The next two weeks were a masterclass in psychological warfare. While Berger and Kuro worked on crafting Renji's new identity—a reclusive, eccentric billionaire arms dealer named "Mr. Silk" with a reputation for dealing in bleeding-edge, off-the-books technology—Hikari's mission was to play the Oracle Protocol like a fiddle.
"The algorithm feeds on data," Kuro explained, his hands flying across a holographic interface. "So, we will give it data. We will create so many false positives, so many conflicting patterns, that it will be forced to divert its resources, leaving a blind spot for Renji to slip through."
Hikari became a digital phantom. She and Kuro orchestrated a series of brilliant, high-risk misdirections. An encrypted data burst, using a fragment of Kuro's old code, would emanate from a cafe in Marrakech. An anonymous tip, using phrasing patterns from Renji's old W.A.O. psych profile, would point to a shipping container in Rotterdam. They bought plane tickets under old aliases that were never used, rented cars that were never driven. They created a global wild goose chase, forcing W.A.O.'s analysts and tactical teams to jump at shadows all over the world.
Hikari's role was crucial. She didn't just mimic patterns; she imbued them with emotion. The messages they leaked were laced with desperation, fear, or overconfidence—whatever she felt would be most likely to send their hunters down the wrong path. She was painting a portrait of a family on the run and falling apart, a picture so convincing that The Director, despite her intelligence, began to believe it.
While the world was being distracted, Renji underwent his own transformation. He was no longer Kyro, the silent predator. He was Mr. Silk, a man who was flamboyant, talkative, and arrogant. He learned to walk with a swagger, to speak with a smooth, confident baritone, to laugh at his own jokes. Berger coached him relentlessly. It was the most difficult role of his life, a psychological infiltration that required him to suppress every instinct that had kept him alive. He had to hide the killer in plain sight, burying the ghost of Kyro under layers of silk and charisma.