What the Heart Desires / More and More

Whether you smoke or not is none of my business.

"We're all in the same boat now, so what's wrong with opening up to each other?"

"...I've said it many times." A cold gaze swept over the speaker from behind. "You and I have never been on the same side."

"Hmm... I know." The speaker shrugged, seemingly indifferent. "It's just a cooperative relationship."

"I would kill people simply because what they did was unforgivable, and because you kept your promise."

"Smack."

The lighter ignited; even though he had long since quit smoking, he still had the habit of carrying a lighter with him.

The flickering flame cast a chilling, eerie light in the darkness, illuminating the corpse's face.

Another High Council.

The speaker sat leisurely opposite the corpse, which had been lively and negotiating with him just minutes before. Now, the corpse lay face down on the table, its blood staining the surface with its incomplete image.

"I'm the most trustworthy person, I never break my word." The Speaker ignored the blood that was about to spread to his body, boasted, and then said, "How is your Honkai Energy erosion rate? Using that device continuously will cause your consciousness to have a separation effect. You should be able to feel that the time your consciousness stays in the phase transfer has become longer and the distance has become shorter, right?"

"You don't need to ask any more questions."

"The Honkai Energy is closely related to a person's willpower. If you have any problems, I will be in a lot of trouble."

"... Aren't you the same?"

In the dying embers of the fire, beneath the speaker's slightly open collar, a glaring pinkish-purple line, like a centipede, crawled across his neck.

The speaker adjusted his collar, concealing his figure.

"Perhaps this is retribution."

"You still believe in karma?"

"I don't believe it, but I think it's quite appropriate to use it here." The Speaker scoffed dismissively. "If there really were karmic retribution, then MSA-079 wouldn't have contracted the same disease as me."

"..."

"What? You believe that?"

I believe you.

The man raised his head and exhaled a breath from his lungs.

Mobius answered some of the questions, but as he had encountered ever since he entered this place, the answers led to even more questions.

Mei foiled Mobius's plot to usurp his position, but looking back, it seems that Lin was deliberately interfering with Mobius's plans. So, was the answer she got from Mobius also within Lin's expectations?

She now had a complete guess, but in such an unsettling situation, she wasn't sure if it was correct.

As Mei was deep in thought, a cold figure entered her field of vision. She looked up and saw the white-haired warrior standing in the lounge, looking at the newly changed portrait of Elysia.

Kevin...

To be honest, Mei didn't want to talk to Kevin. Even before entering the Imaginary Tree, Kevin, the Venerable Lord of the World Serpent, had already left her with an indelible impression of cold-bloodedness, making her somewhat resistant to this memory body that looked and acted similarly. Moreover, Kevin's words were the most difficult to understand.

Sue's words were profound, but he was only expressing them in his own way, while Kevin was doing it on purpose.

However, Kevin might give her some ideas right now. As the one who knew Lin the earliest among the Thirteen Heroes, he knows more.

"Is there something you need, Raiden Mei?" Before even getting close, Kevin, with his exceptional senses, had already noticed Mei and asked without turning his head.

"I'd like to ask you about something." Mei considered for a moment before deciding not to directly ask Kevin about Lin. She wanted to change the subject first. "I learned from you that the Fire Moth is an organization similar to Schicksal, Anti-Entropy, and World Serpent. So how exactly was the Fire Moth founded?"

Every cause has its effect. The Moths of Fire were created to fight against the Honkai. So, who decided to create them in the first place, and how were they established?

Kevin turned his head, his long robe draped low beside his knees, and said expressionlessly, "There are no records of the Fire-Chasing Moth."

"What?" Mei thought she had misheard.

How can an organization not have any records of its establishment?

"It doesn't matter how the Moths of Fire came to be. Once we trace it back to its source, all its actions will be interpreted, and that will be detrimental to the internal atmosphere."

Actions against the Honkai will be interpreted as having ulterior motives, and the legitimacy of the Moths of Fire will be questioned.

"This is experience, and a lesson," Kevin said, glancing at the bewildered Mei. "Is there anything else you want to ask?"

As if her thoughts had been detected, Mei's heart tightened.

Now that she had been seen through, she went straight to the point and asked, "Is the reason why Lin is not among the Thirteen Heroes simply because his Hypervariable Surgery failed?"

"..." Unexpectedly, Mei would ask this question. Even Kevin was silent for a while. He said coldly, "'Thirteen Heroes' was not originally a name for thirteen super-transformers. It was only after the group of thirteen super-transformers was formed that it was named Thirteen Heroes."

"... Could you explain it in clearer and more concise terms?" Mei was a little confused.

"In other words, the 'Thirteen Heroes' were not initially planned to be all super-mutant warriors, and their number was not thirteen, but fourteen."

"So that's how it is... What's the reason?"

"Lin gave up the name of Flame-Chasers."

"I'm talking about a deeper reason."

What happened to Lin and the Thirteen Heroes that made Elysia agree to let Lin give up the name of Flame-Chasers?

Could it be an incident related to "traitors"?

"I know you're wondering if it's related to 'traitors'."

Once again, her thoughts were seen through. Mei's furrowed brows told Kevin that she did indeed have something on her mind.

"Then I might as well tell you that Lin did indeed 'betray' you, but you must find out for yourself who he 'betrayed'."

"As for the rest, you are not qualified to know... at least not now."

Chapter Thirty-Nine: What the Heart Desires

How many opportunities does one have in a lifetime to take time to move on and on?

"Minister, aren't you going to help?"

Watching Kevin's departing figure, the assistant couldn't help but ask Mei, who was engrossed in her work.

Mei has been in charge of the Research and Development Department for over a year. Her assistants see her as a conscientious and excellent department head, outstanding in every aspect, and completely focused on her work, seemingly oblivious to everything else.

Judging from her daily behavior alone, it's impossible to tell that the culprit behind the internal divisions within the Fire Moth is this bespectacled girl whose life revolves around just going between two points.

Over the past year, she has found it increasingly difficult to express her emotions. She smiles more often, but she is becoming less and less like the shy girl she once was.

Perhaps only in front of Kevin can she briefly show a genuine smile.

"... No need, I can't be of much help, just leave it to Kevin." Mei replied without looking up, engrossed in her new weapon design.

"But..."

To her assistant, May seemed no different than usual. But given the magnitude of the event, why did May, who was qualified to participate in upper-level meetings, simply delegate this task to Kevin?

Before her assistant could speak, May turned to look at her deputy, who was a little older than her, and capped the pen with both hands. "Go and get me the A7 drawing."

"..." The assistant paused in surprise, then he understood that Mei meant that they should not talk about this anymore.

Help?

May retrieved Prometheus Unit 2 and, after reviewing the second and third assassinations, confirmed one thing.

"Another indoor assassination."

After the fourth victim appeared, the entire incident spiraled out of control. It was clear to everyone that someone was targeting the High Council- ups of the Fire Moth, and that person might even be Lin, who had already disappeared.

"I knew it! That helmeted man was up to no good by hiding his face."

"That doesn't make sense. The evidence isn't sufficient right now, and wasn't he already confirmed to be incapable of fighting?"

"What's so difficult about killing someone? He can kill even Herrscher and Upper-class Honkai Beast with those weapons, let alone a person?"

"Yes, he must be dissatisfied with the High Council and not content with his current power..."

In the current chaotic situation, headquarters has no time to manage public opinion, and the intelligence blockade cannot be perfect. Although private discussions have not extended to the intranet, many people have already believed that the evidence is conclusive.

Lin's reputation was already mixed after joining the Fire Moth, and he has always been at the center of public opinion. This incident will undoubtedly amplify the doubts surrounding him without any limit.

The members of Hen's temporary team gathered in the meeting room. With no missions and no one to train them, all they could do was discuss recent events.

Erwin stood out awkwardly among the indignant crowd, looking embarrassed and confused. He muttered, "But Captain Lin shouldn't have any reason to kill anyone... Would any assassin risk their life to fight Herrscher?"

"..."

However, as soon as he said that, everyone turned to look at him in an eerie way, and the air in the conference room instantly froze.

"Erwin, have you forgotten? It's all because of him that our team lost more than half of its members."

Someone suddenly said.

Erwin gave a helpless bitter smile, "But we were sent to our deaths from the very beginning. If it weren't for Captain Hen, we would all have died there. Even if we're looking for the real source, it should be the person who gave the order to die."

This statement stumped the man, who couldn't find a word to refute Erwin.

Erwin was right. Even if they wanted to collect the debt, they should have gone to Sigma and his High Council, not Lin who provided support. He didn't know about the situation of the Scar Squad at the time. If the mission had gone smoothly, Lin's support would have been very timely.

"What are you talking about! We have all the evidence! It's definitely him!" The man shouted, his face flushed with anger. "How would I know what he's thinking? He's always so secretive, we don't even know what he looks like. Maybe he's mentally unstable. Have you ever seen anyone who's always fearlessly heading into dangerous areas? Just for those missions? Huh?"

"... Never mind, maybe you're right."

Erwin hadn't expected him to get so agitated; it was as if a wound had been touched. Erwin shook his head, not wanting to argue with him any further.

They were just a group of recruits who had been brought together, so it was normal for them to have disagreements and conflicts. Erwin himself was nothing special, and his abilities were all mediocre. He believed that he only needed to carry out his missions peacefully and avoid getting into excessive conflicts with others.

They couldn't see the whole picture of what was going on with Lin, and they judged based entirely on subjective conjecture, which is where the problem most easily arises.

Maybe he really is wrong?

Erwin chuckled self-deprecatingly. After all, he was just a nobody. He might have survived this mission, but he might have died next time. He had already escaped once, and he had become indifferent to many things.

Erwin's laughter made the others feel like he was mocking them, but Erwin didn't bother to explain. He got up and walked out the door without saying a word.

"Um... is there something you need?"

Erwin wanted to get some fresh air, and seeing the corridor as usual, he took a deep breath, only to notice someone standing beside him, staring at him silently.

A girl with shoulder-length, highlighted hair looked at him thoughtfully, making him feel a little embarrassed.

They don't know each other, do they?

"Why did you speak up for Captain Lin... Lin?" she suddenly asked after watching silently for a while.

"You heard that?" Erwin was somewhat surprised. The soundproofing of the conference room was unmatched by any other room; even pressing your ear against the wall, it was difficult to hear anything inside. "Looks like the noise was too loud just now..."

He sighed, "It's not that I'm defending him, but I feel like everyone's entered a strange state right now, numb to themselves and to others."

What is correct?

What is wrong?

Truth? Lies? Fallacies? Truth?

Everything seems to have become unimportant; it's just that something is "happening" right now, like an abnormal yet reasonable phenomenon before the Honkai.

"I just think everyone is being too harsh on Captain Lin. Maybe he's not as... hateful as others think?" Erwin tilted his head back and exhaled. "His face might be covered because he's disfigured, his mysterious behavior might be because he doesn't want to interact with people, and he's always on missions... Do people really prefer to believe that someone's attacks on Herrscher are motivated by ulterior motives rather than that he just wants to protect humanity?"

The girl stared at the expression on his face, and after a while handed him a document. "For your own good, you should say less of this kind of thing, at least in front of those people."

"What's this?"

"The lab asked me to get your team's medical examination reports."

Erwin nodded and accepted the report. Just as he was about to return to the conference room, the girl behind him abruptly said, "Stick to what you think, but don't overdo it. There's nothing wrong with being 'one of the crowd.'"

Erwin turned around in surprise. "Thank you."

However, the girl had already turned and left.

Chapter Forty is getting more and more numerous

"The third assassination occurred indoors, but there were signs that the body had been concealed."

Vill-V's interests lie only in things she finds interesting. Some may misunderstand her as the kind of genius madwoman who treats human lives as toys, but she clarifies that she is actually not particularly interested in such things.