On the Ark.

Chen did not answer, but simply drank his tea.

Lin Ye realized something: "Ah, I'm sorry, this should be your secret, right? I shouldn't have asked, my bad, my bad."

“It’s not a secret.” Chen put down his teacup and shook his head. “Because we don’t know either. The Guard Bureau is also employed by the Ursus Empire. We don’t know what Ursus wants or what that prisoner possesses. The Guard Bureau’s job is simply to bring that guy into the hands of the Ursus soldiers.”

"Is that so? I thought it was a secret and that I couldn't say."

"Yes. There are secrets too. What I just told you is, strictly speaking, all of them."

Lin Ye involuntarily opened his mouth wide, staring at Chen. He thought to himself, "It's a secret, why are you telling me? Are you planning to silence me after this meal?"

Fortunately, Chen quickly provided an explanation.

"It's called a secret, but it's a useless secret now," Chen said. "Besides, it's a well-known secret. Ursus knows it, the Guard Bureau knows it, Rhodes Island knows it, and even the enemy knows it perfectly well. So what secret is there left?"

Lin Ye sensed a hint of anger in Chen's words. Then, as if remembering something, he asked, "Shouldn't your disguise of that prisoner as a Guard Bureau agent be considered the real secret? Rhodes Island had no idea, but that terrorist organization clearly did. Don't you find that strange?"

"There's no need to hint at me in such a sarcastic way," Chen said calmly. "Just say there's a traitor in the Guard Bureau."

Lin Ye smiled awkwardly: "It might not be the Guard Bureau, maybe it's one of your partners or something."

“No, that’s not true. It was my idea to disguise the prisoners as Guard Bureau agents,” Chen said. “Ursas couldn’t possibly know, and even most people in the Guard Bureau wouldn’t know.”

"So..." Lin Ye suddenly became serious, displaying the demeanor of a Hong Kong movie protagonist. He frowned, tapped the table with his left hand, held a char siu bao in his right, pondered for a long time, and slowly said, "The traitor is at the top!"

"Nonsense." Chen rolled his eyes and said irritably, "That's an open secret."

Lin Ye: "...These steamed buns are pretty delicious."

“There’s a traitor among the high-ranking members of the Guard Bureau.” Chen’s expression was somewhat gloomy. “To be honest, this is something I didn’t expect. I originally thought that even if the Guard Bureau wasn’t a monolithic entity, it would be impossible for someone to collude with such a terrorist force.”

"Human hearts are unpredictable," Lin Ye remarked, quoting a line often seen in movies. "But you probably don't have many talented people in the upper echelons of your Guard Bureau, right? Why not just investigate everyone who knows the truth? It's that simple."

"Yeah, you're absolutely right. How come I didn't think of that? Tsk, why don't you quit working at Rhodes Island and come work for me as an assistant at the Guard Bureau?"

Lin Ye was about to say "You flatter me," but after seeing Chen's expression, he realized that Chen was being sarcastic, so he scratched his head awkwardly and said, "Sorry, I was just being a keyboard warrior."

"Keyboard warrior?"

"You can think of them as all talk and no action, just pretty faces with no substance."

Chen was silent for a moment before saying, "That's not what I meant. What I meant was that it's not that simple. The composition of the Guard Bureau's upper echelons is very complex; you can see that from Swire."

Lin Ye nodded in agreement.

“Of course, if he really is infiltrating the Guard Bureau, I’ll find him sooner or later.” Chen’s words were full of confidence; she had always been a very confident officer.

"It's a pity we didn't catch that W," Lin Ye sighed. "I felt that person was the dangerous one."

“Although I’ve never met that W,” Chen said softly as she took out the pack of women’s cigarettes, put one in her mouth, lit it, and as white smoke swirled around her, “I have a feeling I’ll see her again. The Guard Bureau will be fighting that terrorist organization again, and next time, we won’t be in such a sorry state.”

……

On the outskirts of Longmen, there is a relatively secluded villa.

A group of people dressed in black robes gently pushed open the villa door. The moment they entered, a cold voice rang out above them: "You're late."

The men in black robes raised their heads, looking at the man and woman standing on the second floor of the villa. The man was dressed in white, with a strange smile on his face, while the woman wore a black coat, her red eyes filled with indifference.

"We were delayed a little on the way." The leader, a man in his thirties wearing glasses and resembling a researcher, removed his hood. "Are you... the people we're looking for? The Reunion Movement?"

The woman didn't answer, but the man waved his hand, acting all familiar and smiling brightly: "Good evening, everyone from former Rhine Labs. On such a beautiful night, why not take off your disguises? Since you're interested in cooperating, honesty should be the basic courtesy. If you're feeling reserved, then let me introduce myself first. My name is Mephistopheles, the person you're looking for."

The men in black robes on the first floor hesitated for a moment, then removed their hoods. Underneath their black robes were white uniforms, with the Rhine Lab logo on the collars.

“Researchers? Interesting. I love talking to researchers.” Mephistopheles leaned on his cane and slowly descended the stairs. “Because you are smarter than most people.”

The Rhine Lab researchers exchanged glances, somewhat incredulous that the seemingly frail boy in front of them, who looked as if he would collapse with the slightest push, could be the thug they were looking for.

“I can sense your tension, but it’s completely unnecessary,” Mephisto said with a smile, standing in front of the former Rhine Lab researchers. “We’re crazy, but not the kind of crazy who would attack our partners. So there’s absolutely no need for you to hide weapons in your clothes. And you, the lady on the far right, I really don’t think a fruit knife could scratch me.”

The female researcher on the far side was startled by Mephistopheles' words, as if she had been seen through, and instinctively retreated into the crowd.

The lead researcher coughed twice and said, "This is just a little self-defense measure we have."

“We understand, we completely understand.” Mephisto raised his hands and said with a smile, “That’s why I didn’t bring any weapons to stand in front of you, to convey our sincerity, the sincerity from the Reunion Movement. Researchers, if you want to revive Rhine Lab, cooperating with us is definitely the best decision you’ve ever made. Whether you want money, people, or equipment, we can satisfy you, provided that you can give us what we want.”

The lead researcher took a deep breath and nodded: "I know your rules, and we've discussed them before."

"So, where is your sincerity?"

The lead researcher took a photograph out of his pocket and handed it to Mephistopheles.

"This is our sincerity," the lead researcher said, emphasizing each word. "She is absolutely Rhine Lab's most perfect creation, Ifrit."

Chapter 154 Undercurrents (Part 2) (3K)

Mephisto took the photo from the lead researcher. The photo showed a girl sleeping in an incubator, her body covered in black Originium.

"Her name is Ifrit, right?" Mephisto smiled, his eyes narrowing. "She's so beautiful, like a princess. I really want to wake her up and see her. So, what about the other data? Your Rhine Lab's records of experimental subjects can't just consist of a single photograph, can they?"

The lead researcher said, "This is all we have left. All her records have either been taken away or destroyed."

"Who did this?"

“Our former colleague, Himer,” another researcher picked up the conversation, “took Ifrit and all the experimental data about Ifrit with her, because she was in charge of Ifrit in the first place.”

The lead researcher nodded: "Yes, as for the damaged part, it was Saria who did it. She triggered Ifrit's impending rampage, terminating all experiments related to Ifrit and destroying all experimental data."

“Sounds like a very capable person.” Mephisto put the photo down, a strange smile on his face. “But do you really think you can get everything out of us with just one photo? Isn’t that a bit too wishful thinking?”

"...Although most of the data is not in our hands, I still know one crucial piece of information."

"Oh?"

The lead researcher took a deep breath and slowly said, "The fusion rate between Ifrit and Originium has reached nineteen percent."

Even Mephistopheles was surprised this time: "Nineteen percent?! Are you kidding me?!"

“We don’t joke about any data,” the lead researcher replied.

“Nineteen percent, nineteen percent…” Mephisto murmured, “With such a high Originium fusion rate, how has she survived until now?”

“Hemer has been treating her all along,” the lead researcher said. “She took Ifrit to a pharmaceutical company called Rhodes Island, and Rhodes Island has been providing them with assistance.”

Mephisto raised an eyebrow: "Rhodes Island? Doesn't that name sound familiar?"

After saying that, he turned to look at the woman who was still waiting on the second floor: "Isn't this the organization you fought with last time?"

W leaned against the wall, not saying a word, and it was unclear what he was thinking.

"Interesting, quite interesting," Mephisto muttered to himself. "A pharmaceutical company with such power, tsk tsk tsk, even I'm curious about this company."

A former female operator from Rhine Labs said, "Rhodes Island is just a pharmaceutical company on the surface. But in addition to pharmaceuticals, it also has a powerful military force. I've heard that they've collected a lot of powerful infected people to fight for them."

Mephisto's eyes narrowed into a dangerous arc: "Is that so? Collecting infected people, that sounds interesting." As he spoke, he turned his gaze back to Ifrit in the photo, his tone suddenly softening, "She really is a princess. Such a high assimilation rate is such a waste to have her in a company like Rhodes Island. She'd be better off coming to us."

The former Rhine Lab researchers exchanged glances, and finally, the leader of the researchers stepped forward and asked, "So, are you satisfied with these conditions?"

Mephisto held up Ifrit's photo and waved it in front of the researchers: "Can you guarantee that everything you're saying is true?"

“Of course.” The lead researcher nodded. “I’ve already said I have no reason to lie in a place like this. If you don’t believe me, you can bring her to your side and test her yourself. You infected should know more about infected people than we do.”

Mephistopheles tapped the floor gently with his cane.

“We prefer to call each other compatriots rather than infected people,” Mephisto said with a smile to the leading researcher. “I hope you remember that.”

Facing Mephisto's gaze, the lead researcher instinctively shivered. He didn't know why, even though the other person was a child much younger than him, and even though the other person always had a smile on their face, he felt that the other person's eyes were as cold as a venomous snake, as if he would be bitten hard if he wasn't careful. He didn't know if it was just his imagination.

“Alright,” Mephisto changed the subject. “Let’s get back to the main point. If the data you’ve given us is accurate, then we are very satisfied with this child named Ifrit. We can agree to your conditions, and we can assist you in rebuilding Rhine Lab. So, when can you bring this child to us?”

"It's not something we can do alone."

"What do you mean?"

“As you can see.” The lead researcher turned to the side, allowing Mephisto to see the researchers standing behind him. “Most of us are not armed and cannot possibly snatch Ifrit from Himer’s hands.”

"Isn't that guy named Himer a researcher?"

“She is too, but she’s not the key. The key is Rhodes Island, which stands behind her,” the lead researcher said. “If Rhine Labs hadn’t disbanded, we naturally wouldn’t need to fear them. But now, the only legitimate members of Rhine Labs are us.”

Mephistopheles smiled and asked, "So, can I understand that you're trying to get such a large investment from me based on just a photograph and some verbal data?"

“No, of course it’s not just that.” The lead researcher took a deep breath. “We can lure Himer and Ifrit out. In fact, we’re already doing that. We’ve arranged to meet Himer to discuss business, saying we want to sell those old instruments to Rhodes Island. As a former colleague, Himer will definitely come out to talk to us in person. And given Ifrit’s condition, she can’t leave Himer at all, so Himer will definitely take Ifrit with him.”

“I understand.” Mephisto nodded and said with a smile, “Then when you lure out that guy named Himer, we’ll step in and take Ifrit away, right?”

The lead researcher nodded.

Mephistopheles suddenly clapped his hands, and the sound of applause abruptly rang out in the empty villa, leaving the researchers somewhat bewildered.

"As expected of a former colleague." Mephisto clapped and smiled in praise. "Before contacting us, you had already devised such a clever plan against your former colleague. Impressive, impressive, you truly are people who use their brains. In your eyes, this child named Ifrit has always been an important asset for your revival of Rhine Life, just temporarily entrusted to Himer, right?"

“That’s just how it is.” The lead researcher didn’t speak; instead, a male researcher standing behind him spoke, his tone indignant. “Although Ifrit was ‘created’ by Himer, Rhine Lab also poured a lot of money and resources into them. Not only did they not get a return, but they also caused Rhine Lab to collapse. Now that we are restructuring Rhine Lab, what’s wrong with taking back all the previous investments in them?”

The female researcher, who stood in the corner out of fear and carried a fruit knife, chimed in, "Ifrit isn't Himer's property; it belongs to Rhine Lab, and to all of us here."

Her words seemed to resonate with everyone, and everyone nodded in agreement.

"Yes, Ifrit was originally an asset of Rhine Lab."

"They destroyed Rhine Life, and it is their redemption to rebuild Rhine Life."

The researchers discussed it in hushed tones.

Mephistopheles watched the farce unfold with great interest, then clapped his hands to quiet everyone down.

“I understand what you mean,” Mephisto said with a smile. “In that case, it doesn’t matter what happens to this guy named Himer, right? I was originally thinking that since she was your former colleague, I should try not to hurt her.”

At this moment, the lead researcher spoke up again: "Don't worry about Himer, just get Ifrit. In the new Rhine Lab, there was no place for Himer anyway."

“Is that so? I’m relieved to hear that.” Mephistopheles turned his gaze back to the leading researcher. “I agree with your idea; those who achieve great things don’t concern themselves with trifles. In that case, we’ll cooperate with you. By the way, I still don’t know your name.”

The lead researcher extended his hand to Mephisto: "Just call me Kado, former chief researcher at Rhine Labs."

"Hello, Kado." Mephisto smiled and shook Kado's hand. "I wish us a pleasant cooperation."

……

After the Rhine Lab researchers left, Mephistopheles' smile gradually faded, but he was still in a good mood. He hummed a song as he took out a handkerchief from his pocket and carefully wiped the hand he had just shaken with Kado.

"Are you planning to go alone?" W's voice came from upstairs.

“No way,” Mephisto said with a laugh. “Why don’t you come with me?”

W said calmly, "I'm still wanted by Lungmen's Royal Guard."