A Few Doctors / Weeping

Kevin, who was still on this floor, and Elysia, who had just come up, were speechless with astonishment when they saw Lin come back to life.

"She's on the upper floor!" Lin didn't have time to explain anything. He drew his pistol, turned around, and aimed it at the breach.

But the expected surprise attack did not come, which made Lin realize that the Sixth Herrscher was likely using the Creation Authority to heal her wounds. Kevin and Elysia thought of the same thing. They pulled out grenades and threw them out the window. The violent explosion almost overturned the building above them.

Upon seeing the Sixth Herrscher expression was not good, emerge from the dust, the other soldiers also raised their weapons and attacked her.

These attacks could all be blocked with her shield, but the sound of Titan's engine starting up could be heard behind her, and penetrating bullets were heading straight for her, forcing her to dodge and abandon healing herself.

She didn't use Phase Shift to escape, not because she didn't want to, but because...

Lin took a couple of breaths, and the feeling of breathing air again was surprisingly good. Without turning his head, he threw the stolen Phase Transfer Device into Kevin's hand and stared at the Sixth Herrscher, who was high and mighty but in a sorry state.

Having experienced the recovery of his memories, the brush with death, and the transfer of his consciousness, he has gained many insights and may have undergone many changes. But now, he must complete the crusade against the Sixth Herrscher.

Without the Phase Transfer Device, the Sixth Herrscher had no choice but to break through. She pointed one hand downwards, and the Black Mist surged towards the soldiers. However, she was extremely weak and had no way to control the Black Mist properly. It would be easy for her to dodge it.

However, she didn't expect the Black Mist to do anything. After using this trick to delay them, she turned around and began to break through the Titans' encirclement.

Lin's consciousness has been expelled from her body. All she needs to do now is go to the trees she planted and use the Authority of Creation to heal herself, and she will be able to return to her peak condition.

Then she'll deal with these annoying bedbugs properly.

"Elysia, take good care of Lin." Although Kevin had a lot to say, now was not the right time to talk. After putting the almost broken Phase Transfer Device on his wrist, he said this to Elysia, activated the anti-gravity flight device, and followed.

Although the soldiers were exhausted, they still followed, some riding Titans and others simply walking towards the Giant Tree.

Now, at the final moment of the decisive battle, the heavy burden of the survival of the Far East and even humanity rests on their shoulders.

And so, amidst the desolate and ruined ruins, Elysia, with her head bowed and her bangs covering her expression, silently glanced at Lin, who was coughing as he leaned against the broken wall.

He still looked so weak, but his eyes were so clear and resolute, clearer than ever before.

As if life had returned to this man who had always abandoned himself, he now looked more robust than when he was at his healthiest, even with only one eye, one arm, and one leg.

His inner self has changed.

"Elysia, help me up." Lin looked up and said to the pink-haired girl standing there. His tone was not much different from usual, but it seemed to sound gentler under his fully exposed face.

Elysia smiled and stepped forward, gently lifting the arm on his side that had lost its way. "Lin... you..."

"I know you're angry right now, but let's talk about it after all this is over, okay?" Lin seemed to have guessed what Elysia was going to say to him, and he interrupted her abruptly.

"How could I be angry with you? I thought I had already accepted the fact that you were gone... but now, seeing you, my nose is stinging. It's so inexplicable..."

"...Is that so? Then let's talk about it slowly when we get back." Lin Ning looked at Elysia, whose head was lowered and shoulders were trembling. He didn't say anything more, but looked at Prometheus, who was lying in the corner. With Elysia's help, he came to the front of Prometheus, who had lost his function.

She was still holding Lin's helmet in her arms.

Lin reached out and connected the helmet to Prometheus's android body. Her stagnant system was reassembled into the helmet, and then he picked it up and smoothly put it on his head.

"..."

"Prometheus, restore system settings."

"..."

"Prometheus."

"... Lin?" Prometheus's system voice, which had never changed, showed an unprecedented fluctuation.

"It's me. Restore system settings and prepare for battle." Lin checked the pistol's magazine with one hand, only to realize that the bullets had been removed by the Sixth Herrscher. This standard-issue pistol, which had long been phased out by the Research and Development Department, had no ammunition in the Fifth Branch.

"Lin, your appearance is against the natural order. Preliminary identification indicates a virus has appeared within the system. We are preparing to remove it..."

"... I've never seen you smile, so you won't die."

"..."

Laugh?

Elysia didn't understand why Lin would say that, but Lin knew that Prometheus's database must still contain it, and she could understand the meaning of the sentence.

"... Is it really Lin? Or is it a virus?"

"I don't have time to talk to you about this anymore. If you don't want me to take back most of your control over my independent system, then execute my orders right now." Lin had no choice but to use this almost threatening method to get the malfunctioning Prometheus to carry out his orders, but fortunately, it worked very well. Prometheus immediately accepted his resurrection and restored the system to normal.

Whatever you have to say, save it for later.

Lin didn't know if he would live to see the distant future, but until then, he was willing to imagine what his future would be like.

He limped over to the Speaker's body. The Speaker had already been Honkai Energy while Lin was still fighting the Sixth Herrscher.

But the Speaker's brows relaxed so naturally, as if he had not suffered from Honkai Sickness before his death, but had simply fallen asleep.

Lin stared at the face that had vanished from his memory; it seemed both distant and familiar.

He reached into the speaker's jacket pocket and took a bullet.

Thank you, goodbye.

Under the twinkling stars, this "demon," this "human," seemed to have a faint, unassuming smile on his relieved face.

Chapter 114 Several Doctors

"Lin came back to life?"

Besides a whole bunch of messy wartime information coming from the front, there was also a piece of news that sounded rather strange to the somber Spasi.

He was the one who personally placed Lin's body in that room. He had confirmed that it was impossible for Lin to have faked her death or been near death. When Lin chose to withdraw from the Fire Moth to stop the Sixth Herrscher, Spasi had already foreseen this situation. Therefore, his feelings when he saw Lin's body were similar to those of the others who had died.

So the fact that Lin, who should not have survived, was resurrected was something he never expected.

"Resurrection? Impossible..." Knowing the laws of matter, Spasi was certain that Lin could not have been resurrected after a complete death. After a moment's thought, he guessed the reason, "He shouldn't have been completely dead... Is there a reason I don't know about?"

In any case, Lin coming back to life is not a bad thing. After formulating the final phase of the strategy to subdue the Sixth Herrscher, Spasi decided to do something.

"I want to go back to the Fifth Branch."

The heavily wounded Himiko and the exhausted Sakura, who served as the last line of defense for these combat commanders, both looked puzzled when they heard Spasi's decision.

Although most of the city has been recaptured, the Sixth Herrscher and that strange tree have not been completely eliminated. The Honkai creature that have not been completely cleared are still running rampant in the city. At present, returning to the Fifth Branch is extremely dangerous. All the other combat personnel with full combat strength have gone to participate in the extermination battle. Most of the remaining people are wounded, and no one can protect Spasi back.

Spasi was aware of the current situation and their doubts, but he still planned to go back.

There is one thing that absolutely must be done.

"You don't need to follow me. I can go back alone. Just protect the people here." Spasi paused for a moment, glancing at the scrolling intelligence on the screen. "Doctor Einstein, I have completed the final command of the operation. All command will now be handed over to you. If anything happens to me, please do not send anyone to support me. This is my own business."

Einstein did not obstruct the process, but he did offer a word of advice. "Doctor Spacy, please consider the bigger picture."

"I have fulfilled my duties as the head of the Fifth Branch and saved many people. Now I want to fulfill my duties as a doctor and save one patient."

With his one arm gripping the pistol, Spasi resolutely left after handing over command of the operation.

"Wait a minute, Doctor Spacy, let me go with you." After leaving the house, Himiko followed. She had heard Lin's message and guessed that what Spasi was going to do was probably related to Lin.

Her inner turmoil told her to follow.

We must never again witness the tragedy of Second Honkai War, nor experience the devastation of Sixth Honkai War.

She doesn't believe in God.

But she prayed sincerely.

"Found it! Are there any more?"

Sue picked up a torch soaked in alcohol, lit it, and waved it to drive away the approaching roots of the Giant Tree. Ordinary flames were useless against these tenacious roots, but Sue could at least use it to bolster his courage.

This place is already a refuge quite far from the roots of the Giant Tree. Its invasion speed and the number of tree roots have decreased significantly. It is possible that it swallowed humans before digesting them, so Su and the others still have time to carry out a rescue.

Director Fal, without any regard for safety, picked up the seriously ill and unconscious Honkai Sickness with his bare hands and fled out of the shelter. In order to provide timely rescue, he performed excision surgery on the spot in the car. The condition of these Honkai Sickness deteriorated rapidly during the Sixth Honkai War. Patients who were originally in the early stage deteriorated to the terminal stage in just one day, and many patients had already died from the erosion.

Ragna, wearing rubber gloves and carrying a scalpel and disinfectant, tried to keep the vehicle's interior as clean as possible, while Sue was responsible for fending off the persistent branches. With a clear division of labor, they moved between multiple shelters and had already rescued more than forty people, including three Honkai Sickness. This was the last person in the last shelter.

The mortality rate of Honkai Sickness is close to 100%. Only by removing the diseased parts can one survive. However, once surgery begins, the lines will erode rapidly as if they have been given life. Therefore, the success rate of surgery has not exceeded 1% over the past few years. It is a miracle that we were able to succeed three times in such a harsh environment.

This is now the last patient they can save.

"Director Fal, the lesions in the first three surgeries were relatively concentrated, so there was no major bleeding. But in this patient, the erosion has spread from the arm to most of the back." Ragna straightened the patient's body, tore off his shirt, and said to Far with a serious expression, "We don't have blood transfusion equipment. If we perform surgery here..."

"..."

Far knew what Ragna was trying to say. They didn't have the equipment in a proper operating room, and being able to complete three surgeries was entirely due to the favor of Lady Luck. But this time, they couldn't rely on luck to succeed. Without blood transfusion equipment and a blood bank, even if they removed the diseased part, the patient would still bleed to death.

After pondering for a while, he stroked his chin and said, "Go to Changkong City. It's only five kilometers away from here."

"Changkong City has also been evacuated, and the danger there should be no less than in our city."

"But we have no choice." Su ran up to them, panting, looking at the patient groaning in pain. Anyone could see the pity in his eyes. "Let's go."

Having made the decision, there was no need to hesitate. Ragna and his two companions set off immediately. They placed the patients who had already undergone surgery in the back row, with Sue squeezing in with them, while Far personally carried the last patient to the front passenger seat.

Ragna slammed on the gas, leaving the slow-moving tree roots behind him flying.

The last patient's condition was the most serious, so whether they could make it in time was still unknown.

But Su knew that whether or not something was done was a different matter from whether or not it was done at all.

Kevin disappeared in a disaster similar to this one, unable to save his friend, which made him want to find out the truth of what happened.

Now that the truth is clear, it has strengthened his resolve to fight the disaster known as "Honkai" to the very end.

In the swaying car, Su vaguely recalled the day when Kevin, Mei, and he went to a concert together. Kevin excitedly introduced his girlfriend Mei to him, but there was a hint of loneliness in his eyes.

Su quietly asked him why he seemed unhappy.

Kevin replied that it wasn't originally May who was supposed to come, but another friend of his.

That look remained vivid in Su's memory. One day, after he finished surgery, he saw a photo of himself and Kevin on his desk and suddenly saw that familiar look in the glass.

His own loneliness at losing someone important to him...

Su didn't want to see anyone with that look in their eyes again. He had witnessed too many life-and-death separations in the hospital, but they hadn't numbed him.

If you become numb to life, you are no longer a doctor, but a patient.

Far was right; they arrived in Changkong City before they had even finished listening to a song.

Ragna is right.

"Gah—"

The most direct manifestation of the increased Honkai Energy after the Herrscher's visit was—

The zombies in Changkong City, smelling the fresh flesh and blood, let out a low, guttural growl.

Chapter 115 Crying

"What are those...?"

Having never seen Honkai zombie or Honkai Beast, Su's worldview, which had already crumbled under the attack of the strange tree, was once again shaken when he encountered the monsters ravaging the city.

The pale humanoids and monsters harbored no malice, only a pure desire for destruction.

"...I'll handle this." Ragna, who had previously worked for the Firemoth, was obviously very familiar with them. Without changing her expression, she didn't even let go of the accelerator and used the car to smash the Honkai zombie in front of her away.

Ordinary Honkai zombie are not much different from the zombies in movies; they move slowly and have simple movements. Even ordinary people with enough courage can easily deal with and defeat them.

Unfortunately, in Honkai, ordinary Honkai zombie usually only account for 70% of the total number of Honkai zombie. That is, for every ten Honkai zombie, three will be special Honkai zombie.

This ratio means that... the movie plot of using vehicles to run over zombies won't happen for long at all.

"Bang!"

The sudden, discordant noise from the roof could not be an illusion. Ragna's hair stood on end. Her long-held knowledge came into play at this moment. She drew her pistol and fired three shots at the top of her head, but after the bullets pierced the roof, the foreign object seemed to have been missed.

The moment after the mournful howl rang out, three crimson claws, shrouded in blood, tore through the roof of the car, and a Honkai zombie, resembling both a human and a beast, bit into one of the unconscious patients with its hideous fangs.

"Claw Mortal!" Ragna recognized the speed-specialized Honkai zombie individual, but since she was still driving, she could only hold the gun with one hand and didn't have time to aim at the Honkai zombie!

"Aaaaaaaahhhhh!"

At this moment, Su held one hand across in front of the patient. The Honkai zombie's fangs were unyielding and immediately pierced Su's arm with his teeth. Blood and foam flew everywhere, and Su let out a heart-wrenching scream.

But at the same time, he gripped the scalpel with his other hand, and the moment the Honkai zombie bit his arm, he plunged the scalpel into the back of the Honkai zombie's head with bloodshot eyes.

Whether it was because he used too little force or Honkai zombie's unusual physical structure caused the Claw Mortal to not die on the spot, its biting force gradually increased, and the excruciating pain made it impossible for Su to push the scalpel any further.

Just as the arm was about to be severed in two by the Honkai zombie, Director Fal, in the passenger seat, grabbed the arm that the Claw Mortal was holding onto the roof of the car and forcefully pulled it off. Then, he held its head with one hand and pushed the scalpel in with the other.

The veins on his forehead and arms showed that Director Fal Far had done his best, but the monster's toughness far exceeded his expectations. Even with the scalpel halfway in, it was still full of life.