Inside a laboratory in New Eridu.
"Hey, hey—can you not start fiddling with your bottles and jars the moment you get back?"
Kovei complained.
"We're grasshoppers on the same rope right now, you know. Your fellow grasshopper hasn't rested properly, and if he doesn't perk up soon, he'll just… haaa—fall asleep on the spot. Can't you keep me company and chat for a bit?"
Kovei was also inside Bern's private laboratory. Watching Bern hurriedly sort through the countless colorful reagents spread across the workbench—most of which Kovei couldn't even name—he couldn't help but joke nervously.
He then glanced to the side, where the Sacrifice was slowly sinking into the floor.
Bern didn't spare Kovei even a glance. His hands continued moving at full speed as he sorted the reagents—keeping the useful ones, dumping the useless into the waste container. Without slowing down, he replied coldly,
"If you're tired, pour yourself some coffee. If that doesn't work, go ahead and take a nap. I'll wake you up later—on the premise of preserving your autonomous mobility."
"Hey, don't look like you'd kill me outright if I weren't still useful. That joke isn't funny…" Kovei hesitated. "Uh—was that a joke?"
Bern suddenly looked up.
His expression was icy.
Kovei's words caught in his throat. He laughed awkwardly and instinctively took a step back.
Bern snorted, then gathered the documents in his hands and slammed them against the desk repeatedly, aligning them with dull thuds.
Finally—bang—he slapped the stack flat onto the table.
"The elders just told me that the Tribunal won't convene for at least another week," Bern said flatly. "That's far too slow. We need to force it sooner."
Kovei raised an eyebrow.
Of course he knew what Bern was referring to.
The Perlman case.
The fuse that would ignite all of New Eridu.
"There's no helping it," Kovei said calmly. "A court isn't a one-man show. Prosecutors need time to collect evidence and reconstruct the facts."
When the conversation turned to his specialty, the gold-medal lawyer couldn't help but smile faintly. He turned around, leaning casually against the desk.
"And you know this well. Law and regulation are, at their core, a kind of vague sociological art. To the public, truth is a book shrouded in fog. Plaintiffs and defendants rush to repaint its pages—replacing the whole with fragments, dressing facts up with emotion."
"We've already made our move. Our ink hit the page first. Attention has flooded in from all directions."
"A small number of people chose to stay silent. They sense this may not be the full truth."
"But most people don't have that kind of restraint."
Kovei pulled out his phone and scrolled.
Public Security forums. Inter-Knot. Everywhere the network reached, arguments were raging. Public opinion was overwhelmingly tilting in Perlman's favor.
"Some people are foolish, but passionate. They can't tolerate even a grain of sand in their eyes. Once deceived by our rhetoric, they'd charge forward for us without a second thought."
"Others don't care at all. They're just here for the spectacle—and Perlman's identity is perfect for that."
"Think about it. Perlman's a wanted criminal with a five-million-denny bounty. And now we're telling the world he was framed."
Kovei let out a strange chuckle.
"That level of drama… delicious."
He glanced at his watch. As the seconds ticked by, he straightened his clothes and headed toward the exit of the lab.
"But the elders are right. One week is far too long. It's more than enough time for TOPS to wipe out all the evidence."
"So I'll apply some pressure to the Public Security Bureau. Once public opinion reaches a boil, the Tribunal won't be able to sit back and watch."
"Long live the vampire clan."
...
11:00 a.m. — Outside the New Eridu Public Security Bureau
Under normal circumstances, the entrance should have been nearly empty on a regular workday.
Today, it was packed.
Crowds filled the area, people shouting and protesting at the top of their lungs.
"We protest! We demand a public trial! With a case this big, how could TOPS not be manipulating things?!"
"Exactly! TOPS ordered Vision Industries to carry out the demolition plan—so why does Perlman take all the blame? They've lied to us for years! Do they think they can keep lying now?!"
"Bastards! What do you think human lives are worth?!"
The crowd surged like a tidal wave. Even the fully equipped Public Security officers, shields raised and lined up, were nearly pushed apart by the sheer force of public fury.
Seth was squeezed within the crowd, clutching a megaphone and shouting himself hoarse.
"Everyone, calm down! Please calm down! Rest assured—we will handle this properly! We will get to the truth! Please, stay calm!"
His voice was swallowed completely by the noise.
No one heard him.
And among the crowd were actual residents from Canvas Street. Aside from those hired by the vampire clan, they were the fiercest and most relentless group of all.
"Officer… officer…"
Suddenly, Seth heard someone calling out.
Thinking someone had finally heard him, his face lit up with relief.
The next moment, a black camera filled his vision. Expensive lenses reflected the glare of sunlight.
"Officer!"
A reporter from New Eridu TV shoved a microphone toward him, arm fully extended. Even though his face was visibly squashed by the crowd and his glasses had been pushed up onto his forehead, he still shouted professionally,
"Officer, how long until the Public Security Bureau catches the real culprit? Will Mr. Perlman be able to clear his name?"
How would I know? Why don't you go interrogate him yourself?!
Seth swallowed the words back down.
For no other reason than this—he suspected the reporter would actually be thrilled, sprint over, and shove the camera straight into Perlman's face.
Damn it.
No choice left.
Gritting his teeth, Seth resorted to his ultimate move. He pulled out his phone and dialed Zhu Yuan.
"Captain, I can't hold them anymore! You've got to do something!"
...
Inside the Public Security Bureau
"Mm. I understand, Seth," Zhu Yuan said into the phone. "I'll find a way. Hold on a little longer."
Beep.
The call ended.
Zhu Yuan lowered her phone, ran a hand through her hair, then slammed her fist onto the desk.
Perlman jumped in shock.
"Senior Bringer," Zhu Yuan snapped, "please remember the uniform you're wearing. How can we violently drive civilians away from the Public Security Bureau?!"
"Do we have any other option?!" Bringer roared back, slamming his own fist down, making Perlman flinch again.
"You said persuasion would work! But did anyone listen? Do you have any idea what this means for me—for the entire Bureau? This is a massive scandal! Everyone's promotions could be gone!"
"Look at Seth outside! He hasn't even been officially confirmed yet!"
"This…"
Zhu Yuan had been furious—but after hearing that, hesitation crept in.
She could afford to ignore her own future.
She had no right to decide someone else's.
Silence fell over the room.
So quiet that only breathing could be heard.
No one dared speak. Everyone looked at Zhu Yuan.
She wasn't the highest-ranking officer present—but instinctively, everyone waited for her to decide.
After what felt like a long time, Zhu Yuan steadied herself. She let out a slow breath and met Bringer's gaze head-on.
Her voice was calm—yet carried an undeniable weight.
"No matter what, violently expelling civilians is unacceptable. That is the bottom line of a Public Security officer."
"You—!"
Bringer stared at her, stunned.
His eyes hardened, and he opened his mouth—
"But," Zhu Yuan continued, "I do have another solution."
The single sentence cut him off.
The expressions of everyone else lit up instantly, hope flashing across their faces.
Under everyone's gaze, Zhu Yuan spoke clearly, one word at a time:
"Transfer Perlman to the Tribunal."
The room erupted in shock.
A chill shot straight up Bringer's spine as he roared,
"I don't agree—"
"I do."
Clap. Clap.
Footsteps approached, accompanied by applause.
A stranger entered the room.
Dressed in a black suit, white gloves accentuating his sharp, professional air, he bowed gracefully to everyone present. Straightening up, he smiled.
"The proposal from this officer truly resonates with me."
"I am Mr. Perlman's lawyer—Kovei."
"Pleasure to meet you, officers of the New Eridu Public Security Bureau."