What Must Be Overcome / Tail

"... But the time-travel setting is quite interesting."

The man exclaimed in surprise, "Really? You think so too, don't you?"

"Hmm, experiencing a life completely different from before would probably be very interesting." Zero's tone was dull; he had already turned dozens of pages during the conversation. "Going from a world full of disasters to a peaceful world would be a dream for many people."

"..."

The man froze, staring at Zero, a child who was only a few years old.

Looking at his coldness and indifference, at his unusual reading speed, and at his appearance that I found repulsive.

Even after Zero finished reading the entire book and picked up another novel, the man just kept looking at Zero.

Silence flowed from his eyes, like tears streaming down his face.

Chapter Forty-Two: What Should Be Defeated

Lin was awakened by the sound of the wind. It was as if someone had grabbed his hair and pulled him up from underwater. His consciousness was pulled away from his hazy memories and returned to the cold and clear reality.

He clutched his head, which felt like it was about to split open, and gasped for breath.

Has the medication worn off?

After glancing at the time, Lin estimated that the drug's effects would last for about 27 hours. He then took out an injection and pushed the drug into his body.

"Vomit..."

The burning sensation in his stomach and the cutting sensation in his throat caused Lin to vomit a mouthful of a mixture of purple and green liquid.

It was steaming, and the bright red of human blood was not visible.

He leaned back in his wheelchair, gazing up at the distant, azure sky.

Himiko stood before the formally dressed and serious Dessidobia and Kon, both of whom wore deep weariness on their faces after several sleepless nights.

"The Squad Five's mission is to escort an important figure to the Third Branch, and the operation will commence in thirteen hours."

The escort missions will be assigned to various squads. After this incident, headquarters may be downgraded in function until the Aerial Base is built.

"In addition, a final Honkai Energy erosion rate test is needed before this mission is carried out." Himiko scratched the back of her head. "The recent events have been too terrible, so we still have to cooperate."

"... Actually, I feel like it's a little unreal," Dessidobia said shyly in a low voice.

Himiko intently and asked, "What?"

"No, no, it's nothing."

Soul added, "I also feel that what's happening right now... has a kind of surreal quality to it."

The successive deaths of High Council, each corpse unrecognizable, each death a gruesome sight, yet the closest to them was the attack on Immer.

Under the operating mechanism of the Moth Chaser, apart from the captain who has the highest authority, the soldiers have incomplete information about the entire event. It's like standing outside the mountains and looking at the mountains shrouded in clouds and mist, so close, yet seemingly so far away.

Immer was injured because he accidentally stumbled upon the crime scene, which felt like an unexpected turn of events.

"Is it unreal..." Himiko a gloomy face.

"Captain, are you angry?" Soul asked cautiously.

Himiko may appear carefree, but she actually cares deeply about the people around her. As she journeyed along, those she met died one after another, forcing her to numb her senses in the face of death.

"No, not really. I don't know many of those old guys. Some of them have only given me orders." Himiko smoothed her bangs and tied them into a ponytail, giving herself a more presentable hairstyle. She sat down at the conference table and casually picked up a half-empty bottle of beer. "However, I'm not surprised that things have turned out this way."

As one of the most senior soldiers, Himiko and understanding far surpassed that of ordinary people.

"Look at how dejected you all are, let me tell you a story that happened before Lin came to the Squad Five."

"Before Team Member Lin arrived?"

"Yes." Himiko a big gulp of sake, burped, and twirled her fingers as she said, "Kon, you should know that you and Lin were both new recruits back then. Lin joined the team only a few months before you. Including my Squad Five, there were only three of us. So have you ever thought about what the Squad Five was like before Lin joined?"

"... Just you alone?" Soul found this answer somewhat unbelievable.

Upon hearing this, a trace of sadness flashed deep in Himiko's eyes. She replied with an indifferent attitude, "That's right. To be precise, during the Second Honkai War, the entire squad except for me was wiped out, so I was the only one left before Rin joined."

"Total annihilation..."

The First Honkai Eruption and Second Honkai War were not large in scale, but the Second Honkai War lasted for half a month, making it the longest-lasting large-scale Honkai to date. Before Elysia joined the Fire Moths and went to the front line, the battle was in a stalemate.

The hasty end of the Second Honkai War Honkai Impact left the Firemoth without any experience in dealing with the Second Honkai War, resulting in a terrible price being paid by the Firemoth faction. An entire branch was wiped out, and more than a third of the participating combat squads suffered casualties. Even now, the cost of the Second Honkai War continues to affect the Firemoth faction.

"My squad carried out peripheral extermination missions. The main task was to eliminate Honkai Beast and Honkai zombie that wanted to escape. At that time, we did not have special anti- Honkai weapons, so the battles were very difficult. Basically, it would take three or more squads to work together to defeat a single mutated lower-level Honkai Beast."

"Because of my outstanding performance, I was assigned the task of guarding key points."

"That is, this mission..."

Soul and Dessidobia exchanged a glance, both sensing Himiko's sadness. It seemed that this mission was what led to the complete annihilation of the original Squad Five.

"At that time, the battle lines were stretched out, and it would take a lot of time for each node to provide support, so we were not allowed to ask for help unless it was an emergency." Himiko self-deprecatingly. "While I was defending, another node not far from us requested support and encountered two mutated lower-level Honkai Beast."

"But my situation is rather special. The High Council ordered me to hold the key points and not to go to support other nodes."

"Behind me is the shelter, and unarmed ordinary people. Even though the Honkai Energy reaction was very low in the vicinity at the time, and we had already defeated the Honkai Beast and the Honkai zombie, I still had to obey orders and not go to provide support."

"What I didn't expect was that my squad members... wanted to help the squad that sent out the distress signal, and for that they defied my orders and those of their superiors."

Himiko took another sip of wine, but this time she didn't gulp it down. Instead, she licked the wine with her red tongue, as if the bitterness had settled in her heart.

"I didn't go with them to provide support; they rushed to the node that sent the signal as quickly as possible, and then..."

"Contact was lost half an hour after arrival."

Dessidobia's heart tightened; she seemed to have guessed what Himiko was about to say.

Besides the Second Honkai War Second Herrscher, whose abilities are the most bizarre, the Second Honkai Beast also caused heavy casualties among the Moth Chaser's combat personnel during the Second Honkai Beast event, whose abilities have yet to be fully explained.

The Second Herrscher's Companion Honkai Beast, named "Wasak," is Emperor-class Honkai Beast.

"That's right. One of the two mutated lower-level Honkai Beast in the distress call is actually Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Its Honkai Energy content is lower than that of a normal Emperor-class Honkai Beast, so it was not detected immediately."

"Sometimes I think that if I had made a better decision at that time and gone to support them, perhaps the later events would not have happened."

"But it's all just hindsight, nothing more. It's just that I keep dreaming about my teammates. The ones who made the right judgments are dead, while I'm alive. It's really ironic..."

Himiko lifted the sake jug, shaking her head as she tried to drink, but before she could even touch the rim, it was snatched away.

Hun Jiao's pretty and cute face appeared in front of him. "Captain, drink less alcohol."

As she put down the wine, she said, "It wasn't the captain's fault, nor was it the captain's fault... No, it wasn't anyone's fault. If we have to find a reason, it's only the fault of the Honkai and death themselves. Their existence is the root of the tragedy."

"... You've really grown up." Himiko patted her hands, which were empty of wine, and smiled with satisfaction.

"So I want to defeat the Honkai and death... That day will definitely come, and I want you all to witness it, I want Team Member Lin to witness it..."

Chapter Forty-Three: Tracking

"Sir, do you need any help?"

As a model employee at the airport, he believes he should be there where he is needed, and stay as far away as possible from places where he shouldn't be. Doing his job to the best of his ability is a mandatory course for any employee.

So when he saw a disabled person with limited mobility entering the airport alone, he naturally went up to them, helped them with their wheelchair, and gently asked if they needed help.

He wasn't sure if it was just his imagination, but the moment he took a step, he felt the disabled man, who was completely covered up, glance at him.

You must have misread it. Who would pay attention to everyone's every move in an airport with such a large flow of people?

"... No need." The strangely dressed person shook his head at him.

The employee wasn't annoyed and said politely, "Alright, you can call for staff anytime if you need anything. Now, let me take you to the window. Which flight do you want to take?"

"I can go by myself, you go do your own thing."

"My job is to serve you."

"... Then, for my sake, you go do other things."

Lin had to use all his persuasion to get rid of the kind-hearted employee. It wasn't that he found it troublesome, but rather that he had no money or identification on him, and even if he got to the airport, he wouldn't know how to take a flight back to headquarters.

In fact, Moth Chaser has dedicated planes and personnel at airports in major cities for emergencies, so Lin plans to find a private plane to return to headquarters.

These plans fell apart when he realized he was being followed.

Lin discreetly surveyed his surroundings through the various reflective, smooth surfaces of the airport. After using Mobius's potion, his condition had returned to normal, and even without the aid of a helmet, he could see everything happening around him.

Someone had been following him since the beginning. The tracking was professional, and the distance was well maintained. If it weren't for the fact that the person's gaze was occasionally fixed on Lin, and Lin was overly sensitive to eye contact, he wouldn't have noticed the follower.

Was he being followed by the person who took him to Dusk Street?

He thought for a moment, then pushed the wheelchair into the disabled restroom, opened the innermost door, and locked it from the inside.

Lin closed his eyes and began his short rest.

"This is number three. The target entered the disabled restroom half an hour ago. Should we go in to confirm the target's identity?"

"No, the target is highly intelligent and may have already discovered that we are tracking him. Keep your distance and use the life detector to check him," another person contacted. "Operate the capture after the target reaches the planned location."

Clearly, the trackers wouldn't underestimate Lin. For them, the mission had to be completed meticulously, and any potential unexpected complications had to be nipped in the bud.

But a full fifteen hours passed, from daytime to midnight. Many people came and went from the disabled person's restroom where Lin was, but Lin Cong did not come out.

"Number Three, is the target still not moving?" Number One asked.

"Yes... the life detector shows there is only one signal source at the moment."

"..."

Number One had to consider the possibility that Lin had fainted in the bathroom. Lin's condition could be described as pushing the limits of human endurance to the limit, equivalent to having one foot already dangling off a cliff. So it was possible that he had fainted in the bathroom.

The order received by Number One was to bring Lin back to Dusk Street, not to kill him, so after some deliberation, he decided to carry out the arrest directly.

However, even when making an arrest, preparations must be made. "Divide into two teams, one team to make the arrest, and the other team to wait outside in case of any accidents."

"Yes."

The six people were divided into two teams according to their order. Teams numbered four through six entered the restroom to arrest Lin.

The polished ceramic floor, reflecting human faces, was trampled underfoot by black boots. Most of the people waiting for their flights in the lobby were drowsy and half-asleep. In a corner of the unnoticed restroom, three swift figures entered. The leader held a syringe containing enough anesthetic to keep someone asleep for days. (Monthly membership group 694936135)

"..."

Silent, efficient, and swift, after confirming the surrounding situation, the leader nodded, the other two pointed their pistols at the door, and then he raised his foot and kicked the door hard!

"Thump—"

The loud thud of the door slamming against the wall carried far, making him realize something was wrong.

The door wasn't locked!

After the door was kicked open, two pistols were pointed inside, but their muzzles were not aimed at any people, only at a wheelchair!

Lin, like a spider, clung to the gap between the two walls, a distance just enough to avoid the line of fire.

Even a fleeting moment is enough.

"Bang!"

He sprang forward, his fist already pressed against another man's face as he grabbed one of the pistols.

Lin's movement is limited by having only one leg, but this disadvantage is mitigated in Xiao Kong, which is why he chose the bathroom as his location.

After Lin disarmed the two men with handguns in an instant, the leader of the trackers, Number Four, finally reacted and tried to raise the hand holding the handgun.

"Bang!"

Without turning his head, Lin pulled the trigger. The bullet accurately knocked away the number four pistol after leaving the barrel, making his arm go numb. Then, Lin turned around and knocked him unconscious in just two moves.

"..."

Lin took down three people in five seconds, but he wasn't happy. He found that these three people were better at fighting than he had imagined. Even if he launched a fierce surprise attack, they could react in time. If he had been any slower, Lin might have been injured.

If I'm not mistaken...

Lin didn't have time to think further. There should be more than three people following him. Through observation, he found that there were at least four to six people, which meant that there were others waiting outside the bathroom.

The pistol was equipped with a silencer, so there was no need to worry about the gunshots causing a disturbance. However, the fact that these three people had lost contact would likely alert the pursuers outside immediately.

The clock ticked, Lin glanced at the time, and then quickly searched for all the bullets on the three men.

"Number Four, please report the situation."