"I've been meaning to ask for a while now—do you already have a suspect in mind?"
In the monitoring hub room, Chiaki's fingers danced across the touchscreens like a blur, making data streams and lines of code flow across multiple monitors like a digital sea. She managed to toss out the question in a spare moment between commands.
"...Why do you ask?" Lin was curious how she had deduced it.
"Because the way you feel now is different from before. Right now, you're more like someone looking for evidence rather than someone looking for clues," Chiaki said expressionlessly, her eyes fixed on a massive wall of green code that would make anyone else's head spin. "And, you came to me for cooperation."
The implication was clear: he hadn't gone to the proper authorities. Investigating privately and quietly was a clear sign he was hiding his actions from someone specific.
"..."
"Someone you know? No, it must be someone you know... Are you two close?"
"Stop asking."
"Fine, consider it my meddling."
Chiaki shrugged, unfazed. She was used to the cold treatment from Fire Moth members; Lin was at least slightly better than the rest.
For a long while, Chiaki remained immersed in data recovery while Lin kept watch for anyone approaching the hub. After thirty minutes, Chiaki frowned and muttered, "This is... really bad."
"...What happened?" Lin pulled his gaze from the door and walked over to the troubled Chiaki.
Her finger, encased in a fingerless glove, pointed to a block of garbled data: "This kind of error isn't man-made."
"What do you mean?"
"Exactly what I said. A human can't perform this type of error-correction modification," Chiaki flicked her finger, bringing up even more corrupted data blocks. "This phenomenon can only occur if the system itself experiences an internal error."
"Let me use an analogy. Suppose we are the Fire Moth system. A human intrusion is like a sudden, fierce, and lethal stab to a vital organ. But this kind of error is like us falling ill. It's equally harmful to the body, but the treatment is completely different. Just finding the source of the infection is a nightmare."
"So, these are errors generated by the system itself?"
"No, no, no. Even if you're 'sick,' it can still be intentional. Like standing in a rainstorm for an hour to catch a cold on purpose. This error could very well have been caused by Prometheus No. 2, the one who governs the system."
Prometheus No. 2...
Lin thought of how Prometheus No. 2 just happened to need an upgrade at this specific moment. The suspicion budding in his heart once again took root.
"Can it be fixed?"
"Hard to say. It depends entirely on luck."
Just as Lin was about to tell Chiaki to leave first, the lights in the entire room suddenly...
Vanished.
Everything, including Chiaki, was swallowed by darkness.
Lin could hear his and Chiaki's breathing; in the face of this startling event, their heart rates spiked and became rapid.
At that moment, Lin breath hitched.
He heard it. The sound of a third person's breathing.
Sshing!
Lin right hand instinctively drew his dagger, slashing upward toward the space behind Chiaki. A sharp metallic clang rang out as sparks briefly illuminated the room.
He couldn't... see clearly?
In that fleeting instant of light, Lin had clearly seen the attacker's face, but as the darkness returned, the memory blurred. The details of the attacker's appearance vanished from his mind like smoke.
He immediately activated his helmet's night vision. Due to his loss of color perception, all he could see were writhing masses of black and white.
But that was enough.
Lin left hand pressed against the holster at his waist. Without even drawing the gun, he gripped the handle and squeezed the trigger.
Bullets shrieked through the air, but the opponent's next move was eye-opening.
The figure also drew a dagger.
In Lin vision, the entity swung the blade, parrying three bullets lined up in a row all at once.
That movement?
Such lightning-fast reaction speed and perfect angles—the opponent was clearly a veteran warrior.
"Lin?!" Chiaki panicked. She heard a gunshot explode near her ear, and the gust of air stung her face as a terrifying killing intent bore down on her back.
Lin didn't have time to respond. He fired his grappling hook, intending to snag the attacker's leg, but the opponent dodged it with ease.
They're trying to run!
Lin sensed the intent immediately. Just as he was about to give chase, the attacker—already at the door—spun around. The sound of a gun chambering a round was crisp.
Attacking Lin? No.
He threw himself in front of Chiaki, holding his dagger in a reverse grip—
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three bullets tore through the dark air toward them. Relying on his hearing, Lin swung his blade.
Hearing alone couldn't collect all the vital information; Lin knew this well.
Clang!
Two bullets were deflected, whistling past Lin sides.
Thud—
A long silence fell over the darkness.
Chiaki trembled. As her eyes adjusted to the gloom, she saw the silhouette of a figure standing before her.
"Lin?"
"...Yeah." Lin voice was steady, sounding no different than usual.
She gasped for air, her legs giving out as she sank to the floor. Her pupils dilated and contracted uncontrollably. Clutching her chest, she could feel her heart thumping in her throat.
They had been attacked.
The mastermind had discovered their investigation. That person had just tried to kill the hacker who was capable of recovering the data.
Like a venomous snake lurking in the shadows, it had bared its fangs.
"Are you hurt?"
Chiaki nodded with difficulty, swallowed, and asked, "What about you?"
"...I seem to have been hit."
"You... you... you... go to the medical department right now!"
Hearing Lin was hit, Chiaki felt her soul nearly leave her body. At that moment, the overhead lights flickered back on. She saw Lin looking down at his abdomen, where a pool of crimson blood was dripping through his fingers.
"You really were hit..." Chiaki rushed to Lin side, reaching out frantically to help but not knowing what to do. "Can you still walk?"
"...I'm fine."
Lin shook his head calmly. Compared to injuries he had sustained in the past, this was a minor wound. Moreover, since he lacked a sense of pain, he hadn't even felt the bullet hit him.
"How is this fine?! I... I'm sorry..." Chiaki's eyes went wide, tears shimmering at the corners. Lin had taken a bullet to protect her. If he died...
Lin stared at the shape of his wound: "Can you find the attacker's shell casings?"
"What kind of time is this for—"
"Hurry."
Lin looked up sternly: "I need to confirm the caliber and model of the bullets."