"Any findings, Prometheus?"
The mechanical girl, who was scanning the site for traces, nodded after hearing Einstein's question: "It is now possible to simulate and recreate the assassination process. Should I project it?"
"Wait a moment, let's go to the Spiral Workshop." Einstein casually glanced at the people around them.
As soon as Einstein learned that someone had been murdered at the headquarters, she knew the perpetrator was a high-ranking official of Fire MOTH.
As she told Kevin and Ato, the motive for the crime was the key to finding the truth. Fire MOTH's technology was vast. Killing someone without leaving a trace was not a difficult task, provided the planning was meticulous.
And that was precisely where the problem lay. The victim was high-level, so this case was likely not the last.
She had no desire to get involved in this conflict. Einstein's sole purpose in joining Fire MOTH was to fight the Honkai and save humanity. Einstein held a similar attitude to Lin regarding internal human conflict.
But at this moment, the turmoil had swept across the entire Fire MOTH, severely interfering with the work following the 5th Eruption. Furthermore, after the 5th Eruption, there were a total of three Honkai energy signatures from Higher-tier Honkai Beasts worldwide, which the headquarters had not dealt with, relying entirely on the temporary responses of the branches.
The headquarters was completely paralyzed. High-level officials were all on edge, and various factions emerged, making unified command impossible.
The hidden wound buried within humanity was completely exposed by this assassination.
"What exactly is the killer's motive… Power?" Einstein stared at the hideous bloodstains on the wall, tapping a rhythmic beat on her forearm, and muttered to herself, "If it's for power, the beneficiaries should be easy to figure out."
Yet, as the investigation proceeded vigorously, no one expected that two more people in the headquarters would perish later that very night.
"To explain your parents' actions and experiences fairly and impartially, I will start from the first time I met your father and mother."
The man who called himself "Lin" deliberately moved a relatively low stool to sit in front of Zero, completely relaxed as he puffed out smoke. His skillful flicking of ash showed he was an old smoker.
Zero showed no concern whatsoever about the man smoking. In fact, he didn't show any excessive concern for anything.
Zero would comply with others' requests, but if no one spoke to him, he would stay put like an energy-saving and eco-friendly standby robot.
"I first met your parents during university. We met at a science competition. They were already in love at the time. It was a simple competition, so we didn't exchange many words, but your father won the championship, which made me remember him."
The man actually began recounting some old memories. He didn't care whether Zero's spiritless eyes were staring at him, reminiscing entirely to himself.
After all, he was inherently a self-righteous person.
"Of course, I believe that during that time, they and I were still in the 'normal' phase, without any deep-seated hatred. We would wake up early for a nutritious breakfast, sit in the library, immerse ourselves in the ocean of knowledge, flirt with each other, and then sneak out at night to get a room."
He gave a carefree laugh, presumably recalling something amusing: "Oh, I mean your parents. I was solely focused on getting a job at an international company right after graduation to lead a wonderful office life. With a bit of luck, maybe I could meet a nice woman and get married."
"…" Zero seemed unable to grasp any significance in the man's words. He merely lowered his head, appearing to be asleep.
"In any case, I can assure you that at that time, your parents had no ill intentions… They might have had the idea of creating you, but not through a test tube, and certainly not through… that method." The man's speaking pace was steady, carrying the composure of a leader. "But something happened after that."
"The ideas of geniuses tend to be somewhat extreme. One of the manga books I bought you is called Naruto, where a clan awakens a special ability when their emotions are extreme. Because their strength is tied to their emotions, this clan produces many mentally ill but extremely capable fighters."
"I think there is some truth to that manga. Some people I know are like the members of that clan. Their epoch-making ideas can bring opportunities to humanity, but at the same time, their sick minds often cause them to misuse those ideas."
He extinguished the cigarette butt, stomping on it with his foot: "Your parents were those kinds of people."
"I don't know what they observed, but after graduation, they once went on an archaeological expedition to an ancient ruin. When they returned, they became convinced that humanity would encounter some kind of unforeseen disaster. It was also at that time that they and I became colleagues."
"'Human Research and Protection Association'—I objected to the name, but it was useless." The man laughed awkwardly. "That was the predecessor of the organization I'm currently with. What it did was all written in the name: protecting and researching humanity."
The man's topic was indeed very distant, detailing the organization's status at the time. As Lin observed him, something in his mind seemed to resurface, overlapping with the scene before him.
"I've strayed a bit. You should be more interested in your parents, so let's get back to the main point."
"Your parents, after joining the organization, were responsible for genetic research."
"And it was then that they began a little-known experiment."
"Pa pa."
"Hello? Mic check~ Mic check~"
As soon as Mei returned to the Rest Area, she heard a familiar voice, amplified through a loudspeaker, echoing between the empty walls.
"Miss Mei who beat up Mobius is back~"
"…"
The sound was deafening. It was clear that the person using the loudspeaker had turned the machine up to maximum power, otherwise, it wouldn't have had this thunderous effect.
Mei, whose mood was decent after winning against Mobius with Klein's help, now didn't know what expression to make after hearing the constantly replaying loud sound.
She didn't need to guess who did it.
"I suggest you quickly go find Elysia." At that moment, another person walked up to her. Lin, who hadn't changed since he left, said, "Otherwise, she will keep playing it."
With that, Lin tried to walk past her, but Mei quickly took a step to block him: "Wait a minute. I've defeated Mobius. You should tell me something now, shouldn't you?"
"The one who promised you was Mobius. I can't control what she tells you. As for me, you haven't met my requirements, so I won't tell you what you want to know."
Lin, as always, dropped his words and bypassed Mei, walking into the Anchor Point.