"Hmph..."
Michael let out a cold snort. Though just one person, standing alone, he emanated an inexplicable pressure that weighed down on the entire tightly packed crowd of officials.
Sharp intakes of breath could be heard all around. Every official felt their throats go dry and itchy, their hearts pounded like ceaseless waves, sending a feverish heat through their bodies, yet their limbs grew numb and icy.
Their minds grew foggy from lack of oxygen.
Their minds felt unprecedentedly empty, as if something had snatched away their very souls, making it impossible to focus on any immediate problem. Even a simple question like "Who is he?" couldn't take hold in their thoughts.
Because their minds were already a dead, silent void.
Then, they heard clear, slow footsteps, like a great sword hanging over each person's head. With every step, the sword descended further. No one dared look up, so no one knew when it would fall.
This was undoubtedly immense psychological torture.
Perhaps some with stronger wills had already reacted—Who is this person? Why should we fear him?
These individuals tried to look up and assess the source of the footsteps. But when they did, they saw a man whose face was a ravaged landscape of scars, like intersecting ravines.
His gaze was fixed on some meaningless point in the air, yet that stare seemed to pierce effortlessly into the heart of anyone who dared to pry.
Then, he grinned, and all the scars seemed to writhe like worms, chilling onlookers to the bone.
An unreadable smile on his face, he silently walked up to a tall city official. The man was slender with long limbs and lustrous golden hair, though a glance revealed quite a few white strands mixed in—he had to be at least thirty.
His features were likely handsome, and Michael had already heard his voice, which was indeed magnetic. But Michael didn't like him. Who told him to spout such flippant and vicious words earlier?
Michael stopped in front of him. He could clearly sense the man trembling slightly.
He was afraid. Though he probably thought his words couldn't have been heard from that distance earlier, guilt was inescapable, especially under the pressure of Michael's deliberately projected aura.
Michael stood before him for a full ten seconds before the official finally managed a fawning smile, bowing slightly as he looked up.
When he saw Michael's terrifying face, his expression faltered for a moment. But ultimately, his basic bureaucratic training kicked in, and he adopted an even more sycophantic posture.
"Greetings, greetings! You must be the special commissioner sent from HQ to oversee the immigration work! Greetings, greetings!"
He extended both hands towards Michael.
Upon seeing the man's green eyes, the corner of Michael's own eye couldn't help but twitch twice. Then, he nonchalantly clasped the tips of the official's right hand, pulling his own hand back quickly just as the man tried to enclose it with both of his.
The atmosphere instantly chilled again, but this time, Michael didn't let the silence linger.
"Don't overthink it."
His words seemed to carry a double meaning, but despite the potentially reassuring content, his tone was far too cold.
"I'm not the person you're here to welcome. I'm merely her guard."
Hearing this, some of the hotheads already showed expressions of disdain. If not for the pressure Michael emanated, they might have started shouting insults at him.
Just some damn security guard, who do you think you are?
But the true veterans, the old foxes, became even more respectful—Minor functionaries can be troublesome; best to just flatter them!
"This... young brother, no need to be so formal! As a member of the security detail, you're naturally part of the guidance team, and of course, someone we're here to welcome!"
The unnatural smile on the man's handsome face widened. He extended his hand again.
"Let's reintroduce ourselves. I am the City Official of Third New Heaven City, Michael."
"Hm?"
Michael shook his hand again, unable to suppress a slightly surprised raise of his eyebrows.
"Michael? That name certainly fits your position as City Official of Third New Heaven City."
"Hehe, yes..." Being teased like this by a mere guard clearly displeased the official Michael, but despite his relative youth, he showed no outward sign of annoyance.
He even explained readily, "I was teased quite a bit for this name as a child. Never thought I'd actually become a 'guardian of heaven' one day, haha. It's all thanks to Dr. Mei's trust and guidance. However... if I recall correctly, the name of that Anti-Entropy Captain who saved humanity multiple times shares the same origin as mine, doesn't it?"
"Mhm." The corner of the duplicate Michael's mouth twitched almost imperceptibly.
Seeing the moment was right, the official Michael narrowed his eyes and lowered his voice.
"Young brother, I wonder if you could perhaps disclose roughly how many people are in this special envoy team? No ulterior motive, of course, it's just that we need to arrange the welcome banquet and accommodations later. HQ didn't give us any advance information, which makes planning rather difficult..."
Was he really just asking about the number of people? Thinking so would be too naive. He cared less about the number and more about the composition of the entire team.
"Not many." The duplicate Michael smiled faintly, seemingly unaware of how terrifying his scar-covered face looked when he smiled.
"Just one... Ah, no, besides myself, there's also Dr. Akagi."
"Dr. Akagi?" The official Michael tilted his chin up. This team composition was rather intriguing...
Logically, even for less important tasks, they wouldn't just send one commissioner and one guard. Moreover, anyone could see that the American migration plan was currently the Fire Moth's largest and most crucial undertaking in the civilian sector.
This plan involved relocating over a billion people; the slightest mistake could have extremely severe consequences.
Therefore, it was impossible that HQ didn't attach importance to it. Yet, they still sent only one doctor. What did that imply?
The official Michael quickly exchanged glances with his nearby aides.
It didn't take much thought: if HQ sent only one doctor (plus a guard, at most) for such a critical issue, it meant that Dr. Mei, at least personally, believed these two individuals were sufficient to handle any situation that might arise here.
Alright, although he'd been mocking Mei just moments ago, nobody really doubted her work capabilities.
But... they had never heard the name "Dr. Akagi" before!
Besides, this guard wasn't ordinary either. Just appearing, he could intimidate hundreds of people into silence.
That kind of pressure seemed to exceed mere killing intent, didn't it? Could he be a MANTIS? No, he had to be a MANTIS, and likely a powerful one at that.
But the question remained—why did these two seem to have popped out of nowhere? If this "Dr. Akagi" was so capable and valued by Mei, she shouldn't be so unknown.
And if she was capable but lacked experience, a newcomer Mei had just discovered, surely Mei wouldn't send her alone on such a mission? Wouldn't she need someone more experienced for guidance?
After pondering for a moment, the official Michael gritted his teeth, took half a step closer to the duplicate, and asked in an even lower, more placating tone, "Young brother, do you... have identification or something similar we could verify?"
Theoretically, checking the special envoy's credentials was standard procedure. But which local official would dare to be too strict with inspectors sent from above?
What if they angered them? Besides, HQ usually provided envoy information to the local authorities in advance, making credential checks unnecessary.
The strangeness this time lay precisely in the lack of prior information from HQ. Therefore, verifying their identity required checking credentials.
Realizing this, the official Michael suddenly felt more confident.
"Hmph..." The duplicate Michael shook his head slightly. "Our identities are rather special. Please log into the intranet yourself to verify us."
Although he felt it was making a fuss over nothing, the official Michael took the Fire Moth-emblazoned tablet from an aide.
He stepped away from the group of officials, moved closer to the duplicate, and opened the identity verification system.
The duplicate casually took it, but instead of verifying himself, he switched to the mission verification module, quickly entered a mission code, and held the tablet out to the official Michael.
The official Michael reached for it, but the duplicate didn't let go.
"This is..."
The first thing that caught his eye wasn't text or pictures, but a large emblem. Not the all-too-familiar Fire Moth symbol, but an oval shape formed by interwoven silken threads, resembling a cocoon.
"Poisonous Cocoon!" The official Michael's face instantly changed color.
This organization... it was famous... no... infamous... no, not quite... Anyway, it was a widely known, mysterious organization shrouded in various legends.
As one of only two independent organizations under the Fire Moth, and the only one that had once been nearly eradicated, its legendary aura was no less than Anti-Entropy's.
Combined with stricter information control, Poisonous Cocoon possessed an even greater air of mystery than Anti-Entropy.
The official Michael only knew that this organization had been involved in the internal strife between the Fire Moth and the United Government, even managing to injure Kevin Kaslana, who was currently said to be second only to that Herrscher in combat power.
The scale of that conflict seemed immense, spiraling so out of control that Mei had requested Anti-Entropy's assistance. Ultimately, the organization was purged by the [Yaksha, who originated from Poisonous Cocoon himself, only to be rebuilt shortly after.
Perhaps they weren't famous in the fight against the Honkai, and their combat strength couldn't be accurately assessed, but no one didn't fear this organization—
Because they always operated from the deepest shadows. No one knew their size, armament, or specific missions, and crucially, their targets weren't the Honkai, but humans themselves.
The official Michael unconsciously straightened his posture. Cold sweat had beaded on his temples without him realizing.
Scrolling down revealed a mission description, concise to the point of being a single sentence:
[Two Poisonous Cocoon operatives are assigned to conduct necessary investigations into the immigrant settlement situation in the American Branch.]
Below that were brief details for two operatives:
[Name: Akagi ****]
[Position: *** Doctor]
[Authority Level: Special Grade]
(Photo attached)
[Name: Kaspar ****]
[Position: Security Officer]
[Authority Level: Level One]
(Photo attached)
"..."
"Finished reading?" The duplicate Michael suddenly spoke, startling the official.
"Y-Yes, finished!"
The duplicate took the tablet back and skillfully deleted all records.
"Secrecy protocols. Not a single word gets out, understand?"
"Rest assured, I understand!"
The official Michael had unconsciously switched to respectful language.
This fellow was indeed a "guard," true, but within the Fire Moth system, status wasn't determined by position, but by authority level. As a City Official, his authority was Level Two.
This guard named "Kaspar," however, held Level One authority, equivalent to the Continental Governor of the Americas and the Commander of the Fire Moth's American Branch.
Since both those positions were recently vacated due to transfers to HQ and new appointments hadn't been made, at this very moment, "Kaspar" and "Dr. Akagi" held the highest authority on the continent.
How could the duplicate not know what he was thinking? He suddenly leaned close to the official's ear and softly repeated his earlier words:
"Don't overthink it."
With that, the duplicate stepped back.
The official turned to follow, only to see him cross his arms and make a very subtle gesture towards him—a gesture common at least in the Shenzhou region: pressing the tips of the thumb, index, and middle fingers together and rubbing them slightly.
"Uh..." What... did that mean?
Seeing his confusion, the duplicate raised an eyebrow and rubbed his fingers together again.
"Oh, oh, I understand!" The official Michael didn't understand at all, but seeing the scars writhing on the duplicate's face, he feared angering him if he admitted it. Best to just play along for now.
"I'll go get the Doctor now. As the City Official of Third New Heaven City, the first stop on this inspection tour, you'd better fulfill your duties as a host."
Looking at the sleazy grin on this guy's face, the official Michael seemed to grasp something, but couldn't be entirely sure.
After the duplicate turned and headed back towards the plane, his aides and colleagues instantly surrounded the official, asking about the situation.
"Hey, Archangel, what's their deal?"
Clearly, "Archangel" was a nickname given to the official Michael for some well-known reason related to his name.
Good thing Elysia wasn't here to hear it, or the duplicate Michael, sharing the name's origin, would undoubtedly end up being called that too.
"This... I really can't say..."
"That mysterious?"
The official Michael hastily shook his head 'no,' then quickly realized and nodded 'yes.' Truthfully, secrecy is a metaphysical concept. Once someone knows something, maintaining absolute secrecy is impossible.
So-called secrecy often isn't about "keeping secrets from those who shouldn't know," but rather "keeping secret from the person who ordered secrecy that you haven't actually kept the secret."
It sounded like a tongue twister... but that's how it was.
The envoys being from Poisonous Cocoon wasn't a top-level secret; in another time and place, the official Michael probably couldn't keep his mouth shut.
But the duplicate hadn't gone far yet, and he seemed to have overheard his earlier mocking remarks about Mei. He didn't dare make another mistake.
Most of the others understood the situation and didn't press further.
But then, the official Michael pulled aside two of his aides.
"What does this mean?" He held out his thumb, index, and middle finger, pinched together, and rubbed them gently.
"That..." An aide originally from the Shenzhou region looked hesitant, wanting to speak but daring not to.
"What are you afraid of? What does it mean?"
"Well... Sir, back home, that gesture means asking someone for money."
"Asking for money?"
"Mhm... It can also be understood as... soliciting a bribe."
The official Michael's expression instantly became a colorful mix of emotions—
Soliciting a bribe?
An operative from the so-called Poisonous Cocoon, the Fire Moth's most mysterious organization... was this it?
The official Michael silently covered his face, finding it hard to accept for a moment.
But then suspicion flared up again—Could this be a setup? Was he being tested?
The duplicate Michael was naturally aware of all this. When he returned to the cabin, Mei had already used the time to neatly repin her loosened hair.
"Change of plans. I just had a great idea."
"Hm?" Mei didn't seem too surprised. From the moment the duplicate had disembarked before her, a change of plans had been an unspoken understanding.
"So, what's your plan?"
"Well, I pulled a little trick. There's some idiot out there with the exact same name as me... Ah, no, the City Official of Third New Heaven City. He now believes we're special operatives from Poisonous Cocoon. My name is Kaspar, and you're Dr. Akagi..."
"And then?"
"Tsk, just investigating straightforwardly like this, even in disguise, they definitely wouldn't show us the truth, right? So, we need to infiltrate the enemy ranks."
"..."
Mei roughly understood Michael's intention, but even so, seeing the real situation and gathering evidence wouldn't be easy.
"Mei, you need to understand clearly. Our goal isn't just simple investigation. If it were, I could gather all the intel myself without alerting any city hall."
"But... we need to effectively manage the remaining two billion people, make their lives... at least a bit easier after migration. This has to be done through these annoying bureaucrats—you can't personally manage two billion people."
"So, we not only need to know what's happening at the grassroots level but also understand the daily lives of these officials, their unspoken rules, their views on Fire Moth HQ."
"I understand that, of course."
Besides, giving it a try wouldn't have any negative consequences even if it failed.
But dealing with hypocrisy and duplicity... ultimately, it just felt disgusting.