As Promised / Changes in Each of Them

"..."

"..."

Mobius could roughly guess what Lin would say next. She would probably start with "What's the matter?" and then, after she couldn't say anything, she would either tell him to leave or simply ignore her and leave her alone.

She suddenly realized that she actually knew Lin very well, just as he actually knew her very well.

After all, in terms of the length of time they've known each other, she was actually the first among the people Lin got to know and became close to.

"Is there something you need?" Lin put down his pen, crumpled the paper into a ball, and casually threw it into the trash can.

However, the crumpled paper was not thrown in; the force and direction were not properly controlled, causing it to bounce on the outer frame of the trash can and fall to the ground.

Lin didn't say anything. He got up, picked up the crumpled paper, and threw it into the trash can.

Mobius observed his nonchalant demeanor. Although he looked almost like a normal person now, his earlier actions revealed that the side effects of the Hypervariable Surgery were still affecting him.

As Mobius told Mei, most people simply cannot withstand the side effects of Lin. Physical discomfort is a minor matter, but psychological trauma is enough to change a person's mind.

But this man's resilience still exceeded her expectations; after going through all that, he was still able to calm down and adapt and practice...

It's really annoying.

"Can't you come if there's nothing wrong?" she suddenly blurted out, her tone sharp as a knife, watching Lin's reaction.

"If it's about experiments, I can do it now..."

Mobius interrupted him impatiently, "Without you, you're just a failed experiment. Why study you instead of successful cases?"

"..."

"But it's still necessary to collect postoperative adaptation information. Have you felt anything unusual? For example, are the phenomena of seeing parallel universes or hearing some inexplicable words still happening?" Mobius still brought up a topic.

"No."

Since that day, Lin has not heard any strange words or seen any strange scenes, and he can sleep until dawn as soon as he closes his eyes.

But more often than not, he couldn't fall asleep.

As soon as he closes his eyes, his body, which has no sense of touch, falls into a state where he can't even tell whether he is awake or not. So Lin can only close his eyes and fall asleep when his body feels so tired that he is about to faint.

"That's good. Have you been taking what I gave you on time?" After asking the question, Mobius didn't want to hear Lin's answer. Instead, he took a medicine bottle from his white coat and placed it on the table. "From now on, take one pill every night before bed."

"...good."

Lin took the medicine bottle and glanced at the words on it, wanting to know the ingredients, but unfortunately Mobius did not list them, as if he knew from the beginning that Lin would care about the ingredients.

"Your situation is rather special. As expected, if the Hypervariable Surgery fails, there are generally only two outcomes," Mobius said in a light tone, yet his words were chilling. "Death or a fate worse than death."

"..."

"Don't misunderstand, your current situation can't be considered a fate worse than death, because if a person who fails the Hypervariable Surgery doesn't die, they will usually be devoured by a large amount of Honkai Energy and Hyper-Evolution Factor and turned into Honkai Beast. But you didn't experience that, you only experienced side effects."

After briefly stating the conclusions reached after several days of research, Mobius said indifferently in a tone of detachment, "So even if others don't care about your situation as a failed experiment, I am still somewhat interested in it. I've had Mei cancel all your missions. We'll consider them again once you've adapted to your current state."

"...I see."

"Tsk."

I understand, I understand, I understand.

Couldn't he try something different? Every time he says he knows, it seems like he knows, it sounds like he knows, but he never does what he says.

This is infuriating.

But Mobius held back. She hated Lin's attitude, but she hated her own unwarranted resentment even more.

"Is there anything else?" As expected, Lin was about to give them the hint to leave, and Mobius was at a loss for words; she couldn't think of anything else to say.

"..."

"... If there's nothing else, you can go now. I'll come to the lab tomorrow."

Lin lowered his head, took out another piece of paper, and gripped the pen tightly with trembling hands.

Mobius stared at his clenched, white fingers and let out a cold breath.

Do you remember what you said before?

"..."

Lin looked up, puzzled, as if asking Mobius a question with his eyes.

"Ha, you really forgot," Mobius sneered. "Didn't you say you could cook cuisine from fourteen countries? What, I've only eaten a few, and you're already at your wit's end? Are you trying to get away with this?"

"... I have no sense of taste now."

Mobius's eye twitched slightly, but she quickly suppressed the inexplicable feeling and continued coldly, "Having no sense of taste is your excuse? I remember you once said that everything you own belongs to me, so you shouldn't have any excuses to refuse."

"..."

Lin didn't understand why Mobius was forcing him to cook. Now that he had lost his sense of taste and touch, he couldn't be sure how much seasoning he would add, he couldn't grip the knife tightly when cutting vegetables, and he couldn't even use color to judge whether certain vegetables were cooked.

Perhaps he was never proud of his culinary skills, but now he can't cook anything anymore.

Just like something lost from the heart.

"Now, go to the kitchen and cook. From today onwards, I must eat a meal at noon and a meal at night," Mobius commanded ruthlessly. "Also, don't think you can fool me just because you've lost your sense of taste. My tongue is still perfectly fine."

"..."

With no other options, Lin put down his pen and paper and went to the kitchen.

Mobius followed him to the kitchen, and Lin glanced at her but said nothing.

She watched as Lin opened the refrigerator, took out some meat and vegetables, placed them on the cutting board, hesitated for a moment when picking up the knife, and then gripped the handle with trembling hands.

"...Excuse me, could you hold the vegetables down for me?" he said, turning to Mobius.

If you can't control both hands, what you'll cut out will just be a messy jumble.

"Ugh, what a hassle."

Mobius frowned slightly, but didn't say anything more. He stepped forward and held the vegetables down for him.

"Watch your hands, I..."

Lin was afraid of cutting Mobius's hand, but Mobius interrupted him directly, saying, "Stop talking nonsense, I'm cutting you."

So, after glancing at the cold-faced Mobius one last time, Lin carefully began chopping the vegetables.

Chapter 105 Their Changes

You can tell a person's mental state by looking into their eyes.

While helping Lin cook, Mobius secretly observed his expression. Perhaps he didn't need to wear a helmet, since he was originally a person without any expression, but perhaps his eyes really had changed.

Mobius had never seen Lin's eyes before, so she couldn't make a comparison. However, these eyes, which were like frozen ice, were not the kind of eyes Lin would show when he was trying to change himself recently.

Her gaze shifted, landing on Lin's hand as he carefully and slowly chopped vegetables. She asked casually, "You mentioned before that you were going to visit that assassin named Sakura, right?"

"..." Lin stopped chopping vegetables, glanced at the back of Mobius's head, "... I probably won't go."

"Why?"

"... There is no time, and there is no need."

Do you want to go?

"In no mood."

Lin brushed the bits of food off the cleaver and set it aside. He then started a fire to boil water, a step for which he didn't need Mobius's help.

He did all of this in a businesslike manner.

"Dessidobia, are you alright?"

"..."

Kosma never imagined he would become the one offering comfort.

Dessidobia stood in the cemetery, her expression devoid of grief, yet Kosma felt a tidal wave of sorrow welling up within her, engulfing his ankles.

She came here wanting to see a name.

But that name will not be engraved on the monument of this victim.

Because the moth that chases the flame cannot compare the Herrscher with other victims.

"Kosma, did the captain do something wrong?" Dessidobia clenched her fists and stood before these names with her head down. In the past, she would feel the weight of these names when she stood here, but now, she only felt a void in her heart.

"... Dessidobia, this is not something we can control."

Dessidobia was in the Branch 19 in Australia when she witnessed the destruction of a city, and the culprit was none other than her beloved captain.

"Why does this have to happen to the captain?" Tears welled in her eyes, her voice trembling as if an inextinguishable flame burned in her chest. "Why must humanity go through this?"

"..."

Kosma stood quietly behind her. He knew he was clumsy with words and not good at expressing himself, so it would be better to let her vent for a while.

Kosma also remembered the girl who would eat instant noodles with him in the middle of the night. She was like a bubble that flashed by in his life. Before he could even come to his senses, before he even knew if she was a friend, she had easily drifted away.

Outside the door, a stark contrast to the quiet cemetery, was a cacophony of voices excitedly discussing humanity's victory and shouting that humanity had won.

Did humanity win?

Kosma gazed at the cemetery, densely covered with the names of the deceased, and at Dessidobia, who stood before it, sobbing.

Did humanity... win?

Hua wiped the dust off the photo frame and silently gazed at her shy self in the glass frame, Lin sitting in a wheelchair wrapped in bandages, the girl with dyed hair who was secretly glancing at Lin, and the red-haired woman who was casually hooking her arm around her.

She didn't know what profound speech she should give to express her feelings.

All she knew was that she actually missed the past.

Whether it was the student days in Canghai City when I could call my father and chat with him, or go out to eat wonton noodles with my friends, or the days as a new recruit standing behind Lin and Himiko and being protected by them, they are all incredibly clear in my memory.

Only in this moment and place did she realize that people can only mourn the past through memories.

"Hua, what's wrong?"

Immer picked up a stack of beer cans and asked Hua, who was standing motionless.

"No...it's nothing." Hua put away the photo frame. "Thank you, Immer, for helping me pack Captain Himiko's things."

"No need to thank me, Captain Himiko often takes care of me too." Immer's temperament is somewhat like Lin's; in most situations, she can think calmly and quickly regain her composure. "Hua, what are your plans for the future?"

"... In the future?" Hua remembered that she had said she wanted to travel after the Honkai ended.

"Yes, I plan to get more involved in intelligence analysis in the future. There is still too little information about the Honkai. Many sacrifices are due to inaccurate intelligence. Moreover, even aliens exist. In the future, humanity may not only face the threat of the Honkai. Intelligence should be the top priority."

Hua subconsciously placed her hand on the photo frame, the icy touch causing her to pause for two seconds.

Even after humanity defeats the Honkai, is it still not the end?

So, does the "future" that Captain Himiko longs for, the "future" that Captain Lin tells her to choose... really exist?

"I want to know... the answer," she murmured in a barely audible voice.

She wanted to ask Himiko, who had already passed away, no... the Seventh Herrscher.

"You're the hero of this massive Honkai, aren't you really going to the ball to drink and socialize?"

"..."

The rain was pouring down, and he could hear the sound of the metal roof above him being soaked by the rain. In this rainy season, welcoming the downpour was a daily routine, and the trickling water would gather from the outer edge into a cluster and eventually flow into the sea.

Kevin heard it all clearly, even though he didn't want to hear it.

He stood in the center of the gym, the biting cold spreading from his feet to the floor. The low temperature, which only special cold-weather clothing could withstand, was spreading around him without his notice.

It was as if he were standing in another lonely world, with no one in front of him and no one behind him.

Kevin glanced down at the frozen, white ground beneath his feet, took a deep breath to control the chill in his body, and turned to look at Mei standing in the doorway.