Artificial Lifeform / Rain and Snow

A distant, profound call drifted from the depths. Mei took a deep breath and stepped into the seemingly endless dark prison before her.

The space belonging exclusively to Flame-Chasers is a unique scene shaped according to his memories and consciousness. Is this darkness before him, like a large net enveloping everything, the image of Aponia's Mental Sea? In her memories, is the darkness that has always tormented her the most profound impression?

Mei didn't know about Aponia's past, so she could only guess, since the religious elements associated with Aponia always made people think of asceticism.

This time, she spent less time in front of Aponia than before. It was unclear whether she had become familiar with the place or whether Aponia was accepting her.

"Hello, Mei... We meet again."

Aponia greeted her in a tone that was hard to tell whether it was lazy or casual, her breathtaking blue eyes gleaming eerily in the darkness. Mei stood before her with a serious expression, wary of this psychic Flame-Chaser trying to cast some inexplicable power on her.

"Aponia... what exactly is your purpose?"

"... Before humans possessed wisdom, they had already learned to 'doubt.' But I have no ulterior motives towards you. Please believe me..."

"Don't try to interfere with my brain!"

When Aponia said "please," Mei suddenly took a step back, warning this person not to use her abilities for evil purposes.

Think about it carefully. A person with the ability to manipulate people's hearts is imprisoned in a place like a prison. These two points combined are very telling. This Aponia in front of her is very likely the most dangerous Flame-Chasers she has ever encountered. Even Chrono and Mobius may not be as dangerous as her.

The third in the sequence, the Flame-Chasers...

"..."

Aponia stared at Mei, her blue eyes turning a bewitching blood red at some point. After a while, she closed her eyes, and when she opened them again, they had returned to their jewel-like blue.

"Please believe me, Mei."

Even Mei herself didn't know if she was using her abilities. These Flame-Chasers' abilities even surpassed those of Herrscher, especially Kevin, who was on a completely different level from ordinary Herrscher. Even a fully ascended Herrscher like Mei might not be able to gain the upper hand against Kevin, who wielded the power of the Jie Mie.

However, she was very lucid this time, and she barely believed that Aponia was not using her powers at this moment.

"Phew, okay, Lin sent me to find you, he's here now..."

"Lin is alright." Aponia shook her head, her chilling gaze shifting in the darkness. "He wants me to help you."

How did you know?

"I've already met him once, so you don't need to worry."

"...Alright, then I'll head back first." Aponia is also a mysterious person, and may know some of the truth, but Mei only feels the danger right now. She has no advantage in this unfamiliar environment, so she should test the other party's attitude first.

However, this is Aponia's territory, and whether Mei stays or Mei is not up to her.

"I have already seen your fate, Mei."

"... Is this a common refrain among people who dress up as charlatans?" Mei glanced at him coldly. "Fortunately, the headmaster doesn't talk like that."

However, despite the mockery, Aponia smiled and said to Mei, "You, like Lin, don't believe in fate, even though he has seen and experienced it himself. Is that why you want me to help you...?"

Seeing the light in her eyes, Mei couldn't help but ask, "What is your relationship with Lin...?"

"Friend...comrade-in-arms...confidant...you can interpret my relationship with him according to whatever you think you can..."

"... You seem more willing to talk about your past with Lin than others." Mei abandoned her plan to leave; perhaps this was a good starting point. Instead, she asked, "Did you meet at the Firemoth?"

"..."

"..."

"...No."

Mei let out a breath. "Is there something you can't say about it?"

"No." Aponia shook her head again. In the dim light, the cross on her chest shimmered with golden light. She held the cross and smiled calmly. "The time I spent with him was probably the happiest time of my life."

"You're telling me it's okay?"

Actually, when Chrono took out the card and letter, the Nun had already guessed who it was, since only she, the sponsor, and the man knew who had provided the aid seven years ago.

"The sanatorium's resources are insufficient to support so many people. What are your plans?"

The man provided her with the answer, or rather, solved the problem.

"Aponia, there are children in the sanatorium." Chrono spoke with unusual calm, his fierce gaze fixed on the Nun from behind his mask. "You know better than I do what 'money of dubious origin' means."

"... Perhaps it was just a kind person who donated to us," the Nun replied calmly.

"Huh... does that mean I'm the suspected bad guy?"

Chrono, who had made a self-deprecating remark, frowned and waved his hand. "Never mind, I hope you know what you're doing."

Although Chrono and Aponia didn't get along, he still knew Aponia's character well; at least from her appearance, she was definitely not a bad person.

The money's origin is dubious, but it'll solve our immediate problem. Even if someone comes looking for trouble later, humph...

Chrono returned to her post. The Nun closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and then carefully read the letter.

To the Nun:

I apologize that it has been seven years since my last letter. In the last letter, I mentioned my desire to renovate the sanatorium, but you refused. I do not want to force you to agree, after all, I am just a sponsor, and all the decision-making power is in your hands.

I recently returned to Dusk Street on business and found your letter after cleaning the house. This prompted me to inquire about the nursing home's current situation. Your kindness is admirable and makes me feel ashamed of myself.

This card allows you to withdraw a certain amount of money each month. I'm donating it to the nursing home, so please feel free to use it. I'd like to contribute my modest efforts to this charitable material support.

—The Nameless One.

The handwriting on this letter was an imitation of that of previous letter writers. Her distant memories overlapped with the letter in front of her, but she could still see some differences from the past.

Unconsciously, the Nun smiled as she read the letter. After finishing, she turned on the lamp, sat down at the table, picked up a pen and paper, thought for a moment, and wrote down...

"To Mr. Ultraman..."

Chapter Seven Artificial Life

The rain fell incessantly. Even in the Dusk Street, the weather was changeable and chaotic. The irritating rain and sleet constantly eroded the spirits of the residents.

A booted foot stepped into the puddle, splashing water onto the ground. The man looked up at the continuous rain, tightened his gear, and stepped into the shadows of the Dusk Street.

"..."

Even though it has been said a thousand times, it must be emphasized that when the concentration of Honkai Energy exceeds a certain limit, it will trigger Honkai. Honkai Energy can be stored in the human body. People infected with Honkai Sickness are like mobile virus sources. Once they gather together, the concentration of Honkai Energy will also rise, and more people will be infected, creating a vicious cycle.

The reason why so many Honkai Sickness gather in the sanatorium is that some of the Nun took in those who had nowhere else to go, which caused the overall Honkai Energy concentration in Dusk Street to rise. The fact that she was able to stay in the sanatorium unharmed for so long clearly shows that she has an extremely high Honkai Energy Adaptability.

Outside of the sanatoriums, where are the Honkai Sickness who didn't choose to seek help there?

The man picked up the syringe at his feet; the residual solvent inside, based on the helmet analysis, was rabies vaccine.

The man lying against the wall not far away had familiar pinkish-purple stripes all over his face. He was listlessly bowing his head, and the patterns on his body lit up and went out with his breath, clearly indicating that he had reached the late stage of Honkai Sickness.

The chaos in Dusk Street and the fact that the Fire-Chasing Moths didn't get involved resulted in no effective prevention of Honkai. Even if all the Honkai Sickness in the sanatorium were transferred, it wouldn't change the Honkai Energy concentration here. There are far more Honkai Sickness outside the sanatorium...

The Nun's kindness was of no use.

"Human life is as fragile as a candle flame flickering in a blizzard; even if you reach out your hand, you cannot stop the cold wind that blows it out."

A unique synthesized sound rang out from the darkness. The man turned his head and saw a "person" wrapped in a cloak slowly walk out of the shadows into the light.

Even though he was standing in a bright, clear place, you couldn't feel any humanity in him at all.

Of course, because he is not human at all.

"It's a pleasure to see you again, Mr. Lin. It's been half a year since we last met, since you gave me a second life."

A pair of scarlet eyes shone from under the hood.

"..."

The man was indeed a little surprised to see him here.

Upon seeing his former partner, who was on the verge of death, again, the man was surprised by the proper way the man spoke.

He was a "thing" discarded by Mobius, a byproduct of an experiment, a waste product handed over to men to dispose of, that is, an Artificial Lifeform.

When the man discovered that he was still alive, he did not discard him as Mobius had requested. Instead, he took him back to his room, where his strong will to live allowed him to survive after two days of tenacious struggle.

He then left headquarters.

The man chose not to concern himself with what he would do next, and whether his appearance on Dusk Street was a coincidence or intentional, he had no idea.

"Why are you here?" the man asked him.

"I simply followed the chaos here." He spread his hands to demonstrate his "sincerity." "Mr. Lin, are you here on a mission?"

"Hmm." This isn't a secret worth hiding.

"Then let me tell you about the situation in Dusk Street." He paused, then said politely, "I haven't told you my name yet. After leaving the Firemoth, I adopted the name 'Gray Serpent,' taken from my mistress, Doctor Mobius ..."

The man nodded, walked over to the man slumped against the wall, squatted down, and said softly, "Do you need my help?"

"..."

Perhaps hearing the man's voice, a glimmer of light returned to the man's dull eyes, and he nodded with difficulty.

The man rolled up his sleeve, and a needle popped out from the armor on his wrist. He inserted the pillow into the man's striped neck, and some medicine immediately flowed into the man's body through the needle.

Soon, under the watchful eyes of the man and the Gray Serpent, the man fell into a deep sleep, his eyes still filled with the relief of surviving a disaster.

The man put away the needle, covered his armor with his sleeve, and walked ahead, with the Gray Serpent following a step behind him.

"Mr. Lin, you only injected him with a sleeping pill; it won't save him from the fact that he will be eroded to death today." Gray Serpent's tone was unhurried, and he occasionally looked back at the person who was slowly walking towards death in his sleep.

"I know," the man replied calmly.

The fact that he injected himself with a rabies vaccine shows that he was still looking for a way to save himself, and he was willing to try as long as there was even the slightest hope.

However, the Honkai Sickness cannot be cured by a rabies vaccine.

Sometimes men even suspect that Honkai Sickness is not a disease but a curse.

The man was saved by the deaths of countless people, but he was powerless to save more people like him. Doing so would only give that person psychological comfort, allowing them to die peacefully in their sleep.

"I see. Even if hope is just an illusion, it is indeed genuine hope." The Gray Serpent nodded slowly, following behind the man. "And this is the kind of hope that humanity needs."

"..."

It's clear that the Gray Serpent is learning. After coming to human society, he began the process of learning from humans, and now he has finished learning the conventional knowledge of humans and has reached the level of "philosophy".

As expected of Artificial Lifeform created by Mobius, its learning ability has far surpassed that of humans.

"I'm sorry, Mr. Lin, I hope my talking to myself didn't bother you."

Perhaps the man gave him a second life, or perhaps what Gray Serpent learned was this aristocratic elegance. After apologizing to the man, he began to speak in detail, "The general layout of Dusk Street is no different from that of ordinary gathering places. There is no class distinction here. Because it is located in an area without jurisdiction, it hides many unknown darknesses."

"But there has been no large-scale violence here. Most people do not carry firearms. Small-scale brawls often occur, but they always end before any real killings happen."

Because those who can survive in the Dusk Street know when to stop, deaths are relatively rare.

"Then there's the most unique location on Dusk Street: the sanatorium."

The man suddenly stopped, turned his head, and stared at the Gray Serpent.

Chapter Eight: Rain and Snow

"The residents of Dusk Street mostly treat the sanatorium with respect. No matter how vicious the residents of Dusk Street are, they will not have any thoughts about the sanatorium. It is their last haven, like Noah's Ark that they can board when the great flood comes."

"But the reason for this phenomenon is not just the special nature of the sanatorium itself. There is a rumor that no one would disobey the Nun in the sanatorium."

The Gray Serpent produced a black umbrella from nowhere and handed it to the man, who gently shook his head in refusal. So the man opened the umbrella himself and used it to shield himself from the rain and snow.

"...What's the meaning?"

"The Nun seemed to possess an innate ability to easily convince people of her words and persuade others to achieve their goals, even if that person... was a complete stranger to her."

Gray Serpent spoke clearly, his volume neither too loud nor too soft, just enough to be heard. Listening to him, the man recalled his brief encounter with the Nun during their first meeting...

Was he persuaded...?

Impossible. Ordinary humans do not possess the ability to manipulate people's hearts. The reason why the Nun was able to gain a voice ultimately stemmed from her identity as a believer and the status of the sanatorium.

The man was certain that he was acting on his own will, and not that he had been "persuaded" by the Nun.

"You seem to have something to say?" Gray Serpent slightly raised his umbrella, revealing what was under his hood.

Unlike when he left, perhaps influenced by the man, he now wore a black mask, leaving only two eyes radiating a scarlet light in their hollows, making him look mysterious and terrifying.

"Did you find any trace of the sanatorium's involvement in the things you investigated on Dusk Street?"

"I don't understand what you mean..." Gray Serpent's synthesized voice sounded a little doubtful. He pondered for a moment before answering uncertainly, "If you are referring to the underground transactions on Dusk Street, I have not found any trace related to the sanatorium."

"..."

The man looked up at the sanatorium, which stood firm amidst the rain and snow, becoming a unique sight on the Dusk Street.