After releasing such murderous intent, Kentaro finally calmed himself down and left the room. Kyler turned to Lily and commanded, "Escort him to his room. Give him the file on the new recruits, and tell him to come to my office tomorrow—we need to discuss his injuries further," he said with a lunatic grin.
Lily did exactly what he said. She approached Kentaro and spoke with a relaxed tone, "Why do you look so serious? You already know how that guy is."
"You knew I was Vedanta from the start, didn't you?" Kentaro asked calmly.
"The guy who's been helping countries willing to pay more, making sure they win any war or resolve any political issue for the past ten years," she said.
Kentaro didn't respond.
"You little—are you ignoring me?" Lily said, clearly annoyed.
Still no reply.
"What is that bastard planning…" Kentaro muttered with a concerned tone. "I've had seven surgeries on this body and none of them worked. I've tried everything. He says he can fix it for sure? How?"
Lily replied, "He may be a lunatic, but he knows what he's doing. You should at least trust him a little."
Kentaro gave her a silent look.
She continued, "Also, he told me to give you the recruit files—but I'll give them to you after you've recovered. Anyway, visit him tomorrow morning in his cabin."
Kentaro sighed, "Whatever," he said nonchalantly.
As they reached the main hall of the base, still talking, Lily added, "Let me show you your room."
They started walking down the central pathway. Everything around them was made of high-grade metal and advanced technology. When they reached the room, Lily said, "Here you go. Your daughter and gramps are inside. Don't forget to come to the office tomorrow morning."
Kentaro nodded but didn't look at her or meet her eyes. He entered the room, and Lily left.
The room wasn't too big, but it was enough for the three of them to live comfortably. Plain walls, three beds, a small table with chairs in the corner, and an attached bathroom.
As soon as Kentaro entered, Mira shouted, "Papa! Welcome back!" with a bright smile and ran to him, climbing onto his shoulders.
Anri and the old man were there too.
"She's always happy to see her dad," Anri said.
Kentaro smiled.
"It's time for me to go. See you both soon—bye!" Anri said to Kentaro and Mira, then left.
Kentaro gently placed Mira in his lap and sat across from the old man.
"What happened?" the old man asked.
"What do you mean? It was just work-related, nothing serious," Kentaro replied.
There was a knock at the door. Kentaro stood and opened it. A man stood there holding three boxes—it was dinner.
He handed them over and left.
Kentaro brought the food inside, opened the boxes, and they all ate. It was chicken curry and rice.
By the time they finished, it was already late. The old man had dozed off.
Kentaro carried Mira to her bed and stayed with her until she fell asleep. He was just about to go to bed himself when—
"Now you wanna talk about it?" the old man said. He'd been awake all along.
Kentaro hesitated, then spoke with a nervous, tense voice. "He said he can fix my damaged body."
The old man shot up. "Are you out of your mind? You've already had seven surgeries! Another one could kill you!"
Kentaro lowered his head. "I know. But how am I supposed to fight with this broken body? I don't trust him, but… if I don't do something, I'm gonna die anyway. I don't know what to do."
The old man looked at him, concern in his eyes. "Kid, don't carry this all on your own. You've got Mira now—she's your responsibility. You can't die. Not for yourself, but for her. I won't stop you. But whatever you decide, make sure you think of her."
Kentaro didn't reply. Head bowed, he went to bed.
The old man also turned in. But Kentaro's mind was a mess.
He got up again, worked out a little, trying to clear his head. After some time, he lay back down and finally fell asleep.
---
Meanwhile, in Kyler's cabin, Lily stood silently.
Kyler stared at the screen and said, "That boy's grown up."
Lily replied with a mix of concern and relief, "Yeah… he's not the scared cat he used to be."
Kyler nodded. "We don't have much time. Everything depends on what he chooses next."
Lily didn't say anything.
Kyler smirked slightly. "Things are getting interesting," he said, hands folded behind his back as he looked at the glowing screens.
---
The Next Morning
Lily went to Kentaro's room to bring him to Kyler's office. But as soon as she arrived, she noticed something was wrong. Mira and the old man were in a panic.
"What's going on? Where's Kentaro?" Lily asked.
"He's been gone since morning," the old man said.
Lily was shocked.
"What are you doing, Kentaro?" she thought.
---
Somewhere far below the base, in a dark and narrow passage, Kentaro was already moving forward—alone.