Confirming the Information / Too Late for Anything

She has to accept the fact that the Herrscher is who he is.

That day, she stood before the operating table, on which lay the man's body. His eyes were clear as a mirror. She gripped the scalpel with trembling hands, fully aware that the moment she made the incision, she might very well begin the countdown to the man's death.

The only surgery she ever feared was also the only time she ever had the thought of running away.

He held his own hand and told himself that he believed in her.

As a result, the surgery failed.

There was no room for luck.

All prayers are in vain.

"PhD..."

Bianca leaned against the lab table, handed over a cup of coffee, waved with a light laugh, and her light blue hair swayed like a flower under the operating light.

"PhD..."

With Klein smiled and looked up in the silent laboratory as dawn broke, telling Mobius that she understood everything the doctor had done.

Those memories were like a mirror; when Mobius looked at them, it was as if he saw his own fragile self in the man's eyes that day, trembling like a little girl.

"I trust you."

Those words became a nightmare, echoing in her ears day and night.

Under the bright moon, a white robe shone brightly in the moonlight, and a black and white lance stood in the moonlight. The girl's long pink hair was draped behind her, and she was covered in white, like a slowly unfolding scroll.

Her bright eyes sparkled, and the girl's thoughts lay dormant in the night.

She is currently stationed at the North American Branch of the Firemoth, which is the most chaotic region at present. After the sinking of the Mu Continent, social order Honkai, and North America was the most affected. Most of the Herrscher of the Tenth Honkai War also came from the North American region.

The once most unrestrained and carefree girl has now become somewhat composed. She originally disliked the appearance of the Black Abyss White Flower sword and wanted to give it to someone else, but she kept it anyway.

Perhaps it's because this was the last weapon that person used?

When Vill-V personally handed her the Black Abyss White Flower, she didn't jokingly laugh for the first time.

"Rustle..."

"Um?"

Her beautiful, long, elven ears twitched slightly as she suddenly heard a noise coming from the woods not far away. In the quiet of the night, she found a secluded grove to sit down and reminisce about the past. How could there be someone here?

Could it be that members of the Squad Thirteen have come looking for her?

Thinking of this, a beautiful smile appeared on her face. She would never let anyone see her downcast side; she would always be that beautiful, proud, and cheerful girl, as lovely as a falling flower.

"Miss, the night is long and the mosquitoes are bothering you. I find you to be beautiful and charming, why don't you go back to your room to rest?"

"..."

A deep, hoarse voice appeared in the moonlight, accompanied by a black cloak. The girl, who had prepared her words, was taken aback by the pretentious, literary tone.

But was he praising her?

The young woman was also curious. She smiled and asked, "Then why did this young master come here alone in the dead of night?"

She's been to China, I think that's what she said, right? But she's definitely not very professional.

"The night is long, and I have observed the celestial phenomena and discovered that the 'Flying Flowers Listening to the Wind' phenomenon is guiding the flow of energy along this path. Upon closer inspection, I find that you, Miss, are truly an unparalleled beauty. Why don't Stargazer together tonight and create a beautiful story?"

Is this what you call the most romantic of literary talents? He invited her to enjoy the night together after only three sentences, and to make matters worse, this guy was speaking classical Chinese for no apparent reason. To be honest, the girl found him quite interesting, but she decided against it.

"Young master, you should go home and get some sleep."

"Oh? Why is Miss so heartless in rejecting me?"

"Because I'm going home to watch Ultraman too."

"..."

The girl smiled mischievously, then picked up the Black Abyss White Flower and prepared to leave. She didn't know who this person was, but he could tell that she was no ordinary person. Both her ears and the Black Abyss White Flower made him realize that she was Flame-Chaser of the Fire Moth.

"Wait, are you really going to be so heartless? How about we exchange phone numbers?"

It's usually the young girl who flirts with others, but today someone actually flirted with her.

"No, no, my mom called me home for dinner and told me not to talk to strangers." The girl suppressed a laugh and turned to leave.

"Oh... what if I'm not a stranger?"

"..."

Her steps faltered. The crescent moon in the sky seemed like a sly smile. The girl turned around in a daze, her pink hair fluttering as she looked at the man in black.

He flicked his sleeve and raised his hand to remove his hood.

"Actually, you don't need to go home to watch Ultraman."

The man wearing a comical Ultraman mask spoke softly to the girl.

"I..."

Before she could finish speaking, the girl leaped and tackled the masked man, trembling as she clung to his neck. Her seemingly carefree and strong demeanor crumbled, revealing a different side of her, like the fragrance of flowers.

"Forest..."

Chapter Nine: Confirming Intelligence

Mei frowned and opened her eyes. She had been in this place for almost a month and still hadn't left. Moreover, there had been no progress at all in finding out the truth she was looking for.

"Don't let your mind wander. Just think of this place as the state of mind that Shenzhou talks about. Haven't you noticed that your mindset is changing as you live here?" The woman's voice echoed in her ears, and Ya Yi sighed silently.

What's the point of all this? Are we really going to cultivate immortality like the Class President?

"That idiot just wants you to face yourself. He's a disgustingly pedantic guy when it comes to the idea of 'inheritance,' as stinky and hard as turtle excrement in a pond."

The woman always uses a different word when she curses Lin.

"Speaking of which, how is Lin now? You said he was dying..."

"Don't worry about him, he's having a great time right now."

"..."

What's the meaning?

"He really doesn't lack anything, whether he's alive or dead..." The woman's cold laughter sent chills down Mei's spine.

Elysia still couldn't quite believe that Lin, who hadn't even left behind a corpse, had suddenly returned, but she was absolutely certain that she wouldn't mistake the silver-haired man bustling about in the kitchen with a calm expression.

When Elysia received the news of Lin Hehen's death, she didn't want to believe it, but she could only accept it and watch their names be engraved in the cemetery, becoming two inconspicuous words among thousands of names.

"Lin, where have you been for the past six months? Can you tell me?"

"..."

Lin's fingers stiffened. At this moment, he didn't really want Elysia to know about the years he had spent living in the Quantum Sea, mainly because... it was hard to talk about.

How should he tell Elysia? He became partners with her from another world, almost got married, and then was almost kidnapped by people from 50,000 years in the future?

He didn't understand these things before, nor did he want to. But now, after three years of torture by Elysia, he's definitely more flexible than his old, blockhead self.

However, at least for the moment he met Elysia, he genuinely felt joy from the bottom of his heart.

"A lot has happened." Lin scooped the noodles into a bowl, sprinkled on some scallions, and carried out two steaming bowls of noodles. He placed one of the bowls in front of Elysia. "Let's talk about the current situation first, the Tenth Honkai War."

As expected, it was Lin who got straight to the point.

Lin learned from Bianca's description that the Tenth Honkai War of this era manifested as a thousand Herrscher, and the final way to defeat these thousand Herrscher was for Mei to lure P-21 with the desire of the Herrscher of Thousand People for the Divine Key and the Herrscher Core, and then use the Key of Blankness to wipe them all out in one fell swoop.

However, after listening to Bianca's description of the massive Honkai and Herrscher 50,000 years later, it became clear that the Honkai and Herrscher Authority could change and might not actually unfold as she described. Moreover, the records from 50,000 years ago were not very clear, and most of them were in the hands of a person named Otto Apocalypse, who was an unfathomable and ambitious man.

Lin didn't know what changes would occur to his body or the world and the Honkai, so his immediate priority was to learn about the current situation from Elysia before considering his next move.

He has made many promises and agreements, so as long as he can live on the premise of protecting humanity, he will definitely live on.

No matter how long it takes, there will always be someone waiting for him.

Whether it's another world or fifty thousand years from now...

The information Elysia gave about the Tenth Herrscher was largely the same as what Lin already knew. He listened attentively while eating his noodles, but one detail struck him as odd.

"Have only about three hundred Herrscher been discovered so far?"

Lin stopped eating his noodles, and a thoughtful glint flashed in his deep, dark green eyes.

The most detailed record of the Tenth Honkai War is found 50 million years later. This Honkai was probably the most unique one. Bianca also remembered many details, such as the fact that the number of the Tenth Herrscher surged to more than 400 within a month, while the remaining Herrscher were all wiped out in P-21.

However, nearly three months have passed since the Tenth Honkai War, and only three hundred Herrscher have been discovered.

Wrong...

Lin's heart pounded, and a vague guess began to form in her mind.

The Tenth Herrscher can not only communicate with each other in a special way, but also launch organized attacks and even incite humanity...

Incite humanity...

Why are some of the Tenth Herrscher able to hide in human society undetected? If it weren't for finding them through various subtle clues, it would be impossible to even confirm that they are the Tenth Herrscher.

Because their behavior is no different from that of humans, or from their behavior before they became the Tenth Herrscher.

This cannot be a simple imitation of humans.

"Lin, when are you going back to headquarters?"

"No... I won't go back yet, Elysia. Don't tell anyone I'm back."

At that moment, Lin put down his chopsticks, stood up solemnly, draped his cloak over himself, and said coldly to Elysia, "I need to do something."

"Leaving now?" Elysia noticed the change in Lin's tone. She stood up with a smile and then smiled at Lin, "Do you need my help?"

"No, let me do it."

Now, everyone inside the Firemoth could be the Tenth Herrscher, and only Elysia knows that Lin has returned. He is essentially still a dead man, making it the easiest for him to do what he wants to do next.

Moreover... Lin didn't want them to...

"Do you want to take the Black Abyss White Flower? I don't like its appearance~"

"... You keep it for now."

Lin couldn't possibly use the Black Abyss White Flower; this Divine Key would be easily recognized.

Lin walked to the door, but before he could take a step, the girl's delicate fragrance wafted from behind him.

"Lin, this time, you're not not coming back, are you?"

"... Yes, I will definitely come back."

Without hesitation, Lin walked into the darkness and disappeared into the shadows without looking back.

Elysia stretched lazily, then a bright smile appeared on her face.

"Then, it's time for me to take action."

Lin tried to make contact with the Pseudo-Herrscher Core within his body. He knew that sometimes Herrscher would have a strange connection with each other. Although it was dangerous, the best way now was to use the Pseudo-Herrscher Core to confirm whether there was Tenth Herrscher nearby.

However, the instant he made contact with those Prismatic Eyes, his brain felt as if it had been struck by lightning, and an indescribable feeling came from not far away.

Immediately afterwards, an old man who had been sitting on the ground begging suddenly stood up. His loose, sagging face and lifeless eyes made him look like a zombie.

Chapter Ten: Too Late

"Boom!"

Lin Yi forcefully slapped away the fist aimed at his face. The crackling electricity made him pause for a moment, but only for a second. He then punched one of the Tenth Herrscher in the chest with his backhand, and before she could fly away, he raised his leg and kicked her in the air!

"Snap!"

His entire neck was twisted and deformed, and he died on the spot.

A strong gust of wind crashed down from behind. Lin nimbly dodged the sweeping attacks and took cover behind a bunker, calmly observing the surrounding situation.

Currently, there are at least forty Tenth Herrscher hunting him down. They seem to have reacted to the Herrscher Core within him, and are pursuing him like moths to a flame.

These Herrscher's desire for the core is clearly abnormal, and Lin has already roughly understood the problem with the Tenth Herrscher.