The Truth

When Su found the person he'd been longing to see, she was sitting in the library, engrossed in a book, oblivious to his approach.

The girl he remembered was now a woman, her white hair tied back, revealing the elegant curve of her neck. The fiery, almost Kevin-like energy she once possessed seemed to have dimmed, replaced by a quiet tranquility.

She looks thinner, was Su's first thought.

But still so beautiful.

Lee, though unaware of Su's thoughts, could guess. Probably something along the lines of _she's become more beautiful and delicate_—after all, she'd carefully orchestrated this scene ever since she noticed Su's icon approaching on the map.

Su, afraid of startling her, kept his voice soft. "Lee… Senpai."

Lee turned, a flicker of recognition in her eyes. "Su…?"

"It's me, Senpai…" Though no longer the shy student he once was, Su still blushed slightly. "I joined the Fire Moth. I'll be transferring to HQ soon."

"…I see. Congratulations, Su... Kohai."

Lee's reaction was much calmer than he'd expected. He was puzzled. Lee used to be so lively. Why was she so subdued now?

"Senpai, is something wrong?" Su asked cautiously. "Is there anything I can help with?"

"It's nothing, Su, just… we shouldn't be too loud in the library."

Lee closed her book, stood up, and smiled. "Your transfer to HQ is certainly something to celebrate. And it's been so long. How about I treat you to dinner?"

"It would be my honor to dine with you, Senpai, but a gentleman never lets a lady pay."

Su glanced at the book in Lee's hand, then smiled. "I'll treat you. But could you recommend a restaurant? I'm new here."

Possible physical enhancements from excessive Honkai energy stimulation…

Is Lee interested in research now? If she is, maybe I should focus on that topic in my lab…

…

After saying goodbye to Lee, Su didn't return to his room as planned.

Their meeting had been pleasant. Lee smiled and engaged with everything he said, just like before. Even though Su was now quite knowledgeable, he still felt a sense of wonder and inspiration when talking to her.

But he couldn't shake off a sense of unease.

Lee had smiled throughout their meeting, never mentioning anything personal, only saying she was doing well. When Su asked about her injury, she brushed it off.

But Su could sense that her smile didn't reach her eyes…

He didn't know what had happened, but he was certain something had deeply affected Lee. Otherwise, the radiant, always-warm Lee wouldn't be like this.

Was it because of her injury? Or something else? Wasn't Kevin always by her side? Had he failed to protect her?

He had a meeting scheduled with Kevin that evening, but Su couldn't wait a second longer. He headed straight for Mobius' lab.

He had to know what happened to Lee.

And if Kevin had truly failed to protect her… then Su would take his place.

"You're back sooner than I expected." Mobius wasn't surprised to see Su return to the lab.

"Why is Lee… Senpai… like that?" Su's voice was still calm, but the usual warmth was replaced by a coldness. "What happened?"

"Communicating with smart people is so much easier than with that white-haired gorilla."

Mobius scoffed, standing up. "But frankly, I'm not entirely sure… Perhaps losing her power made her feel… unwanted."

"Losing her power…?"

"Showing you is more efficient than explaining."

Mobius led Su deeper into Fire Moth HQ.

Along the way, Su saw layers of tight security, automated defenses, and armed guards. He was certain that without Mobius, he'd be riddled with bullets.

After passing through multiple checkpoints, they arrived at a heavy metal door. Looking up at the cold metal, Mobius spoke.

"Your research focuses on the Honkai disease. You know about the Fire Moth's new miracle drug, right?"

"You mean [Saint's Blood]?"

"Have you ever wondered… why it's called [Saint's Blood]?"

"Because of the color—"

Su's voice caught in his throat, his eyes widening with fear.

The worst-case scenario flashed through his mind—why did Mobius bring him to this heavily guarded place? Why mention [Saint's Blood]?

If everything was connected…

"You… you…?" Su's composure finally cracked, his usually polite face contorted with anger. "Open the door!"

"You'd better calm down." Mobius calmly unlocked the electronic lock. "We can no longer obtain this… ingredient."

Ignoring her, Su rushed inside the moment the door opened. The sight that greeted him was—crimson.

Countless vials of blood, stored in small boxes, shimmered a scarlet hue under the dim lights.

As a doctor, no explanation was needed. He understood what was stored here.

"We're still trying to optimize the dosage for production, so not all of it has been used to make the serum…" Mobius followed Su, who stood frozen, his voice soft. "But this is roughly half. The rest has already been used."

"The source of this blood… is Lee."