When Creuset discovered Cagalli secretly courting officials, Yang Hui immediately contacted Sumeragi and Wang Liu Mei to closely monitor Cagalli's every move. They thoroughly investigated everyone around her repeatedly, even listing every person she encountered during her outings—whether they spoke or not—in the investigation roster.
At the same time, surveillance on Cagalli was intensified. Yet, to their surprise, she managed to vanish right under their noses.
Even more baffling was the disappearance of Kisaka, Cagalli's personal bodyguard. Logically, he shouldn't have allowed Cagalli to act recklessly—so why had he gone missing alongside her? After the war, Kisaka had retired from the military to stay by Cagalli's side, protecting and caring for her as per Uzumi's dying wish.
If it wasn't voluntary... could it be a kidnapping? Yang Hui dismissed the idea—no one could abduct Cagalli unnoticed under such tight surveillance.
"...It's Mana."
"Mana? Cagalli's personal maid? How is that possible!?" Yang Hui was stunned. Mana was a long-serving member of Orb's older generation, having worked for the Attha family even before Cagalli was born. She had been assigned to care for Cagalli after Uzumi adopted her as an infant and had watched her grow up.
As one of Orb's elders, Mana might not understand the bigger picture, but she shouldn't have helped Cagalli defect. Her actions amounted to betrayal—against both the Attha family and Orb itself!
"She's already under interrogation, but we've found no leads yet."
"Place all forces on Level 2 alert. Seal the borders—not even a mosquito gets through!"
"Already enacted. The First Fleet and the First and Submersible MS Squads have all been deployed."
"Cagalli must still be within Orb. After her disappearance, I checked all flights and ships—only arrivals, no departures. There's no way she could have left."
"Deploy everyone. Find her!"
"Understood."
After ending the call, Yang Hui postponed research on the Transmission System. Cagalli's disappearance had become the most urgent matter—if mishandled, Orb's rapid development could be abruptly halted, or worse, civil unrest might erupt.
After informing Erica Simmons, Yang Hui immediately headed to the prison to confront Mana.
"Why?" Yang Hui asked coldly. Among those closest to Cagalli, he had trusted Kisaka and Mana the most—they had watched not only Cagalli but also himself grow up.
"Young Master Yang Hui, Lady Cagalli needed her own life. I just wanted her to have some freedom... but then... then..." Mana broke down, covering her face as she wept.
According to Mana, Cagalli had grown weary of Yang Hui's surveillance and simply wanted personal space. Out of pity, Mana had helped her evade the watchful eyes, never expecting her to vanish. She claimed ignorance of Cagalli's whereabouts.
But Yang Hui didn't believe her. He noticed something off—Mana's left eye had twitched unnaturally, accompanied by a faint mechanical sound.
"Restrain her!"
"Young Master Yang Hui! What are you—? I truly—"
"Silence!"
Mana was pinned down on the table. Yang Hui covered her mouth with one hand, ignoring her struggles as he forcibly lifted her left eyelid. Confirming his suspicions about the eye, he mercilessly plucked it out without hesitation.
"Mmm~!!!!!!"
Disregarding Mana's agonized cries, Yang Hui carefully examined the eyeball. It was undoubtedly a camera, yet not purely mechanical—concealed by some form of biotechnology that had evaded previous inspections.
"Take this to the tech department. I want their report within an hour."
"Yes."
After handing the eyeball to his subordinate, Yang Hui turned back to Mana. Her expression had shifted completely, now filled with fury, resentment, and hatred.
"When was this implanted?" Yang Hui released his grip and asked, showing no reaction to her hollowed eye socket or the overwhelming metallic scent of blood in the room.
"You're the traitor! The greatest traitor Orb has ever known! Orb rightfully belonged to Lady Cagalli! Yet you stole it from her! And Lord Uzumi—you killed him too! You seized Orb! You took everything from Lady Cagalli!"
"Heh, I see. Then let me rephrase my question—when were you swapped with the real Mana?" Yang Hui's face darkened completely. He had realized this wasn't the genuine Mana before him.
"You... I don't know what you're talking about."
"Is that so?" Yang Hui sneered, pulling a chair to sit opposite Mana (Carbon). "Carbon Human technology is impressive—identical DNA, implanted memories and skills, even solving Mitochondrial Shortage issues. But alas... fabricated memories remain incomplete. Let me ask you this: When I was four, Cagalli once ran off to play and forgot to return home. You asked me to find her, and after I brought her back, you scolded her harshly. What exact date was that? What did you say? And who else was present besides you, me, and Cagalli?"
"I... It was too long ago. I can't remember." Mana (Carbon) faltered, desperately searching her memory banks but finding nothing.
"Forgotten? Or can't keep up the act?" Yang Hui's smirk turned icy. "The real Mana could never forget that day—it was April 15th, Cagalli's birthday. She'd argued with Lord Uzumi during the celebration—her first runaway incident. You were furious. After I retrieved her, you shouted, 'Do you want to kill me with worry?' From then on, whenever Cagalli ran away, she'd leave Mana a letter and take Kisaka along so Mana wouldn't panic."
"Besides us three, Lord Uzumi and my father were also there. It was the first time Mana failed in her duties after joining the Attha household—a day she could never forget. She often reminded me of it, using it as motivation to never lapse again. Though admittedly, Cagalli kept giving her more opportunities to fail."
"This... How could...?"
"How could you not know? Right?" Yang Hui continued explaining scientific knowledge to Mana (Carbon), "Even for Carbon Humans, while they can accelerate bodily growth, the human brain remains the most mysterious region. Though it enlarges with the body, its capacity and neural connections remain immature, limiting the amount of memory it can receive. The older the Carbon Human, the more streamlined the transferred memories must be. Overloading it would lead to brain death. (PS: Just making this up, don't take it seriously!)"
"..."
"Is the real Mana... still alive?" Yang Hui asked Mana (Carbon).
"..."
"I see. Understood." Yang Hui stood up and left the interrogation room. Having confirmed this Mana was a Carbon Human, further questioning was pointless. Carbon Humans' brains contained restrictive commands preventing them from leaking any Librarian Works intel. Judging by Mana (Carbon)'s expression, the real Mana was likely already dead.
"Beep beep beep..."
"It's me." Seeing it was Wang Liu Mei's call, Yang Hui immediately answered.
"Cagalli has returned."
"Returned? Alone?"
"Kisaka is with her. She claims she just went to the beach to relax. After learning we took Mana, she's demanding to see you."
"I'll be right there. Keep her and Kisaka under control—they mustn't leave."
"Understood."
(End of Chapter)