Lin ate his food slowly and deliberately. His esophagus wasn't damaged, but he'd been cautioned not to eat too fast. Elysia supervised him the entire time, and being watched by those smiling eyes significantly reduced his appetite.
It was strange. A few months ago, he was annoyed by this ubiquitous pink hair, but now he could calmly state that they were friends and accept her care. Humans are indeed creatures of habit.
Elysia, noticing a gap in Lin's eating, spoke to him: "Speaking of which, quite a few people in the betting pool gambled that you're a robot. Did you ever consider actually replacing parts of yourself with mechanical prosthetics?"
Is this what Moth of the Flame warriors talk about in their free time? Elysia was a squad captain; she was practically the chief culprit for spreading gossip.
"Honkai energy corrodes metal no slower than the human body. Furthermore, the coordination of the human body is something prosthetics cannot rival. Even with a higher-output mechanical prosthetic, it wouldn't necessarily be stronger than a natural body." Lin's detailed answer showed that he had indeed considered this aspect. The flaw of humanity in terms of Honkai energy was difficult to compensate for with external means.
Inhibitors could only slow the rate of corrosion. Even with Lin's initial corrosion, all the inhibitor could do was prolong the time before complete corrosion and death, and its effect would diminish with increased use. Ultimately, it was just a commutation of the death sentence to a stay of execution.
"I thought I might see you install a hundred wheels and speed through the city like crazy," Elysia said, shaking her head regretfully.
"It seems only a Cybertronian could fulfill your request," Lin replied poker-faced.
He was in a relatively quiet spot, watching Kevin, who was drenched in sweat, slowly waltz with an abnormally composed Mei on the dance floor. His movements were as clumsy as a fat duck just let out of a coop.
Many people were dancing, including some of Lin's acquaintances. For example, a certain red-haired woman attracted a large number of eyes with her sexy and elegant dance moves, causing Hua, her dancing partner, to blush furiously.
"That child is... Hua, right?" Elysia had an impression of her. She was a survivor Lin brought back from Changhai City, now his squad member, a new recruit with a rare, stable personality.
The city where Hua's father lived was also within the affected area of the Third Honkai Eruption. The extent of the damage was similar to Changhai City, and naturally, her father became an inconspicuous name on the list of casualties.
"She recovered so quickly. She really is a strong child."
"Hua merely accepted the goal others gave her; she hasn't truly emerged from the shadow."
Lin told her that if she had no purpose in life, she should live for him. Before he died, she should be able to find a new direction.
"Mhm? Just like someone else?"
Elysia gave Lin a meaningful look.
"...I don't understand what you mean."
"Lin, sometimes even unconscious behavior is the most desired thought deep inside. So it's okay if you don't understand."
Elysia quickly dismissed the topic. She picked up a plate of cake, carefully scraped off the cream with a fork, and offered it to Lin's mouth. Under his stern gaze, she awkwardly pulled the fork back and ate the cream herself.
"Ugh... Calories are a girl's worst enemy," she said with a bitter face, swallowing the delicious cream, and then started eating the exquisite cake.
"Didn't you claim you could eat anything and still maintain a perfect figure?" Lin's impression of Elysia's shamelessness was still quite deep. When he was at the Second Gym, she often interrupted him, saying casually that she couldn't gain weight no matter how much she ate and was annoyed because she couldn't get fatter.
He believed that if any other woman heard that, one with a worse temper might have smashed a window and thrown her out.
She puffed out her chest righteously: "But it's not just the waist that gets bigger on a girl."
"..." Lin still underestimated her ability to humblebrag.
However, Elysia's self-proclaimed beauty wasn't unfounded. Even in a maid outfit, many people came to invite her to dance, all of whom she smilingly refused one by one.
"I wouldn't refuse if a cute girl invited me, though~"
She said this with a smile, though whether it was true or not was unknown.
Thanks to Elysia, Lin was spared a lot of trouble. Most people who approached him were intercepted by Elysia for small talk. Many forgot their original purpose and ended up chatting with her spiritedly.
But some trouble was sudden and unavoidable.
"Are you Lin?"
A tall, brown-haired muscular man ignored Elysia and walked directly up to Lin. He looked down at Lin with a scrutinizing gaze mixed with an inexplicable contempt.
"..." Lin didn't recognize him, nor did he know where the man's malice came from. Lin usually had only one attitude toward strangers—
A cold glare from his black eyes.
"He is Sigma from the Tactical Department. He was the chief commander of the Third Honkai Eruption operation," Elysia quietly introduced the burly man in Lin's ear. After hearing Sigma's identity, Lin's gaze softened slightly.
Lin nodded lightly to him and sincerely complimented, "The operation for the Third Honkai Eruption was impressive."
But this sentence instantly ignited Sigma's rage. To his ears, the compliment was no different from sarcasm.
The early stages of the Third Honkai Eruption operation had no effect, but the battle with the Herrscher ended within half an hour after Lin arrived and rescued Mei. His role had been negligible, even less than that of a monitor.
He leaned down, pointing at Lin's bandaged face, and growled in a hostile whisper, "Impressive? How is it as impressive as you? You have Delta's technical support, don't you? How is it that now, without that advanced gear, you can't even stand up and need someone to push you around? Or are you always like this, just 'sitting in a wheelchair'?"
"..."
The music covered the fragmented sound. Sigma was also suppressing his voice, so no one noticed the commotion in this spot.
Elysia's expression turned serious. She stared at Sigma, who looked like he wanted to pull Lin up. His figure was more muscular than Lin's, making the scene look like a lion roaring at a soft rabbit.
This was genuine anger.
Lin faced Sigma, clearly sensing the burning fury in the man's reddish eyes.
"So many comrades sacrificed their lives, and in the end, you became the hero. You must be gloating inside, feeling very proud of yourself, even breaking your legs to attend this so-called celebratory Party. Isn't it just to let everyone admire your heroic appearance?"
"But let me tell you, you are absolutely nothing. If either you or Delta had been willing to share the technology in your gear with other warriors, the casualty rate wouldn't have been so tragic."
"Do you understand that you are the culprit who killed those comrades?"
Elysia's face had completely darkened. She rarely showed such an expression. If it appeared, it meant she was either acting playfully or genuinely angry.
But Lin turned his head and gently shook it at her, signaling her not to speak.
He turned back, about to say something, when another weak voice blocked the words in his throat: "Oh? And what are you looking for Lin for? According to you, I should be the selfish one."
Delta, wearing his perennial oil-stained work uniform, walked up from the side to stand in front of Lin, yawning and rubbing his dark circles, blocking the line of sight between the two.
He looked up slightly and smiled at the stunned Sigma: "Yelling at an injured man—is it your time of the month, or are you going through menopause? Or did you get pregnant?"