One, two, three, four.
Lin counted the number of people in the room, including himself.
Why was there an extra person?
Vil-V sprang to her feet with a bounce. "Lin! You're finally back. I've been dying to introduce you to my new—"
"Why is Prometheus here?"
Lin stared straight at the only other "person" standing in the room. Her pretty, expressionless face retained its usual inorganic quality, but her physique had changed once again. Where she once had the form of a young girl, she now possessed a figure nearly identical to Vil-V.
"You haven't seen her in over a year and you recognized her instantly?" Vil-V crept up behind Prometheus and suddenly grabbed the two soft, bullet-resistant impact pads on Prometheus's chest. She began kneading them, laughing mischievously. "Look, Unit 1 is made entirely of Soul Steel. She can withstand high-intensity attacks while possessing flexibility identical to a human's. Huhu... This hair, this chest, these hips, these thighs... I even specially installed an artificial womb for her..."
Prometheus wore an expression of -_-, but she didn't resist. Lin shook his head at the "unsightly" scene before him, set his weapon case aside, and walked over to the group.
"Things are more complicated than I imagined."
"Mm... I can tell." Vil-V nodded with a smile, eyeing the spots on Lin clothes that were torn despite there being no wounds on his body.
"Any progress on the misunderstanding with Fire Moth?" Delta noticed those anomalies as well and asked with a frown, "People came to search today. I don't know how much longer you two can stay hidden."
"Some."
What Lin needed to do now was to sabotage the preparations for the KY Plan as much as possible, delay the higher-ups from revealing their hand, and then find a way to resolve the current crisis.
However... from Gray Serpent, he had seen certain things that gave rise to a tentative hypothesis.
But it was still just a hypothesis. Lin couldn't pin all his hopes on a guess.
Returning to the topic at hand, Lin looked at Prometheus, who was still being pawed at by Vil-V, and asked again: "Why is Prometheus here?"
"Good question. Simply put, she's here to help." Vil-V temporarily stopped her antics, picked up a piece of paper from the table to wipe her hands, and gave a radiant smile. "Specifically, she's here to deliver Soul Steel to me."
"..."
"Back when we were still at HQ, I had Prometheus collect as much Soul Steel as possible from shipments outside the base. After all, the management of Soul Steel at HQ is strict. The weapon case I made for you and the weapons inside were things I managed to get my hands on through... less than official means."
No wonder Lin hadn't seen Prometheus during their time back at headquarters; Vil-V had sent her out to steal Soul Steel long ago.
"Now we have enough Soul Steel, so we can continue." Vil-V wore a rare mocking expression. "Those guys told me I wasn't allowed to make it, so of course, I'm going to make it anyway. Since I'm not under their control right now, they can't stop me from doing whatever I want."
"Make what?"
"A Divine Key," Vil-V answered nonchalantly.
"..."
Lin remained silent for a few seconds before slowly asking, "A Divine Key?"
Vil-V nodded with certainty. "A Divine Key."
"...I see."
"Wait a minute!" Delta suddenly cut into their conversation, looking at Vil-V with suspicion. "By 'Divine Key,' do you mean that project involving weapons made from Herrscher Cores that was supposedly shut down a year ago?"
Vil-V crossed her arms. "That's the one."
"You're the creator of the Divine Keys?"
"Correct." Vil-V smiled easily.
Delta couldn't believe this eccentric woman was actually the person in charge of the Divine Key project. Didn't that mean her actual rank was quite high?
So that was it. When those two were asking about Dr. Vil-V whereabouts, it wasn't just because of Lin.
"But that doesn't make sense. You're making a Divine Key now? Isn't that a defunct project?"
"That's why I said I'm not under their control. The concept and design of the Divine Keys are now my private property. I'll do as I please."
"H-How are you going to do it?"
"The blueprints I left behind when I exited HQ have been completely perfected. Thanks to Mei's willingness to help, all that's left is to use the materials to bring the designs to life." Vil-V walked over to her portable computer and curled her lips into a proud smirk at what was on the screen.
"But even if you have Soul Steel now, aren't you still missing a Herrscher Core?"
Indeed, the Herrscher Core was the most critical component of a Divine Key. Even with Soul Steel as the primary structural material, it still lacked the core that provided its power and energy.
The regulation of Herrscher Cores within Fire Moth was of the highest level; "stealing" one was unrealistic.
"That is indeed a problem."
Vil-V turned to look at Lin.
"But also, not a problem."
Delta couldn't sleep.
Ever since Lin arrived, she had suffered from insomnia for days on end. Even when she did sleep, she had nightmares, feeling her mental state deteriorate day by day.
But tonight, her inability to sleep was for a different reason.
"Hehehe, Lin, move a little closer..."
"..."
"Unit 1, we'll flank him from both sides. He won't be able to escape."
"..."
The frequent rustling of fabric and someone's ambiguous, seductive voice drifted in from outside the bedroom door, reaching her ears with precision.
Furthermore, there were some... indescribable sounds. Just hearing them made Delta feel like her face was about to catch fire.
Finally...
Thud! The door was kicked open violently.
Delta, sporting dark circles under her eyes, stared with a ferocious expression at the three people sleeping on the floor in the living room.
Lin was sandwiched in the middle. He was lying flat with a calm face, but his hands were working hard to intercept the "wicked" hands of Vil-V and Prometheus, who was following Vil-V orders.
To call them "indecently dressed" or "exposed" would be an understatement. Delta could clearly see a portion of Vil-V body peeking out from under the quilt; she was wearing absolutely nothing. Prometheus wasn't much better.
The two girls were practically glued to Lin.
"You really are enjoying the blessings of having two wives, aren't you, Adjutant Lin?" Delta said sarcastically to the impassive Lin.
"..."
Lin actually didn't know why Vil-V was so passionate and aggressive today. Last time, she knew when to stop, but this time, it seemed she wouldn't be satisfied until she had devoured him whole.
"I think so too." Vil-V gave Delta a charming smile. "I've been improving Unit 1's body day by day, and now it's finally being put to good use."
"But this is my living room! I want to sleep!" Delta screamed, having reached the end of her rope.
"Mm..." Vil-V tilted her head, thinking blankly for a few seconds before retracting her hands. "Fine then."
She inconspicuously stuffed the things in her hands under her pillow.