Chapter 125

"Okay, I'll follow you closely." Han Fei nodded, his sharp gaze fixed on the road ahead.

Texas said no more, her steps as light and steady as a hunting wolf as she moved forward.

In an instant, the corridor fell into a stifling silence, with only the deliberately soft footsteps of the group echoing and amplifying in the enclosed space, pounding on their taut nerves.

A few breaths later, the team had quietly approached the door.

Texas stopped beside the door, her body pressed against the cold wall. Instead of rushing in, she first peered quickly and cautiously into the room from the smallest possible angle.

After confirming that there was no immediate threat within her field of vision, she gave a clean and crisp "safe, follow up" gesture to those behind her.

The crowd followed closely behind, filing in one after another, and stepped into the true core of this giant ship.

At this very moment—

Inside the control room, in front of the huge main screen that occupied the entire wall, a figure with his back to the door, wearing a wide-hooded robe, seemed to sense the intruder and slowly turned around with a deliberate, almost ritualistic, rhythm.

Who are you?

The voice rang out, clear and melodious, yet it seemed to be covered by a thin layer of ice, revealing no emotion whatsoever. It was the voice of a mature woman, calm and composed, probably around twenty-seven or twenty-eight years old.

When Han Fei heard that standard mature woman's voice, he couldn't help but raise an eyebrow, thinking to himself:

Wow? She's a mature, sophisticated woman blogger?!

The love-hate relationship between female characters is something that Arknights has to include.

None of the members of Han Fei's team recognized the woman, so they hesitated to speak and all turned their attention to Han Fei.

Han Fei stepped forward, stood in front of the group, and said, "It's a pleasure to meet you, Ghost of Babel."

"Let me introduce myself again. I am Han Fei, an ordinary human being."

"Humans?"

The mature woman paused noticeably, her scrutinizing gaze shooting directly at Han Fei from under her hood, as if trying to see through his heart.

"That's right, humans."

Han Fei curled his lips into a smile and said softly, "Someone like you, who won't be troubled by Oripathy, and who wouldn't even be affected if their arm was pierced by Originium..."

He paused, then raised his voice slightly. "Humans."

In that instant, the mature woman's gaze suddenly became extremely complicated.

What began as mere observation turned into shock and astonishment...

And a kind of almost absurd, unbelievable tremor.

Although words are not enough to prove it, after hearing that even if someone like her had their arm pierced by Originium, they wouldn't get infected, the mature woman Bo already believed it to some extent.

Terra are plagued by Oripathy; this is almost an ironclad rule, etched into the hearts of all Terra.

Only humans are immune to Oripathy.

Like the Doctor, she had tried many times to cut open her arm with Originium as a knife.

But she hasn't been infected yet.

This was a closely guarded secret even within the Babel, and the Doctor didn't believe that those in the tower who knew the inside story would be so loose-lipped as to leak it.

There's only one possibility—this man tried it, and that's the conclusion he reached.

But how did he know my identity? And how has he survived until now?

The mature woman was very puzzled.

The "Ghost of Babel" is no secret; almost everyone in Kazdel knows that Babel has a highly skilled leader, but that's about it.

To the outside world, the Doctor's identity has always been a mystery.

Not only the Doctor, but even Han Fei's teammates were thrown into a state of disbelief.

Oripathy has always been a major problem plaguing the Terra, and no one wants to give up on overcoming it, because no one can guarantee that they will not be infected one day.

But now, Han Fei keeps saying that he won't be infected, and neither will the mysterious person opposite him, simply because they are human.

If this information were to get out, it would be enough to drive people mad.

Even the relatively oblivious Lemuen could foresee that if this news got out, those big pharmaceutical companies would definitely spare no expense to bring their boss into their fold.

After all, this is material that has never appeared in thousands of years.

Texas was the first to calm down; she realized the trust behind Han Fei's words at that moment.

So, she silently gripped her twin swords, watched Han Fei's retreating figure, and made a decision in her heart.

No matter what, I will protect you until these swords break, until my life comes to an end.

The mature and sophisticated woman was not troubled by her chaotic thoughts for long. She stared at Han Fei's face and calmly said, "So, what do you want?"

"You didn't come here just to say those things to me."

"Me? What I want is very simple, just Haf Coins." Han Fei shrugged. "I'm different from you. You're a high-ranking member of the Babel, living a life of luxury. I, on the other hand, have to earn money to support my family."

"Haf Coins?"

For a fleeting moment, the mature and sophisticated woman was bewildered.

What country's currency is this? I've never heard of it before.

But to become the "Ghost of Babel," the mature and sophisticated Bo possessed exceptional mental fortitude. She wasn't troubled for long and asked again, "So, your target is me? Are you going to use me to exchange for Haf Coins?"

No, I'm not interested in you.

After saying that, Han Fei sensed that something was wrong.

He was quite interested in the Doctor; after all, it was Hakibo, which was somewhat intriguing.

So he changed his tune, saying, "No, that's not right either. I am still very interested in you, but you're not my target, and you're worthless."

He paused, then explained, "Although we occasionally act as assassins, this time we're acting as messengers, delivering a message to Babel for Theresa and Logos."

The Doctor fell silent. Her face was covered by a hood, making it impossible to see her expression or tell what she was thinking.

After a long pause, she said slowly, "Theresa isn't here; she should be in the medical ward right now, and Logos should be in Kazdel."

"I know."

Han Fei curled his lips into a smile. "I also know that there are a bunch of Theresis assassins outside the medical area."

"I have no intention of getting involved in their civil war, so I've come here to lay low for a while."

No sooner had he finished speaking than a series of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor outside.

The next second, a familiar face led a group of Babel operators in.

The leader was an ACE operator whom Han Fei had met before; he had a resolute face and looked very reliable.

Although this guy didn't have many scenes in the story and died quickly, his performance still left a deep impression on many people.

Han Fei is one of them.

That's why, unlike Outcast, ACE Han Fei recognized him at a glance.

The atmosphere immediately became tense as ACE entered the venue.

From ACE's perspective, Han Fei and the group behind him were uninvited intruders who had trespassed into such a confidential place, clearly not the behavior of polite visitors.

So, ACE and his operatives immediately drew their weapons and pointed them at Han Fei's group.

ACE asked in a deep voice, "Who are you people?"

Almost the instant ACE raised his hand, the girls behind Han Fei also started to move.

All three guns were raised simultaneously, their muzzles pointed directly at ACE and the operators behind him.

Texas even adopted a stance ready to unleash her power, poised to enter the battlefield at any moment.

Han Fei shrugged, ignoring ACE, and turned to the Doctor, saying, "Could you explain this to me?"

After much hesitation, the Doctor spoke, "ACE, lay down your weapons for now."

At that time, the Doctor still held a high level of prestige in the Babel. Under her command, the Babel withstood the pressure from Theresis, and her abilities were trustworthy.

Therefore, ACE lowered his weapon almost without hesitation.

Although it wasn't put away and was still in my hand, the atmosphere was much better than before, when things were at each other's throats.

The Doctor turned his gaze away from ACE and looked at Han Fei again, saying, "So, what exactly is your purpose?"

"I don't want to ask again, as it will affect my subsequent decisions."

"Are we going to kick you out, or treat you as visitors?"

"Didn't I tell you? I came for Haf Coins."

Han Fei shrugged, thought for a moment, then casually took out a pirate scimitar from his backpack and tossed it in his hand.

"See these? These are my targets. I'll pick them up and then go home to sell them for money."

"Thief?"

The Doctor's voice held a hint of bewildered incomprehension. A pure-blooded human, making a living in this way?

"Ha?"

Han Fei raised an eyebrow, scoffing at the label. "How can you call this a thief? I think 'scavenger' is more accurate. I pick up things nobody wants. If I'm lucky, I can take on some tasks and earn some extra money."

"The Kazdel mercenaries' style of doing things."

The Doctor made his judgment and then cut to the chase, "So, who sent you?"

"Ms. Lamat."

Han Fei answered crisply and decisively, and then strode towards the Doctor.

This sudden movement caused ACE and the others to tense up instantly, their hands gripping their weapons.

However, the Doctor simply stood still, his gaze beneath his hood like a cold probe, fixed intently on Han Fei as he approached step by step.

Han Fei stopped a step away from the Doctor, casually taking out a letter and handing it over. "Here, a letter from Ms. Lamat to Theresa. I don't recommend opening it; just look at the envelope."

The Doctor took the letter, her fingertips brushing against the unique emblem on the envelope. She didn't need to open it; the emblem itself was a silent testimony.

"It is indeed the mark of the Queen of the Banshee Court."

She confirmed it in a low voice.

These words were like the alarm bells ringing out; ACE's tense nerves finally relaxed.

Although he had never dealt with Lamat, he had dealt with Logos.

The latter is the successor to the Queen of the Banshee Court, the rightful next Banshee of the Demons, and the "mistress" of the River Valley.

The fact that someone like this is serving as an operator in Babel speaks volumes about the Banshee Court's stance.

A messenger from the Banshee Court, and approved by Lady Lamat, would naturally have a much higher level of security.

The Doctor returned the letter to Han Fei, then looked at ACE and asked, "What's the situation now?"

ACE truthfully stated, "We are outnumbered and currently guarding several core areas. We currently have the advantage, and Therese's people can't break through."

"Yeah."

The Doctor nodded slightly, said nothing more, and said, "In that case, you should take them back first; the battle line is more important."

"Yes."

ACE respectfully accepted the order and led the operators away from the control center.

After ACE left, the Doctor subconsciously wanted Han Fei and the others to leave as well.

After all, what she was about to do was not something that could be easily known by others.

After organizing her thoughts, she said, "You should all leave now. We can deliver Theresa's letter later. You can go..."

She paused, turned to look at the large screen, seemingly trying to find a suitable refuge for Han Fei and the others based on the situation.

In that very instant.

Light footsteps sounded behind her, too fast for her to react.

A warm breath suddenly approached, followed by a whispered sentence, barely audible yet like a thunderclap, piercing her very soul.

"Are you going to shut down the entire ship's defense system? Don't worry about us, just shut it down. I just want to be a spectator and witness this historic moment."

"You--!"