"Many people in the Fire Moth are more outgoing than that kid, but a lot of that sunshine is only superficial. There are quite a few people who are dark, cunning, and despicable inside. Compared to them, that kid is sometimes endearingly simple."
Himeko said, holding her greatsword. She recalled the feeling Lin gave off, like the air conditioning was cranked up to the max just by his presence, and she couldn't help but feel a mixture of exasperation and amusement.
The countless personnel changes in the Fire Moth meant Lin wasn't the most special one, but he would likely leave the deepest impression on many.
"Hmm... So that's how you see him, Captain Himeko." The Chairman gave a faint smile after listening to Himeko. "It seems Captain Lin's reputation in the Fire Moth isn't entirely terrible. No wonder, even with so much evidence pointing to him, not everyone believes he is the killer."
"Exactly... Uh..." Himeko's smile stiffened. She hadn't expected the Chairman to bring up the matter. "What is your opinion, then?"
"Don't you find it interesting? With the same information and viewing the event from the same perspective, different people still hold different opinions. Some are firmly convinced that Captain Lin is the killer, while others believe it's impossible." The Chairman said with an air of composure. "I know you'll say this is due to experience, but I prefer to believe it's a fundamental difference in human nature."
"Even if two people are given the same conditions and raised in the same environment, their personalities will still be worlds apart. That's what's interesting about people."
"As for what I think... What is the time now?"
This time, before Himeko could speak, Seele, who had been resting with her eyes closed, spoke first: "9:31 AM."
Her expression was cold and severe, her eyes cast downward. This expression, which usually only appeared during battle, made Himeko pause.
She asked the perpetually smiling Chairman, perplexed: "Why are you so concerned about the time?"
"Why, you ask..." The Chairman crossed his hands beneath his chin and smiled. "Because I am the killer."
"..."
"..."
The sentence was spoken lightly, the tone flat, the voice quiet, giving the impression of an inconspicuous dialogue bubble from a background character in a comic book.
However, the meaning contained in that sentence sent a chill down everyone's spine.
Himeko was initially misled by the casual tone, thinking it was just a typical jest, but she quickly saw the unusual seriousness in the expressions of both the Chairman and Seele.
Even Dystopia, who hadn't been paying attention to their conversation, stopped her work and stared blankly at them.
"What does... this mean?" She looked bewilderedly between the Chairman and Seele.
The Chairman spread his hands: "It means exactly what it says. I killed nearly half of the high-ranking officials of the Fire Moth. Oh no, now it should be all of them."
"Captain!"
Dystopia's gasp jolted Himeko awake. Her eyes immediately flashed with ferocity, and she stepped forward, ready to restrain the Chairman.
However, when a sickle-like weapon barred her path, stopping her attack, Himeko froze, staring in disbelief at the girl with the inwardly-dyed hair, who stood coldly between her and the Chairman.
"Seele to, you..."
Seele spoke like a stranger stating an official matter: "Captain, there's a bomb on this transport plane."
Himeko had seen this look before. During the time Lin left the Fire Moth, Seele had been just like this—emotionless and extremely cold.
"What are you saying..." Himeko and the now-alert Dystopia both raised their weapons. In the confined space, the four people faced each other at a distance of less than five meters.
"Please don't misunderstand one thing, Captain. I am not protecting his life." Seele glanced expressionlessly at the composed Chairman, then said to the grim-faced Himeko, "If you don't want the bomb on the transport plane to explode, listen to what he has to say."
Not protecting the Chairman's life?
Himeko clenched her jaw. Her own squad member was an accomplice to the murder of the high-ranking officials?
The taste of betrayal twisted her heart, but more than anger, she felt a sense of loss and frustration.
"I apologize, Captain Himeko, for having your trusted subordinate do this dirty work for me, but please believe that she is not lying to you. She is indeed not protecting me." The man calmly adjusted his collar and took out a pack of cigarettes from his gentleman's hat nearby. "I really do want a smoke after all."
"Tsk."
After lighting the cigarette, the Chairman didn't put it in his mouth but placed it on the edge of the table, only inhaling the white smoke drifting from the tip.
"Oh, and don't bother trying to contact the headquarters. The headquarters' communication system is already paralyzed." The Chairman smiled broadly and shook his finger at Dystopia, who was secretly trying to use an emergency communicator.
"..." Dystopia, caught in the act, stopped her small movement, her face ashen.
The Chairman was pleased with her reaction: "Now, where should I begin... Let's start with the founding of the Fire Moth, that is, when the group of scumbags who loved humanity got together."
"Wait a minute, what exactly are you planning to do? Why are you revealing this now? Even if there is a bomb on the transport plane, you will be exposed the moment you step off. Even if we die together, we won't let you get away."
There was no way Himeko would listen to the Chairman's old stories. She glared fiercely at the man whose smile hadn't faded, unable to understand what he was trying to do.
"Exposed? So be it. What does it matter?" The Chairman shrugged indifferently. "As for why I am revealing this now, it's simply because what I intended to do is already done, and I wanted to show off a little. Have you ever read a novel? Don't the villains always reveal the key information right before their plan is completed? Just assume that is the situation now."
"Except that, unlike those villains, I have already achieved my goal before I even reveal my plan."
"There is a bomb on this transport plane. What about the transport planes carrying the other high-ranking officials?"
The Chairman's casual words made Himeko's pupils contract into tiny points. The terrifying conjecture became a reality with his confession.
"That's right. It's exactly as you suspect. At 9:30 AM, all the transport planes, except for this one, have already turned into fireworks over the ocean."
"Are you... joking?"
Himeko pointed dazedly at the Chairman and Seele: "Nearly all the combat personnel of the headquarters are executing this mission..."
"Yes."
"Do you know what you are doing!"
"I know." The Chairman leaned back comfortably against the soft chair back, blowing out the cigarette smoke. "Those excellent warriors you knew, Kevin, Ato, Kosma..."
"Have all become sacrificial offerings."