Magic Bullet I

That fire was driving her crazy.

No, she already has.

That's insane.

"Click".

Lin heard the sound of the door being locked from the inside, followed by the soft sound of fabric rubbing against his skin. The silky fabric slipped off his fair skin. His brow twitched, and then he opened his eyes, stunned by the sight before him.

A sense of déjà vu rushed from his heart to his brain. He wanted to get up immediately, but his weak and powerless body made his eyelids tremble.

"This is my family's hospital."

Lin struggled to lift his head and look at the IV drip that was being administered, the clear liquid inside slowly flowing into his body.

"Clatter".

A perfect arm rested beside Lin's head, and a pretty face with a sickly smile appeared in his already blurred vision.

"Don't... come any closer..."

"Senior Lin, you shouldn't say things like that to girls~ Let me teach you what to say in this situation~"

She lowered her head, unbuttoned his hospital gown with her fingers, pulled open the collar, and saw the bite marks on Lin's collarbone and neck. She stuck out her delicate tongue and carefully licked them all over.

"I love you, Senior Lin. Even if you're just lying to me, please tell me now..."

"'I love you'."

(Chapter 1) A New World, New Ideas

Location: Canghai City, Shenzhou.

The timeframe is ten years before the Ninth Honkai War.

The silver-haired man walked the streets of Canghai City, listening to the cacophony of Shenzhou dialect. In his fragmented memory, he still retained some impressions of his first time here.

Looking up at the Trade Building standing in the distance, he remembered meeting Hua with a girl there, and then the Third Honkai War 3rd arrived in the world right behind them.

Besides...

He turned his head and looked at another area.

"Mom, I did really well on my test today!"

"Okay, okay, my sweet baby, we'll go out to eat later..."

The man leaned against the wall, oblivious to the cold, gazing up at the starry sky and listening to the joyful conversation between the mother and child inside the house.

"Call..."

He exhaled a cold breath, walked away from the apartment, and walked alone in the shadows of the night.

"Splash... splash..."

The wind brought the night, the leaves rustled, and one fell on Lin's shoulder. He stopped and fell silent in the brightly lit city.

Lin seemed to have a very long dream.

In the dream, humanity faces a catastrophe called Honkai, which erodes the human body, unleashes devastating disasters that destroy continents and planets, and creates unknown monsters...

He was one of the fighters against the Honkai, fighting day after day for ten years, experiencing pain, awakening, betrayal, collapse, and rebirth... Every detail in the dream was clear. He was like a person made of building blocks, constantly being knocked down and then constantly reassembled.

Was that a dream?

Lin arrived at the riverbank and bent down to look at himself. His moon-colored hair was so dazzling.

How could it be a dream?

The Pseudo-Herrscher Core inside his chest was still throbbing, reminding him in the cruelest way that even self-deception was utterly impossible.

This is another Parallel World, or World Bubble.

Back in Atra, he wasn't swallowed by the pseudo-black hole, but instead ended up here. It's highly likely that there was a problem with the Stargate in Atra, which transported him to a World Bubble in the Quantum Sea.

This wasn't Lin's first time experiencing the World Bubble, so he quickly accepted the situation. However, he was more concerned about his current physical condition than being in the World Bubble.

At the end of the Ninth Honkai War, his consciousness was almost swallowed up by the Herrscher consciousness, and he was only one step away from becoming a true Herrscher. However, his consciousness is very clear now, and there is no sign of being replaced or swallowed up. The Pseudo-Herrscher Core is still in his body, so he does not understand what happened.

Thinking of the golden chains binding Prismatic Eyes in that Red Sea, dragging him upwards from its depths, he already had some guesses in his mind.

So what should we do next?

"..."

Lin paused by the desolate riverbank. His hearing allowed him to clearly distinguish the chirping of insects, the sound of the wind, and some whispered sweet nothings amidst the noise. He looked in one direction, then shook his head and turned to leave.

How can he return to his own world?

Lin's first thought was to find the Stargate of this world.

The solution is simple: contact the Fire-Chasing Moth. However, he cannot reveal his purpose, otherwise...

Lin was contemplating his next move when suddenly he stopped and clutched his chest again.

Do we really have to... go back?

"Thump, thump, thump..."

A strong heartbeat, but not from the heart itself.

Lin knew perfectly well what kind of "things" resided within his body. They were his complicated enemies and his accidental lovers, and now, he was about to become them.

Sure enough, compared to going back—

Lin's vision was incredibly sharp. He decided what to do next in less than a second, walked into a kitchenware store, picked up a cleaver, and headed to the cashier.

"Thank you for your patronage of 23 yuan."

"..."

Lin touched his empty pockets.

He usually uses the Fire Moth card for purchases, which has a balance of nine followed by countless zeros. Fire Moth does not allow its members to disrupt market order, but it provides them with absolute material support, so the card can be used for purchases. However, every transaction is monitored.

Kolin wasn't wearing combat gear or armor, and there were no cards in his clothes. He... didn't even have any identification to prove his identity.

Is he currently... unemployed?

Tramp?

Unregistered resident?

"Are you going to buy it or not?" Seeing Lin silent in front of the cashier, the cashier suspiciously sized up this person who was dressed furtively and didn't even show his face, while secretly pressing the emergency phone, ready to call the police at any time.

Lin was aware of the cashier's underhanded tactics, so he simply placed the knife on the counter and raised his hands. "Can we talk about this?"

"What?"

"I'd like to borrow this knife for a bit. You can take it back after I cut off my own head. You can use my clothes as payment, but I'll have to clean up afterwards."

"..."

The cashier knew she had run into a tough customer.

Isn't this robbery? Isn't this threatening to cut him down and take his clothes as collateral if he doesn't hand over the money... Does he mean he'll strip his body naked?

This guy...

A bead of cold sweat trickled down the cashier's back as he discreetly dialed the emergency number.

"You don't need to call the police. Someone will take care of me after I die."

Lin refers to the Fire-Chasing Moth of this world. He has a Pseudo-Herrscher Core in his body, which will likely attract the attention of the Fire-Chasing Moth.

But to the cashier, it meant something completely different.

This man actually discovered he wanted to call the police! And what he meant was... that even if he died, they would still collect his body and not let anyone find out!

That's so vicious.

The cashier glanced nervously outside the store. It was already late at night, and the place was deserted. There wasn't a soul in sight, let alone passersby.

"But after I die, you need to stay away from me first, my body will be in danger." Lin patiently explained to the cashier. He felt that the person in front of him was easy to communicate with, and waited for him to finish explaining without saying a word. He was not anxious or questioning, and he also took what he said very seriously and was very nervous.

The cashier at this moment...

What does that mean? Is the corpse dangerous?

... This person wanted to tear him to pieces!

"I... I'm just an employee." The cashier swallowed hard, hoping the other party would let him go. Money was no longer important; it was better to go along with the other party to save his life.

"I see." Lin nodded calmly. "Could you call your boss and ask?"

"That's not good, he won't care about me at all." The cashier had a bitter look on his face. This guy actually wanted to extort his boss. What if the man got angry and killed him if his boss didn't help him?

"Phew... alright then, thanks." Lin sighed regretfully. Since he couldn't get permission, he might as well give up.

So he turned and walked out of the kitchenware store, leaving the dazed cashier standing bewildered in the wind.

"I never want to work the night shift again."

Chapter Two: The Magic Bullet, Part One

These bullets will hit all the targets you need.

The victims of the last bullet will belong to me.

Lin discovered a problem: he seemed to be unable to die a natural death.

When his carotid artery was pierced last time, he realized that he was no longer just a consciousness, but his body was also undergoing changes. Some characteristics of the Sixth Herrscher appeared on him, and his excessive vitality was exactly the same as that of the original Sixth Herrscher.

Unless the head and body are separated... no, even without the head, death is not guaranteed. The safest approach would be to remove the core and then completely destroy the physical body.

He couldn't extract the core on his own, so he still had to find the Fire-Chasing Moth?

But what will happen if he tells the Fire-Chasing Moth the whole story?

At that moment, Lin thought of two people.

If it's them, there shouldn't be any problem.

There are many ways to contact the Moth of Fire. In order not to delay, Lin chose the nearest branch. He rode quickly to the branch while it was still early in the night.

But what awaited him was...

"Bass--"

The spear clashed with the blade flashing with purple lightning, and the golden chains, like cunning venomous snakes, lunged at her. Just a graze to her face made Mei feel the blockage in her Honkai Energy. She gritted her teeth and manipulated the armored arm on her back to swing her sword and deflect the chains, while she dealt with wave after wave of attacks from the silver-haired man.

It's Black Abyss White Flower again, and this man... His build is similar to Lin's. Could he be Lin who took off his helmet?

However, Sakura had said that Hayashi had black hair, and that this person exuded pure killing intent, which was completely different from Hayashi's inconspicuous, gentle, and silent demeanor. Even the battle that gave Mei a strong sense of defeat last time could not compare to the oppressive feeling of this person in front of her.

This guy is too pure, so pure that Mei could immediately sense that he wasn't human.

Even people like Lin and Kevin can make you feel their "human" side, but this "person," with his Prismatic Eyes that are beyond the realm of humanity, can make your soul feel shocked even if you only look at him.

Without a moment to think, the man with Prismatic Eyes seemed to have seen through her attack pattern. His speed suddenly increased, and the afterimages of Black Abyss White Flower kept striking the blade she was barely able to parry.

You absolutely must not be harmed by the Abyss; the wounds inflicted by that weapon cannot heal.

But more than the abyss, Mei was wary of the golden chains extending from behind the man. She didn't know if she was seeing things, but those chains seemed similar to the chain blades in the Headmaster's Oath of Judas, and just getting close to them would suppress her Honkai Energy.

If you get entangled with them, the outcome could be decided in an instant.

"Bang!"

The moment the black abyss clashed with the blade, the man's arm jerked, deflecting Mei's sword from in front of him.

Is this... Sakura's move?

Mei herself is a master swordsman, with an unparalleled sensitivity to sword techniques. She can tell which school of swordsmanship an opponent belongs to as soon as they make a move. Sakura's swordsmanship is the most unique killing sword, so when the opponent uses a spear to perform a sword move that feels extremely incongruous, Mei cannot mistake it.

Without time to think, after deflecting the sword, the man kicked Mei in Mei chest, sending her flying backward. However, the lightning wrapped around her body also surged onto the man.

"Crackling and popping!"

The electric light engulfed the man completely. Mei clutched her chest, half-kneeling on the ground, staring at the ball of electricity that could char any living thing. For some reason, her heart was pounding.

"Bass!"