Lin never thought that one day an Artificial Intelligence would grow up.
Well, he had considered that Prometheus, with the dual improvement of her hardware and software and the increased perfection of her learned simulated personality, would cause her as an "AI" to grow up. But he never thought that the bionic robot housing an AI would physically grow.
At least, he didn't expect her appearance to change from a loli to a young woman.
This was the first change Lin noticed, having assumed everything remained the same.
"Based on the data collected from Lin vision, visual fixation on women over twenty years old accounts for 70%, fixation on women over twenty-five years old accounts for 25%, and fixation on women under twenty years old accounts for 5%. Therefore, Grand Doctor Vil-V adjusted the external age based on the data to ensure Lin psychological well-being. Beep—Prometheus One said expectantly."
"..."
Lin met the monotonous, unmoving gray eyes, which lacked any light effect, with the same emotionless expression. He didn't know whether to first complain about Prometheus collecting visual fixation data or about Vil-V's thought process, which was never on the same frequency as others.
Moreover, the forced-cute verbal tic added at the end means the settings were completely copied.
"What do you mean by that last sentence?" Lin asked, testing her.
"Grand Doctor Vil-V said..."
"Alright, you don't need to say it."
If he had to use a metaphor, it was like Vil-V knew Lin particularly loved eating large intestine, so she made him a specially flavored 'Nine-Turn Large Intestine' and forcibly fed it to him.
However, in terms of visual effect, Prometheus's new body did give him a more human feeling. The deliberately emphasized spherical joints on her original body had been replaced by realistic limb joints. Her clothes were no longer a simple white-and-blue pairing but had many more decorations. A Fire Moth insignia was pinned to the right side of her chest, and light gray, drill-like curled hair draped behind her.
It was as if she, too, was constantly changing.
"Is Lin disappointed?" Prometheus suddenly stopped and asked Lin, who was leaning back against the headboard with a calm look.
"Disappointed about what?"
"Your tone is different from before; there is approximately a 32% change." Prometheus answered mechanically, then lowered her head like a child who had made a mistake. "Are you disappointed that I chose to observe the Great Purge unfold?"
"..."
Lin didn't know the full extent of the Great Purge, but he knew Prometheus must have been nearby when the Speaker transferred him to Twilight Street. Judging by the near-unimpeded completion of the Great Purge later, Prometheus exchanged him for the high-ranking officials.
This also meant that she had not followed the things Lin had once taught her, but had done the exact opposite.
Therefore, in her view, the "significant" emotional fluctuations Lin displayed upon waking, which he had never shown before, were due to the roles Prometheus and Mei played in the incident.
Do not judge humanity from a position of superiority, and never believe that life can be measured by value.
Neither of them had adhered to this. According to their calculations, the deaths of those high-ranking officials actually provided a further boost to humanity's overall progress and ability to counter the Honkai.
From a moral standpoint, the high-ranking officials who tolerated and even promoted human experimentation committed countless crimes. From a rational standpoint, their existence was detrimental to the Fire Moth's system.
But ultimately, this was just another form of private justice.
"...If you had chosen to intervene, the Fire Moth's system would not have changed, and that would not necessarily have been a good thing."
Prometheus lifted her head upon hearing Lin soft whisper. She had expected Lin to lecture her with more rigorous and professional language or simply remain cold and silent, but Lin words this time were unexpectedly... peaceful.
"They acted for the sake of humanity, and so did you. From their starting point, there is no essential difference between them and you. And if I were to accuse you from a position of superiority, based only on my non-participation, that would simply be an escape."
"Therefore, it may be impossible to determine whether it was right or wrong... everything, let time decide."
Lin knew that Mei was similar to him—she was the kind of person who could kill humans for the sake of humanity, becoming the kind of person humanity needed.
Did she want to kill people? Did she want to stand by indifferently?
No, but she did it anyway.
She didn't care how others viewed or criticized her, and Lin... understood those who were compelled by circumstance.
"No, Lin, I only did it for you." Prometheus corrected him.
"..." Lin was abruptly speechless.
Only for... him?
"Just like Kevin is for Doctor Mei."
The mechanical girl blinked her monitoring eyes and spoke to Lin, who remained silent with his head lowered.
...
"I sincerely apologize. My tasks have been complex recently, and I haven't had time to visit you. This is a wristband from Rin."
The most unexpected visitor was perhaps this Sakura-haired female swordswoman with a sword strapped to her waist.
She immediately spoke to him in a familiar tone, briefing him on her current situation and handing him a crimson wristband. The entire interaction was conducted with a businesslike coldness. After saying everything, she stared unblinking at Lin in the hospital bed, seemingly waiting for him to speak.
In this situation, the most typical thing Lin should have asked was the classic, "Are we close?"
But he noticed that Sakura tone was not just inexplicably familiar. After briefly examining the armor she had not yet removed, he asked, "What are Mei's arrangements?"
Seeing that Lin quickly realized the situation, Sakura secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Interacting with him always brought immense pressure and guilt. Only after she had finished speaking did she remember one important thing she hadn't mentioned.
"After you fully recover, you and I will form the 'Chrysalis Squad' and temporarily execute missions together."
"..."
Sakura was a new member of the Chrysalis Squad and its only current member. She clearly hadn't expected her first teammate to be Lin, the one who had sent her to the deepest part of the organization in the first place.
Moreover, she had somewhat hesitantly asked Mei if Lin would agree to take on Chrysalis missions.
Fortunately, Mei had naturally considered this issue.
"Until the headquarters stabilizes, we are just a general combat squad and will not accept the original Chrysalis missions."
Lin rank cancellation was a significant change, but not insurmountable. Making him restart as a regular Private was somewhat wasteful of his talents. Thus, with the tacit consent of the other high-ranking officials, Mei transferred him to the Chrysalis Squad, which was essentially her private unit, granting him a certain degree of independent action.
Furthermore, Lin extensive experience could provide Sakura with assistance, essentially serving as a crash course for this highly capable but inexperienced newcomer.
"I won't be going on missions until you are fully recovered. Do you have any other instructions now?"
Sakura face was taut. She knew Lin was a person who demanded strictness from himself and his teammates, so it was best to interact with him in a businesslike manner.
But what caught her completely off guard was that Lin, after hearing all this, calmly opened his book and said nonchalantly, "Peel me an apple."
"...Hmm?"