Lin's Sense of Crisis / Swim Rings, Char Siu...

If you're not a couple... how can you say things like that?

"..." At this moment, Lin suddenly "senses" something. He hesitated, rolled up his sleeve, and then pinched a part of his skin with his fingers.

Noticing Lin's unusual behavior, Vill-V smiled and said, "Oh? You've arrived."

Lin twisted the skin so hard that it caused bruises, which pained Delta to see. She couldn't understand why Lin had suddenly started self-harming.

"How is it?" Vill-V looked at Lin expectantly.

The man silently released his grip and exhaled.

"Um."

Although it was very faint, even with all his effort, he could only feel it very, very slightly, but... he still "felt" it. The sense of emptiness that had permeated his entire body was successfully dispelled the moment the medicine took effect in his body.

Even though it was only a little bit, he felt like he was standing on the ground.

Even though it was only a little bit, he felt his soul filling his body.

Even if it was only a little bit, he... regained the feeling of being human.

In the two years following the Hypervariable Surgery, Lin had never experienced this grounded satisfaction again, except for when he had his senses in the World Bubble of the Quantum Sea. The resurgence of his senses allowed his brain, which had previously lacked some bodily information, to receive this crucial message again.

"That's great!" Vill-V clasped her hands together beside her face and said with a happy smile, "So, darling, would you like to eat first, or take a shower first, or...?"

Lin sat indifferently at the table and pointed to the projector. "Watch it first."

Delta: "..."

Chapter 175 Lin's Sense of Crisis

Delta couldn't understand why this person was so keen on making her watch her shameful videos, and this time even dragged another person along to watch them.

However, as Delta watched the video, her mindset gradually shifted away from shame. She looked at herself in the video and pondered a question.

Why would she do such a thing?

Because the game was too difficult? Because you felt that Lin was deliberately making things difficult for you?

Wrong...

Why does she feel shy now? Is it simply because she sees a side of herself that's almost like a child?

Why is all this happening?

Compared to Delta, who was deep in thought, Vill-V didn't think so much. She sat happily on Lin's lap, leaning against him. Lin had to admit that Vill-V had been a great help to him this time, and it wasn't easy to pull her out of his arms.

Of course, if she tries to do something sneaky, like secretly putting her hand inside her clothes, Lin will stop her.

"Hey," Delta called out to Lin irritably.

"..."

Lin acted as if he hadn't heard anything, not moving an inch.

"Hello!"

"..."

"Lieutenant Lin!"

"What's the matter?"

Delta's displeasure deepened, and she asked irritably, "Are you trying to tell me through this video that I can't control my emotions well?"

"I don't know," Lin replied calmly. "Maybe I just want to torment you and show you how pathetic I am."

"Snort!"

"Sakura, welcome back."

On the way, Elysia encountered Sakura, who had just returned to the Branch 10 after completing a mission, and greeted her with a smile.

Sakura nodded calmly, but not very enthusiastically.

In fact, Sakura has always been unsure how to treat the people around Rin.

At the end of the Eighth Honkai War, she nearly killed Lin. At that moment, she saw Elysia and Spasi's appearance, and she...

"Want to have dinner together?" Elysia asked.

"... No, I don't think so." Sakura could tell from the reflection on Elysia's lips that Elysia had already eaten.

"Oh, don't be shy, let's go." But Elysia grabbed Sakura's hand without saying a word and led her into the cafeteria before she could react.

"What does Sakura like to eat? Far East cuisine?"

"I don't have anything I particularly like."

"Then let's try some Shenzhou cuisine."

With a big smile, Elysia called out to the cafeteria worker, "One serving of shredded pork with garlic sauce, one serving of white jade soup, one serving of stir-fried shredded potatoes with meat, and two large bowls of rice!"

Sakura, at a loss for words, declined, saying, "I can't eat that much..."

"It's okay, I'll eat with you."

Sakura glanced stiffly at Elysia's ample belly and thighs, recalling what Lin had said about Elysia's weight, no wonder she was so... curvy.

While waiting for the food to be served, Elysia chose a seat by the window. She picked up her chopsticks and held them up to the air, saying, "I heard Lin say that Shenzhou people don't have the habit of serving food separately because they value harmony—peace and harmony within Shenzhou family, and harmony throughout the world. So eating Shenzhou food is good for improving relationships."

"..."

"Thinking about it carefully, Sakura, you've rarely participated in our 'activities.' Apart from the last time you took the initiative to reach out to me, we don't really know each other that well, even though we're both girls with beautiful pink hair~"

Elysia didn't seem to mind Sakura's silence. She tapped her fingers lightly on the table and asked, "How's your sister doing lately?"

"The bell?"

"Yes, they have such a nice name. The older sister is so cute, and the younger sister is also a well-behaved and adorable girl. They are so lucky."

Sakura wasn't used to Elysia's way of speaking; she seemed to love using such exaggerated language, and Sakura wasn't good at being praised.

"Lin said he's not good at having heart-to-heart talks with you, so he asked me to do it~"

Sakura looked up in surprise at Elysia's smiling face.

Forest?

"He said you've been doing a lot of solo tasks lately and have hardly interacted with anyone. He hopes you can take a break and not overwork yourself."

"He... said that?" Sakura was skeptical.

"Yes, it just so happens that three Flame-Chaser have recently arrived from headquarters and need guidance. As a senior, you can also guide them as a break during this period."

Sakura considered it for a moment and then nodded. "Okay."

"Also, Sakura, you can tell me many things. Sharing secrets between girls can help strengthen their relationship, right?"

Elysia's smile was like sunshine, bright and warm.

"Bite--"

Lin's communicator rang right on time. He glanced at the time and knew who would be calling at this hour.

He connected to a video call, and a young girl appeared on the communicator.

It's hard to imagine that this seemingly cute and charming little girl was, just a few years ago, a mature woman with a stunning figure. Apart from the ever-present dangerous smile on her face, she looks like she's from two different generations ago.

Why didn't you contact me today?

They started by questioning me.

"I have something to do."

"What's wrong? What's so busy that you don't even have time to make a phone call?" Mobius's tone was slightly dissatisfied.

"The latest Flame-Chaser."

"... Oh, that one."

Mobius also remembered that some of them had become Flame-Chaser through her hands. Her expression softened slightly, but just as she was about to ask about Lin's physical condition today, she noticed a tuft of dark green hair on the edge of the screen that did not belong to Lin.

Her tone changed abruptly. "Who's next to you?"

"..."

Lin thought for a moment and felt that there was nothing wrong with Vill-V by his side, and that it shouldn't anger Mobius, so he said frankly, "Vill-V."

"This spot... you two aren't hugging, are you?" Mobius's eyelids gradually closed, and he narrowed his eyes, a somewhat ominous light flashing in his snake-like pupils.

"No."

The very next second after Lin said those words, Vill-V turned around and hugged Lin's neck, then cheerfully greeted Mobius on the screen, "Long time no see, Doctor Mobius, did you miss me?"

"..."

When Lin saw the change in Mobius's expression, alarm bells immediately went off in his mind, but unfortunately, Vill-V was holding onto his neck tightly, and he was afraid of hurting her if he used too much force.

"Vill-V, didn't you go on vacation?" Mobius's expression suddenly calmed down, but this calm was more like the calm before a storm.

"Yes, that's why I came to the Branch 10. Speaking of which, it's not just that it's been a long time since we've seen each other, it's also been a long time since you and Lin have had a face-to-face conversation."

"..."

Chapter 176 Swimming Ring and Char Siu

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Chapter 177 This Fragile Beauty

Are we going to play games again today?

Delta was summoned to the training room early in the morning, and his face fell when he saw the arcade machine that had been turned on.

"Is it really possible to get such a high score in this game? Lieutenant Lin, you're not just making up that person, are you?"

Upon hearing this, Lin put down his tea-making hand and looked down at Delta: "Do you think I'm lying to you?"

"I just feel..."

"All right."

Just when Delta thought Lin was about to admit it, he... sat down in front of the arcade machine.

... He wants to play this game?

Delta is a Flame-Chaser, and her physical abilities are far superior to Lin's. Even she struggled with this game, so how could Lin possibly...?

Delta watched Lin start the game with suspicion.

The initial gameplay was the same as when I played Delta, which is normal, since Lin is a Firemoth soldier far superior to the average person, his reaction speed is absolutely...

However, after the game progressed beyond the early game and into the mid-game, Delta changed his mind.

The game has distinct phases; the mid-game speed is more than ten times faster than the early game, and the speed increase is sudden, making it easy to break combos if you're not careful. However, Lin adapted to the mid-game speed with ease.

Strange, his hand speed didn't seem that fast, so why...?

He calmly dealt with the targets flying in from all directions, keeping the joystick control within a small range, and each shot hit the target accurately, without wasting a single bullet.

His score soared, and thanks to his unbroken combo in the middle of the game, he suddenly surpassed Delta's best score.

As the game progressed into the later stages, the targets' speed increased again, and they began to move in unpredictable ways. Lin's hand speed also increased, but he still maintained a certain rhythm.

Delta watched in astonishment as the targets that seemed like out-of-control cars in front of him were being shot down one after another like floating balloons in front of Lin. Even though it was a scene that ordinary people couldn't keep up with, Lin remained calm, and the score began to rise at an alarming rate.

From the very beginning to the later stages, Lin consistently scored over a thousand points for each target, easily surpassing the second-place score of ten thousand. After playing for more than twenty minutes, Lin's score for each target began to be in the tens of thousands.

Delta fell completely silent.

There was no need to surpass the number one player; Lin released the joystick after scoring 500,000 points.

"Any more questions?" Lin stood up and looked at Delta.

Gray Serpent is coming to the Branch 10 soon.

Sakura was certain that she had killed him last time, but every time she was certain that she had killed Gray Serpent, he would still "come back to life." So Sakura reported Gray Serpent's intention to come to the Branch 10 to headquarters.

Strangely, headquarters' attitude towards Gray Serpent was somewhat subtle. Sakura had reported on this special existence more than once, but headquarters only ordered her to strangle Gray Serpent and destroy the organization, without ever considering fundamentally eliminating Gray Serpent.

This time, it was even stranger.