The ball drew to its conclusion. After Hideaki announced the end, the crowd began to disperse. Zhenxian grew anxious, for the vanished 13 remained unfound. Her heart involuntarily feared—feared his identity had been discovered. Perhaps he had already been secretly eliminated, his corpse laid upon an experimental table. Those white-coated researchers beginning to greedily dismember his body...
She dared not think further. The mere absence of his perceived presence tormented her soul with various strange notions. Tears fell unconsciously. This was all her fault; were it not for attending this damned ball, 13 wouldn't face such peril. Perhaps humans are indeed this tragic; when cherished things are present, appreciation is lacking. Only upon loss does regret surface. How she wished, how she wished to see his slight figure again, to hear his voice once more. That expression seemingly indifferent to everything was gone; that gaze, solely fervent towards her, was also gone.
Tears rolled. Just as they were about to surge forth, a familiar arm took hers. The clown, still the same, appeared beside her as if by magic. Even so, the tears remained uncontrollable.
"Do not weep! We must depart swiftly!" 13's face was somewhat pale, his tone exceptionally subdued.
Zhenxian forcefully suppressed the tears that had already fallen, still embracing 13's right arm, walking briskly towards the exit.
Perhaps an illusion; the elbow contacting 13's waist felt damp. Lowering her head to look—the base of the white glove was dyed crimson. His clothes bore signs of mending. Zhenxian's pupils dilated, staring at 13. Yet, he merely gestured for silence, pressing her crimson-stained elbow with his other hand. The action appeared remarkably natural; to outsiders, it resembled intimate behavior.
Entering the car, Madman discerned something amiss solely from his expression. Swiftly depressing the accelerator, they departed from this place of turmoil...
At this moment, Hideaki had just returned to the rest area, slowly removing the heavy armor from his body, feeling considerably lighter.
"Report!" A panicked soldier rushed in.
"What is it?" Hideaki was somewhat displeased, yet continued his actions. Towards the lowest-ranking soldiers, Hideaki consistently maintained the image of a benevolent superior officer who cherished his brothers. Though merely a facade, Hideaki had always upheld it well.
"A... a corpse was discovered in the men's restroom of the banquet hall!" the soldier stammered.
Hideaki finally paused; an ominous premonition arose within his heart...
Donning a black suit, Hideaki followed the soldier briskly to the restroom.
A horrific scene materialized. Blood stained the entire floor; even the ceiling bore splatters of gore. The black man's body had been dismembered into over ten different parts. Judging by the wounds, they had been forcibly torn apart. Most terrifyingly, upon the large vanity mirror, Japanese script was written in blood...
"Aota Hideaki! He who dares inflict anguish upon my Angel, I shall slay him in a manner ten thousand times more agonizing! Your life is already mine; before long, I shall come to claim it!"
Hideaki clenched his fists furiously; this constituted the greatest provocation encountered in his entire life.
"Report!" Before his anger could subside, another soldier arrived.
This time, the incident occurred at the logistics repair yard.
When Hideaki arrived, Miyamoto was already present. Several experts surrounded the Beast on the ground, inspecting it. Calling Miyamoto to stand in a deserted corner.
"What happened?" Hideaki inquired of Miyamoto.
"Your Excellency, Beast 0075, originally sent for repairs, was attacked by unidentified personnel and is now completely wrecked," Miyamoto stated, cold sweat beading on his face.
"What weaponry was employed, rendering even repair impossible?" Hideaki was exceptionally astonished.
"If estimation is correct, it was done by bare hands. Although the Beast's self-preservation system also injured him, it was completely destroyed by him; the internal chips and circuitry are damaged..." Noticing Hideaki's darkening expression, Miyamoto's voice grew progressively softer...
"It's him... It must be him." Hideaki's fists clenched until the sound of grating bones emerged. "13, he has been here!"
"I remember now!" Miyamoto recalled someone. "It was Miss Song's male companion, disguised as a clown. I merely found him suspicious at the time, so I had the hired bodyguard tail him."
"That bodyguard has already been found in the restroom; the corpse is in pieces," Hideaki turned, walking towards the office. Miyamoto followed closely.
"Time is short. Immediately dispatch troops to surround Zhenxian's apartment. If 13 is with her, they will soon attempt escape. Such an event absolutely cannot occur. The 'Snake' system is more crucial than 13; she absolutely must not escape!" Hideaki displayed a panicked expression.
"But if 13 utilizes SEED..." Miyamoto proposed the worst-case scenario.
"He won't!" Hideaki abruptly halted, turning back. "Because his Angel is beside him. I finally comprehend why a composed warrior would act like a homicidal maniac. Because he cares for someone. Though the reason remains unknown, he is no longer the strongest. Because he is blinded by emotion. Therefore, even if it means killing him, he will not commit the act of slaying his beloved. This is currently his fatal weakness..."
Hideaki's analysis was entirely correct. 13's decision to undertake the risky investigation was solely for the better protection of Zhenxian. Even 13 himself didn't know if, at the final juncture, he could still utilize SEED. At the very least, with Zhenxian nearby, the finger poised upon the trigger would hesitate...
"13! I want you to perish upon Korea soil!" Hideaki screamed inwardly.
Meanwhile, aboard the car, Zhenxian had long since dissolved into tears. After removing his clothes and clown gloves, 13's wounds were exposed. Disregarding severity, the blood staining his body alone was sufficient to distress Zhenxian. At that moment, Zhenxian confirmed 13's place in her heart. Truly, unconsciously, she had fallen in love with a strange man. Yet, Zhenxian harbored no regrets.
"It's nothing serious, merely scraped some skin. It will heal quickly," 13 stated with a smile, yet his gentle words lacked any persuasive force.
"What exactly did you do?!" Zhenxian spoke, her tone a mixture of concern and accusation.
"Merely took a casual look around," 13 demurred from revealing the truth, simply wishing not to see Zhenxian's worried expression. Perhaps somewhat psychologically twisted, seeing her expression, though vexing, strangely pleased him deep down.
Breathing slowly, Zhenxian strove to stabilize her emotions, for she needed to make a decision—a decision perhaps later regretted.
Wiping the tears from the corners of her eyes, Zhenxian looked gravely at 13, memorizing his appearance one last time.
"You said I possess one wish, correct?" Zhenxian asked strangely, abruptly.
"Mm..." 13 too felt peculiarity; the girl before him seemed suddenly much stronger, nearing Angel's level...
"Then you will absolutely strive to fulfill my wish, right?" Zhenxian's body trembled.
"Mm..." 13 still offered a formulaic reply.
"Excellent. Then I shall make my wish now..." Zhenxian took a deep breath. "I wish for you to immediately exit my car, depart from my side, leave my life!"
13 spoke no word, head lowered dimly.
"Therefore, I no longer require your protection now. Understood?" Zhenxian roared loudly, a cry contradicting her heart.
"Do I disgust you?" 13 inquired strangely, like a wronged child. For the current 13, this was the reality he least wished to confront. Having finally found his Angel, only to be abandoned by her... Unable to distinguish whether it was Angel or Zhenxian asking him to leave; regardless, intense pain filled his heart...
"Yes! Extremely disgusting. So disgusting that the mere sight of you is vexing. I am fed up with your self-righteousness, your unilateral decisions. Didn't you claim to protect me? Yet, at the ball, you abruptly departed. Do you know I was harassed by that detestable commander? Where were you then?" It wasn't like this; Zhenxian harbored no blame towards 13. If only he could remain by her side, yet contradictory words still escaped her lips.
The car descended into deathly silence. Madman offered no interjection; he understood the young lady better than anyone, comprehending Zhenxian must have her reasons for acting thusly.
"Is that so? So that's how it is..." 13 chuckled derisively.
"Madman, stop the car. Let him disembark," Zhenxian truly wished Madman wouldn't obey her. But that was an impossibility. The car stopped beside a streetlight.
"I don't know when you placed it, but your equipment is in the rear compartment, correct..." Madman stated to the already disembarked 13.
"That was placed in preparation for potential incidents tonight. Did you notice?" 13 inquired quizzically.
"Naturally. Such a heavy bag; it even slowed down my car," Madman smiled, patting 13's shoulder.
"Let's go. We still have much to do," Zhenxian urged coolly, unwilling to break down before 13.
Hesitantly standing outside Zhenxian's car window, tapping gently, merely wishing to utter a few final words.
After a moment's hesitation, Zhenxian lowered the window, yet kept her gaze fixed forward, offering 13 not even a single glance of regret.
"I am a man of my word. Your wish, I can fulfill. Though my heart aches intensely, I can indeed satisfy your desire. Having known each other, in the days henceforth without my presence, I hope you take care of yourself. Perhaps tomorrow Hideaki will seek you out regarding today's events; simply deny having seen me. He wouldn't dare harm you significantly; after all, you are a pillar of Korea's economy. I have nothing suitable to gift you. Wait a moment..." 13 ran to the rear of the car, retrieving his black backpack. Returning to the car window, he handed Zhenxian a beautiful bullet, like a transparent crystal.
"This is a cryo-round, containing liquid nitrogen. I possess no other fine items. It is quite beautiful... so..." 13 awkwardly resembled someone gifting a girl for the first time—which, in fact, it was.
"Thank you..." Zhenxian stated placidly.
"Alright, I shall intrude no further. Depart," 13 stated with a smile.
Madman started the car; the bright taillights gradually receded.
Sighing, sitting beneath that luminous streetlight...
No sense of loss, only sorrow...
"Alone again?" 13 questioned himself, bewildered.
And inside the car, Zhenxian, clutching the bullet tightly, completely broke down. Head pressed against the back of the front seat, sobbing uncontrollably, repeatedly uttering, "Sorry! Sorry!"
Yet, 13 could no longer hear.
Madman understood; the young lady had truly fallen in love with that strange boy...
This night, on an ordinary street in Hancheng, 13 once again experienced separation from Angel. Yet, the pain in his heart was less intense than the previous time. Because at least, in another part of the world, Zhenxian still lived, truly lived. That sufficed...
"Miss, is this alright?" Madman inquired, seeing Zhenxian had calmed somewhat.
"You wouldn't understand," Zhenxian wiped her tears. "'Snake' has been exposed. Hideaki demanded I surrender it, granting me three days for consideration."
"What?" Madman rarely caused the car to swerve.
"If 13 remained by our side, he would sooner or later be discovered by Hideaki. A direct confrontation would yield only two outcomes: 13 utilizes SEED, Hancheng becomes ruins, numerous civilians perish. 13 refrains from using SEED, Hideaki kills him. I desire neither outcome," Zhenxian analyzed calmly.
"But now we face considerable trouble. If surrendered, the world's future becomes unimaginable. If not surrendered, R-nation likely won't let us off easily. Perhaps now..." Madman conceived a simple solution.
"Impermissible. Fleeing holds no meaning. The entire Korea is currently under their control. As long as I do not surrender 'Snake,' they wouldn't dare harm us significantly. After all, the allure of 'Snake's' function is excessive," Zhenxian sighed.
"The temptation to peer into all secrets?" Madman mused.
"Regardless, let's return to the apartment first," Zhenxian commanded.
"Yes, Miss," Madman shifted gears, beginning to accelerate...
This tranquil night was not as serene as it appeared on the surface. Crisis fermented within its depths...