I'm No MOTH Hero

"Then I'll hand over this genius's idea to you." The man stood up and saluted Delta solemnly. "Just let me have a go once you've built it."

"Get lost! Who wants to build this kind of thing for you? I'm planning to go to the front lines. You'd better figure out how to build it yourself." Delta closed his laptop and glared at the man irritably.

"To the front lines? But your Honkai Energy Adaptability isn't..."

"Very poor, right? It's so annoying, why does everyone use that as the standard?" Delta impatiently tapped the lid of his laptop, he said resentfully, "How can I hide in this turtle shell, just waiting for news from the front? How can I possibly sit still?"

Those soldiers were genuinely fighting for humanity; how could he cower here, clinging to his life?

Fighting side-by-side, even if he died, he felt his life would have been worth it.

"Anyway, whoever in the Research and Development Department wants to go can go. I won't be a coward."

"..."

The man stroked his chin, staring at Delta, who wore a look of disdain.

"What are you looking at?"

"Nothing, I just feel it's a shame." The man smiled regretfully. "You could help more soldiers survive, yet you chose the most foolish method."

"What do you mean?" Delta looked at him suspiciously.

The man narrowed his eyes and smiled, "Delta, you should stay in the Research and Development Department."

"..."

"..."

"...Are you the same too?" Delta's gaze was dark and sharp as he stared at the man who was always smiling, saying each word deliberately, "You think I'm afraid of fighting too?"

"How could I? In fact, you're probably better at fighting than I am." The man scratched the back of his head. "But your battlefield shouldn't be there. It can't bring out your true talent."

"I'm actually very envious of you, having such high talent in research and development. Soldiers can't fight without spears, nor can they protect themselves without armor. So-called warfare is actually a war of weapon makers, and you are the one who makes the spears and armor. Therefore, you are the one who can truly fight."

"I truly... admire the clouds beneath your feet."

Delta sat silently beside the man, looking at the genuine longing in his eyes.

Delta hadn't expected him to think that way. He himself envied the man with sufficient Honkai Energy Adaptability.

These two should have swapped lives.

"...Hearing you say that, it doesn't seem so bad to stay in the Research and Development Department."

"Heh, right?"

"After all, if you come to get equipment in the future, I can still rip you off."

"Whoa, spare me! Considering we've been friends who shared the same pants for years, at least give me some special treatment occasionally."

The two sat side-by-side on the deck of MOTH, talking about a future without Honkai, a future they were striving for.

Suddenly, the man looked up and excitedly tugged at Delta's clothes.

"Hey! Look!"

Delta looked up.

A clear bird cry echoed across the sky.

Chapter 76: Line of Sight

"The anti-gravity suspension system is complete. We're already assembling the system for the Titans and Floating Cannons. All that's left is to adjust the corresponding parameters before deployment."

This was indeed excellent news. Even Lin hadn't expected to hear about the completion of the crucial Titan development at this juncture.

"Hahahaha, my tireless work hasn't been in vain," Delta said in a weak voice, uttering his most triumphant words. "This flight device attached to the Titan will be named the Delta Flight Device. What do you think? After the Titans are ready, we can immediately start developing the Airship. Perhaps we can even realize the dream of an Aerial Base in the future."

This was a truly groundbreaking innovation. With the completion of the anti-gravity suspension system, many previously restricted technologies could be expanded and extended.

Human progress had been significant in the face of Honkai; at least this was something to be comforted by.

"When you return, you can... hmm?"

Delta stopped midway, confused. Lin frowned and asked, "What's wrong?"

"No... I reported the Titan's completion to the higher-ups, and they responded by telling me to immediately transport the Titan to your mission location for its first combat test..." Delta stammered as he finished reading the incoming message. "Mission? What mission?"

"I'm currently off the coast of the Mu Continent. There might be an Upper-class Honkai Beast there."

"Oh! So that's it. Alright, you wait there. I'll head over immediately to bring the Titan."

"...Isn't the Titan not completely finished yet?"

"It's fine. The rest is just parameter adjustment. I'll have enough time during transport and a bit after arriving. It'll only take about a dozen hours."

"Okay."

The communication on the other end ended first. It seemed they wanted to use this time for further adjustments.

[Lin, do we need to keep the same system settings as last time for combat?]

Prometheus was also part of piloting the Titan. After the first iteration of Titan improvements, to achieve a leap in piloting capabilities, the self-model Titan had a Neural Connection. The load on a single person accessing the Titan was enough to kill them, making AI Assistance particularly crucial.

Lin's ability to control the Titan to perform incredible maneuvers was partly due to Prometheus reducing some of the load for him.

"Keep them."

"Understood."

"Captain, that last transmission was..." Hua couldn't help but ask after Lin fell silent again.

Lin recalled the previous time he piloted it and said, "...The Titan is complete and on its way."

"Really? That's great." Hua nodded, a hint of happiness in her voice.

"A Titan... it'll significantly boost our combat power." Immer considered the implications more deeply. "But Captain, we have no experience fighting alongside a Titan. How should we arrange our combat formations?"

Not to mention that Lin would likely pilot the Titan using its flight device and stay airborne, the sheer size and firepower of the Titan alone meant ordinary soldiers couldn't effectively coordinate with it. Fighting beside it would only hinder Lin.

"This is just a trial activation of the Titan; it won't be deployed in every engagement," Lin stated calmly, having already considered these points. "For this mission, you will temporarily cooperate with Squad Three on the reconnaissance."

"Understood."

No sooner had he finished speaking than Kevin's voice came through the comms.

"This is Squad One Captain Kevin. I've received an additional directive. Squad One will now be cooperating with Squad Seven's Captain for the Titan's operational launch."

Lin nodded slightly. "Understood."

Having Squad One cooperate... did that mean Squad One would be responsible for enemy vigilance and reconnaissance, while the Titan would deliver the finishing blow?

To Lin, this seemed somewhat redundant, but he always followed orders strictly, and Kevin would never disappoint him.

Immediately after, Lin initiated a comms link with Hen, the captain of Squad Three.

"This is Squad Seven Captain Lin."

"This is Squad Three Captain Hen. I've received the message. Are we needing to reallocate personnel?"

Lin and Hen had interacted very little. They shared a similar focus on their missions, but unlike Lin, Hen maintained some contact with others outside of missions, though he was generally more serious.

According to rumors, Hen's wife, Bianca, who had left Mobius's Laboratory, had recently given birth. It was unexpected that this man would return to duty without complaint so soon after his child's birth, without spending much time with them.

"Yes."

"Understood. Personnel will be swapped upon arrival at the designated location."

Everything was arranged. The objective of this operation had unexpectedly shifted to a practical combat drill for the Titan. However, the completion of the Titan had undoubtedly brought a sense of relief to everyone. An increase in combat capability would be a significant asset for this mission, and no one felt otherwise.

Except, perhaps, for one person.

Lin's brow furrowed beneath his helmet. His attention wasn't on the Titan but on the typhoon distribution map, observing the formation and spread of the wind fields.

This Honkai Energy reaction was a slow rise, not a sudden outbreak like a major Honkai event. The Honkai Energy coefficient level was only at the limit for an Emperor-class Honkai Beast. Therefore, MOTH speculated this was merely a medium-to-large scale Honkai event that had spawned an Upper-class Honkai Beast.

If it were truly just a medium-to-large scale Honkai event, then their current manpower would indeed be sufficient. After all, it had been a year since the last major Honkai event, and one could erupt at any time, requiring them to reserve personnel in preparation.

But Lin still felt there was a crucial detail in this mission that had been overlooked.

Could a typhoon that had enveloped the entire city for a month truly be the work of a Honkai Beast?

Furthermore, if it were an Upper-class Honkai Beast, why were there no eyewitness reports?

Lin's hand instinctively moved to the holster of his pistol.

"Hoooooo—"

A fierce typhoon, accompanied by torrential rain, eroded the human world.

Visibility was reduced to less than ten meters. The severity of the environmental conditions was comparable to that of Changkong City during the Third Honkai War.

"Even though I've seen the mission briefing, seeing it firsthand is still quite shocking," Kevin said, his expression grim as he and his team joined Lin. "This is already on the scale of a major disaster. Even without the Honkai, it would cause unimaginable damage to human society."

"..."

Kevin was right. Under a typhoon of this wind speed, human settlements would quickly be reduced to ruins. The Honkai wouldn't even need to intervene.

"For now, let's begin the reconnaissance, Lin."

Lin didn't reply. He shifted his gaze from the city, shrouded by the wind field, to the distant sea, where terrifyingly high waves crashed, driven by the typhoon.

Just now, he had a fleeting sensation.

It felt as if a gaze had come from that direction.

Today's

null

Chapter 1: Hunter's Wind

"Is this... a painting?"

Among the items dropped by the monster was a picture frame with a distinctly different style. Thinking it might be another Hero's possession, Mei crouched down and picked it up.

Then, she was startled by the frenzied lines within the frame.

The overall color palette of the painting was extremely oppressive and dark, and the twisted, blended lines looked as if the artist had poured their ink onto the canvas with all their resentment, exuding negative emotions that chilled one to the bone.

It wasn't artistic obscurity, but a purely cathartic depiction.

After observing closely, Mei finally made out the content of the painting: "Is this... a hanged man?"

Amidst the terrifying colors, there was a person bound by chains, hands and feet shackled, hanging upside down under a dim light. He remained motionless, allowing the chains that stripped him of his freedom to suspend him. Blinding crimson blood flowed from the wounds on his limbs.

There wasn't a shred of hope to be seen. Within the cracks of madness, that single beam of light only served to showcase the plight of this prisoner.

And after looking for a while longer, Mei could actually see pairs of hands reaching out from the wildly drawn darkness, their five fingers spread wide and hungry, full of hatred, towards the person in the center...

"Snap."

Mei, her expression grim, flipped the painting over.

She couldn't look anymore.

She had only stared for a moment, but an indescribable emotion surged to the forefront of her mind.

Whose painting was this, or rather, whose memory was it?

"Proceed according to plan. Squad Three and Squad Seven will be responsible for evacuating the remaining residents and conducting investigations. Squad One and Lin will maintain vigilance and report immediately upon discovering any Upper-class Honkai Beasts."

Under the influence of the hurricane, the heavy rain was no less ferocious than during the Third Honkai War in Changkong City. The cyclone could sweep up unstable trees and houses, making it impossible for people to walk.

However, having learned from their previous experiences, MOTH was fully prepared this time with equipment to cope with the harsh environment. Advanced technologies such as Mini Grapplers and Improved Communication had already been equipped to the combat teams for this operation. Although combat would still be restricted, it was a huge improvement compared to the previous situation where movement and visibility were severely hindered.

Kevin's squad had a total of seven people, eight including Lin. This number was sufficient to deal with Lower-class Honkai Beasts and could also hold its own against Upper-class Honkai Beasts. Therefore, Lin skipped the areas with low Honkai Energy concentration and decided to prioritize reconnaissance in areas with high concentrations.

"Kevin, orders," Lin said, walking up to Kevin in the pouring rain.

Kevin looked bewildered. "Orders?"

"..."

Prompted by the reminder on Lin's gleaming visual display, Kevin realized that he was the commander now. Lin and others had always filled this role before. This was the first time he had been tasked with assigning missions.

He frowned deeply, while Lin and the other team members waited quietly.