That evening, Elysia gazed at the impeccably clean and tidy house before her. She pulled out a key and unlocked the door.
Although Baldy Burke had mentioned making her one of the White Eagle Eight, she wasn't officially part of the group yet. She had neither the authority nor the resources, and this house was only a temporary loan from Carolina.
Originally, Carolina had directly invited Elysia to stay at her own home, but Elysia had declined. Unable to convince her otherwise, Carolina wore an expression of profound regret and offered Elysia this other property instead.
Returning to the topic of the White Eagle Eight, Elysia glanced at the System interface. The percentage for "True Self" was indeed increasing, now hovering around 0.5%. Though a modest increase, it seemed to confirm her theory.
Could the System Objective be to have her fully embody Elysia's persona?
If so, it would explain why the real Elysia would never refuse someone's request. As she herself had once said, Elysia would never betray anyone's expectations.
And so, with a mix of reluctance and resignation, she agreed to Baldy Burke's request.
Looking back, she still wasn't sure if becoming one of the White Eagle Eight had been more of a blessing or a curse.
"Phew..." Elysia exhaled deeply, hurried into the living room, and collapsed inelegantly onto the sofa.
Though only a day had passed, she felt mentally drained from constantly trying to mimic the real Elysia's mannerisms and speech patterns.
Absentmindedly twirling a strand of pink hair between her fingers, she gazed at the ceiling, letting her thoughts drift. If this were a game, her stamina bar would probably be visibly replenishing.
Just then, a notification popped up from the Chat Group:
Red Cape Hero: "Managed to snag tickets to a pre-screening for a new movie! It's my first time seeing one—wonder if it'll be any good."
Elysia, "..."
Oh no! She'd completely forgotten! Tomorrow was the preview screening of the first Honkai series film, the one Sparkle was directing!
She remembered one of the main reasons she'd chosen the Honkai theme over HSR initially: she wanted to avoid including real-world characters in the film, fearing official repercussions.
But now? Who could have predicted that her fourth identity would be Elysia?!
Although the Honkai series was only just starting with its first film, and Elysia hadn't appeared yet, the Elysian Realm arc was a major highlight—no, a truly spectacular storyline that would be a crime to cut.
"Hmm," she mused briefly before deciding to give up on thinking about it for now. It's still early. By the time the Elysian Realm arc comes up and Elysia's appearance is required, even at their current filming pace, it'll be at least a year away, right?
Let future me deal with future problems! There's always a way when you get to the bridge!
Meanwhile, the scene shifts to the White Tower. As dusk fell, most people naturally returned home, leaving only a skeleton crew on duty. Even these guards, yawning incessantly, chatted idly while keeping watch.
"Can you believe it? Lady Kaya, who had just taken office, died so suddenly and mysteriously?"
"Seems pretty normal to me. Isn't it common these days to stumble upon a corpse while taking a stroll?"
"No, no, no! She was one of the White Eagle Eight! You can't compare her to some homeless person who starved to death on the streets!"
"Who knows..."
"But I heard they're appointing a new member to the White Eagle Eight soon. Is that true? Why so fast this time?"
"Ha~"
Unbeknownst to the gossiping guards, two figures clad only in underwear were stealthily approaching.
Of course, these scantily clad men weren't perverts. The truth was that in the dim light, their bare skin provided even better camouflage than ninja garb. They were practically invisible, blending completely into the shadows.
It was simply too dark.
The two Black men easily slipped past the chatting guards and entered the White Tower. Familiar with the layout, they headed straight for the stairwell, bypassing the elevators and climbing the stairs with practiced ease.
These weren't the killers who had assassinated Lady Kaya, but they belonged to the same organization. They had come to investigate after catching wind of rumors about a new member joining the White Eagle Eight. How could the true perpetrators behind the previous White Eagle Eight's demise remain inactive?
"31st floor. We're here."
This was the former office of the previous White Eagle Eight member. If any valuable data remained, it was most likely to be found here.
But just as they reached the 31st floor, they heard a chaotic clattering sound—a metallic din as if someone were ransacking drawers and cabinets.
Following the noise, the two Black men cautiously crept forward. In a dimly lit room, they spotted a bald man with bloodshot, crimson eyes, frantically tearing through the furniture.
"Not this... not this either... Where the hell is it?!"
"Damn it!"
"Tch..."
Clang! Clang! Clang!
The scene was undeniably terrifying, and the two Black men spying on it couldn't help but shiver.
"What the hell is going on? Who is this guy?"
"Hold on, let me check the roster."
The second man pulled out a small booklet containing headshots and ability information for every Evolver stationed in the White Tower. The mere existence of this booklet meant the White Tower had been infiltrated to its core.
The first page featured the previous White Eagle Eight, including Lady Kaya. The second page showed a strikingly handsome man with tousled hair—the Martyr's former second-in-command, who had been stationed in the White Tower since the Martyr's tenure. He was a target to watch out for.
The Black man glanced at the photo, then back at the grimacing bald man, before flipping through the pages.
Unsurprisingly, after flipping through every photo, he couldn't find a match for the bald man. He said gravely, "Damn it! Did someone beat us to the punch? Has another group infiltrated this place too?"