A Plan Beyond the Assassination Plan

Inside the Third Research Institute of the Fire Moth.

Modesti looked at Marshall, who was all smiles, and asked in a deep voice, "Now can you tell me why the plan was suddenly brought forward? Don't you know how much disrupting the original plan will affect the assassination?"

"Heh..." Marshall shrugged and said, "If Xila hadn't completely ignored my instructions, I wouldn't even have thought of informing you."

"I'm truly sorry to disappoint you," Modesti said coldly. "Xila only obeys my orders as the commander, and I was in full charge of this assassination plan. You were merely an accomplice, yet you dare to overstep your bounds?"

"After all, plans never keep up with changes, do they?" Marshall shrugged. "Alright, Modesti, now you give the order for Xila to come with me and kill Mobius. As for you, stay outside and try to attract everyone's attention. I can guarantee that Mobius will die this time."

Modesti stared coldly at Marshall, who seemed not to have listened to her at all, still acting as if he was giving orders.

"I can't let Xila and you take risks until you tell me your detailed plans!" Modesti said. Xila was her only card to play at the moment, and she would never easily hand over command of Xila.

A hint of impatience flashed in Marshall's eyes, but his tone remained calm. "You've planned many assassinations before. It's best for you to stay outside and direct those people to draw attention. As for Xila, you and I both know that Mobius must die; she won't live past tomorrow night. I advise you to make a decision quickly. The assassination operation has already begun. Those rabble outside won't take long for the Fire Moth's security personnel to suppress them. If we miss the best opportunity and fail to kill Mobius, neither you nor I will be able to explain ourselves."

"Ridiculous, you're the only one who can't Marshall." Modesti was getting anxious, but her expression remained mocking. "If the assassination fails, I can simply say that you acted ahead of time, without communicating with any of us or revealing any information to us. I have no reason to believe you."

Modesti now somewhat resigned to her fate. Regardless of whether the assassination succeeds or fails, she will be pushed out as a scapegoat anyway, so she might as well make sure she has all the information in her own hands and put all her bets on Mobius.

Marshall finally couldn't hold back his laughter. He looked at Modesti with a gloomy expression. He hadn't expected this woman to be so difficult to deal with. He believed that the conditions he offered wouldn't be bad. After all, as long as Modesti handed over command of Xila, wouldn't it be safe for her to command those cannon fodder outside?

He certainly had his own plans, but he had no intention of telling anyone about them. The higher-ups only cared about the results; they didn't care about the details. That was why he accepted this secret order. He had enough room to maneuver, and the fewer people who knew about his plans and what he wanted to do, the better. He didn't want to leave any evidence against him.

However, without Xila's command, he lacked the confidence to deal with Zhu Yufeng.

The warrior who recently achieved outstanding results in pursuing Elysia, if he hadn't sided with Mobius, would have been admired by many in the higher-ups. Even the one who gave him the secret order said that, unless absolutely necessary, only Mobius should be killed.

That guy's appearance practically trampled everyone underfoot.

Some might say that it's because he's talented, trains harder than anyone else, and has a high task completion rate, so it's only natural that he gets the attention he deserves.

But there will always be people who dislike him. Just look at the people around him. He has gained the favor of Mobius, is Elysia's second-in-command, has a cheerful and optimistic junior like Pardofelis, and is a distinguished guest of the Spiral Workshop. Even the cold and taciturn former assassin relaxes when talking to him.

They'd think, "Why? Is it because he's talented, or because he's so good at dating, that he can get involved with so many girls?"

Most importantly, this guy's attitude is that he can hardly remember people's names, as if everyone is indifferent to him. In his daily life, apart from Elysia and the others, or the other two, Kevin and Kosma, he rarely interacts with others.

It's as if they look down on everyone else.

The higher-ups, of course, didn't think anything of it. What's wrong with not communicating much with others? Did it affect his missions against the Honkai? Or did it affect the unity within the Fire Moth? He didn't speak ill of anyone, did he? It's just that he doesn't communicate much and doesn't remember names very well, right? Which outstanding talent doesn't have some flaws?

Well... except for Elysia.

Marshall considered himself an excellent warrior of the Fire Moth, aside from often doing dirty work for the higher-ups. However, ever since Zhu Yufeng arrived, the warriors frequently discussed outstanding talents, except for Elysia and Zhu Yufeng. If that were all, it wouldn't be so bad, but what was most unsettling was his relationship with those around him.

Marshall looked at Modesti, knowing he only had this one chance. After weighing the pros and cons, he finally spoke, "The director of the Third Institute is prepared to cooperate with us to kill Mobius. Xila will draw the attention of those around Mobius, allowing him to make his move. Even if he fails, he will have attracted enough attention, and if I then act, I will surely succeed. Alright, that's my plan. Can you hand over command of Xila?"

Modesti looked at Marshall and smiled mockingly, "I'm really sorry, your plan is indeed feasible, but unfortunately, I don't think you are qualified to take over the command of Xila. After all, it's always more reassuring to hold the knife in your own hand, isn't it? Let me fight alongside you. Let's hurry up. Like you said, those cannon fodder will be suppressed in no time."

Marshall stared at Modesti, a cold smile playing on his lips. He had already given Modesti a way out, but she insisted on heading towards her doom. It was none of his business now; saying anything more would just be a waste of time. So, he finally nodded and said, "Then come with me. Mobius and the others are quite a distance from here. Let's hurry."

Modesti glanced at Marshall and quickly followed. With her keen eye for people, she knew this kid definitely had something else he hadn't revealed. However, judging from his eagerness to take command of Xila, he had no reason to plot against her, because even if she died, Xila wouldn't listen to him. So...

Does he have other people he wants to kill?

Modesti quickly recalled the people around Mobius in her mind. It seemed that there was a young man who had been designated as a bodyguard by Mobius and had a cooperative relationship with Mobius. Xila also had a grudge against that young man. He was almost the biggest obstacle in this assassination operation.

Given Xila's current condition, if that young man doesn't let his guard down, even in the worst-case scenario, he could fight Xila. Although Marshall is strong, Modesti has been fighting her way up in the assassin world for over a decade. In terms of combat strength and experience, she is definitely not inferior to Marshall.

So, is the biggest variable actually the director of the Third Research Institute?

Even the director of a research institute participated in the assassination. What did Mobius do to be so hated?

On the other side.

"Are you sure this place is safe?" Zhu Yufeng surveyed the surroundings. Following the emergency evacuation plan, the researchers evacuated in batches through different secret passages. Since this incident was an assassination attempt, the other guards in the communication device had also confirmed the approximate suppression time required, so there was no need to move outside. Mobius and the others remained in a secret room to await news.

"Don't worry, the security measures here are top-notch. Even if we encounter heavy firepower, it will buy us enough time to evacuate through the secret passage," Admil said.

"But if someone uses a key card or other tricks to sneak in, it would be difficult to escape from this secret room if the hidden passage can't be opened in time," Mobius said.

"Indeed." Admil nodded. "But that's impossible, because not many people know the exact location of this shelter, and only Director Elvon and I have the access cards. So there's no need to worry about anyone sneaking in."

"Is that so?" Mobius looked at Elvon thoughtfully.

Elvon expression remained calm, and she did not utter a word.

Zhu Yufeng glanced at Elvon. He had always felt that something was off about the old man, but he couldn't quite put his finger on it. His calm demeanor could be explained by his age and the many storms he had seen. He just subconsciously distrusted the old man, especially since this old fellow had almost led everyone on a live art experience as Patrick Star.

Regarding the access control issue, the shelter was temporarily designated by Admil. According to Admil, even if it were the mole, it would be difficult to get access. However, if there is another mole, then it might be different.

Given that the assassination attempt began earlier than expected, either Modesti is up to no good or there are internal problems. And now, this problem may well be stemming from Elvon.

Another strange thing is that, according to the plan he and Mobius saw, the assassination should have been carried out during their relocation, but they hadn't seen Xila after they had all moved.

"It's all about dealing with whatever comes my way," Zhu Yufeng thought to himself. He then moved to a position behind Elvon's body. This position would allow him to keep an eye on the door while also preventing Elvon attacks. If Elvon made any move, he would immediately point his gun at Elvon and fire.

Elvon also noticed Zhu Yufeng's actions, but he didn't say anything and just silently looked at Fang Bi at the door.

Mobius glanced at the people around him, walked straight to Zhu Yufeng's side, and then casually began to plan some of the next experiments.

Some materials for the Hypervariable Surgery have been prepared, but some necessary temporary equipment made by Vill-V has not been calibrated and tested. Vill-V and Elysia are currently investigating Zhu Yufeng's background and will not be back for a while, so Mobius will have to handle it himself. He also needs to arrange the order of other experiments. The first Hypervariable Surgery after the rebirth is a secret that cannot be known to anyone.

"Xila's situation is perfect, as Shesha is also among the Honkai Beast she fused with," Mobius thought to himself. "Perfect timing, Shesha's tissue sample is currently in the lab, Xila's modified physique can also resist some of the side effects caused by equipment problems..."

Sue and Admil exchanged a glance. They both sensed that something was wrong in the shelter, but they remained silent. Sue looked at Zhu Yufeng, knowing that Zhu Yufeng hadn't let his guard down against Elvon. Given Zhu Yufeng's personality, if Elvon dared to threaten Mobius in any way, he would be willing to shoot him directly.

To avoid the worst possible outcome, Su was thinking about how to subdue Director Elvon if he really did something violent before Zhu Yufeng Elvon could. He believed that Zhu Yufeng wouldn't do anything to him, and as long as he subdued Elvon, Zhu Yufeng wouldn't fire again.

Despite being a researcher, Su has never neglected exercise in order to maintain his health.

He was someone who could play basketball with Kevin before he became Fusion Warrior.

Admil turned his attention to Mobius, pondering the possible solutions and the discussions between the Third and First Research Institute regarding the current progress of the Herrscher research.

Based on his understanding of his teacher, he suspected that his teacher might actually commit some other violent act. It wasn't that he didn't care, but everyone needs to pay the price for their actions. His teacher's rationality had been replaced by his obsessive emotions, making him unsuitable for continuing research. Therefore, he decided to wait and see. If his teacher did something that could damage the cooperation between the Third Research Institute and the First Research Institute, he would take appropriate measures.

Time passed in silence, and suddenly, the door to the shelter was opened.

The moment they noticed the commotion, Zhu Yufeng pointed his gun at Fang Bi through the door. Admil and Sue also focused their attention on Elvon. They moved to different positions; Sue quietly stood next to Elvon, while Admil moved to a corner.

The door opened, and a projectile was thrown in.

Zhu Yufeng immediately shot and destroyed the projectile, and then smoke began to spread in the shelter.

"A smoke grenade? Luckily, I brought infrared night vision this time." Zhu Yufeng thought to himself, and then he spotted Xila's figure in his field of vision. Without any hesitation, he immediately chose to fire.

However, his opponent was faster. Even though he was certain he had hit Xila, Xila still managed to break through to his front. Zhu Yufeng immediately threw down his gun, and his Honkai Energy, mimicking Elysia's, created a shield to block Xila's thrust. His other hand, freed up afterward, Honkai Energy condense a katana to slash at Xila. Xila easily caught the attack, then kicked his shield to create distance.

At that moment, a roaring sound rang out as Admil activated the ventilation system in the refuge room and opened the secret passage.