Qianyuan: My crew comes from the world of anime.

Otherwise, it would be terrible if they mistook me for someone from the alliance.

Being a spy is like 'dating': being too aloof will be seen as being unsociable, while being too enthusiastic will be seen as having ulterior motives.

Maintaining a certain level of ambiguity is essential to sustaining a relationship...

Luo Tianming looked up at the two people in front of him and said, "I have no intention of completing this mission."

"A promotion and a fortune? What good would that do me?"

Bach & Yakov: "..."

They all stared at Luo Tianming in surprise, as if they had seen something strange.

“No, no, no, Lieutenant Luo,” Yakov couldn’t help but speak first, “You’re the Alliance’s captain, right? And there are quite a few people within the Alliance who see your potential for advancement and believe that you’re only one major achievement away from becoming a junior officer.”

Luo Tianming: "But before that, I am first and foremost a human being... What's wrong with a person pursuing things that are somewhat beneficial to themselves?"

"Just like you said—since I was promoted to lieutenant, I haven't seen many good things, just a lot of trouble. There are all sorts of difficult tasks, and if I don't complete them, I get punished... I don't want to do anything that doesn't benefit me."

"Since you're so eager to be arrested by the Alliance, and even to report your own location, then you might as well step out of the station and turn yourself in."

Yakov: "..."

It must be said that Luo Tianming's feigned indifference was extremely clever.

He really did find Yakov's psychological weakness.

Yakov himself knew that if he were to be handed over to the Alliance for capture, he would certainly be suspected of having ulterior motives.

Moreover, in a sense, he really needed Luo Tianming to cover for him.

“Captain Los,” Yakov said, switching to a more conciliatory form of address, “I’m curious…why don’t you want to complete the mission? Don’t you actually agree with the Europa Alliance’s ideology?”

Luo Tianming replied indifferently:

"Don't misunderstand, my dislike of the Alliance's actions does not equate to opposition to the Alliance. I have no grudge against the Europa Alliance. If I had any, I would say that the current Alliance is no longer the organization that once worked hard to protect humanity. The darkness within it is deeply entrenched."

"But you can't deny that it is the Europa Alliance's management that has allowed humanity to survive to this day... You can't expect those so-called 'democracy' and 'welfare systems' to plug the holes when monsters attack the site or the ship is damaged."

Yakov: "I agree with you, Captain Los... I'm increasingly convinced that we're on the same page."

Luo Tianming smiled dismissively: "Anyone on the same path? No one is on the same path as you. You can tell from this 'concert'."

"You are a lone wolf who will stop at nothing to achieve your goals. Everything in the world is a tool you can use, even the Painted Skin Cult, which you have devoted your heart and soul to, you can use as bait."

Yakov's unpleasant laughter rang out again: "What a pity, Captain Los, I thought we could cooperate for a long time."

Luo Tianming: "If you want to cooperate with me, you'd better tell me your current purpose and future plans first."

"Otherwise, there's no point in discussing it."

"..."

Yakov narrowed his eyes, looking somewhat reluctant to agree to the conditions Luo Tianming had proposed.

However, without Luo Tianming, a crucial element, [Bach] is useless... which will affect his plans.

Seeing the other party's furrowed brows, Luo Tianming was originally planning to give up on pressuring him... However, he also knew that Yakov was not someone he could trust. If he couldn't get him to honestly explain himself, it would be better not to cooperate at all.

"...Phew~"

Finally, the long silence ended.

Yakov said slowly, "Alright, Captain Los... may I ask you a question?"

"What do you think of the current Europa Alliance (humanity)?"

"..."

Without hesitation, Luo Tianming replied, "I have already answered that question."

“No,” Yakov said. “I’m not asking what you think of the Alliance, but what you think of humanity right now.”

"Under such a system... does humanity truly still have a future?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

“As you know, we’ve lost contact with Earth for a long time,” Yakov continued. “Let’s take an example: suppose Earth has gone into nuclear war, and all of humanity on it has disappeared.”

"..."

"The lunar base gradually declined after being cut off from Earth's supplies."

"All that's left on Europa is humanity... Do you think humanity as we know it has any chance of continuing?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

This is a question that not only he cannot answer, but even the statisticians who are buried in various data every day cannot answer.

Perhaps it's not that they can't give the answer, but that they dare not—what if they arrive at an answer that humanity is on the verge of extinction?

"Isn't it ironic?"

Luo Tianming looked up and saw Yakov's mocking gaze.

"Humanity has clearly broken free from the constraints of our tiny Earth and ventured into space, only to be greeted by neither gods nor rewards for their progress."

"On the contrary, they discovered a thriving universe and that they were not alone in their loneliness within the galaxy."

"but?"

"Now we are about to be trapped on this asteroid made of ice and seawater."

Luo Tianming kept his mouth tightly shut, afraid that he would blurt out any information he knew. The [Bach] beside him had long since stopped being hostile to him and was now looking at Archbishop Yakov with admiration.

"As 'newcomers' to the universe, if we want to survive, we must embrace and absorb everything we can use and keep moving forward."

"So..." Luo Tianming wasn't fooled by his speech-like tone, "The new approach you've found for humanity is to coexist with the painted skin?"

"Hehe~" Yakov didn't mind Luo Tianming's interruption.

"It has been proven that humans are not suited to the space environment. Some planets are extremely toxic to humans, and some planets do not even have air. We have no way of knowing how many unique environments like Earth exist in the universe."

"Even if there is another Earth, is the distance between it and Earth acceptable?"

"For humans, the only option is to adapt to the differences on these planets."

"Just like the creatures that have been painted with skins, they have fully adapted to the water pressure, radiation, and oxygen-free environment of Europa. If we were to move them to another environment, they would probably adapt very quickly as well."

"With the help of the 'painted skin' to fuse and repair calcium carbonate, we can evolve strong subcutaneous bones, and its own high-speed self-healing ability can also keep us free from all diseases."

Yakov made a cut on his arm with a knife, and it healed almost instantly.

"After seeing this, do you still think the Alliance's continuous efforts in technology are worthwhile?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

If one lived in the Middle Ages, this scene in Yakov would be seen as a 'god' descending upon the world.

But this approach is clearly no longer working, because—technology is more omnipotent than 'god'.

He said slowly and deliberately:

"There is no right or wrong between technological progress and genetic modification; they are simply two different paths in different directions. These are two different concepts."

"Just as you can't deny that without technological advancements, humans would never be able to leave Earth, let alone find what you call 'painted skin'."

"..."

For the first time, Yakov looked puzzled: "Captain Lo, this is the first time I've met someone as stubborn as you."

Luo Tianming: "It's alright, it's just that I'm used to looking at things from both dialectical perspectives."

Yakov: "Won't that...?"

Luo Tianming: "Fence-sitters? I don't care to say that. Rather, I would say that all of humanity is actually confused at a turning point in its destiny."

"Alright, let's get back to the purpose." Yakov clearly no longer doubted him.

"You want to know why I want to be captured by the Europa Alliance? It's actually quite simple... I'm just like you, dissatisfied with the current state of the Alliance."

Luo Tianming: "I didn't."

Yakov: "As a bloated political community composed of human government bureaucrats and independent military institutions, Europa Union is a clumsy and slow machine, struggling to move forward under the constraints of laws and treaties, while so-called public opinion is suffocating the Union."

"Over the years, its interior has become a hollow structure, and the entrenched 'bureaucratic monsters' have become the biggest obstacle to the Alliance's development."

"And my goal is to get rid of this 'monster'."

At this point, Yakov began in a dramatic tone:

“You know what… I heard that the Alliance has prepared a new prison to hold me, right in the heart of Europa, in the very capital of the Alliance. It’s heavily guarded and surrounded by troops. They think it’s the safest place in the entire Europa Ocean.”

"..."

He leaned closer and said:

"Captain Luo... There is no such thing as an 'unbreakable alliance' in this world. Even if there is, it often starts to collapse from the part closest to the heart."

Chapter 127 Arrogance

"You were planning to cause trouble in the Alliance's capital, so you deliberately leaked your whereabouts and got arrested?"

Luo Tianming revealed his 'bold' plan.

Yakov's answer showed no sign of madness:

“Mostly correct. The Alliance will definitely interrogate me relentlessly, and might even conduct some experiments on me... In order to prevent them from being too wary of me, I need your assistance—Captain Locke.”

Indeed, if he had been "caught" rather than "come to his own door," the league would have exercised much less oversight of him.

With Yakov's active cooperation, Europa Alliance shouldn't make things too difficult for him.

However, there is still one problem.

Luo Tianming asked:

"What makes you think the Europa Alliance won't be hostile to the remaining Face-Painting Cult? You've only survived by operating in the so-called 'gray area' all these years. Won't the higher-ups take this opportunity to wipe them out in one fell swoop?"

Yakov shook his head: "Captain Los, you still don't understand the rules that are currently in effect."

"Balance is the fundamental logic of how this world works. Look: the alliance fights against separatism, while the painted skin cult fights against the clown saint. No one will allow one side to become dominant."

"In order to control the area where those clowns operate, the Alliance will not break ties with the 'Painted Skin Cult.' In Europa's oceans, balance is absolute."

Luo Tianming: "..."

It's clear that Yakov is not only a madman, but also has a knack for understanding people's hearts.

“Alright,” Luo Tianming said, looking convinced, “but I still don’t think you have a chance of success. You’d better hope you can survive in the hands of the ‘Intelligence Section’.”

Yakov said without any concern, "Look, in just a short while, you've already stopped being hostile to me... If I were to spend some time with those 'guards' or the people who come to interrogate me, what do you think they would do?"

Luo Tianming: "..."

Faced with Yakov's set of "distorted theories," one either becomes a madman or a follower of a madman.

The thought of facing a world insane made Luo Tianming sigh involuntarily.

"Is this what you've always wanted? What good will it do you..."

“I don’t care what people in the future think,” Yakov said.

"Of course, some people say that what I have done is criminal, immoral, and improper. Only history can prove who is right... But until history proves it, my followers and I can only keep a low profile and work secretly for our goal."

"..."

Bach, standing nearby, was already moved to tears, as if touched by the archbishop's great sacrifice.

Luo Tianming remained skeptical: "So, you were in charge of all of this from the very beginning?"

Yakov: "Don't doubt it, I didn't think that far ahead... at least when I started testing you, you weren't qualified to participate."

"Now, you are qualified."

The archbishop's use of "you" clearly refers to Luo Tianming and [Bach].

Bach was clearly surprised by all of this.

“Me?” He pointed to himself. “You mean me? But I am…”

Yakov: "You're the murderer, right? It's alright... I am too. Captain Luo Tianming over there probably has more blood on his hands than you and I combined."

He said to Luo Tianming, "You don't mind, do you?"

Luo Tianming said with a grim expression, "If I insist on pursuing this guy's responsibility, you'll dump the entire 'Painted Skin Cult' on me and make me the acting archbishop of this bunch of headless flies."

"Yes, you were originally the best candidate. But you were unwilling to take over this mess, so the sect had to be handed over to [Bach] for management."