Let's try a different way of thinking first.
Last time, Lin was completely led by the nose by the mastermind. Even though he found some clues, he couldn't assemble them into a complete logical chain.
This time he prevented the mastermind from stealing data from the database, Chiaki's mental breakdown, Erwin's death, and Pardo's disappearance, but Vil-V still died.
Why Vil-V?
According to general thinking, it could only be that when Lin left, it happened to be the time Vil-V was murdered last time, so she couldn't escape it.
Is that really the case?
Vil-V's death was nearly identical to the last time—the location of the wound, the place of death, the remaining information... only she...
Then could he try thinking in another direction? Instead of looking for the "differences" between these two experiences, look for the "similarities"?
Since the same result appeared, did he do something identical to the last time that led to Vil-V's death?
...No.
Lin could state with certainty that his behavioral patterns this time were completely different from the last time, which was why Erwin survived.
However, Lin did have some "suspicions."
He thought of a possibility.
"...Thought of something, Lin?"
The white-haired man with an indifferent expression—as if nothing could ever change his iceberg-like face—asked his quick-witted friend.
Lin took a quiet breath, lifted his head slightly, and shook it.
Casting aside that ethereal suspicion in his heart, Lin couldn't find a deeper reason for the time being.
However, Kevin's next sentence caused him to pull that suspicion out again and mull it over in his heart repeatedly.
"Alright, leave the investigation to me from here on. Do you have any specific suspects?"
"..."
"..."
"..."
"Lin?"
Lin forced the air out of his lungs. He heard the sound of his own exhale from his nostrils, then slowly stepped back.
"No."
That sharp sneer was constantly buzzing.
...
Chiaki popped the bubble she had blown with her gum and used her tongue to lick the gum stuck to the side of her mouth back in. Seeing Lin walk out with heavy steps, she sighed: "Want something to drink?"
"...Only cola?"
"Don't talk as if I'm just some shut-in girl who only drinks carbonated beverages." Chiaki shook her head dissatisfiedly, seemingly hating it when people viewed her with stereotypes. "Take your pick, my treat."
Lin randomly named one: "Coffee."
"Huh? Coffee again."
"What?"
Chiaki knit her slender brows. "Do you people in Fire Moth only know how to drink coffee? I haven't been here long, but every person I pass is holding a bottle of coffee. Even the vending machines sell various flavors of coffee the most. Are you all coffee fanatics? Or is coffee the representative drink of Fire Moth?"
Lin recalled that the people around him really did love drinking coffee. Only Mobius would occasionally drink milk tea, but it wasn't that she liked it; it was because Klein loved it, so she made a rule that whoever arrived latest at the lab had to buy milk tea for everyone.
Lin sighed and explained: "Caffeine can..."
"Caffeine can stimulate the central nervous system and keep the body excited; I know." Chiaki interrupted Lin explanation. "Hackers also need a pick-me-up many times, but I don't do it by drinking coffee. I hate coffee."
She walked over to the vending machine, swiped her card, and pressed a button. With two clangs, two bottles of drinks fell out.
Chiaki pushed open the cover and took out the two bottles, handing one to Lin.
It was still cola.
"...Why is it still cola?"
"Because I like drinking cola." Chiaki's fingernails were trimmed very cleanly, with no excess at the edges of the pink nail beds; it seemed they were specifically cut short for hacking work. She hooked her finger around the pull-tab, and with the hiss of gas, she opened the can. "Besides, doesn't cola have caffeine too?"
It didn't matter, anyway; Lin couldn't taste anything.
"But cola alone is far from enough. To maintain focus for a multi-hour offensive, one needs to rely on drugs."
Chiaki tilted her head back, tossing her silver ponytail behind her, and finished the cola in a few gulps.
After finishing, she crushed the can and threw it into the trash.
"For example, I often used to get Ritalin by manipulating online pharmacies."
Ritalin primarily works by stimulating the release of norepinephrine in the synaptic cleft of brain nerve cells and preventing its reuptake, while also reducing the inactivation of norepinephrine, thereby increasing the concentration of norepinephrine in the synaptic cleft. The effects can last for four hours.
Simply put, it's a relatively mild stimulant.
"But Fire Moth is indeed Fire Moth. Here, Ritalin can be taken in unlimited doses; you just need to register." Chiaki tossed a small bottle to Lin. "Here."
Lin caught it easily. The sound of the pills hitting the wall of the bottle was like thunder in his ears.
He glanced at the detailed instructions for the medication on the bottle.
Lin had never used this type of drug before because his mental state and concentration usually didn't need the help of drugs to maintain. The "medications" Mobius gave him didn't fall into the category of stimulants; calling them poisons wouldn't be an exaggeration.
But given his current mental state, he really did need this kind of drug to improve his focus and excitement.
"I can see your mind is already wandering; you'd better be careful. Finding the killer won't be easy."
"...Can you help me?"
"Help you? How? I'm just a small-time hacker. At most, I can cheer you on from the back to solve the murder case sooner. Besides, my suspicion hasn't been completely cleared yet; they wouldn't want me poking my nose in." Chiaki's expression was slightly strange for a moment, but she quickly hid it.
Lin extended his hand directly: "I need you to repair the interfered surveillance."
Chiaki was stunned. She lowered her head and glanced at the hand extended toward her, then raised an eyebrow. "Why not find Prometheus No. 2? With its computing power..."
"MEI said... Prometheus No. 2 is undergoing an upgrade and cannot repair the headquarters' system."
Was it a coincidence?
It was indeed a coincidence. Prometheus No. 2's upgrade happened right at this critical juncture, leaving the entire headquarters without its support.
"Do you really want to trust me? I'm not even fully considered a member of Fire Moth yet."
"It doesn't matter. I promised you I would find the truth."
"...Don't say things that are so easy to misunderstand."
"Misunderstand by whom?"
"Me."
Chiaki extended her hand and shook Lin, forming a temporary alliance.
At this moment, a pair of blood-red, cold-blooded eyes was quietly watching them.