The Assassin Exchange Principle / The Eve

"Just like Kevin did with Doctor Mei."

The mechanical girl blinked at her monitor and spoke to Lin, who was keeping his head down and remaining silent.

"I'm so sorry, I've been so busy with missions lately that I haven't had time to visit you. This is a bracelet that Rin gave you."

The most unexpected guest was probably this cherry-haired female swordswoman with a sword tucked in her sleeve.

She immediately began to recount her recent situation to him in a familiar tone, and handed him a crimson bracelet. Throughout the conversation, she maintained a businesslike indifference. After finishing her sentence, she stared intently at Lin on the hospital bed, as if waiting for him to speak.

In this situation, the question Lin should ask is the classic one, "Are we that close?"

But he sensed that Sakura's tone wasn't just inexplicably familiar, so after briefly glancing at Sakura's still-present armor, he asked, "What are Mei's plans?"

Seeing that Lin quickly realized it himself, Ying secretly breathed a sigh of relief. Communicating with him always brought her immense pressure and guilt. It was only after she finished speaking that she remembered there was something important she hadn't mentioned.

"After you recover, we will form the Poisoned Cocoon Squad and temporarily carry out missions together."

"..."

Sakura is a new member of the Poisoned Cocoon, and currently the only member. She obviously didn't expect that her first teammate would be Lin, who sent her to the Deepest Place.

Moreover, she had asked Mei with some hesitation, and Lin probably wouldn't agree to carry out the mission involving the Poisoned Cocoon.

Fortunately, Mei had naturally considered this issue.

"Until the situation at headquarters stabilizes, we are just a regular combat team and do not receive missions from the original Poisoned Cocoon."

The cancellation of Lin's position had a significant impact, but it wasn't insignificant either. Starting him back as a regular private was somewhat of a waste of his talents. So, with the tacit approval of the other High Council officers, Mei transferred him to the Poisoned Cocoon, which was essentially her private army, giving him a certain degree of autonomy.

Moreover, Lin's rich experience can also provide Sakura with some assistance, which is equivalent to tutoring this newcomer who has high combat power but little experience.

"I won't be going on any missions until you've fully recovered. Is there anything else you need?"

Sakura's face was tense. She knew that Lin was a very strict person with himself and his teammates, so it was best to deal with him in a businesslike manner.

To her surprise, after hearing all this, Lin calmly opened his book, lowered his head, and said indifferently, "Peel an apple for me."

"...Um?"

It's the beginning of the month, you know what I mean.

null

Chapter Three: The Killer Exchange Rules

"Lin... has disappeared from the Imaginary Tree..."

In the deepest, darkest the Deepest Place, a pair of azure eyes slowly opened. She pondered silently for a moment, then a deep crimson glint flashed across the depths of her eyes.

Just seconds ago, Lin's presence vanished from the Imaginary Tree, something that had never happened before.

Unlike the memories of Flame-Chasers, Lin's memories do not burden visitors. Therefore, he can appear at the starting point of the Imaginary Tree from the very beginning, observe visitors and provide assistance. Naturally, he does not hide in the Imaginary Tree and not come out to see people like the Flame-Chasers did at the beginning.

This is an unprecedented situation where someone has completely disappeared and even Aponia cannot be found.

And when Lin disappeared, it was perhaps an illusion, but it wasn't that he concealed his presence; rather, he simply vanished.

"What happened...?"

Lin had discussed with her the plans related to that Herrscher visitor, but his own disappearance was clearly not part of the plan.

What happened in the Imaginary Tree?

Before anyone could react... deep within the Moths of Flame, in the cemetery where endless rain fell, the tombstones engraved with countless names began to... tremble.

"The apple... is peeled."

The cherry-haired assassin hesitantly pushed the fruit plate next to the man reading the book. The juicy apples inside had been skillfully sliced into six pieces. He nodded silently, pointed to the plate, and gestured for her to eat as well.

... That's strange.

These words came to Sakura's mind.

Whether compared to their first meeting when he was in a wheelchair or their second meeting when they were on the verge of battle, Lin seemed to have undergone some kind of change.

When we first met, he was a mysterious man with a cold and stern demeanor mixed with a touch of gentleness. When we met again, he was a master who exuded murderous intent and whose every move drew blood. The latter could be said to be the former's usual, unassuming side.

But now, Lin seems... to have lost his hostility.

However, to be fair, he himself was not ruthless. It was just that his usual taciturnity and the occasional sharp gaze made it difficult to give people a good impression. Now, he seemed to have washed away all his sharpness, and just sitting there, he blended perfectly into the peaceful atmosphere of dawn and dusk.

It gives the impression of an old man's retired life.

"Crack."

The sound of Lin chewing on her apple brought her back to her senses. She looked up and saw that Lin had already closed her book and was preparing to move on to the next one.

His reading speed was unbelievably fast. In the short time it took to peel an apple, he finished the book he was halfway through. At first, Sakura thought he had read it a few times or just skimmed through it, but he would even occasionally make notes and bookmarks in the book, which showed that he had indeed read it carefully.

"Reading ten lines at a glance" is not even a proper way to describe his reading speed.

Lin glanced at Ying and noticed she was observing him, so he handed her the book. "Do you want to see it?"

"...No need." Sakura paused for a moment, then shook her head.

"I think it's very interesting." Since Ying didn't want to read it, Lin didn't force her. He casually put the book on the table. "This book tells the story of a female assassin who falls in love with her target. The process is a bit cliché, but the ending is unexpected. It can be said that the author used all the previous content as a prelude to the ending."

"..."

Why did he suddenly start talking about the contents of the book?

And why specifically a female assassin?

Have you ever been in a situation where you needed to kill a target but couldn't bring yourself to do it?

"..." When Sakura noticed that Lin's eyes had returned to their original state when he asked this question, a kind of piercing coldness emanating from within. However, he deliberately lowered his head to avoid looking at her, probably because he didn't want her to see it.

After thinking for a moment, Sakura sighed softly, "Once."

"What kind of person is the other party?"

"My first target to kill."

"..."

"I can't remember his name anymore, but I remember the look in his eyes when I couldn't bring myself to do it the first time, when he faced the blade reflecting his fearful face," Sakura said softly. "At that moment, I realized that the person I was killing was a living, breathing human being, just like me."

"But you still did it."

"Yes."

"..."

"..."

There was silence for a moment.

The atmosphere in the room plummeted to freezing point after Lin's words.

Sakura didn't explain whether the people she killed were deserving of death, because she chose those targets not to rid the people of evil, but to make herself feel that she could do it and to make it seem more justifiable.

There is no such thing as taking a life without reason, and Lin could see why she chose those people.

Sakura thought this conversation would end there, and that they would continue to maintain a cold and unfamiliar relationship until Lin left the Poisoned Cocoon team.

But to her surprise, after a brief silence, Lin picked up the book again, opened a page, glanced at it, and said, "The female protagonist of this book has an interesting view on her profession as an assassin. She believes that being an assassin is a profession of 'exchange'."

"..."

What's the meaning?

Sakura listened to him continue, still a little dazed.

"She trades 'humanity' for 'life.' The more people she kills, the less of her 'humanity' remains. After killing her first person, she is no longer a complete 'human being.'"

Lin used the most concise language possible to explain the female protagonist's perspective in the book. Then he closed his eyes, and after a while, when he opened them again, the icy coldness in his eyes was gone.

"But the world in the book is ultimately just fiction. If her views differ from yours, then they don't apply to you, and..." Lin exhaled, "The author of the novel only writes novels, and his views don't apply to real killers either."

"Exchange...?" Sakura murmured to herself, a hint of self-mockery flashing in her eyes.

"Cherry."

"Um?"

Lin Danran picked up the next book and said casually, "I once left a letter in your mailbox, hoping that you could give up being an assassin and return to a normal life. At that time, it was an 'opportunity' for you. If you still chose to live as an assassin, I would personally hand you over to human judgment."

"...terribly sorry."

"You don't need to apologize, I've already done what I needed to do."

Sakura, who had initially thought Lin would blame her, looked at him in confusion. He picked up a piece of apple, threw it into his mouth, and said, "I just handed you over to humans for judgment, and the result of your judgment is... to make you fight for humans."

"In my opinion, this is also a kind of exchange. The moment you choose to step onto this battlefield, no matter what your original intention was, you have already gained back what belongs to you."

"Therefore, I will seek your advice often in the future."

Sakura stared blankly at Lin, whose face bandages showed no change, and a strange feeling welled up inside her.

It was a little uncomfortable, yet surprisingly... relaxing.

"Oh, right, have some apples." Lin pushed the fruit plate in front of her.

On the Eve of Chapter Four

Lin rarely uses sweet talk to achieve his goals. Perhaps someone was good at it, but he didn't teach Lin that skill.

Lin simply expressed his thoughts, and he didn't care whether his words would cause hatred or kindness.

For example, was what he just said to Sakura something he meant? No, he just happened to be reading that cheesy urban novel and felt that Sakura and the female protagonist in the book were somewhat similar, so he expressed his opinion.

However, Lin did consider having some friendly exchanges with Sakura. They could become teammates, and their cooperation on the battlefield would be crucial. After experiencing many events, Lin's approach to interpersonal relationships had changed.

As for what the change is... he himself couldn't say for sure. Perhaps he's become kinder, or perhaps he's become more genuine.

"Oh my, so a girl has come to visit you already!"

"..."

Lin didn't need to look up to know who it was just by hearing the drawn-out interjection at the end of the sentence.

There's no need to even think about it; the first thing that person did after coming in was...

"Crack."

They snatched the last piece of apple from the fruit platter.

Lin calmly raised his head and looked at Elysia, who was chewing an apple with a satisfied expression. Judging from her appearance, she had just returned from a mission and came to the ward without even putting down her weapon.

"Hehe..." Elysia noticed Lin staring at her, smiled nonchalantly, and curiously looked at Sakura, especially her long pink hair, which was just like hers. "So Lin likes pink too~"

"I don't like pink."

"That's a lie."

"Pink reminds me of a sponge that hasn't been rinsed properly and is covered in dish soap," Lin said, using a metaphor he would never normally use. "The moment I saw it, it made me uncomfortable."

"..."

"..."

Elysia glanced at Sakura furtively and, seeing that she didn't seem to care at all, smiled meaningfully at Lin: "Lin, I'll get angry if you belittle my favorite color like that."

"Yeah?"

"But if you beg me not to be angry, I won't be angry."

"Please," Lin said in a voice as cold as minus thirty degrees Celsius.

Her beautiful big eyes narrowed into slits with satisfaction, revealing crescent-shaped silver teeth. Although she hadn't expected Lin to be so cooperative, getting him to say such things was still an achievement.

"Hehe, let's get to know each other formally. This girl is just as cute as me. My name is Elysia."

Elysia extended her hand to Sakura without any hesitation, and after glancing at Lin, who had not made any statement, Sakura nodded imperceptibly and shook hands with Elysia's soft hand. "My name is Sakura, a member of the Poisoned Cocoon Squad."

"Hmm... She's as beautiful as her name. By the way, Lin, didn't you tell me you knew such a beautiful girl before? If she hadn't saved you last time, I wouldn't have recognized her at all~"

Last time, it refers to the final moments of the battle with the Sixth Herrscher, when Sakura, following Mei's orders, arrived at the battlefield in time, pierced through the arm of the Sixth Herrscher was attacking Lin with a single strike, saved Lin, and together they delivered the final, devastating blow to the Sixth Herrscher.