Slaughtering Pigs / Me, Lin

"Lin, let me tell you something strange. The day before yesterday, I don't know why, but I suddenly took Mei away on a date at her academic conference. Although Mei didn't get angry afterward, I still feel very strange. Could I have been possessed by some evil spirit?"

Kevin sat on a bench on campus, his expression unusually serious, as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Hmm... I've been feeling really strange lately too."

Lin held the thermos containing goji berry and red date tea, staring at her reflection in the tea with a puzzled expression.

Was his face always this pale?

"I don't know when I bought a thermos, and this morning when I woke up, there was tea in it. After thinking about it carefully, I realized that I made it myself." He shook his somewhat sluggish head. "But I don't understand why I did it."

Moreover, looking back, his memories of yesterday and the night before were somewhat hazy. He could recall what he did, but the specific details were filtered out, and forcing himself to recall them would give him a headache.

Upon hearing that even Lin had encountered strange things, Kevin was quite frightened. "That's a bit scary. I think I should go get an exorcism."

"Exorcism? Um... I know a place where I can go. It's a sanatorium with a Nun. It's relatively close by."

"You even know this?"

Lin was stunned for a moment. How did he know? Oh right, he and that Nun were friends...

"I'll text her and ask if she's free."

Lin took out his phone to send a message to Aponia, but Kevin noticed that Lin's phone wasn't the same one as before. "Lin, did you change your phone?"

"Yes, this is... a gift from that Nun. It seems to be a bonus from the ten purification sessions." Here it comes again. A memory that was not very clear before popped into her mind, like constantly patching up a bug. But Lin only felt a little strange and did not notice any sense of incongruity.

Kevin was immediately confused. "There are activities like this?"

"Lin... welcome to you and your friends..."

The Nun was already standing at the door to greet the two of them, which made Kevin somewhat flattered. Did Lin have such a good relationship with a Nun?

"Aponia." Lin smiled serenely at her, as if they were old friends, and rubbed his slightly aching head. "We wanted to cleanse ourselves... I've been feeling a bit off lately..."

The light was blocked by the branches and leaves in the courtyard, and most of the dappled light fell at the Nun's feet, with only a small portion quietly landing on her face, which was hidden in the shadows.

The Nun's slit habit fluttered gently in the breeze. The pure-looking Nun looked up and said to Lin with a cold expression, "Alright... then Lin... please come in with me... your situation is rather special... it may take a long time..."

"What about me?" Kevin asked blankly when he heard that Lin's situation was not optimistic. He had been indifferent and joking at the time.

"You have no problems...please don't disturb me..." The composed Nun paused, then slowly said, "Don't disturb Lin."

"Something feels off..." Kevin squinted at the Nun's back as she led Lin into the room, then stroked his chin and said with certainty, "It must be my imagination."

"Mr. Lin always comes into contact with strange people. Never mind, let's go find Su instead."

Lin looked at the office-like place in front of him, and it seemed vaguely familiar, but he couldn't remember when he had been there before.

"Aponia ...does purification require a place like this?"

"Yes...it was right here last time..." The Nun stood in front of the wardrobe, rummaging through something, her pupils fixed on Lin. "Please wait for me...to change into...the clothes for 'purification'..."

"You mentioned... 'ten times' of purification..."

"Oh, I'm finally done with work. I wonder if Lin received the software I sent him."

A girl with two different hair colors, one light and one dark, sat in front of the computer, sucking on a lollipop and fiddling with her stiff fingers. She looked smugly at the "hypnosis" software on the screen, which was her latest masterpiece and a surprise for Lin.

"Hahaha... He'll definitely be amazed by my talent... Hahahaha..."

She stood with her hands on her hips, laughing loudly.

Chapter Twenty-Six: Slaughtering the Pig

Pardo has experienced many horrors since childhood: when her cheeks were licked by the foul-smelling tongues of wild dogs in a garbage dump, when she was starving to death on the street because she couldn't find food, when she almost got caught stealing things when she was still inexperienced... These can all be called Pardofelis's psychological traumas.

Compared to the terror of being lifted up by this "person" with one hand and being stared at with eyes that are almost impossible for a human to have, those life-threatening situations that had faded from memory were not worth mentioning.

It was as if a single glance could tear him in two, spilling his warm entrails and blood all over the ground.

Pardo was about to say something when Lin gently pressed down on several spots on her neck, preventing her from making a sound.

No way, has this guy gone crazy again?

Lin's dilated pupils made it impossible to tell whether he was conscious or not, Pardo agreed that Lin was in his most mentally unstable state when he attacked people.

But this time, Lin did wake up.

He recognized Pardo by her blurry figure and hair color after subduing her, and there was another reason why he didn't let go and prevent Pardo from speaking.

"..." He listened intently to the sounds outside the room, loosening his grip slightly to allow Pardo to breathe, but he quietly gestured for her to be quiet.

Lin's ability to capture information has greatly decreased in both precision and breadth. Not only is he not wearing a helmet, but his mental state has also severely hampered his ability to integrate information. It can be said that he is now no different from an ordinary person, and can only use the simplest method of listening to sounds to judge the situation outside.

Someone was watching the house. Lin had already noticed it before Pardo returned, which is why she took action against the person who entered the house.

He didn't know how long he could stay conscious. The corrosive effects on his body were already stinging, and soon he would be dragged into the sea of memories by hallucinations again. Therefore, there were some things he had to explain in advance.

After a long wait, Lin looked at Pardo, who was obediently covering her mouth and nose, with his eyes that could not see anything clearly. "Your name is Pardofelis, right?"

"You remember?" Pardo was surprised that Lin actually remembered her name. Was he conscious during those times?

Lin nodded. "I hear it occasionally."

"Who are you? Why are you here? And you have a gun on you." Pardo asked impatiently, finally voicing the question that had been weighing on her mind for over a month.

"My name is Lin. I can't explain the rest to you..." Lin clutched his head and fell backward, stumbling back into his wheelchair. Gasping for breath, he looked down at Pardo and said, "Please do me a favor. Get rid of the people watching us before I wake up again, and I'll tell you... what you want to know..."

"No! I was just asking casually, I didn't intend to find out the truth. Can I get a different reward? Like money, money, money? Lin? Brother Lin! Don't fall asleep!"

Pardo looked at Lin, who had turned back into the silent, demented patient, with tears welling up in her eyes.

The people monitoring them? Come on, sending her to fight is giving her way too much credit.

Pardo only found out today that someone was watching them, and she broke out in a cold sweat. Remembering that the man had said he had a way to find out if Pardo had done what she was supposed to do, she realized that this was the man's method.

Has she gotten involved in something she shouldn't have? This matter originally had nothing to do with her, right?

After much deliberation, the girl glared at Lin resentfully and made up her mind.

You have to do something big in this life! Consider this your return gift for saving me last time!

"Hua, are you alright?"

Himiko tried calling out to the absent-minded Hua, who snapped out of her reverie and nodded to Himiko: "Hmm..."

"Don't force yourself. These are extraordinary times. We don't need to do anything for you. If you want to rest, then go ahead and rest." Himiko sighed helplessly after seeing Hua's condition.

After Lin was deemed a prime suspect in the disappearance, headquarters launched an investigation into the Squad Seven. The captain's serious injury and disappearance, along with headquarters' suspicions and conjectures, had a significant impact on the two members of the Squad Seven and dealt them an immeasurable blow.

Himiko was surprised to find that the soul she thought would be the most distressed was actually quite calm, while Immer and Huadu became absent-minded.

"No, Captain Himiko, the murderer hasn't been caught yet, and I have an obligation to assist in the investigation." Hua understood Himiko's concern, but she also had her own principles. "The captain often tells me to think about my future goals, but we haven't overcome everything in the present, so how can I imagine the future?"

If they become weak, then what's the point of Lin teaching them?

Hua didn't want Lin, who had once existed here, to become meaningless, even in the slightest. She wanted to prove that Lin Cong betrayed them and that everything he told them had meaning.

The Squad Seven is now defunct in name only. A team of only two people is meaningless. However, Moth Chaser is also overwhelmed, as it has to deal with the aftermath of the Fifth Honkai War and find the traitor in headquarters. Therefore, the two-person squad without a leader exists in this strange form for the time being.

"I had prepared some gifts..." Dessidobia, who had been standing silently to the side, said dejectedly, "If only we could all get together again, I would like to give the gifts to everyone..."

Immer, who was standing in the corner working on his communicator, stopped typing and remained silent.

Not only the Squad Seven, but everyone who gathered at the last time was more or less affected by the Fifth Honkai War. Kosma is still in Hen's team. Kevin is investigating the assassination as the main investigator. Lin, the link between the Squad Five and Squad Seven, has disappeared. Even Elysia has gone missing.

All of this happened so suddenly, without warning.

"It's okay, we'll definitely have another chance to get together."

Just then, Hun's voice came from the doorway, and everyone looked over, only to see a fresh and juicy roast suckling pig.

Hun's pretty face appeared next to Pig Head with a smile, "Before Team Member Lin comes back, I'll cook a feast for everyone. I secretly learned a skill from Team Member Lin."

This unexpected turn of events startled everyone present. Hun placed the fragrant roast suckling pig, half her body length, on the conference table, clapped her hands, and laughed:

"Team Member Lin always comes back to us, so don't worry, I believe he will come back this time too."

She clenched her fists.

"I...believe him."

"Really... not bad."

Himiko swallowed the crispy, non-greasy roasted pork in her mouth with disbelief.

"Did you and Lin Xue learn this?"

"Yes." Seeing that everyone seemed to have returned to their old selves, Hun smiled and said, "Team Member Lin told me that when killing animals, you need to bleed them first, and then when you do it, you must be swift and decisive without hesitation, and also..."

"Don't get blood on yourself."

My mother is seriously ill, I need to take a day off.

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Chapter Twenty-Seven: Me, Lin

Lin realized that his consciousness was becoming clearer, and he was no longer in the intermediate state where he couldn't distinguish between hallucinations and reality. Even though he couldn't control seeing hallucinations often, he was able to know what kind of state he was in.

Is his brain repairing itself?

Brain cells generally cannot repair themselves, but some brain functions can.

Korin's symptoms are not simply brain damage; they are complications caused by Honkai Energy erosion. The real source is the Honkai Energy that is constantly expanding within her body.

Lin thought back for a moment and vaguely remembered that Elysia seemed to have injected him with something, but at that time Lin was mentally exhausted and could hardly distinguish between reality and illusion, so he did not care what Elysia had done to him.

He guessed that Elysia had injected him with some kind of brain-stimulating drug, and this familiar substance easily reminded him of another person.

Mobius...

Lin thought of the woman he hadn't seen in a long time and steadied his thoughts.

It's not a pleasant feeling to watch a jumble of memories in your mind like a movie.

As the layers of the past are peeled back one by one, the hazy scenery gradually becomes clear, and the gap between truth and falsehood is enough to confuse one's thinking.

However, this was beyond his control. Soon, the "memories" that had ended abruptly last time came rushing back.

Time flies, and I've arrived at my memories of being 5 years old.

Lin didn't see what happened after Zero was taken away. The last thing he saw was Zero being taken away by a man holding the standard pistol of the Firemoth.

He couldn't see the man's face, which meant that Zero's memory of the man was also vague.

When he was five years old, he was in a research institute that was not clearly visible. Surprisingly, his personal freedom was not restricted. He could move around the institute freely. There were also many toys and books in his room, and even a nurse who accompanied him to take care of him.

But this does not mean that Zero has entered a normal life.

"Eighteenth record, time: Zi————, gender: male, age: 5 years old."

"The first time the toxin was injected, the test subject experienced physical discomfort, but there were no subsequent symptoms as seen when the toxin affected other test subjects... The second time the drug was injected, the test subject absorbed the drug normally... The third time, the toxin and drug were injected simultaneously, the test subject did not experience physical discomfort, the toxin's effect disappeared, but the drug's effect did not disappear..."

Lin clearly saw these people inject something into Zero's body with syringes, observe his condition and record it. The fear and disgust in their eyes when they saw Zero's face and eyes reminded Lin of Zero's parents.

They did not treat Zero as a child, or even as a fellow human being. What they feared was probably Zero's superhuman adaptability and responsiveness.

A minor incident occurred midway through the experiment: after completing the data analysis, a female researcher suddenly became hysterical and started arguing with another researcher. The two wrestled in front of Zero, and even when they were bleeding from their heads, they refused to stop.

Ling sat obediently in her seat, her eyes seemingly unaffected by the soreness, blinking only once every minute, like a lifeless, delicate doll.

After a while, the female researcher, her face covered in blood, came to Zero. Behind her lay another researcher who had been knocked unconscious. She was panting heavily, her ferocious face like a demon crawling out of hell. She grabbed the light Zero with both hands, held him high, and went to the window. With a forceful throw, she threw him out.

A feeling of weightlessness coursed through her body. As Zero fell, she saw relief on the female researcher's face, but less than half a second later, her expression turned to horror.

Just as Zero began to fall, he swung out the belt in his hand—which he had untied from the female researcher's pants when she grabbed him—and precisely wrapped it around the windowsill railing. His young body weight allowed the belt to withstand the tension, causing his falling body to pause.

After a period of cushioning, Zero landed on the second-floor windowsill. He let go, grabbed the second-floor railing, and used the ground to cushion his fall. When he landed on the first floor, he rolled over to dissipate the force and stood up unharmed, meeting the terrifying gaze of the female researcher on the third floor.

Soon, security personnel broke down the door on the third floor, grabbed the female researcher who had suffered a mental breakdown, and Lin was taken back to her room by a nurse.