Hive Apartment, Old K's room.
Only after that cold, immense will had completely receded did Old K abruptly relax. The light in his electronic eye dimmed considerably, and even the hum of the servers seemed to soften.
"Whew... Shit, that scared the hell out of me..."
He gasped for breath, raising his one remaining mechanical hand—caked in grease and solder—to wipe away sweat that wasn't there.
"This Butterfly... she's getting harder and harder to deal with..."
His electronic eye then turned to a corner of the room, where the lingering presence of Wu Liangchen's departure still hung in the air.
"Wu Liangchen... You bastard, you're a real trouble magnet!" Old K's voice was clearly irritated. "You could have searched for anything, but you just had to go poking at *that*! You nearly dragged me down with you!"
