After Eden's concert concluded. Inside Cocolia's office.
"Cocolia, is this what you call 'foolproof'?"
"I staked my entire career on this, risking a court-martial to mobilize the mech squad, and this is the explanation you give me?"
Listening to the screaming of her military partner over the comms, Cocolia rubbed her temples in pain.
Originally, according to her plan, as long as they pulled off this staged drama and saved Eden from the "Chrysalis" assassins she had anonymously hired, all participants would have been able to leverage the favor to climb higher.
Unfortunately, a plan that should have been a guaranteed win had failed spectacularly.
"Rest assured, Colonel. Your unit just happened to be conducting routine training near the concert venue. No one will suspect you."
"They better not!" The voice on the other end suppressed its rage. "If I go down, don't think you can stay out of it!"
The call ended. Cocolia sighed.
She stared at the photo on her desk, her expression deeply troubled.
The photo showed Li Mu, disguised as the Faded Elf, tearing apart a squad of mechs with his bare hands. If an ordinary person saw someone ripping mechs apart like wet paper, their worldview would probably shatter.
But for Cocolia, who had climbed to the position of a United Government councilor, she knew exactly what kind of monsters lurked beneath the peaceful surface of this world.
She placed another photo on the desk. This one showed a pink-haired girl. It had been sent to her by a friend in Fire-MOTH after she forwarded the video of the incident.
That friend had even warned her repeatedly: Do not investigate this any further.
Cocolia looked at the person in the photo. Aside from the different hair and eye color, she was basically identical to the light-purple-haired girl who tore apart the mechs.
Or rather, they were the same person!
Did she really think dyeing her hair, putting in contacts, and wearing a mask would hide her identity?
Reality wasn't an anime. Changing hair color didn't make you invisible.
No, perhaps she never intended to hide it.
Judging by the reaction of her friend in Fire-MOTH, this girl who carried Eden out of the encirclement was likely a big shot within the organization.
Thinking of this, Cocolia gathered the photos on her desk and fed them into the shredder.
Since she knew the water was too deep, she wasn't going to wade any further. After all, she couldn't withstand an investigation herself.
Anyway, Eden had returned unharmed and had no intention of pursuing responsibility from the Far East side. Since that was the case, she would let this matter slide.
Listening to the whirring of the shredder, Cocolia fell silent.
"Failure is nothing. I've failed enough already," Cocolia murmured to herself, as if self-consoling. "What doesn't kill me makes me stronger."
Quickly adjusting her mindset, Cocolia began to ponder her next move.
The plan to use Eden's influence to return to the center of power in the United Government had obviously failed. But her goal remained unchanged. To realize her long-cherished wish, she had to climb up, step by step, to the very peak of power.
But climbing was easier said than done.
Every year, countless people wanted to advance. Everyone was eyeing the position above them. How could she stand out?
Without background, without connections, to climb up successfully, she had to produce a political achievement massive enough that no one else could steal credit for.
"One step at a time."
Cocolia rubbed her temples again. For her, the Far East was truly a terrible place.
This region was controlled by various chaebols and great families, and it was extremely xenophobic. As a Slavic woman sent down by the United Government, she was practically drowning in debuffs here.
If she had been sent to her home turf in the Russia District, she would have had a good chance of turning things around. But in the Far East, even if she wanted to achieve something, she would be tripped up at every turn.
Ultimately, she was an outsider and didn't understand the local situation well enough.
"So, I need to find a local ally to help me integrate into the Nagazora circle."
But thinking of this, Cocolia got another headache.
The upper echelons of the Far East were controlled by chaebols. As vested interests, they were naturally wary of outsiders like her.
"Is there really no local option who isn't connected to the chaebols but has a promising future?"
...
The chaos Li Mu caused using the Faded Elf identity hadn't yet reached the other side of the globe.
At this moment, a certain Pink Elf had just finished her mission and returned to the Fire-MOTH base.
Humming an unknown tune, the pink-haired girl walked into the base, looking like a forever lively, forever optimistic, forever smiling adorable elf.
It was Elysia, returning after completing a Honkai beast extermination mission.
"Hi there! Did you miss me?~♪" Elysia greeted everyone she met.
Usually, everyone she greeted would be infected by her liveliness and respond politely.
But this time, the reactions of the people she greeted were strange.
Upon seeing Elysia, their eyes seemed to hold a look of disbelief. Then, without saying a word, they hurriedly moved away from her.
This made Elysia feel a bit strange.
She took out her small mirror and looked at her flawless face and her capable yet beautiful outfit. A puzzled expression appeared on her face.
"My appearance isn't rude or anything. Why is everyone looking at me so strangely?"
Elysia couldn't figure it out. She wanted to grab someone and ask for the reason, but the people she tried to stop ran away desperately, as if afraid of getting involved with her.
"Why like this..."
Elysia's expression fell, and she pouted.
It seemed something she didn't know about had indeed happened. She decided to get to the bottom of it.
Although everyone in the base was avoiding her, she knew one person who definitely wouldn't.
"So sad. I feel like my beautiful maiden heart is withering."
"So, I'll go find my dear Mobius to replenish my beautiful girl energy~♪"
Just as Elysia thought this, her communicator let out a pleasant chime.
Opening the interface, she found that the caller was none other than Mobius.
Elysia answered the call. A woman with a lab coat, unnaturally pale skin, and long green hair popped up on the screen. It was Mobius.
However, this friend who, in Elysia's memory, always seemed impatient with her, now wore a rather strange expression.
The moment the call connected, seeing Elysia's current state, Mobius paused.
"Elysia? You're not in prison?"
"Mobius, I am a law-abiding beautiful girl. Why would I be in prison?"
"Law-abiding?" Mobius's voice pitched up, as if she had heard something incredible.
Elysia was utterly confused.
However, after seeing Elysia's surroundings, Mobius nodded.
"I'm glad to see you haven't been caught yet."
"Doctor, your words are so weird. I'm not a criminal, why would I be caught?"
When she said this, the expression on Mobius's face became even stranger.
"I understand. Don't worry, I'll keep your secret."
"However, if you need treatment for Dissociative Identity Disorder, you can come to me. I'm still very interested in your body."
With that, Mobius hung up, leaving a bewildered Elysia standing there.
"Mobius... what is she talking about..."
Elysia was even more confused. What was this feeling that everyone knew what happened except her?
At this moment, a news notification popped up on her open communicator.
[Rampant Crime! Singer Eden Kidnapped in Public View! The Culprit is Her!]
Elysia's heart tightened instantly.
"Eden was kidnapped?!"
She hurriedly clicked on the news, finding a lengthy report detailing how Eden was publicly kidnapped on stage after arriving in the Far East.
Just as she was about to scroll down to see who the so-called culprit was...
[This information violates regulations.]
[404 Not Found]
Elysia closed her communicator, her cheeks puffing up in anger. "Who kidnapped Eden?! That's too mean!"
"No, I can't stop worrying about Eden."
Anxiety filled Elysia's heart. Judging by the report, the kidnappers were extremely brutal.
She didn't dare imagine what Eden might be going through.
Therefore, she prepared to head to the Far East to rescue Eden.
Just as she had this thought, the sound of rapid, synchronized footsteps approached quickly. Elysia looked up to find a squad of fully armed Fire-MOTH soldiers surrounding her.
The soldiers spread out in front of her.
"Elysia, your kidnapping of Eden has been exposed. Please come with us."
"...?"
"You have the right to remain silent, but anything you say can and will be used against you in court!"