After a brief chat with Long, Vya seemed to suddenly remember something and said with a smile, "Oh right, Uncle, say hello to Rilla for us~"
Rilla was Long's daughter. Vya, Rin, and Rilla, these young girls, would play together whenever they got the chance and got along quite well.
And now, they'd even added a whole bunch of kids from the sanatorium to their group...
"Sure, no problem. Find some time to all go play together," Long replied with a grin, making an 'okay' gesture, a natural smile spreading across his face.
He was a family man, after all, and naturally acted more warmly towards his precious daughter's friends.
"Okay, bye Uncle Long!"
Rin and Vya said their goodbyes with cheerful smiles, then skipped off hand in hand.
Long watched their retreating figures, his smile lingering as he gently shook his head.
Then, he turned and headed towards his destination.
He hadn't gone far before his expression gradually grew serious. After all, he was here on a mission.
He slipped on his sunglasses, and instantly, his whole demeanor took on a somewhat stern edge.
Not far ahead, a familiar figure came into Long's view.
"You know those two girls?"
Su walked over slowly, having just happened to see Long talking with Vya and the others.
"My daughter knows them," Long answered succinctly.
Hearing this, Su naturally didn't think much of it. Girls that age did tend to like playing together in groups.
"I wouldn't have guessed you were a father," Su remarked with a touch of feeling.
Long grinned, adjusting his sunglasses as he looked Su up and down, half-jokingly saying, "A man with your advantages, Dr. Su—skilled, handsome—must have plenty of girls interested. Haven't considered settling down?"
They'd known each other for a while now, so a joke like this was fine.
Su didn't expect Long to suddenly bring this up and couldn't help giving a light cough.
A bit embarrassed, he said, "Alright, let's focus on the matter at hand."
"Right, no more joking," Long said, his smile fading as he turned serious.
He was here to retrieve the remains of Honkai-infected patients. Completing the handover procedures with Su was a key part of his mission this time.
Once the handover was done, Long picked up the relevant documents, ready to leave.
Just then, Su seemed to remember something and asked, "By the way, that application I submitted last time..."
"Rejected," Long stated flatly. He knew the news might disappoint Su, but he had to be honest.
"...I see," Su nodded, a clear flicker of disappointment flashing in his eyes.
"Well then, goodbye, Dr. Su," Long said, seeing Su's downcast look but not planning to offer comfort, simply bidding farewell.
"Goodbye," Su replied.
With that, the two went their separate ways to attend to their own business.
Long reached his car and got into the driver's seat.
He'd just closed the door when he abruptly realized there was already someone in the passenger seat.
If not for the faint interior light allowing him to make out the person's face, his reflexes would have nearly made him draw his gun.
"Ay..." Long couldn't help but complain, "Captain Kevin, I'm starting to think you're a bit of a phantom, you know. Every time like this, giving me a scare."
"You've met Su?" Kevin seemed unbothered by the complaint, getting straight to the point.
Because of Spacey, Long had some information on Su and knew that Su and this Captain Kevin used to be friends.
"Yes, he's been the one handling the handover with me the last few times," Long answered.
"How has he been lately?" Kevin pressed further.
"His reputation at the hospital is excellent. His medical skills are quite impressive, and he handles all sorts of patient situations very well. The nurses and other doctors all think highly of him," Long relayed faithfully what he'd heard about Su from the medical staff these past few visits.
After listening, Kevin said nothing, merely giving a slight nod.
"Honestly, I think you two should sit down and have a proper talk. Even after all this time apart, you're still acquaintances, right? Maybe talking things out could resolve a lot," Long couldn't help but advise.
"I don't want to drag him into this," Kevin said after a moment's silence, speaking slowly.
He understood Su's nature well and didn't want him getting involved in dangerous, complicated affairs.
"But he's already applied to join MOTH," Long went on, telling Kevin about Su's submitted application to MOTH.
"In my opinion, Dr. Su is fine in most respects, but he's still a bit naive sometimes, always trying to take care of everything," Long paused, then added, "As the Director says, 'For a severe illness, use a strong medicine. Either it kills or it cures.' It's that simple."
"Some things can't be approached too idealistically," Kevin understood what Long meant, but he had another question.
"How did Spacey come to notice Su?" Kevin asked, hearing Long mention Spacey.
"Su's mentor was once a friend of the Director's. Probably because of that connection, the Director took notice of Su," Long explained.
"I see," Kevin said. No sooner had the words left his mouth than he swiftly opened the car door and vanished like a gust of wind, moving incredibly fast.
"Who'd think they're still young men?" Long shook his head helplessly, watching the direction Kevin had disappeared, then slowly started the car and drove off.
Kevin had come here firstly to check on how Su was doing. They'd been close friends once, and after so long apart, it was hard not to be concerned.
Secondly, he had a mission. Normally, by protocol, this sort of task wouldn't fall to him, but he'd actively taken it on.
He hadn't expected to run into Elysia and the others here. And that girl Vya was like she had built-in tracking and lock-on—she'd pinned him down immediately.
He'd barely managed to talk his way out of it and reach the investigation site.
"Honkai energy concentration is rising..." Kevin frowned slightly, looking at the detector in his hand. "Seems we need to prepare ahead of schedule."
After finishing his investigation, Kevin realized night had fallen without him noticing.
So, he looked in a certain direction, intending to do the final thing he'd come here for.
...
Su was walking home after work, his mind still constantly turning over matters related to Honkai sickness.
He'd just been discussing MOTH with his mentor. That mysterious organization still hadn't released any treatment plans for Honkai sickness.
It was hard to know if they were truly trustworthy, but if there was even a sliver of hope for finding a cure, Su was willing to try.
The streetlights flickered on one by one, their yellowish glow stretching his shadow long behind him.
He was almost home. And so, at the next corner...
He turned the corner and found love.
Though at this moment, Su was completely stunned, his expression as if he'd seen a ghost.
The streetlight caught the side of the man's face before him. By its light, he could see the man's expression was blank, appearing exceptionally stern. A head of white hair stood out starkly in the dimness...
"Ke... Kevin?" Su's eyes widened, his voice soft with disbelief.
…
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