The Marshall Islands stood guarded by Orb's First Fleet on high alert. All MS unit pilots had boarded their machines, standing by aboard warships while marines swarmed ashore like ants, concealing themselves behind rocks and within forests. Only Yang Hui approached the wooden cabin alone.
Not only had Setsuna, Lyle, Tieria, and Lacus found excuses to send away the Yamato and Zala families along with the adopted children, but Mentor Malchio had also anticipated this scenario. Cooperating with Lacus, he ensured the others were led away while he remained alone to await Yang Hui's arrival.
"All units stand by. If I don't emerge within thirty minutes or initiate contact, launch a full assault."
"Understood. Stay safe."
"Copy that."
Taking a deep breath, Yang Hui pushed open the cabin door. Mentor Malchio sat waiting on the living room sofa, two steaming cups of tea already prepared on the coffee table.
"First meeting... that would be accurate, wouldn't it? Chairman Yang Hui."
"First meeting, Mentor Malchio." Yang Hui naturally took the seat opposite but didn't touch the tea.
"Rest assured, Chairman, the tea is perfectly safe. I can take the first sip if you'd like."
"..." Yang Hui paused, then fixed an unblinking stare at Mentor Malchio.
"Truly, Chairman, I mean you no harm. I'm aware you've long sought an opportunity to meet me, but the timing wasn't right until today."
"Mentor Malchio... who exactly are you?"
"Direct as always, Chairman." Mentor Malchio sipped his tea before responding, "I am Reverend Malchio. Or you may call me... Odel Navia."
"You're the second prince of the Scandinavian Kingdom who mysteriously vanished fifty years ago?! Younger brother to King Olf Navia?!" Yang Hui was stunned. Orb's intelligence division had thoroughly investigated the Scandinavian Kingdom as their primary target, tracing all available records back to its founding—including the fifty-year-old disappearance of the second prince.
The intelligence clearly indicated no assassination, no royal power struggle, no kidnapping—just complete disappearance without a trace.
"Surprising, isn't it? A man who should be in his sixties yet appears barely thirty."
"...What have you done?"
"Chairman, I advise you to remain calm. Once you learn this answer, you won't be able to learn the others... ugh!"
Suddenly, Mentor Malchio—or rather, Odel Navia—clutched his chest, doubling over in visible agony.
"What's wrong?"
"N-no matter... I can still suppress it... cough But my time is short, Chairman. Ask quickly! Whatever I know, I'll answer. Hurry!"
Seeing Odel Navia's increasingly pale complexion and deteriorating condition, Yang Hui dared not delay any longer. Regardless of what was happening, he decided to voice his suspicions first: "...Is the Scandinavian Kingdom behind [LOGOS]? The wars, conflicts, hatred—were they all orchestrated by the Scandinavian Kingdom?"
"Yes."
"What exactly are you hiding?"
"Demons... demons from beyond... that shouldn't exist... in this world... demons!"
"Demons? What demons..."
"I... I can't... can't say its name... otherwise... I won't be able to suppress it... Mr. Yang Hui... I know... I know about you, and... and Ms. Huang, Ms. Wang... you're all... visitors from beyond... The presence inside me... told me so. But I know... you... are different from them. They... only bring disaster. I hope... no, I beg you... you must stop... stop them... The location is... inside the royal city... the very core..."
"Tell me, what is it!?"
Yang Hui now understood. The mission's clue, the existence that shouldn't exist, the dormant "guest" from beyond—it was hidden within Scandinavia. All the mysteries were one final key away from being unraveled, and that key was its identity.
"They... they are..."
Just as the truth was about to be revealed, Odel Navia suddenly fell silent. His body slumped unnaturally, prompting Yang Hui to leap back and draw his pistol, aiming it at Odel Navia.
The next moment, Odel Navia stood up in an eerily unnatural posture, his previously tightly shut eyes now wide open.
When Yang Hui saw those eyes, his face twisted in horror. There were no whites, no pupils—nothing resembling human eyes. Instead, they were emerald-green crystals, pulsing as if alive. Not just his eyes—emerald crystals began sprouting unnaturally all over his body.
"You... are there..."
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
Yang Hui didn't dare ask, didn't dare answer. Without waiting for Odel Navia to finish, he unloaded the entire magazine into "him." Even after emptying the first clip, Yang Hui wasn't satisfied. He reloaded and emptied another, all while retreating step by step toward the cabin door.
"Commander! What's happening—"
"Don't come in! Cut all communications! Maintain radio silence! Ignore any sounds you hear! Execute now!"
There was a brief hesitation, but soon, static crackled in Yang Hui's earpiece—his orders had been followed.
By now, Yang Hui had reached the door, one hand on the handle, ready to flee at any moment. The other still held his pistol, trained on Odel Navia's "corpse." The slightest twitch or tremor, and another magazine of bullets would be sent "his" way.
But after waiting for about five minutes, the riddled "corpse" showed no signs of movement. Only then did Yang Hui gently knock on the door—three long taps followed by two short ones. Immediately, a response of one long and two short knocks came from outside. Yang Hui then carefully turned the doorknob, allowing the fully armed soldiers to enter.
"Use tools, don't make physical contact with him. You're authorized to attack directly if there's any unusual movement. No talking, no responding."
The soldiers nodded. Once inside, they found a long pole and used it to flip the "corpse" over, then conducted tests with their instruments to confirm whether "he" was truly dead.
At that moment, however, Odel Navia's corpse underwent another bizarre transformation—green crystals began sprouting wildly from it.
"Open fire! Everyone, fall back!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!..."
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