Mobius was sleeping soundly, likely the most comfortable sleep she'd had in the past few months.
Lin body should have been sharply defined and hard, yet it was surprisingly soft, like a gentle body pillow when she snuggled against him.
She didn't feel indebted to anyone, nor would Lin believe that she and Mei had done anything wrong. It was simply that both the Starlight and the Seventh Herrscher were now being dealt with, and he wasn't needed to do anything further. All he needed to do was forget everything and get some rest.
Just as the bird that flies the furthest needs rest, she decided to be selfish this once and let Kevin and that person handle things. After all, she had always been labeled a selfish wretch.
Then let her be a selfish wretch. At least she wasn't like Lin, who persisted despite being misunderstood...
Unlike him...
Mobius woke up with a start. She abruptly opened her eyes, her pale blue pupils reflecting the empty space beside her.
"Lin?"
Mobius rarely called Lin by name, usually addressing him with "he," "you," or "hey." But this time, she instinctively called out his name, searching for his presence nearby.
But, there was silence.
The selfish one would not be favored by the attention of the selfless one. That was all.
...
The girl's cheerful steps halted before the final destination. Her deep blue long hair fell vertically down her back.
Someone had blocked her path.
"Is your body alright already?" the girl tilted her head and asked the man who was silently fastening the clasp on his helmet.
"Clack."
Lin was only sure he had properly put on his helmet after distinctly hearing the helmet clasp lock.
He was currently unsure if his movements outside his vision were functioning as intended. The clothes on his body, the shoes on his feet, the helmet on his head—none gave him a tangible sense of touch.
He didn't even feel like he was inside a "body."
For many, losing the sense of touch would make even standing difficult. Without the feeling of the ground, they wouldn't know how much strength to use to walk upright. Every step would feel like stepping on air.
A more accurate analogy: his body was "blind."
This was incredibly dangerous for both combat and daily life. Not knowing if he was injured meant he couldn't assess his condition. His former habits were formatted out along with the loss of touch. He could only rely on intuition to mimic his previous movements.
The system inside the helmet could compensate for some of his ability to judge his body's condition, but regardless, Lin could not return to his previous state for the time being.
Lin let his arms hang down. When he wasn't exerting force, his hands hung at his sides. This helped him understand his body and decide his next action.
Lin stared at the stark black-and-white screen, devoid of other colors, and pulled at his lips: "Why are you here?"
"I've come to retrieve my possession," the girl answered without hesitation.
Was the atmosphere tense? No. The girl was still smiling. She looked completely different now compared to the puppet-like girl who was even less human than Prometheus a few months ago. Her lively, expressive smile made her stand out even more.
"...I have investigated clearly. You are not a member of the Fire Moth. Now, I must expel you."
"Mhm, I am not a member of the Fire Moth. I am a Herrscher."
She said it with a bright, cheerful smile.
"I'm here to take back my Herrscher Core, and then destroy humanity. Can you, the cripple, move aside now?"
Unlike her subservient pleading with Kevin and Kosma, the girl spoke to Lin with utterly disrespectful words.
...
"Aren't you going to stop him?"
Einstein watched the two confronting figures on the screen, asking Mei, who was organizing the Project Soldier Surgery data.
"According to your plan, she should be going to destroy the Starlight's vessels, shouldn't she?"
Mei stopped working and gazed intently at the scene on the screen: "It's fine. Lin is not her match right now."
A person who had expended massive energy in the Project Soldier Surgery and lost senses crucial for combat would not be a match for a Herrscher, even one who lacked a complete Authority.
"Are you truly that trusting of her? This is out of character for you, Dr. Mei. In the past, you would have definitely had Kevin capture her for research, not allow her to pull a fast one and 'fake her death' to hitch a ride on Kevin's transport plane back to Headquarters, and then believe she will help humanity after retrieving the Herrscher Core."
"...Dr. Einstein, I believe you misunderstand me. I am a person who prides myself on rationality."
Mei took off her fogged glasses and wiped them clean. After all these years, despite the countless ways to cure nearsightedness in the Fire Moth, she still wore these prescription glasses.
She didn't find the glasses special, but used them to remind herself that she was still an ordinary human.
"Rationality is not cold-bloodedness, selfishness, or self-interest. Or rather, I only act that way when rational judgment requires cold-bloodedness, selfishness, or self-interest." Mei's glasses reflected a strange light in the glare of the screen. "The evidence is before me. My inference aligns with the evidence, and so I have made my judgment. That is rationality."
"The emergence of a Herrscher like her is almost impossible. Regaining humanity after such a long time is almost impossible. A Herrscher consciousness choosing to help humanity is almost impossible. But it is only 'almost.' That possibility exists, and the evidence confirms that she is the subject of that probability, which is infinitely close to zero after the decimal point."
"Therefore, she is a Herrscher who has regained humanity and intends to help humanity. Do you see any problem with letting her solve an enemy that humanity is currently incapable of facing?"
Mei's words left Einstein speechless.
Lin never showed his face, and Mei often smiled politely, yet Einstein felt the latter was colder than the former.
It was as if Mei were in another place, speaking to her through a communication device that vaguely resembled a person, the "things" that unintentionally leaked out between the lines caused an uncontrollable chill.
Einstein had witnessed both Lin and Kevin's surgeries entirely. Even with her mental fortitude, she almost felt sick a few times during the process.
That was not an evolution surgery supported by theory; it was a barbaric procedure that shoved a monster into a human body, a gamble awaiting a terrifying transformation.
Life and death had ceased to matter to the individuals who underwent the Project Soldier Surgery.
And this woman could push her friends and partner onto the operating table without batting an eye. When Lin surgery failed, she didn't even blink before immediately proceeding with the next one.
Now, she was allowing a Herrscher to deal with humanity's enemy.
Even calling Mei mad was probably not be enough.