I'm No MOTH Hero

"Boron has been found!"

A young, childish voice suddenly rang out from the end of the corridor, followed by the sound of rapid footsteps. A small figure then grabbed Boron's pant leg.

She had pale white, shoulder-length bobbed hair, a black and white dress, and a chubby, baby-faced roundness.

This was a little girl, not much older, barely reaching a little above Boron's hip. Her innocent, tender face was full of joyful smiles.

"Boron! Where did Daddy go? I can't find you guys anywhere!" The little girl whined, tugging at Boron's trouser leg, who looked conflicted. "We promised to celebrate Mommy's birthday today, but then he said he had work again. It's too much!"

"Oh, Miss SiZhi, Doctor really has very important work today. Can he accompany you and Miss Kalte after he finishes work?" Boron's bodyguard face looked a little pained. He was clearly at a loss with this little girl, and he couldn't spend extra time coaxing her in front of Lin and the others.

"I don't want to! Daddy always lies! He's definitely lying today too!"

"This..." Boron wasn't good with words and really didn't know how to respond.

SiZhi's large, cute eyes darted around and landed on the helmeted man standing beside them. She immediately tilted her head curiously, examining the stranger.

"Why are you wearing a helmet?"

"..."

Boron gave Lin an apologetic look and tried to grab SiZhi, but the little rascal darted to Lin's feet and peered through the gap in his neck, trying to see what was inside.

SiZhi's eyes widened, but she still couldn't see inside. This was natural; if Elysia couldn't do it, no one else could. After looking for a while with a dejected expression, she suddenly exclaimed, "I can't see... I know! You're Daddy, right? You must be trying to wear a helmet to pretend to be someone else and give Mommy a surprise!"

"..." Lin remained silent. Soul, however, was amused by the child's simple idea and was about to squat down to explain, but Lin shook his head.

"Huh? No?" SiZhi's head drooped in disappointment.

"Your Daddy has some things to do right now, and he'll come to accompany you in a moment." Lin calmly repeated what Boron had just said. Miraculously, the words that had been useless before, spoken in Lin's calm, not-at-all-friendly tone, made SiZhi nod obediently.

Soul looked at Lin in surprise. He seemed to know how to coax children, including last time...

Thinking of the last time, Soul's expression stiffened.

"Then, big brother, what are you here for?"

"I don't have anything to do right now. Can you take us to where those uncles and aunties in white coats are?"

"Okay! Follow me!"

Lin nodded at Boron, who was staring blankly, and followed SiZhi's bouncing steps.

Chapter 39: Taking a Step Forward

"Daddy, Mommy!"

"Little Soul? Why are you here?"

Soul's composure as a girl and her generally polite demeanor towards others indicated good upbringing, indirectly telling Lin what kind of people her parents were.

A woman with a six-tenths resemblance to Soul and a soft-featured man with short hair were talking by the laboratory door. Upon hearing Soul's call, both turned around, surprised to see Soul running towards them.

They only knew that Doctor Mei would be visiting the Fifth Branch this time; no one paid attention to the list of accompanying personnel, and Soul hadn't notified them in advance.

So, when the family reunited, the parents were very surprised to see their daughter suddenly appear.

"Heh heh... I'm actually here on a mission." Soul shyly twirled a strand of hair by her ear and awkwardly explained to them.

Did her parents, whom she had looked up to since childhood, not know her little thoughts? The short-haired man immediately understood the hidden meaning. Recalling the news of Doctor Mei visiting the Fifth Branch, he glared at Soul and said sternly, "You child, you're already a regular soldier, yet you're still pulling these little stunts. Do you know how much trouble you could cause for your team and Doctor Mei?"

"I didn't expect this mission to be assigned to me either," Soul said, looking at her mother with a wronged expression.

As expected of mother and daughter, Soul's mother received a plea for help from her daughter's eyes. She smiled and stopped the man who was about to continue lecturing, "Alright, alright, you're already here, what's the point of saying so much?"

"You... sigh, forget it. Since you're here, execute your mission properly, understand?" The man, who had intended to lecture Soul further, softened when he saw her teary eyes. He helplessly tapped her forehead. "Where are your teammates? Are you on this mission alone?"

Never mind, she had already defeated a Judgment-class Honkai Beast. She should already understand the basic responsibility for her actions.

Initially, the couple disagreed with Soul going to the front lines, believing her soft nature was unsuitable for combat. However, in just over two months, they sensed her growth from their communications with her.

The soldier's sense of responsibility and resilience were already evident in Soul. The intelligent couple guessed that someone had taught her these principles, but whenever they asked Soul, she would evasively brush them off.

It must be a boy, the couple guessed in unison.

"Uh, this..." As soon as this was mentioned, Soul's gaze drifted, and she began to ponder how to introduce Lin.

Previous teammate, then promoted after defeating Sirsha and the Third Herrscher during the Third Honkai War, and now coincidentally on a mission together...

No, no. A normal introduction would be to say Lin is the captain of Squad Seven. Explaining too much will definitely lead to misunderstandings!

"Big brother, this is it! I'm going to find Daddy now, goodbye!"

"..."

SiZhi, having led the way, waved at Lin and then ran off again. Lin saw Boron reach out as if to call SiZhi back, likely worried about the child running around the base unsupervised and in danger.

Lin looked up at the "Fifth Scientific Department" sign and said calmly, "You go take care of her. I'll take a look around the Fifth Scientific Department."

"Is that okay?" Boron's eyes lit up. "Ah, Miss SiZhi often wanders around the base. It's fine when Doctor is here, but when he's not, she can get into anywhere. I'm just afraid she might accidentally release live Mortals or Honkai Beasts."

"...You have containment breaches here easily?" Lin's pressure fell upon Boron. Even through the helmet, one could feel Lin's gaze, which seemed to freeze the air.

"Cough, I misspoke. Actually, those experimental subjects require quite high authority and physiological verification to open the containment facilities." Boron realized he had joked too much and coughed lightly to explain, "But Honkai Energy is difficult to isolate, and the experimental subjects are processed regularly to control Honkai Energy concentration. So, the base doesn't always have experimental subjects. It's just that recently, some more valuable Mortals were captured from Changkong City."

The Fifth Branch was very close to Changkong City, essentially providing them with a convenient source of materials. Every major Honkai outbreak would spawn new types of Mortals and Honkai Beasts, which were valuable research materials.

Lin frowned at Boron's explanation. "Besides the standard unlocking methods, are there any other ways?"

"None left."

"...You go ahead."

"Okay, thank you, Mr. Lin."

Delayed for a moment, Boron rushed towards where SiZhi had gone, a sense of urgency growing as he called out her name.

Lin remained in place, instructing Prometheus to record all the reading and dialogue content from their entry into the Fifth Branch.

A flurry of programs flashed across his visual display. After a brief reprogramming, he turned, lowered his head in thought, and headed towards the Fifth Science Department.

"Is that him?"

A voice, tinged with an unusual tone, reached Lin's ears.

His train of thought interrupted, he looked up to see a man and a woman blocking his path, scrutinizing him with a gaze... he couldn't quite comprehend.

Behind them, Soul clasped their hands together, offering Lin an apologetic expression.

After observing their faces, the eyes behind Lin's visual display turned ice-cold.

"Hello, Director Fal. I am Su."

"Hello, I've been expecting you."

The boy with shoulder-length, light gray hair nervously attempted to bow to the man who would be his direct superior from today onwards. Before he could bend, the man placed a hand on his shoulder, laughing heartily as he patted his back. "Why so shy? We're both doctors, standing here to save patients. There's no high or low between us."

"Uh... uh!" Su realized his tone was still too subdued and forced himself to muster some energy in his response.

"Excellent!" Director Fal gave him a thumbs-up, then lowered his hand and gestured for Su to walk into the hospital. "I'll just call you Su. Your abilities are outstanding, and with further study, you could achieve even greater things. Why do you want to start working now?"

Su's gaze darkened, and he clenched his fist. "I... I witnessed a... very terrifying illness. I don't want to stand by and do nothing."

Furthermore, a disaster had occurred in Changkong City, one that was not publicly disclosed, with almost no survivors. The exact cause was unknown, but his friends Kevin and his girlfriend Mei, who attended school in Changkong City, had lost contact. In the worst-case scenario, and the most likely one... they were dead.

This place was very close to Changkong City, and it was also where "that illness" first appeared. Regardless of the circumstances, Su felt he needed to work here.

"A terrifying illness?" Director Fal chuckled lightly. "Su, can you describe it?"

"...Purple markings, and unprecedented pain."

"It seems you've already done some research. Then I'll be direct."

Director Fal stopped in front of an intensive care room, facing the door, and tilted his head as he looked at Su calmly.

In his eyes, there was a profound depth of color.

"Humanity might be facing an unimaginable disaster."

"Ancient humans would describe terrifying phenomena as the work of demons, but modern times call it..."

"Honkai Sickness."

He extended his hand, pushed open the door, and revealed the darkness to Su.

Su's pupils contracted to a single point.

Chapter 40: I Will Be Your Haven

If the atmosphere could manifest physically, it would be a blizzard raging simultaneously with a hurricane.

"What is your name?" The man's gaze swept over Lin, from head to toe, finally settling on his helmet.

Lin stared at him coldly, and after a long moment, managed to squeeze out a single word: "...Lin."

He was certain these two had misunderstood something, and what they had misunderstood was precisely what Lin least wanted to encounter.

"Lin? That name..."

"If there's nothing else, I'll head inside now." Lin's indifferent gaze shifted to Soul. Soul, who hadn't seen that look in a long time, felt a pang in their heart and became flustered.

But Lin's reticence and coldness weren't new. He didn't say another word, brushing past the three of them and entering the Fifth Science Department.

Soul stared blankly at his retreating back, and after a moment, an uncontrollable look of disappointment crossed their face.

It was just as he said back then, a casual compliment. He truly had no other thoughts.

The woman and the man exchanged a glance, seeing helplessness in each other's eyes.

[Lin, why did you leave directly?]

As Lin entered the Fifth Science Department, he caused no stir. Everyone was engrossed in their research, with laboratories arranged in an orderly fashion. People in lab coats and protective gear moved in and out of these labs, some marked with red lettering indicating "Do Not Approach."

The moment he stepped inside, he had already mentally mapped out the general layout of the area, then meticulously observed and corrected his route.

At this moment, Prometheus, on a screen only he could see, asked a question that seemed beyond an AI's scope.

"Why do you ask that?" Lin walked slowly along the wall, careful not to disturb others' work.

Correcting and assisting Prometheus's system, and enhancing her intelligence, was also part of Lin's job. Her current question clearly surpassed the intelligence of a normal AI, so Lin felt it necessary to delve deeper into her logical structure.

[According to standard etiquette and general interpersonal communication norms, your actions do not align with the behavior of an ordinary person.]

"People don't have fixed standards. Reactions differ depending on the person and the situation, and are simultaneously influenced by one's own variable conditions." Lin's tone was devoid of impatience; he was as patient as he would be with a newborn child.

[...Understood. Recorded in the database.]

[Lin, according to your file, you're an orphan. Was your recent behavior caused by that?]

"No," Lin's little finger twitched. "I don't have a habit of being jealous of other people's happy families."

[Lin, your family information couldn't be found in the database, nor could your biological parents be matched. Do you know who your parents are?]

Perhaps it was the low emotional intelligence unique to artificial intelligence that caused Prometheus to ask a question so blunt it felt like stabbing someone in the heart. Even Lin was silent for several seconds.

"Prometheus, haven't you noticed your question deviates from the standard for casual conversation you just mentioned?"

['Reacting differently when treating different people differently' — Lin]

Seeing this line, Lin got a preliminary understanding of the AI's learning ability.

Many people had asked Lin this question before, but they were mostly tactful, afraid of hurting him. So Lin had also pretended not to understand and avoided it, leading people like Kevin to believe Lin actually had a complete family.

It was rather ironic that he was now about to tell an AI.

Lin thought for a moment, and Prometheus waited quietly for him to speak.

After the longest hand on the clock completed a full cycle, Lin finally lowered his voice and said, "I know."

[Please elaborate.]

"My father was a teacher, and my mother was an ordinary housewife."

"I remember things from a younger age than most children. I have memories from about one month after birth up until now, so I still remember what they looked like."

Lin's voice was devoid of emotion, as if he were recounting a simple plot point rather than his own memories.

"They gave me six months of love."

"And then, after six months, they abandoned me."