An Original Touch / How to Handle Things

Lin didn't need to see what happened next; they exchanged vows in the most dazzling place, perhaps something that person had planned long ago.

But...

Lin subconsciously touched the ring on the ring finger of his left hand, a ring given to him by someone.

Chapter Eighty-Six: A Unique Idea

Lin gave gifts while telling others that he was back. The whole process was natural and smooth. Perhaps it was because he was so different from the Lin before that everyone accepted it quickly.

However, there were still a few minor incidents.

"For... me?"

Sue thought he had misheard. He felt that he was just Spasi brought along when he came to headquarters. His relationship with Lin was limited to meeting twice and being semi-acquainted strangers who had some contact through Kevin.

Perhaps it's even slightly less than a nodding acquaintance?

Lin's nod was unmistakable, so Su hesitantly accepted the gift box. He glanced at Lin discreetly, but his helmet blocked any possibility of being spied on, making it impossible to tell what he was thinking.

... On this point alone, quite a few people will probably miss the old Lin, at least he would wear his lewd smile directly on his face.

"Aren't you going to open it up and take a look?" Lin asked calmly.

Since Lin had said so, Su couldn't refuse. He was actually quite curious about what Lin and the others would give him.

Upon opening the gift box, Su was immediately stunned by its contents.

"Aren't these the elephant pants you wore before?"

"..."

Lin looked down and saw that it was indeed true; the elephant-shaped pants, both in meaning and appearance, were full of a mature man's intention that could be understood without any communication.

"There's another note inside." Sue pulled out a neatly written but flippant note from the corner of the box. "Welcome to the Moth of Fire's Singles Party. Kevin and Kosma, those two useless guys, have already been dealt with."

"..."

When Lin found Immer, he looked slightly different than usual.

Lin remembered that Immer was mostly calm and collected, but he could still act impulsively like a young man in some minor matters. Of course, this was not a bad thing, but rather a rare quality. He was a unique analytical talent among all the new recruits who joined at the time.

But today, his fists were clenched, and the ferocity and resentment in his eyes made Lin wonder if Immer's body had also been possessed.

So after Lin found him, he didn't go over and talk to him directly, but instead observed Immer's actions.

Soon, Lin found the source of his change.

Immer had studied reconnaissance and counter-reconnaissance and was excellent at concealing his gaze, but Lin still noticed that he was looking at someone through the reflections of glass, plates, and wine glasses. Every time his gaze caught the person's reflection, his hostility would intensify.

This left Lin feeling somewhat confused.

Why him? What is his connection with Immer?

That person was in the corner, wearing a ridiculous mask and eating listlessly... Chrono.

After observing for a few minutes, Immer that not only was Chrono's gaze filled with murderous intent, but he had also changed the knife and fork several times under the table, holding them in a standard dagger-wielding posture, clearly indicating that he intended to attack directly.

However, Lin did not go over to stop him directly, but instead found a place to quietly observe.

"I've discovered you're a really bad person. A murder was about to happen, and you were just leisurely watching the show." A mocking voice came from behind Lin, but Lin wasn't too surprised. He had noticed someone had walked up behind him half a minute earlier.

He turned around and saw Mobius and Vill-V standing behind him.

The murders Mobius was referring to were, of course, those of Immer and Chrono.

"Immer is no match for Chrono," Lin replied simply.

Chrono was able to injure Sakura, who was a Flame-Chaser. His exact nature is unknown, but he is very likely not human.

"You really don't trust your former teammates at all?" Mobius sneered while cracking sunflower seeds. "Or do you really believe that person wouldn't kill your teammates?"

Mobius had obtained the battle footage of Sakura and Chrono early on. She was very interested in Chrono, who possessed strange powers of unknown origin. If Chrono hadn't been under strict supervision, she would have already tried to bring Chrono onto her operating table.

Now, no one knows how the person who possessed Lin's body released Chrono, and her opportunity has arrived.

"No." Lin shook his head and added, "Chrono won't."

Mobius was also subtly observing Lin. This Lin's behavior and speech were just like the Lin she remembered. She couldn't sense anything was wrong, but she just felt a little... uneasy.

If she made a mistake, she would feel extremely disgusted, so disgusted that she would want to kill Lin.

"This is a gift for you."

Lin handed over the two gifts, which Vill-V accepted without much concern. Mobius only accepted the exquisite gift box after glancing at Vill-V was already unwrapping her gift.

... but she felt her gift box was a bit too big, bigger than everyone else's combined.

"Whoosh~" Vill-V quickly pulled out a steampunk-style magician's hat from a pile of wrapping paper. She whistled and immediately performed a pigeon magic trick with the hat, putting it on her head with ease.

"Thank you, Lin. I'll give you a gift later too."

Mobius frowned and slowly opened the box in her hand. Because it took up so much space, she had to place it on the table before carefully lifting the lid and looking inside—

"..."

"..."

Lin, who was still watching Immer, suddenly felt the silence behind him. There wasn't a sound at all. He turned around and saw the two of them staring blankly at the gift box, motionless as if time had been stopped.

What's going on?

Lin, completely bewildered, leaned closer to Mobius's head and looked at what was inside the box...

Pretending...

Underwear?

Lin Mo turned off the helmet's monitor, then turned it back on.

It doesn't seem like the monitor is faulty.

This box is crammed full of all kinds of sexy lingerie, with sizes suitable for ages ranging from adults to children as young as eleven or twelve. There are at least ten sets for each age group. This box alone could probably be the site of a lingerie extravaganza.

Like Su, there was also a note in this box, but this time it was placed on top, in the most conspicuous position.

"These are all styles that suit Lin's preferences. I carefully selected these winning lingerie pieces to fit every size of your body. Believe me, Lin may seem tough, but she's actually quite delicate and easy to seduce..."

Lin didn't see what happened next, because the next second, a loud crash echoed through the hall as a table was completely smashed.

Mobius stood beside the table, his face flushed with anger, clenching his fists and trembling all over...

Chapter 87 Handling Affairs

Thanks to Mobius's harassment, Chrono's attention was diverted from the small cake in front of him. Immer seemed to think this was a rare opportunity. Without hesitation, he hid the knife in his sleeve and crept towards Chrono from behind the crowd.

One step... two steps...

Everyone else was focused on the noisy Mobius, including Chrono, which made it easy for Immer to walk up behind Chrono. His eyes flashed with a fierce light, and without hesitation, he grabbed a dinner knife and stabbed it into the heart of the bewildered Chrono.

The moment the knife tip tore through the fabric and pierced his skin, Immer could no longer hide the smile on his lips.

"Smack."

"..."

"..."

Lin and Chrono stared at each other coldly, and even through the mask, Lin could feel the mockery in Chrono's eyes.

Immer's heart was pounding. He didn't know when the surroundings had become quiet. A dense array of puzzled, surprised, and wary gazes fell on him. The arm that should have been holding the knife and stabbing into Chrono's heart was now being grabbed by another hand that made it impossible for him to resist.

His smile had frozen, and cold sweat poured down his face. He wasn't afraid of being discovered, but when Lin stood before him, he felt a surge of fear...

He felt a fear that if he looked up, he would see Lin looking at him with disappointment.

"... Isn't that enough?"

Lin seemed to be asking Immer, but he was staring at the words Chrono had spoken.

"Hmph..." Chrono sneered disdainfully. He turned his head to Immer and said, "Kid, you're quite interesting. I welcome you to come again anytime."

"Clang."

Lin released his grip, Immer, having exerted no force, dropped the knife to the ground.

Lin glanced around, but this time his gaze was not as kind as before; it was filled with his usual sharpness. So the others all looked away and left the matter to Lin to handle.

Lin's approach was simple: he said to Immer, who had his head down, "Come with me."

The Second Gym, a "secret base" belonging to Lin, Kevin, and Pardo, was where Lin brought Immer. They didn't speak a word the whole way, like complete strangers. After arriving here, Lin didn't say much either, but simply threw the wooden sword that he and Kevin usually used for sparring to Immer.

Immer took it blankly, and then saw Lin Jian pointing at the ground and looking at him. It was obvious that he was being told to attack.

What is this... for?

Seeing that Immer didn't make a move, Lin did something unexpected the next second.

"Bass!"

Immer's pupils contracted, and he took half a step back. His left cheek burned with a sharp pain, and a clear bloodstain was left on it.

Lin casually flicked his wrist, and the bloodstain on the tip of his wooden sword left a slender arc on the ground.

Even though they were wooden knives, given their physical abilities, they were no different from real knives.

Immer hadn't seen how Lin made his move; he was still in a daze when Lin decisively reminded him with that strike that he wouldn't hold back from now on.

"Smack!"

The two wooden swords collided in mid-air. Lin's strength was extraordinary. Immer almost lost his grip on the swords with both hands. Even though his physical abilities were not as good as Kevin's and other Flame-Chaser had successfully undergone surgery, he had already reached the pinnacle of normal human beings in terms of ordinary people.

"Swoosh!" The sharp blade slashed across his face, leaving another bloody mark. Immer gritted his teeth and fought back with all his might, but Lin easily blocked it.

His attacks gradually became more wide and sweeping. In order to hit Lin, he didn't care whether he would be stabbed or not, so his movements became increasingly brutal.

The anger in his heart was etched into every cut. The forest before him was no longer the forest, but the man of calamity.

"Aaaaaaah!"

"Bang!"

Just as his anger reached its peak and he roared as he slashed at Lin, Lin swiftly dodged to the side, his knee striking Immer's hands holding the knife, causing him to drop his weapon. Then, Lin pushed Immer in the chest, sending him flying and crashing to the ground.

The moment Immer landed, he finally regained consciousness. He lay on the ground, turned upside down, and looked at Lin as he walked up to him and looked down at him.

All his anger was released in that one strike.

"... I'm sorry, Captain." He apologized dejectedly, like a child who had done something wrong.

"I'm not your captain," Lin said calmly. "Besides, you haven't done anything wrong."

Just now, it seemed that Immer was about to kill Chrono, but Lin knew that Chrono had already discovered Immer. The two seemed to know each other, and Immer's every move was under Chrono's perception.

He didn't know why Chrono didn't stop Immer, but Lin knew it would be of no benefit to either Chrono or Immer.

"Captain, aren't you going to ask me... why?"

"...No need." Lin paused for a few seconds, then continued, "You only need to know two things: First, you need to understand what you are going to do. Second, the consequences of what you do. I don't know your experience and haven't personally experienced it, so it's inappropriate to force my method onto you."

Immer was stunned, watching Lin's back as he put the wooden sword aside and walked towards the door.

Was it just his imagination? Lin's way of handling things seemed to have changed, becoming more humane?

Even though Lin said that, the gloom hidden deep in Immer's eyes still lingered.

"It's getting weirder and weirder..."

Mei never expected that the secrets of the Imaginary Tree would keep coming one after another, and that unknown people would keep appearing one after another. She felt like she had been arranged to be in a stage play, watching the characters behind her take the stage.

The man just now seemed to know a lot about Lin and the Imaginary Tree, and judging from his tone, he wasn't one of the people inside the Imaginary Tree.

But outside the device of the Imaginary Tree is the World Serpent, guarded by Kevin from the real world. How could the World Serpent allow others to invade the Imaginary Tree and come and go as they please?

In Mei's memory, no man she knew was as flirtatious as this one.

However, based on the information provided by the other party, Mei realized a very serious problem.

If what he said is true, then the nature of the Imaginary Tree might be deeper than she imagined.

Because the three people the other party mentioned were "the real Lin, Mobius, and Me," which means that even the memories of Lin and Elysia in the Imaginary Tree did not know... no, it was a secret that even the real Elysia and Kevin did not know.