How Villains Do Things / Gathering

At first, she found it hard to believe that she would have such terrifying thoughts.

She wanted to destroy the life that so many people dreamed of.

Doesn't that sound like Versailles literature?

But the fact is, she eventually accepted it.

Whether it's the monotonous and boring life where you know what tomorrow will bring after you've lived through today, or the suffocating darkness hidden in her heart.

How long will this situation last? And how far will the Dark Side in her heart grow?

It will eventually engulf her.

Because it is correct, correct in a way that no one can refute, therefore...

No matter how much time passes, it will never change...

No one can save her...

Chapter 146 The Actions of Bad People

"What a vibrant campus life!" Qianqi remarked casually after listening to Lin recount his student days, which he had already told many others.

Lin gazed at her face, which had returned to its indifferent state, and asked, almost as if possessed, "And you?"

He suddenly realized that he was different from before, not only from others, but even from himself. He felt like he was...

Lin shook his head, found the medicine bottle, poured out two Ritalin, and put them in his mouth.

"Here, have some water." Qianqi handed her the half-finished cola, and Lin took it and swallowed the drink along with her medicine.

"Thanks..."

"Huh? You can say thank you?" Qianqi put away the cola as if she had seen a ghost. She looked Lin up and down. "I thought you had erased the word 'thank you' from your life the day you were born."

"... I often say that."

"But I didn't hear that!" Qianqi slapped her hands together and shouted indignantly, "Oh—you're being discriminatory!"

How is this considered differential treatment?

Lin Lili hadn't known Qianqi for very long, and they'd barely spoken. Their most frequent interaction was when they met in the corridor, and Qianqi would glare at him.

Even in situations where she could say thank you, it wouldn't be her turn, would it?

"Alright, now that we've finished talking about your past, we can start discussing how to deal with them."

The cold words that Qianqi uttered brushed past Lin's ears like a breeze, quickly turning into an even colder wind.

"..."

"Hmm? What's wrong? Oh, sorry, we're still looking for evidence, right?" Qianqi seemed somewhat sarcastic, but her expression held no hint of mockery. Her fair fingers tapped rhythmically on the table. "Do you need me to hack into Mei and Kevin's communication records or private files?"

"...No." Lin sighed, his eyes gradually hardening. "Mei will not preserve important information in the form of data."

She is the least trusting person when it comes to cybersecurity; she doesn't even trust Prometheus Unit 2.

Important data and design documents should be kept in paper form, while top-secret information should be kept in one's own mind.

For a naturally suspicious person, trying to test them using conventional methods will only backfire.

"So what do we do next?"

Lin seemed to have forgotten that he had said, "It is a foolish thing to have preconceived doubts."

No, this is a conclusion that has already been reached...

"I'll go find it."

Lin's conclusion, reached after a long time, made Qianqi's eyelids twitch.

"Are you kidding me? You think you can find evidence by searching? You're seriously underestimating your two friends."

Qianqi grabbed Lin's hand, stopping him from walking out.

"..."

"Okay, okay, I know you're going to ask me next, 'So what should we do?' My suggestion is... wait."

Qianqi's smile flashed briefly in the reflection of Lin's helmet. She pointed to the seat next to her, gesturing for Lin to sit down.

"Although we are now almost certain that it is the two of them, I still want to say that... it is better to adhere to the principle of presumption of innocence. We cannot think based on the premise that they are the real culprits, or consider the possibility that the real culprit is someone else."

Qianqi noticed Lin's clenched fist. Perhaps because he had no sense of touch, he didn't even realize that his palms were turning white from clenching, and he just kept tightening his grip.

So Qianqi tilted her head and placed her hand on his fist.

"Release."

Lin glanced at his hands and slowly opened his palms upwards.

"It seems better to leave this topic for now. How about we move on to something more interesting? Like... love?"

Why is it always about love?

Even Lin, who was currently highly focused and tense, felt somewhat helpless after hearing Qianqi's words.

"Girls love to gossip. Besides, even if I weren't a girl, I would still be very interested in things that are interesting to me." Qianqi observed Lin's reaction and smiled meaningfully. "As for you, what type of opposite sex would you like?"

Seeing Lin stunned, Qianqi knew she had asked the right question.

"It's hard to imagine that even you would have a type you like. What is it? Passionate and cheerful? Gentle and virtuous? Dignified and generous? Arrogant and proud?"

Qianqi's relentless questioning was like a barrage of heavy blows, and simply remaining silent in defense seemed unable to stop her offensive.

However, what she said is indeed true. Even if Lin has no feelings for love, there will still be members of the opposite sex who make her feel "joy" in terms of "appearance" and "personality".

"Let me think, the girls around you... Vill-V, Hua, Mei, Elysia, Eden, Mobius, Prometheus..." The list of names this person rattled off showed that he knew more about the people around him than Lin himself did.

Qianqi quickly settled on a name: "Mobius... um... Mobius."

Now, even Lin couldn't help but look at her with a strange gaze.

How did she... deduce that? Just from the name?

"Don't underestimate me. Just by watching your performance at the ball, I can roughly guess how deep your relationship is."

"..."

"That Doctor Mobius, it seems he never gives you a kind look whenever he can see you, but your interaction is the deepest besides Elysia's... Moreover, unlike Elysia's proactive approach, you are cooperating with Mobius. You see, it's not difficult at all, is it?"

Lin underestimated a hacker's ability to understand people's hearts. In just one night of observation, Qianqi was able to see some details that even Lin and Mobius themselves had not noticed.

"So, in terms of appearance, long hair, tall figure, and mature appearance; in terms of personality, arrogant, proud, and unique; and clothing... stockings, right?"

Lin didn't want to continue talking to Qianqi, not just about the topic, but also because he was eager to find out the truth and didn't have time to waste on such meaningless things.

"Hey, do you want to try it with me?"

"..."

"You've already seen it, haven't you? I can play any role I want with ease. Even if I can't fake my height and figure, I can replicate everything else exactly."

Qianqi's cold laugh reached Lin's ears.

"How about that? This fits the image of a bad guy, doesn't it? Treating one person as a substitute for another, while thinking about pleasure in the face of a major crisis."

"Of course, if you still want to continue being a good person and go investigate right now, I won't stop you, but... I won't continue to help you."

Chapter 147 Collection

Does an event need meaning or need to be given meaning?

Everyone acts according to certain prescribed patterns, doing things that are consistent with their identity based on their beliefs or interests.

Just like characters in a game answer questions according to their settings, humans are ultimately just more complex NPCs.

So after Lin heard Qianqi say those words, his incomprehension of this girl reached its peak.

Was she flirting with him? No, she didn't show the slightest bit of allure, and didn't even seem interested in glancing at him.

Was she indulging in her wicked humor? No, her smile was as cold as a stone on a riverbank.

What is she doing? What does she want to do?

"...Okay, just kidding." Qianqi's cold laugh, which had lasted for a while, dissipated, and she shrugged as if nothing had happened. "Want some chewing gum... Ah, I've finished it."

The tense atmosphere vanished instantly; the scene from just now seemed as if it had never happened, and her absurd words dissolved into the air.

But Lin kept staring at her, at the girl who had stood smiling amidst mountains of corpses and seas of blood in their previous memory.

... There's still one question that hasn't been answered, isn't there?

Even though she was in a daze, Lin remembered her expression when she was there.

The smile was like that of someone who had witnessed a wonderful performance.

"What would you have done if I had agreed?"

"..."

Lin's indifferent tone made Qianqi pause. She first glanced at Lin, who seemed like a statue, then continued tapping her fingers on the table...

"..."

"..."

Do you know what would happen if a person were trapped in a monotonous environment?

Qianqi abruptly changed the subject, raising her chin and forming a smile.

"If today is yesterday, and tomorrow is today, then the day after tomorrow will never come, and we will forever repeat the same day. Even if we eat different breakfasts every day, even if we talk about different things every day, it's just the same thing in a different form..."

"What would happen if someone spent more than ten years in this endless day, as the sole variable?"

What will happen?

Lin and Qianqi locked eyes as if facing off. He saw the keen interest in her eyes, and...

Will I go crazy?

Or it could turn into something even more indescribable...

"Since I was just joking, even if you agree, I definitely won't do anything."

Qianqi once again put away her extremely strange expression, and clapped her hands with a smile, "Are you expecting me to be like those girls you flirt with? Then you'd better try harder, after all, you're not my type."

She did not continue the previous topic.

Could this be a sign that she has no intention of giving up on this collaboration?

"You seem to have calmed down now, so let's continue discussing how to find evidence against May and Kevin, and then how to sow discord between them."

September 13th.

Finding and implementing a target like a headless fly is two different things. Lin is a soldier with exceptional execution skills who has completed numerous missions, achieving the goals of each mission flawlessly. Once a target is identified, he acts much faster than the average person.

However, instead of going to either Kevin or May, he came to...

Elysia's room.

"Knock knock knock".

This was the first time Lin had come to Elysia's room on his own initiative, apart from "the last time". He waited calmly for the door to open, and before that, he recalled what he had discussed with Qianqi.

Now, he is a villain who disguises himself with lies.

"Gah—"

The door opened.

The girl's face appeared through the crack in the door. She still wore her usual smile, but now it carried a deep, heart-wrenching pain.

"... May I come in?" Lin Jingjing asked, standing quietly at the door.

Elysia said nothing, but simply pushed the door open completely.

A cold wind rushed in from outside the door.