The Sherlock Holmes

Singapore.

The plane slowly touched down. Fu Hua, dressed casually, walked past the staring eyes of fellow passengers without a glance.

There was no helping it; Fu Hua's androgynous aura was simply too unique. 

Even though her 165cm height wasn't exactly imposing, and her youthful face and delicate features held a boyish charm, the unwavering resolve in her eyes gave her an air of dependable maturity. She was like a magnet, drawing gazes wherever she went.

Fu Hua herself remained indifferent to all of this, disembarking with an air of unconcerned composure.

This trip was personal, so using the academy's transport or shuttles wasn't an option.

Exiting the bustling airport, Fu Hua inconspicuously slipped into a deserted corner. Touching a spot behind her ear, she spoke in a serious tone, "Mr. Welt, I've arrived in Singapore. I'll need your cooperation from here on out."

Welt's voice echoed in her ear, as earnest and meticulous as his personality, "Everything's normal. There's no need to be so formal, Ms. Fu Hua. It's just a small matter… After all, neither of us wants to create more problems while resolving one."

Fu Hua didn't reply, ending the call. This was a pre-arranged routine communication, also a technical test. Before her departure, Welt had used the Herrscher of Reason's powers to create a simple device for her.

Its function was straightforward: to tamper with Fu Hua's location data, allowing her to freely "choose" whether she was in Singapore or St. Freya, based on her needs.

"As a monitor with a secret mission, I can't be away from my post for too long," Fu Hua had explained when requesting this from Welt. "Otherwise, it'll be difficult to explain to Otto."

Over five hundred years of cooperation, Fu Hua had mastered the art of deceiving Otto within reasonable limits. Frankly, if there were only two or three people in the world who could hide their true thoughts from Otto, Fu Hua was undoubtedly one of them.

Welt, ever the upright gentleman, naturally wouldn't refuse such a reasonable request. With a slight gesture, two ordinary-looking electronic devices materialized in his palms.

He kept one and handed the other to Fu Hua.

Thus, with Herrscher of Reason's technical assistance, Fu Hua now possessed two location signals in a "superposition state," undetectable by Otto's meticulous surveillance system. She could freely decide which location to "collapse" to as needed.

What could be said? For technical support and playing the assist role, you could always count on the Herrscher of Reason.

Of course, if their legs could be broken to prevent them from running around causing trouble, that would be even better.

"I apologize for dragging you into this mess I created," Fu Hua had apologized to Welt before leaving, referring not only to the technical assistance but also to her previous role in connecting him with Lin Wei and Anti-Entropy.

"There's no need for that, Ms. Fu Hua. I believe one's nature doesn't change easily," Welt had replied after hearing Fu Hua's explanation, his tone as calm and unhurried as ever. "Just like even after all these years, even though you've forgotten much, and Anti-Entropy has changed much, we still trust you, and you're still willing to trust us. I also believe that someone who has earned your trust, Ms. Fu Hua, must still be worthy of it."

"Besides," he'd added, "in this world, having one more trustworthy companion is always better than having one more unpredictable enemy…"

"…He's truly incorrigible," Fu Hua thought, recalling Welt's naive blessing, every word filled with his ingrained sincerity and idealism. It made her sigh.

Unfortunately, her trust, so often misplaced, frequently resulted in bitter disappointment. Yet, battered and bruised, she stubbornly held onto the desire to believe once more.

Whether it was Kiana, with whom she spent every day, growing more vibrant and endearing in her eyes, she wanted to believe that the stubborn, simple, and kind girl could truly control and master that dangerous Herrscher power, as everyone hoped.

Or Lin Wei, with whom she'd only spent a short time. He was scheming and ruthless, yet sincere and considerate, making her both hate him intensely and unable to truly hate him. She wanted to believe that the Lin Wei who would spread rumors just to save a few more lives, who would choose to give up and walk away even when standing at the threshold of hope, was still the "friend" worthy of her trust.

Fu Hua sighed, composing herself. She pulled her cap lower, trying to be inconspicuous, and rejoined the crowd. Hailing a taxi at the airport curb, she gave the driver her destination.

Getting Lin Wei's address from Welt wasn't surprising. Ever since Einstein and Tesla had established gravity wave communication with Welt, Tesla, in particular, had used it frequently for one-sided chats – perhaps due to her personality or other factors.

It was one-sided because Welt couldn't respond in kind. Anti-Entropy couldn't capture gravity waves at such close range. So, under the guise of technical testing, Tesla used it as a vent for her complaints, which naturally included Lin Wei's address.

She'd been so detailed partly to inform him of the established connection, but more importantly, to complain about how buying a house for Lin Wei had strained Anti-Entropy's already tight budget. She was indignant.

For example, just a few days ago, Tesla had used the gravity wave communication to complain that Lin Wei had called her menopausal. "He's bullying me!" Amidst the subtle spatial ripples, Welt had even sensed the red-haired, twin-tailed girl's furious outburst.

He found it both amusing and exasperating, but couldn't do anything about it.

However, it was precisely this seemingly trivial reason that allowed Welt to give Fu Hua a detailed answer.

Fu Hua was no stranger to Singapore. Her footsteps had once spanned the globe; every beach, forest, mountain range, and city had borne witness to her presence.

Even though those hundreds, thousands, tens of thousands of years of memories were gone, in the decade since the 2nd Honkai War, Fu Hua, utterly alone, had, as a "tool" and a "weapon," forged new memories of this world.

Just like her character, even battered, bruised, and stripped bare, she would stubbornly clench her teeth, rise from the ground, and continue to love this world.

The taxi stopped. Fu Hua got out, went upstairs, and knocked.

As expected, there was no response. Fu Hua felt a pang of disappointment. She had anticipated this, since Bronya had mentioned that the person she suspected was Lin Wei had left for a while. Still, she'd hoped to be greeted warmly like a visiting guest.

Then, they could simply exchange pleasantries, catch up, and she could dispel her worries and return to her duties.

Unfortunately, as she had grown accustomed to, things rarely went as planned.

Undeterred by this minor setback, Fu Hua placed her hand on the doorknob. Channeling her energy through the keyhole, she gave a slight jolt. With a soft click, the sturdy lock opened undamaged.

Pushing the door open, she saw a sparsely furnished apartment, all the room doors open, allowing her a clear view from the entrance: spotlessly clean floors and tables, a messy, unmade bed in the bedroom. Contrasting this were neatly arranged bookshelves, the books themselves pristine, whether new or old.

For a moment, Fu Hua couldn't decide if his life was carefree or meticulous.

Driven by her investigative instincts, she began searching for clues.

Immediately, she caught a faint, familiar fragrance in the air. She'd recently smelled it at Raiden Mei's birthday party – the scent of cherry blossoms.

The source was obvious: a narrow-necked glass vase on the coffee table, casually holding a few cherry blossom branches.

Fu Hua couldn't help but compare it to Kiana's handiwork. That girl had been so greedy, stuffing a huge, wide-mouthed vase to the brim, making it look like it might burst at any moment.

Unfortunately, most of the blossoms in this vase had already withered, the fallen petals scattered on the table unattended. Clearly, the apartment's owner hadn't been back for several days.

This small patch of disarray clashed with the surrounding tidiness, suggesting the owner hadn't planned on leaving when arranging the flowers, or at least not for so long.

"This guy…" Fu Hua chuckled wryly. Everyone was so busy, yet he still had the leisure for such elegant pursuits…

But her mood lightened somewhat, perhaps due to the cherry blossoms' refreshing fragrance.

Fu Hua gently swept away the fallen petals, then continued her inspection.

The computer was brand new, with only a few games installed. The keyboard and mouse showed signs of heavy use, especially certain game-related keys, worn smooth and shiny.

It seemed the pressure of playing games with Bronya was quite intense. Fu Hua remained expressionless, then picked up a small notebook from beside the computer.

"Does this guy still keep a diary?" Fu Hua recalled how Lin Wei had used his diary to break through the illusion woven by the Feather of Dust, which had surprised her greatly. "What does he write now?"

Curious, she opened the notebook, but found it wasn't filled with diary entries as she'd expected. Instead, it was pristine, with only a few lines written on the first page:

"Just read an interesting story, afraid I'll forget it, so writing it down:

In a play, the narrator says: The audience is also an essential 'character' in this play.

So, everyone wants to prove they're not part of the play.

So, they run away.

But they suspect their 'escape' itself is also part of the script.

They even doubt whether they truly possess a self…"

After a few blank lines, two more sentences were written in the same handwriting:

"This story is simple, and it has no ending.

But for me, it has already ended."

There was nothing else written after that.

"..."

Fu Hua reread the passage carefully, sensing the confusion and self-deprecation in Lin Wei's words. She closed the notebook and put it back.

"No need to investigate further."

Whether the notebook and the "story" were meant as self-mockery or self-reflection, or simply a random act of whim, Fu Hua read a wealth of complex emotions in the details, recognizing the vibrant soul that had once left a deep impression on her.

He was still the same, unchanged, which brought her some comfort.

If that was the case, why be so cautious? It would be better to find him and ask directly, Fu Hua thought.

Although she didn't have Lin Wei's contact information, she had her own methods.

Opening her communicator, she dialed the frequency Welt had given her – Tesla's private frequency. She could get Lin Wei's contact information from her.

"Hello? Dr. Tesla…"

The greeting ended abruptly as the call went unanswered.

"Strange… would Anti-Entropy's doctors refuse to answer unknown numbers?" Fu Hua muttered, trying again, but still no answer.

She thought for a moment, then dialed another nearby frequency – Einstein's. Still no answer. Fu Hua frowned. Had something happened at Anti-Entropy?

"Mr. Welt, I just tried contacting Dr. Einstein and Dr. Tesla, but couldn't reach either of them…" Fu Hua immediately contacted Welt at St. Freya, relaying the information to her collaborator.

"I'm a bit worried. Has something happened to them?" Fu Hua expressed her concern concisely. As an outsider, it was better to let the leader of Anti-Entropy make the judgment.

"Couldn't reach either of them?" Welt was also surprised. After a moment of thought, he said, "Perhaps they're at a critical moment in their research and don't want to be disturbed."

Welt knew how much effort Anti-Entropy was putting into analyzing the [Selene], so he naturally leaned towards this explanation.

"Please be patient and wait."

Fu Hua was frustrated by this unexpected development. The lead on Lin Wei had gone cold.

This is an unauthorized absence. I might be checked on at any time. I can't wait too long!