The lights in the office were switched on. The person who had flipped the switch lingered at the door for a moment, seeing nothing out of the ordinary within the room.
Erwin huddled under the desk, covering his mouth. Cold sweat poured down his face as he listened to the sound of footsteps approaching from the doorway.
There were two sets of footsteps.
That's strange. Didn't Dr. Einstein say no one would be coming for a while?
Am I about to be caught?
He was intensely nervous, fearing a head would pop under the desk at any second. Fortunately, the two sets of footsteps stopped beside the desk; it seemed neither of them intended to sit down.
"Want a drink?"
"No. Say what you have to say quickly. It'll be trouble if we're discovered."
Erwin's nerves were so frayed that he couldn't quite process the contents of their conversation, but he recognized one of the voices. It was familiar, though he couldn't place it at the moment.
"Where is CM-000? He isn't at the 10th Branch right now."
"Probably out clearing his head. There isn't much to do now anyway, so it doesn't matter if he's out."
"...Isn't he investigating the Svatok 51 incident?"
"It's been a year already..."
CM-000... isn't that a MANTIS serial number? But why 000? Does that number even exist?
"How is that matter going?"
"It's a bit troublesome, but we've made contact with the remnants of the Chairman's faction. I doubt anyone expected the Eighth Herrscher to have been one of the Chairman's subordinates."
What... is this?
Erwin's eyes widened. Listening to the exchange, he realized he was now thoroughly entangled in a bizarre conspiracy.
There really were traitors, and they were linked to the Chairman...
"Let's leave it at that, then."
Wary of being noticed, the two left after a brief exchange. As they departed, they switched off the light.
Erwin collapsed under the desk, panting and devoid of strength. At this moment, only terror remained in his heart.
...
"Speaking of which, Sakura, why did you become a MANTIS?"
Delta was curious about what drove this stoic senior.
"...Must there be a reason?"
"Ah, well, not necessarily. Some MANTIS told me they accepted the surgery purely for the heavy ideal of all humanity... I can't measure up to people that great." Delta laughed shyly. "Were you also because..."
"No." Sakura voice was so soft it was barely audible. "Someone just asked me if I was willing. And like you, I went to ask a certain person... perhaps his back looked so tall and reliable that I involuntarily chose the same path he did."
"That's nice..."
Delta saw the light in Sakura eyes and felt a pang of longing, but she quickly suppressed it. She had her own persistence, however meager. Holding onto that pride in herself, she would continue to fight as a MANTIS of Fire Moth.
"Who was that person?"
"Lin."
"..."
Delta expression stiffened. Why was she hearing this man's name from Sakura mouth again?
Besides, the Lin Sakura described felt completely different from the one she knew. She admitted he was unusual, but aside from his recorded combat feats, he didn't look like a "great" man with a "tall back" in daily life at all.
He didn't show it on the surface, but he was a cold, calculating man. A guy like that...
...
"Will you accept the Project Soldier surgery?"
"Here is a piece of advice: whether the surgery succeeds or fails, you will no longer be human."
Delta sat on a cold bench, staring at the white paper and black ink of the voluntary consent form. She silently flipped it over and over, reading it repeatedly. The man before her and his organization clearly didn't deign to play tricks on this document. It was brief, honest, and cruel.
Of course, they were certain that people like Delta had no other choice.
Either die or get on the operating table. They didn't pull the trigger themselves; they simply turned a blind eye.
"Do we even have other options?" Delta whispered to herself.
The man seemingly took her mutter as a question. His meticulous face lacked even a trace of expression. "You always had other options. For example, you could continue wandering until you starve or die of disease in some godforsaken corner."
"But once you sign that form, regardless of the outcome, you will lose your human rights."
Delta, who had wandered for so long, let out a mocking smile. "A slave?"
"To be precise: a soldier. And property."
What was the difference? Just a change in terminology to make their actions sound grand and justified?
But... it was indeed a choice.
"What about my sister?" Delta looked up and asked.
"We don't allow two people to choose together. Everyone has their own choices."
Delta eyes widened, and she slammed her hand onto the table. "What are you trying to do to my sister!"
"Please rest assured. All of this is voluntary."
The man was expressionless, like a robot, coldly scanning a lifeless commodity.
"Your sister chose this side. That is all."
"Who the hell are you people!"
"I'm afraid I cannot tell you. However, I believe members of our organization should feel proud of their identity." At this, his expression finally flickered. "We are doing this for all humanity!"
"For all humanity..."
Such an ethereal claim, yet his eyes held an incomparable fanaticism.
But Delta could feel it. She had been exceptionally sensitive to others' emotions since she was a child. She could feel that this man wasn't purely excited for the "humanity" he spoke of. Vanitry, conceit, and contempt all flowed out at once.
"You are hesitating. Unfortunately, I cannot tell you the whole truth. Now, let's wait for your sister's surgery to finish."
"Wh—"
"We happened to find a Honkai Beast that is highly compatible with you sisters. So, after your sister signed the form, she already began the surgery. By now... it should be just about done."
Just then, his communicator rang. He glanced at it, his face remaining blank.
"Oh. It's over."
"What's the result!"
He was calm—no regret, no excitement. It was as if the success of the surgery was just a fact that required no further thought.
"It's faster for you to see for yourself than for me to tell you."
Delta grabbed his communicator, her hands trembling as she looked at the image on the screen. Then... her pupils constricted.
She saw her sister.