.
"Hoo..."
Lin maintained his posture on the treadmill, bracing himself against the gradually increasing speed. The pointer on the speed dial raced toward an exaggerated number, going from the average human speed to the human limit, and then slowly exceeding that value. He still managed to keep himself in a relatively uniform state of motion.
In the early morning, he was basically the only one tearing up the gym. Not everyone used every day as if it were their last.
And the reason he said "basically"... was because one other person also came.
"Lin."
At his usual time, the white-haired young man pushed open the door, walked in, and slumped onto the long bench, covering his face with both hands.
"..."
.
Lin's breathing grew heavier. The simple warm-up was over, and he dug into his reserve strength, continuing to maintain a relatively steady speed.
The gym was silent, with only the sound of Lin's running. Kevin hadn't moved since he entered, and Prometheus inside Lin's helmet was also completely quiet.
...He forgot that Prometheus was still with Vil-V. He should go get it back later.
After reaching the treadmill's maximum speed of , Lin only held it for a few seconds before gradually slowing to a stop. He picked up his towel to wipe the sweat and glanced at Kevin before walking over to the main door and locking it.
He leaned against the wall opposite Kevin and asked, "What's wrong?"
"Lin..." Kevin lowered his hands, his face etched with fatigue.
...
"The captain of the First Squad died in the line of duty?"
In the combat meeting room, Hua and Immer, who were waiting for Lin, were each dealing with matters at hand. When Immer informed Hua of this, she looked up, confused, with a mouthful of unbitten noodles dangling from her lips.
The death of a combat squad captain was mentioned so casually and lightly by Immer.
Immer sighed regretfully, "They encountered a High-Tier Honkai Beast during a mission, and the captain sacrificed himself to protect the squad members."
"How could this..."
Even though Hua had experienced the cruelty and mercilessness of the Honkai, when one tragedy after another was laid before her, she couldn't help but feel a pang in her heart.
"So, what's next?" Hua quickly calmed her mind. To become a qualified soldier, she first had to stabilize her psychological state—that's what Lin had told her when she joined the squad.
"Between the Third Honkai Eruption, the Fifth Outpost, and now the First Squad, the Fire Moth's manpower is already quite short. Combat personnel can't just be replenished at will, especially at the captain level." Immer frequently used his communicator to handle matters. He swiped twice on the screen and said seriously, "The captain's situation was an exception among exceptions. It's truly difficult to promote a captain from the remaining people to rebuild the First Squad."
Rising from private to captain in a few months, taking over the Seventh Squad, and then stabilizing the squad after nearly half a year, Lin's performance was in no way inferior to that of any combat squad captain. This was also thanks to his exaggerated combat achievements. And now, it was impossible to find another person like him to serve as the captain of the First Squad.
"Wait a moment... the captain of the First Squad..." Immer habitually refreshed the announcement interface and was stunned for a few seconds. "Someone has already taken the position."
"Isn't this the captain's friend?"
...
"I had a different mission, so I didn't go out with the captain," Kevin said with a bitter smile. "If I had been there, maybe things would have been different."
"..."
Lin listened to Kevin recount the whole story. The sacrifice of Fire Moth soldiers was not uncommon, and Lin had seen many. But this was the first time Kevin had experienced the death of a comrade, with the body not even recovered. It left a bad taste in his mouth.
"Do you blame yourself?" Lin asked.
"Yes."
The incident at the Fifth Outpost, and now this event, both made Kevin feel powerless.
Not powerless in combat, but powerless to stop what had already happened.
"And, I'm going to take over as the... captain of the First Squad," Kevin said, sighing heavily as he spoke.
Kevin had been in the squad for about four months at most, making him the youngest member of the First Squad. And he was about to face the position of captain of the First Squad, one of the longest-serving captains in the Fire Moth.
By any measure, this was unreasonable, even more so than Lin becoming the captain of the Seventh Squad.
"Immediately?"
"Yesterday."
"..."
Kevin wasn't weak. When he learned he was about to become captain, the first thought wasn't whether he was qualified, but whether he could do a good job.
He couldn't act like a rookie; he had to lead the squad with a mature demeanor. But with that came a series of reflections on his own abilities.
When Lin heard this news, he only had one question about the arrangement.
"Kevin, what is your Honkai Energy Adaptability?"
After Kevin stated the obvious answer, Lin already had an idea of the rationale behind this arrangement.
One person walks ahead with a lamp, and the people behind follow in the hopeful light—and thus, there is hope.
This was the thinking of those who supported Mei.
"Lin, I want to know, what should I do?" Kevin looked at the thinking man in the helmet. His youthful face had already matured. After entering the Fire Moth for Mei, he gained a sense of responsibility, and after witnessing a departure, he had grown up.
The time they spent laughing together had passed, but it wasn't anyone's fault. They were simply pushed forward by the currents of fate, and even if they didn't want to pick up a weapon, they had to fight.
Lin sighed, "In what regard?"
Kevin said firmly, "Everything."
"Then let's start with a spar."
No sooner had he spoken than Lin's fist was already closing in on his face.
...
"Seele, are you going on too many missions lately?"
Himeko looked at Seele, who had returned from a day and night of fierce fighting and promptly collapsed onto the sofa. She clutched the corner of her shirt and asked.
She was happy to see that Seele had cheered up and become stronger after Lin talked to her. But ever since that day, Seele had become a mission fanatic like Lin, fighting on the front lines day and night, and, just like Lin, often taking on solo missions.
At times, Himeko even felt that Seele was more invested than Lin. She took advantage of her better adaptability than Lin and often ventured deep into the battlefield. Unlike Lin's systematic combat, she frequently fought for days, even half a month straight. This couldn't help but make Himeko worry about Seele's health.
"Phew... It's okay, Captain. As long as this can save a few more people, even just one person..." Seele, with her hair disheveled, rested her arm over her forehead. She did feel weak, but the thought of being able to stop those tragedies from happening again brought a constant flow of power surging through her body.
Lin must want me to do this too.
Himeko didn't know what to say. She pushed a file bag toward Seele: "Your physical exam results for this month are out. Your metrics are a bit high. Rest at the base when there are no squad missions, understand?"
The high metrics naturally referred to her Honkai Energy Coefficient. Exceeding the tolerance range made it dangerous. If she didn't take better care of her body, she would eventually be corrupted by Honkai Energy.
Seele smiled gently, "Don't worry, Captain, I get inhibitor shots every time."
"Sigh, honestly, that kid left, and you started this again. I feel like I'm a captain of a one-man show, and even Hua seems more like my squad member."
Seele hummed a response to Himeko's complaints while picking up the file bag and pulling out her physical exam results.
The coefficient was indeed a bit high, but it didn't matter. If she could share some of the burden for Lin, allowing him to rely on her more...
No one would die, and Lin definitely wouldn't... No, he absolutely could not...
"Hmm? Seele, what are you smiling at?" Himeko suddenly saw the face behind the file and asked, momentarily taken aback.
"Ah? Oh... nothing."
Seele's expression returned to normal. She smiled at Himeko and shook her head, just as she always did.
"That's good. You were smiling a little creepily just now. Are you under too much stress?"
"No, not at all~"
Seele smiled brilliantly, without a trace of gloom.