Arknights, but the sickly pretty girl starts

The headquarters of Eden, like an artificial star, quietly hovered in Terra's low-Earth orbit. Terra's geography was unique, and to minimize the impact on native civilizations, ground infrastructure was carefully calculated and located only at the poles: a stargate was placed in Terra's far north and south. Supplies from Saturn's moon shuttled back and forth along this invisible "umbilical cord," delivering the nourishment of civilization to this nascent world.

The Garden of Eden—this ancient name from the Book of Genesis in the Bible—has cast a profound influence on human thought for over two millennia. As a sacred image in a core Christian text, it has traveled the globe with the iron hoofs of the Crusaders and the footsteps of missionaries. Even in an age of rapid scientific advancement, it continues to linger like a ghost in the depths of humanity's collective unconscious.

Lu could never understand this obsession. In the education system she received, religion was just a spiritual cradle in the infancy of civilization, and should have been replaced by a more accurate picture of the universe.

"Perhaps this is a bug built into the human genetic chain," Ed had explained to her, cigar in hand. This high-energy physicist, who could recite the Dead Sea Scrolls by heart, applied the rigor of a laboratory to every known religious system. "You know what's the most ironic thing?" He flicked the ash from his cigarette and pointed to the cross and the Schrödinger equation diagram hanging side by side on the wall. "The year quantum entanglement was confirmed, visits to the Vatican Archives skyrocketed by 470%—theologians were vying to prove that this was scientific evidence that 'God exists and is secretly controlling the world.'"

This walking religious encyclopedia never hides his position: "I don't believe in any gods, but I am obsessed with the process of humans creating gods." His personal terminal stores complete information from Sumerian clay tablets to AI religious electronic gospels. During the voyage from the Garden of Eden to Terra, Ed told her a lot about religion to pass the time.

Just when we were talking about the administrator...

"It's like the feeling you have for the Administrator right now—in theory, it's called convert fervor." Ed leaned against the window, swirling his whiskey as he pointed toward Orion. "The ancients called it 'The Rope of Destiny,' but now we know it's just three stars."

"It's like science can analyze light, but it can't explain people's worship of it." Ed pressed his wine glass against the window, and the starlight shone through the wine onto Lu's forehead. "You're like an ancient man standing before a temple."

Lu retorted somewhat dissatisfiedly: "The administrator's theory is proven!"

"The earliest scientists were called gods of wisdom. Humanity has always been like this—" he poked open a floating drop of wine, "using science to deconstruct starlight, and then using starlight to create angels."

He lowered his voice and said, "All civilizations will eventually bow down to a certain entity. The only difference is whether they bow down before a cross or in an equation."

"An equation is an equation. It's how humans explain the world and its laws, not what you're calling...religious symbols," Lu, a firm believer in science, retorted naturally. "We pursue truth that is repeatable and falsifiable, not that kind of..."

The corners of her mouth twitched, as if she was suppressing some strong emotion.

"A belief system built on subjective experience and collective hallucination."

The entire space elevator fell silent. As they fell, gravity began to return, and they finally felt the pull of gravity from Terra. It seemed that Terra was welcoming the two new guests in this way. Lu didn't like this feeling very much. She was used to artificial gravity and the feeling of weightlessness, but Terra was an alien planet after all, so the sensation of gravity was completely different, heavier than artificial gravity.

But she still did not forget to conclude with one sentence -

“Science is not the new religion,” she whispered. “We are saving the world.”

"I understand, Lu, I understand everything. I'm just reminding you that she's not a god, and she could make mistakes—" Ed waved his hand nonchalantly. "You're one of my best students, but I still want to remind you that one of my students, after meeting her once... he went back to the dormitory and shot himself."

"……what?"

"When I returned, I saw her leaning against a chair in the lab, lost in thought, just like before. The gun in her hand was my graduation gift to her—she used it to end her life. Most human weapons have a lockout mechanism that prevents them from harming humans. As a result... she had no choice but to use that weapon to end her own life."

When Ed talked about this, there seemed to be a hint of sadness in his heart.

"I don't think she's a bad person, nor do I think her achievements aren't worthy of your admiration. I just hope you can keep a clear head. No matter what you get from her, you must stay sober. Blind obedience is dangerous. You can't completely trust anyone, including me."

The space elevator had begun to descend, and Ed's conversation with her was coming to an end.

"Just think of this conversation here as a reminder from my teacher. No one will know it anyway. In the falling space elevator, no one will know what the two people inside said." Ed stood up and unlocked his seat. As the elevator door opened, he walked out without any intention of waiting for Lu.

Lu's fingertips unconsciously brushed against the elevator's handrail, the coolness of the metal seeping into her skin. Ed's words echoed in her mind like a bullet. She could still vividly remember that gun—she'd seen it countless times, Ed always used it to demonstrate the laws of physics. The barrel gleamed coldly in the sunlight.

suicide……

In this era, suicide is actually not a rare thing. There are always hurdles that cannot be overcome. Although people have the instinct to survive, they also have a fascination with death. She doesn't know why Ed's student committed suicide, and she doesn't even know whether the administrator can be contacted about this suicide.

No... She didn't want the administrator to be involved in this matter...

Ed said this to her, probably to ask her to be more careful, or... to remind her that she didn't have to believe everything the administrator said.

Otherwise, he might end up following in the footsteps of his students...

She stood up, and even though she had a lot of thoughts in her mind, she still walked out of the space elevator and came to her laboratory [Deep Blue Tree Laboratory].

She soon saw the person in charge of the laboratory. The Prophet and Precious seemed to be discussing something. When they saw her arrive, they immediately greeted her, and the two-person team once again became a three-person team. Speaking of which, since coming to Terra, the administrator seemed to have suddenly disappeared. The person they saw the most now was the Prophet. It seemed that the administrator had left most of the work to the Prophet and no one knew where he had gone.

Although this behavior was a bit excessive, most people in Eden believed that administrators should have their own ideas.

She always has her own ideas...

"Once I've finished the handover, you'll be in full charge here soon. Lu...are you distracted?" Perhaps it was the influence of what Ed had just said, but Lu was a little dazed. The doctor quickly noticed this and reached out to pat her shoulder. "I know you've just arrived in Terra and need to adjust, but work...there's nothing you can do about it."

"...I know, I just..." Lu scratched his head awkwardly, "But the researchers here are all my seniors, most of them are older than me, I... can I really do this?"

"Don't worry, everyone here is easy to get along with. Take the director over there, Ishamara, for example. She's been here since the lab was founded. She's a very reliable senior. If you have any questions, you can always ask her. With her around, you don't have to worry about any handover issues."

Following the doctor's instructions, Lu noticed the white-haired woman intently adjusting an instrument. Her unique hairstyle immediately caught Lu's eye—long hair tied with a band at the ends, resembling two whale fins. Hearing the doctor's call, she turned, and Lu noticed she was wearing glasses. Honestly, she didn't look like a scholar, rather a bit naive, but those glasses enhanced her rare academic aura.

"Is this the new lab director?" Ishamara trotted over to the two of them. She was half a head shorter than the doctor, but she had a reassuring aura. She looked him up and down, then suddenly broke into a warm smile. "You're small, but quite cute."

"...I..." Lu Gang wanted to refute, but then she remembered that she had indeed graduated not long ago and was not really that old, and...she was half an inch shorter than Isamara in front of her.

"Don't bully her! She's my junior, and she's also an official member who was personally interviewed by the administrator—and she'll be your boss in the future," the doctor immediately warned Ishamara. "Be careful, or you'll get sidetracked at work."

"Junior... Doctor, did you also graduate from my school?" At this moment, Lu finally realized, "I actually didn't know this all along."

"There's really no need to mention it specifically—and regardless of whether you're my junior or not, I'm still your senior, so I have to take care of you, right?" The doctor smiled and patted her shoulder. "If Isamara bullies you, tell me anytime and I'll come check her water meter right away!"

"How little confidence do you have in me? In your heart, am I someone who will bully others at will?" Isamara complained. "Besides, Lu is much cuter than you. I will never bully your junior Lu."

"What do you mean by 'my'... stop talking nonsense." The doctor rolled her eyes at Isamara. For some reason, when Isamara said 'your junior Lu', she felt a chill on her back and subconsciously retorted, "Ahem, anyway, you two should cooperate with each other and avoid any trouble."

"Yes, Lu is a good boy, don't lead others astray." At this time, Precious also said with a smile with his eyes narrowed, but for some reason, Lu also felt a chill this time and subconsciously took half a step back.

"That's true..." Isamara paused, "But now is also a critical stage of the experiment. Is there something wrong with your sudden departure? Are you going to put the Deep Blue Tree Project on hold?"

"Of course not, it's just that we have more pressing matters to attend to." The doctor also shook his head and explained, "The Originium Project has made progress, and the Deep Blue Tree Project can't be left behind. As the administrator said... we have to do both well."

"...Is that so?" Isamara thought thoughtfully. "Well, I'll do my best while you're gone."

"I'm counting on you, and Lu, if you encounter any trouble, you can contact me at any time." After leaving these words, the doctor left with Precious. Before leaving, Precious looked at her meaningfully, and then followed the doctor.

Suddenly, only Lu and Isamara were left here. Lu was a little nervous. She wasn't very good at communicating and had some mild social anxiety symptoms. But Isamara, who stayed here, was different. She immediately grabbed Lu's hand and said, "Come, new boss. I'll take you to your dormitory, then to dinner, and finally to the lab."

"Hey...wait, I still..."

"Let's put those things aside for now. I can't wait to show you what we're researching here. You're sure to be shocked!"

Chapter 42·Night Party

As she entered the core area of ​​the Deep Blue Tree Laboratory, Lu's breath unconsciously paused. In the center of the spherical experimental chamber, over three hundred meters in diameter, a massive creature, radiating a faint blue glow, filled her entire field of vision. It was unlike any known life form in nature.

Its trunk presents a translucent gelatinous structure, covered in a bark-like cuticle, yet undulating rhythmically like breathing. Countless branches extend like a network of blood vessels, their ends splitting into hyphae-like tentacles that slowly sway in the culture medium. Most eerie are the vesicles embedded within the "bark." These sometimes contract into slits like plant stomata, then expand into translucent membranes resembling animal alveoli, faintly revealing the fluorescent substance flowing within.

This strange organism possessed both the clinging properties of plants and the predatory behavior of animals. As Lu unconsciously approached the protective glass, the nearest "branch" suddenly reversed its growth direction, its tips extending toward her like sniffer tentacles. The organic debris floating in the culture medium, drawn by some invisible force, was being devoured and decomposed by the pulsating vesicles at a visible speed.

"It just ate three tons of seaweed yesterday," Ishamara's voice came from behind her. "Sometimes I think... this thing is just pretending to be a tree."

"Huh... ah, what the hell is this? I've never seen anything like it in nature..." Lu subconsciously took a half step back, her fingers unconsciously clenching the hem of her lab coat. The squirming gelatinous tentacles on the behemoth's surface made her stomach twist. As a biologist, she should have maintained a professional attitude towards all forms of life, but this monstrosity, a cross between animal, plant, and fungus, triggered her most primal fears. The mycelial tips, slowly swaying in the culture medium, resembled the tentacles of a giant deep-sea octopus, reminding her of childhood nightmares of being frightened to tears by holographic images of deep-sea creatures.

"To live... or die, that's meaningless for this kind of life." Ishamara pushed up her glasses, the lenses reflecting the dark fluorescence of the Deep Blue Tree. "It has transcended the conventional definition of carbon-based life. When the administrators discovered it in the southern waters of Terra, its bioelectrical activity was almost zero, yet it was still growing at a rate of three meters per year—like a perpetual motion machine that's been unplugged but still running."

She pointed to the pulsating vesicles on the trunk. "Look at these nodes of biomass," she said. "They're simultaneously carrying out photosynthesis, chemosynthesis, and some other effect we don't even know about... These aren't living things anymore. They're walking Dyson spheres."

Lu's gaze followed the translucent membranes, and he saw countless luminous particles forming a nebula-like vortex within the vesicles. When a vesicle suddenly contracted, a reaction occurred within it, emitting a faint blue light that flickered like a firefly.

"The most astonishing thing is its ecosystem," Ishamara described, pointing to the alien creatures lurking around the Deep Blue Tree. "These symbionts have evolved organ structures we've never seen before. That jellyfish-like thing has complete antimatter synthesis glands in its tentacles; and that fern-like red creature over there actually obtains nutrition by capturing some organic particles emitted by the Deep Blue Tree..."

In front of Lu's eyes, around it, dozens of unprecedented life forms were building a complete food chain with it as the center.

"It's like a whale fall on Earth," Ishamara's voice suddenly softened. "Except this whale, in its 'death' state, gave birth to an entire ecosystem that defies the laws of physics. The administrators say... this might be the ultimate form of life evolution."

"...How did the administrator find it..." Lu's fingertips tapped unconsciously on the protective glass, the sound so soft that it sounded like she was talking to herself. On the other side of the glass, the mycelial tentacles of the Deep Blue Tree trembled slightly to the rhythm of her tapping, as if responding to her confusion. "It's like finding a shining pearl on the beach—except this 'pearl' is two kilometers in diameter."

"Who knows... Miss Administrator always finds something amazing. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Up there—" Ishamara pointed to the sky, "We also found something similar to this in Terra's low-Earth orbit."

"...? Low Earth orbit? Forget about the ocean, since there are plenty of resources. But how on earth could such a creature appear in low Earth orbit..." Lu was truly dumbfounded. "The remains of a giant creature that can appear in low Earth orbit... can this thing really exist in the real world?"

"Perhaps... it's photosynthesis?" If Ishamara hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she wouldn't have believed it. "All I can say is that Terra truly possesses wonders beyond our imagination. These things alone are enough to overturn our worldview. But even more amazing is that we have to use our technology to transform it—"

"Reform... it?" Lu pointed at the Deep Blue Tree. "I can't even understand it... How can I transform it?"

"Well... there are always some things in this world that are incomprehensible. But at least our modifications haven't caused any rejection reactions yet." Ishamara smiled. "And this task is up to you. I'm just an executor, not the head of the lab."

"You're leaving it all to me... Never mind, I'm used to it." Lu sighed. However, no matter how disgruntled she was, she couldn't possibly throw away this hard-earned opportunity. It was a chance to work with the administrator and the doctor. Even if it meant risking her life, she had to do it perfectly. Seeing Lu's enthusiastic expression, Isamara's eyes narrowed slightly behind her glasses, but the hint of strangeness was fleeting, completely lost to Lu.

From then on, Lu's life was essentially a straight line between her dorm and the lab. Although she still couldn't understand how such a creature could have evolved naturally, which completely overturned all theoretical foundations of evolution, she finally understood some of the characteristics of the Deep Blue Tree through repeated exploration. If animals and plants are part of the natural cycle... then it is the natural cycle itself.

Lu stood on the observation platform of the Deep Blue Tree, her fingers unconsciously tapping the data pad. Over the past three months, she had witnessed countless moments when this "tree" subverted common biological wisdom—ecological laws that should have been enshrined in textbooks had become modifiable parameters here.

A substance resembling animal lymph flows within the branches of the Deep Blue Tree, while photosynthesis, a process only found in higher plants, occurs on its surface. Its roots secrete a network of hyphae, akin to those of fungi, while filtering plankton from the water like a sponge. Most eerie of all are the pores embedded within its epidermis—they actively adjust their opening and closing in response to environmental changes, and can even selectively absorb specific wavelengths of cosmic rays.

"The 47th nutrient deprivation experiment has begun," Lu said to the recorder. On the holographic screen, her carefully planned destruction plan was being executed: the artificial rainfall system sprayed acidic solution, the robotic arm violently severed three main branches, and the oxygen content in the culture chamber plummeted to a critical value.

The Deep Blue Tree's reaction was elegant—a gelatinous substance immediately oozed out of the torn wound, and these semi-solid substances hardened into cuticles the moment they came into contact with the air; the corrosive effect of the acidic solution lasted only a few seconds before it seemed to be neutralized by some overflowing branches and leaves; and the way it dealt with the oxygen-deficient environment was even more chilling—it directly decomposed 15% of its own leaves, releasing precisely measured amounts of oxygen through internal combustion.

"This isn't a stress response at all..." Lu's pen tip scratched deep marks on the data slate. "It's a meticulously calculated ecological regulation." She pulled up three months of comparative data. All the destructive experiments ultimately led to the same conclusion: the Deep Blue Tree would reconstruct a new, more efficient circulation system. After its photosynthesis chain was severed last week, it surprisingly evolved a chemosynthetic system similar to that of deep-sea hydrothermal vent organisms within 48 hours.

It is a producer, a consumer, a decomposer, and an inorganic environment. It is a complete whole—like an oversized ecological tank. However, Lu is well aware of the terrifying nature of a self-circulating ecosystem of this scale. Even if someone deliberately disrupts the cycle, it will adjust to complete a new one.

Lu had seen many creatures with strong adaptability, but in the final analysis, it was the creatures that adapted to the environment. However, in the case of the Deep Blue Tree... what they saw was life transforming the environment.

Lu could even imagine that if they placed a portion of the Deep Blue Tree's tissue on a barren planet, they could reap a lush and bountiful harvest in a short period of time, perhaps even less than a century. The Deep Blue Tree could utilize almost anything: inorganic matter, organic matter, even radioactive minerals. It could completely absorb them and reshape the ecological environment.

The Deep Blue Tree's ability to transform the environment is a cosmic miracle of ecological engineering. Every inch of its tissue functions as a sophisticated nanofactory, capable of transforming even the most barren wasteland into a vibrant oasis. Its seemingly random hyphae tentacles act almost like molecular-scale environmental scanners, instantly analyzing the mineral composition of the surrounding soil, atmospheric density, and even the intensity of cosmic rays.

When its tissues come into contact with exposed rock, the surface secretes potent bioacids that break down silicates into absorbable ions. Simultaneously, honeycomb-like catalytic cavities form within the branches, transforming radiation into biousable energy through a process known as microscopic Dyson spheres. These pulsating vesicles act like miniature Dyson spheres, capturing not only visible light for photosynthesis but also high-energy cosmic particles, channeling the energy generated by their decay throughout the system.

Most astounding is its material recycling system: decomposed basalt is transformed into nitrogen- and phosphorus-rich humus; toxic heavy metal ions are encapsulated in organic cages formed by tree sap, gradually precipitating into harmless metallic nodules; even lethal radioactive isotopes are isolated by a special membrane structure, becoming fuel to sustain the nuclear reactions within. Within a three-kilometer radius, the atmospheric composition spontaneously adjusts to a level optimal for carbon-based life, and the soil pH approaches perfect equilibrium on a hourly basis.

Like compressing the entire Gaia hypothesis into a single organism, the Deep Blue Tree subverts our understanding by proving that the boundary between life and non-life may simply be a narrow human cognitive bias. While humans are still using deus ex machina to transform planets, this miracle from Terra has long mastered the universe's most essential survival wisdom: not passively adapting to the environment, but actively adapting the environment to life.

"It's amazing..." Lu couldn't count the number of times she'd marveled at the terrifying presence of the Deep Blue Tree. Every moment, it was reshaping our understanding of human biology. If the Deep Blue Tree truly could be called a living thing, Lu didn't even know if it was dead or alive. "...I can't even describe it with the words I know... If there really was a miracle, this might be it."

"Unfortunately, we haven't detected any [consciousness signals] so far. We can't confirm whether this thing possesses intelligence, or whether it can think. However, based on our current findings, it would be strange if it hadn't developed intelligence... These reactions can't be instinctive... There's no such thing as instinct. This thing was designed simply to transform the environment..." Ishamara added, "It's like the hand of the Creator..."

"..." Lu wanted to refute, but she had to admit that the Deep Blue Tree didn't seem to be a naturally occurring thing. Who designed it, and who abandoned it in Terra's deepest trench? How did the administrator know about this ecological treasure here?

After the experiment ended that night, Lu returned to the dormitory as usual and started calculating. When conducting experiments, she had the habit of using paper and pen to record experimental data. Many researchers have given up this habit because the data will be placed in a reliable server and can be retrieved at any time. There is really no need to use paper and pen, but Lu followed Ed's example and kept the habit of taking notes. There is a pile of paper notes under her bed.

She pondered the complex data for a long time. In fact, she had been thinking about one question...

The crisis humanity faces is actually quite vague. It's a destructive crisis whose identity is unknown, never officially revealed. We only know its inevitable existence, but we have no way of knowing anything else. People call it the "Lumberjack," because it's like a terrifying entity chopping down the trees of civilization in the midst of a civilized forest. It's a being beyond human cognition, and even the doctor can't accurately describe its characteristics...

However, as part of the salvation plan, does the Deep Blue Tree really have the ability to resist the loggers?

The more she studied the Deep Blue Tree, the more confused she became. Although the Deep Blue Tree was close to perfection in the material world, after all... it was just an incredibly powerful creature.

But…are lumberjacks really something a creature can fight against?

"Ah..." She sighed deeply and decided to go out for a walk. Staying in the dormitory was almost suffocating her...

She knew that now she only needed to act according to the arrangements of the administrator and the doctor. They must have their own ideas, but the worry of whether she was doing useless work kept chasing her.

As she walked, she looked up and found that she had unconsciously walked to the door of the laboratory.

Am I addicted to work?

She couldn't help but laugh at herself, but since she was already here, she might as well go and see the current situation of the Deep Blue Tree. She took out her ID card and unlocked the secret key. After the door opened, she saw the Deep Blue Tree in the center at first sight. In the dark laboratory, only the Deep Blue Tree itself was emitting a faint blue light, but under that faint light, there was a person standing there that she had not expected.

Realizing that someone had entered the laboratory, she turned around and looked at Lu who was standing there, but Lu had already recognized the other person's identity from the back.

"Ms. Administrator!"

Chapter 43: Confession

"It's so late, why are you still in the lab?" The administrator turned around and smiled gently. "It's better to combine work and rest. Work is something you can never finish no matter how long you work. What if you exhaust yourself?"

"I... just couldn't sleep at night so I went out for a walk and accidentally ended up here. But Miss Administrator, why didn't you tell me when you came? I was wondering if someone had snuck in." Lu explained awkwardly. After all, it was too arrogant for her to just go out for a walk and end up in the lab. She was a little embarrassed to explain to the administrator. What's more, her research progress was actually quite slow recently. On the one hand, the Deep Blue Tree was too beyond common sense. On the other hand, after the doctor left, many half-executed projects had to be rearranged... She had inherited a mess.

So even if Lu didn't slack off at all, it would be difficult to get everything done in a short period of time.

However, when I went out for a walk, I unexpectedly met the administrator who suddenly came over. You know, after handing the work to the doctor, the administrator has been elusive. It is really a part of luck that he can randomly refresh in this place.

She had to once again believe what Precious said, that geniuses are attracted to each other.

"I just happened to come visit an old friend on a whim." The administrator looked at the Deep Blue Tree, a hint of guilt flickering in his eyes. "I brought it to this place myself, and I've been wondering if that was the right thing to do. After all, perhaps it should rest in peace in the trench. Its mission has long been fulfilled..."

"Old friend..." Lu knew that this old friend wasn't referring to him. Although he and the administrator had a good relationship, they were by no means old friends. In the entire Garden of Eden, the only person who could be considered an old friend of the administrator was probably the Doctor. So... could the administrator be referring to the Deep Blue Tree? "You... have known it before?"

"I guess so." The administrator didn't mean to hide anything. "It used to be my friend, or rather... family."

"Ah?" Lu's brain was a little confused. "You've known it before? It... could communicate with you before?"

"It's not really communication, it's more of a one-sided [command]. That was when I was still young—" The administrator smiled. "Oh, you don't seem to know. Never mind, I'll have to tell you sooner or later anyway. Actually... I'm not as young as I look."

"Are you... an immortal?" Lu speculated. After all, humans had explored so many planets and had indeed seen some immortal intelligent life forms. For example, the Long-Eared Tribe, who were said to have been wiped out by loggers not long ago, were once a civilized race quite friendly to humans, but were completely wiped out by the power of the loggers. "Are there immortals among humans?"

"Whether I'm immortal or not is still undetermined." The administrator's voice suddenly took on the weight of time. "But I have indeed walked the earth for over ten centuries." She raised her hand and gently touched the mask. "I can't even remember the exact number of years myself. It has long exceeded the maximum human lifespan."

"...More than a dozen centuries..." Lu was suddenly lost in thought. So the Administrator wasn't actually human? She'd suspected it, but she'd never considered it that way. After all, the Administrator was humanity's hope. She seemed to truly fight for humanity with all her might. But if she wasn't human herself, then why would she fight for humanity? Lu didn't quite understand. Could a feeling so strong that it could transcend race... could one fight for a stranger to this day?

"All official members of Eden know this secret." The administrator's voice suddenly softened, as if soothing a frightened young animal. "But I hope you can keep this fact a secret. After all..."

She smiled wryly and pointed to her humanoid appearance.

"If it weren't for this body, I'm afraid someone would have questioned my position long ago. But we are companions who must walk side by side, so at least I can't hide it from you. You should have the right to know."