Jessica's villa in Columbia was getting livelier and livelier.
A year ago, Jessica had been living there all by herself.
Back then, she never would have imagined that her villa would one day be home to so many people.
Jessica, Ceobe, Franka, Liskarm, Ifrit, Silence, Shamare, and Little Moti.
And today, there were even more.
The four from Penguin Logistics, Surtr, Nian... and formerly, when Zumama wasn't in school, she and the High Priest lived here too. Recently, however, Zumama has been staying in her university dormitory.
More people.
Meant it was naturally more lively.
However.
What really annoyed Jessica was...
She couldn't sleep with Lucas Reeve anymore.
In the past.
Jessica would chat with Lucas before bed, or have him tell her a story. Then they'd wish each other good night, and only by clutching the necklace in her hand could she fall asleep peacefully.
And yet!!
Now Lucas was inside Surtr's sword, and that sword was Surtr's most important possession. She would never be parted from it.
But...
Did that mean letting Lucas and Miss Surtr stay in the same room?!!
No way!
Sure, when they were outside, Lucas was indeed always with Surtr.
But...
But.
This was her own home.
How could Jessica possibly be generous enough to hand Lucas over to another girl? Impossible!!
What to do...
Late at night, Jessica sat on her bed and looked over at Ceobe, who was next to her in her pajamas, playing with a toy. Her eyes lit up, and she smiled as she ruffled Ceobe's hair.
"Ceobe, how about you sleep in another room tonight?"
However.
Under Ceobe's tearful gaze, she ended up carrying her pillow to another room by herself.
She would have Surtr sleep with her, with the greatsword placed in the middle of the bed.
At first, Surtr was unwilling. She wasn't used to sleeping with others, but... after thinking about it, she made a decision that went against her nature and agreed to Jessica's request.
Thus, a world-famous painting was created that night.
Surtr slept on the right, her right hand gripping the sword's hilt, while Jessica slept on the left.
Lucas Reeve lay in the middle.
Unfortunately, he was a sword.
If Lucas had a physical body, he could probably recreate that masterpiece.
"You've Come at Just the Right Time"
The next day, Jessica woke up early to go to work at Raythean Medica, starting her busy day as the president.
Nian, meanwhile, connected with the most formidable film crew dispatched by the Columbia Film Group to discuss the subsequent work plan. It was an eye-opener for Nian; she never realized... so much was needed to make a movie. There were even professional movie cameras. Couldn't you just shoot with a regular camera?
As for a screenwriter.
Nian didn't need one.
She was very confident in her screenwriting talent. In her eyes, this script was already the most perfect it could be.
The crew members couldn't be bothered to argue. They knew they were just here today to indulge a top-tier scion they couldn't afford to offend in her filmmaking fantasy. Before they even set out, their boss had warned them not to talk back. Whatever she says, you do. She's making a movie for fun, not to make money. You just listen and play along to keep her happy. If you make her unhappy, you can forget about this career and find a new line of work.
However.
Nian wasn't stupid either.
She knew that although she possessed unparalleled scriptwriting talent, she was definitely no match for professionals when it came to filming. So, she left the specifics of how to shoot and what kind of shots to use to the professional team, letting them do their thing. The script was ready to go.
Nian then simply had Franka, Liskarm, and the four from Penguin Logistics come over to film their respective scenes first. With so many people, it was enough to form a complete main cast. The rest were supporting roles; they could just grab some decent actors to be extras. As for Jessica, Surtr, and Lucas Reeve, they could just film their parts later when they were free.
The entire script was very, very long.
Anyway, from the perspective of a professional Columbian screenwriter, he almost coughed up blood. However, the script won the appreciation and praise of Franka. As an aficionado of web novels, this kind of interesting and dramatic plot!! It was simply too perfect!!
Wasn't it better than those so-called arthouse films?
Moreover.
It seemed her rival in the script was one of the Penguin Logistics members. In that case, she could completely let loose! No need to worry about accidentally sending some so-called martial arts actor flying several meters with a light kick.
On the other side.
Lucas Reeve and Surtr were strolling through the capital of Columbia. It seemed like a leisurely walk, but in reality, their senses were fully extended to capture the aura of the Ancient God of Flame's fragment.
However.
The mobile city was massive.
Finding it in a short amount of time would be quite difficult. While not exactly a needle in a haystack, it wasn't far off.
Surtr and Lucas Reeve drove around the vast city in a car, yet they found nothing. Instead, most of the time turned into...
"Ah! An ice cream shop."
Surtr got out of the car and used the card Jessica gave her to buy ice cream.
But, it had to be said, kindness really can change a person.
Just yesterday, Surtr and Jessica were at each other's throats when they first met, but now Surtr had already started to reluctantly consider Jessica a friend, though she still maintained that cool and tsundere demeanor.
What started as a search for the Ancient God of Flame's fragment gradually evolved into Surtr's culinary exploration tour. Along the way, Surtr found another dessert that, while not as good as ice cream, was pretty close.
All sorts of puddings, as well as a specialty iced jelly shop from Yan. The cool, sweet, and soft texture was something Surtr thoroughly enjoyed.
"How is it?"
Sitting in a deserted corner.
Lucas Reeve materialized as a small flame figure, standing on Surtr's shoulder.
"Delicious..."
Surtr ate with great enjoyment. Her naturally downturned, rosy lips would only curve up in satisfaction when she was eating.
In short...
It was kind of cute.
After eating several super-large portions of pudding, under the stunned gazes of the shop staff, a satisfied Surtr walked out.
And when she stepped out of the mall.
The sky outside Columbia was gradually turning dark.
Time passed quickly.
The day was almost over. Although half of it was spent looking for places to eat, it did satisfy Surtr's taste buds. After all, she had been wandering for so many years, how could she have ever eaten so many different kinds of desserts? This could be considered fulfilling one of Surtr's wishes and her only hobby.
As for the Ancient God of Flame's fragment.
They could deal with that tomorrow.
Night had fallen.
Many companies had already closed for the day.
The streets, which had been fairly empty in the afternoon, gradually became bustling as people of all kinds flowed through the malls. Surtr disliked crowds. Seeing the number of people increase, she immediately got back in the car and had Lucas Reeve drive back.
This time, Lucas Reeve didn't take the most direct main road back to Jessica's house, but a slightly more roundabout route.
However.
As the vehicle drove into a slightly more suburban industrial area.
A faint sense of familiarity from the depths of their souls, like a feather, brushed against Surtr and Lucas Reeve's souls again and again.
This feeling...
A fragment?
The moment he caught the scent, Lucas Reeve immediately stopped the car, and Surtr got out at once.
This vicinity was an industrial zone.
Many companies would specifically place their large factories or R&D departments here. After all, not every company could be as extravagant as Raythean Industries or Rhine Lab and place such a huge company in the heart of the city where land was worth its weight in gold.
Since people in Columbia generally got off work very early, many companies closed as early as 4:30 in the afternoon.
Although it was now past six.
Most of the employees in the huge industrial park, except for the security staff on duty, had already left.
Lucas Reeve sat on Surtr's shoulder as the two of them ran, following the scent of the Ancient God of Flame's fragment. As Lucas got closer, the aura became clearer. He could even, through the spiritual sight inherent to his soul form, faintly see the fiery red threads of scent lingering in the air.
That's right.
The fragment was in the industrial zone.
If Lucas Reeve wasn't mistaken, it must have been obtained by some company.
Surtr's speed was incredibly agile, like a hound chasing a scent. Her previous physical fitness could only be described as average, but after Lucas Reeve's soul merged with Laevatain and Surtr's own soul integrated more deeply with it, Laevatain's divine power had more or less flowed into Surtr's body. Nourished by this divine power, Surtr's constitution had undergone a world-shaking change.
She could no longer be mocked as a mere Laevatain launcher.
Ultimately.
The two of them zeroed in on the factory entrance of a biomedical company.
"Loken Water Tank?"
Huh?
Such a familiar name?
Lucas Reeve remembered hearing this name somewhere before.
He fell into thought, and after a moment.
Lucas Reeve finally remembered.
Damn it!
Loken Water Tank!!
He had heard this name from Parvis of Rhine Lab. It seemed to be another foul company that specialized in human experimentation.
This company still existed?
Ever since Jessica handed all the reports to Saria, he heard that Director Saria had directly confronted the Director-General during an internal Rhine Lab meeting.
As for what happened next.
Lucas Reeve hadn't paid attention. After all, he hadn't treated it as a major issue. He originally thought Saria could handle it, but surprisingly, there had been no news for so long. As for Parvis...
Lucas Reeve seemed to have forgotten about him. He was probably still locked up in a detention room at Raythean Medica. Someone should be bringing him food on time every day, so he wouldn't starve.
What an unlucky director.
Not only had he forgotten him, but Rhine Lab didn't care about him either, acting as if they never had such a director.
Oh, no...
He couldn't be called a director.
Only a former director.
After all, the current head of the Structural Section was Parvis's top disciple, a typical turncoat.
Lucas Reeve thought for a moment and had Surtr sneak in quietly. Loken Water Tank's security was the strictest among all the companies here, especially at night. Who knew what great secrets were hidden inside.
Activating [Spatial Perception].
Lucas Reeve easily located the positions of all security personnel and surveillance cameras perfectly.
It looked like security was tight.
But in reality, it was full of blind spots and vulnerabilities.
With her excellent skills, Surtr easily scaled the high company wall. Under Lucas Reeve's direction, she landed silently in a camera's blind spot, as noiseless as a seasoned assassin.
However.
Surtr didn't like being so cautious.
When she was wandering in the past, whenever she encountered an enemy, she would either charge in with her sword or just summon Laevatain and charge. Accustomed to the Berserker's creed, Surtr was a bit unused to the Assassin's Creed for a moment.
Infiltration?
If you just kill everyone, doesn't that count as a perfect infiltration?
But, even if Surtr didn't like it, she was still very obedient to Lucas Reeve. She basically did whatever he asked without talking back or objecting, unconditionally trusting his words.
After successfully using Mirror Flower, Water Moon to hypnotize the last guard she couldn't avoid.
Surtr and Lucas Reeve officially infiltrated the Loken Water Tank building.
Pushing open the door.
The lobby that greeted them was very normal, looking just like any other large company's lobby. The next few floors up were also normal, seemingly just an ordinary biotechnology company. Even the experiments seemed to be conducted on animals or lab mice.
However.
Things that were not meant for public knowledge would never be exposed on the surface.
Under the guidance of the hypnotized guard.
Lucas Reeve and Surtr went around to the very back of the first floor and found a not-so-new elevator in a corner.
After entering the elevator and pressing the button for the first floor—normally, pressing '1' on the first floor would do nothing—but after Lucas Reeve pressed it several times in a row, the elevator began to slowly descend. It didn't go down for long before the doors opened.
What they saw was a pitch-black laboratory.
The main lights of the lab were off, with only the surrounding small lights providing a little illumination. It suddenly felt exceptionally grim, almost identical to a laboratory from a movie Lucas Reeve remembered. Walking down the long, narrow corridor, he was genuinely worried a zombie might suddenly jump out. Though, those zombies could probably break their teeth trying to bite through Surtr's skin now. Even the strongest zombie from the movies, a Tyrant that could withstand a grenade, wouldn't survive a single slap from Laevatain.
But the atmosphere had to be set.
Lucas Reeve and Surtr walked slowly down the long, narrow passageway.
The lab seemed to be empty.
The sound of their footsteps echoed, clanging through the corridor.
The lights in the labs on both sides of the corridor lit up.
There were children covered in blood lying on operating tables, and children curled up in the corners of cages, looking as dazed as zombies.
All the test subjects were, without exception, children.
They were generally around Shamare's age, maybe a little older, but definitely not over sixteen.
The aura of the fragment was on this floor.
But Lucas Reeve didn't go looking for it immediately. Instead, he used his phone to record the scene before his eyes.
And his eyes grew colder and colder.
Loken Water Tank....
Hmph!
Lucas Reeve and Surtr continued deeper. In the deepest room, which was heavily sealed, Surtr used her greatsword to slice it open as easily as cutting tofu. When the heavy metal door was cut open, inside the innermost laboratory, several children were imprisoned.
Three of them were already asleep. Only a white-haired Feline girl in a fully transparent room was sitting on her bed, hugging her knees. Her head was wrapped in bandages, and her eyes, as bright as crystals, were filled with confusion and helplessness...
She stared blankly at Surtr as she walked in.
However, those eyes seemed to be able to see Lucas Reeve.
Her eyes held nothing but curiosity.