I'm No MOTH Hero

[Did they abandon you?]

Lin pursed his lips. "They gave up their lives to save others."

[Searching database... Based on Lin's age, eighteen years ago, Changkong City experienced a large-scale shopping mall fire. The number of casualties was seventy-nine.]

A massive fire reduced the enormous mall to a blackened skeleton, claiming seventy-nine lives, including the parents of a six-month-old child.

That child eventually grew up in an orphanage, following the path his parents once walked—saving lives.

Rather than dwelling on the past, Lin preferred to speak of the will that was passed down to him. It wasn't that the stories weren't important, but what had been inherited within him was the past he truly wished to remember.

[So, Lin, you've developed an extra attachment to Soul's family, reminding you of yourself?]

Prometheus asked another brutally direct question. Her straightforward manner of speaking already had a touch of Lin's style.

"No," Lin denied.

"Prometheus, family is the destination for humans. I hope you can record this statement. In the future, you will fight alongside other soldiers, and perhaps someone will see you as family."

"At that time, you must fulfill Doctor Mei's expectations, become a qualified artificial intelligence, respond to their wishes, and become their destination."

[Yes, recorded.]

[Lin, then where is your destination?]

"..."

A long silence.

"I don't need a destination."

[Why?]

"Don't ask why at this moment. You only need to answer: 'I will become your destination.' You will encounter similar phrases in the future, so just do as I say."

[Yes, recorded.]

Another silence ensued.

Lin walked to the end and looked out from inside the window. He could still see Changkong City, sealed off in the distance. No one knew what had happened there.

Prometheus fell completely silent. Lin closed his eyes and exhaled.

He hoped his teachings at this moment would allow Prometheus to become a warm spark for the soldiers.

Soldiers who had their destinations stolen and were driven by hatred needed a phantom voice far more than he did.

Even if it was just an artificial intelligence.

Suddenly, static crackled in Lin's ear.

Then, a young girl's voice, devoid of emotion, entered his ear.

"Lin, I will become your destination."

It was merely a repetition of that phrase without any emotion.

But one day...

Author's Notes

null

Chapter 41: Moon Cutter Blade

"Honkai Sickness... the disaster in Changkong City... Is there any connection between the two?"

The dimly lit path was indistinct, and the bushes on either side rustled in the night wind, carrying the scent of smoke and alcohol from the city. Su walked alone on this neglected road, heading towards the border of Changkong City.

The impact of the Honkai Sickness patients Director Fal had shown him today had yet to subside. The spreading lines resembled demonic script, strengthening Su's resolve to find a cure for Honkai Sickness.

Then, a suspicion arose.

Why did the disaster in Changkong City, concealed by the government, occur so close in time to the emergence of Honkai Sickness? Was there a relationship between the two?

What lay behind that hastily constructed high wall?

Su's curiosity could not be contained. His intuition told him that behind that wall lay something that would help him understand the current situation. So, after work, he immediately found a secluded path towards the high wall.

Closer now.

As the wall drew nearer, Su looked up and realized the absurd height of it. The thickness required to support such a height must also be incredibly substantial.

Su hid behind the wall and peered out. "A structure of this scale, why was it built in such a short amount of time?"

Residents within a five-kilometer radius had been evacuated. According to the government, radiation would leak from behind the wall, making the surroundings eerily quiet. Su tiptoed closer to the wall.

No guards? Because of the so-called "radiation"?

Su squatted in front of the wall, cautiously surveying the surroundings. All he saw was an almost desolate emptiness, not even a single guard.

He soon understood why there were no guards.

"No entrance?" The unpainted wall stood like a towering mountain. The densely layered materials formed a surface so compact that even a mosquito couldn't find a way in, let alone an entrance. Finding a place to climb up seemed impossible.

Su stroked his chin, pondering, "Do they only enter and exit via helicopter?"

Shaking his head, Su decided to circle around first to see if there was a hidden entrance.

Hours passed, and Su's legs trembled from walking. He still couldn't find any gaps in the wall. Drowsy, he looked at the same wall from hours ago, even hallucinating that he might have encountered a ghost trap.

"Haa... haa... haa..." Su knelt down, sweating profusely, and sat on the ground, looking despairingly at the towering wall before him.

Was there really no way?

Su thought of the Honkai Sickness patients in their hospital beds, gritted his teeth, and stood up once more.

"Stop."

Click.

A chill shot up from his tailbone to the back of his head, instantly stiffening Su's limbs. He remained frozen, not daring to move or look back.

He could feel the cold of a gun pointed at his forehead.

It was an almost tangible, icy gaze that scanned him from head to toe, like an inspection of a lifeless piece of meat. Then, in a voice as cold as ice, it commanded, "Hands up, turn around."

Su then remembered that his fear had paralyzed him so much he hadn't even raised his hands. If he had been deemed uncooperative just now and the person had shot...

He swallowed and raised his hands shoulder-high, slowly turning around.

Only one hand holding a gun appeared from the shadows.

The gaze sharpened.

"Name, occupation, age."

"Su, doctor, 19 years old."

"...No mistake." The gun was still pointed at him, but the muzzle had lowered slightly. A sapphire blue light flickered.

Su's heart tightened. This wasn't an interrogation; it was a data cross-check to see if he was lying.

So, this person was from the government?

"What are you doing here?"

Cannot lie.

For some reason, Su reminded himself of this. If he lied, this person would see through it.

"I want to enter Changkong City."

"Why?"

"I want to find a cure for Honkai Sickness."

"..."

"You're a government official, right? You must know about Honkai Sickness!" Su bit his lip and shouted at the person, "Please, can you tell me the truth about Changkong City?"

His eyes were sincere and pure, filled with compassion for the patients.

"We do not disclose any information to unauthorized personnel." The person in the shadows lowered the gun and quietly observed Su. "I am not a government official either."

"Then who are you?"

"The hospital you work at cooperates with us. If you want to know, ask your superiors."

The figure turned and disappeared into the darkness, their voice still lingering in the air: "You have thirty seconds to leave here."

Lin stood on the rooftop, watching Su leave through the thermal scan provided by the visual window. He turned and leaped to another rooftop.

Su...

Lin remembered the name. Kevin often mentioned his good friend, a medical genius, and how they often met up to hang out on holidays.

He didn't expect him to come here to investigate. Was it because of Kevin's disappearance?

[Lin, upload the recent conversation record to the database?]

"No."

Since Kevin had cut off contact with Su, and even more decisively than Lin, it meant Kevin didn't want Su to get involved in the Honkai. Therefore, Lin would also try his best to keep Su from the truth.

The hospital where Su was employed had a cooperative relationship with MOTH. Some Honkai Sickness patients were sent to the Fifth Branch for serum research, and the Fifth Branch provided some technical support. However, the hospital was unaware of MOTH's true nature, only knowing it as a pharmaceutical company.

Putting himself at risk for the patients...

Lin recalled Su's resilient and compassionate eyes and let out a long sigh.

[Grappling Hook activated]

[Lin, your output is only 30% of normal. Please be careful not to use burst mode]

"Understood. Mission commencing."

[Mission Start]

Lin transformed into a black meteor, leaping from the rooftop and running upwards against the high wall. It only took a few seconds to reach the top.

The first thing that greeted his eyes was Changkong City, which hadn't changed much in over a month. After MOTH's sweep, the Mortals and Honkai Beasts in the city had been eliminated. However, Honkai Energy concentrations couldn't be eliminated overnight. There were still residual Honkai Energy in Changkong City, breeding the birth of Honkai creatures.

Lin was supposed to be at the Fifth Branch, but he received a mission stating that a special Mortal had been detected crossing the high wall within Changkong City. The combat team at the Fifth Branch also had a temporary mission assignment, so he was sent to eliminate the Mortal.

A special Mortal capable of crossing the high wall?

The wall had automated machine guns mounted at its base facing Changkong City. If flying Honkai Beasts, like the charging type, approached, they would automatically be fired upon. But now, there were Mortals capable of crossing the defense line and climbing this high?

Lin's thermal scan was operating normally, scanning the target location mentioned in the mission.

Everything in the visual display was normal, with nothing moving.

Had they already left?

The moonlight shining from behind the clouds was chilling, casting Lin's shadow onto the ground, stretching it out like a slender specter.

Unbeknownst to Lin, who had activated his thermal scan, a taller, more slender shadow was silently approaching him from behind his own.

A pair of scarlet eyes lit up silently in the darkness, fixated on Lin's back.

And then...

"Swoosh—"

A curved blade sliced through the moon, slashing towards Lin's back.

Chapter 42: Purgatory

"Swoosh—"

"Lin, evade behind you."

Prometheus's warning jolted Lin. Instinct, etched into his very being, compelled him to instinctively roll forward. A jet-black blade sliced past his head. Then, the figure wielding the sword made an unnatural, anti-jointed movement, transforming the horizontal slash into a vertical one, directly targeting Lin's neck.

This time, Lin heard the sound of the blade cutting through the air. He braced himself with one hand on the ground and lightning-fast, drew his gun and fired at the ground.

The bullets fired were live rounds. They ricocheted off the ground at an angle, changing direction and striking the blade.

"Bang!"