Seriously Injured? Dead?

"Quick! Quick! Faster!"

The noisy sound of footsteps echoed in the passage. The soldiers and researchers who came and went first felt a burst of biting cold, and then saw Dr. Mei at the head, with Aldemir and Evangeline pushing a stretcher with an injured person at the front and back, running wildly.

"This chill… is Captain Kevin?"

The blood-stained bed sheet covered the injured person's face, but based on Dr. Mei's horrified face and the chill emanating along the way, the identity of the injured person was obvious.

But…

"How is it possible? How could Captain Kevin, with his strength, be seriously injured?"

"It's not a question of whether he's injured or not—who could injure Captain Kevin like this at headquarters!"

Except for the soldiers who were performing guard duties, almost everyone who had seen this scene rushed along with Mei's footsteps.

Until finally, they were blocked in front of the laboratory door.

Aldemir's hands were covered in frostbite, but he still held his gun and blocked everyone.

"No one gets closer!"

His eyes were bloodshot, and he neatly released the safety, pointing the dark muzzle at the surging crowd.

Anyone who was targeted by his sights silently took a step back—

No one wanted to provoke him. Aldemir had already committed multiple serious crimes that could almost be sentenced to death by firing squad, such as carrying a gun without orders, being on guard without orders, and intimidating comrades. Who knew if he would pull the trigger in a mental breakdown?

Most people were just rubbernecking, and there was no need to risk their lives. As for those who really cared about Captain Kevin and the situation, they were even less likely to take drastic action.

"Aldemir, what the hell is going on? Captain Kevin is injured?"

Someone finally tentatively spoke.

Aldemir nodded slightly.

"Is the injury serious? Is it critical?"

"Do you know who the culprit is?"

"Who could injure the captain at headquarters?"

"Why not send him to the medical department?"

Aldemir responded to all these questions with silence.

Only after a moment did he suddenly collapse and lean against the metal door of the laboratory, lowered his head, letting his body slowly slide down, and finally slumped to the ground.

Tears streaked across his cheeks, converged at his chin, and then formed a silver thread in the air.

The noise disappeared.

Within Fire Moth, the story of Fifth Squad Deputy Captain Aldemir and First Squad Captain Kevin was not a secret. These two joined the army before and after the Third Honkai Eruption respectively. It was said that they had intersected in Ruruye Island. For a long time after the Third Honkai Eruption, the relationship between the two was not considered good.

But it was said that during an investigation before the Fourth Honkai Eruption, Kevin was involved in a space-time rift in order to save Aldemir. Since then, the two had a life-and-death friendship. Looking at the latter's current appearance, then Kevin…

Could it be ominous?

Many times, silence is more terrifying than response.

Response will bring a definite ending, while silence gives people infinite reverie—everyone is trying to deduce what they believe to be true based on everything they see with their own eyes.

And few people are willing to admit that their judgment is wrong.

But no matter how they speculated, in the end, another insurmountable question lingered in everyone's minds: who injured Kevin? How was he injured?

A discordant voice suddenly emerged from the crowd:

"Isn't it obvious? In this world, who else can injure Captain Kevin silently, without causing even a trace of battle aftermath, other than a Herrscher?"

"Herrscher? Has a new Herrscher been born? No, right?"

"Are you stupid? They're talking about the First Herrscher!"

"The First Herrscher… isn't he on our side?"

"You just believe whatever he says? Herrschers themselves are messengers of the Honkai. What reason does he have to help us? I think he has ulterior motives!"

"If the First Herrscher is really on our side as he himself said, then why did he betray Fire Moth in the first place and build his own force?"

"I used to work with Mi… with the First Herrscher in the Fifth Squad. Generally speaking, he really looks no different from ordinary humans. He really hasn't hurt humans before. I think it's possible that he himself has been fighting against the consciousness descended by the Honkai, but he has now failed, and the Herrscher has taken control of his body!"

"What you said makes sense, it must be like this!"

"Brother, your analysis makes sense!"

The two people who spoke first silently retreated from the crowd and exchanged glances in the dark—as long as they guided them slightly, the crowd would naturally fill in the most reasonable possibility in their own minds.

Therefore, people once again turned their attention to Aldemir. After all, the relationship between Mikael and Aldemir was also well known. Compared to his relationship with Kevin, which gradually improved later, Aldemir was a survivor whom Mikael personally brought back from Lulu Island.

But Aldemir just raised his hand, wiped his tears, and then the silver thread fell faster, mixed with the twitching of his shoulders and sobs.

"Masaka [まさか - No way/Impossible]…"

"It's really…"

In fact, Aldemir hadn't said anything, hadn't done anything, but people had already given their respective answers in their hearts.

"What are you doing?"

"Don't gather around for no reason, go and do what you're supposed to do."

Himeko and Ato walked side by side. Bandages were still wrapped around the former's arm, and she was walking a bit limply, obviously her injury hadn't fully healed.

"It's Captain Himeko and Captain Ato!"

"Did the higher-ups also get alarmed?"

Himeko looked at Ato somewhat hesitantly. The latter nodded and said, "What happened… hmm?"

He suddenly took out his vibrating phone from his pocket and answered the call in front of everyone.

"What's the situation? Why are you using this unencrypted communication… What, the headquarters network was attacked by an unknown hacker and is already paralyzed? Even normal communication is impossible? Wait a minute, Dr. Mei also has some problems here. Himeko and I will solve the problem here first before going to the war room, okay?"

Hanging up the phone, he turned his head and exchanged glances with Himeko.

"Captain Ato! What the hell happened? The headquarters network was also attacked?"

"Unknown hacker, to have such abilities, could it be Vill-V?"

"No way? If it were Vill-V, she would have publicized it to the point where everyone knows it was her…"

"Then who else? To be able to easily break through Fire Moth's firewall, it can't be an internal spy, right?"

Seeing these people's words becoming more and more outrageous, Ato immediately raised his eyebrows and shouted: "All of you, return to your posts! Do what you're supposed to do! The more this is the time, the more you can't be in chaos, understand?"

Although it was a cliché, when spoken by Chief Instructor Ato, the power was naturally different.

The onlookers hesitated and took a few steps back, and then reluctantly dispersed.

But their footsteps suddenly stopped in place again. One by one, they pricked up their ears, sizing up Himeko, who was walking to Aldemir, out of the corner of their eyes.

"Don't cry, Aldemir, quickly tell us, what exactly happened?"

Aldemir sobbed twice more. Seeing that the speaker was his captain, he immediately stood up straight, and then leaned close to Himeko's ear and whispered:

"Tonight is the routine… the last day of vacation… they were dating by boating on the lake in the center of Great Bright Lake… were…"

Whether intentionally or unintentionally, the volume of his words was grasped very accurately, as if he had lowered his voice, but it just so happened that most of the people present could hear it roughly. Only at the end, he lowered his voice again. What exactly he said, only Himeko heard.

She could be seen suddenly widening her eyes and repeating the question, "Really?"

"Absolutely certain!"

"Then how is Kevin now?"

Aldemir pursed his lips and didn't speak.

Even Ato became visibly impatient at this point.

"What exactly is Kevin's situation now? Also, is Dr. Mei injured?"

"Dr. Mei was slightly injured, but Captain Kevin, he… he…"

"What happened to him, just say it!"

Himeko shouted out the inner voice of everyone present.

"He…"

Aldemir's lips wriggled twice, and then, as if all the bones in his body had been sucked out, he slumped back to the ground again, soft and limp, like a puddle of flesh mud that had lost the support of bones.