I'm in Mota, and they all want me to confess my feelings!

After countless times of eager anticipation only to be met with disappointment, a despair arose as if falling into an endless abyss.

Floro pressed her lips tightly together, seemingly trying her best to suppress the complex emotions surging within her, and slowly shifted her gaze away, no longer looking at him.

Perhaps, all of this was just a pure accident, a joke that fate played on us unintentionally.

The person before me was not the one I remembered, but the two shared a startling resemblance in appearance, like a phantom in a mirror, illusory and fragile.

"I'm probably overthinking it."

"According to the prophecy of the Horn, he should not be here, but in Jinzhou."

"The person in front of me and the person in my memory may only have a similar appearance, like two leaves growing on different branches but with similar shapes."

Floro tried to comfort herself with these thoughts, to find a reasonable outlet for her chaotic emotions.

Despite her constant attempts to convince herself that it was just a coincidence, a misjudgment of fate.

But when the person with a similar outline to the figure in his memory actually appeared in front of him, that heart, which seemed to have been aged, was filled with joy.

That's a kind of...

The feeling is indescribable, like a mixture of all negative and positive emotions.

As for Duanmu Yan, he was naturally unaware of the delicate and secretive thoughts of the girl beside him.

In his eyes, he and the girl were nothing more than passersby who met by chance in the vast sea of ​​people, like two leaves that were blown by the wind to the same place, and would go their separate ways after a brief encounter.

Perhaps, after this separation, they will be like two parallel lines that never intersect again, never to meet again in this lifetime.

Moreover, he also had a mission to complete.

A moment later, the theater lights dimmed without warning, as if night had suddenly fallen, shrouding the whole world in a hazy mist.

Only the orchestra on the stage was precisely enveloped by a soft yet bright beam of light, becoming the sole focus of the entire event.

The noisy crowd quieted down the moment the lights dimmed.

In the vast theater, the audience was completely silent. Everyone was glued to the stage, their eyes fixed on the orchestra, eagerly anticipating the magnificent music that was about to begin.

Although this is the first time this band has performed, it has benefited from Koleta's investment.

Therefore, as soon as the news of the performance was released, it attracted many people like a magnet. The theater was soon packed with people, all eager to see the performance of this emerging orchestra.

But it must be said that the band is quite talented.

The moment the performance began, almost everyone was immersed in this dreamlike world meticulously woven from beautiful notes, rising and falling with the melody.

Sometimes she would close her eyes slightly, sometimes she would nod gently, and sometimes she would look intoxicated, as if her soul had been taken to another dimension by the melodious music.

But Duanmu Yan was different from them.

Although he was immersed in the performance, he simply closed his eyes and listened quietly, without any extra movements or emotional expressions.

Perhaps, to the listener, the melody of this piece is ethereal and lively, evoking a myriad of emotions.

However, if you calm down and listen carefully, you can keenly perceive that behind the seemingly light and ethereal melody, there is a hidden sense of relief and sorrow, a subtle pain in the music, telling a story that is not known to others.

As soon as the music ended, the previously silent theater erupted in thunderous applause.

But amidst the thunderous applause, there were two figures that seemed out of place.

"Aren't you going to clap?" Floro turned his head slightly, his clear eyes looking at the young man beside him.

"You don't have any either?" Duanmu Yan's eyes remained closed, his voice calm and indifferent.

"Why?" she asked.

Duanmu Yan seemed to be deep in thought: "Perhaps, silent mourning is more suitable for this tragic song."

The familiar words gently touched the girl's heartstrings, causing her fingertips to tremble slightly for a moment.

Her thoughts drifted back to the day that changed the course of her music career—the day she first met him in the scarlet theater.

At that time, he also made that assessment of her.

Could it really be him?

"You have your own unique insights into music?" Floro pursed his lips slightly, his gaze fixed on Duanmu Yan, trying to catch a trace of familiarity in his expression.

The thunderous applause around us continued unabated, wave after wave, as if it were about to engulf the entire theater.

Yet, amidst this fervent hymn of praise, they maintained a puzzling silence.

Duanmu Yan shook his head and said, "No, I just heard a deeper meaning in the music, that's all."

Upon hearing this, Floro paused slightly, a complex emotion flashing in his eyes, before slowly turning his head away and remaining silent.

Her gaze was somewhat unfocused, as if she were avoiding something, or as if she were trying to sort out the chaotic thoughts in her mind.

At this moment, her thoughts were like a tangled mess of threads blown about by a raging wind, impossible to unravel.

Is it really him?

The person she has always longed to reunite with?

Or is it that all of this is just a cruel joke of fate, a farce carefully orchestrated by the god of destiny to torment her?

She preferred to believe the latter.

After all, the greater the hope, the greater the disappointment. She was afraid of falling into that endless waiting and anticipation again, only to end up with nothing.

Or--

She never had any hope.

"And what about you? Why didn't you clap?" Duanmu Yan asked her.

Her expression was calm, with a hint of detachment in her eyes, as she replied, "Just like you. I could hear the sadness hidden beneath the melody."

"Is that so?" Upon hearing this, Duanmu Yan smiled slightly. "That's good. At least in this world where applause is everywhere, I'm not an oddball; there are still people who can share the same feelings as me."

“I hope you really are not yishan (five) Qi jiu liu chan er.

Floro frowned slightly, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, and spoke softly.

She then turned and walked straight towards the bustling world outside the theater, her figure appearing somewhat thin and lonely in the lamplight.

"By the way, what's your name?"

Upon hearing the voice, the girl paused slightly.

She hesitated for a moment, the hesitation spreading out like ripples on the surface of a lake.

Finally, she casually uttered her name.

"Floro."

Volume 1: Chapter Fourteen Preparatory Work

A cool breeze, a somber night.

—And a frozen heart.

A young girl, dressed in thin clothes, stood alone on the deserted shore.

The sea breeze howled, stirring her thin clothes, but she felt no cold at all, listening intently to the sound of the waves crashing in one after another.

"How did he end up here?"

"According to the horn's prophecy, shouldn't that guy have appeared in Huanglong's Jinzhou?"

"Or perhaps, the person standing before me isn't the one I know?"

The girl subconsciously rubbed her slightly cool fingertips, trying to find some comfort in this subtle action, but her thoughts became increasingly chaotic, like hair blown about by a raging wind, impossible to untangle.

What should I do next?

Should we report this to the Remnant Star Association?

Do not……

Given the way the Remnant Star Society operates, even if he wasn't that person, he might still become a victim of some kind of plan.

"still……"

"Let's observe further."

She lowered her eyes and murmured softly.

……

……

As the last note faded away beneath the concert hall's dome, like a wisp of smoke drifting into nothingness, the magnificent concert officially came to a close.

For Duanmu Yan, the real work had only just begun.

At this moment, the theater was bustling with people, and the noise and conversations were intertwined. Taking advantage of this excellent opportunity with so many people around, Duanmu Yan took action and began to make various preparations in an orderly manner for the next infiltration plan.

This theater was specially built for the head of the Fachipina family.

Although it also hosts a variety of performances on weekdays, bringing a series of audio-visual feasts to many art lovers.

But more often than not, it was more like a private performance hall, existing solely to satisfy the personal preferences and needs of the Fachipina family head.

Therefore, apart from the main hall and a few other areas open to the public, most areas of the theater are strictly off-limits to visitors.

"Sorry, this is a closed area for the audience. Thank you for your understanding."

At this moment, Duanmu Yan was trying to approach an iron gate that exuded a cold aura, but was quickly blocked by two guards.

"Sigh, isn't this the toilet?" He put on an extremely distressed expression, his eyes revealing a hint of anxiety and helplessness, and said in a feigned panic.

"This is the private property of the head of the Fachipina family."

"Really? I'm so sorry, I made a mistake."

After saying that, he pretended to be embarrassed and hurried, and quickly turned around and left this place of trouble.

Hmm, it seems that as long as we go through that door, we can find Giacomo's office.

However, the security measures inside must be very strong, right?

Although it was supposed to be infiltration...

But considering my own situation, without any advanced equipment or external support and cooperation, is it really possible to successfully infiltrate?

What if you hide in a cardboard box and manage to get away with it?

That's obviously not going to work.

After all, this isn't a game.

A cardboard box that moves around is really strange.

If that's the case, then there's only one option left!

--kill!

If I take out all the witnesses, then no one will notice that I've infiltrated!

But the problem is...

If you do that, the mission will fail.

Duanmu Yan was not entirely confident that he could eliminate all the guards without arousing suspicion.

"Never mind, let's go ask Miss Coleta."

"As the chief planner of this mission, she wouldn't just send her employees to carry out a task they can't handle, would she? That doesn't make sense either."

Duanmu Yan left the theater, went to a secluded corner, took out his terminal, and dialed Koleta's number.

After a short wait, Koleta's clear and melodious voice came from the other end of the terminal.

"Is the preliminary work complete?"

"Yeah, pretty much. I've roughly figured out the overall layout of the theater, but I'm at a loss when it comes to further investigation. Giacomo's security measures are absolutely airtight, with gleaming cameras everywhere and squads of highly vigilant guards patrolling back and forth. There's simply no opening to make a move."

After a brief pause, he changed the subject, his tone now carrying a hint of expectation and pleading: "So, Miss Koleta, regarding this matter... do you have any good ideas on how to deal with it?"

"Well?" After a long pause, Koletta's voice remained light and cheerful, as if everything was under her control. "Of course, I had already considered that."

"Don't worry, I specially purchased a batch of infiltration-specific equipment from the New Federation. Although these devices are still in the experimental stage, they should be perfectly adequate for the difficulty and scale of this operation."

A new federal government?

A device for infiltration?