I'm No MOTH Hero

"Him?" Mobius frowned at the name, then quickly relaxed. "So that's why the alloy helmet man wasn't honestly resting in his room. Your efficiency is quite impressive."

Mei made her request: "We need your help, Doctor Mobius... No, Lin needs your help."

Chapter 57: Journey to the Deepest Place

The large doors slowly parted, revealing a starkly different scene within.

"Access granted. Welcome, Doctor Lin Qijiu."

"..."

Lin paused at the broadcasted voice, then silently looked towards the upper right corner of the visual display.

After leaving the upper right corner blank for a full ten seconds, Prometheus responded unhurriedly: [Lin, don't you think the title 'Doctor' carries some weight?]

"...I don't have a doctorate."

[Doctor is merely a term of respect. Doctor Mei doesn't have a doctorate either.]

"Prometheus, I'm glad your personality is much closer to human now. That was a good joke," Lin's expression beneath his helmet was as emotionless as the February wind. "But don't pull that again, especially not at a time like this."

He never expected Prometheus to register him with a 'Doctor' suffix as a temporary identity while hacking into the facility. Did she consider 'Doctor' the highest form of respect?

Another path lay before him, but it was narrower and covered in metallic patterns. It was likely an internal personnel passage, proving Lin's choice was correct.

[No life signs detected.]

Lin didn't allow himself even a second of hesitation and stepped into the passage.

No matter what lay ahead, even an ocean of Emperor-class Honkai Beasts, he had no retreat. He had to find the answers he needed here.

"Speaking of which, this place doesn't seem to need any guards at all. The location is too out of the way; no one would possibly invade here."

"Yeah, and we don't even have to watch the containment facilities. What a relaxed job. If only we could access the internal network, I could spend all day browsing forums."

"Hiss... Got a smoke? This place feels so creepy, like someone's watching me. I need a smoke to warm up."

"Forget it. They wouldn't let us bring cigarettes in. Ah, it's easy work with nothing to do, but it's too boring."

"Tch, this is still a classified facility that hasn't been opened yet. We can only leave when the big shots upstairs decide to make it public~"

The two yawned, squatting by the corner, idly exchanging tips on slacking off. To them, this was a good assignment – no front lines, no contact with experiments that offered a ten-out-of-ten chance of death. This godforsaken place had no other drawbacks besides being godforsaken. They were even discussing making their own deck of cards to play in their spare time.

Their lax vigilance meant they didn't notice a helmeted man brazenly emerge from the passage behind them. He paused to listen to their conversation for a moment, then walked away.

Lin's habitually all-black attire allowed him to blend into the pitch-black environment. His footsteps grew lighter, giving him the illusion of a leisurely stroll.

No surveillance equipment? Is it to prevent leaked recordings?

Lin's primary objective wasn't to thoroughly research The Deepest Place, but gaining more knowledge about the unknown was always beneficial. Besides the recording for Vill-V, he would keep a copy for himself to study.

After stepping through that door, the route became increasingly complex. Lin would occasionally crouch down to pick up some dust and observe which path was frequently traveled. Gradually, he approached what seemed to be the core area.

Another door. Behind this one likely lay the core area.

"There's still so much room for development in Armed Folding Technology. Our research on the Second Herrscher is far from reaching its limit. The R&D Department at HQ has even developed a Phase Transfer System. Why can't we, a mere Armed Folding, achieve complete stabilization?!"

Lin instantly moved to the wall, holding his breath, and watched two people in lab coats emerge from a brightly lit room. The one in front was venting his frustration, while the one behind listened with a pained expression.

The one behind seemed to want to comfort the other, forcing a smile. "But Delta didn't develop Armed Folding Technology either."

"That's because he has no interest! Not that he can't, do you understand?!" To his surprise, the first person turned and roared at this remark. "If he hadn't been crazy enough to develop that useless Titan and Anti-gravity Flight System, do you think he wouldn't have been able to make Armed Folding?! Would this have been assigned to us?!"

"I... I don't know..."

"Of course, you don't! That's why he's the Chief Technical Advisor and Head of the R&D Department at HQ, while we're stuck in this dark, sunless place researching the scraps he disdains! Not to mention, we don't even know where the Head of the Engineering Department popped up from. This prison we're in was built by them!"

So, are you trying to praise Delta's abilities or call him crazy?

"The Deepest Place hasn't activated its inherent functions yet. We're here because we're all potential prisoners. If we fail to complete our tasks, we won't be moving anywhere else. We'll just pack our bags and become the first guests of The Deepest Place." The first person stopped, his eyes cold. "The higher-ups have likely formed factions. The news of the Poisoned Cocoon member's corpse being sent to The Deepest Place has been disclosed to Captain-level personnel and above. It won't be long before The Deepest Place is exposed to all of MOTH. If we haven't completed what we're supposed to by then, we'll be stuck here for the rest of our lives."

"Sigh, if only I had known... Ugh—"

A cold hand struck from behind, dragging the speaker into the darkness. Their terrified gaze was the last image imprinted on the other person's retina.

"Wh—"

Before the person could call for guards, a powerful foot accurately kicked their head, sending them crashing into the wall. They rolled their eyes and fainted.

Lin released the two scientists he had knocked unconscious and coldly regarded them. He had controlled his strength well; they would wake up with some pain but no lasting consequences.

The advantage of not wearing equipment became apparent. Lin quickly stripped the two of their clothes and put them on. He then used the extra clothes to bind their hands and feet and gag them, before finding a less-trafficked path to discard them.

Finally, he removed his helmet and inserted one of the identity cards into the helmet's slot.

"Zzz—"

In a flash of light, Lin retrieved the identity card. The information on it had been rewritten to the non-existent "Doctor Lin Qijiu." He then walked back to the door, helmet in hand, and opened it with the forged identity.

"Welcome back, Doctor Lin Qijiu."

Lin calmly put away the identity card and swaggered in, helmet in hand.

There weren't many people; this was just one section, responsible for equipment research and development. Lin, carrying his helmet, didn't stand out among the researchers, each engrossed in their own unfinished creations.

Except for his face.

The atmosphere was one of everyone minding their own business, with no one bothering to look up and see who was entering or leaving. So, Lin used the ID cards of the two people he'd knocked unconscious to find their work area and pushed the door open.

Then, his movements froze the moment he pushed the door open.

One person had their back to him and slowly turned around.

There was no way Lin would forget that person's back.

"Doctor, I've finished writing my report on the experience of using the Armed Folding Technology, but honestly, I only used it once, and there's nothing substantial... Who are you?"

The assassin, who had been confirmed "dead," stood in the light, holding a report with a contented smile.

Chapter Fifty-Eight: Those Who Cannot Understand Each Other

"I am the new Dr. Lin Qijiu."

After a brief pause, Lin reported his forged identity without changing his expression.

Anyone else might have already thrown a punch. This culprit, confirmed to be the destroyer of the Fifth Branch, was living so comfortably and peacefully in this secluded underwater facility, while those vibrant lives were buried in graves, their names hung on the headquarters' walls, separated from their loved ones forever.

Lin had said he couldn't judge humanity, but the moment he met the assassin, he felt a long-lost impulse.

An impulse to draw his gun and shoot the assassin full of holes.

He couldn't place himself in a position too high to judge humanity; this was a promise he'd made to Mei and to himself. If he were to start doing so, it would be like opening Pandora's box, and the programmatic approach he used against Honkai would extend to humans.

Because Lin knew he was capable of it, and wouldn't hesitate after doing it, he couldn't act.

"New?"

After a moment of surprise, the assassin's gaze shifted to the helmet in Lin's hand.

During their brief encounter, he hadn't seen Lin's face clearly. He only remembered Lin wearing a helmet, but the details were obscured by the darkness of the night and Lin's speed, so he had only glanced at the helmet a few times.

Compared to the helmet, the new doctor's appearance was more striking.

"Dr. Koka (the name of the stunned researcher) is temporarily occupied, so I'm here to take over his work." Lin's expression wasn't very animated, but he controlled his angle perfectly, turning his body to show only his profile to the assassin. He quickly got into character, picking up several data reports from the desk and glancing at them.

"Oh... you can have this report. Give it to Dr. Koka later."

After taking the report, Lin flipped to the end and saw the assassin's signature.

"Ritter."

"Hm? What is it?" the assassin asked when his name was called.

"Nothing. The research is stuck, and I have some free time. Why don't we chat a bit longer before I go?" Lin picked up a cup from the desk and walked over to the water dispenser. "Coffee or hot water?"

Ritter smacked his lips. "Hot water, please. I don't know why you technical people are so fond of coffee."

"Alright."

Lin carried the hot water over and sat down next to Ritter, casually placing his helmet on the table. After handing over the water, he said, "Mr. Ritter, you're a member of Poisoned Cocoon, aren't you?"

"Hm? Yes."

"..."

In this Deepest Place, was the existence of Poisoned Cocoon common knowledge?

This brief silence caused Ritter to observe Lin again. He looked at Lin's face with confusion. "Speaking of which, Dr. Lin Qijiu, are you alright? Your left ear seems to be bleeding."

"No, it's nothing. I just sustained a minor injury while collecting sound data from a Chariot-class Honkai Beast's roar."

"You really go all out, don't you? You're worthy of being humanity's elite. People like me just get to enjoy the fruits of your research." Ritter shook his head with a sigh, his face filled with respect.

The bright light overhead seemed to dim, like the stars on that night.

Every muscle in Lin's body woke up.

"Then you—"

Why did you do that?

The scientists and researchers you killed, weren't they also humanity's elite, who sacrificed their lives for humanity?

How can you say such things with a smile on your face right now?

You—

"Then you should also work hard for humanity." Lin's mind went blank, and he uttered those words.

He felt like he was going to vomit, a tickle of nausea in his throat.

He couldn't tell if he was truly rational or just numb.

"Me? Work hard for humanity? Forget it..." The light in Ritter's eyes dimmed. "I... I'm just a scumbag."

Lin asked calmly, "Why do you say that?"

"Don't you already know, Doctor? I'm a member of Poisoned Cocoon. People like me... Oh, right, you're new, so you wouldn't know." Ritter gave a self-deprecating smile. "Where do you think this data came from?"

"The Fifth Branch."

"Huh? You know?"

"I've heard something about it."

Having been to the scene myself.

"So, you understand, right?"

Ritter shrugged his shoulders. Lin didn't know if it was a gesture of indifference or self-abandonment, but his words were clear and unhesitating as he spoke the things he shouldn't have.

"While they were all fighting for humanity, I killed them... no, I killed them, with these hands."

"Before this mission, I only received solo assassination missions. Most of the people I killed had no relation to me. According to the reports, they were all heinous criminals, all obstacles to humanity's progress."

"Even this time, the mission stated the target was a bastard trying to turn humans into Honkai Beasts. But the mission objective wasn't just to assassinate her... it was for me to make a big scene, to experiment with new weapons on my fellow humans."

"Doctor, can you understand? The moment I pressed the detonator, I felt like the souls of the dead rushed at me, those I had killed before, and those I killed this time..."

As Ritter spoke, his face contorted in pain. He gasped for air, picked up his water glass, and drained it in one gulp, slamming it down on the table.

He didn't notice Lin's gaze growing colder throughout this exchange. Finally, Lin took a small sip of water, moistening his lips, and said, "So, do you regret it now?"

"Regret? I regret it every moment."

"Will you continue to carry out missions after this?"

"Yes."

Ritter's answer was so firm that Lin thought he had misheard.

He also put down his water glass and turned to grip his helmet.

"I... I have to fight for my daughter... her life depends on that person..." Ritter's pain transformed into resolute sustenance. "I know what I'm doing is wrong, but when I compare the lives of others to the lives of those close to me, I have no choice."

"Doctor, I think I've said too much, but you can understand me, right? I want to fight for the people important to me, even if it means taking the lives of others, I..."

Lin absurdly thought of Kevin.

He knew very well that Kevin would never become like this. Even if Kevin could give everything for Mei, Kevin would never take everything from others for Mei.

But what if Kevin were in the same situation as Ritter?