I'm No MOTH Hero

"..."

"What, you're not taking it? Are you really that afraid of someone you easily subdued?"

This was an obvious provocation, but Lin wouldn't let himself get enraged. However, he genuinely couldn't hold a gun, grab something, and restrain Ritter at the same time. Ritter was a member of the Poisoned Cocoon, and in combat, he was no weaker than any other soldier.

After a moment of consideration, Lin approached the file bag. He took one last look at the motionless Ritter before reaching out for the bag.

His other hand held the gun, pressing it firmly against Ritter.

Only a few centimeters left.

Lin's hand landed on the file bag.

"Snap."

At that insignificant sound, a cold glint flashed in Ritter's eyes. He bent his right elbow and struck towards Lin's face with his elbow.

Lin, who had anticipated Ritter's move, easily dodged the sneak attack by tilting his head. However, his finger on the trigger didn't pull.

Ritter was surprised by Lin's silence, but it didn't stop him from escaping. He bolted, dodging Lin's sweeping leg, and ran towards the area where the Honkai Beasts were kept.

It seems I haven't fully recovered to my best condition yet...

This time, Lin didn't hesitate. He aimed directly at Ritter's leg and fired three shots.

"Bang! Bang bang!"

Ritter easily dodged the first two shots. But Lin had intentionally left less than half a second between the first and second shots, which Ritter picked up on. The rhythm of the third shot was much faster than the second, so Ritter, unable to react in time, was shot through his right thigh by the last bullet and stumbled to the ground.

"Cough... this guy..." Ritter broke out in a cold sweat from the pain. He looked back at Lin, who had already retrieved the file and was walking towards him with the gun.

Lure him in then ambush. His combat style is similar to close-quarters fighting. What a sneaky bastard. And his aim is truly precise.

But...

Ignoring the pain, Ritter jumped up and, dragging his injured right leg, ran forward again.

Lin, about to fire again, stopped aiming.

Is he deliberately running into my line of fire?

Ritter knew Lin intended to shoot his left leg, so this time he lowered his body as much as possible, bringing his vital areas closer to Lin's gun. With Lin's marksmanship, this shouldn't have been an issue, but it still caused him a fraction of a second's hesitation. That was enough time for Ritter to do something.

"Bang bang!"

Two more shots.

Ritter counted the remaining bullets in the magazine. He dodged the bullets again, and Lin, using his old trick, fired the third shot out of rhythm.

"Bang!"

Ritter, fully focused, had figured out Lin's little trick this time. He dodged in the opposite direction, making it impossible for Lin to hit his leg...

"Snap!"

An agonizing pain shot up from his left leg.

"Huh?"

"Clatter." Ritter, with both legs useless, fell to the ground, his face ashen.

He looked back at Lin's still smoking gun.

Was he aiming at the floor?

This is... a ricochet.

"Tricked again. Your combat ability is truly outstanding," Ritter shook his head.

But Lin, who had been walking, stopped and even lowered his gun.

This was because Ritter had just reached the gate of the Honkai Beast containment area. He leaned against the wall, propping himself up with one half of his body, and placed his ID card... next to the switch.

"Heh heh, is it the same as that time now? If I release these Honkai Beasts, can you kill them all before they hurt anyone else?"

Ritter mocked the stopped Lin.

Chapter 61: This Moment

"Want to try? Can you shoot my hand before I release the Honkai Beasts?"

Ritter's face was filled with mockery as he nudged the ID card closer to the switch.

After the two shots just now, Ritter was certain that Lin didn't intend to kill him. Lin could have easily shot him in the head from behind, but he only disabled his mobility.

"This kind of facility can't be opened with a simple card swipe," Lin raised his gun slightly, aiming at Ritter's hand intentionally or unintentionally.

"Do you remember the containment facility at the Fifth Branch?" Ritter's lips curled upwards, his eyes widening into a terrifying smile. "Are you going to bet on how I opened it?"

"..."

The large door stood behind Ritter like the gates of hell.

After a long silence, Lin slowly lowered his gun.

Ritter clicked his tongue and shook his head. "What a shame. If you had broken my legs from the start, none of this would have happened. You're much softer than you appear."

"What do you want to do next?" Lin had no time for small talk. The situation was at a stalemate, and he couldn't guarantee that someone wouldn't arrive. He couldn't let Ritter stall for time.

"What do you want? Open the emergency call and get out of here!" Ritter shouted.

He didn't believe Lin would value the lives of others in the Deepest Place over his own. If he continued to threaten Lin, he might push him too far, which would be counterproductive. It was better to let Lin leave with the data now; that would be the best outcome for both of them.

So, would Lin choose this path? Would he let go of a heinous murderer like himself for some insignificant people, or would he abandon the Deepest Place, which wasn't much better anyway, for the sake of the heroes of the Fifth Branch?

Ritter swallowed quietly. He acted arrogant on the outside, but he was incredibly nervous on the inside. He absolutely couldn't release the Honkai Beasts; otherwise, he'd be the first to die.

But he had to at least act the part!

He roared with false bravado, "Do you think I wouldn't dare release the Honkai Beasts? The trial I'll face after you catch me will definitely be execution, so don't bother thinking about whether I dare. I've already killed so many people; what's a few more dragged down with me?"

Lin silently put his gun back into his pocket and looked at Ritter. He said calmly, "You won't."

Those four words tore down Ritter's facade. His fingers froze in mid-air, the card less than half a centimeter from the switch.

"I know someone for whom their lover is everything. Everything else pales in comparison, like starlight against the moon. That's why I know you won't open it," Lin said, slowly walking forward. He stared at Ritter, who was backing away but had nowhere to retreat. "Because if you die, your daughter won't survive either."

"You... stop!"

"I can help you." Lin continued to walk forward. His slow approach put immense pressure on Ritter, causing sweat to stream down his forehead.

"Stop joking! You're just going to let me go? Didn't you chase me here to capture me!"

"I never said I would let you go."

"What?" Ritter blinked, then his anger flared. "Are you toying with me!"

Lin certainly wouldn't let Ritter and those behind him off the hook, but it wasn't his place to pass judgment.

"What's the situation with your daughter?" Lin stood at a subtle distance, not too close, but close enough to apply psychological pressure on Ritter.

"Why are you asking that?"

"A common illness, or Honkai Sickness?"

"..."

Ritter hesitated, looking at the calm Lin. He gritted his teeth and said, "A rare cell necrosis disease. There are only six cases worldwide, and the mortality rate is one hundred percent. My daughter is the only remaining case."

A disease with a one-in-a-billion chance like this was indeed something only MOTH could find a cure or delaying treatment for. So, Lin wasn't particularly surprised when Ritter mentioned such an unbelievable illness.

Immediately after Ritter finished speaking, Lin followed up with, "I can save your daughter."

"You? Hmph..." Ritter's teeth chattered. "You're a genius in combat, no doubt, but you're not a doctor. How can you possibly say you can save her?"

"Do you know Mobius?"

"That Mobius?! Are you crazy! You want my daughter to end up on that woman's operating table!"

"But Mobius's research on cells is unparalleled. If anyone has a chance of saving your daughter, it would have to be Mobius."

"..." This time, it was Ritter's turn to fall silent.

Lin periodically observed the surroundings of A-3, preventing anyone from entering.

After another minute passed on Prometheus's time scale, Ritter looked up and said hoarsely, "What do you want me to do?"

"The person who gave the orders, and you," Lin's visor displayed Ritter's slowing heart rate. He said calmly, "You will receive the punishment you deserve."

Lin had no right to represent the people of the Fifth Branch in forgiving Ritter. Even if it was for his daughter, he had no right to punish Ritter. Even if Ritter deserved to die a thousand times over, only the survivors of the Fifth Branch, led by Doctor Spacy, had the authority.

Lin wouldn't place himself above the law, but he also wouldn't let the impending judgment be pardoned due to privilege.

"...Alright."

Ritter sighed, lowered his hand, and moved the identity card away from the switch.

He leaned against the wall, a relaxed laugh escaping him, "The punishment I deserve... Perhaps it's right. You really are an oddity, just like the rumors say."

Lin shook his head. It seemed this matter had come to a satisfactory conclusion. Next, he just needed to figure out how to bring Ritter back and then find the commander of the Poisoned Cocoon to report to Mei.

"Sigh, come help me up. You shot my legs in two; I can't walk."

Ritter pointed to his bloody, mangled legs. Lin glanced at them and then stepped forward, intending to carry him.

However, just as disaster strikes without warning yet clearly follows a pattern, all seemingly sudden accidents have a traceable cause yet still catch people off guard.

"Beep————"

Ritter and Lin's hair stood on end simultaneously. A chill crawled up from the soles of their feet.

Unexpectedly, the door that had been tightly shut, containing the Honkai Beasts, suddenly let out a loud bang and then burst open with a rumble.

Ritter's eyes widened as he watched the Honkai Beasts, originally contained in cell-like compartments, emerge from their chambers with distorted screeches.

"Roar————"

What was going on? He hadn't opened the switch.

This situation, where all the Honkai Beasts were released at once, couldn't have been caused by simply opening one door!

A thought flashed through Ritter's mind, and then his brain went blank.

"We've been discovered?"

Chapter 62: Empty-Handed Wolf Grabs a Sheep

"We've been discovered?"

Ritter muttered blankly, watching a floating, squid-like Honkai Beast drift before him. It extended sharp tentacles, aiming to pierce his brain.

"Bang!"

Lin yanked Ritter out of the way, dodging the Honkai Beast's attack. He drew his pistol and fired, but this wasn't a specialized anti-Honkai weapon. The bullets lodged shallowly in the Honkai Beast's body, failing to hit its core and causing no substantial damage.

"Lin, there are thirteen Honkai Beasts. All of them are special, lower-tier types."

To avoid hindering Lin's information gathering, Prometheus switched to voice reporting. The mechanical, girlish voice reached Lin's ears.

Lin stomped down, pinning the small Honkai Beast to the ground. He placed his pistol at the center of its tentacles and fired again.

"Bang!"

The core was hit.

Lin tossed aside his empty pistol and retreated, holding Ritter with both arms.

The remaining twelve Honkai Beasts were still in the state of just being released from their cages. After a brief pause, they began to swarm towards Lin.

As Lin retreated, he said, "You have a monitor on you."

This statement struck Ritter like lightning.

At that moment, two Honkai Beasts bolted towards the exit. Lin's pupils constricted, and he immediately said to Prometheus, "Prometheus, seal the gate!"

"Unable to control the containment gate."

"It's the A-3 area doors, seal all of them!"

Ritter jolted, grabbing Lin by the collar. "Are you crazy?! If we seal A-3, we'll all die!"

But not sealing A-3 would result in even greater casualties, so Lin repeated without hesitation, "Seal A-3!"