The opportunity to travel freely did not e until a month ter.

  After w within the institute for nearly half a month, Aleph had an “on-site” iion of several frontline branches against honkai.

  One of them was “Sapphire City”. The surrounding towns around it suffered from small-scale honkai eruptions which made it an opportunity for him to see honkai beasts and survey the needed ‘equipment’ by the frontline soldiers.

  After all, only by hearing the demands of the ‘soldiers’ themselves would they be able to optimize some hidden funs that disrupt their efficy.

  He currently has several bodyguards as his escort. Unfortunately for Aleph, this was mandatory for valuable personnel such as him.

  “We will stay in a nearby room. We will guarantee your safety, Dr. Ainsworth.”

  “Thanks. You should have some rest too.” Aleph said. “I will be colleg some data tomorrow.”

  “Uood.”

  Fag such a ‘le’ superior, the bodyguards inwardly made a thumbs up to him.

  When they were gone, Aleph sighed.

  “I could already feel Dr. Einstein’s scolding, but it is what it is.”

  Once he entered his booked room, Aleph pced the silver briefcase oabletop. When he ope, some of his personal belongings were present. These included the tablet and oher backup that he prepared. It included his clothes, wallet, some identification, and other miseous items.

  “Aside from bodyguards, there’s that someone…”

  As an assistant director, Aleph was made aware that there was an anization within Fire MOTH that carried some “shady tasks”. Einstein directly told these things to him.

  One of them was assigo him as a ‘hidden surveilnce’.

  In the end, the clusion that he came to was:

  “I won’t find anything if I don’t screw around.”

  After settling his personal belongings, he took out the ‘bhat turransparent the sed. Its pure bck color fitted well with his white polo.

  “My insight bode me well…”

  Aleph opehe window and saw the ground from the sed floor. The hotel room that he booked was on that floor, hence he didn’t need much except the ‘cealment b’ as well as a pair of syic fiber ropes.

  He put on the bo cover his entire body before desding using the rope.

  “Why am I this aced to it? Did I do some shady things before?”

  Aleph muttered as he found his body adapting to the ‘rappelling state’. It didn’t take long before he mao touch the ground. He didn’t even need gloves as his hands became strengthened under his APS (Active Power State).

  “Let’s test how far you could go, unknown bodyguard…”

  *****

  “Hm?”

  As expected by Aleph, there really was a hidden surveilnce assigo him. They wouldn’t be mobilized much whearget was simply an official or a soldier, but high-ranking institute personnel are highly-valued.

  There were several hidden unaffiliated anizations to Fire MOTH. They have been the Fire MOTH’s shadow soldiers since day ohey were, in fact, responsible for handling dirty and plex stuff that wouldn’t do well for the anization.

  At present, one such personnel was sent to ‘protect’ the newly-inducted assistant director of the Third Researstitute.

  “What is he pnning to do?”

  Her dark-purple irises narrowed as she tried to ‘track’ the movements of her surveilarget. She was currently on the rooftop withiel’s viity. The window where Aleph got out was the only other possible entry point for intruders, hence she chose this position.

  Although his ‘cealment cloak’ could deceive most people, Aleph was unfortuo meet this girl, who, with her unaugmented body, was able to reach the peak of human strength.

  The agent, Sakura, kept close watch at his window, thus she was able to see it open from the get-go.

  Without aation, she jumped straight from the building three storeys tall and mao nd on the ground. Several biological improvements pushed her strength to humanity’s limits.

  Crack-!

  Bam-!

  “...They are keen to see some dirt on him. Was it reted to the new Fourth Institute Director who rose up..?”

  Based on what Sakura had read, Dr. Ainsworth was greatly acquainted with Dr. Mei. Some people got caught into trouble by the tter, thus wanting to find some holes through their force.

  “If that’s the case...”

  At the thought of them being reduced into certain iial figures’ private army, she could only remain silent. Her method of indu itself was far from pleasant—with her little sister being held hostage. She doesn’t care about that anization; only her sister.

  ‘Will things even ge one day?’

  Those thoughts were halted as she watched Aleph from the distahe tter wasn’t doing anything strange, only expl Sapphire City normally as a tourist would. He went on and tried some street snacks and ied with its locals.

  It was as if his escape entailed some time ‘off work’.

  Everything remained as usual… or at least it was shown on the surface. A depressive air surrounded Sapphire city. As it was within the proximity of Nagazora, it was affected by the aftereffects of Herscherr's dest. It was not the sole pce, however, as the entire Far East was affected by the surge of Honkai energy within that pce.

  At this point, Fire MOTH could barely keep their information blockage after deg Martial Law to all the cities within the Far East.

  At the current stages, they viewed the Honkai as a threat that they could still settle i. There won’t be any ass paranoia, and the likes with this move, or so they believe.

  The current humanity believes that the Honkai was just like that. The higher-ups of the Fire MOTH viewed their petitors as a bigger threat than it.

  This stagnant and pt attitude would tinue…

  “He’s gone?!”

  …without a of ge.

  Four seds after Aleph’s disappearance from Sakura’s sight, somebody tapped the tter’s shoulder.

  What greeted her was the face of a man in bck cloak.

  “ we have a talk?”

  “You…”

  It was only at this moment did she realize that this man’s goal was to fish her out.

  *****

  Aleph was not dumb.

  He khat sneaking into pces with honkai beasts or any kind of battlefield was straight-up impossible under his current ditions.

  The ohat preve the most was her than the ‘hidden surveilnce’ from Fire MOTH’s so-called “elite force”.

  As long as that dition was resolved, that impossibility might bee fully possible.

  It also remains to be unclear oher the Far East was truly safe after the Third Eruption or not. He wouldn’t simply gamble with his life, thus he chose to settle things step-by-step.

  “You wao have a talk. What do you want?”

  “...I k. You are not from ae force” alone. Was it an unlisted soldier? A secret agent, perhaps?”

  “...”

  Just from her manner of speaking, Aleph immediately deduced that information. He mao fish out new knowledge from Sakura’s subtle acts.

  “Look, I won’t be surprised if there are really spies a agents within Fire MOTH. Though, aren’t you supposed to wear some type of bck suit or something?”

  Aleph looked at the girl who has a type of “fashion sense”. She wore a ohirds atop her white t-shirt as well as a pair of bck leggings that emphasized its slenderness.

  Top it off with a mini short, that was something Aleph didn’t expect from the usual ‘bck suits’.

  “Haven’t you thought that spies would blend in too?”

  “Fair point…”

  Sakura expected him to be the ‘ing’ man that wanted something from her, but she didn’t think that their versation would bee silly…

  “Well, with yanization bei a secret, it wouldn’t be wrong to assume that it is shady, no?”

  …or not.