"And they have another flaw—not just Soldier 11, but I've spotted it too."
"The rebels' tactics looked almost identical—except for a few forced alterations. And it's exactly those unnatural changes that make them suspicious."
"So you're suggesting those rebels might actually be imposters from the Defense Force?"
Zane was somewhat surprised, yet found the theory somewhat plausible. He neither fully believed it nor dismissed the possibility outright.
"How certain are you?"
Hearing Zane's question, Trigger and Soldier 11 exchanged a glance before the latter spoke.
"Eighty percent!"
Eighty percent?
Zane raised an eyebrow. That was a high probability. Though Soldier 11 usually seemed a bit dim-witted, he recognized her thoroughness.
But if the rebels who looted the underground of Mars District were indeed disguised Defense Force, why go to such unnecessary trouble?
Those supplies were meant for the Defense Force in the first place.
After all, even the Falkenhayn Mercenary Troupe was part of the Defense Force.
If they wanted something, why not just ask? Why rob themselves?
Yet this possibility wasn't small. If true, it would explain why they vanished without a trace after the raid.
Zane remembered Shin's attitude earlier. He blinked, suddenly realizing something.
Shin wouldn't know the truth, would she?
No, if she knew the truth, she wouldn't have summoned him here. She must have sensed something later and left in such a hurry.
As Zane pondered, Trigger suddenly reached out, grabbing Zane's hand on the table and squeezing it firmly.
Zane snapped back to attention and glanced at the pair. Trigger's expression was grave, while Soldier 11 had already slowly drawn her hand toward the hilt of the blade at her back.
Trigger released Zane's hand, and in the next instant—
"Go!"
In an instant, Soldier 11 drew her blade—not for a slash, but to unleash a torrent of blazing fire!
Charging forward, she struck the nearby wall with a single swing. The wall exploded under the strike, opening a gaping hole.
Trigger had already deployed her firearms, unleashing a hail of bullets toward the exposed rebels beyond the wall.
A battle erupted within the restaurant!
...
Some time later.
"Talk."
Zane stood silently on the street, the icy-blue flames in his hand slowly dissipating. He watched the rebels before him, now cowed by the fighting, and spoke softly.
Beside him, a small screen flickered across Trigger's visor, analyzing something.
"Zane, leave it to me."
Trigger spoke before stepping forward to yank off the rebel's mask. Those still standing before Zane showed no hint of resistance.
Soon, Trigger scanned their faces and irises to retrieve their information, then turned to Zane.
"Sixth Military District personnel. They are indeed the Defense Force."
Her tone carried a hint of gravity.
Speculation was one thing; actual confirmation was another. Faced with this situation, Trigger didn't know what to do either.
Her gaze fell on Zane. Now, the decision rested solely with him.
"Defense Force..."
Zane narrowed his eyes. Just then, Soldier 11 returned, sheathing her long sword. She looked at Zane and said,
"We've already compensated the shop owner for the damages."
"It's just a shame about those three bowls of ramen."
Zane nodded, then asked,
"And the shop owner?"
It was no coincidence these rebels were hiding in the restaurant. The owner was the one sheltering them. Without help from someone deeply rooted in this area, the rebels wouldn't have been so difficult to find.
"Handed over to the Defense Force garrison, along with the stolen goods."
Soldier 11 stated calmly.
We compensated the owner, then handed them over.
"Alright, in that case..."
Zane nodded, his gaze falling on the rebels disguised as Defense Force soldiers before him.
Maybe Shin had her own plan. Zane trusted her—and didn't want to risk disrupting it...
After a moment's thought, Zane shook his head slightly and said,
"Hand them all over to these people."
Hearing this, Soldier 11 nodded, though Trigger looked puzzled. She could see Zane's hesitation earlier.
"The situation isn't clear yet. Is handing them over to those people really okay?"
"Don't worry."
Zane chuckled softly, watching as Soldier 11 led the group away, and explained,
"Just a few personnel. If there's really more to this, they'll come to collect them on their own."
"They?"
Trigger raised an eyebrow but didn't press further.
Moments later, Soldier 11 returned. Since her purpose was to escort Trigger back, neither of them needed to return to the base.
The two followed Zane as they departed Mars District.
...
Sixth Street, Video Store.
"Any leads?"
Zane leaned back against the sofa, his gaze resting on Wise and Belle as he spoke softly.
He outlined recent developments, hoping to glean any useful information from them.
"Speaking of which, Hollow Zero has been acting strangely lately. There are many oddities..."
Belle furrowed her brow slightly before continuing.
"Yesterday, while on a commission in Hollow Zero, I ran into rainfall. To my knowledge, that was only the second time in almost a year."
"At the time, the spatial turbulence was quite severe. Even Fairy's path calculations slowed down. I also saw Defense Force personnel carrying a silver object that looked remarkably like a bullet... At one point, they nearly mistook me for an enemy."
"Later, when I tried to leave Hollow Zero, the checkpoint felt tense too. I overheard reports of Anomaly in certain areas..."
Belle recounted every detail of her encounter, hoping to assist Zane. Midway through her story, Zane's expression shifted slightly.
Once Belle finished, Zane inquired,
"What did this silver object look like?"
Pausing to consider Zane's question, Belle replied,
"Hmm... They called it a large bullet, but it didn't quite resemble one. It had dense, intricate circuits covering its surface, and a device attached to its tail section. Oh, right—that device strongly resembled a component from the Test Tower..."
As Belle described it, before Zane could respond, Wise beside him shifted his expression. Suddenly, the description felt familiar to him too.
"Wait, Belle. Look at this..."
Wise rose and walked to the computer screen, pulling up files. He quickly retrieved the information he and Zane had previously researched together.
His expression grew serious as he pointed at the screen.
"Belle, does this look familiar?"
Belle followed Wise's pointing finger and nodded.
"Yes, I remember this pattern..."
Hearing this, Zane also lowered his arms, straightened up, and his expression tightened slightly.
Because the image on the screen was exactly the Test Tower's energy conversion device.