Yama / Reappearance

Lin put down his wine glass and tapped the rim of it.

"It's amazing, isn't it? We talk about the habits, breeds, and characteristics of other animals... using the coldest rules to define the characteristics of that animal, but humans define themselves with emotional and vague things."

"This is probably human selfishness, and the manifestation of this selfishness is that even if all other creatures perish, we will still stand by and watch indifferently for the sake of our own existence."

"But individuals can also choose to sacrifice for the collective, which is a kind of selflessness. The combination of selfishness and selflessness, such a contradiction, is vividly displayed in the human species."

"So humanity has always been caught in contradictions and struggles, within this vortex..."

Qianqi ate her food, her forehead covered in sweat. She didn't dare look at the person next to her, but listened to the words that were said to her, wondering if they were meant for her, and muttered to herself.

This person is very similar to Lin, but definitely not the same.

A fear born of instinct trembled deep within my body.

Lin was only cold and distant in her words and actions, but this person was clearly smiling, yet he gave her an indescribable terror.

No one else felt this way, except for Qianqi.

"People get caught up in dilemmas and suffer pain. The peak of suffering is when a person or thing is lost. And when a similar person or thing is discovered, even if the inner world is very different, one is still deeply trapped in it and cannot extricate oneself."

"Hehe... I've said a bit too much."

Lin chuckled self-deprecatingly, shook his head, and stood up. His gaze wasn't on Qianqi beside him, but on the others, or rather, on something further away...

"Sometimes I think, how wonderful it would be if I could change those tragedies all by myself? The protagonists in those novels, comics, and anime turn the tide, rewrite the tragedy, and restore the beauty... If it were me..."

"But I'm definitely not the main character, no matter what..."

"So I can't save you, and I can't change anything. I can only hypocritically watch the beauty that doesn't belong to me before it disappears."

Lin left, but Qianqi felt that his attention was always on her. Even though he didn't turn around, she felt like he was watching her.

Who was he talking to? It couldn't be... me, could it?

Qianqi chuckled twice, picked up her chopsticks, and continued eating her fried rice.

"Tick-tock".

A glistening drop of water fell onto the plate.

She stared blankly at the tear that had fallen into the glossy oil stain, and belatedly, she placed her trembling hand on her face.

"Tick-tock".

Strangeness...

Chapter Seventy-Four: Yan Luo

The familiar ceiling— Yan Luo had performed countless surgeries and walked the line between life and death countless times in the Medical Department of the Fire-Chasing Moth. Over time, she had become quite familiar with the smell and the ceiling here.

She used to rest here until she recovered, but now she can no longer lie down.

"Bang!"

Medical staff rushed over after hearing a loud noise and were surprised to find Yan Luo lying on the ground covered in blood, her wounds all burst open, and bright red blood soaking her hospital gown and long hair.

A weak pallor returned to her face.

"Carry her back to bed!"

"The stitched-up wound has reopened..."

After a flurry of activity, her hospital gown and sheets were changed, and her wound was stitched up again with a machine. This time, a restraint belt was used to secure her to the bed.

To prevent her from struggling further and aggravating her injuries, the doctor gave her two sedative injections.

This finally calmed the monster, who felt no pain, but faced with her deathly gaze, they could only shake their heads and leave the ward.

As the sun rises and sets, Yan Luo remains motionless in the ward like a corpse, surviving only on intravenous nutrition without food.

"You're just adding to other people's workload."

Without even opening her eyes, she knew it was that person. The weariness in his voice was the result of continuous research and development. Since the end of the Ninth Honkai War, the number of Flame-Chaser had increased dramatically, and both management and weapon upgrades required his expertise.

Like cells expanding without limit, it's just that no one knows whether these will be beneficial cells or cancer cells.

"..." Yan Luo has never liked to talk, and now he's even less inclined to.

"If you want to return to the battlefield, you shouldn't push your body too hard, but rather heal your wounds as quickly as possible."

"Black Abyss White Flower will suffice," Yan Luo said casually.

"You should know that using Black Abyss White Flower consumes life force, not stamina, so you should not use it to heal injuries unless absolutely necessary. The Ninth Black Abyss White Flower Ninth Honkai War is over, and we don't need your help in the subsequent sweeping operations."

"... How is the situation?"

"From a macro perspective, it's not too bad, but it's a huge loss for both the Fire Moth and humanity." After pausing for a few seconds, she took out a projector and projected the image onto the ceiling in front of Yan Luo: "The Mu Continent disappeared under the effect of the Ninth Herrscher's pseudo-black hole, the Stargate and the Eye of the Abyss were destroyed, one-sixth of the human population was lost, social order collapsed, and the Fire Moth was finally exposed to the public eye."

This is undoubtedly the worst-case scenario.

"... What about them?" Yan Luo asked after a moment of silence.

"Hen is dead, Kosma is missing, the number of Flame-Chaser lost has reached double digits, and all the Armed Puppet have fallen into the Quantum Sea. Eden has applied to become Flame-Chaser, and the Fourth Divine Key and Fifth Divine Key have been completed. The Fourth Divine Key will be used by Eden, and the Fifth Divine Key will be used as a portal, replacing the Stargate and the Eye of the Abyss."

Hen died in battle, Kosma disappeared.

This sentence was said so casually, as if it were just mentioned offhand.

But Yan Luo knew that this was the greatest mercy she could show; otherwise, Yan Luo would have heard was that "the number of Flame-Chaser lost has reached double digits."

After all, for most people, the two of them are just two of the many losses in this total.

"I think you must be restless too, but to everyone else you are just a failure of the Flame-Chaser project, and we don't need your help."

"..."

"I have a project now..."

"I'll do it."

Yan Luo closed his eyes.

"You're still the same as always. It feels like every time you're lying in a hospital bed, you always manage to get back up."

A head of dazzling pink hair cascaded down in the corridor lights.

"To paraphrase Doctor Mobius, 'That unkillable cockroach will definitely get back up; it even withstood my poison,' haha..."

She smiled as always, but Yan Luo did not look at her; instead, he lowered his head, his face indistinct.

"..."

"..."

"...Lin, every time there is a major Honkai, someone will sacrifice themselves, but this time, it's Hen's turn."

"..."

"He told me to live on strongly. He had told me this a long time ago. He hoped that as his junior, I would not let myself live in responsibility and obligation and forget that I am still a human being."

But he died in the Ninth Honkai War because of his responsibilities and obligations, and there was no trace of his body.

"The number of Flame-Chaser is increasing. Mobius and Mei are improving the Hyper-Evolution Factor. In the future, the birth of Flame-Chaser will no longer be accompanied by a large number of deaths. Even if they fail, their lives will not be in danger, so you don't need to worry..."

"... It's me."

The hoarse voice of Yan Luo stopped her from continuing, and she stared blankly at Yan Luo.

"It was I who killed Hen."

"No, Lin, Kevin said Tong is him..."

"If... I were Flame-Chaser, I wouldn't need Hen to control the Ninth Herrscher."

"But that only changed from a scar to you—"

"So why not me?"

How could she see anger in this person's eyes?

Yan Luo raised her head, and the anger contained in her black eyes made the other party pause in surprise.

She knew there was nothing left to discuss.

Yan Luo will not forgive her, even if it has nothing to do with her own will.

She stood at the crossroads, at the entrance to the ballroom where the celebration of the Ninth Honkai War victory was taking place, watching helplessly as Yan Luo walked in another direction.

Head to the First Research Institute where May and Mobius are located.

Slowly swallowed by darkness.

Until, all.

"Forehead..."

Yan Luo got up from the sofa with a headache, clutching her head which felt like it was about to explode, feeling as if her brain was filled with boiling water.

She seemed to be having a nightmare, and it was quite a long one.

Indeed, dreaming has a significant impact on sleep quality.

After sitting up and resting on the sofa for a while, her headache subsided. Yan Luo then looked around, still half-asleep, wondering why she was sleeping on the sofa.

A gust of cold wind blew by, and Yan Luo woke up with a start. She squinted her eyes, and her excellent vision allowed her to see that the layout of her house was different from before, which meant that there were other people in the house now.

Upon closer listening, I could hear faint breathing sounds coming from my bedroom.

Yan Luo rolled over and silently reached the bedroom door, a fruit knife already in her hand. She gently pushed it open, and what appeared before her was...

"Call..."

Yan Luo looked expressionlessly at the man who was fast asleep on his bed.

He seemed to be sleeping very soundly, breathing evenly, and he didn't move at all while sleeping, just like he was dead.

She now really hopes that guy is dead.

She vaguely felt someone pick her up while she was sleeping.

It now appears that this guy carried her to the sofa and then went to sleep peacefully in someone else's bedroom.

This is probably the first case in history.

Chapter 75 Reappears

"I'm calling the police, you criminal."

Lin brushed his teeth in front of the mirror, ignoring the menacing Yan Luo beside him. After spitting out the water, he looked seriously at himself in the mirror.

Previously, having kept his face covered for so long, Lin hadn't even remembered what he looked like. Now, with a direct comparison, he discovered that he and Yan Luo had some similarities in appearance.

In other words, they really do look somewhat like siblings.

But others didn't notice this, and sure enough...

The sound of breathing drew closer, and through the mirror, he saw that Yan Luo's malevolent eyes were already beside him. So Lin asked calmly, "Want a kiss?"

"...I'd rather kiss a dog." Yan Luo took a step back, a chill running down his spine. "This is sexual harassment, you perverted teacher."

"You know that?"

Lin's tongue is still aching slightly. It takes longer for one of the most delicate parts of the body to heal itself than other parts.

"How could I not know?" Yan Luo was led astray, and then suddenly realized that this was not what she wanted to say. "Your actions of trespassing and sexual harassment are enough to send you to jail."

"Didn't you invite me to stay here?"

Seeing Lin's matter-of-fact attitude, Yan Luo clenched his fists.

She took a deep breath to suppress the anger that suddenly welled up inside her. "I only let you stay for one night the day before yesterday."

How thick-skinned must this person be to sneak into someone else's house the next day as if nothing happened, leave the homeowner on the sofa, and take over the bedroom for themselves?

"I asked you and you didn't object, did you?"

"..."

The question Lin was referring to was asking Yan Luo, while he was sound asleep, if he could have his bed. Of course, Yan Luo couldn't say no.

Regarding the issue of sexual harassment, Lin chose to tell Yan Luo a joke.

"There was a woman who kissed her reflection in the mirror and then died. Do you know why?"