An Ordinary Private / Livestock, Tools

Ultimately, it was because he wasn't "discovered".

Or... did he not notice?

"Boom!"

The long-awaited transport plane removed its optical camouflage and, to his stunned gaze, launched its missiles.

Chapter 220 An Ordinary Private

"Target hit." The person who pulled the trigger coldly watched the figure fall from the explosion's flames and reported into the communicator.

"MSA-079 confirmed dead?"

"The target's death has not yet been confirmed."

"We must immediately confirm MSA-079's vital signs. Based on several eyewitness reports, he is suspected of having a rapid self-healing ability."

"Receive."

The missile's aim was directed at the man emitting black smoke.

If Lin deduced the location of the dark side of the Fire Moth from various clues and continued to resist even after being wanted, what would the Fire Moth do?

A trap... Now he realizes the real reason he was able to find his way here.

Erwin couldn't hear anything. In the explosion, flames had engulfed his skin and hair, half of his body had been blown into a bloody mess, and he seemed to have lost his hearing as well.

He fell from the heavens into the sea.

The black smoke emanating from his body filled everything that could be seen.

Even the pain had disappeared. The high temperature had covered the wound and the opening with a paste of flesh. I could only feel a burning heat in my heart and lungs, which I couldn't leave my body.

So that's how it is...

In Erwin's dilated pupils, the artifact, seemingly a weapon of creation judging all living beings, was reflected, its deadly hole aimed at him.

Just like many years ago, he looked up at the god who casually took the lives of his comrades in the freezing cold.

Humans defeated the gods, yet they used the same weapons to defeat their own people.

He smelled the aroma of his own burnt flesh, and the smell of blood gushing from his throat and nostrils.

Is he going to die?

Last time, during the Eighth Honkai War, Erwin was only one step away from death, but he didn't feel much then. This time, however, he felt that everything in front of him had slowed down a lot, and death was approaching little by little, taking away his soul from his body, so clearly.

Erwin, I feel like crying.

Not a single tear could be forced from his withered, charred eyelids, and he opened his mouth, which had been burned off.

Why must humans treat their fellow human beings this way...?

Standing in the conference room, I gathered with my teammates.

Feeling lost and confused, I hid in a corner of the banquet and saw the tired yet hopeful smiles of the people after the Honkai.

Living a life that's neither particularly good nor bad, thinking about what to eat for dinner, and chatting with friends about gossip on the communicator.

It's just... such an ordinary life.

He was always filled with fear, thinking about what would happen if he died on the battlefield one day. He imagined that the Honkai Beast and Honkai zombie would definitely tear him to pieces, and that he would die a very painful death.

But he did not die in the Honkai.

And he, without knowing when it started, no longer feared dying on the battlefield.

Is this... luck?

"Stop doing this..." A pained expression forced across Erwin's skinless face. He opened his remaining arm and whispered to his compatriot looking down at him, "Please..."

There was no answer, or rather, the only answer was the faint sound of a missile being launched.

"Bang!"

The light was like an embrace, engulfing his entire body, and his pupils slowly dilated.

He felt fortunate, yet also somewhat saddened.

Fortunately, it wasn't Lieutenant Lin who came.

But... I wonder if Danzhu will be heartbroken...

"Report: After verification, this person's identity is not MSA-079."

"... Another idiot who wants to investigate? Or a traitor?"

"Identity verified, he is a private from the Squad Thirteen Platoon..."

"Private? I guess he was just unlucky."

The snickers ceased, and the communication ended just like that, insignificantly.

Lin stopped in his tracks, clutching his chest. He suddenly felt an indescribable panic in his heart, and even felt a little breathless.

What's going on...? Has the illness flared up again...?

He stood there, leaning against the wall for a long time before straightening up again, his helmet eyes returning to calm.

Let's hold on a little longer, at least until this incident is over.

On the display screen inside the helmet, the chip decryption was in progress. This time, Gray Serpent unusually encrypted the chip instead of telling him all the information directly as before.

This strange behavior naturally aroused Lin's suspicion, but he had no choice.

He had spent almost a day deciphering the code, and now, only the last part remained. He stared intently at the progress bar until the very end.

"The next location is..."

After the coordinates appeared in his eyes, Lin turned around instantly and rushed off in one direction.

"What... what kind of notice is this... are you kidding me...?"

Einstein stared at the dense text on her communicator. Shock, doubt, disgust, and anger all came rushing to her face at once. Her hand holding the communicator trembled, and emotions she had never felt before were brewing in her heart.

However, before she could even process the notification from the Firemoth, another message came into her communicator.

"Erwin's message?" Einstein suppressed her anger and calmly looked at the new communication. "Did you receive a notification and want to tell me?"

She opened the message Erwin had sent.

Then, time stood still.

[Doctor Einstein, if you received this message, then I must have met with an accident. I'm sorry I didn't consult you beforehand, but... I really don't know who to believe.]

I left all the clues in the room where we talked. I don't know who to trust or who to help, so I can only choose to help myself. I will only send you this message when I can no longer return. I hope that this final dance of my mediocre life will be the right one.

I have a lot to say, but the funny thing is, I don't even know if I'll come back safely. And if I'm lucky enough to escape unscathed, wouldn't that be awkward? Besides, I'm just a private; even if I wanted to say something, it would only be trivial matters.

I'm worried and scared, but... I just can't ignore it. Maybe I'm just that kind of foolish person.

If you are able to meet with Lieutenant Lin again, please tell him that I have only left temporarily. Although I used to think that someone as cold as Lieutenant Lin would never notice someone as insignificant as me, after spending so much time together, I have become familiar with his personality and know that even he would feel sadness because of me.

I used to think of Lieutenant Lin as my idol, but... I still want to be his friend.

Chapter 221 Livestock and Tools

"Kevin."

After turning off the communicator, Mei sighed as she looked at her reflection in the glass, with Kevin standing not far behind her.

"If I asked you to kill someone, could you do it?"

"Able."

"... Perhaps I asked the wrong question. It's not that you can 'follow' my wishes to kill, but rather, can you kill for the sake of humanity?"

It was not for anyone's wishes, but out of my own choice.

Kevin didn't hesitate, in fact, he didn't need to. "I've always done this for you..."

"I know, Kevin." May interrupted Kevin. There was no need for sweet words between them. She took a deep breath. "Whether it's joining the Firemoth or fighting, you've done it all for me. But I want to know your own thoughts, what you think as an individual human being, a Flame-Chaser, a person named Kevin."

Has Kevin thought about this?

If Mei were to pass away one day, how would he survive?

In fact, Kevin had thought about it more than once.

During the Cleansing Incident, Kevin witnessed fellow human beings mercilessly harming their own kind, and he wondered if he might one day face the same fate.

The present is merely a reflection of that time; one could even say that the Great Purge was just a microcosm and a prelude to this event.

Humanity has overcome alien invasions and the crisis of Honkai, but these experiences and victories have become fertilizer for the growth of greed.

"... Lin talked to me before he left." Ice flowers fell on the window, tinged golden by the dim twilight. "He said he was often bound by the will of the people of the past, moving forward toward the future, yet he had to look back at the 'people' following behind him. He could give everything for the living, but he could not go against the wishes of the dead."

Both humans and forests move forward amidst contradictions.

"Mei, this isn't about whether I 'want' or not, it's something we 'have' to do."

Mei, for the first time in a long time, showed a genuine and heartfelt smile.

"Then let's be prepared. I'm sure they've come prepared as well."

The chip that Gray Serpent gave to Lin was empty.

Yes, the chip that took a lot of time to crack only contained junk data, completely different from the previous chip that provided ample information and intelligence.

"Witnessing this process is my sole purpose."

"Understood, this should be the last time."

The role that Gray Serpent played in this incident was a question Lin Cong the very beginning.

He proactively approached Lin, then hinted at the plans of the High Council of the Firemoth, informed Lin of the cause of the Honkai outbreak at Svatogor 51, and finally provided Lin with various intelligence on KY Plan.

All of this was initiated by Gray Serpent to help Lin, but he said his purpose was only to "witness" the process.

In other words, his help to Lin only accelerated the process so that he could see the ending sooner, and had little impact on the ending. Lin could probably have obtained that information through other means.

This is not assistance.

That life form created by humankind now resembles a supreme deity, observing human joys and sorrows, and human behavior.

From the very beginning, Gray Serpent knew the purpose of the Firemoth's High Council who were cooperating with him—those Firemoth High Council who were "betraying" him in another way.

The Hypervariable Surgery, the most important part of the Flame-Chaser project that Moth Chaser values most since the Seventh Honkai Eruption, integrates the hypermutation genes of Honkai Beast into the human body, thereby greatly enhancing the human's physique, surpassing human limits, and enabling the use of Honkai Energy and various Honkai Energy -based superpowers.

However, the Flame-Chaser project is definitely one of the most inhumane programs in the Firemoth.

From an early 99% mortality rate to a 60% mortality rate, it seems like a lot of progress, but in reality, it is still a gamble for people undergoing surgery. Life and death cannot be coldly decided and summarized by probability alone.

Therefore, the Firemoth has always promoted the "voluntary" acceptance of the Flame-Chaser project, rather than forcing others to undergo Hypervariable Surgery.

But probably no one expected that after the Cleansing Incident, the High Council of Moth Chasing the Flame and the culprits of the Cleansing Incident would take completely opposite extreme paths.

"All members must undergo Hypervariable Surgery and be placed under control of the Flame-Chaser..." Delta's eyes trembled in their sockets as she saw the announcement from the Firemoth headquarters' command center, just as she heard the rumble of a collapse.

Vill-V's expression remained unchanged. She took the communicator from Delta's hand and looked at the announcement on it. "After dragging it out for so long, we still couldn't stop it?"

"Did you already know?"

"Why do you think the Fire Moth uses numbers to manage its members, while the real High Council doesn't?" Vill-V didn't answer Delta's question, but continued to tap her tools on the desk, her eyes under the lamp fixed on the objects on the table. "Intending to militarize management? No, because those at the very top don't have positions or ranks."

Serial number...

Delta's designation is CM-079, symbolizing the Seventy-Nine Flame-Chaser to successfully undergo the Hypervariable Surgery. The person who gave her the designation told her that it was both an identity and an honor, signifying that she was a warrior who protected humanity like a moth drawn to a flame.

But Delta saw a disgusting emotion in his eyes at that moment.

It was like the disdain one would show when looking at livestock.

"When something serves the same purpose for you and can be used freely, you won't bother to remember the different, complicated names of those things."

"For example, in my workshop, the tools in the toolbox are divided into different types, and each type is further divided into different sizes. When I want Prometheus to bring me a certain tool, I will give him a number."