Cyrus swiftly flipped through the pages, scanning the contents.

"Objective: Fully demolish Blackwater City's port, preventing the colossal freighter 'Kraken' from docking. This is Plan A."

"If you opt for Plan A, the port demolition must be completed before August 11th. After that date, the Kraken will enter Blackwater's waters, and the mission will be deemed a failure."

"Plan B: Secretly board the 'Kraken' and install explosive devices to sink it."

"If you select Plan B, the Kraken must be destroyed before it reaches Blackwater's waters on August 11th."

"The ultimate goal of the mission is to prevent the Kraken from entering Blackwater City's vicinity. Repeat, the ultimate goal is to stop the Kraken from reaching Blackwater City."

From this mission brief, Cyrus sensed an urgency.

What was the deal with the Kraken? Why was Mechanism Dawn so desperate to stop it from reaching Blackwater City?

The Kraken was a massive freighter, presumably ordinary in itself, so the anomaly must lie in its cargo!

What was so critical about this cargo that Mechanism Dawn would resort to destroying a port and sinking a ship to prevent its arrival at Blackwater City?

What was aboard the Kraken?

Cyrus suppressed her racing heart and continued to peruse the mission details.

"Portside District's Dock Five is a major freighter mooring harbor. Warehouse 6308 in Area D regularly stocks armaments. Should you need supplies, that's where you'll find them. The Ruby Bar on Peace Street in the Portside District serves as a common safe house for our members, equipped with medical and weapon maintenance gear, and periodically restocked with small arms and ammunition. The password is 'Pour me a shot of the deep blue.' The owner of the North District's Hunter's Shooting Club can provide mission funds. The third floor of Rick Technology's headquarters houses a prosthetic lab that can offer technological support for operatives..."

The more Cyrus read, the more her skin crawled.

Mechanism Dawn’s influence was terrifying.

She pieced together the information: first, Mechanism Dawn could access Blackwater's harbor warehouses for arms. Second, they had many members in Blackwater, necessitating a common safe house. Third, they seemed to be flush with cash, having dedicated personnel to manage mission funds. Fourth, Rick Technology was likely either directly under Mechanism Dawn's control or a front for their operations.

Argentum watched Cyrus closely: "Finished reading? Anything to say?"

"I'm just calculating how many lives it'll take to complete this mission. Would a hundred be enough?" Cyrus quipped morbidly under the immense pressure.

"Just execute the mission," Argentum replied indifferently. "Even if we have to pile up bodies to stop what's on the Kraken from reaching Blackwater City, our sacrifice will be worth it. Our deaths don't matter. Our comrades will continue the mission and accomplish it before August 11th."

Cyrus deeply suspected Mechanism Dawn was some sort of brainwashing cult. The individual known as "Argentum" before her seemed thoroughly indoctrinated, his own life a trivial concern.

She glanced at the time on her bracelet.

The date was July 28th, 2086, in the second world, and the time was 00:23, midnight.

"We and the other squads have less than half a month to complete the mission," Argentum stated. "The timeline is tight."

"Understood. I'll start planning our actions immediately," Cyrus responded. "But as a trainee officer, I have duties I must fulfill. The folks at the Enforcement Department aren't easily fooled."

"The Enforcement Department, mere puppets of the consortia," Argentum snorted. "You'll be responsible for stealing intelligence, and I'll handle the operations. We can discuss the plan together."

Cyrus nodded slowly.

After standing in the living room for a while, with no further conversation from Argentum, she finally spoke up, "I have my own things to attend to. Do as you please."

Uncertain of the protocols for interaction among Mechanism Dawn's operatives or if there were any unwritten rules during missions, Cyrus simply said "Do as you please," believing it conveyed the end of their discussion.

This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

And indeed, Cyrus had her own matters to handle.

She toured each room in the apartment under Argentum's watchful eye. The sunlit room was the bedroom, with a small closet. Another room served as a storage space, cluttered with various items. Two potted plants on the balcony were on the brink of death.

Moving to the kitchen, Cyrus found it well-stocked with pots and pans. She opened the peeling fridge to find some basic ingredients.

The apartment felt lived-in, which made sense since its original occupant was no more, and Cyrus had taken over its space.

She closed the fridge and headed straight to the bedroom to rummage through the closet.

Untouched undergarments were stacked neatly in the closet. Cyrus chose a towel and some clean home clothes, then entered the bathroom, slamming the door shut.

Argentum watched the bathroom door emotionlessly until the light came on and the sound of running water filled the air. It was then that it dawned on him—she was taking a shower.

He averted his gaze and sat down on the sofa, hands placed properly on his knees, like a well-behaved child.

Cyrus was somewhat resigned to her fate.

With everything in such disarray, she wouldn't allow herself to be further wronged. The worst outcome was death, and until then, she wanted to struggle, hoping to somehow make it to the end.

A proper undercover agent and an excellent actress, she immersed herself in the role of an Enforcement Department rookie, living as "Cyrus," a young woman fresh out of college with a promising job.

A young woman taking a hot shower after a rainy day was perfectly rational. Her actions were logical.

As the warm water cascaded down, Cyrus hypnotized herself, repeatedly coaxing her thoughts to remain calm.

After spending twenty minutes in the shower to adjust her mindset, she emerged in fresh clothes to find Argentum still seated in the living room.

At her appearance, Argentum gave her a cold glance before shifting his gaze away.

Cyrus couldn't fathom what he was up to.

Towel-drying her hair, she approached him and asked, "What's your next move?"

"Standing by," said Argentum.

Standing by where? Right next to her? Why wouldn't this guy leave?

To cover her confusion, Cyrus headed to the kitchen, intent on scrounging up a meal. She hadn't eaten since the surgery and was famished. Luckily, the kitchen's tech wasn't too "advanced," and she could still use clean energy like gas. Turning on the stove, she decided to boil some noodles.

Argentum watched her every move, his stomach growling audibly.

Argentum: "..."

Cyrus: "..."

"Would you like some?" she asked, hesitantly.

"Yes," he replied, without hesitation.

So, Cyrus added more noodles to the pot, cracking in a couple of eggs.

It was a detail, a telling detail. She watched the bubbling noodles, deep in thought.

By accepting her offer of food without a second's hesitation, Argentum had shown he wasn't as guarded as he appeared. He trusted his comrades.

In Cyrus's place, she wouldn't dare eat anything prepared by a stranger at such a critical juncture. Perhaps she had become overly cautious from too many spy novels and movies.

The noodles were ready. Cyrus served herself and gestured to Argentum, "Help yourself."

Rising from the sofa, Argentum found a bowl. With a wave of his hand, the noodles and the remaining egg levitated from the pot into the bowl, not a drop of soup spilled.

Cyrus's chopsticks trembled slightly, unnoticed.

This was a supernatural ability! Argentum possessed supernatural powers!

Argentum sat across from her, removing his hood and revealing a face as pale as snow, with white eyelashes, eyebrows, and hair. His pinkish eyes were set against faintly visible red veins on his neck and cheeks. If not for the faint red, he would resemble a ghostly apparition, a lifeless, walking corpse.

Argentum's pale pink eyes glared at Cyrus, "What are you staring at? Haven't you ever seen albinism before?"

It wasn't his albinism that caught her attention, but the supernatural ability he had inadvertently revealed.

"I thought you wouldn't remove the mask to eat..."

"How else would I eat with the mask on?" Argentum asked, genuinely puzzled.

"That's a question for you," Cyrus said, trying to mask her curiosity.

Argentum seemed to realize something, "You think I wear this mask to look cool?"

"I never said that," Cyrus replied, focusing on her noodles.

Argentum looked annoyed as he tried a bite of noodles but recoiled from the heat. In frustration, he manipulated the noodles to float up and down in the air, cooling them rapidly. Only when they reached a tolerable temperature did he begin to eat with relish.

This guy... didn't seem too bright.

Cyrus contemplated this new insight.

The noodles were plain—just boiled in salted water—and tasted predictably bland. Yet Argentum devoured them with gusto, finishing the meal in a few bites.

His manner of eating reminded Cyrus of piglets feeding at her grandparents' farm.

"You can wash the dishes," Cyrus suggested, testing his compliance.

Without complaint, Argentum carried the bowls to the sink and turned on the faucet.

"Use less water; it's expensive," Cyrus instructed.

Argentum retorted, "Why do you care so much? This isn't your house! The utility bills don't come out of your account!"

"It's about staying in character, maintaining the details, regardless of who's watching," Cyrus offered an impeccable excuse.

Argentum grudgingly washed the dishes, regulating the water flow as instructed. Once done, he neatly placed the bowls in the cupboard.

Cyrus observed discreetly. Argentum's supernatural power seemed linked to water—he hadn't manipulated the bowls or any other objects, just the water flow, which acted as his medium.

When Argentum first appeared in her apartment, she had assumed he was an old acquaintance of her predecessor. She had been cautious.

After several exchanges and tests, Cyrus tentatively concluded that her original self and Argentum were not familiar with each other; this was likely their first meeting. Argentum's comment upon removing his mask, "Haven't you ever seen albinism before?" clearly indicated the original Cyrus had never seen Argentum's true face.

With that realization, Cyrus allowed herself a bit more freedom. She had feared her partner might be someone intimately familiar with her original self, which could have led to immediate exposure.

Once again, Cyrus found herself lucky.

She was dealing with Argentum, who seemed unfamiliar with her and, even more fortuitously, appeared to let his guard down around her.

Most crucially, Argentum was a supernatural ability user.

If she were to kill Argentum, would she then strip away his power and gain supernatural abilities for herself?