"Clack… clack…"
Even though he had heard from Lín what kind of place this was, actually stepping into this so-called "prison for the wicked" felt like the materialization of humanity's dark side. The darkness was so substantial, like a gaping maw ready to swallow anyone at any moment.
Yet, there was no sign of fear on Kevin's face. The things the two of them had experienced together had rendered them impassive to any sight.
Kevin was uncharacteristically insistent, holding Méi's hand and demanding that she keep her eyes closed.
They had gone through much, and they would go through much more. Just as Lín said, they would change, but he only hoped that the day they truly became strangers to each other could be postponed, even if only for a day.
Since Lín's previous visit until Méi and Kevin's current one, the internal structure of the Deepest Pit had changed quite a bit, but the only thing that remained the same was the decade-old, unrelenting darkness.
It was pitch-black; one could not see their own hand, as if the whole world was reduced to just oneself and the "unknown" lurking in the darkness.
The crimson corridors and the unseemly sights were things Lín had never seen before.
That was why Kevin told Méi to close her eyes, while he looked at "those things" before withdrawing his gaze.
Soon, they reached their destination.
A prison cell and an assassin.
The long-haired girl stood by the cell door. The pitch-black environment obscured her face, while the tall, muscular man stood behind her, his hand resting on his gun holster.
"…" Her pale pink long hair hadn't been cared for in a long time and looked slightly curly, but its owner clearly didn't care anymore. She was simply leaning against the wall, gazing at the ceiling, seemingly unconcerned that two people had come to her cell.
"Miss Assassin, long time no see." Méi addressed Sakura, who was ignoring them, in a relatively light tone. "Or, should I call you Sakura?"
Sakura's gaze moved, sweeping over their faces one by one: "…"
The target person—she couldn't possibly fail to recognize them.
"The investigation into you has hit a bottleneck. Someone erased your records." Méi methodically informed her of the investigation results over the past few days. "Apart from knowing you are a highly skilled assassin, I couldn't find anything else."
"…You are lying."
"No, I'm not lying." Méi pushed up her glasses and said, "At least I haven't found anything."
"So, it was Lín."
"Correct. He coincidentally met you and left that letter in your mailbox, perhaps out of foresight or sheer Accidental." Méi used such emotional and uncertain vocabulary, which was rare for her. "Regardless, I learned about your past and the person you want to protect through him."
Sakura's gaze sharpened: "Lín told you everything about her?"
"Yes."
"…What do you want?"
"Sakura, I want to conduct a transaction with you. The reward for the transaction is your freedom."
Another transaction?
"I will amend the record of that night to an accident, clear your criminal charges, and allow you to return to your sister."
Sakura stood up. She walked to the cell door, meeting Méi's eyes: "What do you want me to do?"
"The name of the person who hired you to assassinate me." Méi took out a stack of documents, pulled out one sheet, and taped it to the door so Sakura could clearly see it. "And to cleanse your 'colleagues.'"
"Colleagues?" Sakura frowned when she saw the information on the sheet.
"The person who conducted the transaction with you is also the leader of the Chrysalis, and you must have also agreed to join the Chrysalis, haven't you?"
"How can I trust you?" Sakura replied coldly. "That person conducted a transaction with me, and then sent me here."
The implication was that she couldn't believe people from the Moth of the Flame would uphold their end of a transaction.
"I don't need you to trust me, because you only have the choice to accept or reject. Without accepting the transaction, you cannot clear your name."
Méi didn't need excellent rhetoric to persuade someone. She only needed to lay the options before them and help them analyze which one was the most correct.
"…He calls himself 'The Councilor.'"
"…"
Méi didn't seem surprised by the true identity of the mastermind. There were only so many people in the high command. She kept all of her opponents firmly in mind. It was not unexpected that The Councilor, who was both a council member and the one with the most sway, would be the culprit behind the assassination attempt.
However, just like his codename, the Councilor's true identity was unknown. He must be a person with considerable power in the Far East.
"Very well, Miss Sakura, the transaction is established as of now." After getting the information she wanted, Méi stepped back. The prison door before them opened with a click.
Sakura didn't know what Méi had done. Could she manipulate the cell doors here freely?
"This was done by Prometheus Unit 2." Méi explained with a smile.
"Prometheus…" Sakura remembered that was the name of Lín's sister.
At the time, Lín was paralyzed, and Prometheus, his sister, took care of him as he was immobile and unable to care for himself. But now, it seemed Lín was not paralyzed at all, making Prometheus's true identity also worth investigating.
Kevin stepped forward and handed the Ice Edge Blade back to Sakura.
The sword was still chillingly cold. Even sheathed, an acute killing intent and sharpness constantly flowed from it.
Sakura received it with both hands, then fastened the sword to her waist. After taking the organized documents from Méi's hand, she walked out without a word.
"Miss Sakura, I have one more proposition, unrelated to this transaction."
"What proposition?"
"Are you willing to truly join the Moth of the Flame?"
"…"
Sakura turned back, looking at her wordlessly.
"The Moth of the Flame needs someone like you, and you should also need the Moth of the Flame," Méi said. "The enemies we face are not just the Honkai. I need you to eliminate certain things that we cannot."
"No need to mention it again." Sakura turned her head and continued walking out.
"Lín didn't come, but he asked me to tell you that Rin is fine."
"…"
"Also, he asked me to relay a message."
"'Whether your path is correct or incorrect, I cannot judge, but I am merely keeping my promise. If humanity needs someone like you, then I will acknowledge it. Not because of anyone else, but simply because of humanity.'"
Sakura left.
…
"'Traitor to humanity'? Lín? What exactly are you…"
This wasn't the first time Méi had heard that term.
Mobius had said the same thing.
Moreover, Lín didn't deny it, which meant he truly was the "Traitor to Humanity."
What was going on?
Lín merely responded calmly to Méi's question—
"I will become whatever humanity needs me to be, nothing more."