"BINGO!"

KP applauded admiringly, expressing his appreciation without reservation. "You are an outstanding Investigator, Miss Ai! Congratulations on unraveling the hidden puzzle of this module—the death of Paracelsus!"

He paused, revealing a mysterious smile. "If you manage to complete the secret mission, after clearing the module, I will present you with an extra reward that, I assure you, is no less valuable than a shard of the Philosopher's Stone."

Ai Qing, however, felt no joy at this.

Because this was the mission Abraham Van Helsing could not escape.

To completely extinguish this miracle!

In silence, Huai Shi stared blankly at the ceiling for a long time. Then, he turned to look at Lily's figure as she operated the Alchemy Equipment and said softly, "If only I had discovered this sooner."

Ai Qing scoffed at such weakness. "And would that have made it any easier for you to do it?"

"I don't know. At least then I could have lied to myself—that everyone on this ship deserved their fate."

"You can still lie to yourself now. Tell yourself this is just a game, a piece of history, and no matter what you do, no record of retribution will be kept."

"Yes."

Huai Shi closed his eyes. This is just a record, a record of the past. It isn't even something that truly happened, just a game constructed from shards of the Philosopher's Stone. Just like he had done in the records before. He should be used to it by now. Just pull the trigger. It doesn't matter if it's an old person or a child in front of you; they're long dead, and it has nothing to do with you... This is just a game, but you can still gain something from it. How wonderful.

Yet when Huai Shi looked at Lily's back, he didn't know what to do.

She had her back to Huai Shi, completely unguarded.

She was concentrating on adjusting the proportions of the Potion in the Crucible, absorbed and relaxed, as if she were in her own home, softly humming an unfamiliar tune.

Huai Shi was almost completely certain that this wasn't an illusion like a Doppelgänger, but the real, whole Lily.

He didn't even need the Axe.

Just pulling out the Flying Knives, which were close at hand, would end it all.

His fingers twitched.

Ultimately, they retreated weakly.

"I can't do it, Ai Qing."

Huai Shi sighed despondently, his eyes drooping tiredly. "If I killed her, I'm afraid I'd become the very person I despise most."

If he killed Lily here, how would he be any different from that instructor who once slaughtered an entire village for a trivial reason? And where would that leave the part of him that had been so angry and sorrowful about it? Would he be killing his past self? Perhaps Ai Qing would tell him this is growth. That so-called growth is denying one's past self.

Huai Shi never minded denying himself. But he couldn't imagine facing Lily lying in a pool of blood.

Would her pure eyes, in the end, regret trusting him? Would they show anger? Sorrow? Or would it be that tranquil acceptance of everything, even at the very end?

"What would you do if you were in my shoes, Ai Qing?"

"I'd probably hesitate too, just like you," Ai Qing replied calmly. "But in the end, I think I would kill her. I need to preserve myself. No matter what happens, I have to survive."

"..." Huai Shi fell silent.

"Do you want me to give you an order, Huai Shi?" Ai Qing asked. "Just as I ordered you to spare Qi Yuan's life, I can order you to kill her—if you wish, I can do that. After all, that's the nature of our relationship: you act, and I handle the rest. The title 'Inspector' exists for this very reason, so you don't need to have any concerns."

Huai Shi did not respond.

"Then, Huai Shi, I command you." Ai Qing's voice was cruel as she commanded, "Complete your mission. Kill Lily."

"Wait a moment..." Huai Shi instinctively started to speak, but in that instant, he finally understood.

"See? Only when the coin lands do you realize which side you were hoping for." Ai Qing sighed and lowered her eyes. "From now on, I will give you no more commands, Huai Shi. You'll have to make your own decisions and face the consequences yourself."

"But is this really okay?"

Across the table, KP asked with a smile, "He doesn't even know this decision concerns your life."

"No, I believe you've been obscuring one point all along."

Ai Qing looked up at him. "Even if he doesn't complete his mission, as long as he sets foot on the New World, it means he's cleared the module. To survive, it's not absolutely necessary to kill Lily."

"It does sound that way indeed, and I don't deny your speculation," KP shrugged. "A pity. I thought you would be more decisive, more resolute... more like the person I read about in the files."

"People always change, don't they?" Ai Qing asked coldly. "Besides, making him kill Lily—that's your real goal, isn't it, KP?"

"..."

KP fell silent for a moment, then nodded slowly. "Indeed."

"I've seen no fairness in your game, or at least... not the fairness described in your Rule Book."

"Ah, you need to understand, it's like 'justice,'" KP said with an ambiguous smile. "It might arrive late, but occasionally... it's simply absent."

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