I am a female swordsman.

"What a disappointment! I thought the degradation could be mitigated by using psionic organs..."

Genus snorted, seemingly unwilling to stay any longer and pollute his eyes. He pushed up his frameless glasses with his left hand and turned to leave. "Captain Angel, don't worry, this is probably just some intern's joke. I'll report it to their supervisor. I'll head back to headquarters first. Do as you please."

"..."

Angel was stunned by Genos's sudden change in attitude and left the server room after pausing for a while.

"We're safe now."

Zack cautiously poked his head out, his clothes and face covered in a thin layer of dust. Only now did he manage to breathe heavily and relax his control over his heartbeat.

That was so exciting!

If the server room hadn't been spacious enough, and if he and Claude hadn't been hiding near the heat sink, which was the source of the noise, Angel's abnormal hearing might have already spotted them.

Claude, also dressed in gray, squeezed out, his eyes filled with an uncertain expression.

"Psionic organ..."

………………

"The company has been trying to overcome the degradation problem." Sitting behind her desk, Huang Quan picked up an ivory-colored chess piece with her slender fingers, her scarlet eyes flashing with brilliant light.

"So, degradation doesn't necessarily mean death."

Seated upright across the desk, Sephiroth listened intently, half his attention on the chessboard and the other half on the words of the Shinra Chairman. Even with half his attention diverted, Sephiroth still displayed formidable calculation skills on the chessboard.

“I think you don’t need to worry about this problem, because you are incapable of deterioration… General.”

Huang Quan casually swept a black piece off the chessboard and said this with certainty.

Sephiroth has no possibility of deterioration.

He is the most perfect and unrepeatable miracle among all Shinra warriors, born with a connection to Mako that transcends all others. None of the negative effects Mako can have on mortals can affect Sephiroth.

The reason Sephiroth mentioned the degradation to Yomi was because, during his immersion in Mako fluid, he was naturally instilled with some information through certain channels. This information was obscure and complex, and he only shared this profound and complicated knowledge with Yomi, the [Chairman of Shinra], seeking clarification.

"I lost."

Sephiroth looked at the black pieces, now in complete disarray, and calmly accepted the defeat.

He lost again. To be precise, he had never won against Huang Quan in a contest of computational power. When tactics and strategies become ineffective, it's purely a matter of computational ability; a slight advantage means a slight advantage, and there's no probability that you can win simply by trying harder. This is the cruelty of mathematics.

“If you are interested in degradation, you can apply to visit the research department.” Huang Quan clasped his hands together, his eyes gleaming with an unfathomable light.

"If this is your wish, I am willing."

Sephiroth had no interest in the degradation process and his inquiry was merely to find out what was going on. However, seeing the woman's seemingly expectant gaze, Sephiroth felt a strange stirring within him. If it were for her sake, would he be willing to go?

The answer is yes.

"Then go ahead, I hope you can be of help." Huang Quan's cold and beautiful face softened, and the corners of her mouth turned up slightly.

Sephiroth was suddenly momentarily dazed. Why did that smile... feel so similar to the smile of that stern-looking woman with black hair, overlapping each other?

Chapter Sixty-Five: Sisner

"The only thing that can save me is the company's psionic organ project..."

Claude hesitated, asking Claude this question as if he were affirming it to himself.

“Don’t worry, you’re not necessarily degraded. It’s just… that number is slightly above the normal range, isn’t it? Relax, Claude, everything will be fine.” Zack, sitting in the front of the Hummer, gave Claude a sunny smile through the rearview mirror.

Since successfully escaping from the server room, Claude has been somewhat absent-minded.

He has been bombarded with far too much information today.

First, Zack informed him of the deterioration, and then he learned that the deterioration might be used as experimental material by Shinra, and it seemed that Shinra was the only one in the world who could save the deterioration.

Claude felt very bitter inside.

Zack's sudden appearance disrupted his life. The Shinra Warriors' data anomalies would certainly be retested, but Cloud grew increasingly uneasy. What if, during this retesting period, his condition suddenly worsened, leaving him unable to receive help and dying?

"Senior, I don't want to die."

Claude's eyes, hidden beneath his golden bangs, revealed a look of painful struggle. He could feel fear eroding his reason, and it wouldn't be surprising what he might do once that string of reason snapped.

Claude dug his fingers deep into his hair, feeling a sudden surge of nameless destructive urges rising within him! He was by nature a loner, not very talkative, and tended to keep everything bottled up inside. This unreleased pressure would eventually crush him!

I hate myself like this...

As Claude lowered his head, his bluish-green pupils unconsciously shifted towards the vertical pupils of a snake due to the intense fluctuations in his emotions!

"Don't worry, I won't let you die. What hero would stand by and watch someone die before their eyes and do nothing!" Like sunlight dispelling all gloom and darkness, Zack's resounding words miraculously calmed Cloud, who had been bowing his head.

This cheerful and sunny boy, whose positive attitude remained unchanged no matter what difficulties he encountered, deeply impressed the reclusive Claude.

'He's so enviable; I wish I could be like him.'

The Hummer roared deafeningly as it sped against the wind!

Driving the Hummer, Zack accelerated along the highway, overtaking one vehicle after another as he sped towards his destination, Z City.

………………

There is a sequence of hearing the truth, and there is a specialization in the surgery industry.

The deeper one delves into a particular field, the more difficult it becomes for outsiders to understand certain aspects. This creates barriers and communication difficulties. That's why the term "specialist" exists; solving certain complex problems requires the intervention of a professional.

Zack still has some trustworthy friends in Shinra.

The life-or-death bond forged in the midst of danger on a battlefield fraught with peril, where one could die at the hands of monstrous beings at any moment—if one cannot even trust this, then there is probably no true affection left in this world.

An apartment in City Y.

"Ahhh—!" A young woman, yawning and rubbing her sleepy eyes, was woken up from her afternoon nap. When she saw the two dusty men blocking the doorway, she instinctively covered her chest.

"Zack? What are you doing here, boy?"

“Cisne…”

Zack was about to say something when his expression changed, and he glanced warily to his left and right. A glint of shrewdness flashed in Sisne's sleepy eyes, and without saying a word, he stepped aside. Seeing this, Zack immediately pulled Cloud inside. Then, the door closed silently.

The scene that unfolded on the second floor was brief and fleeting, and almost no one witnessed it.

The reason I say almost no one is because...

Beneath this apartment building, an elderly homeless scavenger was peering curiously in the direction where Zack and Cloud had stood. He seemed to see a very familiar sign; he was absolutely certain it was the sign behind those two men.

Inside the apartment.

“Okay, there are no bugs, no surveillance, and no weirdos here. Zack, and this unknown young man, can you tell me what brings you here? Don’t tell me you’re being chased by debt collectors.” The brown-haired, brown-eyed young woman exuded a strong sense of competence.

Sisne, a member of the Investigation Department of the Armed Forces Division of Shinra Corporation.

He is one of the few employees who can communicate effectively between the research department and the armed forces department, and his professional skills are outstanding. He has received awards from multiple departments, and even the notoriously picky research department has praised him highly.

Similarly, she is also a friend of Zack's.

Or more than friends?

"You have to help me, Cisner." Having finally caught his breath, Zack looked at his relaxed friend and quickly asked for her help. In Zack's view, getting Cisner's help would make Cloud's situation much simpler.

"First, you have to tell me what happened to you?"

Seeing the unusual anxiety and seriousness on the young man's face, Cissne, who had been sitting casually, stood up straight. Zack wouldn't have come to her unless it was a truly intractable problem. As Zack spoke haltingly and vaguely, Cissne's expression underwent a dramatic change.

First came shock, thinking Zack was joking. Then came disbelief that the two had done such a thing. Next came anger and anxiety; Cisner felt completely awful!

"You're such an idiot!!"

"If you hadn't been lucky, you wouldn't be standing here now, but in the company's courtroom!"

"You think you really got away with it?! Do you even know how many testing mechanisms and how many loopholes the company has? You dared to do this without knowing anything! Zack, you've ruined me!!"

As one of the children adopted by Shinra in the same batch as Genesis and the others, Cisner understood Shinra's terrifying power far better than Zack. It was like a half-asleep, half-awake dragon, its massive body containing terrifying power; anyone who underestimated Shinra and tried to take advantage would be crushed to dust!

The problem is, Zack brought with him the project documents for the psionic organ.

Cisner's first reaction was to knock these two idiots unconscious immediately, destroy all evidence, and send them overseas as quickly as possible. Anywhere, the farther the better!

"Yes, I'm sorry..."

Seeing his friend's loss of composure, Zack realized the seriousness of the situation.

"What good is saying sorry? Give me the information, quick!"

Chapter Sixty-Six: Target City Z

People who smile a lot are usually lucky.

Zack was clearly very lucky; the person he sought help from, Sisne, didn't immediately throw him and Cloud into Shinra's prison or give them a few peanuts.

Out of loyalty to Shinra, and out of friendship.

Cisner decided to take the risk.

She knew that Shinra's Enforcement Division was a group of utterly unreasonable discipline fanatics, and that interfering or resisting them through external means would be completely ineffective. The only way to deal with them was to exploit the flaws or contradictions in Shinra's systems and regulations. This meant that Cines first needed to figure out what exactly Zack and his crew had encountered!

"Psionic Organ Project... Angel King data, deterioration, secret disposal... You guys are really capable, you even found a project that's still in the company's confidential stage." Looking at the unfamiliar terms on the copied documents, Sisney felt a chill run down his spine.

She couldn't help but glare at Zack!

She's really good at getting into trouble, and only after she's done it do she remember to look for her.

"Don't scold me yet, Sisne. Help me think of a way to solve the degradation problem." Zack looked at his friend pitifully, like a docile little puppy.

Sisne, who was being stared at so intently by Zack, turned her face away without showing any emotion, but there seemed to be some emotion flickering deep in her brown eyes.

"How can I solve this? I have no labs, no researchers, and no supplies. For problems involving Mako energy, only the company has the capability to solve them worldwide." These words were undoubtedly a heavy blow to Claude. The poor blond guy's eyes, which had been slightly bright when he entered the room, quickly dimmed.

"Is there really no way at all...?"

What do you think, boy?

Cisner shrugged, truly powerless. This matter was clearly beyond her control. The best solution was to wait for the company's oversight mechanism to discover this person's abnormality, and then... whether he lived or died, whether he was blessed or cursed, would depend on luck.

As for going against the company, Cisner has never heard of any guy who can go against the company and still have a good ending.

“Zack, I know you want to help him. But…” Sisne stood up from her computer, holding a water glass, and looked at Cloud with a hint of hostility in her eyes. “…But you have to understand, it’s not too late for you to turn back now. Pretend nothing happened, and I won’t remember you were here today. You know what I mean?”

If you turn back in time when no one is watching, there's still hope. But if you knowingly continue down the wrong path, you're courting death.

Cissne tried to persuade Zack, unwilling to see a bright and promising young man ruin his life because of something like this. As for the culprit behind it all, the blond boy Claude, Cissne was already secretly plotting how to deal with him.