Washing away the old dust, body and mind felt refreshed.
At noon, Lin Wei, "as promised," brought Seele and the others back to the orphanage to meet with Cocolia again.
"Lord Welt."
While they were still on the way, Cocolia had already spotted Lin Wei's group and was waiting outside the gate.
Bronya glanced up at Lin Wei. Although she already knew the whole story from him, hearing Cocolia call him by that name still gave her an indescribably strange feeling.
"Mhm."
Lin Wei nodded nonchalantly and gently patted Bronya's small shoulder. "I've brought the children back to you."
Then, as if he were truly the Sovereign of Anti-Entropy, he walked past Cocolia with a calm and composed expression and entered the orphanage.
"It seems Your Lordship is satisfied with the new clothes I took the liberty of preparing."
Cocolia's gaze lingered on each of her three daughters for a second, showing no emotion at their safe return, as if they were just irrelevant passersby. She turned and followed behind Lin Wei, strictly observing the etiquette of a subordinate, but her words were a subtle probe.
"But I don't see that new colleague with the unfamiliar face."
Lin Wei raised his hand, and Schrödinger slowly appeared by his side. She nodded gently to Cocolia and said calmly, "Hello, Ms. Cocolia. I've heard a lot about you."
And she truly had heard a lot about her. Her group's reputation had been all but ruined by this woman's hands—though that had happened in another world.
"Let me introduce you. This is Dr. Schrödinger."
You want to see her, I'll let you see her. Lin Wei calmly introduced her, then suddenly said, "Cocolia, how is the investigation going? Has Schicksal made any major moves recently?"
His tone wasn't harsh, but it wasn't polite either, filled with the arrogance and pressure of a superior to a subordinate.
"...According to my investigation over the past two days, everything is as usual with Schicksal."
Cocolia was still pondering the famous name. She was a little surprised by Lin Wei's directness, but she didn't hesitate. She stopped and asked, "Including the major battle you mentioned that resulted in heavy losses for both sides... Forgive me, but I have not found any clues."
"Is that so?"
Of course you can't, Lin Wei thought, but he said, "If you send a force to attack Schicksal, you'll naturally be able to probe their true strength."
Behind him, Cocolia's footsteps had unknowingly stopped.
"What's wrong?" Lin Wei asked, feigning confusion.
"Unfortunately, I have sent out two forces to attack Schicksal's Far East and Oceania branches respectively," Cocolia said with a calm expression.
"Schicksal's S-rank Valkyries responded quickly, and our forces suffered heavy losses."
"Oh, is that so?" Lin Wei's brow furrowed, and he sneered. "If you have doubts about my identity, it's better to be direct. There's no need to waste time on such a low-level and absurd trick."
"A trick? Heh, to investigate an enemy's unknown intelligence, there is nothing faster than throwing a stone to test the path," Cocolia said coldly.
"The results of the probe are clear. Everything is normal with Schicksal."
For a moment, the already howling sea wind seemed to have grown a few degrees colder.
Lin Wei's expression was calm as he sneered, "Is that so? The more you say that, the more it proves you didn't do it at all."
The air grew even more still. But the next second, it began to flow again.
"As expected, I can't hide anything from the Sovereign." Cocolia sighed.
"The two forces that attacked Schicksal did achieve some results, and Schicksal's support was indeed a little slow. But other intelligence departments have made no progress, so I still have some doubts about Your Lordship's previous words."
Then, she lowered her head slightly, as if willing to accept punishment.
Lin Wei looked at her deeply. After a few seconds, he slowly spoke again. "Cocolia, you probably haven't seen me for a while, have you? Otherwise, why would you probe me like this?"
"I don't quite understand, my lord."
"Hehe, Schicksal has just been hit, but as they say, 'a tiger's might remains even in death.' The more they are provoked at a time like this, the more fiercely they will react. I'll be direct. If you had really sent forces to attack Schicksal, their support would have been very active, but how could a seemingly strong but inwardly weak reinforcement have caused you heavy losses?"
Lin Wei sneered and slowly paced. "Besides, since you're so suspicious of what I've said, at this critical moment when the X-10 is in urgent need of completion, how could you possibly provoke Schicksal?"
"..."
Cocolia was silent.
"Alright, withdraw your ambush. A perfectly good orphanage, without a single sound of children laughing and playing, but the buzzing of mechanical rotors is everywhere."
Lin Wei waved his hand and walked away a dozen meters.
He raised his walking stick and tapped it in the air, as if it had hit something hard, making a crisp clang, clang sound of metal striking metal. He couldn't help but smile.
"Caution is good, Cocolia. If I were an enemy of Schicksal in disguise, luring me into a trap without a sound would indeed be a smart move. However, I am not your enemy, and these arrangements of yours cannot take down the First Herrscher, even if his condition is not good."
Lin Wei's voice still carried a hint of weakness from his recent illness, but his tone and demeanor were always calm and composed, as if he were the real Sovereign of Anti-Entropy. "Now that we've come this far, as an Executive of Anti-Entropy, do you really intend to continue probing me?"
Show some respect to your Lord Welt!
"My apologies, Sovereign. But this matter is of great importance. As an Executive of Anti-Entropy, it is my duty to be cautious."
Cocolia's expression was calm, showing not a single trace of shame at having her thoughts exposed.
She gently raised her hand, and to the astonishment of Seele not far away, large swathes of the surrounding air distorted.
Hundreds of ambushing mecha, a magnificent and menacing sight, simultaneously deactivated their stealth. In the courtyard, outside the courtyard, on the rooftops, and even in the sky, there were large and small flying mecha.
Then they all disappeared in a flash of blue light, as if everything had just been a small illusion.
"The Sovereign's identity is ever-changing, and you have not shown yourself in Anti-Entropy for a long time. To suddenly appear in my territory in this way is indeed suspicious. Even though you have proven your identity with the authority to suppress all things, Otto is a conspirator who is proficient in human cloning. I must be on my guard."
Lin Wei burst out laughing, applauding in admiration. "Hahaha, even after all this, our dear Lady Cocolia still hasn't completely let down her guard, has she?"
Cocolia was silent for a moment, then after some thought, she said, "That was indeed the case. But Your Lordship's mind is so meticulous, you cannot be a simple clone. If you really are not Lord Welt himself, then it could only be that the Overseer of Schicksal has come in person."
Tsk, this woman is truly remarkable!
"Alright, we've wasted enough time. It's time to talk business."
Lin Wei walked back to Cocolia's side at a leisurely pace and said in a commanding tone, "Take me to your laboratory in the Sea of Okhotsk. Since I'm back, the X-10 experiment should be restarted."
The only secret you have of any value is the X-10. Now I even know where your most hidden laboratory is. Can you still suspect me of being Otto?
"...Yes, my lord."
Cocolia obviously understood Lin Wei's subtext. After a slight pause, she obediently agreed.
As a loyal subordinate, it was right to follow her superior's instructions.
"Mhm, bring Seele along." Lin Wei nodded. "As for Dr. Schrödinger, you can have her as your assistant, or simply as my escort for protection."
Schrödinger silently watched Lin Wei's performance without saying a word.
"This lady's appearance is so peculiar, it's quite memorable," Cocolia said. After all, that half-real, half-phantom face was indeed a bit frightening.
"I ended up like this thanks to Otto. I was only recently found by this gentleman here," Schrödinger said, fiddling with her starry Roman curls, her tone flat. "I am just a researcher responsible for observation and recording. If Ms. Cocolia still has any doubts about my identity, you can make other arrangements for me. I will have no objections."
"That won't be necessary," Cocolia said after staring at her for two seconds. She thought to herself that if there was anything suspicious about her, it was better to keep her in sight than to leave her in a place where she couldn't be seen.
Schrödinger naturally had no objections.
Seeing that the adults had decided to take Seele to that laboratory, Bronya opened her mouth, wanting to say something, but held back.
"Bronya, thank you for taking care of me these past few days."
Lin Wei walked over and gently patted her silver-gray head, sighing a little. "Perhaps, the next time we meet, you won't remember me anymore."
He couldn't help but feel a little sad. Although it wasn't a matter of life and death, things would never be the same.
In the end, he could leave nothing behind here, and take nothing away. Only a story and an experience that would remain in his and Seele's memories.
Ten minutes later, a helicopter landed here in the howling snow and wind, took on several passengers, and then flew away again.
Bronya watched silently from the ground until the plane became a small dot and disappeared into the vast snow and wind, remaining silent for a long time.
"You could have gone with them, Bronya."
Sin also stood beside Bronya, uncharacteristically quiet, so quiet that she didn't seem like the usually boisterous Sin Mal at all.
"..."
Bronya silently shook her head. It was just a brief encounter between a bird and a fish. How far could they have gone together?
She watched them go in silence, then silently looked away and turned to leave.
"Let's go, Sin. Today... let's have lunch together."
"...Okay."