Evan paused for a moment, contemplating Zain's words.
"Yes, you're right."
"By the way, Zain, why didn't you blur my memory like they did?"
"Why would I?"
"Well, because... I might spread rumors about you and the village?"
"Would you?"
"No."
Silence fell between them again.
"Zain."
"Hm?"
"When the world is destroyed, the law is destroyed too. But humans still need law to live in this world."
"I became a law enforcement agency because I know the importance of law."
"But Zain, even though the law exists, crime, injustice, and violations still occur."
"Sometimes, right becomes wrong, and wrong becomes right."
"If there's insufficient evidence, criminals can't be named suspects. Even now, even if someone has bad intentions, they can still hide behind the excuse of lack of evidence and perhaps still be useful."
"Even though all the evidence is clear, with money, they can still go unpunished."
"And even now, those who awaken power want power in their own name."
"Not for order or anything. Just for the thirst for power."
"There are even those who are becoming greedy and seeking any means to attain immortality."
"Zain, is all this in vain?"
Evan looked at Zain with an expression expecting an answer.
"Why do you ask me?"
"Because I want to hear your answer."
"Hmm..." Zain paused for a moment.
"Is it in vain? I don't know. I can't say for sure."
"There are many things in this world. It all depends on how a person responds to them."
"Like ink leaking from a pen."
"It will stain your hand and ruin your writing."
"Like torn paper."
"You can no longer read what's written on it, or write anything on it."
"But, is the ink from a pen only for writing? Is paper only for holding writing?"
Zain looked at Evan.
"Hmm... maybe the ink can be used for painting? And the paper for crafts?" Evan replied with some hesitation.
"Is that so? I'll throw it away." Zain said.
"Ah." Evan felt a little embarrassed.
"But what you said isn't wrong. Everyone has their own perspective."
"Nothing can truly be called truth and nothing can truly be called justice."
"Even with divine intervention." Zain mumbled a little.
Although he spoke softly, the quiet space allowed Evan to hear him.
"What does that mean?"
"Ah, that..." Zain considered for a moment whether to explain it to Evan or not.
Zain stood up from his seat.
"Evan, do you want to see something?" Zain said, not continuing his sentence.
"What?" Evan asked.
Zain didn't answer and started walking away. Evan also stood up, following Zain from behind.
Evan didn't ask where they were going, and walked quietly. With every step they took, the grass they stepped on sent up fireflies with every step.
The dark and quiet streets didn't feel scary at all.
...
In a house in the city of Lumiville, a young woman sat in front of a computer and a collection of other software.
Her fingers skillfully typed rapidly on the keyboard. Her eyes, also scanning the screen, were also rapidly scanning.
Because of her rather cute face and less-than-ideal height, a glance would likely lead to other thinking she was a high school student, not a grown woman.
Amidst the silence, a cell phone suddenly rang, slightly distracting her. She glanced at her phone to see who was calling. With a slight frown, she answered the call.
"What?"
["What? I just wanted to remind you to stand up, or you'll lose even more height."] Said someone on the phone in a friendly voice but with a mocking tone.
Hearing this, the girl didn't say a word. However, her facial expression suggested she would kill the person if she were in front of him.
With a snarl of annoyance, she immediately hung up.
However, the phone rang again. She hung it up again. The person called her again. The girl answered the call again.
"Say that again and I'll really chew your head off." The girl said.
["Can you even reach it?"] The person on the phone replied.
"You...?!!!"
["Ahahaha, sorry, sorry. Don't ma-" ]
Before the man on the other end could finish speaking, the girl turned off her phone.
After a while, the doorbell rang.
Someone kept ringing. A security camera showed a man.
"Hey, I brought some stir-fried beef." The man held out a package of food to the camera.
The girl opened the door. With a still-annoyed expression, she looked at the man in front of her.
He was handsome and friendly, with peaceful dark gray eyes. Darren Watch.
The girl immediately snatched the package from Darren.
"Hey, share some with me too." Darren said, following the girl into the house.
"Tch." The girl clicked her tongue in annoyance.
After preparing the food, they sat down and ate together, and began to chat.
"So, why are you here?" The girl asked.
"I haven't seen you in almost three months. Why? Can't I?" Darren replied.
"Whatever." The girl said.
Her angry expression had now subsided.
After finishing cleaning the dining table, the girl returned to her room and returned to her computer.
Darren followed her. The girl wasn't bothered because they were used to this.
Darren browsed a bookshelf and took one from it. He started reading, titled 'Snowflakes'.
As he flipped through the pages, he talked to the girl.
"So, what have you found?"
"Some research data, and the president's involvement in supporting the formation of the Awakened Union."
"Ah, so they really want to create something beyond the government's authority? And why is the president himself involved?"
"The president is dead, he's not actually involved, but his deputy is."
"But why doesn't anyone know?"
"Who knows, maybe all the members of parliament have been silenced, and maybe they're all involved. With the president's illness as an excuse, there's no need for him to appear in public."
"So, the news was faked." Darren said.
"Yes." The girl nodded.
"Ah, so this is the deputy's greed, huh? Ah, it can't just be the deputy, greed exists in everyone. If only we could spread this news freely, it would definitely cause a stir."
"Of course, but what can we do... not everything will go according to our wishes."
"Yes... and they could also shoot us at a moment's notice." Darren said with a bitter smile.
"So, what about the hospital?" The woman asked.
"Hmm, so far no problems. Just sick and injured people. By the way, is Nexus involved too?"
"I guess."
They both sighed almost simultaneously.
"Oh yeah, someone complimented your book cover earlier."
"Thanks."
"Well, your drawing was really good. But you chose to become a hacker instead."
"This one's more fun."
"And what's this list?" Darren pointed to one of the visible files.
"People involved with Jeff Harion."
"Ah, the Eternity Project?"
The girl nodded.
"He's a lunatic." They both spoke almost simultaneously.
"So, are you going to send it to Major Jihan?"
"Yeah, later."
"Huh, not many people can be trusted."
The girl nodded in agreement.
After finishing their other discussions, Darren excused himself to go home.
"Oh yeah, Tania, next week I'm going to visit Mr. Zain. Do you want to come?" Darren asked before leaving.
"Next week..." Tania mumbled before answering.
"I'll go," Tania replied.
"Okay." Darren then left for his house.