The Switch / Unable to Forget

A contradictory entity that blends the ideals entrusted to it by others with its own beliefs.

"I don't understand you, what is it..."

"It's strange, actually. When I first met Scum Mushroom, I disliked him a bit." Bianca interrupted his self-doubt with a smile. "But after hearing what you said, for some reason, I could imagine your experiences and your past, as if I had personally experienced them."

"Perhaps your memories from the Black Abyss White Flower have been passed on to me, or perhaps we met long ago."

"Fate is firmly in our own hands, and this moment is also the convergence of the paths we have chosen."

"So, Lin..."

Bianca held his hand tightly, not wanting to let go, and turned back with a smile that was warmer than any light.

"If you already knew the ending beforehand, would you regret it?"

Chapter Fifty-Nine Switch

"Doctor, will that person really be willing to return to the Intrinsic World?" Number Three nimbly jumped to the top to check the pipeline, muttering to himself, "He's happy and content now, isn't he? The book says that once a man has someone to care about, he'll start to pay attention to his life."

"..."

"PhD?"

Einstein paused for a few seconds, then shook his head and smiled wryly, "He will definitely go back; that's just the kind of person he is."

On the contrary, someone like her...

"Drop--"

Just then, the main control board of the Stargate, which had been dormant for over seven years, rang in her hand. She was first stunned, then stared incredulously at the system that had successfully restarted, unable to understand why this had happened at this moment—

With nimble fingers, Einstein retrieved the necessary data. Her gaze was low as she looked at the vast amount of data. Soon, she received a piece of information that chilled her to the bone.

"We're opening champagne today, do you want some?" The man asked with a smile as he picked up a glass of orange-yellow liquid and looked at Yan Luo, who was reading a book.

"... Can you ever have a day when you can stop?" Yan Luo glared at him.

"Yes, isn't today one?" He swirled his wine glass, inhaled the sweet aroma, and smiled leisurely. "I think this is a good day to pop some champagne."

Yan Luo sensed something from his words. Unable to see what was happening in that World Bubble, she frowned and asked, "What happened?"

"It's just a small matter, but I'll keep quiet for your sake. In exchange, I'll tell you why you and Lin lost your senses."

"It's actually a very simple answer. Do you really think..."

The man's casual words made even Yan Luo's eyes widen.

Lin stared silently at the unchanging crack, sensing that the "thing" inside seemed to be stirring.

The mark on Bianca that he sensed, the World Bubble, the unusable Durandal Holy Sword...

He considered one possibility, and estimated that it could only be that "thing"...

Furthermore, his own physical condition was also very abnormal. His senses were becoming "normal," but this in itself was "abnormal." The side effects of the Hypervariable Surgery could not heal naturally; there must have been some kind of change in him.

So, if we change our way of thinking, what does it mean when our senses return to normal?

All of Lin's lost senses returned, and the Hypervariable Surgery had no effect on him. However, the side effects were not simply post-operative sequelae; for example, Kevin's body temperature was closely related to his abilities.

What if his Hypervariable Surgery didn't completely fail?

The power of Oath of Judas to suppress energy is at work, sealing the Pseudo-Herrscher Core. This suppressive power is sealing some ability that he himself is unaware of, and that ability is related to his lost senses...

With a myriad of thoughts swirling within him and no way to verify anything, Lin shook his head and decided to return to his original world first.

He closed his eyelids and once again activated the Honkai Energy around him. After three full days of comprehension, he was finally able to begin to control the flow of Honkai Energy within his body, and he could even—

"Smack."

Lin snapped his fingers, and a spark flashed on his fingertip.

This is the limit he can currently achieve. According to Bianca, it's barely enough to wear a C-rank Valkyrie armor and use the most basic abilities, not to mention the "divine essence" displayed by the cloaked man.

Incidentally, Lin couldn't use the Transformation Sword and Inch-Strike Technique at all back then. He believed that his movements were completely imitations of the cloaked man's movements from his memory, with the same speed and angle, but the power was completely different.

What exactly is missing?

"That's all the information I know about the Honkai of the Previous Civilization."

Bianca told Lin everything in detail about the Previous Civilization that she had seen in the database of Schicksal. Her memory was pretty good, but the records about the Previous Civilization were somewhat vague. The Bishop of Schicksal, who knew the most about it, had never added any key information to the database.

"I understand the specific details."

Lin went through the information in his mind; with his memory, he didn't need to write it down.

"From the First Honkai Eruption to the Ninth Honkai War, it's almost exactly as you described." Lin pinched his chin, a cold glint in his eyes. "Was the Tenth Honkai War a multi-type Herrscher composed of a thousand people...?"

"Do you need any other information?"

"No, that's enough."

No amount of intelligence is of any use. Bianca's civilization has not made much progress in the Honkai compared to Lin's civilization so far, and intelligence from 50,000 years in the future cannot be used from 50,000 years ago.

Sparks flew past Lin's dark green eyes as he pondered deeply, only snapping out of his reverie when Bianca hugged him from behind.

The girl silently wrapped her arms around his neck, rested her head on his shoulder, and gently bit his neck, revealing her pearly teeth.

Lin was bitten more than a dozen times in one night, almost like marking his territory.

Lin placed his hand on her arm and gently stroked the back of her hand.

"Just because I'm telling you this doesn't mean I agree to let you go back."

"..."

Bianca's overly straightforward personality gives her a somewhat naive air, but it is precisely this personality that makes her difficult to fool when it comes to something that is already decided.

No matter what Lin says, as long as it involves returning to the Intrinsic World, Bianca will say that she will not agree to anything other than letting her fists do the talking.

Besides, Bianca is indeed gentle, virtuous, and intelligent, possessing the qualities of a beautiful wife completely different from the power she wields. Einstein even correctly predicted that she could indeed start learning to cook for Lin.

... It's just a pity that for the first time, Lin felt that someone could rival Kevin in cooking skills. The moment he put the food in his mouth, he even thought how wonderful it would be if his sense of taste hadn't returned.

Bianca tasted it herself, blushed, and snatched all the dishes Lin was about to finish, eating them all up.

Lin Yuan looked up at the bright, round moon, which seemed exceptionally clear and round today, like a crystal-clear mirror reflecting the scenery on the ground.

Unconsciously, he clenched his fist, and deep within his unwavering eyes, the full moon appeared.

How much longer until we reach the perfect world, everything, all of it—

"Call..."

The girl's breathing snapped him out of his thoughts, and Lin turned his head to see Bianca's flushed face in the firelight.

"Damn Scum Mushroom, it's already evening..."

"..."

Once you taste the sweetness of something, you can't stop, especially when there's nothing else to do and it's late at night in a huge place with only the two of them... then there's simply no reason to refuse.

Lin leaned over and gently bit Bianca's earlobe.

"Hmm~"

The girl let out a cute little hum.

"... Um, I'm sorry to bother you, but I have something to inform you."

Rita coughed lightly, her expression unchanged as she watched the two people in the ambiguous atmosphere, seemingly about to take the next step.

Chapter Sixty: Unforgettable

"Let me briefly explain what Miss Einstein asked me to convey."

Rita pushed the brewed tea leaves towards Lin and Bianca, Bianca was pleasantly surprised to find that this was the tea that Rita usually liked to give her.

"Heh, as expected, Miss Bianca's tastes are pretty much the same no matter which world she's in." Rita chuckled softly, sipping her own tea. She said gently, "First of all, the Stargate is now operational. Once we locate it, returning to our Intrinsic World won't be difficult."

Lin glanced at Bianca furtively and noticed that she had no extra expression and remained silent, quietly waiting for Rita to continue.

He silently turned his gaze back to Rita, who took a sip of tea and said, "The coordinates of your Intrinsic World can be located using my 'ship,' so what we need to do next is find a way to retrieve the ship from the rift."

"But."

She put down her teacup, half of her face flickering in the leaping firelight.

"However, Miss Einstein detected a strong Honkai Energy reaction in the rift that was constantly approaching this World Bubble. It seemed to be looking for something in the rift, so it did not immediately descend here."

"But it's only a matter of time before He arrives here. Miss Einstein estimates it to be seventy-two hours. It's almost impossible to safely retrieve a spaceship from a high-risk target in a rift. So, we need to wait for Him to arrive in this World Bubble and confirm His true form before deciding what to do next."

"The worst-case scenario is... that we will need to confront an enemy that can move freely in the Quantum Sea and the Rifts."

Mobius quietly opened her eyes in the darkness. Like a real snake, she twisted her waist and silently slithered from the sofa to her vehicle.

Her green-pink snake eyes gleamed with a bewitching and dangerous light. She silently stared at her tightly closed door, her five fingers reaching out towards the ceiling above her head. A black, quicksand-like liquid spread from beneath her body, rushing towards some "thing" in the ceiling.

There is someone outside.

It was 2:34 a. m. At this time, the laboratory should have been emptied long ago, but she sensed someone walking outside her private office door and stopping there.

Mobius detected a strange odor.

There are nearly one hundred confirmed Tenth Herrscher so far, and the number is still growing. These Herrscher are scattered all over the world, and the damage they cause is no less than that of ordinary Herrscher. Moreover, because they are good at hiding in human society, and some Herrscher even show a strong charisma, it is very difficult to eliminate them.

It's not just a battle between humans and the Honkai, but more like a battle between humans themselves.

In this situation, it is possible that an unconfirmed Tenth Herrscher may emerge within the Moth of Flames. Even though Honkai Energy testing is conducted regularly, no one knows whether a new Herrscher will be born during the gap period, so everyone is in a state of fear.

"Click..."

The doorknob was pulled down, and a cold, excited glint flashed in Mobius's eyes. Liquid swirled around the door, hidden in the shadows. Anyone who stepped outside would be pierced by countless sharp spikes.

A fresh source of information...

"Clatter."

With one foot stepping into the room, Mobius twisted a smile on his face, pointed his finger, and the liquid transformed into sharp, needle-like bullets that shot out!

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

"Wow!!"

"..."

After a scream, Mobius's maniacal smile vanished, the liquid slowly receding beneath her body. She raised an eyebrow and said to the still-shaken man lying on the ground, "Klein, what are you doing here so late?"

"Doctor, Doctor!" Klein's chest heaved rapidly. Those dangerous substances had been less than a centimeter away from her, almost turning her into a skewer. His usually weak voice had regained its strength. "I came to check if you'd rested. You haven't slept for three days straight..."

"Oh? Really? It's so late, why aren't you home resting? Instead, you're here to see if I'm asleep?"

Mobius's nonchalant tone carried a dangerous undertone. Her serpentine eyes were so conspicuous in the darkness that it was impossible to tell whether she was a human or a venomous snake.

"Because..." Klein looked a little confused, as if he didn't understand why Mobius would ask such a question, "You asked me to finish all the reports at once, so of course I could only finish them this late."

... I almost forgot, it was she who made Klein work overtime.

So Mobius lowered his guard and glanced at the fruit scattered on the ground next to Klein, which seemed to be intended for Mobius.

"Get up."

Mobius got up and walked over to Klein to help her pick up the fruit. Klein originally wanted to tell Mobius not to worry about it, but after being glared at by Snake Eyes, he swallowed all his words.

"Come in and sit for a while," Mobius said, placing the fruit platter on the table.

Klein looked at the room full of garbage and unwashed clothes, swallowed hard, and chose a place where he could barely sit down. Mobius, on the other hand, didn't care at all. She was still lying on the sofa, her eyes sweeping indifferently over Klein.

"Um, Doctor, would you like me to help you clean up...?"

"Need not."

"All right..."

Mobius blurted out instinctively, but when she saw the fear in Klein's eyes, she realized that her reaction was a bit too much. However, she didn't say anything, but simply looked past Klein at the dress.

Klein followed Mobius's gaze and, in the dim light, also saw someone's casual clothes.

"Doctor, are you still thinking about... Mr. Lin?"

"..."