"Any leads?"
Ato stepped over the bloodstains and walked over to Kevin, who was meticulously examining them. They were two of the many investigators, yet compared to the professional personnel, the clumsy appearance of the two combat squad captains seemed a bit out of place.
Investigating this matter wasn't strictly their duty, but Kevin was constantly worried about Mei potentially being a target and the framed, missing Lin. He trusted his own eyes more than others.
However, Kevin overestimated his own observation and analysis skills. He had spent an entire day lingering at the scene without discovering any new clues.
"None." Kevin clenched his fist in frustration. "I still haven't figured out how the killer entered the conference room or how they left."
Going back to the matter of confidentiality, the headquarters' conference room had no surveillance, so everything that happened here could not be seen through monitoring records.
"…" Hearing Kevin say this, Ato also realized how thorny this investigation was.
"Just how did they…"
"When conducting logical deductions, people often fall into self-created traps."
A calm female voice preceded the arrival of the speaker. The woman with messy blue hair, now wearing a light brown formal suit and trousers, walked in through the main entrance of the conference room.
"Which is the inertia of thought."
Ato looked at the woman who had suddenly appeared, confused, "You are…"
"Dr. Einstein." Kevin, however, had met her during Mei's meeting with her.
Einstein had some impression of Mei's little follower. She nodded, turning her gaze to the spot where Mei had initially discovered the presence of a third person: "Human inertia of thought easily leads to the over-complication of simple problems. After all, reality is not entirely dictated by logic. When we try to logically reconstruct the process using fragmented clues, it is inherently difficult to accomplish."
This sentence startled Kevin, and he seemed to clear up a bit instantly.
Using logic to reconstruct the process… isn't that exactly what he was doing now?
"'How to carry out the assassination' and 'how to leave' are directions for investigation, but since the killer committed the crime, they must have put effort into these aspects." Einstein placed her hands in her jacket pockets. A pale blue flower was pinned to her chest, standing out strikingly against the bright red crime scene. "Understanding the method is what a detective does, and we are not detectives."
"First, we need to determine the motive for the crime."
"You mean… we should start by focusing on who might have conducted the assassination and put everything else aside for now?" Ato quickly grasped Einstein's meaning.
"I'm not a professional, but if we simply rule out suspects based on 'having an alibi,' then probably no one in the entire headquarters would be suspicious." Einstein turned and smiled, "So, the perpetrator must be someone who is familiar with the headquarters' structure and has extremely strong agility and mobility?"
Einstein's words were pointed. Kevin grimaced and shook his head, "No, he would never do such a thing."
"Exactly. Lin has no criminal motive in this matter." Einstein nodded with satisfaction. "He would risk everything to defeat a Herrscher. There is no reason for him to kill a high-ranking official of Fire MOTH."
"And now, for some clues worth noting."
Einstein walked to another area. She crouched down and placed a monocle over her right eye.
"Three types of footprints. How coincidental. Almost no clues were left, yet three types of footprints remain."
"The victim, the observer, and the killer. All three footprints are larger than the largest female shoe size at the headquarters."
"In other words, all three people present were male."
"This is everything that happened at the time."
Lin finished reading the contents of the file. After taking a deep look at the final result, he closed the document and put the file folder back in its original position.
Elysia, sitting on the steps, listened with closed eyes, utterly absorbed. Lin's monotone might not seem enjoyable, but she was entertained nonetheless. Only after Lin finished reading did she open her eyes, smiling brightly at him.
"If I recall correctly, that's when Kevin started becoming a cold-faced man like you, right?"
"…"
Kevin, who witnessed the entire event, immediately encountered the greatest change in his life, gradually becoming rational and indifferent.
In Aponia's words, he was pushed onto the battlefield by fate.
By the time Lin saw Kevin again, he had already become his current self, and… had never changed since.
"So that's what happened back then…" Elysia murmured softly, and after a moment, she said, "Lin, don't you feel it's a pity?"
"…What?"
"If you had been there at that time, the truth would have likely been found quickly, and the subsequent Purge probably wouldn't have happened."
"…No." Lin, quite accomplished at negating others' viewpoints, stated firmly, "Mei was forming the new Poison Chrysalis at that time. Even if those events hadn't occurred, power would have quickly fallen into her hands."
"Mei, huh… I thought you hated her." Elysia sighed.
"She just made the most correct choice at the time." Lin said in a low voice. "She has always been the most correct person among us."
"Hehe, let's not dwell on those unhappy things~ Oh dear, Mei and Mobius are almost done fighting. Do you want to go watch?"
"No need. I'll go wait for Mobius outside first."
Lin walked towards the Anchor Point, preparing to return to the Rest Area.
Elysia's eyes swirled, and she chuckled teasingly, "Lin, I've realized you're quite two-faced sometimes. You gave the [Unknown] Ego to the Herrscher of Thunder just to let her teach Mobius a lesson, didn't you?"
It was common knowledge among all visitors that Mobius and Lin never appeared together. They seemed to be at odds, yet their attitudes toward each other were subtle and ambiguous.
Therefore, Mobius generally wouldn't know what Lin had done, including giving the Ego to Mei.
"…You're overthinking it." Lin was silent for a long time, dropped this sentence, and walked into the Anchor Point.
"…"
Lin stood with his back to the Elysian Realm entrance. Mobius, limping and with her clothes torn, revealing some skin, came out, supported by her walking machine.
Spotting Lin instantly, Mobius gritted her teeth and yelled his name: "Lin—"
The helmeted man turned around indifferently to look at her.
"You came to find me at that time just to stall for time?" She quickly figured out why Lin had suddenly sought her out. "And you actually gave the [Unknown] Ego to the Herrscher of Thunder? Why?!"
It was unbelievable. Mobius had considered many possibilities, but she never expected Lin to scheme against her.
"We don't get along well, so it's perfectly normal, isn't it?" However, the helmeted man said lightly, as if his humor was meant to amuse Mobius.
"You bastard!" Mobius bristled. "Are you showing up here now just to mock me?"
"No, this is consolation."
Lin said calmly, "When Elysia comes out, then it will be time to mock you."