Up on Talos-II, stories about the Administrator were known by everyone.
They all knew that this savior had turned the tide in the First Angel War, preserving the continuation of civilization.
So even after more than a century, countless people still worshipped the legendary figure.
And Chen Qianyu was one of them.
After joining Endfield, she'd learned even more about the Administrator from Perlica—so despite this being their first meeting, Chen Qianyu already acted remarkably close.
"Perlica's told me about you too!"
Chen Qianyu shut her eyes as if recalling something, then spoke in an exaggerated tone:
"Every time she starts telling the Administrator's stories, she just can't stop—"
"Ahem!"
Before she could finish, Perlica deliberately coughed twice, forcibly cutting her off—clearly embarrassed.
"Anyway… first, let's confirm Mr. Andre's condition," she said, eyes darting away.
The Administrator silently stared at her. No one knew what she was thinking, but the corner of her mouth was plainly lifting.
By the way—
The Andre Qin Jiangchi had asked them to find was the very same chubby Liberi man lying on the floor, unconscious.
A brown jacket, a owl-like head—the kind of look you wouldn't forget.
"Hey, Fat Bird, wake up. You okay?"
Hao Fan crouched and patted the important base personnel.
Behind him, Chen Qianyu wore an inexplicably guilty expression.
Because "Fat Bird" wasn't Hao Fan's invention.
It was hers.
They were close acquaintances. Chen Qianyu rarely called Andre by name—she almost always called him Fat Bird.
As for why she felt guilty… she didn't want the Administrator to find out she gave people such rude nicknames and lose impression points.
And before Hao Fan ever reached the Hub Base, he'd already learned the nickname from Chen Qianyu.
So when he first met Andre, the man's appearance matched the nickname so perfectly that Hao Fan blurted out "Fat Bird" on instinct.
Which, of course, instantly made Andre realize the suspicious hooded guy had to be Chen Qianyu's acquaintance.
That was how they got to know each other.
"Mmgh… ow ow ow…"
Andre slowly opened his eyes and came to, still looking dazed.
"Lab… the prototype… Where are the enemies? You drove them off? You—"
As if remembering something, he abruptly sat up.
Then he saw only familiar faces.
No enemies.
And then—
He saw a legendary figure he hadn't seen in ten years.
"Ad… Administrator?! You're really back!"
Andre staggered to his feet, face lit with joy.
"Are you hurt anywhere? Weren't you scheduled for ten days from now? Why are you wearing that thing?"
He was babbling, emotions running high—until his gaze landed on the black blindfold-like suppressor, and confusion flickered through his expression.
But none of that mattered.
"As long as you're here, that's what counts."
Andre gave a simple, honest grin, as if he wanted to pour out ten years' worth of words all at once.
"Administrator—we did it!"
"Ten years. Ten full years. The problem you left behind finally has a breakthrough!"
"Puccini and Popov can finally rest… They regretted it to the end, that they couldn't personally submit the plan to you…"
Mentioning those two former friends made Andre's voice drop, sorrow seeping in.
The Administrator didn't know what to do.
Because she'd lost her memories. She didn't know him at all—nor did she know the two names he mentioned.
Thankfully, Perlica cleared her throat and introduced the "Fat Bird."
"Administrator, Mr. Andre is Endfield's resident technical specialist—and the chief engineer of the integrated industrial system."
"Huh? Perlica, why are you suddenly introducing me so formally?"
Andre looked puzzled—then quickly realized what that implied.
"Wait… don't tell me the Administrator has already forgotten—"
"Sorry. I really have amnesia."
The Administrator raised a hand to her head and gave a wry smile.
She'd noticed it already: so many people recognized her… yet she recognized no one.
It made her feel inexplicably apologetic.
"This isn't fair. Why is it always you who ends up suffering… sigh."
Andre's anger flared first—then became helplessness and sadness, as if he knew exactly what kind of person the Administrator used to be.
But Perlica didn't want to linger on this topic.
"We'll explain in detail later."
She didn't want to corner the Administrator emotionally, so she shifted the subject.
"Mr. Andre—why did you risk coming here?"
"The moment I saw the Old Factory District get hit by the anchor, I ran over to check whether the prototype was okay… Here. That's it."
Andre casually pointed toward the workbench.
There sat a nearly completed special device. It looked large, but it was still much smaller than the original design.
This device was important.
If completed successfully, then in theory, it could neutralize fluctuations in extradimensional energy and locally eliminate corrosion phenomena.
But this was classified. Very few people knew about it.
So whether it was the anchor conveniently smashing into the underground lab, or those suddenly appearing Landsplitters, it all felt "too coincidental" to Andre.
He had a strong sense the prototype had been targeted—someone wanted it destroyed.
"This is the device you were protecting just now?"
Chen Qianyu studied the prototype for a moment. She couldn't make heads or tails of it, but she understood its importance.
"So precious… you must've poured a lot into it…"
"Not entirely my work."
Andre smiled and thanked them again.
"It's a prototype left behind by a friend. Good thing you stepped in."
"Now that the anchor's destroyed, there shouldn't be new Angels spawning nearby. We need to restore base operations as fast as possible."
"Leave it to us," Perlica assured him—then reminded him anyway:
"Also, Engineer Qin wants you back at the Central Control Tower immediately."
"Huh… when she asked for me… what was her expression like? Was she furious?"
The moment he heard Qin Jiangchi was looking for him, Andre visibly shuddered—like he was genuinely afraid of her.
Perlica simply smiled and said nothing, effectively confirming it.
"…Sigh. I'm done for."
Andre drooped, face full of despair.
The person he feared most was Qin Jiangchi.
Everyone at the Hub Base knew that—
including a certain hooded man who'd only arrived a few days ago.
"Hey… what's that back there?"
At that moment, Hao Fan—circling the prototype—noticed a storage crate tucked in the corner of the lab.
"Fat Bird, is this where you stash your private cash?"
"You little punk—my private cash would never be hidden in a place like this!"
Andre snapped.
"There's something else in there. Open it yourself. If it's useful, just take it."
"Oh, free loot? Sounds great."
Hao Fan grinned and opened the crate.
Inside was a deep-blue one-handed sword… and a sealed metal canister.
"Huh… what's this?"
He picked up the canister and raised it for a closer look. Through the glass, he could see a faint red glow.
Then Andre's warning reached him, and Hao Fan nearly dropped it.
"That's a bomb."
-------
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