Questioning / The Conspiracy... Exposed?

But he had seen this scene too many times. He had seen the amusement park in spring, summer, autumn and winter, and it no longer felt new to him.

If there's anything else that catches his attention, it's that there are people who dress up as cartoon characters and occasionally perform at the amusement park. Each time it's a different person, and Xiaoming is most interested in these older brothers and sisters.

"I've finished the chocolate... Has Daddy not come yet?" Xiaoming complained, unable to suppress his active nature as a child, he kept jumping up and down in his chair, entertaining himself.

Strange, it seems like there are fewer people around.

The passageway, which was originally crowded and packed with people, had become slightly more spacious, and some people hurried past him.

I caught a glimpse of a very conspicuous figure out of the corner of my eye.

A person with only one leg and whose entire face was wrapped in black cloth limped along the corridor towards the direction of his Xiaoming, leaning on a cane.

"So cool." Xiaoming immediately thought the outfit was very interesting, so he jumped off the chair and ran to the man. "Hello, big brother... big sister? What role are you playing? You look so cool!"

"Playing the role..." The man's deep, hoarse voice convinced Xiaoming that he was a man.

"Yeah, I know your legs are bent at the knee and covered with a shell! I've seen people pretend to be disabled like that before! But big brother, your costume is so realistic~"

"... Have you always been here?"

"Yes, my dad said he's going to buy sleeping pills and asked me to stay here and watch over things for a while. Big brother, what about you? Are you here to perform, or are you just here to have fun?"

Cosplayers are naturally different. Some cosplay for performance, while others simply dress up as someone else to show off. Xiaoming former is more common, but I have seen the latter before.

The man was silent for a moment, then said to Xiaoming, "Have you seen a very pretty woman with short hair and blue lining in her hair walk past here?"

"No."

Xiaoming honestly shook his head.

If there really is a beautiful older sister, he will definitely remember her, because his favorite thing to do is to see if there are any interesting people among the passersby.

"Big brother, you still haven't told me, are you here to have fun?"

"... I made a promise with that older sister to play hide-and-seek here, and I'll be looking for her throughout the entire amusement park, so everyone else has to leave."

"Wow? Big brother, you're so amazing! I've never seen anyone get everyone out of the amusement park before."

No wonder so many people left in a hurry.

"So you should hurry up and go outside. A few brothers dressed as police officers will pick you up and take you to your father. Your father has already left."

"No way! Dad would never just leave without a word!" the boy suddenly shouted.

"... It's true. Your dad is waiting for you at home. He bought you a lot of chocolates. He'll come to pick them up tomorrow."

"Really?!" Upon hearing that his favorite chocolate was included, the boy immediately believed it.

"Um."

"Alright, big brother, I'll be going now! You must have fun with that sister!"

Lin straightened up and watched the boy walk away, limping as he walked into the gradually quieting amusement park.

"This is—Zzz—Headquarters—Zzz—The Slayer of the Sixth Herrscher —Zzz—"

The sun disappeared.

Lin sensed that death was lurking nearby.

Before this point in time, no one could have imagined that the birth of the Sixth Herrscher would be so sudden and illogical.

Like a giant sword, it pierced the heart of the fire-chasing moth.

Chapter Fifty-Three: Inquiry

"Although I have emphasized this many times, I will explain it to you one last time."

Spasi watched as the Medical Pod gradually emptied, liquid draining from it, and Lin's foot touched the ground, which he hadn't touched in a long time.

"The Honkai Sickness Serum being researched by the Fifth Branch is just one step away from being Honkai Sickness by humans. However, this does not mean that humans have defeated the Honkai Sickness."

"One dose of serum requires at least ten thousand remains of Honkai Sickness. A cure made from the lives of ten thousand people can no longer be called precious, after all, as we often say, life is priceless."

"As long as you can stay here the way I do, I can use the first serum on you under the guise of an experiment. Note that this is not special treatment for you, but rather because your case is special and you have already reached the late stage of Honkai Sickness infection, making you a rather excellent candidate."

"Your chances of survival are quite high. Even if it can't be completely cured, I think we can restore you to the state before the 15% erosion rate."

"But if you leave now, I can't guarantee how long you will live, and the first serum will not be tested on your body. I will only wait until you die and then extract the serum from you for those who are willing to receive it. So, think it over."

Spasi knew he was wasting his time. He and Lin weren't particularly close, but they were familiar with each other. Moreover, Spasi had done a psychological analysis on Lin, and Lin was unlikely to give up his ideas just to prolong his life.

"... I will."

"I don't think you can do it, but I have nothing else to say." Spasi put down his hand from the control panel. "Even if we have to wait a few more weeks... or even just a few days?"

"What's happening at headquarters must be related to that person. I don't have time."

"... There really isn't enough time in any way. Well then, at least bring this with you."

Spasi tossed out three vials of bright green liquid and pointed to the deadly poison. "I can't mitigate its toxicity; in fact, its toxicity serves the drug's purpose... But perhaps it's better for you to keep these for emergencies, since there's a difference between dying immediately and dying later."

Lin didn't say anything. He pushed open the Medical Pod as usual, walked out while holding onto the wall, put on his clothes, and then picked up the medicine and put it on his tool belt.

"Doctor Spacy, thank you for taking care of me."

"...That's why I find it strange. You seem to have changed, and it was a sudden change." Spasi looked at the seemingly calm Lin with amusement. Even though he appeared much the same as usual, he could sense an aura different from before emanating from Lin. "And what did you suddenly decide to do overnight, that made you so eager to leave..."

"If there is a next time, I will explain it to you."

"Speaker, don't you want to take a rest?"

After the transport plane took off, the speaker leisurely began to read the poetry collection he had brought with him, occasionally reciting a line of a poem with a rich and elegant style, which suited his temperament perfectly.

Considering the long transport time and the speaker's health issues, Himiko reminded him.

"Don't let my appearance fool you. In my youth, I was a moth drawn to the flame, always at the forefront." After hearing Himiko's words, the Speaker closed the poetry collection and placed it on the table. "So you don't need to worry about me."

He just said he's old, and now he's bragging about the physical fitness he developed in the past...

He didn't think there was anything wrong with him at all, and smiled, "Besides, I have to keep track of the time at all times. May I ask what time it is now?"

Pay attention to the time?

Himiko puzzled by this statement, but she still honestly checked her watch and replied, "9:13 AM."

"Oh, okay, it looks like there are still about ten minutes left. Let's chat for a while."

"Huh? Oh..."

Himiko had heard of the Speaker's eccentric nature, but he never openly showed any disrespect to them, the Moths of Fire. In addition, he had experience commanding battles on the front lines, so the soldiers had a high opinion of him.

Dessidobia was organizing the documents, while Soul seemed uninterested and didn't look in their direction; it appeared that the conversation was between the two of them.

"So what would you like to talk about?" Himiko asked.

"Talking about politics with you is too boring. I hope our conversation can be a little lighter. Let's talk about someone we both know." The speaker licked his lips and drawled, "Captain Lin, MSA-079."

Himiko completely baffled by the unexpected mention of Lin. In her mind, Lin and the Speaker, or even the other High Council, should be completely unrelated. Lin Cong had never had any contact with the High Council, and the High Council only gave him various orders; it was just an ordinary superior-subordinate relationship. "Why Lin?"

"Judging from your expression, you don't know that I visited Captain Lin before," the Speaker sighed. "Sigh, I actually hope that more people see and spread that scene. Otherwise, isn't the terrifying image of the High Council already deeply ingrained? At this time, having some High Council who are actually considerate and kind to their subordinates is more conducive to unity."

"... I don't think most people would intentionally want to spread this around." Himiko's greatest strength is that even when she is respectful, she does everything she is supposed to say and do. She even dares to express her opinions directly, even if it is the Speaker.

"But my decision to visit Captain Lin won't change, right? As long as my original intention remains unchanged, there's no problem."

What is this person saying?

"Captain Lin once fought under Captain Himiko for a period of time. So what was Captain Himiko's opinion of Captain Lin?"

"Speaker, have you been keeping an eye on Lin's movements?"

"Of course, after all, it was my suggestion that led to his promotion."

"This—" Himiko her tongue in surprise, "Under the current circumstances, you want me to explain my opinion of Lin... Are you trying to confirm whether Lin is the murderer?"

"Hehe, I don't like playing detective games. You don't have to worry about me or others. Just express your most honest thoughts."

The speaker looked somewhat expectant, his arms crossed, waiting for Himiko speak.

"Alright then... a workaholic who has no idea where his motivation comes from, likes to do things mysteriously, treats orders as the highest authority, but likes to go against people's wishes when it comes to things outside of orders. And he's quite gloomy, never showing any skin on his body."

Himiko impatiently at this point, but then a somewhat relieved smile appeared on her face, "But, Lin is an absolutely outstanding warrior, far superior to me."

"... Is he/she excellent?"

The speaker's smile contained a deeper meaning that was difficult for others to understand.

That's wonderful.

Chapter Fifty-Four: The Conspiracy... Exposed?

"Many of the Moths of Fire are much more cheerful than that kid, but many of them are just superficially sunny. There are quite a few people who are dark, cunning and despicable inside. Compared to them, that kid is sometimes really cute and innocent."

Himiko, holding her greatsword, recalled how Lin Guang's mere presence gave off the feeling of having the air conditioning on full blast, which made her both annoyed and amused.

Countless people have come and gone in the pursuit of fame, and Lin may not be the most unique one, but he will probably leave the deepest impression on many people.

"Hmm... So that's how you see him, Captain Himiko." The Speaker smiled faintly after hearing Himiko's words. "It seems that Captain Lin's reputation within the Fire Moth isn't completely terrible. No wonder that even with so much evidence pointing to him, not everyone thinks he's the murderer."

"That's how it is... um..." Himiko's smile froze for a moment. She hadn't expected the Speaker to bring this up. "So, what do you think?"

"Don't you find it interesting? The same information and the same perspective on the same thing, yet different people have different opinions. Some people are convinced that Captain Lin is the murderer, while others think he couldn't possibly be the murderer." The speaker said with a long and steady voice, "I know you will say that this is due to experience, but I prefer to believe that it is a difference in human nature."

"Even if two people are given the same conditions and grow up in the same environment, their personalities will still be completely different. That's what makes people interesting."

"As for how I think it is... what time is it now?"

Before Himiko, Soul, who had been resting with his eyes closed, spoke first, "9:31."

Her expression was cold and aloof, with her eyes downcast—an expression that only appeared during battle—which startled Himiko.

She asked the speaker, who was still smiling, with a puzzled look, "Why are you so concerned about time?"

"Why..." The speaker crossed his arms and smiled, "Because I am the murderer."

"..."

"..."

The sentence was uttered lightly, in a detached tone and with a soft voice, giving the impression of an insignificant speech bubble from a background character in a comic book.

However, the meaning behind this statement is chilling.

Himiko was initially misled by the tone of the words, thinking it was just a normal joke. However, she soon noticed a different meaning on the faces of the Speaker and the Soul.

Even Dessidobia, who hadn't been paying attention to what they were saying, stopped what she was doing and stared at them in a daze.

"What... does this mean?" She looked around blankly at the Speaker and Soul.

The Speaker spread his hands. "It means exactly what it says. I killed nearly half of the Firemoth's High Council members, oh no, now it should be all of them."

"Team leader!"

Dessidobia's exclamation startled Himiko. Himiko's eyes flashed with a fierce light as she stepped forward, ready to restrain the Speaker.

However, when the scythe was placed in front of her, blocking her attack, Himiko's movements froze, and she looked incredulously at the girl with the embroidered hair standing indifferently between her and the chairman.

"Soul, you..."

Hun spoke in a businesslike tone, as if he were a stranger. "Captain, there's a bomb on this transport plane."

Himiko had seen this before; during the time when Lin left the Moth of Fire, his soul was just like this now, cold and devoid of emotion.

"What did you say..." Himiko and Dessidobia had stood up on guard, both picked up their weapons. In this confined space, the four of them faced off at a distance of less than five meters.

"Please don't misunderstand, Captain, I'm not protecting his life." Soul glanced expressionlessly at the composed Speaker, then said to Himiko, whose face was grave, "If you don't want the transport plane's bombs to explode, then let him finish speaking."

Isn't this about protecting the Speaker's life?

Himiko gritted her teeth. Her own team members were actually accomplices in the murder of the High Council officials?

The feeling of betrayal tore her heart apart, but more than anger, she felt a sense of loss and frustration.

"I'm sorry, Captain Himiko, for making your trusted subordinate do these dirty jobs for me, but please believe me, she's not lying to you. She really wasn't protecting me." The man casually straightened his collar and took out a pack of cigarettes from his top hat. "I still want one, huh."

"Laugh."

After lighting the cigarette, the speaker did not put it in his mouth, but placed it on the edge of the table, only taking a puff of the white smoke that drifted out of the cigarette butt.

"By the way, don't even think about contacting headquarters. Their communication system is down right now." The Speaker smiled and shook his finger at Dessidobia, who was secretly trying to use the emergency contact.