Only Death Could Bring an End

Yong Xin?

Upon hearing the name, Ina's pupils narrowed slightly, and she immediately became alert.

Yong Xin clearly noticed Ina's change in expression and smiled slightly, "It seems you know me."

"Of course," Ina replied, trying to keep her tone as calm as possible. "It's hard not to know."

Of course, Ina knew Yong Xin.

She had heard long ago among a small group of Devil Squad that this man was a confidant of Bishop Huo Er Man of the Fourth District and was very likely to become the next bishop.

It's important to understand that the Devil Squad is a relatively closed organization, and news from the outside world generally has a hard time reaching them. However, Yong Xin's name circulated among them, suggesting he had the ability to transfer members of the Devil Squad to the rear, which was a significant power. Therefore, many Knights from the Devil Squad would try to visit him.

However, no one could say for sure what specific position Yong Xin held.

This made Ina somewhat suspicious of Yong Xin, but Ina herself didn't care much about anything outside, so she didn't pay much attention to it. After all, she didn't want to be transferred back, so she had never met him.

But now, she has encountered this legendary figure at this time, how could she not be wary?

"Hmm... judging from your reaction, it seems I don't have a very good impression on you," Yong Xin asked with a smile. "Is it just my imagination? Or do you actually have some issues with me?"

Although Ina wasn't particularly emotionally intelligent, she wouldn't tell the truth at a time like this, so she denied it, saying, "No, we've only just met, why would I have a problem with you?"

"Ah, is this our first meeting?" Yong Xin smiled meaningfully. "Yes, it is indeed our first meeting."

Yong Xin's smile made Ina feel very uncomfortable.

She felt the smile was fake, like a face not belonging to this body was draped over a skull.

Why do I feel this way?

Ina shook her head, banishing the strange thoughts from her mind, and then coldly asked, "What do you want from me?"

"Nothing's wrong," Yong Xin said, still smiling. "I just came to the archives to look up some information, and that's when I found you. To be honest, I was quite surprised, considering it's already this late. So I thought I'd come and see who was working so diligently, and then..."

As he spoke, he picked up one of the documents scattered on the table and waved it in front of Ina.

"I just discovered that the information you were looking up is very interesting. And coincidentally, I also know a little about this, so I couldn't help but answer you. If I offended you, I apologize."

Ina didn't care about being offensive; her focus was entirely on Yong Xin's claim of knowing a little about the subject.

At this moment, she also recalled that the first thing Yong Xin had said earlier was his own response to her question, "Is this really the case?"

So, Ina, who originally didn't want to have any more contact with Yong Xin, asked after a slight hesitation, "How much do you know about this? Can you tell me?"

"Of course," Yong Xin said with a smile. "I am honored to be able to offer some small assistance to the only woman in the Devil Squad."

Although they had never met, Ina was not surprised that Yong Xin knew her identity. She went straight to the point and asked, "You said earlier that such symptoms exist. Have you seen them?"

"Hehe, yes." Yong Xin sat down in the seat directly opposite Ina, flipping through the old documents as he spoke. "Because of the development of anti-pollution equipment, there have been very few civilians or Knight who have been contaminated like before in the last ten years. So it's normal for you to doubt the authenticity of these symptoms, since you've never seen them before."

Yong Xin paused for a moment, then smiled and said.

"Of course I have met him and had contact with him, but for various reasons, his case was not recorded."

Upon hearing this, Ina felt a jolt in her heart and sat down, looking directly into Yong Xin's seemingly unfathomable eyes.

And so the conversation began.

Why wasn't it recorded?

"I'm sorry, I can't answer that; it's confidential."

"Then who is he to you?"

All I can say is, he's a friend.

"... And what symptoms did he have?"

"Just like the materials you've been looking at," Yong Xin replied with a light laugh, "It feels like there's a different person inside me."

Ina frowned slightly.

She felt that Yong Xin seemed to have said a lot, but also seemed to have said nothing at all. When asked, he either said he couldn't say, or that it was in the documents. So what was the point of asking?

"Hehe, Miss Ina, I really can't talk about things that involve confidentiality." Yong Xin seemed to see what Ina was thinking and said with a smile, "But what I can say is definitely not just what is recorded in these documents, because I have talked to that person face to face for a long time. I can see many things that others cannot see and know many things that will not be recorded."

Ina raised an eyebrow. "For example?"

"For example... Miss Ina, have you ever heard this saying?" Yong Xin said, "The you of today is not the same person as the you of yesterday."

"... What kind of strange statement is that?"

"Hehe, it does sound a bit abstract, but we can make it more concrete," Yong Xin continued. "For example, when you were very young, you liked red, but as you grew up, something happened that made you dislike red and prefer black. So, is the you who likes red and the you who likes black still the same person?"

Ina was surprised when she first heard this.

She really liked red when she was little, but later she didn't like it anymore for some reason.

But how could he know?

Although somewhat surprised, Ina didn't dwell on the question for too long. After all, there were only a few colors, and it was a color that little girls liked, so saying red wouldn't be too surprising.

Therefore, she was still thinking more about the Yong Xin issue itself.

Although Yong Xin made the metaphor more concrete, Ina still felt somewhat unable to understand, so she shook her head and said, "I don't understand. I am who I am, and no matter what color I like, I am still me."

"That's right, that's how normal people would think," Yong Xin said. "But is it possible that the reason you think that way is because you like black right now? What if one day, a voice appears in your mind that knows everything about you, has had the same experiences as you, and is like another version of you, but the only difference is... she likes red."

Even though she was mentally prepared, a look of surprise still flashed across Ina's face at this moment.

"It seems you understand what I mean," Yong Xin said softly. "This is the essence of this symptom. You will feel that the voice arguing with you in your mind is not a stranger, but your past self, or... your reborn self. Of course, the point of your argument is definitely not something as simple as your favorite color."

"Instead, they will be more contradictory, more conflicting, or even completely incompatible."

Ina struggled to maintain her composure, then looked into Yong Xin's eyes and asked, "What do you mean by things that are completely incompatible? If you're talking about ideas, are there really ideas that can rise to the point of being incompatible?"

"In other places... I mean, other churches, this problem might not exist, but it's different in Lyra." Yong Xin smiled and tapped his head with his finger. "Because the Lyra People are special. In our minds, there is something at the very bottom, um... you can call it logic. You should know what that is."

"...The rules." Ina seemed to understand something.

"Yes, Lyra is a city built on rules. This uniqueness is unparalleled even in the entire world. The Lyra People are also the most law-abiding, not because of any high moral character, but because, for them, obeying the rules is as natural as breathing," Lyra People said Yong Xin. "And if another personality emerges in your mind that contradicts this most fundamental rule, do you think you can coexist with that personality?"

A brief silence followed.

Ina asked, "Then what are the consequences of not being able to coexist?"

"This is a conflict between two paths, and only death can end it."

"Death?" Ina asked, "Death of personality?"

"Yes." Yong Xin nodded. "At the beginning, the two personalities will test each other and try to understand each other. For people with a gentle personality, they may even try to merge or coexist. But this is only temporary. In the end, there will only be one result: one personality will kill the other, so that the split souls can be reunited as one."

Upon hearing this, Ina felt somewhat dazed, and the image of Jie La Er she had seen that afternoon flashed through her mind once again.

That completely unfamiliar expression, that completely unfamiliar tone, and that one sentence.

Everything of this matches Yong Xin's description.

So, is this the situation he is facing?

Ina continued to try to maintain a calm facade, not letting her inner thoughts slip out.

Then she asked Yong Xin one last question, "So what was the final outcome for your friend? Which of his two personalities... won?"

When she asked the question, Ina unconsciously clenched her hands.

Yong Xin pretended not to see and slowly recounted. "After some time, my friend finally faced his last 'battle' with that new personality. Before that, he told me that if he failed, I should kill him immediately, because he knew very well how crazy and disorderly his new personality was. And I agreed to his request."

Ina didn't speak, but just looked quietly into Yong Xin's eyes, though her breathing gradually slowed down.

Finally, he opened his eyes, and then smiled and told me that he had won.

At that moment, Ina's slowed breathing immediately returned to normal.

"It seems like a good ending," Ina said, feigning calmness. "He didn't suffer any lasting effects afterward, did he?"

"No." Yong Xin shrugged, then smiled and said, "He even felt like he had been reborn."

This is truly... like being reborn.

Jie La Er looked at himself in the mirror with great surprise.

Of course, he wasn't that narcissistic; more accurately, he was looking at the metal parts on his body.

These are all brand new; Ju just changed his clothes.

Yes, they changed it again.

But it's not just a simple replacement; much more has been added.

Jie La Er could even sense that he could already use this part of his metal body and prosthetics to perform "overload".

Yes, Ju upgraded his metal bodies from "civilian" to "military".

Although it doesn't quite meet the "military" standard yet, and it's far inferior to the basic configuration of the Evening Star Corps ten years ago, the fact that it can be considered military-grade is enough based on its [overload] capability alone.

This is something that only an intermediate-level Mechanic can do.

But it was done by a ten-year-old girl named Ju.

Jie La Er looked at Tachibana beside him, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"How did you do that?" Jie La Er couldn't help but ask again, even though this wasn't the first time he'd asked.

Ju, without getting tired of it, raised her hand and pointed to the open booklet on the table.

The manual was naturally left by Orange's father, Eric.

Eric was a crazy mechanic, and he bought the warehouse to satisfy his research desires.

That booklet was one of his research findings—"How to manufacture military products using civilian components."

Under Lyra's laws, it is illegal to manufacture prosthetics of military specifications without a permit, but it doesn't matter if it's just a design that hasn't been put into practice yet. Eric probably just wanted to satisfy his own desire for development, so he created a sketch.

But he certainly never imagined that the content of the sketch would be created by his own daughter and used on his old captain Jie La Er.

This left Jie La Er feeling both emotional and surprised.

The surprising thing is not that Eric could create such a sketch, but that Tachibana was able to actually complete it based on just this sketch.

She was clearly just a ten-year-old child.

Such overflowing talent!

Jie La Er felt that with Tachibana's abilities, she would definitely surpass her father if things progressed normally.

Only...

Seeing Tachibana begin to pack up her tools, Jie La Er felt a pang of sadness.

The children of rebels are absolutely forbidden from touching military equipment. In fact, they would find it difficult to even become the most basic Mechanic. If the equipment that Tachibana created is discovered by others, she will be punished immediately and become the next rebel.

If it weren't for Jie La Er, Tachibana would never have had the chance to showcase her talent.

But... it is precisely because of Jie La Er that Tachibana is unable to showcase her talents in this way.

This made Jie La Er feel a little uncomfortable, because when he asked Tachibana what kind of person she wanted to be, his intention was to help her and do everything he could to achieve it.

But all Ju wanted to do was to complete her father's design, or rather, to do what any normal Mechanic could do.

What she did was also beneficial to Jie La Er.

This naturally made Jie La Er feel somewhat unacceptable. Just as he was about to say something more to Tachibana, Bai Wei's voice suddenly rang slowly in his mind. "Interesting."

"What?"

"Didn't you notice?" Bai Wei said, "Isn't it against the rules to do this kind of processing for you?"

Jie La Er frowned slightly. "You still care about the rules?"

"Of course I don't care, and neither do you," Bai Wei said calmly. "But have you forgotten something? I don't care because I'm not Lyra People at all, and you don't care because you've been influenced by me."

Bai Wei paused for a moment, then said with a half-smile.

"Then why doesn't she care?"

Jie La Er's pupils narrowed slightly, then he looked at Tachibana's back again.

Yes, he almost forgot the most crucial question.

Under Bai Wei's influence, he can no longer abide by Lyra's rules, but why can Ju do so?

There was no Bai Wei in the orange, and it was obviously not contaminated.

What happened?

Although surprised, Jie La Er didn't directly ask Tachibana, knowing she definitely didn't know, so he asked Bai Wei, "Do you have any clues?"

"I just have a guess," Bai Wei said calmly. "Alright, stop playing house here and let's get going. Take me somewhere."

"Now?" Jie La Er asked. "Where?"

"A place that records the history of Lyra?" Bai Wei asked. "Does such a place exist?"

Jie La Er thought for a moment, then nodded.

"The archives of the Tower of Babel."