The first phase was progressing slowly. Julius had successfully brought SIBYL into Zima-12 without drawing any attention to it. On the surface, it would behave like a code.

But in truth, it functioned like a virus.

By the time anyone realized what it truly was, it would already be far too late. SIBYL would have finished scanning every possible layer of metadata within Zima-12. And by then, there would be nothing left inside the facility that'd be out of its reach.

After all, despite its use in the medical field, SIBYL was still an AI at its core. It existed to gather and exploit data. The only difference now was that its methods no longer required consent.

By now, Doctor Isolde was probably drowning in confusion from the sudden flood of information pouring into SIBYL's data stream. The interference would be impossible to ignore, knowing an unnatural surge of processed input was arriving all at once.

Yet Julius had no doubt in her ability. She was far too intelligent to dismiss it as a coincidence. It would not take long for her to realize that this was his doing.

"An intellectual exchange, huh?"

Julius walked side by side with Sergei for the first time in a long while as the morning streets of Moscow opened up before them.

"Yeah, honestly," Sergei said with a scoff. "Those German bastards are quite pretentious. They act like everything they touch is automatically superior. As if the rest of the world is just borrowing their scraps. Still, the tech they brought over is no joke."

"You said you were brought in as an assistant, right?"

"Yeah." Sergei nodded. "Professor Andreev. Though his part of the exhibit isn't going too well."

Professor Andreev was well known in the AI sector, though not quite competent enough for Zima-12 to officially take him in.

Even so, he had spent decades in the field. For someone like him to be overshadowed at an expo could only mean the other exhibits had surpassed his by a wide margin.

"That's odd," Julius murmured. "What are the other exhibits like?"

"Well, for one, all the attention is on this one German scientist. A doctor, or whatever."

"Doctor?"

For a second, an image flashed through Julius's mind. But he dismissed it just as quickly.

There was no way, right?

"Yeah. Ever heard of Doctor Isolde Caroline Heinrich? It's her first time at an expo, but she's already making waves. Damn. To have talent like that. I could never."

"...."

Julius's eyes widened. His heartbeat stuttered. Without thinking, he reached out and grabbed Sergei's shoulder.

"That expo."

"Ah?"

"Take me there."

* * *

An intellectual exchange.

An expo meant to showcase cooperation between Germany and the USSR, a staged union of scientific minds meant to look like progress.

For the two nations locked in constant tension, it served as a necessary gesture, perhaps a reminder to the world that diplomacy still existed between them. It was a way of saying, "We helped each other, so we should avoid war," or perhaps, "Our achievements speak for themselves, so think twice before provoking us."

But everyone knew these were pretenses.

Both nations had their own motives. Germany aimed to reinforce its image as the leader of global innovation, while the USSR needed to prove it could stand beside them without appearing inferior.

Each side sought leverage. Each side wanted to analyze and quietly steal whatever edge they could from the other.

Still, the underlying truth was that in terms of pure technological advancement, Germany far exceeded the USSR.

Even so, the USSR could not afford to turn away from this partnership. Not when a single shared idea could change the military balance. Not when German breakthroughs could either uplift or endanger them.

For Germany, the expo served another purpose. It reminded the USSR of the gap between them, a sort of warning.

Julius glanced around the venue. The first thought that crossed his mind was 'Why didn't Gabriel tell me?'

Then, as quickly as that thought formed, another followed. He remembered Gabriel's words from before.

——Just don't be too surprised by whatever happens next.

"...."

Now he understood what that had meant.

"I'm surprised you're interested," Sergei said beside him. "Figured a bigshot like you wouldn't waste time on a small-time expo like this. Haha."

"You make it sound like I did everything myself. We literally received the same award, Sergei."

Sergei gave him a sideways look. "Weight, Dimitri. Weight. You practically carried that project."

"It was a joint effort."

"Sure. Keep telling yourself that." Sergei snorted. "You're so humble it loops back around and becomes bragging. Ever heard of humble bragging?"

Julius sighed. "Or maybe you're just exaggerating."

"I wish I were," Sergei said. "But people don't get promoted just for being handsome, Dimitri. You earned your spot."

Julius lowered his gaze for a moment. "You give me too much credit."

"And you never take enough." Sergei nudged him lightly with an elbow. "Try owning your accomplishments once in a while. It won't kill you."

Julius didn't respond. He was already scanning the booths, searching for the one name that had thrown his thoughts into disarray.

Sergei waved a hand in front of him. "Hello? Earth to Dimitri?"

"I'm listening," Julius said.

Sergei glanced in the direction of his gaze. "Then where are you going? Professor Andreev's exhibit is over here."

"Ah, right."

Julius slowed his steps and turned back around. He adjusted his line of sight and followed beside Sergei once more. The crowd was quite dense.

"Sergei? You're here? I thought you were taking a break today."

They had just arrived at Professor Andreev's booth. The professor looked up from his display with clear surprise on his face.

Sergei scratched the back of his head. "Yeah, plans changed. I brought a friend with me."

He stepped slightly to the side and gestured toward Julius.

"This is Dimitri Ilya Mikhailov. The guy I told you about, professor. The one from Zima-12."

"So you're that Dimitri," Professor Andreev said, eyeing Julius from head to toe. "I've heard your name more than once."

Julius inclined his head politely. "It's an honor to meet you, Professor Andreev."

"The honor might be mine," Andreev replied, an awkward smile forming. "If even half the rumors about you are true."

Sergei laughed awkwardly. "See? Even he's heard of you now."

Julius did not respond. His eyes were already glancing around the area once more, and Andreev noticed it.

"You seem distracted," the professor said. "Is my exhibit that uninteresting?"

"No," Julius answered. "I was just taking in the scale of the venue."

"Hm. Feel free to look around later. But since you're here, you might as well see what we've prepared."

Julius gave a short nod and stepped closer to the display.

The explanation that followed was a long and technical one. Yet despite its length, it was quite interesting. The structure was solid, and the logic was clean. It wasn't anything revolutionary, but it was high-quality work.

He trusted Sergei's skills. Even if Sergei had fallen just short of the standards required for Zima-12, that didn't mean he lacked value. On the contrary, assisting Professor Andreev suited him well.

Julius glanced briefly at Sergei as Andreev continued to speak. Sergei was listening intently, nodding at the right moments, clearly familiar with the material.

"By the way," Julius began. "Where is the German side of the expo?"

Sergei blinked and looked at him. "Huh? The German exhibits? They're across the main hall. The far end near the central platform."

Andreev let out a chuckle. "That's where all the noise is coming from. Every major crowd gathers there."

"I see."

Sergei narrowed his eyes slightly. "Why? You suddenly interested in German tech now?"

"You could say that?"

"Ah, right." Sergei turned toward the professor with a grin. "Dimitri here has quite the peculiar taste for German alcohol."

Professor Andreev lifted a brow. "Is that so?"

"It's exaggerated."

Sergei laughed. "You say that, but you never turn down anything with a German label on it."

"A coincidence."

Andreev shook his head in amusement. "Well, the German side does have a reception area near their exhibits. If that is your true motive, you'll find what you are looking for there."

"I'll keep that in mind."

The explanation resumed shortly after, and Sergei returned his attention to the display.

"I'll go take a look around," Julius said.

Sergei glanced back at him. "Already?"

"Might as well make this visit worth it. Who knows? I might get some inspiration."

Sergei nodded and turned back to the controls beside Andreev, immediately resuming his role as an assistant. Julius took a step back from the booth, blending into the crowd and following the flow of movement across the hall.

Toward the far end, the German side of the Expo.

"...."

There, a woman with black hair braided into a single ponytail that fell over her shoulder was standing. Her purple eyes shone under the lights as her lips moved with confidence, explaining whatever presentation she had prepared for the event while a Russian translator was standing beside her.

'What are you doing here, Doctor?'

It was completely out of character for Isolde to even consider leaving Germany on her own. And yet, she had done exactly that.

"....'

But more than that, a faint smile formed on Julius's lips.

It had been more than half a year since he last saw her. When he left for the mission, he had not even said goodbye properly.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he missed her.

Julius walked toward her exhibit, pushing through the crowd. It was far more crowded than the other exhibits around it, which said a great deal considering how many people were already flocking to the German sector.

Honestly, Soviet people had no patriotism. If this were Germany, they'd be accused of being revolutionaries.

"Why are there so many SIBYLians?"

It was a wordplay, spoken fully in German.

Isolde paused mid-explanation and turned toward him.

"Oh. I didn't expect someone here to be fluent in German."

"I figured being multilingual is a necessary skill. Especially for events like these.

A wave of discomfort ran through the crowd at Julius's interruption. But the moment they recognized him, the discomfort vanished just as quickly.

"Professor Mikhailov?"

"Dimitri Ilya Mikhailov?"

"Ah, yes. That's me. Do you know who I am?"

Even Julius hadn't expected to be recognized here.

"Of course! I've seen your…"

In an instant, the attention that had been centered on Isolde's exhibit shifted entirely toward him. People began moving closer as Julius responded with polite, slightly awkward gestures.

For a brief moment, he glanced toward Isolde, who stared at him back with a scrutinizing gaze.

"...."

A faint grin tugged at his lips.

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