"This means two things: First, our 'covert actions', in the eyes of the Shenzhou officials, have likely never been a secret.
"Second, and more importantly—"
Joachim paused to ensure everyone was listening.
"Since they adopt a management strategy of 'monitor—assess—limited intervention' rather than an annihilation strategy of 'clear on sight', it means our operational mode objectively must have 'gaps' and 'lags' that they cannot or are unwilling to completely lock down!
"Because they need to prioritize ensuring the superficial calm of the entire city, their resource deployment must consider the overall stability maintenance. It's impossible for them to concentrate infinite power against us few 'minor troubles'.
"As long as we change the nature of our actions and no longer play the role of the conspicuous 'destructive hero' that needs to be 'managed'..."
He pointed to his temple.
"As long as the 'unpredictability' and 'potential social impact' of our actions are lowered below their intervention threshold, or if our action pattern completely deviates from the 'assessment model' they established based on the previous two loops...
"We might have a chance to act truly and relatively freely in this last period before the Honkai finally breaks out."
"It's not that we lack the ability to bypass their sight," Joachim concluded, his voice reinjected with a quiet strength. "We just previously acted in ways that were easiest for them to 'see' and 'classify'.
"Now, we need to find that 'invisible' path."
Joachim was right. Everyone here agreed with his thoughts.
But—how to do it?
Everyone knew in which direction to strive, but those who knew how to strive in this direction would ultimately be the minority.
Fortunately, Joachim was among that tiny minority.
"Our previous action mode, because of its obvious destructiveness of 'individual heroism', has always been under the key assessment and limited control of the official stability maintenance system.
"And this monitoring is not only because of what we did, but also our identities—core personnel of the City of the Future, the next master of the Taixu Martial Arts School, the strongest of the current era, and top killers on the web... people of the Kaslana family."
Joachim listed everyone's identity.
"With such identities, if we suddenly turn all our attention to a public idol and adopt radical contact or investigation methods, it is extremely likely to trigger official intervention immediately.
"We might even alert the enemy, causing the target to be strictly protected or transferred, making us completely lose the opportunity for contact."
He pressed his hands on the table, his gaze sweeping over every companion.
"Therefore, the second, parallel goal is: We must completely change our action pattern, shed our skins like cicadas, and divert or paralyze the official gaze.
"We need a brand new set of 'identities' and 'scripts' so that our investigation of Yun Mengxi can blend into the background in a low-key, natural, even 'reasonable' way. At least, it cannot become a glaring alarm signal on the official stability radar again."
"We can no longer be the 'bull' barging into the china shop. This time, we must try to be an imperceptible 'shadow' in the china shop, or... a seemingly harmless 'decoration'.
"Approaching Yun Mengxi while fading out of the official focus is the prerequisite for our survival and breaking the deadlock in the third loop."
"But this is by no means simple." Natasha shook her head. "Every one of us is a sensitive figure. It's impossible to fade from the official sight... Or do you plan to—
"Turn on the lights?"
Joachim revealed a confident smile at Natasha.
Fade out of focus?
For existences like Fu Hua, who was almost regarded as a "strategic weapon in human form" by some high-level officials in Shenzhou; for people like Himeko and Natasha; for Kallen with her iconic Kaslana bloodline; and for him, originating from the City of the Future and possessing the Arahato armor...
Their existence itself was a light source.
Want a light source to be unseen? Unless it's completely extinguished, or...
"Yes, we turn on the lights!"
Create a stronger light source to cover oneself!
"Sapphire City, and even this land of Shenzhou it belongs to, has its unique operational logic.
"Here, the economy is the lifeline, the important yardstick measuring everything. It can even profoundly influence and guide official decision-making and the flow of attention.
"The disappearance of a focus is often not because it's extinguished, but because a hotter, more impossible-to-ignore new focus has appeared."
His gaze landed in the corner of the room, on the quiet and pale Yae Rin, who was gently protected by Natasha.
The little girl seemed to sense the gathering gazes and shrank behind Anna somewhat uneasily.
"Rin," Joachim's voice softened a bit, but the rational core within didn't change, "is an ALS patient.
"This disease, at the current level of medical technology in the external world, is still terminal.
"But precisely because of this, any breakthrough research on it represents immeasurable economic value, scientific reputation, and the symbolic significance of humanity challenging the limits of life."
He turned to the crowd, his speech speeding up as if outlining a thrilling blueprint.
"Currently, research projects targeting ALS, especially attempts involving cutting-edge biotechnology, neural interfacing, and even... some fringe taboo areas, although attracting the attention of some top capital and institutions, are mostly met with a wait-and-see attitude.
"The risks are too high, the return cycle too long, and the uncertainty too great.
"So, 'Yae Rin' and the project she represents are currently just a 'potential focus', not yet the 'eye of the storm'."
"Then..." The corners of Joachim's mouth pulled into an arc devoid of warmth.
"What if we add an unquenchable fire to this 'potential focus'?
"What if we let the whole world—at least the relevant stakeholders in Sapphire City and even Shenzhou—'see' that the key breakthrough to curing ALS is right here, right now, on this person, and the dawn has appeared, success is within reach?"
Himeko's pupils constricted slightly: "You want to... forge a breakthrough?"
"Not forge!" Joachim shook his head resolutely.
"The City of the Future has technological reserves beyond the era in fields like neural reconstruction, consciousness mapping, and biochips. Although many are still incomplete or extremely risky, it's not difficult to present some specious 'stage results' or 'subversive theoretical frameworks' enough to cause a sensation.
"I even have the authority to retrieve real data and technology regarding the cure for this disease from the database!
"And Natasha can coincidentally 'leak' part of the highly encrypted but 'accidentally' interceptable or crackable research data through the channels of Heliopolis Life Sciences Pharmaceutical.
"We can orchestrate a few 'accidents' to let Rin show some signs of 'abnormal' conditions that seem to point to disease reversal or neural function compensation right now—these signs can be packaged as the amazing effects of a 'new therapy'.
"Here is the lie I want to tell—the therapy exists, the technology is real, the effects are tangible, but the efficiency..."
Joachim didn't say the second half of the sentence, but his words were like cold raindrops beating on everyone's heart.
"What we need to do is light the fuse.
"Once the capital world smells a 'certain opportunity' enough to overturn a huge medical market and create trillions in value, the greedy behemoths believing in the logic of 'stagnation means death, slow progress also means death' will flood into the arena frantically.
"Fighting for patents, snatching researchers, instigating core teams to defect, creating public opinion momentum, sniping in the stock market, and even darker means...
"A war centered on 'Yae Rin' and the 'dawn of curing ALS', sweeping through the high-end biotechnology and capital circles of Sapphire City, will erupt at the fastest speed!"