I'm on the Ark, and I start out as Gretchen.

This time, however, she set an alarm to remind herself of the time and prevent herself from getting too engrossed. Later, she had to leave Rhine Life for some business.

————————————————————

In a sophisticated laboratory of Rheinmetall—

"Ah ah ah ah ah--!!"

As the syringe was gradually pushed in, the girl's painful screams suddenly rang out, so loud that they could penetrate the well-insulated laboratory walls and reach the outside world.

"...Okay, injection complete."

As the person injecting the "drug" stopped moving and the sound faded, the girl's painful screams gradually subsided until they finally stopped altogether.

"call……"

Having survived another "treatment," the girl, or rather Ifrit, was now slumped weakly on the experimental bed, panting softly, her eyes half-open as she gazed at the two people who were now by her side.

"You did a great job, Ifrit."

Looking at the weak girl lying on the bed, the woman with two pairs of dragon horns on her head and a serious face gently encouraged her.

"Yes, Ifrit is very capable. This treatment is over, so get some rest." After hearing what the woman, Saria, said, Himeru immediately followed up to comfort Ifrit.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Ifrit showed no intention of speaking, but simply nodded slightly. Then, she reached out and gently grasped the hem of Saria's dress, wanting her to stay with her a little longer.

"Ifrit, I know you really want Director Saria to stay with you a little longer, but she has a mission later, so how about I stay with you instead?"

Seeing this scene, a hint of helplessness flashed in Himer's eyes. Then she bent down and gently patted Ifrit's little head, soothingly explaining to her.

"..."

Upon hearing Himer's words, Ifrit's eyes flashed with reluctance, but she ultimately nodded gently and released her hand.

"I'll come back to keep you company again after the mission is over." Saria's tone softened considerably as she looked at the girl in front of her.

"..."

Although Ifrit didn't say a word from beginning to end, she still obediently nodded in agreement when faced with Saria and Himeru's words.

Ultimately, Saria left the Structural Engineering laboratory area to carry out a mission. Ifrit, accompanied by Himer, returned to her room at Rhine Labs…

Chapter 61 Night of Horror (Rhine Limited Edition)

night--

As night deepened, almost everyone in Rhine Life's office building, except for the night shift guards and researchers, went home or rested.

After all, for researchers who need to constantly use their brains during the day, a good rest every day is essential. However... this need isn't absolute, at least not for a fusion warrior like Mebius.

You should know that recently, due to research and being engrossed in studying, she has been staying up many nights and hasn't had a good night's sleep in a long time.

However, apart from occasional mental fatigue, the snake did not show much physical exhaustion.

"Drip-"

"Beep... Snap."

Mebius, who was still sitting in his office looking at documents, slowly put down what he was holding and turned off the alarm clock after hearing it ring.

Then she looked up at the dark outside the window and sighed, "It's so quiet here."

"It's almost time. I need to go meet my precious little guinea pig. I hope it won't disappoint me~"

The voice grew increasingly childish as the words flowed, until, as the final words were spoken and Mebius stood up, her figure was no longer as full and mature as before.

The white lab coats were replaced by clothes designed by Eden, which even looked somewhat strangely "sexy".

"It's been so long since I've used a body like this. It really makes me nostalgic," Möbius murmured, looking down at his still-youthful body.

As she sighed, the black mud, which occasionally flickered with a ghostly green light, rapidly spread beneath her feet, covering the entire office before continuing to expand outwards.

However, unlike its domineering encroachment and coverage within the office, Black Mud began to act "cautiously" after leaving the office, meticulously avoiding all the cameras as it followed Mebius's instructions.

……

"Ha~"

A moment later, Mebius, sitting in his office, looked as if he had successfully accomplished something naughty, a slight smile playing on his lips and a triumphant glint in his eyes.

Without hesitation, she took out the mobile device that "Vilvie" had made from her space because "Mebius" had difficulty moving after shrinking.

Then, with a light and nimble motion, he sat down and swaggered out of the office.

-----------------------

In a semi-enclosed room of Rhine Labs—

"..."

On the large hospital bed, a Sarkaz girl lay curled up, her eyes closed, fast asleep.

However, compared to normal sleep, she seemed to be sleeping very restlessly, as if she were having a nightmare, and there was even a bead of sweat on her forehead.

"...!"

Finally, as the dream shifted, the girl curled up on the bed suddenly opened her eyes, her expression showing signs of shock.

After a while, just as the girl was about to sit up and catch her breath, she suddenly caught a glimpse of a dark shadow on the transparent observation glass next to the semi-enclosed room.

This discovery made her subconsciously slow her breathing and freeze, unable to move any further.

However, sometimes even if you stop in time, it doesn't mean you weren't discovered...

"..."

Standing outside, taking in everything, Mebius couldn't help but raise an eyebrow slightly, his expression somewhat strange.

However, she quickly seemed to have thought of something, and a wicked glint flashed in her gradient-colored vertical pupils that emitted a faint glow in the darkness.

Without a word, Mebius, just as he had come, silently disappeared into the black mud and vanished from the observation glass.

"……call."

The girl lying on the bed—no, Ifrit—waited a few more moments after noticing the figure disappear from the window before finally letting out a slight sigh of relief.

However... just as she breathed a sigh of relief, a childish voice, full of playful mockery, suddenly rang out beside her.

"Hehe~ Which little guinea pig is still awake so late?"

"!..."

The sudden sound caused Ifrit's pupils to shrink slightly, and scorching flames instantly appeared beside her. She instinctively wanted to cry out.

However, before she could even speak, a slender hand wearing a black glove was placed in front of her lips, physically calming her down.

"Shh~"

"You don't want to attract people here and then have to give you two injections, right? If you don't want that, then keep quiet."

"..."

Although she was startled, ifrit calmed down considerably after seeing Mebius's "youthful" appearance and hearing her words. She also withdrew her flames.

But after doing all that, she looked up at Mebius with a puzzled look in her eyes, as if asking her why she had come here.

"You still can't speak... Is it because of psychological reasons?"

Faced with Ifrit's questioning gaze, which resembled that of a small animal, Mebius did not offer her an answer. Instead, he murmured to himself thoughtfully.

Mebius knew before she came in that Ifrit couldn't speak yet, because she had just checked the mouse's data and "treatment" progress.

However, the researchers here may not know, but Mebius is quite clear that Ifrit's current inability to speak is less due to physical damage or insufficient language reserves, and more due to purely psychological reasons.

Generally speaking, only strong stimuli can make Ifrit speak again, just like the plot that Snake saw before he traveled through time, which involved painful experiments plus Saria's candy.

Of course, Mebius certainly didn't intend to give Ifrit any strong stimulation, since she was currently considered an infiltrator.

Moreover, whether the mice can speak or not is irrelevant to her, as it does not affect her experiment (treatment).

"..."

Looking at the "little girl" in front of her who was completely ignoring her and instead immersed in her own world, Ifrit glared at her unhappily, then turned her head to the side, avoiding Möbius's hand that was placed in front of her lips.

"Oh dear, what a mischievous little guinea pig!"

Mebius wasn't angry at Ifrit's actions. After teasing her, he calmly continued:

Aren't you curious about who I am and why I'm here so late?

P.S.: Please give me some votes and then urge me to vote. Hopefully I won't stay up too late tonight; yesterday was absolutely terrifying...

Chapter 62 Ifrit: "Don't go!"

Aren't you curious about who I am and why I'm here so late?

"Well……"

After hearing Mebius's words, Ifrit's little head didn't turn back.

But the peeks she kept giving him proved her curiosity.

"Heh~ I came here, of course, for you~"

"?"

Mebius's words completely piqued Ifrit's curiosity, making her turn around and examine the little girl in front of her, who looked about the same age as herself, in the darkness once again.

If it were any other person saying these things to her under normal circumstances, Charmander would probably have become wary long ago.

However, because Mebius's current appearance and childlike voice were so deceptive, she was not able to be too vigilant in this "strange" situation.

"Little mouse, do you want to get better and become a normal child again?"

After taking in Ifrit's reaction, Mebius showed no surprise whatsoever. Instead, he couldn't help but curl the corners of his lips slightly before continuing to seduce her with his childish voice.

As for why there were no surprises, it's because Mebius was well aware of the "advantages" of his appearance.

Without knowing her or her background, very few people could resist her pitiful and childlike appearance; almost everyone would lower their guard...

Moreover, in order to make herself "popular", she even learned the way "Alicia" spoke.

"...?"

After hearing Mebius's words, Ifrit looked puzzled, but still nodded in agreement.

No one likes being locked up every day under the guise of guardianship, and no one likes the excruciatingly painful "treatment" that comes every few days.