There is no way the Liberian girl could lay eggs!

Avoiding Yara's gaze, Hemer looked at the coffee in his hand.

The dark brown liquid was steaming and tasted bitter, but it was quite effective in refreshing the mind. She would make two or three cups of it when she worked late at night.

One for Joyce, one for Saria who comes by occasionally...

If she were here...

No, she won't.

The fantasy in his mind flashed away, and Hemer shook his head to deny his guess.

As early as when Saria was dealing with the public opinion about the Fire Demon incident, she had already realized that what Saria was protecting was the life of Rhine, not any individual.

The time she spent with Ifrit was perhaps just a passing feeling of guilt...

"Is this important? Whether or not it's related to Rhine Life is someone else's business. Now you have a chance to break away from Rhine, and I think you should seize it."

Sitting in Lin's seat with a relaxed expression, Kela said, "Leave now, stay away from Temirimon, stay away from Columbia. This is what you should do, not sneak into such a dangerous place without permission and act like a lone hero."

"I'm sure you know how dangerous it was just now. You have no power and influence. If you really anger them, they can make you disappear without a trace."

"A bird that overestimates its own capabilities...will eventually have its wings broken."

"Is this considered intimidation?"

He drank the coffee in one gulp, and the bitter taste made Hemer frown.

"If you think it is, then it is, but in my opinion, it is just good advice."

"Then my response is... I'm sorry."

Hemer coughed twice and suppressed the bitterness in his throat. "Since you know that I helped Director Dorothy clean up the mess, you must also know all the ins and outs of it."

"I'm here to search for the stolen transmitter. The tragedy at Base 359 is still fresh in our memory. You should also be aware of the devastation that the disappearance of such dangerous materials would cause. If nothing is done to control it, Columbia... will sooner or later burn itself."

The tragedies of Joyce, Ifrit, and the people around him kept replaying in Hemer's mind.

It was because of my hesitation and avoidance that I allowed them to undergo this dangerous experiment. If I had stood up at that time, or someone else had stood up, then their lives might have been very different.

Now she is no longer the fool who could be fooled by her teacher's few words. She has also faced herself up to the truth during these years outside.

Since no one stood up, she would stand up herself!

Instead of pinning your hopes on those illusory courage and persistence, it is better to do it yourself!

Even if my power is weak, even if I am not strong, at least I did it myself...

That's... enough!

Snapped!

With a sudden snap of her fingers, Yara suddenly seemed like a different person, and the smile on her face could not be concealed.

"Even if I might die?"

"Even if I might die."

Although he didn't understand what the other party meant, Hemer still answered Yara's question seriously.

Ifrit has grown up enough to take care of herself, whether in Rhodes Island or anywhere else, she can protect herself.

"Well, it seems Dorothy was right. You are indeed a good person."

The fake smile turned real, and Yara nodded imperceptibly.

Faced with the sudden good guy card, Hemer seemed to have guessed something, but her past experiences made her always remain a little wary.

"This is the key to my house in District 13. I'll lend it to you as a base for the time being."

Taking out a key from her arms, Yara pressed it on the table and pushed it in front of Hemer.

“You are…”

"There's what you need. You came here from Base 359. The most important thing now is to get some rest. Later... I'll come find you."

"Don't ask, just keep it. Consider it a deal between us."

Seeing that Hemer wanted to refuse, Yara spoke up and stopped him, giving a reason that Hemer could not refuse.

"And you? You seem to have time now."

After accepting the key given by Yara, Hemer stood up.

"I also have an appointment with an old friend. I'll come to see you later."

"it is good."

Without further ado, Hemer turned around and left.

"Huh... they really look alike."

Looking at Hemer's back, Yara couldn't help but associate her with a certain Vaifan.

After sighing, Yara waved to call the waiter. After ordering another drink for herself, Yara turned her head and looked at her back seat.

"What would you like to drink?"

"Whatever. For me, food is just a means of perceiving the outside world, and the same goes for drinks."

The Tin Man stood up from the back seat and leisurely sat down opposite Yara.

Looking at the Tin Man in front of her, Yara smiled bitterly and shook her head: "I don't think I've ever heard you breathe. Do you smoke just to let the smoke swirl around in your stomach?"

"It's just a habit, just like every time you completed a mission, you would carefully write down the events and burn them on the spot."

Taking the pipe from his mouth, the Tin Man glanced sideways at Hemer who had already walked away, and then said to Yara: "That young researcher just now... You always care about these juniors."

"I can't help it. Someone from my company has appeared in the military's control area. If I don't deal with it in time, it will inevitably cause trouble for the company. I'm supposed to clean up their mess, you know."

"As expected, you are very dedicated no matter what you do."

"I've occasionally kept an eye on you over the years. From being a middleman investor in Tremont to the head of human resources at Rhine, almost all of the connections you've accumulated have been spent on this company."

"In other words, without you, there would be no Kristen and Rhine. So, are you here now, still for that reckless child?"

"Or do you have your own ideas?"

After the greetings, the Tin Man straightened his posture.

"Is it possible that I'm here because I actually bought a house in the 13th arrondissement, and I stay here for a couple of days in my free time?"

"I think this kind of news should not be a secret to you."

"I'm just old, but that doesn't mean my mind is old too, Yara..."

Faced with the nonsense of his old friend, the Tin Man shook his head helplessly.

Volume 9: Chapter 31: Iletao

We are all smart people, and this little trick of pretending to be confused will do nothing but leave a bad impression on each other.

He's not stupid, and neither is Yara.

With a long sigh, Yara took off her disguise in front of her old friend.

An air of old age emanated from her. She now looked as if she had aged a dozen years, having stepped directly from middle age into the old age stage.

"I am old, Tin Man."

With a bitter smile on her lips, Yara looked at her reflection in the drink.

The reflection was extremely blurry, but Yara looked at it very carefully.

"Strictly speaking, your age should only be considered middle-aged."

"It's not about my age, but when I came to my senses, I realized that I had dedicated my health, dreams, friendships, family... all to this country."

"Meilander's 'Morning Star'... in the end nothing was left, not even a name."

"I don't even have the videos of the movies I made when I was young to reminisce about my so-called youth."

Stirring the teaspoon, Yara dispersed her own reflection.

Her words were sincere and there wasn't a single lie in them, and the Tin Man knew this very well.

He had lived through many more years than Yara, so he could understand the fear of the passage of time.

Watching yourself grow old is a torture.

Yara's experiences in her youth did not leave her with anything. Because of the special nature of her job, there was no trace of her existence at all. She was forgotten.

Man-made.

But just then, Kristen found her.

The Tin Man didn't know what means the governor used, but it was obvious that Yara's affection and confidence in her would only increase, not decrease.

But friendship is friendship, and work is work. Even if he had a good relationship with Yala before, he would never be careless about such a thing.

"I didn't mean to embarrass you, Yara."

"But if you want me to turn a blind eye to this, I'm sorry, it's hard for me to agree, you know..."

"Melande has a duty only to this country."

As an employee of Melander, Yara must be aware of the organization's structure and beliefs, so the Tin Man had to bring this out.

He is not one of those cold-blooded guys who screams like he's being burned in a furnace. He has the emotions that a human being should have, and this is his only weakness.

Yet now, he was indulging this weakness.

"I don't mean to ask you to go easy on me. I just want to tell you that I have never regretted anything I've done, whether it was joining Melander and becoming Morningstar, or joining Rhine Life and becoming the director of the Human Resources Department. I have never regretted it."

"You know very well that I have never made a mistake in my choices, so even now I will not harm this country."

"I just want to see a kid fulfill his dream, that's all."

The warm coffee had lost its heat under constant stirring, and the rising white mist also disappeared.

Yara stopped what she was doing and looked at the Tin Man.

The look on her face startled the Tin Man.

He had seen this expression on other people's faces countless times, but he had never thought he would see it on the face of his former friend.

The emotion called love.

It is not the love of wanting to be together, but the care of the elders for the younger ones and the love of parents for their children.

These emotions supported Yara, making her willing to quietly take care of everything for Kristen behind her back.

"You still can't get over the Wrights' death, can you?"

The tin man put the long-extinguished pipe back into his mouth. He took two puffs and sparks came out from the cigarette butt.

"Although I want to deny it, until now, I still dream about them when I sleep at night..."

.........

Tremont, Rhine Life.

Ferdinand, the director of the Energy Department, was dismissed from his post after the incident at Base 359 was exposed, and the military issued a warrant for his arrest.

But no one could have imagined that Ferdinand, who was supposed to be wanted, was sitting in his office at this time, leisurely drinking tea and processing the documents accumulated during this period.

Now that Rhine Life has lost its two pillars, Christen and Saria, he has naturally become the hope of others.

Among the ten departments of Rhine, the Security Department and the Energy Department are all under his control. The director of the Ecology Department has disappeared, the director of the General Construction Department has disappeared, the director of the Originium Technology Application Department has been temporarily detained by the military, and the Scientific Exploration Department is far away in the northern glaciers, climbing ice and sleeping in the snow, and has only an empty office in Rhine Life. The Engineering Department has a close relationship with him and can be regarded as half of his own people. The directors of the Human Resources Department and the Business Department know nothing about scientific research and are not to be feared. The director of the Structural Department, Parvis, is in the same boat with him.

To some extent, Ferdinand can now be regarded as the helmsman of the Rhine.

If he had not been wanted before, he would have already taken the position of commander-in-chief with the support of the military.

But there is no way, a stain is a stain, which has also led to his failure to return to the "throne" of the director of the Energy Department.

"Protective armor development... approved. Recycling of discarded Originium residue? Rejected. Laser weapon experiments? Rejected..."

Ferdinand easily identified those guys who wanted to get funding, and mercilessly classified them as garbage.

Even though some of them have a good relationship with him.

But so what?

He had no tolerance for these short-sighted parasites. If these rubbish were only brought up through connections, they would be of no use other than sucking Rhine's blood.

He didn't care how Christen had dealt with these people in the past, but since he was in power now, these people shouldn't exist!

boom!