As the door opened, a sheet of clean white cloth covered the floor. The experimental subject they had rescued from the military's lab—the little girl code-named Ifrit—lay on the bed, facing upward, her body drenched in cold sweat as she gritted her teeth, struggling through the pain.
All the furniture in the room had been secretly brought in by Muelsyse, along with disinfectants and other medical supplies.
"Saria… Mumu, you're back~"
Ifrit turned her head with what she thought was a cool grin, though the sweat running down her cheeks made her look pitiful.
"Don't talk."
Saria stepped forward, took a clean syringe, shook the vial of painkiller, and drew the medicine before injecting it into Ifrit.
As time passed, Ifrit exhaled deeply. The agony that had tormented her eased away, and after fighting the pain for so long, exhaustion washed over her. She quickly drifted into sleep.
Saria sat by the bed, watching Ifrit's sleeping face. She lifted her head.
"This isn't a real solution."
"Ifrit needs treatment."
Muelsyse sighed. "We can't just send her to a hospital, right? She'd be seized by the military before treatment even starts, and the two of us would probably get arrested on the spot."
"In a situation like this, Saria, don't even think about fighting this alone. This is way beyond what we can handle. Only someone like Felix could push back against the military here…"
Saria heard the muttered words clearly, and she didn't deny the truth in them.
"The military already knows you rescued Ifrit… hiding it any further won't help. We might as well act openly!"
Muelsyse clenched her fists, then paused, slightly surprised. "I didn't expect Silence from Structural Sciences to find out. How did she notice?"
"She saw us the day we brought Ifrit out of the underground lab."
Saria was silent for a moment. "Since Silence knows… what do you think about entrusting Ifrit to Dr. Ahrens? He's the head of Structural Sciences. The Diablo fragment implanted in Ifrit was part of a structural procedure. He's the one who can save her."
"I think it's doable. Telling Kristen about it might make things even smoother."
"…"
Saria pressed her lips together. "I don't want to drag Kristen into this. Rhine Lab has been booming with the military's support. My actions will definitely bring trouble to the company."
"Felix said he'll handle it, so don't worry~"
Muelsyse said cheerily. "Right, I'll go ask Dr. Ahrens for his opinion. Wait here for me, okay?"
Saria nodded as Muelsyse dissolved into a puddle of water once more.
Now that she understood the military's stance, Saria had already prepared herself to leave Rhine Lab. She couldn't stay and become a burden to them.
But the world was vast. Where could she take Ifrit?
———
After hearing Muelsyse's explanation, Ahrens learned about the Diablo experiment. His expression grew complicated.
"In the end… they still took that step."
"What do you mean?" Muelsyse blinked, confused.
Ahrens spoke two heavy words. "Biological weapons."
"The military has always wanted them. Especially when they began treating infected people as test subjects. Most of the scientists studying structural biology received invitations to participate in underground experiments."
His tone carried a faint sigh. "But back then, Felix and I made a promise. Science should not advance by using terran experimentation as its foundation. Even if that meant Structural Sciences at Rhine Lab would fall behind other labs."
He shrugged. There was regret in him—after all, at his age, his obsession with science made him want to keep pushing ahead, even if the path led into forbidden territories. Yet if he really crossed that line, wouldn't it make the younger generation laugh at him?
Silence stood quietly nearby as the two spoke. When she heard her mentor agree to the procedure, she finally breathed out in relief. Over the past days, she had visited Ifrit many times. Even though the girl was not her patient nor a structural subject, somewhere along the way Silence had already begun treating her as a child under her care. Ifrit's pitiful fate… she would be the one to save her.
"Doctor… Dr. Silence."
Hearing Ahrens's voice, Silence quickly looked up.
"Prepare the surgical instruments. We plan to begin five days from now in the afternoon. Everything must be ready before then."
This operation was not something that could be completed easily. The equipment in the Structural Department was complete, but every piece was marked with Rhine Lab's insignia. If they used those, the military would seize upon it as evidence. Buying the same instruments on the open market would cost a fortune, which would only bloat their already strained budget.
"Even if Saria used all her salary, it still wouldn't be enough."
Ahrens pressed his lips together. "My suggestion is to use the instruments you found in the underground research facility."
"You didn't… destroy all of them, did you?"
Muelsyse forced a dry smile, cold sweat forming at her temples. She still remembered how annoyed Saria had been at the time, punching straight through a reinforced wall and smashing the equipment to rescue little Ifrit. It had looked incredibly cool then. Now, Muelsyse was sweating bullets.
"Sigh…"
Ahrens let out a deep sigh and shot Muelsyse a sideways glance. "How about we make a deal? I'll cover the remaining costs, but I want to preserve the results of this experiment."
Silence looked at her teacher, words catching in her throat. She understood his longing. No scientist wanted their research path to end here, and the Structural Department's easiest route to groundbreaking results was through terran experimentation.
In this field, animal trials could never compare.
Ahrens's desire to preserve the results of this operation was likely tied to his future research. Muelsyse knew Ahrens had once supported the ban on terran experiments, but when a living experimental subject appeared before him, suppressing curiosity was almost impossible.
"I'll have to ask Saria first, but personally I don't see any issue~"
Muelsyse pursed her lips. "Fine, fine. Since it's come to this, I'll put in a bit of my savings too~"
No one knew just how wealthy a department director truly was. A veteran scientist like Ahrens, who had spent decades rising and falling through the academic world, could earn massive investments and donations with a single lecture. Muelsyse was younger but had more than enough expertise in ecology to host a highly profitable seminar. Felix had also entrusted her with part of his money, telling her she could use it freely in an emergency.
She had deposited her own salary and accumulated earnings into the same account. To her, it was a little shared secret between the two of them.
Silence blinked, feeling her eyes grow slightly warm.
Ahrens lifted the edge of the curtain. "Rhine Lab's entrance is quite lively right now. Director Saria was right not to return."
Through the window, Silence saw several men in black, their faces practically spelling out "military plainclothes," wandering around outside Rhine Lab.
Silence nodded. "I need to inspect the operation site again. Director Muelsyse… where is she?"
"She left just now."
Ahrens sighed. "These are troubled days. Silence, I'm leaving the equipment to you."
At his words, Silence immediately prepared to depart.
After learning of the military's stance from Muelsyse, Justin began working at once. Felix had left numerous contingency plans within Rhine Lab, one of which was to delay the military—buying them precious time when things reached a critical point and assuring the military that Rhine Lab remained on their side.
"But in a situation like this… stealing a military test subject…"
Justin wiped away cold sweat and forced a laugh. "I wonder if Director Felix's creations will be enough to calm the military's fury."
Before leaving, Felix had prepared blueprints for a new drone model and standardized armor systems, intended for emergencies exactly like this. If the military's attitude toward Rhine Lab shifted, that would be the moment to use this bargaining chip.
Thinking of this, Justin dialed a high-ranking military officer. The moment the call connected, the other side laughed heartily. "Hahaha, I wonder what new work Director Felix has produced lately?"
Clearly, they had anticipated exactly this move. Justin pressed his lips into a faint, composed smile and began negotiating with the military.
———
Silence arrived at the basement room. She saw the sleeping Ifrit, and she also saw the person she had always admired… Saria.
"Thank you for your hard work."
Saria spoke as soon as she saw Silence hurrying in. "Muelsyse explained everything."
"Yes… sorry, but I need to check whether this place is suitable for surgery."
Silence bowed. There were many things she wanted to say to Director Saria, but for now the top priority was ensuring that the operation could proceed safely.
"Director Saria, could you accompany me for a moment later?"
After finishing her inspection, Silence raised her head. Behind her glasses was a firm, resolute expression.
Saria did not refuse. After entrusting the watch to Muelsyse, she followed Silence to the laboratory the military and civilian scientists had once shared, the very one Saria had punched open with a single blow.
When they returned, the place was already cold and deserted. Not only had a large number of experimental items disappeared, even the most important reports had been destroyed.
Back then, Saria had focused only on rescuing the child, paying no attention to anything else. Now it was clear: the instant this hidden lab was exposed, the military had moved to silence everyone involved.
Saria noticed bullet holes on the floor and the dark, dried bloodstains. Her fists tightened, but she said nothing.
Silence focused on the remaining equipment. She had just stepped forward when Saria abruptly stopped her.
"Wha—"
"Who's there?"
Saria's voice was icy. Her fists were clenched so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Her temper had been pushed to the brink these past few days. If she found military personnel here, she could not guarantee she wouldn't act on impulse.
A long metallic hiss echoed through the room. After several slow, heavy breaths, a figure stepped into view—its body made entirely of steel.
Silence did not recognize him, but Saria did. She had dealt with him before.
"Tin man from the Maylander Foundation. Why are you here?"
"The military made quite a mess. Someone has to help clean it up."
Tin man puffed on his pipe lazily. "Though I got here late. The military cleaned the place up better than the government expected. You're here to reclaim salvageable equipment, aren't you?"
"…"
"Alright, don't look at me like that. I don't have a good opinion of terran experimentation either."
Resting his chin on his metallic hand, he continued, "I'm not here to stop you. We can each go our own way."
"Did you find anything?" Saria asked.
Tin man muttered under his breath and lowered the brim of his hat. "This is just extra information. Consider it a courtesy, for the Pioneer's sake."
"The Maylander Foundation found a list of laboratories involved in the military's project."
He smiled faintly. "And I'm glad to say that Rhine Lab wasn't on it."
Saria finally loosened her fists. She stepped aside, signaling that he was free to leave.
Tin man tipped his hat politely and walked away with light, steady steps.
The Maylander Foundation was the government's white-glove cleaner, the one that handled the messes no one else could acknowledge. Only a few people knew this truth. Saria had heard it from Felix long ago, so although unexpected, finding Tin man here was not entirely surprising.
"Silence, go ahead. Do what you need to do."
"…Understood, Director Saria."
Silence worked quickly, bending down to examine the equipment and determine what could still be used. Fortunately, the military had destroyed only the documents before retreating. Most of the machines were damaged, but not completely obliterated.
Saria watched from a distance. Staying here any longer would only bring more trouble to Rhine Lab. As long as she remained in Columbia, the military would never stop watching her. In this situation, she refused to drag Rhine Lab into becoming a casualty of the struggle between the government and the military. She did not want to bring more burdens to Kristen, either.
By nature, she wanted to crush every enemy standing before her with her own fists. But she had come to realize the enemy was not a single person. It was an entire network of interests—from the upper ranks of the military to the black market they controlled.
In the past, Rhine Lab had enjoyed smooth operations thanks to Felix. Whether importing materials or hosting technological exhibitions, they had never encountered obstacles.
Saria knew those days might be gone for good.
When Felix returned, she would tell him everything and apologize, even if apologies could not change the outcome.
"Director Saria… some of the instruments are still usable. Could I trouble you to help me move them?"
Saria shook her head lightly, then stepped forward. She couldn't stop now.