The Turning Wheel of Fate (I)

With each breath, wisps of purplish-red light flickered between their brows, their souls being drawn into a jumble of memories.

Fifty thousand years ago, somewhere at the headquarters of the Fire Moth.

The autumn wind whistles, the grass and trees are withered, and on each mound of earth, a broken ancient sword, a snapped spear, a whitish sickle, and a scarred cross are inserted one after another, whistling and lamenting.

This was a cemetery. Under the blood-red setting sun, Himeko picked up his sake jug and walked past each grave. The sake turned into a torrent, gushing out and spilling onto the barren earth.

"You guys have never been willing to drink with me..."

This time, no one can escape...

"Cheers..."

Himeko leaned against the strange pine tree, murmuring as he raised his hand and tilted his head back, preparing to receive the wine into his throat, but only a few drops fell into his somewhat dry throat.

"Fine, I promise you, I won't drink anymore..."

The Red-haired Mature Woman's fingers trembled slightly, and the wine flask slipped from her grasp.

However, a slender, pale hand reached out from behind, grabbed the rope, and stopped the wine jug from shattering into pieces. With a dull thud as the cork was gently popped, a rich aroma of wine wafted through the air.

Let's go together...

The man with the white, tousled hair and cold expression returned the wine jug, casually handed over an opened jar of fine wine, and picked up another jar for himself. His voice was low and deep, without much emotional expression.

"May you have a safe journey..."

Himeko did not refuse, and murmured as she picked up the jar and drank heartily. Kevin, who had come to see her off, drank one sip after another, his wildness lessened and his coolness more pronounced.

It wasn't until the Red-haired Mature Woman roughly downed a jar that she turned around and saw Kevin, who had already swallowed a third of the wine, coughed slightly, her face showing a strong hint of alcohol.

Himeko raised a sneer, "So, the legendary perfect male god can't drink?"

Kevin responded calmly, as always, with composure and seriousness. "I don't like being drunk. My hands shake easily, my calculations become off, and that affects my chances of survival..."

"Don't you find it boring to see things so clearly?" Himeko shook her head slightly.

Kevin, his drunkenness gone, spoke in a flat tone.

"It's better than seeing the world through drunken eyes and deceiving yourself. Reality is cruel; we are all just ants struggling to survive. There's no need to wear a filter and imagine so-called beauty."

Himeko was speechless, and a desire to confide in her grew within her in a daze.

"We encountered Emperor-class Honkai Beast. As the captain, if I could have detected it earlier..."

"If you're here to confess, sorry, I'm not interested in listening..."

Kevin abruptly cut off Himeko's speech, which was brewing with Affliction emotions, without uttering a single word of comfort, like an unyielding block of ice.

After a long while, the man looked directly at Himeko, who was filled with remorse, and his brow furrowed slightly.

"I told you before, don't waste your feelings on useless people, you'll ruin yourself..."

Himeko's eyes were bloodshot, his ten fingers clenched into fists, knuckles white, and he roared furiously at Kevin.

"Useless? You monster who only knows how to spout nonsense! You don't understand anything at all! They have blood, they have hearts, they are living, breathing people!"

Kevin glanced around, his tone indifferent.

"I've used up half of the space in this cemetery..."

"To reiterate, those lying here are all dead. They are just a few corpses, which will be crawling with maggots, rotting and decaying in a few months, becoming fertilizer to nourish the earth."

"A corpse shouldn't have any added meaning; what you're mourning is merely the impression left in your mind..."

Half? Himeko looked around in astonishment, seeing countless densely packed graves in the distance, numbering over ten thousand.

He personally buried thousands of comrades, his heart growing colder and harder until he eventually became a lone wolf, forming his own army... Is this what he experienced?

"We are humble humans, not omniscient and omnipotent gods, and cannot achieve perfection, so don't force yourself to accomplish things beyond your capabilities..."

"This idea is dangerous..."

Kevin's tone softened slightly, and after a moment of silence, he offered two pieces of advice.

"No! Humans will conquer nature! We will not lose! The world will not lose!"

"I'll prove it to you..."

Himeko shook her head emphatically, her expression more serious than ever before, as if she were making a promise to Kevin, or as if she were trying to convince herself.

Kevin frowned slightly, did not respond, but simply left the remaining half-jar of wine on the stone table and turned to leave.

Since ancient times, great wisdom has been a source of sorrow, and deep affection has been short-lived. In this cruel world, the more you care, the more you lose. You will understand this sooner or later.

Himeko stared intently at the retreating figure for a long time before murmuring to herself, "This guy isn't so bad after all."

The Red-haired Mature Woman poured part of the remaining half-jar of wine to the deceased and drank the rest herself, sweeping away the gloom and dejection from her face and restoring her vibrant spirit.

"You all, don't worry about my marriage anymore. It seems I've found a good man here..."

Some people may seem heartless, but they are actually very affectionate. Once they fall in love, it's for eternity, until the seas dry up and the rocks crumble. I will hold on to that feeling. Let's cheer each other on!

Himeko placed the empty wine jar on the stone table, took out her phone, dialed a number, and after making up her mind, easily opened her lips and whispered.

"I'm ready. We can proceed to the second phase of the experiment and increase the dosage of the activating factor!"

Under the setting sun, the dark red Corona Greatsword rang out in the wind with a powerful clang. The sword and the beautiful halo of the setting sun reflected on Himeko's cheeks, and the afterglow of burning life was so dazzling.

"Don't worry, I won't die until I find a good man to marry!"

The Red-haired Mature Woman smiled faintly, muttering to herself.

P. S.: One chapter for now, two more before midnight.

Thank you to the reader @{"reader_id":"3716973","reader_name":"(? oωo?)"} for the reward of two salted fish spines and two blades. Thank you to the reader @passinghundan for the reward of two blades. Thank you to the reader @ for the reward of 1 blade. Thank you to the reader @kellybryan for the reward of 1 spicy stick.

Chapter 594 The Turning Wheel of Fortune (Part 1) (Section 623)

Fifty thousand years ago, the recruitment interview room for the Fire Moth.

A gray-haired, blue-eyed girl sat upright, awaiting the results of the investigation. As the door was gently pushed open, a white-haired young man, who had been reviewing documents, sat down opposite her and asked questions casually.

Why join the Fire Moth?

"Avenge my parents, destroy the Honkai!"

The girl clenched her fists tightly, seemingly a little nervous, but after taking a deep breath, she gradually calmed down.

"The truth..."

The man's eyes, which seemed to pierce through her soul, stared at her as he uttered two words in a cold tone.

"I... I have a home now... I don't want to keep running away this time..."

The gray-haired girl steeled herself and mustered the courage to speak frankly.

"The person who raised you was named... Himeko?"

"Yes, sir..."

Do you know why we're called [Fire Moth]?

The girl pondered for a moment, then opened her mouth to hesitate, feeling somewhat uneasy.

"Like moths drawn to a flame, it may lead to their own destruction, but we are willing to pay the price of burning our lives in pursuit of the light... Is that right?"

How you interpret it is your business, I can't control that...

Kevin's gaze was deep, and in an instant, the icy expression on his face softened slightly.

"However, I can tell you one thing for sure—you've passed..."

"Thank you, sir!"

The girl stood up excitedly and hurriedly saluted. Kevin nodded slightly, wrote a note, handed it to the girl, and then spoke calmly.

"From today onwards, you will be assigned to the Fifth Squad of the Fire Moth, designated MSA-209..."

"Clear!"

Not only did she successfully enter the rigorously Fire Moth, but she was even able to join the Fifth Squad and fight alongside Himeko. This was an almost unimaginable, perfect outcome for the young girl, Hana. She was overwhelmed with emotion and felt a strong sense of gratitude towards the white-haired officer before her.

"Sir, may I ask your name...?"

"Soldier, don't do anything pointless. Think about how to survive first. I hope you won't hate me..."

Kevin crumpled the test report that said "unqualified" into a ball, threw it into the trash can, pushed open the door, and turned to leave.

"Laugh!"

In the empty corridor, a dark red greatsword left deep scratches on the wall before finally coming to rest against Kevin's throat.

"You knew perfectly well that I didn't want Hua to take any risks, so why did you still agree to let her join the Fire Moth!"

In just a few short years, Himeko has become serious and melancholic, his brows bearing the marks of time and weariness. Moreover, the sake bottle that he used to always carry with him is nowhere to be seen.

"When the nest is overturned, how can the eggs remain intact? Wake up! There's no such thing as a pure land in this world anymore."

"She's very talented and shouldn't be overlooked. That child is past the age of listening to fairy tales; it's time to teach her how to survive."

Kevin's hesitation, equally incisive, was so real that it was off-putting, even repulsive.

"In short! I absolutely refuse!"

Himeko felt a surge of anger for no reason. In front of this man, all fairy tales and fantasies would be shattered, and the bloody reality was suffocating.

"You seem to have forgotten that I am the commander of the Fire Moth..."

The man's voice was somewhat sinister, and his expression revealed a hint of coldness.

"So what? I'm in charge of the Fifth Squad!"

"As long as I live, Hua will never go to the battlefield!"

Himeko was panting heavily. Her rebuttal was somewhat hysterical. After she finished speaking, she drew her greatsword, turned around and left without looking back, tears streaming down her face.

In just a few years, humanity suffered a crushing defeat, and her once lofty ambitions were riddled with holes, reduced to nothing more than a self-deceiving bubble.

She saw off one familiar face after another, and the wounds in her heart were torn open again and again, only to scab over again and again, in this endless cycle, until now they no longer hurt.

Even so, she dared not drink anymore, because once drunk, she would see many familiar faces.

Hua was the child she rescued from Canghai City. As familiar faces around her passed away one by one, that child became her pillar of support.

Does it have to be risking everything to be enough? If that's the case, I'd rather not win!

Himeko felt that every step she took was incredibly heavy, and so many things were weighing her down, making it hard for her to breathe.

Meanwhile, in the corridor, a gray-haired girl carrying a file folder was eagerly anticipating registering for her new job when the white-haired officer from before blocked her way.

"First, go for reserve team training, then wait for deployment..."

"Sir, I've been secretly practicing shooting and hand-to-hand combat regularly..."

His Chinese was urgent, and his eyes pleaded.

"I know, but some people aren't ready yet, it'll probably take some time..."

Kevin waved slightly to stop the girl from asking further questions, and then walked away.

The gray-haired girl's pearly teeth were clenched, her head bowed, her eyes dim, and she murmured to herself in confusion and sorrow.

Why don't you understand? I grew up in this place Fire Moth, this is my home, and now you're my only family...

Is it not even acceptable for me to die beside you?

However, the girl's heartfelt lament went unanswered for a long time.

On the Australian continent, in a battlefield ravaged by war, the remains of Honkai Beast and human corpses lay piled on top of each other, indistinguishable from one another, riddled with craters of all sizes, and scattered with broken swords and slanted ammunition.

Finally, I'm all alone again...

His armor was riddled with cracks, his left eye was covered by blood, he leaned on Dark Red Greatsword, removed his hair tie, and let his wine-red hair flutter in the wind.

Himeko instinctively reached for her waist, only to find it empty. She licked her chapped lips and shook her head bitterly.

"I really want to have another sip of Cabernet Gernischet Sauvignon wine. I wish I hadn't given it up..."

How many activators were left? Never mind, use them all. The three syringes were grasped together by the slightly trembling hands and inserted into the chest.

An inhibitor... Himeko chuckled dismissively... casually closed the metal box and tossed it into the dust.