Scott Outpost stood on the edge of New Eridu's Sixth Sector, like a gray rivet embedded in concrete and steel.
Towering quarantine walls brutally divided the Hollow zone from the residential district, their surfaces crisscrossed with Ether sensors and automated turrets.
The outpost itself was pieced together from prefabricated buildings and shipping containers, with patches of rust showing through peeling paint.
"Is this where Dad used to work?"
Lin You stood on tiptoe to look around, her green eyes full of curiosity.
She wore the strawberry-patterned children's clothes Lin Shuo had bought last night-a pink hoodie with denim overalls. With her hair tied into two little buns, she looked like an ordinary New Eridu child.
If one ignored the fact that she was trying to secretly scan the outpost's defense systems with her Sharingan.
"Don't use that."
Lin Shuo put a hand on her head. "The outpost has a counter-surveillance Ether field. Any abnormal fluctuations will be logged."
"Aww-Dad's so strict."
"That's common sense."
Holding her hand, Lin Shuo walked toward the security checkpoint.
The young soldier on duty froze briefly when he saw Lin Shuo, then snapped to attention and saluted. "Senior Lin!"
"No need."
Lin Shuo waved a hand. "Retired personnel. Ordinary visitor."
"Yes! And who is this...?"
"My niece, Lin You."
Lin Shuo handed over two temporary passes-he had applied for them through the Defense Force's internal network overnight. "We're here to handle household registration."
The soldier quickly checked their information and scanned their irises.
The machine's green light came on.
"Cleared-Officer Luolan is on the third floor of the logistics department. Would you like me to show you the way?"
"No need. I know it."
"Understood! Hope everything goes smoothly!"
After they passed through three automatic doors, the outpost's interior unfolded before them.
Humming equipment lined both sides of the long, narrow corridor, while Hollow monitoring data scrolled across holographic screens.
Occasionally, soldiers in Obsidian uniforms hurried past. They nodded in greeting when they saw Lin Shuo, their gazes lingering briefly on Lin You.
"They all seem to know Dad," Lin You whispered.
"We worked together," Lin Shuo answered briefly.
In fact, he had served in Obsidian Camp for three years and taken part in seventeen major Hollow suppression operations. His name had appeared in internal briefings nine times-three for "critical combat support" and two for "single-handedly handling Ether outbreak points."
Those records were enough to earn him basic respect at any Obsidian base.
But they also brought trouble.
"-Lin Shuo?"
A familiar voice rang out from around the corner.
Lin Shuo stopped.
A red-haired girl stood in the middle of the corridor, her black combat suit fitting her slender but sturdy figure.
A, um, military dagger hung at her waist, but the most striking feature was the mechanical apparatus extending from her spine, connected to a flexible tail with a gun muzzle embedded in its tip.
Orphie Magnusson.
Or rather, the consciousness currently controlling that tail should have been called-
"Senior Willowisp." Lin Shuo nodded in greeting.
"It really is you." "Willowisp" tilted her head.
"How's retirement treating you, noodle stall owner?"
"Not bad."
"And who's this?" The tail pointed at Lin You.
"My niece, Lin You."
Lin Shuo repeated his story. "Here for household registration."
"Oh?"
The tail suddenly drew closer, the red light at its muzzle flickering faintly-it was a high-precision Ether scanner.
Without any change in expression, Lin Shuo pulled Lin You half a step behind him.
Three seconds later, the tail withdrew.
"Ordinary human child. Relatively good Ether aptitude. No signs of modification."
There was a certain playfulness in Willowisp's voice. "But those features... look a bit like a certain little troublemaker we know."
Lin Shuo's expression remained unchanged. "Coincidence."
"Is that so?"
Orphie herself blinked. "Senior Lin Shuo, if you're looking for Officer Luolan, he's taking inventory in the warehouse area right now-would you like me to take you there?"
"Sorry for the trouble."
"Follow me."
Orphie turned to lead the way, the tail swaying rhythmically behind her.
Lin You gripped Lin Shuo's hand tightly and whispered, "Dad, that big sister's tail... is so cool."
"Don't stare."
"But it moves! Just like a real tail!"
Orphie suddenly looked back from ahead of them, a rare little smile curling her lips. "You like it?"
"Yeah!" Lin You nodded vigorously.
The tail suddenly reached over and waved in front of Lin You.
"Want to touch it?"
Lin You's eyes lit up, but she looked up at Lin Shuo.
After two seconds of silence, Lin Shuo nodded.
Her little hand gently touched the cold metal surface.
The tail obligingly curled, the red light at its muzzle blinking gently.
"Her name is Willowisp."
Orphie said, "Though she's unbearably noisy most of the time."
"Hey," the tail protested.
"I'm stating a fact."
Lin You giggled.
The warehouse area was piled with crates and military supplies.
A middle-aged man was checking a list at a terminal. He turned at the sound of footsteps.
"Hm? Lin Shuo?"
"Well, you're a rare visitor. First time back since retiring, right?"
"I need a favor."
Lin Shuo got straight to the point.
Luolan's gaze fell on Lin You. He narrowed his eyes at her for a few seconds, then an expression of understanding crossed his face.
"Got it. Let's talk over here."
He led them into an office nearby and closed the door.
Orphie and Willowisp tactfully stayed outside.
"Tell me. What's going on?"
Luolan sat down in a chair. "This child... isn't your biological daughter, is she?"
Lin Shuo nodded. "An orphaned distant relative. She needs a legal identity."
"Her parents?"
"A Hollow accident. File number CT-7743. The secondary Hollow collapse in Lemnos Hollow three months ago."
Luolan typed quickly at the terminal and pulled up the file.
The screen displayed: accident confirmed, two deceased, immediate family field blank.
"You're applying to become her guardian?"
Luolan looked at Lin Shuo. "A retired soldier adopting a war orphan... procedurally, it's possible, but you'll need at least two serving officers to vouch for you, plus a review by the Social Welfare Agency. Two weeks at the earliest."
"Too slow."
Lin Shuo said, "She needs a temporary ID card she can use right now, at least enough to get through routine checks."
Luolan stared at him for ten seconds, then sighed.
"Same as ever. Always looking for shortcuts."
He opened a drawer, took out an encrypted terminal, and began working.
"The Defense Force has an internal 'special personnel resettlement procedure.' It was originally meant for informants or witnesses... I'll open a temporary file for you, valid for six months-after that, either make it permanent or disappear."
"Thanks."
"Don't thank me yet."
Without looking up, Luolan asked, "What are you offering?"
Lin Shuo took a USB drive from his pocket and placed it on the desk.
"Found it deep inside a Hollow on my last mission. Encrypted Helios research data. Early experimental records on Ether purification technology."
Luolan's hands stopped.
He slowly raised his head, his eyes sharpening behind his glasses.
"You know what this is worth."
"I do."
Lin Shuo said calmly, "So trading it for an ID card is a good deal."
"For you, it is. For me, it's a hot potato."
Luolan gave a wry smile, but took the USB drive anyway. "All right, I'll make the trade. But, Lin Shuo-"
He lowered his voice. "Is this child really just a distant relative?"
Lin Shuo did not answer.
Luolan watched him for a while, then shook his head. "Forget it. I won't ask.
"But a word of warning: New Eridu hasn't been peaceful lately.
"And that Order... you've heard of the 'Sacrifice Potion,' right?"
Lin Shuo's gaze sharpened.
"Intelligence suggests they've started testing a new version in civilian districts."
Luolan tapped the keyboard and brought up another file. "Victims develop mild symptoms of Ether allergy, followed by mutation three to five days later. Current cases are concentrated along the boundary between Lumina Square and Lemnos Hollow."
"The Defense Force hasn't acted?"
"We're investigating, but they're cunning. They always manage to clean up the scene before we arrive."
Luolan printed a temporary ID card and handed it to Lin Shuo. "You live in Lumina Square. Be careful. And..."
He glanced at Lin You. "Protect this child."
Lin Shuo took the card and nodded.
"Also, watch yourself around Willowisp."
Luolan added, "Her instincts are frighteningly accurate. When she scanned this child earlier, there was a 0.3-second anomaly in the data-although it was covered up, she definitely noticed something."
"...Understood."
The paperwork took only twenty minutes.
When they left the office, Orphie was still waiting outside.
The tail rested lazily on her shoulder, the red light at its muzzle slowly brightening and dimming.
"All done?"
"Yeah."
"Then..." Orphie looked at Lin You, then at Lin Shuo. "Where are you going next?"
"Home."
"Oh."
The girl nodded, then suddenly said, "Right, the captain asked me to tell you-if you run into trouble, contact us anytime.
"Your access to Obol Squad's comms channel is still open."
"...Thank her for me."
"I will."
After saying goodbye to Orphie, Lin Shuo took Lin You's hand and headed for the exit.
As they passed the training ground, several familiar figures were doing adaptation training-
"Trigger" lay prone at a sniper position, one eye closed as she calibrated her scope; "Seed" sat in the cockpit of her signature mech, "Old Seed," adjusting the cannon parameters; Soldier 11 darted through the obstacle course, her twin blades tracing bright silver arcs through the air.
When they saw Lin Shuo, all of them paused briefly.
Trigger raised a hand and waved.
Seed poked her head out of the mech and grinned.
Soldier 11 merely nodded and continued training.
No extra greetings, no small talk.
Obsidian Camp's style.
Lin Shuo nodded back in acknowledgment.
Outside the outpost, the sunlight was dazzling.
Lin You let out a long breath. "Dad's old friends... are all so cool."
"Yeah."
"That lady with the tail was especially cool! She could control her tail and use a gun! Future Mom said she was super strong, and during the Old Capital Fall Incident-"
Lin You suddenly covered her mouth.
Lin Shuo looked down at her.
"...Sorry, I let it slip again."
"It's fine." Lin Shuo ruffled her hair. "But be careful from now on."
"Okay!"
On the skyrail train back, Lin You leaned against the window, watching the streets fly past outside.
Lin Shuo looked at the temporary ID card in his hand.
Lin You beamed in the photo. The name read "Lin You," the date of birth was eight years ago, and the guardian field read "Lin Shuo (paternal uncle)."
A thin little card, valid for six months.
If Lin You still hadn't found a way back in six months...
"Dad."
Lin You suddenly turned around. "We're going to Kaidan House tomorrow, right?"
"Yeah."
"Then what should I wear? Should I dress up a little cuter? Future Mom said she was won over by how cute I was the first time she went to Kaidan House-even though I hadn't been born yet..."
Watching her excitement, Lin Shuo's lips curved slightly before he realized it.
"Just wear what you're wearing today."
"Aww-but I've already worn this outfit! I want something new! Dad, can we go buy clothes in a bit? It's still early anyway-"
"No."
"Why not!"
"Because we've already spent a lot of money today."
Lin Shuo pointed at the ID card. "What this card cost could buy a hundred outfits like the one you're wearing."
Lin You wilted. "Oh..."
But a few seconds later, she perked up again. "Then I'll earn the money myself! I can help Dad wash vegetables, take payments, and greet customers! Once I've saved enough, I'll go buy new clothes!"
"...Suit yourself."
The train arrived at Lumina Square.
As they left the station, Lin Shuo's phone vibrated.
It was a text from Yuzuha.
"Lin Shuo! Tomorrow's event has been moved up to ten in the morning! It might rain in the afternoon~ Remember to bring little You along! I've got a little gift ready for her!"
A winking emoticon was attached.
Lin Shuo replied, "Got it."
Almost at the same moment, another message popped up-from an unknown number.
"Mr. Lin Shuo, the data on the USB drive you provided has been verified.
As additional compensation, you have been granted access to a level-six intelligence query service, valid for six months.
Also: please pay attention to the child with you. Her biometric characteristics show a 42.7% similarity to some of the data in an encrypted file. Caution is advised."
The sender field was blank.
Lin Shuo deleted the message.
"Dad, who was it?"
"An ad."
"Oh." Lin You suspected nothing and skipped ahead. "What's for dinner? I want omurice!"
"Ramen."
"Aww-ramen again?"
"I run a ramen stall."
"But I want omurice... Dad~ Please~"
"...Just this once."
"Yay!"
The setting sun stretched their shadows long.
In the distance, Kaidan House's sign lit up with a warm yellow glow in the dusk.
And in the corner of Lin Shuo's vision, a certain system interface quietly updated:
[Limited-time mission "Lin You's Identity" completed. Reward: basic Otsutsuki constitution enhancement (partial) granted. Current main quest progress: 2.1%. Key event node "Kaidan House's Invitation" detected, triggering soon. Host, please prepare.]
The progress bar jumped forward another tiny notch.
Lin Shuo closed the interface and looked up at the sky.
In New Eridu's twilight, the clouds were tinged with a faint purple.
His peaceful days seemed to be drifting off course, little by little.
But suddenly, he felt that this wasn't so bad either.
"Dad, hurry up! I'm hungry!"
"Coming."
He quickened his pace and caught up with that little figure in red.
What kind of day would tomorrow be?
Suddenly, he was looking forward to it a little.