"Doctor, the meeting is over. Lin punishment has been decided, as you anticipated."
Mei, standing behind the busy crowd, heard Prometheus Two's words through her earpiece. She said nothing, her attention still focused on the experiment in front of her.
This was a containment experiment testing the adaptability of a metallic substance called "Soulium." From her estimation, Soulium was the most suitable material for forging Divine Keys, possessing ultra-strong adaptability, malleability, and memory retention toward Honkai energy, and it wouldn't be corroded by Honkai energy. If it passed this experiment, Soulium could be implemented in the production of various equipment and weapons.
"Additionally, Doctor, someone has posted a betting pool on the internal network in your name."
"What?"
Hearing this, Mei finally reacted. She took out her communicator, opened the internal network forum, and easily spotted the pinned post and the betting pool bearing her signature.
Mei couldn't recall ever doing such a thing.
"Prometheus Two, whose account posted this?" Mei pondered for a moment after seeing the content and the stake, then asked.
"Unable to query. The publisher's location is outside the Fire Moth, and the account used was a temporary account, which was logged out after gaining administrator privileges through hacking."
"Temporary account?" Mei frowned even more. Fire Moth internal network accounts were tied to identity; there was no such thing as a temporary account. Since the other party had one, it meant they were not a Fire Moth member but a hacker who had technically invaded the internal network and posted this thread.
It was easy to guess that the recent massive losses had impacted all aspects of the Fire Moth, and the secrecy and security against the outside world might have been neglected, leading to a hacker invading the Fire Moth's internal network. However, for a hacker to infiltrate an internal network with a security level comparable to that of a nation, their skills must be world-class.
Information was leaked.
Since the person could post the betting pool in her name, and the content matched reality perfectly, it meant that the Fire Moth's internal data had been leaked.
"Doctor, should we launch an investigation?"
Mei thought for a moment, then shook her head.
"No, we don't have the energy to investigate a hacker right now."
Neither the Fire Moth nor she had the time. However, Mei had another thought.
"Should the betting pool be taken down?"
"...No."
The corner of Mei's mouth curved into a playful smile.
...
"Are you and Mei planning something?"
Kevin's tone wasn't aggressive, but Lin still heard an unusual inflection.
"No, I have absolutely no idea." Lin actually wanted to ask Kevin if he knew something, but seeing Kevin questioning him, he must also be confused. So, Lin asked in a consultative tone, "Should we ask Mei? Does she have another agenda?"
"You know? Then what are you two doing?"
"...I said, I don't know."
"You don't need to keep emphasizing that you know." Kevin stared at him blankly. "If it's something you can't tell me, then forget it."
That's not right.
Lin sharply realized something was off. Everyone he had spoken to seemed to misunderstand what he was saying.
Lin asked seriously, "Kevin, has something happened?"
Whether it was the influence of Honkai energy or something else, this was not a good sign. Cognitive error was an extremely dangerous thing. Could poisonous gas be spreading through the headquarters?
"What... are you talking about?"
Unexpectedly, Kevin's face, which hadn't changed since the Sixth Eruption, actually twitched. He looked at Lin with a strange... look and took two steps back.
It was less surprise and more... vigilance.
"I mean poisonous gas..."
"Lin, I didn't realize you... had changed so much." Kevin took another step back, staring at Lin with suspicion. He took a deep breath to stabilize his twitching face. "Was the blow too great? I didn't intentionally distance myself from you or anything. I just thought... it would be better for both us and everyone else if I stopped being so cheerful all the time."
"..."
"But I truly didn't expect you to think that way... I thought you and Elysia were close because of... I see now it's actually another expression of closeness." Kevin's look of sudden understanding made Lin completely confused about what he was saying.
Could it be that he had also inhaled the poisonous gas, and the meaning of Kevin's words was being distorted for him?
Lin heart sank. He immediately held his breath. Although he didn't know if the poisonous gas was only inhaled through breathing, this precaution was worthwhile.
He made a gesture to Kevin, covering his nose, and without waiting to see if Kevin understood, he turned and dashed toward the Spiral Workshop.
Vil-V was making his new helmet in her spare time, one equipped with a gas detector and an air purification system that could filter out the toxic gas. He had to stop the poisonous gas before it completely enveloped the entire Fire Moth.
"Hey! Lin!"
Watching Lin bolt away, Kevin stood dumbfounded, feeling an indescribable mix of emotions.
Lin actually said something like that... had Lin seen him that way all along?
Kevin felt goosebumps rise all over his body.
...
"Bang!"
Lin kicked open the door to the Spiral Workshop and burst inside.
Every area of the Fire Moth had an independent air purification system to prevent accidental leaks of experimental toxins, but this neurotoxin was likely deployed intentionally. If so, localized air purification systems wouldn't stop it. He had to quickly find the source of the poison gas.
"Oh dear, Lin, why are you here again?"
Vil-V, who was Being lazy and playing cards, looked up to see Lin, his face murderous even through the bandages, rush into the Spiral Workshop. She immediately gave an embarrassed smile, shoved the cards under her crossed leg, and whistled as if nothing had happened.
"Vil-V, is my helmet fixed? Or do you have a gas detection device here? I suspect poisonous gas is spreading through the headquarters."
Lin concisely stated his intention. This was an emergency that needed to be resolved immediately.
Vil-V shrugged, looking startled. She showed an expression similar to Kevin's: "...Huh? This... Did you get something wrong?"
"No!" Lin raised his voice.
"N-no way. You didn't seem like the type to mean that before... If anything, you seemed exactly like the person who would have that thought..."
"You..."
Lin paused.
Could it be that the toxic gas had spread here too?
No, the consequences of this would be unimaginable.
Lin grabbed a whiteboard from the table. He quickly wrote down what he wanted to say, then showed it to Vil-V.
If they couldn't understand each other verbally, wouldn't using text solve the problem?
"...Are you, are you really thinking that?"
Confusion, shock, and bewilderment appeared in Vil-V's eyes...
Lin, desperate, nodded heavily.
"Lin, what's wrong?" Just then, Prometheus also walked in from outside. She saw the utterly distraught Vil-V and the fiercely aggressive Lin and asked.
"Prometheus, toxic gas is currently spreading through the Fire Moth. Immediately lock down all areas."
Lin issued the command, then continued to stare intently at Vil-V, waiting for her to produce the helmet.
"...Really?"
"Did your logical judgment system malfunction? You shouldn't be asking me if it's real right now..."
Lin turned his head, and then...
Prometheus's expressionless, pretty face appeared, without warning, less than five centimeters from his own.