"I'm the new Doctor Lin."
After a brief pause, Lin gave his fabricated identity without changing his expression.
Any other person might have immediately punched him. The man confirmed as the true culprit behind the Fifth Branch's destruction was resting so comfortably and securely in this secluded underwater facility, while the once-vibrant lives were buried in the ground, their names hung on the headquarters' wall, separated forever from their loved ones.
Lin had said he could not judge humanity, but the moment they met, he had a long-absent impulse.
An impulse to draw his gun and shoot the killer into a sieve.
He could not place himself in an elevated position to judge humanity. This was a promise he had made to Mei and himself. If he truly began to do so, it would be like opening Pandora's box. The programming targeting the Honkai would extend to humanity itself.
Because Lin knew he was capable of doing it and would not hesitate afterward, he could not act.
"New here?"
The killer's line of sight dropped to the helmet in Lin's hand after his initial surprise.
His brief encounter with Lin did not allow him to clearly see Lin's appearance. He only remembered Lin wore a helmet. Due to the darkness and Lin's speed, he couldn't observe the specific style, so he only glanced at the helmet.
Compared to the helmet, the new Doctor's face was more likely to draw attention.
"Doctor Koka (the name of the knocked-out researcher) is temporarily unavailable. I'm taking over his work." Lin's expression wasn't very expressive, but he positioned himself well, giving the killer only a side view. He quickly got into character, picking up a few data reports from the table and skimming them.
"Oh... Here's the report. Give it to Doctor Koka later."
Lin took the report and immediately saw the killer's signature at the end.
"Rit."
"Hmm? What is it?" asked the killer when his name was called.
"Nothing. The research is stalled, and I'm happy to take it easy. Why don't we chat for a bit longer before I go?" Lin picked up a cup from the desk and walked over to the water dispenser. "Coffee or hot water?"
Rit smacked his lips: "Hot water, I guess. I don't know why you technical folks love coffee so much."
"Sure."
Lin brought the hot water and sat down next to Rit, casually placing his helmet on the table. After handing over the water, he said, "Mr. Rit, you're a member of the Cocoon, aren't you?"
"Hmm? Yeah."
"..."
Was the existence of the Cocoon common knowledge in The Deepest Reaches?
The brief silence prompted Rit to observe Lin again. He looked at Lin's face, confused: "Speaking of which, Doctor Lin, are you alright? Your left ear seems to be bleeding."
"No, it's nothing. Just a minor injury sustained while collecting roar data from a Chariot-class Honkai Beast."
"You guys really go all out. You truly are the elite of humanity. People like me can only enjoy the fruits of your research." Rit shook his head, sighing with an expression full of respect.
The bright light overhead seemed to dim, like the stars that night.
Every muscle in Lin's body awakened.
"Then why—"
Why did you do that?
The scientists and researchers you killed, weren't they also the elite of humanity, dedicating their lives for humanity?
How can you be smiling and saying such things now?
You—
"Then you should also work hard for humanity." Lin's mind went blank, and he spoke those words.
He felt nauseous. An urge to vomit tickled his throat.
He couldn't tell if he was genuinely rational or numb right now.
"Me? Work hard for humanity? Forget it..." The light in Rit's eyes dimmed. "I... am just scum."
Lin asked calmly: "Why do you say that?"
"Doctor, don't you already know? I'm a member of the Cocoon. People like me... Oh, right, you're new, so you wouldn't know." Rit gave a self-mocking smile. "Where did this data come from?"
"The Fifth Branch."
"Oh? You know?"
"I've heard about it."
He was there.
"So, you understand, right?"
Rit shrugged. Lin couldn't tell if it was an action of indifference or self-abandonment, but his articulation was clear, without stammering, as he smoothly said the things that shouldn't be said.
"While they were all fighting for humanity, I caused their deaths... No, I killed them, with these hands."
"Before this mission, I had only received single-target assassination missions. The people I killed were mostly strangers to me, and the reports described them as notorious criminals, stumbling blocks to human progress."
"Even this time, the mission report said the target was a scumbag trying to turn humans into Honkai Beasts, but the mission wasn't just to assassinate her... I was ordered to create as much chaos as possible and test new weapons using fellow humans."
"Doctor, can you understand? The moment I pressed the detonation button, I felt like the ghosts of the deceased were rushing towards me. Those I had killed before, and those I killed this time..."
As Rit spoke, his expression was consumed by pain. He panted heavily, drank the cup of water in one gulp, and heavily slammed it onto the table.
What he didn't notice was that Lin's gaze was growing colder during this process. Finally, Lin took a small sip of water to wet his lips and said, "Then, are you regretting it now?"
"Regret? I regret it every single moment."
"Then will you continue to execute missions?"
"Yes."
Rit's tone was so firm that Lin thought he had misheard.
Lin also put down his cup and instead grasped his helmet.
"I... I have to do it for my daughter... Her life must be sustained by that person..." Rit's pain transformed into his firm resolve at this moment. "I know what I'm doing is wrong, but compared to the lives of others and the life of the person next to me, I have no choice."
"Doctor, I think I've said too much to you, but you understand me, right... I want to fight for the person who is important to me. Even if I have to take the lives of others, I..."
Lin absurdly thought of Kevin.
He knew perfectly well that Kevin could never become like this. Even if Kevin would sacrifice everything for Mei, Kevin would not take everything from others for Mei.
But what if Kevin's situation was the same as Rit's?
In fact, Lin thought about exchanging places with Rit right now. If Kevin, Mei, Seele, Himeko, and... Elysia were the people he was being blackmailed with, what would he do?
He didn't take even half a second to find the answer in his heart.
Therefore, he said:
"No, I cannot understand."