Julius summarized his findings as clearly as he could.

After gathering what SIBYL showed him about events from his previous life and comparing them to everything he had uncovered now, the picture that formed was surprisingly simple.

The first and most important point was the truth behind Zima-12.

They were researching Glasshearts, not in the same forceful way the Germans did, but in a much more methodical approach.

They were attempting to weaponize Glasshearts by grotesquely harvesting their body parts. The implication alone suggested that the USSR had its own breeding ground of Glasshearts, and the thought was quite terrifying if proven true.

The second point made the situation more complicated.

Not everyone in Zima-12 was involved in those projects. Many researchers had been kept entirely in the dark, especially regarding the Anomaly project. Most only knew what the senior staff told them, believing the work focused on studying Glasshearts and applying those findings to various prototypes.

They had no idea what was truly behind closed doors.

The last point tied everything together.

The Soviets were slowly trying to surpass Germany in the field of technology, pushing ahead with every project they could muster. From Julius's conclusions, they had already outpaced Germany in several aspects of military infrastructure, and that gap was likely to widen if left unchecked.

All in all, the situation was becoming harder to ignore.

"Dimitri~!"

Outside the café where they usually met, Yuliya waved both hands the moment she spotted Julius approaching. He walked up to her and offered his arm.

"Shall we, Miss Yuliya?"

Yuliya linked her arm with his. "Yes. I really missed you. Even though we work in the same place, we barely get the chance to see each other at all."

"Then, should I start working at your department?"

"Ah? That's…"

Her smile faltered for a moment.

The idea of Julius joining her department was tempting, yet the thought unsettled her more than she expected. Their project was not something a junior researcher like him should be exposed to, not with how little experience he had and how corrosive the work could be.

She knew better than anyone that some things in their line of research could warp a person if they were not prepared to face them.

"Miss Yuliya?"

"W-Why?" Yuliya asked. "Is something wrong with your team?"

Yulia was unsure how to respond, so she quickly changed the topic instead. Julius was assigned to one of the teams her father supervised, working directly under him as an assistant for that specific group.

Her father oversaw several teams at once and was constantly occupied, which made Julius's position both demanding and closely tied to her father's work.

"Not really," Julius said. "I just think I should try handling different niches. It'd help with experience and elevate my position within Zima-12."

"...."

The determined look on his face made Yuliya shrink a little. For someone who rarely showed emotions, why did he have to be this cute?

"You can work anywhere else, though. Ah, I can refer you to—"

"Does the idea of working with me bother you?"

"...."

"You said we barely get a chance to see each other, so I thought I could suggest an alternative solution…"

There was a line at work she always tried to respect, the line that separated professionalism from personal matters.

Yuliya lived by that boundary. Yet when she was with Julius, her thoughts never stayed in order. It was why, whenever work became demanding, she avoided meeting him. She feared she would lose her focus entirely and give him all of her attention instead.

"D-Do you want to work with me that much?" she asked.

"It's embarrassing to admit," Julius said. "But I've thought about it more than once."

Her steps came to a sudden stop. She had expected many answers, but not that one. Julius rarely spoke this openly, and hearing something so direct from him tugged something warm in her chest.

"I know I'm still quite new," Julius said. "But I still want to broaden my experience. And if it means spending more time with you, that's a benefit I won't complain about."

Her face grew hot. She tried to look forward, but the embarrassment made her glance away instead. Julius walked beside her as if nothing unusual had been said, which only made her heart pound harder.

"...Okay."

"Yes?"

"I'll see what I can do…"

Persuading Yuliya was never difficult.

* * *

It didn't take long for everything to fall into place. After a month of buttering up the right people, completing every task diligently, and avoiding any hint of trouble, Dimitri Ilya Mikhailov had become surprisingly popular among the researchers.

While many of them dragged themselves into work looking exhausted and overworked, he stood out not only for his competence but also for his appearance, which was clean and undeniably handsome.

The change in how people treated him was immediate. Researchers who once barely acknowledged him now greeted him with a smile. Senior staff took note of his reliability, often entrusting him with more responsibilities.

Julius accepted the attention with the same aloof expression he always had. Still, he couldn't deny that the change made his movements through the facility much smoother.

"Mikhailov, are you free later? A few of us were planning to grab dinner after shift."

Julius looked up. "Thank you for the invitation, but I have other plans."

"Ah, I see. Next time, then!"

The colleague left just as quickly, and Julius returned to the papers in front of him. He knew the reason for his sudden popularity wasn't just his competence. It was his careful effort to keep a pristine image and stay close to the right people.

In a place like Zima-12, reputation mattered as much as results.

Julius stepped out onto the overlooking veranda where several researchers had gathered for a short break.

"Hey, Dimitri's here!"

Julius gave a polite nod as they greeted him, moving through the small crowd. Out of all the responsibilities he handled each day, the work he did with this specific team was the one he treated with the most care.

"Just in time. Could you take a look at this, Dimitri?"

It was Yuliya.

She wasn't the team leader, but she had enough importance within the group to have a strong voice in their direction. More than that, she had been assigned to supervise him whenever he worked on this team's projects.

No one in Zima-12 knew about their relationship, and on the surface, there was nothing suspicious about them working closely. Most people simply assumed that since Julius already worked as Konstantin's assistant, it was natural he would get along well with the man's daughter.

"What's this?" he asked.

Yuliya handed him a folder, keeping her tone professional even though her eyes softened for the briefest moment. He took it from her and began scanning the contents.

It was a project their senior researcher had been handed.

"Professor Alekseev wanted to know our opinion on which project to take. What do you think?" Yuliya asked.

"Should something really important fall into my hands?"

"No, but the professor says that if something is too difficult for you, the team would have to adjust. So everyone decided it's better if you choose."

"...?"

Despite her neutral tone, he could see the irritation in her eyes.

Even with all the steps he had taken to maintain a flawless image, there were still people who disliked how quickly he was rising. No one was perfect, yet Dimitri appeared dangerously close to it.

His competence, paired with his looks and the favor he gained from senior staff, made him a threat in the eyes of those who had spent years building their place here.

Naturally, some argued that he was still inexperienced and undeserving of the momentum he had gained.

Julius felt the weight of those silent accusations, but he did not react. Yuliya's clenched jaw was enough to tell him she already knew who among the team had pushed the decision onto him, and she was furious on his behalf.

"Very well."

Even surrounded by coworkers who doubted him, Julius remained calm. And that lack of response was exactly why she hated seeing him treated as if he couldn't handle the work.

"What about this?" Julius asked, tapping the project folder he had chosen.

"Eh, are you sure?"

"Dimitri, that's…"

But only Yuliya's reaction mattered to him. "Can you handle it, Dimitri?"

"Of course."

If he said he could do it, then Yuliya believed him.

* * *

Another month passed. Julius leaned back in his seat and looked up at the ceiling with a sigh.

"Oh man. I definitely missed it."

A bitter smile touched his lips.

He wasn't sure when she would exactly conceive, but at this point, he knew it was very likely that his sister-in-law, Sabine, had already given birth to Lara.

Truth be told, he had set a personal deadline for this mission, telling himself he would finish in time to witness his niece's arrival. Yet reality made that goal impossible.

Even with everything he had achieved here, the one moment he wanted to see most was out of reach.

"Dimitri, come here."

"Ah, yes."

There was a reason Julius had chosen that specific project. It wasn't to prove anyone wrong. He had no interest in petty rivalries or winning the approval of those who doubted him.

"Coming, Professor Abramov!"

It was because that project happened to be Joachim Pascal Beißwenger's proposal.

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