The gentle sound of the IV drip ticked persistently in the desolate hospital room. Tranquil, cold white light filled the entire space, and the soft rustle of turning pages slipped from fingertips.
"Knock, knock."
The weak sunlight rested on the tips of his toes.
A refreshing evening breeze blew through the open window, stirring the stagnant air and lifting the hair from the woman's forehead.
"Judging by your appearance, your recovery is quite good." Mobius was rarely seen out of her white lab coat. Instead, she wore a dark black suit, her long, wavy hair braided down to her hips. She walked unhurriedly to the bedside.
After scrutinizing the person in the bed for a few moments, she sneered, sat down on the chair, and picked up a report.
"Since there's no precedent for transplanting nearly all organs and half of the limbs simultaneously, there's a high possibility of excessive post-operative rejection." She scanned the words on the report and asked casually, "Are you experiencing any discomfort now?"
"No."
"Given how much of you was severely eroded and the advanced stage of your condition before, I can't be sure if the replaced parts will match your original physical performance... Spaciel might know more about this. It's crucial whether the serum completely cleared the Honkai energy from your body."
"..."
"However, after preliminary physical examination, I found that your Honkai energy adaptability is the same as always. If I randomly hit someone on a street in Shenzhou with a rock, their Honkai energy adaptability would probably be higher than yours. But your Honkai energy resistance has increased to an exaggerated degree. At least in my opinion, the probability of you contracting Honkai Sickness again is very low."
Mobius paused here: "In short... continue to observe. I'll come back to you in a week. The unprecedented experience of a human consciousness entering a Herrscher core is truly exciting. Until then, take care of your body and deal with your own issues."
"...Thank you."
"Thank you? For the medicine? Heh..." Mobius curled her lip, looking uncomfortable. "I should be thanking you for bringing me such novel and valuable information."
...
The changes at the Fire Moth headquarters after the Sixth Eruption were significant.
The reconstruction of the damaged parts was an indispensable process. The headquarters base was originally planned to be positioned high above North America using anti-gravity flight devices, but this plan had to be temporarily suspended after the eruption. An aerial base would not be completed anytime soon.
Due to a shortage of manpower, parts of the reconstruction had stalled. Fortunately, Mei and Einstein provided their research results at this time. Prometheus Four and the Combat Puppets were introduced to assist with the base's rebuilding. With tireless artificial intelligence for planning and Combat Puppets for construction, the base was largely repaired in just a few days.
Of course, base reconstruction was only a necessary procedure. More importantly, the personnel of the Fire Moth underwent changes.
The sharp reduction in the number of high-ranking officials forced them to promote certain people to maintain operations. This included Mei, the Head of the R&D Department. Her shelved plan was restarted and is currently in full swing. Because of this, Vil-V and her Spiral Workshop came into public view. She will be responsible for the development and production of Divine Keys.
The effectiveness of the Titans was verified during the Sixth Eruption, so besides parts of Mei's plan, the mass production of Titans was also put on the agenda. However, the only Self-Operating Titan, TT-079 Kai, was completely scrapped during the Sixth Eruption. The prohibitive cost and strict conditions caused the higher-ups to abandon the re-development of Self-Operating Titans.
The headquarters is also preparing for a round of personnel expansion and relaxing recruitment criteria to quickly fill vacancies. The existing combat personnel have all been promoted to leaders to increase the number of teams.
After the Sixth Eruption, Honkai Sickness and Honkai sighting reports surged worldwide, likely due to the residual effects of the Sixth Herrscher. However, the efficacy of the Honkai Sickness serum from the Fifth Branch was proven, so the Fire Moth specially dispatched personnel to collect those afflicted with Honkai Sickness.
None of this had anything to do with Lin.
He put down his book, rubbed his nose, which was wrapped in bandages, and listened to the hurried footsteps outside the room, his expression tranquil and calm.
Healthy eyes, hands, and feet; a brain free of strange noises and hallucinations; and no twisted, ugly purple lines on his skin.
A "normal" him, more "normal" than ever before.
After the conclusion of the Sixth Herrscher Subjugation War, Lin received treatment from Spaciel, the Head of the Fifth Branch, who had just completed the development of the Honkai Sickness serum. Miraculously surviving and curing his severe Honkai Sickness, he was then transferred back to the headquarters where Mobius cloned his body to replace the necrotic parts. After about a month, he had recovered to a normal state.
A few years had flowed by like water through a crevice. The nightmarish Honkai Sickness that had plagued him for so long vanished upon waking up. Lin was not excited when he learned all this; he simply accepted the situation quickly.
However, as Mobius mentioned, he needed to address some of his own issues.
In the early stages of the Sixth Eruption, Lin resisted the orders of Spaciel, the Head of the Fifth Branch, and announced his withdrawal from the Fire Moth. Although he was re-enlisted into the Moth, which was desperate for personnel after the eruption, his Captain position and original military rank were stripped. He is now just a Private at the lowest level, and all the Captain's authority he once enjoyed has been revoked.
After his recovery, he will be reassigned to a team, but this time his rank is even lower than those of his former squad members, Hua and Immer.
The most unique aspect of Lin case is his experience during the Sixth Eruption—his consciousness transfer into the Herrscher's top-secret core. His feelings and the effects are essential intelligence for humanity, meaning he may face endless experiments, and returning to the battlefield anytime soon is impossible.
For this purpose, the Fire Moth has drawn up multiple experimental plans, including Mobius and Mei's Stigmata Project and Consciousness Transfer Project experiments.
Lin listened to all the information Immer told him, then nodded silently. After a certain change in his heart, he seemed less eager to return to the front line. The time he spent Spacielng out in the hospital room also increased. Even the nurses who had previously disliked him for his frequent stays in the intensive care unit and his cold demeanor thought the atmosphere around him had softened considerably.
However, occasionally, he would still show a look of desolation.
"What is that look you're going for?"
Lin couldn't help but ask the "person" beside him after putting down his book.
"The original bionic body sustained irreversible damage and could no longer be used, so Grand Doctor Vil-V manufactured a new one. Beep—Prometheus One spoke thus, the first of her name."
Prometheus, who looked like she had grown from a little girl into a young woman, emitted a strange standby sound.