The circular briefing room of the Operations Department headquarters was silent.
A handful of people sat around a massive round table—the core decision-makers of the Thanatos Academy Operations Department.
Every gaze they leveled was sharp and indifferent, tempered by a lifetime of life-and-death experiences.
Lin Yu had been brought here by an expressionless clerk and left alone on a platform, much like a flawed product awaiting evaluation.
“Director Tangris, Chief Carter,” said Norman, the representative for the headquarters.
A dignified German man with impeccably groomed hair, he broke the silence in clear, rapid-fire English.
“It is not that I am unwilling to lead a newcomer. But, if I may speak frankly, into which department do you believe a freshman who has not even selected their foundational courses should be assigned?”
His phrasing was polite, but the rejection in his tone was blatant.
“For once, I agree with Norman,” added Jelina, the representative for the Execution Department.
A Russian woman with short blonde hair and eyes as sharp as a hawk’s, she continued, “Allowing an inexperienced novice to participate directly in a mission is irresponsible—to himself and the entire team.”
Her words were blunt and cold.
Upon hearing this, Norman let out a nearly imperceptible huff in Jelina’s direction.
The two department representatives were notorious for their friction.
Between them sat a third man who looked miserable, as if he carried the weight of the entire world on his shoulders.
This was Abble, the representative for the Logistics Department.
A Moroccan man wearing thick, square-rimmed glasses, he was currently rubbing his temples in agony.
Through Vigus’s translation, their words reached Lin Yu’s ears.
The situation was clear — without exception, these people were opposed to his inclusion.
‘This is strange,’ Lin Yu thought.
‘The school’s higher-ups specifically named me to participate, yet now these people are doing everything they can to keep me out.’
Before Lin Yu could ponder this contradiction further, the door to the briefing room was thrown open.
The intruder ignored the guards’ attempts to stop him.
A young man with blonde hair, blue eyes, and a face as handsome as a young Leonardo DiCaprio burst inside.
His eyes burned with confidence and a searing fighting spirit.
“Director, Chief, I am applying to join this mission,” he announced, his voice carrying an air of natural entitlement.
“Alexandre Duval,” Chief Carter said, pushing up her glasses.
Her tone was calm but brooks no argument.
“We have all witnessed your ability and enthusiasm, but following orders is an indispensable quality for any member of the Operations Department.”
“But why?”
Alexandre Duval’s sharp gaze swept over Lin Yu, who stood to the side.
“Why are Kobayashi Mirai and this… freshman named Lin Yu allowed to participate directly in a core mission involving the Seven Artifacts? Neither of them has a single combat record, do they? This student, Lin Yu, is barely even enrolled.”
“From where did you learn that the mission involves the Seven Artifacts — ?”
Director Tangris’s brow furrowed.
“I simply made an educated guess based on the intelligence classification and the scale of the mobilization,” Alexandre Duval met his gaze without flinching.
“It seems I guessed correctly.”
He lifted his chin slightly.
“Director, my abilities are second to none. I request an opportunity to prove myself.”
“You are indeed the cream of the crop among the freshmen; your excellence is beyond doubt,” Chief Carter said with a hint of regret in her voice.
“But we do not need someone who cannot follow orders.”
As the atmosphere reached a stalemate, a calm voice cut through the tension like a stone skipping across still water.
“I think he has a point,” Lin Yu said, speaking for the first time.
His voice was devoid of emotion as his calm gaze drifted between Tangris and Carter.
“I am a novice who knows nothing, and it seems none of you want me there.”
He paused, offering a suggestion that caught everyone off guard.
“Since that’s the case, wouldn’t it be perfect to let this superior, more enthusiastic student go in my place?”
The room’s attention instantly shifted from Alexandre Duval to Lin Yu.
“Do you not wish to go?”
A deep, aged voice resonated from the head of the table.
Vice Principal Nonakawe, who had been hidden in the shadows, leaned forward.
The light caught the sharp, resolute contours of his weathered face.
Lin Yu met the gaze directly and answered decisively, “I don’t. I have no interest in so-called ‘Gods,’ nor do I believe I have the capability to participate in this mission.”
As those words fell, the meeting room plummeted into a deeper, suffocating silence.
The eyes of everyone present held an indescribable complexity — there was scrutiny and concern, but more than anything, there was a profound sense of disappointment.
At Thanatos Academy, ability could be nurtured, but without the resolve to face the Gods, everything else was meaningless.
The Vice Principal rose slowly.
He wasn’t particularly tall, but he carried an invisible pressure born from weathering countless storms.
He walked up to Lin Yu and studied his face closely, as if searching for a familiar trace.
Finally, he let out a soft sigh.
“You… look nothing like Lin Wantian.”
Upon hearing that name buried deep in his memory, Lin Yu’s body stiffened for a fraction of a second.
“Your parents were heroes,” the Vice Principal said, his voice low and heavy with the weight of years.
“They dedicated the better part of their lives to the fight against the Gods for the sake of humanity’s survival. Because of them, countless people were able to live.”
“Heroes?”
Lin Yu repeated the word, his voice very soft.
‘So that’s how it is.’
They were heroes, so it was only natural for them to abandon him and leave him without a word for eight years.
Of course, things like saving the world were far more important than a single child.
He couldn’t help but let out a nearly inaudible cold snort, his lips curling into a faint, mocking smile.
“They sacrificed themselves to fight the Gods for humanity—of course they are heroes!”
Director Tangris roared, unable to contain himself.
He was infuriated by the indifference and mockery Lin Yu displayed.
“And you’re just a coward!”
“Then I suppose,” Lin Yu’s voice remained calm, but it carried a bone-chilling coldness like an undercurrent beneath a sheet of ice, “I won’t be a hero.”
“In that case,” Tangris’s voice was as hard as iron, “you can prepare your withdrawal papers now. Thanatos does not need a coward like you.”
The atmosphere in the room hit rock bottom.
The very air felt as if it were about to freeze.
“Director! Now, now… let’s not take it out on a freshman…”
Seeing the situation spiraling toward disaster, Abble, who had been silent until now, scrambled to his feet to play peacemaker.
His miserable face creased with lines of helplessness as he hurried to Lin Yu’s side.
While adjusting his thick glasses, he essentially herded Lin Yu to the side and whispered rapidly:
“Student Lin Yu, stay calm! Please, stay calm! People who stay at this school for a long time get a bit… er… neurotic. You have to get used to it.”
He spoke with the frantic earnestness of someone who had seen it all before.
“Besides, you want to know about your parents, right? This is the only place you’ll ever find clues about them. So, for now, you cannot leave the school.”
Simultaneously, Chief Carter hurried to the side of the livid Tangris.
She whispered a plea only he could hear.
“Director, if you force him to withdraw, how will you explain it to the Board of Directors? And what about the funding for the subsequent operations?”
Tangris’s chest heaved violently.
He jerked his head away and let out a muffled grunt of suppressed rage, but ultimately, he did not push the matter further.
Sensing the Director’s softening stance, Abble struck while the iron was hot.
He looked toward Vice Principal Nonakawe, who remained seated at the head of the table like a solid rock, casting an inquiring glance.
Tangris also took a deep breath, forcing down his anger and deferring the final decision to the highest authority present.
After a brief, suffocating silence, the Vice Principal’s deep gaze swept across the room before resting on Lin Yu for a moment.
He nodded.
Abble breathed a sigh of relief.
He turned to Lin Yu, his tone slightly more formal but still placating.
“Then it’s settled. Student Lin Yu, you will be temporarily assigned to the Logistics Department as an intern. You will participate in this mission as a logistical support staff member.”
Lin Yu looked at the varied expressions on the faces before him.
He remained silent for a long moment before finally giving a small nod.
“Honored elders, what about me?”
Alexandre Duval, who had been ignored until now, finally found an opportunity to speak.
The impeccable smile was still plastered on his face.
Director Tangris, who was still fuming, seemed to find the perfect outlet for his frustration.
He whipped his head around, all his fury condensing into one single word that exploded in the briefing room like a thunderclap:
“Get out!”
“Very well, as you wish, my dear Director.”
Alexandre shrugged, his voice remaining gentle and polite as if he hadn’t just been screamed at.
With that, he straightened up, turned around without hesitation, and walked out of the briefing room with an elegant, composed stride under the varying gazes of those left behind.