"Are you really Lin?"
"We don't have time for you to verify that right now."
Lin didn't want to waste time arguing about such meaningless things. The electromagnetic interference continued to cause alarming red numbers to flash across his viewport. He was simultaneously adjusting the system to adapt to the environment and continuously trying to connect to the operational monitoring system. Now, he was blind to his surroundings, and an Emperor-class Honkai Beast was nearby, ready to attack at any moment.
"The operation against the Emperor-class Honkai Beast is temporarily suspended. We will escort the surviving personnel..." After clarifying the situation to Mei, Himeko, realizing they couldn't fight the Honkai Beast while escorting them, intended to retreat for the time being.
But Lin's abrupt cry interrupted her: "No!"
Lin fixed the errors on his viewport one by one. The pain in his damaged internal organs and thigh flared up again. He cleared his throat almost imperceptibly and looked at Himeko: "Captain, we are the closest squad to the current position of the High-Tier Honkai Beast. If we retreat, it might break away from the cordon formed by the various squads."
The implication was clear: once their squad, which possessed the precise coordinates and initiative, retreated, the monster would resume its attacks on the remaining squads who couldn't communicate with each other, causing the number of casualties to skyrocket.
Himeko pointed at Mei and Kevin: "But we must escort them."
"..."
A choice...?
Lin silently watched his two friends, while static continued to flicker across his screen.
The heavy rain hammered against his helmet, making a sharp noise.
If he chose to escort them, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast would resume its activity, causing incalculable damage to the remaining squads. If he chose to engage, he would have to abandon Mei and Kevin.
Himeko stared at him solemnly. She didn't give Lin an order; she knew that if she did, Lin would follow it immediately. But she wanted to know what Lin would choose.
Seele nervously placed her scythe in front of her. She thought of the soldiers howling in agony over the communication channel, then looked at the two people who were forcing the severely injured Lin to the front lines, feeling utterly helpless.
This was a question with no good answer; choosing one side would put the other in danger.
"I have a proposition."
Mei, who had been silent, suddenly looked up and spoke.
Her gaze met Lin's.
Their eyes met through the screen.
The relentless thunderstorm rang the bell of destruction.
Mei couldn't die. Neither the Moth of the Flame-Chasers high command nor the entire Fifth Squad would abandon the two survivors. Her life or death was not hers to decide.
But there was one person who could decide their own fate.
Without needing words, the two of them implicitly understood each other.
Lin turned and handed the rifle in his hand to a bewildered Kevin: "Kevin, do you know how to use this? Just pull the trigger, like the games we skipped class to play."
"Lin..." Kevin knew he was truly Lin when he heard those words.
He didn't know what Lin meant. Why was he giving him the gun?
Himeko's expression changed when she saw Lin's action: "Lin! You are not authorized to leave the squad! That's an order!"
"..." Lin turned his back to her, offering no response. He calmly instructed Kevin: "We can talk about everything later. Protect yourself and Mei."
"What are you going to do?"
"...I'm going to save more people."
Even the slower-to-react Seele now knew what Lin was about to do. Her reaction was even more intense than Himeko's. She reached out to grab Lin's arm: "No! If someone has to go alone, it should be me..."
"Seele!" Himeko's roar caused Seele's hand to freeze in mid-air.
Himeko took a deep breath, wiped her face, and walked to Lin's side. She looked up at the man, who was a head taller than her, trying to see the expression beneath his helmet.
But she saw nothing. Beneath that helmet, there might only be emptiness.
She slowed her speech, using the tone of a superior rather than a commanding officer: "Lin, there's no point in you going alone. The high command's primary task for us was to rescue Mei. That mission is now complete. In your condition, there's no need to continue fighting. I'll go distract the Emperor-class Honkai Beast. You and the others escort the survivors and find a way to contact the other squads."
"Your armor is not speed-oriented. My mobility is faster than yours, making me the best choice. Escorting requires one person to protect and one to clear the path. Distracting only needs one person." Lin patted Kevin's shoulder. He wanted to say something to Kevin, but he eventually lowered his hand silently and said to Himeko: "Captain, the mission is complete. What follows is the optimal combat plan based on my rational judgment."
Himeko gritted her teeth, unable to utter another word.
Lin was right.
It was right in the same way the judgment of those scumbag high-commanders was right—it made her want to punch him in the face.
There was no time. If they delayed any longer, the Emperor-class Honkai Beast would resume action. A decision had to be made immediately.
"Lin."
Kevin glanced at Seele and Himeko, who had started moving forward. He hesitated and stopped, looking at Lin, who had his back turned to him and was drawing the high-frequency sonic cutting knife.
Lin stopped moving but didn't turn around.
The dark-blue blade sliced through the raindrops.
The heavy rain poured down on the two boys who had just been reunited after a long time.
One was still the way he had been, while the other was confined within thick armor.
More than half a year had passed since Lin dropped out. Upon meeting again, Kevin sensed something colder in Lin than even back then.
"So, this is what you've been doing all this time?"
"...If you have nothing to say, hurry up and go."
"Why are you choosing to do this? No one would condemn you even if you left."
Kevin didn't possess such lofty ideals. He only wanted to protect the people close to him—not just Mei, but Lin and Su too. They were all irreplaceable to Kevin.
Why was Lin fighting these monsters? Was it just for the sake of the so-called "fate of humanity"?
That kind of reason...
"You can think whatever you want." Lin pressed the button on his helmet. The world before his eyes was covered in data. He looked back indifferently at his friend, his voice muffled beneath the helmet: "But if all you wanted was the answer to that question, I already told you."
To fight only for those who are important—I cannot do that.
When I saw the tears of others, I realized I was no longer a bystander.
When I saw the blood of others, I realized I could no longer stand idly by.
When I witnessed the extinguishing of other lives, I realized I had to bear the burden.
He was a moth desperately flapping its wings toward the light, even if it shattered his body, even if it set himself ablaze. He wanted to do everything he could to reach that fragile, tiny light.
He was destined not to be a hero, nor a beacon.
But he hoped to be the most foolish moth, flying toward the light.
Everything about the boy, Lin, was buried on that night. Now, the soldier, Lin, was setting out.
"Howl————————"
The roar of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast drew closer.
Lin turned and ran, heading toward that streak of lightning.