Chapter 87

Today, there's a lot going on at the company, so the update is a bit late. Sorry, sorry~

----------------------------------------------

"Hello? I'm looking for Chao Lingyin."

Upon hearing the call connect, Levi spoke the name of the person he was looking for into his phone.

In the age of widespread mobile phones, such phrases are rarely heard anymore.

He had first tried calling Chao Lingyin's phone, but found it was off, leading him to guess that she must be in a laboratory where wireless devices are not allowed. In Levi's memory, that obedient girl had never been a good child who followed a regular schedule.

"Oh, hold on a moment."

The person who answered the phone was Chao Lingyin's assistant, Yagase Satoshi. She didn't ask for Levi's name; in fact, only a few people knew the lab's number.

"Chao, you have a call."

There was a clattering sound in the receiver, and Levi could almost see the girl struggling to move through a cluttered environment filled with obstacles.

"Hello? Hello, this is Chao Lingyin. May I ask what you need?"

The voice on the other end of the line indeed sounded like that of an excellent student. In fact, most people agreed that Chao Lingyin was a top student with excellent grades and good character. Very few teachers and students at Mahou Mina knew her true nature. Although Levi didn't teach at Mahou Mina, he was one of those few.

"What have you done? Explain yourself clearly!"

Ignoring Chao Lingyin's attempt to act innocent, Levi cut straight to the chase.

"Eh? It's you?"

The girl's voice rose, and Levi's direct approach was rare. Hearing his voice, Chao Lingyin was genuinely surprised and momentarily didn't react to the question.

"Answer my question quickly. What did you say to Eve?"

Earlier in Eve's room, the girl had only asked him one question.

Whether Chao Lingyin was trustworthy. No matter how much Levi pressed, Eve only responded with silence, refusing to reveal any information. Her behavior was so strange that Levi couldn't help but suspect her, especially since Chao Lingyin had a history of causing trouble. Most things involving her were not good.

"Really rude."

Under Levi's urging to "cut the crap," the girl, wearing a lab coat over her school uniform, continued reluctantly.

"If you're talking about Eve, the bio-mechanical, I just mentioned some maintenance issues to her."

"Maintenance? What are you talking about? Eve isn't Chachamaru!"

Chachamaru, being a robot doll created from scratch, required regular maintenance and repairs by her creator, Chao Lingyin, to ensure proper operation. But Eve was a real human; she didn't have the same needs as Chachamaru.

"Tch, the world has really changed. Laymen are questioning experts now?

I know what you're thinking. The 'bio' in bio-mechanical means she has the same physiological structure as other intelligent beings, but don't forget the 'mechanical' part!"

Scientists hate it when people with no knowledge freely comment on their work. Chao Lingyin emphasized the word "mechanical" when she said it.

"You mean the maintenance of the nanomachines? You should have said that from the start, really."

Fortunately, Levi had a thorough understanding of Eve, both from the initial data from the research institute and from subsequent intelligence. If it were anyone else, Chao Lingyin's hint would have been useless.

"I said it from the beginning. It's just that you were being mean to me."

Seeing Levi's mood calm down, the girl started to act cute... of course, it was an act.

"Did you do it on purpose? Using such a misleading way to say it."

"Where? I was just stating the facts."

"Stop, stop! If you keep talking like that, I'll hang up. It's too disgusting."

"Eh? I admire you so much, teacher..."

"Goodbye!"

"Hey! Wait a moment!"

Who was the host and who was the guest? Was Levi seeking something from Chao Lingyin, or was it the other way around? They seemed to have mixed up the issue. The girl, who should have been in the dominant position, was afraid that the man would hang up, indicating that her interest in Eve's body was no less than her interest in Levi.

"Apologize first."

With her hand in the man's mouth, Chao Lingyin, to get the opportunity to study nanomachines, didn't dare to defy Levi. A low "I'm sorry" kept the call going. In reality, even if she hadn't done so, Levi wouldn't have really hung up, out of concern for his servant or a regular girl.

"Explain. What exactly does this maintenance entail?"

"Since nanomachines are called 'machines,' no matter how precise and lifelike they are, they still fall under the category of machines. Any machine will experience wear and tear during operation, such as wear, metal fatigue, power issues, and so on. Just like how Chachamaru needs lubricant in her joints after prolonged activity, the bio-mechanical's transformation ability, if not maintained, will be hard to function at full efficiency.

Moreover, from my observations, the nanomachines in her body also enhance her physical abilities. Even the sharpest blade in the hands of an ordinary girl can't cut through EMIYA's magical barrier, right? Use your brain, idiot!"

Levi realized his oversight in monitoring Eve's condition, and he didn't even argue with the final "idiot." Chao Lingyin should be glad that her words didn't backfire.

Recalling the signs he had previously overlooked, they flashed through Levi's mind like a slideshow, finally stopping on the scene where Eve, tears streaming down her face, used the fabric of her skirt to bandage her wound. The tears in her eyes, besides regret, pain, and self-blame, also held a sense of frustration he hadn't understood at the time. Was it her self-reproach for her weakness?

The universe's most feared killer, could she really be at a level where she couldn't even withstand one move from a Berserker? While reputation isn't always a true measure of strength, according to the information Levi had, the Golden Darkness, after leaving the research institute and reaching her optimal physical state, shouldn't have such a significant gap with him.

What had happened to make Eve become a Heroic Spirit, that was still a mystery. But only in death or at least near death could a human hear the Holy Grail's call. Rin had discussed this issue with Levi multiple times due to the special nature of their servants. So, near death and then coming to his side, followed by battle. The mana transmitted through the Command Spells could compensate for mental and physical fatigue, but what about the nanomachines? Could mana affect them?

The answer was likely no. Otherwise, EMIYA could have just channeled Levi's mana to Chachamaru, rather than having Chao Lingyin design the cumbersome winding mechanism.

"Are you sure you can repair the nanomachines in Eve's body without any danger?"

I'm really an incompetent master, relying on someone unrelated to the Holy Grail War and who only met Eve once to notice her abnormality. If Eve hadn't asked about Chao Lingyin, when would I have noticed? Levi sighed in self-reproach.

"Hmph, underestimating me? Have you fought recently? Think about it, isn't the process of using and converting qi smoother? The last time you came, I already adjusted it for you. The bio-mechanical's situation is a bit more complex, but it's just a matter of a little more time, easy and simple."

Levi wasn't in the mood to question Chao Lingyin about her unauthorized actions in his body. The move he used in the battle with Claude was indeed smoother than usual, especially considering his injuries.

"Never call Eve a bio-mechanical again!"

After correcting the girl's way of referring to Eve, Levi hung up the phone. He pushed open the door and turned left, heading towards the room he had just left, which was tightly closed.

Tonight, he would probably have to go to the villa to catch up on sleep. Glancing at the room on the other side where the pink-haired girl lived, Levi lightly knocked on the door.