"The last thing you saw before dying was the image of Chiaki picking up the knife and you raising your gun, right? What about after that?"
"..."
Lin carefully recalled that final segment of memory from the last time. He discovered that after Chiaki charged toward him, a large blank space had appeared in his memory.
"Sometimes the source of a misconception is actually what you see with your own eyes." Vil-V's finger tapped on the screen, and the information of their entire conversation appeared on the panel inside Lin helmet. "Of course, there is another possibility: that some 'thing' disguised itself as a member of Fire Moth. That last scene you saw was a disguised Chiaki. But if that's the case, you have to prepare for the worst."
"You can only trust yourself; you can't trust anyone else. Even what I'm telling you now might all be lies I'm using to mislead you."
"So, as for what to do next, I believe you already have the answer in your heart."
...
After Lin left, Vil-V excitedly opened her equipment. The conversation with Lin had piqued her immense interest.
She was half-doubting Lin words, but to be safe, she should hurry and hi—
Click.
The door to the Spiral Workshop was pushed open.
Vil-V turned around abruptly, the expression on her usually composed face changing instantly.
"You are—"
...
Lin was hanging onto the outer wall of the deck. He was waiting for Erwin to come to the deck.
Waiting requires patience, and patience was the thing Lin lacked least.
He didn't turn on his night vision, and his helmet's lights were extinguished. His human form blended into the darkness of the environment. Although it was difficult to see the night scenery clearly, Lin sense of hearing was playing its maximum role at this moment.
The sound of the tides slapping.
The sound of the floating wind blowing through narrow gaps.
Aside from that, he heard no other sounds.
Time unknowingly reached five o'clock.
Erwin had not appeared yet, which caused Lin some suspicion. The horizon was already beginning to turn white; why hadn't Erwin come to the deck?
Lin let go, his whole body landing lightly on the ground like a cat, without making a single sound.
He was actually somewhat surprised; could he control his body so easily now?
He waited on the ground for about another ten minutes, but still saw no sign of Erwin. According to the time of death, he should have been attacked by now...
Could it be that this time, he wasn't coming?
Did some of Lin actions inadvertently change Erwin's behavior?
Thinking that he also had to solve the problem of Pardo's disappearance, he didn't continue waiting and re-entered the headquarters.
At this moment, a familiar pair of people walked over from not far away. It was exactly the two people who had searched for the database theft last time.
Had they already discovered it and come to arrest him?
Lin thought for a moment and stood in place without any resistance, waiting for them to walk over and take him into custody.
Since Erwin was fine, then Pardo might not have disappeared either. He would solve the matters one by one.
It was another sleepless night. Lin mental state was becoming increasingly poor. His brain was protesting, telling him he had to rest.
However, those two people didn't even give Lin a glance as they walked past him.
"..."
At this moment, Lin realized something was wrong. Frowning, he watched the backs of the two men. The direction they were heading was precisely Chiaki's room.
Why?
Lin was certain that he had indeed left behind all the evidence that could prove he was the one who committed the database theft. Why did they go to find Chiaki again this time?
Lin immediately followed them, his pace getting faster and faster. At the moment they knocked on Chiaki's door, Lin happened to walk up behind them.
Click...
"Ha... what is it this early in the... huh?"
Chiaki was stunned to see three people standing at her door. Her bleary, sleepy eyes instantly cleared.
"MSA-999, you are suspected of stealing and destroying important materials from the database. Please come with us," the arresting officer said coldly.
Chiaki displayed complete confusion: "Wait... what theft? When did I..."
"I can prove she isn't the culprit."
Lin suddenly spoke up. The arresting officer, who had noticed him standing nearby from the start but hadn't bothered with him, glanced at him, then looked back at Chiaki and said coldly: "Then both of you come with us."
...
Perhaps Chiaki was not yet familiar with Fire Moth's interrogation procedures, but Lin understood them completely. He succinctly recounted the events of last night: how he and Chiaki left the ball together, went to Mobius lab, and finally returned to their rooms.
"Surveillance shows no problems with what you said. But after you left, you can't prove that she didn't leave..."
"What about the subsequent surveillance?"
"The subsequent surveillance was deleted by someone, so no judgment can be made."
Again?
Even though he was the one who did it this time, the mastermind still disrupted the surveillance system. What did this mean?
However, Lin was prepared this time.
"I can prove she didn't engage in any activity afterward," Lin said impassively to the interrogator.
"What evidence?"
Even Chiaki, who had been looking distressed and not knowing what to say from the start, was curious about what evidence Lin could produce.
"I installed a miniature camera in her room. The footage inside shows she never left from beginning to end."
As soon as these words were spoken, even the interrogator looked at the calm Lin with a strange expression. Chiaki froze for a moment before her face instantly turned beet red.
Yes, Lin had actually specifically left a camera when he left Chiaki's room, precisely to monitor whether Chiaki would take any action during the night.
After the evidence was submitted and its authenticity verified, Lin and Chiaki were released. This time, Chiaki was not injected with truth serum, and the entire process was very short. She didn't face much trouble, so her mental state was much better than last time—
Or maybe not.
After leaving, Chiaki kept her fists clenched, staring at the back of Lin walking in front of her. She gritted her teeth hatefully but didn't dare make too much noise.
Her privacy had been exposed to Lin; she felt she had the right to be angry.
But Lin action had also proven her innocence.
She had gained innocence, yet lost "innocence."
Thud.
Because she was too lost in thought, Chiaki didn't notice that Lin, walking in front, had suddenly stopped. She crashed right into him, clutching her head as if she'd hit a steel plate, and hopped back a few steps.
Just as she was about to scold Lin, she realized this place looked very unfamiliar.
Lin raised his hand and knocked on the door. After a long time, he finally heard the sound of someone rustling and crawling out from under the covers inside.
Sleeping in?
"Who is it..." An exhausted voice that hadn't been heard for a long time spoke.
Pardo pulled open the door and saw a helmeted man standing in front of her.
"...Who are you?"
"It's nothing."
Lin looked her over, said nothing more, and walked away directly.
There was no time to deal with Pardo's business now. Since he had confirmed that both she and Erwin were fine...
He left behind a bewildered Pardo who still didn't know what had happened.