Chapter Seventy: The Möbius Loop

"I say, how did things end up like this?" In the pitch-black space, countless green 01 data flickered rapidly all around as Zhuang Xiaoyuan flew ahead at an extremely high speed. The cat-ear shaped information interface atop her head quivered gently, and suddenly her right-hand thruster lit up, allowing her to dodge sideways and evade a green beam attack from behind.

"Spare me the pointless talk. We're not fast enough; we need to accelerate further," replied Zhuang Xiaosi, who was not far ahead on the right, also maintaining an extraordinary speed. She weaved left and right, deftly avoiding the green beams as she spoke.

"These things are really troublesome, Xiaosi. How long until we reach the destination?" Zhuang Xiaoyuan, pushing herself to the limit, skillfully used the thrusters on her hands and feet to swerve left and right, dodging deadly green beams. After half a month living as a mecha maiden, she had grown fully accustomed to her new body.

"Impossible to predict. According to central host records, since the birth of the mecha maidens, no one has ever reached the end of the Möbius Loop," replied Zhuang Xiaosi, dodging attacks from behind with equal agility. Her eyes gazed far into what seemed like endless darkness ahead.

"The Möbius Loop—a road of endless repetition. How am I supposed to complete a mission like this?" The golden parchment still hovered before Zhuang Xiaoyuan, displaying the fourth trial mission that had arrived half a month late. She didn't know what to say. It truly was a conundrum.

Half a month ago, after repelling the tide of demonic beasts, most of the mecha maidens had entered standby mode. Bored and frustrated by the absence of the fourth trial mission, Zhuang Xiaoyuan had used her imagination generator to create a deck of cards.

She had intended to use her familiarity with the rules to thrash Zhuang Xiaosi and vent her frustration. Unexpectedly, after winning the first deck, she found herself on the receiving end of a relentless defeat at Zhuang Xiaosi's hands.

Unwilling to accept this, Zhuang Xiaoyuan took her cards and sought out some of the older mecha maidens she knew. This time it was worse—she was thoroughly crushed from the very first round. She continued to challenge several more mecha maidens, but the pattern remained: she won only the opening game, followed by a string of losses.

Upon reflection, Zhuang Xiaoyuan realized the reason for her defeats. Relying on habitual mental calculations against mecha maidens who were accustomed to electronic computation in games with rigid rules and sure-win formulas was simply asking to be humiliated.

Abandoning card games, Zhuang Xiaoyuan began seeking other games where she might win against the mecha maidens. As she introduced game after game, these amusements began to spread among the mecha maidens. Those originally in standby mode started playing all sorts of games: chess, Go, mahjong, poker, and many more.

By the time Zhuang Xiaoyuan noticed, the mecha maidens had plunged into a frenzy of gaming. Yet their play was nothing like humans’. Among humans, wins and losses came quickly, but among mecha maidens, a simple chess game could drag on for days, with not a single piece taken.

After half a month of this gaming craze, Zhuang Xiaoyuan finally received her fourth trial mission—the final stage.

[Guardian’s Trial]

[Mission One, Two, and Three completed]

[Final Mission: The Origin]

[The world of the mecha maidens is under threat from the demonic forces. Please proceed to the world’s origin and activate the self-defense function before it is destroyed.]

Zhuang Xiaosi also received the mission, though hers was issued by the central host. Thus, battered from her defeats at the hands of the mecha maidens, Zhuang Xiaoyuan made up countless excuses and reasons to righteously tag along with Zhuang Xiaosi for this mission.

"The mission is about to be completed, but before that, these obstacles must be cleared." Still flying forward, Zhuang Xiaosi’s gaze remained fixed ahead, as if the enemy were not behind but before her.

"It's troublesome. If I slow down and try a surprise attack, I’ll be an easy target. Judging by their form and attacks, these things behind us must be turret-class demons, but I’ve never heard of turret-class demons sprouting wings," remarked Zhuang Xiaoyuan, keeping pace with Zhuang Xiaosi, glancing back at the demonic pursuers.

These demons were enormous ants, roughly human-sized. On their backs, each carried an elongated turret, from which the green beams attacking Zhuang Xiaoyuan and Zhuang Xiaosi originated.

Besides the turret, a pair of airplane wings protruded from either side of their bodies—equipment that had no place on an insect, yet on these demons seemed uncannily fitting, as if perfectly integrated. Their pitch-black bodies glimmered with threads of red light—these were the new type of demons relentlessly chasing Zhuang Xiaoyuan and her companion.

"No need to look back. This is the Möbius Loop," Zhuang Xiaosi’s calm voice reached Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s ears, her gaze still fixed ahead.

"Right, this is the Möbius Loop. As long as we keep moving faster than them, we’ll circle around and confront them again. Hah, I’ve been dodging for so long, I’m thoroughly frustrated. Accelerate, Xiaosi. Let’s deal with these pests quickly, so we can start figuring out how to escape the Möbius Loop," said Zhuang Xiaoyuan, her vision brightening as she grasped Zhuang Xiaosi’s meaning.

The Möbius Loop was an infinitely repeating path, a single surface, so whether one moved forward or backward, eventually one returned to the starting point. Thus, as Zhuang Xiaosi implied, if they accelerated and left the demons behind, they would emerge behind them at the loop’s far side.

This not only was safer than turning back for a counterattack, but also offered the advantage of a surprise assault. Furthermore, turret-class demons were among the more fragile demonic types; though their new wings made them nimbler and improved their survivability, their aerial mobility was still pitiful compared to mecha maidens adept at air combat.

Even Zhuang Xiaoyuan, once a novice, now could easily outmaneuver these demons after half a month of adaptation. So, once Zhuang Xiaosi settled on the strategy, the demons’ fate was sealed.

As the energy to their rear thrusters increased, Zhuang Xiaoyuan and Zhuang Xiaosi’s speed surged, opening distance from their pursuers. Sensing the gap growing, the demons intensified their attacks, launching ever more frequent and concentrated beams. Yet it was utterly futile; nothing could prevent Zhuang Xiaoyuan and her companion from breaking away.