green lightning quickly filled the entire camera frame.