"Undercover?"
Einstein chewed on the word, waiting for Ato to continue.
"Exactly. I'll find a way to join those traitors to gather intelligence and track their movements from the inside."
Einstein's movements paused for several seconds. Erwin, watching the silence between the two, felt increasingly terrified. He hadn't felt this scared even when fighting Honkai beasts and zombies.
After a moment, Einstein looked into Ato's determined eyes. "That course of action is very dangerous."
"But it is also the most efficient way."
"..."
The room fell into silence again as Einstein contemplated. Truthfully, compared to veteran members like Ato and Mobius, she was merely a young junior, and thus lacked a full grasp of the internal dynamics of Fire Moth.
She was hesitating. If only there were more people to consult... but that would also mean involving more people.
Once the battlefield expanded, there would be no more innocents. At that point, it would be a true fight to the death with the traitors.
Currently, they didn't know the traitors' specific intentions. If they only wanted to seize power stealthily, rather than conducting a total purge of Fire Moth regardless of casualties like the Chairman had, then...
"The main issue is not knowing which high-ranking officials are involved in the betrayal. There is no one better suited for this task than me."
Ato's unwavering attitude convinced Einstein. She let out a sigh. "Phew... I suppose it's the only way."
"Then let's begin the operation. We'll need a different method for contact from now on; the current one is too easy to discover." Ato stood up decisively and walked to the door. The light hit his back, casting a shadow named darkness across the door. "By the way, Dr. Einstein, do you think Fire Moth's current methods are correct?"
"Whether it is correct or not is not something people of the present can judge. If what Fire Moth does allows humanity to defeat the Honkai, only then can we talk about merit and fault. Just like Dr. Mobius—her notoriety preceded her, but without her, Fusion Warriors might never have been born, and humanity would have ended at the Seventh Eruption. Therefore, that is a 'necessary' evil to carry." Einstein leaned back in her chair, looking at the two remaining lollipops on the table.
"I see..."
Ato understood Einstein's perspective. He nodded and pushed the door open to leave.
"Then I'm going too... notify me anytime if something comes up."
Erwin, who had barely spoken the entire time, left with a grimace. Einstein remained alone in the room. She took the now-smooth lollipop from her mouth; its blurry reflection distorted the overhead light.
If the current state of Fire Moth could be divided into two factions like the two lollipops on the table, what about the one in her mouth?
...
"Long time no see, my friend."
Lin encountered Eden on his way. She looked much the same as she had a year ago—still elegant, intellectual, and gentle.
"...Long time no see."
"Are you... preparing for a mission?" Eden asked softly, seeing Lin fully armed and even wearing his combat armor.
"...Yes."
"Then I won't disturb you. Let's talk next time."
"It's fine. I still have some time."
Lin pointed toward the nearby 13th Squad briefing room. Eden paused, then nodded graciously and walked in.
After entering the cold briefing room, Lin took his usual seat as lieutenant.
Elysia loved sitting in the middle, enjoying the feeling of being surrounded by her team. Lin and Pardo usually sat to her left and right—Lin because he was the actual lead of the meetings, and Pardo so Lin could monitor her to ensure she didn't slack off.
"I have spoken with Aponia, Mobius, Su, Mei, and Kevin," Eden said, getting straight to the point.
"Regarding what?"
"I asked them if I could undergo the Project Soldier surgery."
"..."
Lin cold gaze fell upon Eden's elegant face.
"I hoped Aponia would serve as a witness, but she told me that only destiny cannot be changed. I didn't quite understand her meaning, and she returned to the Deep End without further explanation."
"Mobius smiled and told me that if I truly wanted the surgery, she could perform it for me in secret, but she also told me it would be best to consult the opinions of those who are already Fusion Warriors."
"So, I asked Su and Kevin. Their stances were identical, telling me there was no necessity for the surgery. Finally, I found Mei. Her attitude was ambiguous; she only told me that most things cannot be changed by the transformation of a single individual."
"And so..."
And so, she had come to Lin?
Lin breathed steadily and evenly. The display inside his helmet captured every rub of Eden's fingers and every micro-expression on her face.
The air in the room seemed to stop flowing. After a long while, Lin finally spoke.
"Aren't you going to live your life as a singer?"
"But there are many things a singer cannot do."
Over the past few years, Eden had seen the despondency of humanity after the Seventh Eruption and their brief resurgence after the Eighth. Yet, during this year—which should have been the most peaceful—the atmosphere within Fire Moth had grown increasingly bizarre. It was like a damp powder keg: it wouldn't ignite, but one could smell the moist, dangerous scent of gunpowder.
Hostility and chaos had grown so thick they seemed to squeeze out of the air as more Fusion Warriors—those who were not original members of Fire Moth—joined their ranks.
"The meaning of a warrior's existence has become blurred. As a singer, I cannot change any of this."
The meaning of existence...
Lin eyes snapped open inside his helmet. The sense of wrongness he had felt from his recent investigations and the information he had received finally reached a conclusion.
The warriors of Fire Moth were meant to exist to fight for humanity. But that "meaning" had been tainted by personal agendas.
Then, those Fusion Warriors who had been turned into monsters, and those warriors who had sacrificed themselves... what exactly was the meaning of their contribution?
...
Lin entered the "Cemetery." He hadn't been here for a considerable amount of time.
This was a garden dedicated to commemorating fallen warriors. Their names were inscribed here to guide those who came after.
Lin used to come here often. He would try his best to memorize every name on the monuments, carving them into his heart.
But at some point, he had stopped coming.
Since the names of those few people were not allowed to be engraved here, Lin had started collecting the casualty lists himself.
Traitors and Herrschers—their names were not "permitted" to exist here. Even mourning them was forbidden.
Lin stood in the center of these names. He closed his eyes, drowning himself in the whispers surrounding him.