"Dr. Spaciel, it's been a long time."
"Didn't we just see each other at the banquet? Dr. Mei certainly has a busy memory."
Spaciel extended his single arm to shake Mei's hand, his face unreadable. His relationship with Mei wasn't exactly hostile, but it wasn't warm either.
Spaciel feelings toward Mei were complex. It was Mei who had chosen to abandon his wife and daughter back then. However, Mei's actions were logically sound, just as Lin actions had been at the time. Spaciel simply needed an outlet to vent the inner rage he felt toward himself.
But unlike Lin, who was born with inherent flaws, Spaciel found it difficult to feel much affinity for Mei. She was someone who truly placed the collective above the individual, using a gathered sense of rationality to completely expel emotion. Spaciel understood the approach, but found it hard to support.
"Because the Fifth Institute has extensive experience in drug development, I hope Dr. Spaciel and your assistant can assist me in pharmaceutical research this time."
"I will." Spaciel assistant was, naturally, Su. He steered the topic toward the incident that had brought him to headquarters. "The coma cases... large-scale meme pollution that has tainted the spirits and consciousness of the victims, causing them to show aggression toward Fire Moth members and fall into comas. Has it been investigated who is spreading it?"
"Not yet, but it is highly likely the work of a hacker group. I've already sent Prometheus II and professionals to investigate." Mei shook her head solemnly. The professional she mentioned was Chiaki, who was originally a world-class hacker and thus more familiar with the hacker darknet.
"Have any Fire Moth members been contaminated?"
"...Not yet, but two people have gone missing during the investigation."
A shadow fell over the faces of Mei and Kevin behind her. Those two were the Captain of the 13th Squad, Elysia, and her Adjutant, Lin.
They had been missing for seventeen days, their fate unknown.
"Sigh, the heroine of this movie is so devoted. It's so pitiful. Too bad she met a scumbag..."
"Uh-huh... yeah..."
"I think this is the best movie I've seen all year..."
A young couple walked out of the cinema. The woman looked both regretful and sentimental, while the man, though disagreeing in his heart, had to feign agreement on his face.
Nearby, another pair—a man and a woman—walked out, chatting casually. "Score?"
"Twenty-five out of a hundred. Too many places were twists for the sake of twists. I knew the male lead was the real culprit after just a third of the movie. The hints were too obvious, and there were too many plot holes. As a suspense film, the second half barely qualifies as suspense at all, and there's a suspicion of inciting gender antagonism."
The woman nearby, who was still feeling sad over the plot, became agitated when she heard the man say the movie only deserved a 25. "What do you mean only 25? You clearly didn't understand it at all!"
Looking closer, the pair wore identical hoodies that covered most of their faces, along with masks. She thought to herself that they were just two shady characters who couldn't show their faces.
The masked man turned his head. When his gaze from under the hood shifted to the woman, her heart tightened.
"Am I wrong?! What's wrong with this movie! You don't like it because you're just like the male lead—a scumbag who lies to his girlfriend! A single movie is enough to identify your kind!"
"..."
The masked man leisurely turned to his female companion. "See? That's what being incited looks like."
That effortless tone nearly made the woman spit blood in rage. "Then tell me, what's so bad about it!"
"You'd be better off asking me what's good about it. As a suspense film, its mystery elements are inferior. Most of the plot structure is referenced from another movie, and some of the twists and information setups are farcical, full of holes, and over-the-top."
"You only say that because the male lead showed the ugly side of you men!"
"...Madam, I also pity the heroine of the movie, but the marketing clearly labeled it as suspense. Therefore, I am viewing it through the lens and standards of a suspense film," the masked man responded politely. "Furthermore, a movie doesn't prove anything, nor can it be used for verification. Even if you swapped the genders of the leads and slightly modified the plot, it would still stand. I think your boyfriend thinks so too."
The man, who had been nodding in silent agreement, suddenly found himself in the line of fire. He froze as he saw his girlfriend staring at him with a face full of fury.
"Uh... I..."
"Also, Madam, I think you should be rightfully indignant about the plot of betrayal. So, I sincerely hope you can explain the hickey on your waist to your boyfriend. Judging by the size, it doesn't belong to him."
"What?!"
The woman's face suddenly turned pale. She instinctively covered her waist, while her boyfriend looked at her in shock. She never expected this masked man to spot something she hadn't even noticed herself. No way... could it be because I was in too much of a hurry leaving this morning...
"Let me see!"
"Don't you trust me?! We're breaking up!"
The masked man didn't stick around for the rest of the argument. He and his female companion fled the scene of the impending battle at lightning speed.
"You're so mean, Lin. How could you provoke a conflict like that?"
Back at the hotel, Elysia removed her hood and pointed an amused, accusing finger at Lin, who was busy taking notes. In the pale yellow light, she pulled her long hair from the hood, letting it spill down like a waterfall.
"I'm just telling the truth." Lin wrote in his notebook, speaking flatly. "Since she hates betrayal so much, she should have the resolve to bear the consequences of her own."
"Hmm... as expected." Elysia studied Lin.
"..."
"As expected, Lin has changed a lot. Before, you would never have interfered in something like this. You would have said something like 'it's not my place to lecture others on their relationships'..." Elysia smile was very sweet, like honey. "Now..."
"Isn't it normal? People encounter things that change them. For some, it comes early; for others, late."
Lin finished organizing the current intelligence and closed his notebook. He pulled back the curtain to look at the white crescent moon outside, a thoughtful glint in his eyes. "By now, Fire Moth should be conducting research on the infected."
"But is it okay for us to do this? We've confirmed the meme-polluting recording came from inside Fire Moth. Are we still not going back?"
"...We haven't found 'His' method yet."
After several days of investigation, they had confirmed many things, but Lin couldn't go back yet because he wasn't certain they wouldn't also be contaminated upon returning to HQ.
They needed a turning point...