Witch Special

Now that I know what I want to know, it’s time to discuss the follow-up matters with Kinos.

From Lin Zhenxi's perspective, she harbors no ill feelings toward the House of Evolution or its founder, Genos. She actually admires Genos for single-handedly supporting the operation of a freak organization for so long, producing countless scientific discoveries. This freak research, considered taboo in mainstream human society, is impossible to monetize. Instead, it must be hidden, never to be discovered, and the results must be kept private. Genos's persistence for so long is a product of pure love. In pursuit of truth, he gave up everything in human society, even his own body, to continuously shift through various clones as a conscious being. His fearless dedication to the pursuit of truth is truly admirable.

And Genos's research is fascinating, isn't it? The Limiter Theory is probably the ultimate secret of this world, just like the magic of the wizard world, the origins of the magician world, the soul gems of magical girls, the magic of the Aerial Mages world, and the power of faith and will in the world of Gensokyo. Once we understand it, the world will no longer have any secrets.

It is such a pity that such a great research project was interrupted due to funding issues.

It's all about money. Kinos opened the House of Evolution and turned himself from a wealthy scientist into bankruptcy, but that was because he was not rich enough and did not have any good income channels, so he could only live off his savings and became poorer and poorer.

Lin Zhenxi was very interested in the follow-up of his project, and she invested in this project.

She had no plans to take the money she earned in this world back with her anyway. Since she'd have to throw it all away when she returned, why not do it in a meaningful way? Besides, if Kinos really did figure out a way to break through the limiter, maybe Lin Zhenxi could get some credit.

Anyway, Kinos's soul was riddled with holes, Lin Zhenxi's natural nemesis, and Lin Zhenxi had already recorded the causal connections, so no matter where he went, Lin Zhenxi would find him. Lin Zhenxi couldn't even take a sip of water to deal with him. With such a controllable labor force, why not make use of it?

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When Genos' soul completely merged with his clone, the first thing he saw when he opened his eyes was Lin Zhenxi's smiling face.

Although the girl's sweet smile was pleasing to the eye, it only gave Kinos a deep fear, which made his scalp numb and his heart almost stop beating.

There was no way around it. The terror Lin Zhenxi had inflicted on him during these past few rounds of manipulation had already surpassed anything he had ever experienced in his entire life. Especially after being immersed in the Pensieve. While that time left no trace in his memory, it had left a mark of fear. After being interrogated by the Lin Zhenxi in the Pensieve, he now subconsciously shuddered at the sight of Lin Zhenxi's true form.

"Don't worry, I won't do anything to you. Look, I've even lifted the restrictions on you. I'm very sincere, right?" Lin Zhenxi shook the wand in his hand and said kindly.

"You crazy...woman, just tell me what you want. The worst that can happen is death. I have lived for more than seventy years. It is not a loss for me to die now. It's up to you!" Kinos jumped up from the incubator under his butt and said angrily.

Kinos looked young, in his twenties, early thirties at best. Judging solely by his appearance, no one would guess he was actually in his seventies. But Lin Zhenxi had long known this: while the physical appearance might be repaired, the weathering of the soul could not be faked. Using a normal human soul as a benchmark, Kinos's soul bore too much wear and tear. While his reckless switching of bodies certainly played a role, the strain on his soul was undoubtedly the result of time.

However, Lin Zhenxi possesses none of the traditional virtues of respecting the elderly and cherishing the young. As a world traveler, Lin Zhenxi is bound to encounter countless beings with extremely long lifespans. If she were to show respect to just anyone older than her, she would likely struggle to navigate the universe. Regardless of age, she treats everyone equally. "I don't care who you are, but I treat you as my equal." This is the ultimate respect Lin Zhenxi has for the creatures of another world.

This difference in attitude is also the biggest difference between Lin Zhenxi and the extremists among the special envoys.

"I want your research results. Let's make a deal. I'll pay for your experiments, but I want a copy of your findings." Lin Zhenxi said as he pulled out his card wallet. Unzipping it, a bank of various black and gold cards spilt out, more than a dozen in total. "Well, as you can see, I'm quite wealthy. And if you give me some time, once my company launches new products, my assets will increase several dozen times. Your Evolution House is almost collapsing, so why not just sell it to me? From now on, just focus on the experiments you want to do, and you don't need to worry about funding. How's that?"

So this is what it feels like to hit someone in the face with money. It feels so good. Lin Zhenxi thought happily.

Kinos stared at the bank cards in Lin Zhenxi's hand. Although he didn't know how much money he needed to deposit into the bank cards to apply for them, he was sure that each of these cards was probably worth more than his own.

Thinking of his long monthly bills and the ever-dwindling bank balance dwindling closer and closer to its limit, Kinos was overcome with agony. He had devoted his life to scientific research; research was his entire existence. Now, forced to abandon his research project due to funding constraints, it was a devastating blow to Kinos. However, this was an information society, no longer an age where one could rob a bank or an armored car and live lavishly. While small sums of tens or hundreds of thousands of yuan might be possible, such sums were a drop in the bucket to sustain the House of Evolution. This was a money-eating monster; it needed tens, even hundreds of millions of yuan, and this funding gap was simply impossible to fill through robbery alone.

This is why, despite possessing so many powerful monsters, Genos insists they remain within the base and refrain from causing trouble. Not only does this not yield any benefits, but it also easily attracts the attention of the Hero Association. If the Hero Association deems the House of Evolution a formidable threat and dispatches multiple S-Class heroes to crush it, even if the House of Evolution can defeat it, it will be forced to flee in disgrace. Everything valuable within the base will then be destroyed, and Genos's situation will become even more difficult. It's precisely because of this realization that the House of Evolution, despite its abundance of powerful monsters, remains largely unknown. People fear fame, just as pigs fear weight. Being famous in this world is not a good thing.

Kinos was undoubtedly aware of Lin Zhenxi's identity. The Baizhi brand sleep-aid pillow was a boon for insomniacs and a bestseller in every city. Although Kinos himself had eliminated the need for sleep through consciousness transfer and naturally no longer suffered from insomnia, he was aware of Baizhi's fame and naturally had no reason to doubt Lin Zhenxi's wealth.

Anyway, there will be absolutely no problem in supporting the continued operation of the House of Evolution.

When Kinos sent his monsters to attack Lin Zhenxi, he hadn't considered that Lin Zhenxi's money could be connected to him. No matter how rich someone is, it's still theirs. Even the richest people will die if they're killed. Money can't replace life. But now, when Lin Zhenxi expressed her intention to invest in him, he seemed to see new hope, another possibility for the House of Evolution.

After all, Kinos's research is eccentric, something society absolutely cannot tolerate or accept. Supporting his research would mean colluding with him, equally unacceptable. This is a risk, but it's also a gesture of sincerity, a recognition of Kinos's years of dedicated research.

Kinos with great difficulty took his eyes away from the eye-catching bank card, raised his head and stared at Lin Zhenxi, who still had a smile on her face.

"why?"

"Why? I'm optimistic about your research project, simple as that. Any questions? Or do you not think your research has great potential?"

How could this be possible? If he didn't believe his research was noble, a quest for the truth of the world, why would he hide in this deep forest, living with a group of monsters, even turning himself into a monster? Although Kinos still retained his human form, he had forgotten how many clones he had made. The part of him that was once human had probably been completely consumed by decades of body replacement.

"But you should know that my research is very dangerous. Are you sure you can bear this risk?" Kinos wanted to make it clear. He did need a financial sponsor to support his research. But he hoped to get an ally who understood him, not a vampire who only saw the benefits but was unwilling to take the risks.

Lin Zhenxi understood Kinos's concerns. He just wanted to know what he wanted, so he just said it directly.

"Don't worry, I don't expect to make money from your experimental results. I'm just as interested in how to break the limits of biological organisms as you are."

"After all, who wouldn't want to break the limiter and become as strong as that guy?"

As she spoke, Lin Zhenxi's eyes seemed to burn with flames. The desire to become stronger filled her heart, and also burned the heart of Kinos across from her.

Kinos finally confirmed one thing, that is, the woman in front of him had the same idea as him, and they were of the same kind.

"Deal, boss." Kinos extended his hand.

"It's a pleasure to work with you, great scientist." The two men held hands together.