September 12th.
"Deja Vu."
When Mobius coldly threw this conclusion at Lin face, she had just yawned and risen from the sofa in her lab. Looking at her expression—wanting to sleep but unable to—it was clear she was suffering from insomnia. She was clutching a stack of paper data in her hand.
Last night, after investigating Chiaki's background, Lin had reflected on the sensation he had experienced. He finally realized what that indescribable feeling was.
A deep sense of deja vu. Back when he hadn't yet left the ball, it had occupied his entire heart, as if he had experienced the exact same thing somewhere before.
"The processing speeds of the two hemispheres of the human brain are different. Sometimes an information lag occurs; the memory system registers it first, and then the other half of the brain reacts, creating the illusion of having a 'familiar memory'."
"However, the true cause of deja vu hasn't been proven. Some even believe it's the brain briefly predicting the future. Since your brain's information processing speed is on a completely different level from others, whether you're more prone to deja vu is unknown."
So, was it deja vu caused by the Hippocampus effect?
After explaining, Mobius walked to the front desk. Staying up all night was nothing to her; the three basic qualities of a researcher are tireless energy, a mind that never stagnates, and an extremely low moral floor.
She adjusted the instruments on the table and tapped it, signaling Lin to come over.
"Put your hand in."
Lin examined the device. He hadn't seen anything like it in Mobius lab before, and Mobius didn't seem like the type to specialize in mechanical manufacturing.
"I had the R&D department make a physical testing instrument suitable for MANTIS physiques," Mobius explained casually when she saw his hesitation. "You should understand that you and Kevin are not the end point."
There would be more and more Fusion Warriors in the future.
Lin stared at the machine, took a deep breath, and extended his hand inside. Because he had no sense of touch, he didn't know how far to reach. Since Mobius gave no prompt, he simply pushed until he couldn't go any further.
Mobius swiped on the panel. Lin heard a faint startup hum as the entire machine began to operate.
"There was a leak of classified information from the archives last night."
Between the repetitive pings of the machine, Mobius suddenly dropped a sentence that made one's blood run cold.
Lin didn't speak. He kept his hand in the machine, sitting calmly and watching Mobius fill out a file, waiting for her to continue.
"Data from the WM-I to WM-IV series all show signs of being copied and then destroyed."
The WM series... Lin recalled it related to... Fire Moth's internal network.
"As usual, the parasites in security failed to find out who entered the archives and destroyed the data." Mobius seemed to think of something and gave a cold laugh. "Of course, you can guess what I'm going to say next. Yes, they did find that you entered the archives last night."
"..."
Lin wasn't afraid of being misunderstood or framed. If they were truly suspicious of him, he wouldn't be sitting here for a physical exam; he'd be in an interrogation room being pumped with truth serum.
"In a situation where the Honkai is closing in, they still have time for internal infighting. Truly, humanity never fails to disappoint me, no matter the time."
As expected, Mobius was right.
The first thing Lin saw after finishing the physical exam and walking out of the lab was two people walking silently past him, disappearing at the end of the dull corridor. It should have been a normal scene, but Lin noticed their synchronized pace and subtle movements. They weren't just passing through.
They were searching.
At a time like this, they couldn't cause a major commotion. The Speaker had already taught them how to handle internal issues; a secret investigation was likely the best way.
But... an archive intrusion? To have the skill to bypass a surveillance system that doesn't let even a fly pass, yet leave behind traces of copying and destruction—the act itself contained contradictory points.
But more than that, he...
"..."
With an accidental glance, Lin paused his plan to return to his room.
A dazed, pretty face was frozen as if carved from ice. Her limbs moved stiffly as she walked from the end of the corridor. Her trendy clothes, which she hadn't changed, were covered in dust that hadn't been there yesterday. She seemed to be muttering to herself, oblivious to the fact that someone was in her path.
"Uh..." She only looked up in a daze after bumping into Lin.
She was like a completely different person from last night. Her face was listless, and her eyes were bloodshot. The casual hacker looked as if her soul had been sucked out.
"...Lin, good morning." Chiaki pulled at her lips, seemingly trying to force a smile. Unfortunately, she couldn't manage it.
Occasionally at a meat stall, you see the owner use iron hooks to pull back skin and flesh; that's the best way to describe Chiaki's current smile. To call it "horrifying" was almost an understatement.
"..."
"If there's nothing else, I'll be going."
Lin stepped aside. Chiaki lowered her head even further, as if she wanted to merge with the floor, and dragged her legs away.
He truly didn't have much of a connection with Chiaki. They were supposed to be like parallel lines. Whether Chiaki stayed up all night playing games or was forced to work overtime by Mei had nothing to do with him. There were hundreds of people in Headquarters who stayed up late every day; people in worse states than her were everywhere. He didn't go out of his way to care for everyone.
Those he cared for generally expressed a clear desire for it. Otherwise, Lin would simply respect the other person's lifestyle and wishes. Chiaki clearly didn't want him to interfere.
Watching her back, Lin thought of what Mobius had said. A hacker intruding into the archives—it sounded perfectly fitting.
"..."
Preemptive suspicion is foolish.
This wasn't within Lin jurisdiction, nor had any mission been assigned to him to investigate. It was just an event Mobius mentioned because it had a tiny connection to him. More professional people would handle it. Whether the culprit was executed or locked in the Deep End wasn't his concern.
So, should I chase after her?
Lin looked at Chiaki's back. Her ponytail had lost its usual vitality, hanging limply behind her. He shook his head in silence, turned, and walked away.