But Caroline's guess about Su Wen had been partly right.
At this moment, no one understood more clearly than he did:
It was time to reveal the Plot Hook in this game centered around Deep Tokyo.
Taking Natsume Chie through this story, attempting to enter Deep Tokyo, searching for clues related to the enemy, and speaking with Ifasta—
Everything had been part of his plan.
That was precisely why, after hearing Old Seren's story, he had reorganized and adjusted his plans, having Caroline launch a ten-second global livestream:
That brief exposure had not been pointless. It was meant to lay the groundwork for public opinion ahead of his ultimate move, firmly tying it to the "Deep Tokyo Crisis" in the world's eyes.
"So,
Mr. Selen.
Let me fill in the ending of this story."
"You can kill the Swarm across ranks?"
The old man paused, his tone carrying a touch more reminiscence and solemnity.
"This was a subject my old friend Sephi devoted his entire life to studying. Even after exhausting every ounce of his effort, he only figured out how to seal these 'proliferators.' He never dared hope to eradicate them completely."
"That is why
you were never able to decipher the code she left behind."
Su Wen slowly shook his head.
Yet his thoughts involuntarily drifted back to the moment he had first met Lucia Ferdinand:
That had been beneath the historical projection of the Russian Federation, amid the final afterglow of the Silver Star Ring Witch Society, and during Eternal Dawn's judgment of the Savior Witch.
It had been after the Second Macro Chronicle,
during the slumber within the Broken Star Ring.
It had been the girl who, after the historical timeline shifted, had looked up at the mechanical radiance of the Silver Star Ring alongside him