The Failures and the Successes / That Little Story

After consciousness completely left that body, all that remained was a useless mass of flesh, a collection of cells.

Einstein was murdered.

He was killed in his own room by that familiar knife.

Something called vitality suddenly sprang to Lin's mind, causing a series of thoughts to flash through his head at that moment.

The investigation team found nothing unusual in Einstein's room. Einstein was stabbed to death in the room, Kevin didn't find the body that had appeared so openly, with blood still dripping from it...

Malice coiled around the back of Lin's neck.

"Bass----"

The piercing sound of the impact, sharp enough to rupture eardrums, made one want to scream. Shards of the broken helmet swept past, and an "Error" sign appeared on the damaged viewing window.

Lin's eyes widened, his pupils shrinking in that instant. His instinctive action of turning around and drawing his knife to defend himself saved his life.

A slender ice sword clashed with the dagger in his hand, and as the scattering ice crystals struck his helmet, he saw the attacker standing at the far end behind him.

"Call..."

The exhaled breath sparkled with tiny ice crystals in the air before falling.

His short white hair is an irreplaceable identifier, a feature Lin used to identify his friends. Even now that he has lost his color vision, he can still see that unchanging "pure white".

Yes, pure white, like a blizzard.

Kevin lowered the arm that had launched the ice sword and stared at Lin, whose helmet was half destroyed, with the look one would give a stranger.

Are those still the eyes that humans should have?

He showed no emotion whatsoever, as if frozen by the cold within his body. He was pure and untainted, embodying everything about the savior of humanity and the warrior of the strongest name.

At this moment, it stands here with the indifferent gaze that has always been directed at the Honkai creature.

Betrayer, Kevin.

Should Lin be relieved? His deduction was correct: Kevin was a traitor, a "consciousness eroder" who took pleasure in killing humans at headquarters. Then Mei could also be another traitor.

However, his body, which shouldn't have felt anything, sensed the "cold".

He ultimately destroyed the headquarters last time and will continue to destroy humanity. He is an enemy more terrifying than the Herrscher. His abilities surpass those of the Herrscher of Ice. His calmness is comparable to that of the Herrscher of Death. His malice is the sum of all the Herrscher combined.

So, what should Lin do when faced with a former friend who has fallen into evil ways and whose plots and evil deeds are exposed?

Without a word, the friendship between these two once inseparable friends, which had been teetering on the brink of collapse amidst countless events, finally came to an end.

Lin turned around and pulled out the long knife stuck in Einstein's neck. The wind pressure behind him suddenly approached, and the surroundings were instantly plunged into an ice cellar!

Then, he bent down, turned sideways, and with astonishing control and flexibility, barely dodged the attack that tore through the steel wall. The whip kick, carrying terrifying force, struck Kevin's cheek—

"Boom!"

The headquarters of the Moth of Fire has fallen.

Chapter 153 Failures and Successes

The sea breeze stirs ripples on the clear surface. In the depths of this world, which is difficult for humans to reach, tranquility envelops the space, and time seems to stand still, as if it will never change.

A petrel skimmed across the sea, this nimble bird that leisurely roamed the five oceans, using its sharp eyesight to survey everything in the distance after taking off.

"——"

Suddenly, its elegant and peaceful flight was interrupted by a small incident.

A gust of cold wind froze its wings, disrupting its flight path.

Why did the sea, which was supposed to be in the midst of the warm ocean migration season, suddenly become calm and still? A biting cold penetrated the deep sea, and gusts of chill swept across the area from a certain direction.

"Click—"

The sea surface, which is far below the freezing point of freshwater, is frozen.

"Boom----"

A figure flew out and smashed through the ice, shattering the frozen waves. Instead of falling straight into the sea, the figure stopped abruptly and then rapidly ascended!

Meanwhile, another white figure rushed towards the black shadow from afar, walking on the ice at a terrifying speed invisible to the naked eye. He had no auxiliary devices on him, but with each step he took on the sea surface, a piece of hard, thick ice would serve as his stepping stone. When he pushed off the ice and crushed it, he would also use the recoil force to create sonic booms and move forward at high speed!

"Gurgle—"

Seeing that the white figure had already transformed into a silver-white line and rushed towards him, Lin immediately manipulated the anti-gravity flight device to rush towards it, drawing his long sword in an arc to collide with the figure charging head-on!

"Bang!"

The shockwave that erupted again shattered the surrounding ice and even blasted a circular hole in the sea surface, which was then frozen again by the low temperature, maintaining this shape.

Lin was sent flying, blood gushing from his mouth. The overwhelming power, so powerful it was despair-inducing, had defeated him in a mere half-second exchange, leaving him no chance to even hold his own.

At the same time, his left hand, which was holding the knife, was also covered by a layer of icy cold and became completely necrotic.

The difference between a "successful product" and a "failed product" is so obvious.

After Kevin's successful surgery, his neural reaction ability, strength, and speed far surpassed those of humans. Even though Lin was already at the pinnacle of human physical strength, he was like an ant compared to an elephant when facing Kevin.

Even though Herrscher, Lin had defeated them head-on before, using his own fighting style to create a favorable environment and deliver a fatal blow.

But this didn't work for Kevin.

Because Kevin understands Lin's style best, he knows when and from what angle Lin will strike, and he knows what Lin will consider in his next action. This is an instinct ingrained in him, which, after spending time with Lin and working side by side countless times, has become an experience that drives his fighting instinct.

When gentleness becomes a sharp blade, and trust becomes a bullet, all the past will vanish like smoke.

Before Lin could adjust his posture after falling into the sea, Kevin was already relentlessly pursuing him and attacking again. He could only use his right fist to punch his left arm, shattering the ice and taking off the long knife at the same time, a small missile was also fired from the arm armor.

"Bang!"

Kevin's figure remained unchanged. A solid ice shield formed in front of him. The flames that erupted when the missile hit him quickly melted some of the ice, but were then completely extinguished by the low temperature...

"Bass!"

Kevin looked up in surprise. At that moment, his hard ice shield was pierced by the tip of a long sword, with only a small section of the blade protruding.

This knife... is made of Soul Steel!

However, just when he thought that the useless attack had failed to harm him, the ice shield was completely broken in the next second, and the knife pierced his abdomen without any suspense.

"Waaah—"

Blood gushed from the wound, turning into red ice crystals in the next breath, and the wound was covered with a layer of frozen blood.

Lin coldly stepped on the end of the hilt of the knife, clearly using the power gathered by the anti-gravity flight device to concentrate on a single point in order to break through Kevin's ice shield.

However, this level of attack is at most a superficial wound for Flame-Chaser.

Without any conscious effort, the terrifying chill had already begun to corrode Lin's body, and a thin layer of frost had solidified on his entire armor. He immediately drew his long sword and tried to retreat.

However, Kevin had already drawn his right fist back into a bow shape, gazing at his former friend with his endlessly icy eyes, his whole body tense, gathering the earth-shattering power of the Flame-Chaser into his right fist.

--break out!

"Bang!!!"

Lin could not feel pain, but he could see and hear his whole body groaning.

In a split second, he used his weapon to shield himself, barely managing to block Kevin's fist from striking his body. But he saw that after the punch hit the longsword, his arms, which he used for defense, snapped instantly like two noodles. Then the longsword crashed into his body, and a series of chilling crackling sounds of "damage" emanated from within his body.

With just one strike, Lin's body was completely destroyed.

This was truly a battle with no suspense whatsoever; the "furious" reaction after the mastermind was exposed rendered them utterly powerless to resist.

Lin lost control of his hands and watched helplessly as the long sword fell into the sea. He could only grit his teeth and control the anti-gravity flight device to slow down his backward flight speed, and then try to retreat temporarily to send the news of Kevin's betrayal back to the Fire Moth.

However, when that pale shadow appeared on the sea surface, Lin understood that he had no chance.

"Smack."

A hand, containing power far exceeding that of humans and even Honkai Beast, lifted Lin's head up, ripped off the anti-gravity flight device behind him, glanced at the powerless Lin, Kevin casually tossed it aside. The sophisticated device was frozen solid and smashed onto the ice.

The icy temperature was eroding Lin's body, and he was showing signs of frostbite. Kevin just watched coldly as the man convulsed in his hands. His cold-blooded gaze swept over Lin's face under the damaged half of his helmet again, and then he carried him with one hand and walked towards headquarters.

It felt as if all the blood in my body had been frozen.

The rustling sound of my footsteps on the ice beneath me was restless.

Lin could neither feel the "heat" of her near-death experience nor the "cold" of being eroded by low temperatures; all she felt was an endless weakness lingering within her body.

Why didn't Kevin kill Lin directly?

Was it so that Lin would see the headquarters destroyed by him once again, and all the humans that Lin valued would fall before him?

Lin thought on listlessly, his consciousness almost slipping away, until—

"Let him go."

Qianqi stood in the large hole that Lin and Kevin had destroyed, smiling as she watched Kevin was now resting on the ice.

Kevin's body was trembling.

Does this ruthless monster still feel fear?

What is he afraid of?

Lin's eyes slit open, and through the blur, he saw the girl...

And Mei, whom she controlled, with a pistol pressed against her temple.

Chapter 154 That Little Story

"Hehe, I advise you not to make any rash moves~" Qianqi smiled and put her finger on the trigger, her finger muscles tense. "Right now I'm in a state of stress due to injury. If this gun accidentally goes off, this most valuable part of human beings, the head, might be smashed like a watermelon."

After saying that, she pressed the pistol even closer to Mei's expressionless head, the muzzle directly against the skin outside her temple, while she hid behind Mei to use her to cover most of her body.

Injuried...

Lin's gaze lingered weakly on Qianqi's other hand, which was clutching her abdomen.

Beneath that hand, there was an irregular stain, which looked like it had been wetted by something.

Although Qianqi pretended to be relaxed, her facial muscles twitched and she gasped when her hand touched the area under the stain.

They actually went and kidnapped Mei... but why...?

Lin's question was quickly answered.

"Don't even think about trying to distract me and launch a sneak attack." Qianqi's upturned lips were full of confidence, which made Kevin, who was staring at her coldly, pause in surprise. "I have a grenade in my clothes. If I'm not careful, or if I fall down, the fuse will be pulled and the grenade will detonate."

Qianqi's pupils dilated and contracted in response to the pain in her abdomen, and cold sweat slid down her forehead, but she still chuckled and held the gun still, "Besides, these grenades explode instantly, and they all belong to your little girlfriend. You might as well ask her yourself if that's true."

Kevin turned his gaze to May's face, and May nodded slightly, which made Kevin clench his fists even tighter.

So that's how it is. No wonder no one stopped Qianqi. It seems she threatened them not to come near, or she would detonate a grenade and die together with Mei...

Perhaps realizing Qianqi's threat, and knowing that he couldn't possibly be fast enough to ensure Mei wouldn't be affected by the explosion, he stared intently at Qianqi's smiling face, wishing he could bore a hole through it. "What... do you want to do?"

"First, release him. Second, a transport plane that you can't track, ten minutes."

Perhaps to conserve energy, Qianqi spoke very concisely. After she finished speaking, she deliberately hid her entire body behind Mei, and moved the muzzle of her pistol from her temple to the back of her head.

Kevin stared coldly at Qianqi, then looked at Mei, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

He did not let go of Lin.

"Hey, hey, hey, my voice was too soft..."

"Kevin probably sees me as his everything."

Seeing Lin's breathing grow weaker and weaker, Qianqi still had a smile on her face, but her tone was somewhat anxious. At this moment, Mei's extremely calm voice entered her ears.

"But he's not someone who would lose all his thinking for my sake."

"..."

Qianqi put away her indifferent expression, glanced at Mei, and then at Kevin was standing still. She heard many footsteps behind her, the strange movements of the soldiers of the Fire Moth approaching.

The traitor's identity has been confirmed. Even if she attacked Mei and threatened others not to approach, as long as the evidence is presented to others, they will understand that what she and Lin did was right.

Therefore, those soldiers should be reinforcements on their side.

That should be the case, right?

"Qianqi... don't... mind me..." Lin also realized this, and he struggled to exhale all his breath. Under the interplay of Kevin's cold gaze and Qianqi's complicated gaze, his increasingly cold body convulsed. "Evidence... tell... the others... about their... betrayal..."

"..."

Kevin remained unmoved, glancing at the dying Lin.

"..."