Evan smiled slightly as he looked at Firefly.
"I wasn't."
"Don't frame me."
Yet another possibility surfaced in his mind.
If Ruan Mei couldn't solve it immediately...
Could a Soulium body completely eliminate Glamoth's genetic deterioration?
After all—
A certain Overseer named Otto Apocalypse once said:
"Consciousness can adapt to a new vessel, but a vessel cannot recover a consciousness that has already dispersed."
Otto himself had used countless Soulium bodies.
Even Durandal's body had undergone Soulium-based reconstruction.
And Firefly was different.
She wasn't dead.
Her consciousness remained perfectly intact.
If her consciousness could be transferred into a new artificial body...
Then perhaps—
She could truly walk beneath the sun.
As for her original body...
That could be left to Ruan Mei for further research.
"Firefly."
Evan suddenly stepped closer.
"Look at me."
"Huh?"
Firefly froze.
"Do you want to stand beneath the sun?"
"As an ordinary person."
"To truly experience this world?"
"I..."
Firefly's heart skipped a beat.
"I think..."
"I do."
Originally, her mood had been terrible after leaving Jade's room.
Yet now—
The question hit her completely off guard.
More importantly—
Evan had stepped far too close.
Their faces were only inches apart.
She could practically feel his breathing.
Warm.
Gentle.
Close enough to make her entire face turn bright red.
Meanwhile—
Far beyond Penacony.
Aboard the Stellaron Hunters' ship.
Silver Wolf was monitoring Penacony's network activity.
Then suddenly—
A loud alarm blared.
"F-Firefly?!"
Her eyes widened.
Smoke practically rose from her head.
"What is she doing?!"
"What is that guy trying to do?!"
Silver Wolf nearly jumped out of her chair.
She had only just returned to the ship.
And the first thing she saw was this scene.
Unacceptable.
Absolutely unacceptable.
Kafka walked over calmly.
"What happened?"
Silver Wolf immediately shoved her tablet toward her.
On the screen—
Firefly and Evan stood extremely close together.
Kafka raised an eyebrow.
"Oh?"
"That guy?"
"What is he doing?"
"He says he can cure Firefly's Entropy Loss Syndrome!"
Silver Wolf nearly exploded.
"He was asking if she wanted treatment!"
Kafka blinked.
Then looked at the screen again.
"Cure ELS?"
"Can he really do that?"
Silver Wolf folded her arms.
"I don't know!"
"But look how close they're standing!"
Kafka ignored that part entirely.
Meanwhile—
A black cat perched atop a nearby railing.
Elegant.
Calm.
Completely unbothered.
Both women immediately turned toward him.
The black cat flicked his tail.
"Don't look at me."
"The Finality's whispers contain no information about him."
Silver Wolf froze.
Kafka froze.
The black cat continued.
"This person..."
"Even Terminus provides no answer."
Silence.
Then Silver Wolf spoke first.
"...Wow."
"Elio."
"Since when did you become this useless?"
"Exactly."
Kafka nodded seriously.
"Very disappointing."
The black cat stared at both of them.
Then immediately turned around and walked away.
Not a single word.
The Stellaron Hunters.
Criminals who wandered across the stars.
According to the IPC's records:
Blade, Silver Wolf, and Sam:
Dead or alive.
Do not harm the Destiny's Slave or impair his ability to think independently.
Among them—
Elio was the strangest.
The one known as the Destiny's Slave.
The man who could observe countless futures.
The author of every script.
For years—
His predictions had never failed.
Not once.
The Hunters stole Stellarons.
Manipulated civilizations.
Destroyed worlds.
Executed forty-six major operations.
Each one ending exactly as the script dictated.
Yet recently—
Variables had appeared.
First the Luofu.
Then Penacony.
And at the center of both disruptions—
One person.
Evan.
The black cat curled up upon a sofa.
Licking his paw thoughtfully.
"Evan..."
"Evan..."
"A soul of many facets."
"A person absent from the whispers of Finality."
His golden eyes narrowed.
"Just who are you?"
Before him lay Firefly's script.
The script detailing her three deaths.
Yet now—
One of those deaths seemed uncertain.
Back on Penacony.
Aboard the Radiant Feldspar.
Jade had already departed with Himeko, March 7th, and Stelle to continue negotiations with Old Oti.
If all proceeded according to plan—
The Astral Express would obtain a portion of Penacony's future shares.
And Himeko would become an independent director.
Neither the IPC nor the Astral Express intended to allow any single Family to monopolize Penacony ever again.
After all—
As promised.
The Penacony envisioned by Mikhail would never belong to Order.
Meanwhile—
On the ship's deck.
Firefly remained stunned.
Jade had given her hope.
But that hope was vague.
Distant.
Uncertain.
Yet Evan's words felt entirely different.
She unconsciously grabbed his sleeve.
"R-Really?"
"Really possible?"
"Entropy Loss Syndrome isn't truly a disease."
Evan nodded.
"It's a genetic curse."
"A biological safeguard installed by the Glamoth Empire."
"Glamoth..."
Firefly lowered her gaze.
"But Glamoth is gone."
"Hehe~"
A cheerful voice suddenly appeared.
"Well of course it's possible if he says it's possible."
"Little Sam~"
"Who would've thought the Stellaron Hunters had such a cute girl among them?"
The familiar playful laughter echoed nearby.
"And, darling..."
"Don't disappoint her, okay?"
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