The Chairman toyed with a vintage bullet, enjoying the crisp sound of the shell tapping against the desk.
The rhythmic clicking sounded so pleasant.
"Is it fun?"
"Rationally speaking... not really." The Chairman gestured with a finger, picking up the bullet from the desk. "Sitting here and pondering life might even be more interesting."
"I often see you playing with bullets and coins. Even if it's not interesting, you still do it with great pleasure."
"Because it's purposeless. People need things that are purposeless..." The Chairman put the bullet back into his chest pocket and yawned. "It actually reminds me of when I used to smoke. The pleasure of inhaling nicotine is indeed unforgettable. Having a smoke when there's nothing else to do is like completing a minor, unimportant task—it's quite nice."
"..."
The Chairman rested his head on one hand, waiting for a moment without the person behind him asking any questions: "Hmm? Aren't you supposed to ask why I don't smoke now?"
"Does whether you smoke or not have any relevance to me?"
"We're sort of in the same boat now, what's wrong with being a little more open with each other?"
"...I've said it many times." A chilling gaze swept from behind the Chairman. "You and I have never been in the same boat."
"Hmm... I know." The Chairman shrugged, seemingly indifferent. "It's just a cooperative relationship."
"I kill people only because of the unforgivable things they have done, and because you keep your promises."
"Click."
The flame of the lighter sprang up. Even though he had quit smoking long ago, he still had the habit of carrying a lighter.
The flickering flame emitted a sinister, cold light in the darkness, shining on the face of the corpse.
Another high-ranking official.
The Chairman sat leisurely across from the corpse. Just a few minutes ago, this corpse was alive and well, negotiating with him. Now, it could only lie face down on the desk, not fully closed eyes staring, using its face to imprint an incomplete pattern in the pool of blood.
"I am the most trustworthy person; I never break a promise." The Chairman complimented himself, ignoring the blood that was almost reaching him, and continued, "How is your Honkai corruption rate? Constantly using that device will cause a separation effect in your consciousness. You should feel that the time your consciousness stays in the phase transmission is getting longer, and the distance is getting shorter, right?"
"You don't need to ask."
"Honkai corruption has a lot to do with a person's willpower. It would be quite a headache for me if you ran into problems."
"...Aren't you the same?"
In the almost-extinguished light of the flame, a glaring pink-purple line, like a centipede, was climbing up his neck beneath the Chairman's slightly open collar.
The Chairman adjusted his collar, hiding the line.
"Perhaps this is retribution."
"You believe in retribution?"
"No, but I think it's fitting to use the word here." The Chairman scoffed dismissively. "If good and evil truly received their due, then MSA-079 wouldn't be afflicted with the same disease as me."
"..."
"What? Do you believe it?"
"I do."
The person raised their head, pushing a breath out of their lungs.
Mobius had answered some questions, but just like what Mei had encountered since entering here, the answers only led to more questions.
Mei had foiled Mobius's plot to take over her body, but upon reflection afterwards, it seemed Lin had been obstructing and deliberately interfering with Mobius's plan during this incident. If so, were the answers she obtained from Mobius also within Lin's prediction?
She now had a complete conjecture, but in such an unsettling situation, she wasn't sure if her guess was correct.
As Mei was deep in thought, a cold, somber figure walked into her line of sight. She looked up and saw the white-haired warrior standing in the lounge, observing the newly replaced portrait of Elysia.
Kevin...
To be honest, Mei did not want to talk to Kevin. Even before entering the Elysian Realm, the Honkai Lord of World Serpent, Kevin, had left an indelible impression of cold-bloodedness on her, causing her to feel a slight aversion to this memory clone who looked and behaved similarly. Furthermore, Kevin's words were among the hardest to understand.
Su's words were profound, but he merely used his own way of expressing himself, whereas Kevin was deliberately obscure.
However, Kevin might give her a clue right now. As the earliest acquaintance of Lin among the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, he would know more.
"Is something the matter, Raiden Mei?" Before she even got close, Kevin, with his superb perception, had sensed Mei. He asked without turning his head.
"I want to ask you about something." Mei considered it and chose not to directly ask Kevin about Lin. She wanted to use a different topic as an entry point first. "I heard from you all that the Fire Moth was an organization similar to Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent. So, how exactly was the Fire Moth founded in the first place?"
There must be a cause for every effect. The Fire Moth was founded to fight the Honkai. So, who decided to form it and by what means at the very beginning?
Kevin turned around, his long coat hanging low by his knees. He said expressionlessly, "The Fire Moth has no related records."
"What?" Mei thought she had misheard.
An organization has no records of its own founding?
"How the Fire Moth was founded is not important. Once you trace things back to their origin, all actions will be interpreted, and that is not conducive to internal morale."
Actions to fight the Honkai would be interpreted as having ulterior motives, and the legitimacy of the Fire Moth would be questioned.
"This is both experience and a lesson," Kevin said, glancing at the startled Mei. "Do you have anything else you want to ask?"
As if her thoughts had been discovered, Mei's heart tightened.
Since he had seen through her, she asked straightforwardly, "Is Lin's exclusion from the Thirteen Flame-Chasers merely because his MANTIS surgery was unsuccessful?"
"..." Mei's question made even Kevin silent for a moment. He said coldly, "The title 'Thirteen Flame-Chasers' was not initially a title for thirteen MANTISes, but rather, the name 'Thirteen Flame-Chasers' was used only after thirteen MANTISes formed the group."
"...Can you explain that in clearer, more straightforward terms?" Mei felt a little confused by his wording.
"In other words, the 'Thirteen Flame-Chasers' were not initially intended to all be MANTISes, and the number wasn't thirteen, but fourteen."
"So it is... What was the reason?"
"Lin relinquished the title of Flame-Chaser."
"I'm asking for the deeper reason."
What happened to Lin and the Thirteen Flame-Chasers that made Elysia agree to let Lin give up the title of Flame-Chaser?
Could it be related to the 'traitor' incident?
"I know you're considering whether it's related to the 'traitor'."
Her thoughts were seen through again. Mei's furrowed brows had already told Kevin what was on her mind.
"Then I might as well tell you: Lin did 'betray,' but you must find out for yourself whom he 'betrayed'."
"As for the rest, you are not qualified to know... at least not yet."
Would you like me to search for more information about the characters mentioned, like Lin or Kevin, or perhaps the organization "Fire Moth"?