I'm No MOTH Hero

"Is that so? Then I truly 'congratulate' you on connecting with Mobius." Sigma's jab was laced with sarcasm, as Mobius's infamous reputation was well-known, and not in a good way.

Lin didn't respond to his remark, instead asking, "Is there anything else?"

"Yes."

"Speak."

Sigma's grim expression softened slightly. He stared at Lin's impassive face and let out a breath. "Last night, I was too aggressive."

...The development was unexpected, but Lin showed no reaction. He simply crossed his arms, waiting coolly for Sigma to continue.

Sigma was aware of Lin's aloofness. He moved his foot out of the way and said, "Your reputation has been spreading like wildfire for months now, including your combat achievements, your character, and the weapons and equipment you use."

Lin knew this too; it was because of these rumors that Elysia had approached him in the first place.

However, Sigma was the first person to harbor such strong hostility towards him based on rumors alone.

"We haven't had much interaction, so my impression of you was based entirely on those rumors, which led to some misunderstandings."

Sigma paused here, observing Lin's reaction. Seeing that he still looked as if he might not have been listening, he continued, "I also had some minor friction with Delta, which further deepened the misunderstanding. After I returned yesterday, I reviewed your combat data."

"To be honest, your overall combat strategy is astonishing. You are definitely not someone who achieves impressive results solely through equipment performance."

This compliment came rather suddenly. The person who had spoken ill of him yesterday was now praising his individual skill today. Unless Sigma was truly magnanimous, most people wouldn't be able to swallow their pride like this.

Lin shook his head. "It's nothing. In that situation, there were plenty of people who could have done better than me."

"Perhaps, but at that moment, it was you. There's no question about that."

Sigma extended his hand and nodded at Lin. "In any case, I don't expect you to forgive me, but I hope we can get to know each other again. I am Sigma, from the Combat Command Department, MSA-066."

"You don't need my forgiveness." Lin decided to give him some face and extended his hand to shake. "Soldier Lin, MSA-079."

"You still have things to do, so I won't bother you. Goodbye."

Lin nodded in acknowledgment, bypassed Sigma, and walked forward.

The tall man narrowed his eyes, watching Lin's retreating figure.

Recovered? His aura is still very weak, his steps are unsteady, and his handshake lacked strength. He's likely only barely able to walk.

At this point, even if someone were to shoot at him head-on, he wouldn't be able to dodge.

And if it were from behind...

Sigma silently drew a pistol from his inner jacket and slowly aimed it at the back of Lin's head.

Lin continued walking forward, completely unaware that a glinting gun barrel was pointed at his head from behind.

All it would take was a pull of the trigger to easily kill this unsuspecting person.

Should I carry out the order here?

Lin walked further and further away, nearing the corner.

His finger began to tighten, and the trigger moved backward.

The cold glint in Sigma's eyes and his hidden anger began to fill his gaze. His finger grew tighter, his grip on the gun handle turning white.

"Tsk..."

He withdrew the gun, turned, and hurried away in the opposite direction.

Lin stopped at the corner, subtly glancing at Sigma's retreating back before looking away as if nothing had happened.

Chapter Thirty-Five: Helmet, In Place

[Physiological characteristics confirmed]

His head returned to the confined space. The air purifier silently released clean oxygen, and the terms of service appeared on the familiar visual display, bringing the world of information back into view.

Lin intended to use visual controls to adjust the system parameters back to their previous state when a line of text appeared in the upper right corner of the display.

[Welcome, Lin]

...Lin furrowed his brow slightly. He looked at Delta in front of him, who was sporting a smile full of unspoken meaning, his expression clearly conveying "figure it out yourself."

Lin asked without inflection, "Who are you?"

Without any pause, the line of text continued to appear in the upper right corner.

[I am an artificial intelligence created by Dr. Mei to assist soldiers. You may refer to me as Prometheus Unit 1]

Created by Mei?

This new system added to the helmet caught Lin off guard, giving him a strange sense of his private space being invaded.

"I don't need an auxiliary system." Lin directly intended to deactivate this artificial intelligence. He had no interest in having someone else potentially affecting his combat within his helmet.

After all, he didn't need to fight as a duo.

[I am currently in an incomplete state and can only provide limited assistance. I do not have permission to access most of MOTH's combat data, so Dr. Mei has installed me into your system to learn from your combat data in real-time and receive your feedback for improvement]

Learning...

Lin, whose attitude had been firm, hesitated for a moment.

He personally didn't need an auxiliary system. Having one or not was like the difference between an automatic and a manual transmission in a car; both could be top-tier. Lin could achieve more precise control by not using an automatic, while using one would actually be less convenient for him.

However, most people were still only second-rate manual drivers. With the assistance of an automatic system, their driving skills could improve. They might not achieve Lin's level of finesse, but reaching first-rate was more than enough.

In other words, the average level would be raised.

With the average level improved by the auxiliary system, the casualty rate would also decrease.

This was consistent with Lin's original intention in providing the Titan manufacturing concept.

It had to be said that Mobius understood him better than he imagined. Prometheus's statement might not have been deliberately input by her, but she had definitely adjusted Prometheus's system to directly hit Lin's sweet spot with that one sentence, knowing how he would react.

After considering for a while, Lin slowly nodded. Then, he realized that Prometheus probably couldn't see him nod, so he spoke, "Alright, I'll grant you system access. However, don't interfere with my judgment when I'm not actively using your auxiliary system."

[Understood]

"How is it? Is it a strange feeling to have another person in your head?" Delta asked cheerfully, looking at Lin, who had put his helmet back on. To Delta, this was the most familiar version of Lin.

Lin shook his head and said plainly, "It's just an AI."

"It's not just an AI. Dr. Mei explicitly programmed a female persona into Prometheus, so she can be considered a girl."

"Unnecessary."

Giving an AI a gender, Lin didn't understand the point. Did Mei think he'd be bored when he was alone and wanted a companion?

"As expected, the way soldiers think is different from how we think. The reason artificial intelligence is called artificial intelligence is because it can simulate, develop, and extend human intelligence. Therefore, the more complete an AI is, the closer it gets to humans, and in terms of performance, it surpasses humans, doing what humans can and cannot do."

As Delta said this, he looked again at the Titan being assembled in the distance, sighed, and said softly, "Moreover, the mental connection required for Titans to reach the level you envisioned is too burdensome for humans. An AI can take on most of that burden."

But what was the difference between that and a self-controlled Titan operated by an AI? It also increased the demands on the pilot.

"...A self-piloted Titan, was it a mistake?" Lin gazed at the Titan, half of whose internal structure was still exposed.

"How could it be? I've dreamed of creating something like this since I was a child," Delta said casually, putting a hand on Lin's shoulder and chuckling, "But unfortunately, it wouldn't be me piloting it."

"Don't you want to try?" Lin, noticing the self-deprecation on Delta's face, retorted.

"Forget it, I'd die. I don't want my brain to get fried. I'm going to make equipment for you until the Honkai disappears." Delta yawned, his face showing clear fatigue. Then, he shivered slightly, his face lighting up with anticipation.

"Disasters, monsters, doomsday, and then giant robots fighting against them. Aren't we all waiting for the moment the hero appears in a hero story? When monsters attack the city, and a Titan descends from the sky like a god, that would probably be the highest form of human romance."

Lin was quite surprised that Delta could say something like this, but it also seemed within reason. Most people in science and engineering, like Mei, lacked emotional thinking. Only Delta often acted on emotion, and yet he managed to reach the position of head of the research and development department, which was likely thanks to his overflowing talent.

"Ah, I can't anymore. I should go rest too. Lin, if you need anything, just tell my assistant. Although, with your current physique, you probably can't equip much. Just take some basic stuff to get by, it's just a trip to a branch anyway."

Delta, covering his head with a dazed look, tugged hard. Extremely sleepy, he said goodbye to Lin and then slumped onto a chair, mouth agape, snoring loudly.

To be able to fall asleep instantly in such a noisy environment, he must have been utterly exhausted.

Lin shook his head, called Delta's assistant, and asked him to get a blanket for Delta or move him back to his room to sleep.

"No, the Minister said he has an important discussion meeting in two hours after sleeping for two hours, and told me not to take him back to his room, it's too much trouble."

"..."

Lin took a deep look at the sleeping Delta. He didn't say anything and turned to leave.

They didn't need many words. They already knew their own choices and didn't need others to comment.

"MSA-278, Immer reporting. Effective immediately, I am assigned to Squad Seven. Please issue your orders, Commander."

The man in uniform, holding out the MOTH badge, gave a standard military salute to the helmeted man in front of him. His expression was meticulous, showing no sign that he was just a new recruit.

Lin took the badge and glanced at it. After the Second Honkai War, the MOTH badges no longer had numbers and were replaced with a unified standard, serving only as identification. This one was no exception.

The badge was made of a special material, so Lin could tell if it was real or fake just by the feel.

Lin returned the badge to Immer, who respectfully accepted it and put it back in his pocket.

Hua also stood nearby, observing her new teammate. This was her second teammate, and a comrade she would entrust her back to in the future.

Immer, the latest to join the trio, was actually the oldest. However, he showed no disrespect towards his commander or Hua due to his age. This was better than most new recruits.

Lin focused his gaze on Immer's face and said, "Squad Seven currently has no missions. Tomorrow, I will be accompanying Dr. Mei to the Fifth Science Department for a month-long escort duty. You will stay at headquarters and learn and train with Squad Five Captain Himiko."

"Escort duty?"

"Is there a problem?" Lin looked at Hua, who had spoken up.

Hua realized her slip-up and stood at attention. "No, there isn't."

"Commander, are there any further instructions?" Immer asked.

"No."

Lin was unaware that Immer had voluntarily requested to be assigned to Squad Seven. Most new recruits were reluctant to join Squad Seven because it was a new team, and its captain was only a Captain with half a year more experience than them. Rumors of his coldness and brutality were rampant, and everyone prayed they wouldn't be assigned to Squad Seven.

Only Immer, after learning that Lin was the captain of Squad Seven, applied for the transfer.

The reason, only he himself knew.

Chapter Thirty-Six: An Easy Job

The transport plane was much slower and smoother than usual, likely considering Mei's constitution was weaker than that of an average soldier.

The transport plane activated its light camouflage after reaching the designated altitude, rendering it completely invisible from the outside as it sliced through the air, heading towards the branch.

Lin turned off the external visual feed on his helmet's display and activated the soundproofing, pulling up the novel he hadn't finished last time to continue reading, completely adopting an attitude of ignoring everything outside his helmet.

The reason he did this was...

"Lin, what's it like wearing the helmet? Does it look high-tech from the inside? Mei said there's an AI inside now, can you talk to it?"

The white-haired youth had given the impression at headquarters of being Mei's follower. He wasn't exactly silent, but he spent most of his time with a cold expression by Mei's side, leading most people to have no concept of his sunny and cheerful disposition.

When the situation brought Lin, Mei, and Kevin together, a habit he hadn't shaken off even after joining MOTH was fully exposed.

Lin, annoyed to the point of exasperation, isolated himself within his helmet. It wasn't that he was particularly annoyed with Kevin, but rather Lin had developed a habit of not saying anything superfluous that might reveal intelligence in unfamiliar environments or during work.

The order to act as Mei's bodyguard was so broad that it had technically begun the moment he stepped out of headquarters.

Although both Mei and Lin understood the true nature of this order from their superiors, Lin still wouldn't compromise on his principles.

[Lin, Private Kevin is requesting communication. Disengage soundproofing?]

Lin had activated Prometheus's auxiliary system this time, along with testing its performance, to lay a good foundation for the future.

"No," Lin replied, devouring the novel's plot at a rate of ten lines per second.

The reason he still read novels was, to some extent, to broaden his imagination. Many battles relied on imagination to achieve incredible actions, raising the upper limit of one's abilities.

Of course, he didn't intend to try any plot points that were obviously fabricated.

[Lin, Doctor Mei is requesting communication. Disengage soundproofing?]

"..." Lin fell silent upon seeing this line of text.

He strongly suspected that if he refused to disengage now, Mei would activate the backdoor system on Prometheus.

"Disengage."