Chapter 164: New Plan

“Suicide?”

“Yes, you can understand it as him being unable to withstand the torture and killing himself in front of me and Fushihara… Of course, there are some other reasons involved. Our people are investigating, but the result is that we can no longer get anything out of him. The investigation on him has been cut off once again.”

“Other reasons?”

“Just some little tricks from ‘those people’ behind him. If I were in his shoes and fell into enemy hands, I would probably choose to end it myself as well… I don’t think you’d want to delve into this kind of topic.”

“‘Those people behind him’…”

Ephnel murmured softly, frowning slightly.

Although Ephnel had never had any fondness for the people on the Apostles’ side, even she had to admit that they were indeed a troublesome bunch.

From the first Apostle she encountered, Sakurai Sachi, to the soldiers of these later Apostle squads, they were all like that.

But no matter what, Ephnel would never recognize them as “warriors.”

Once a person holding a weapon points their gun at unarmed civilians, they are completely unworthy of being called a “warrior.”

“That guy was far more spirited than we imagined, but that has increased our difficulty. That’s why I didn’t immediately issue the order to capture Karina. Instead, I ordered people to secretly monitor her while also sending others to ‘search’ for her. She’s still hiding all over the city, completely unaware, thinking she’s still playing hide-and-seek with us…”

Masaki Hinaki observed Ephnel’s expression, then looked at Yukina and continued.

“I’m waiting for the right moment, when she slips up and contacts the people on the Apostles’ side. Besides, these Apostles are all very tight-lipped. Rather than trying to squeeze out bits of information of unknown authenticity through harsh interrogation and torture, I’m more inclined to obtain further clues through ‘surveillance’ and ‘inducement’.”

“Mmm… that is indeed a more viable method for now… But speaking of which, is it really okay to tell me and Yukina this? This is a high-level secret, isn’t it?”

“I’m just reporting my work progress.”

“Please don’t say that.”

Ephnel looked helpless.

“You are the commander, and I am just your subordinate. This hierarchy must be clear and cannot be overstepped. Saying things like that can easily lead to misunderstandings.”

“What does it matter? I’ll be leaving my post soon anyway. If I leave and no one takes over, the command authority will naturally fall on the shoulders of you, the one with the highest military rank, right?”

“The commander’s position won’t be left vacant that easily… I’m telling you, Hinaki, you’re not planning something bad, are you?”

“I’m just kidding.”

Masaki Hinaki smiled, pursing her lips.

She paid no mind to Ephnel’s scrutinizing gaze and continued:

“Well then… there’s a second matter, and this one requires you to make a decision.”

“Why me?”

“Because among the selected candidates, you’re the only one who hasn’t given an answer yet.”

“Don’t you dare push all sorts of messy things onto me.”

“Oh my~ I won’t. Just listen to me first.”

Masaki Hinaki giggled, not at all displeased by Ephnel’s suspicious gaze.

Instead, she had the air of a thick-skinned child who would say it even if you didn’t listen.

This made Yukina, on the side, feel a sense of strangeness once again.

Simply put, Yukina and Masaki Hinaki hadn’t known each other for long, but at this moment in Yukina’s heart, Masaki Hinaki’s authority as a commander had completely vanished.

Or rather, the Masaki Hinaki of this moment was like a completely different person compared to when she had seen her during the disaster last time.

“Oh, right,” just as Yukina was lost in thought, Masaki Hinaki’s gaze turned to her, adding, “Yukina, you’re also an official Agent starting today, and you’re Ephnel’s little sister, so you can also consider this matter.”

“Eh? Me too?” Yukina lowered her voice in surprise.

“But I still don’t understand much… I’m worried I won’t be able to live up to your expectations…”

“This has nothing to do with your experience as an Agent. And I believe you’ll soon become an Agent who can stand on her own two feet. There’s no harm in listening, is there?”

“Alright, just say what you need to say.”

Ephnel sighed lightly.

“Yukina is still a new Agent. I’ll make her decisions for her…”

“Mhm, then I’ll cut to the chase and get to the key points.”

Masaki Hinaki paused, as if hesitating, or as if making up her mind.

Taking a deep breath, she composed her expression.

She looked at Ephnel seriously and spoke slowly.

“Ephnel, I think you know that the reason the ‘Apostles’ were able to take advantage of the previous three major disasters had an undeniable connection to our internal security lapses, right? To deal with this situation and prevent similar incidents from happening again, I have established an independent action department that exists separately from the Order, the Special Disaster Division, and the military—a comprehensive functional agency with both intelligence and combat capabilities, which will not be subject to any direct constraints. Personnel will be dispatched from the Order Organization, the Special Disaster Division, and the city garrison simultaneously, and it will be granted the highest procedural priority for preemptive action and independent decision-making.”

Simply put, it was an independent executive body that would not be hindered by the existing, traditional operating system.

Ephnel frowned slightly, pondering the other meaning behind Masaki Hinaki’s words.

“You… are you trying to strip away some of the authority of the Order Organization and the Special Disaster Division?”

“You could say that. Otherwise, we wouldn’t be able to achieve our goal, would we?”

Masaki Hinaki didn’t deny it, but instead stared into Ephnel’s eyes and continued.

“Likewise, for certain reasons, this matter is still a high-level secret that has not been made public. Fewer than ten people know about it, and they are all people whom I and Fushihara trust completely.”

“Can I assume that I’m also someone you trust?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

“This has a certain degree of risk. Weakening the commander’s authority is not a good thing under the current system.”

“That’s true, but the advantages are also obvious. You’ve seen it yourself. The Order Organization is riddled with holes right now, with over a dozen moles hidden among us—Ephnel, you must have also wondered why there are so many of the Apostles’ people within the organization, right? There were no suspicious points found in their files and identities. In other words, the suspicion should fall on the review and records management departments, or rather… the Human Federation.”

Human Federation.

This wasn’t the first time Ephnel had heard this term from Masaki Hinaki’s mouth.

The last time in the hospital room, when Masaki Hinaki gave her the Apostle’s “Holy Relic,” that is, the Beacon used by the Apostles, Masaki Hinaki had also mentioned the matter of the Human Federation.