The Mole · Please Don't Be So Petty / Childishness · A Fit of Petulance

The man parted the branches and stepped forward. "What you did before, you will do from now on."

"So... we still have to go to the battlefield?"

"Um."

"Don't you think that was just your responsibility before you lost your memory? It doesn't matter even if you never set foot on the battlefield again."

Lin is not Flame-Chaser. The achievements he made with a human body are backed by his bloody experiences and constant losses.

Since being infected with the Honkai Sickness, neither the people around me nor my human functions have been preserved to this day.

The Lin of the past has died in the consciousness space; the current Lin should be a completely new person.

"It's not the 'me' before I lost my memory, it's just 'me'." But Lin spoke up to refute Hua. In his eyes, Hua saw a familiar look. "Amnesia is not an excuse to run away. I am the same person as before I lost my memory. Even if I can't adapt to this identity now, there are still many people waiting for me. They expect 'Lin'."

Unable to retrieve even the slightest memory, Lin found in those blank spaces a heart-wrenching pain.

He forgot the important person, but he didn't even know who that person was.

Recalling the long-haired woman in glasses and a white coat, whose rational gaze held a hint of pity, she asked him as he awoke, "You've already given up your memories, you've given everything to humanity, so that's enough. No one will blame you for leaving."

At that moment, staring at the stark white wall, he couldn't control himself and blurted out—

"Not yet... not all of it."

Lin couldn't answer the question of whether the erosion of memories or the destruction of life was more serious.

He's still alive and can fight; that alone is enough.

Life is as blank as paper; the melody we compose is entirely up to us.

"Hua, if you can't find the answer, then don't bother looking."

"..."

Huawei was taken aback, not expecting Lin to say such a thing. She clearly hadn't mentioned it to Lin after he lost his memory...

Ke Lin's deep pupils made her realize that he had seen through her complex emotions and feelings.

"Did I ever tell you how to survive?"

Has Lin ever mentioned this before?

At this moment, many images flashed through Hua's mind: a red-haired woman drinking beer, leaning back on the sofa, drunkenly shaking the bottle and grinning at her.

A cold-looking man wearing a helmet stood at the door.

She numbly raised her head, looking at the only ray of light shining into the pitch-black room.

"If you don't know who you should live for, then live for me."

"..."

Hua still cannot understand the meaning of this sentence. As she searches for the answer day after day, trying to understand Himiko's thoughts when Herrscherification, and pondering how to move forward, she finds this sentence in her long-forgotten memories.

"Living for you..." she murmured, her eyes darting around.

"...If you don't mind my selfishness, then do it this way." Lin walked forward without looking back. "If I die, you will live in my place, no matter how long it takes, no matter what your identity is, even if you lose all your memories like me, follow that sentence, go along with my selfishness, and live on."

Chapter Eleven: The Traitor - Please Don't Use QQ

"Did something happen?"

Kevin asked the two who had returned.

Lin shook his head, while Hua was lost in thought.

The people present could tell that something was off, but neither of them seemed willing to talk about what had happened on the way, so they didn't pry.

Light a fire and cook.

Strangely enough, Lin didn't retain a single memory, but his biological instincts, habits, and skills, including his cooking skills, were preserved.

Even without any seasoning, it was still a sumptuous meal. The group ate heartily and finished before sunset before setting off again.

"Doctor Mobius said she has rendezvoused with Prometheus Unit 1 and is heading towards the central area of the island." Eden has been trying to contact the others, but so far she doesn't know what has happened to them; only a few people have been reached.

"Actually, going to the center of the island first is indeed a good plan." Su seemed to have recovered from the shadow of the fairy in the lake. He analyzed, "The center of the island is an important location. There will definitely be clues there. Moreover, it is easier to encounter key events on the way to the center in a straight line. You can also use the communicator to meet up with others as quickly as possible."

"Shall we head to the center of the island?"

None of them had any objections; at least for now, everyone hoped to act together.

"Have you received a new mission?" Lin asked Kevin and Sue, whose expressions had stiffened.

"I received it." Su's tone was clearly bitter. "I hope this time, it won't fail again."

Kevin also had a gloomy face.

It's unclear what kind of mission the two received this time, but judging from Lin's speculation that the person who issued the mission intended for them to fail, it's probably another prank mission designed to make things difficult for them.

Speaking of which, what are Eden and Hua's tasks? Are their tasks time-limited, or do they, like his, run throughout the entire treasure hunt?

"There's another house ahead, but this one's a little different."

Several people scanned the area; all of them had eyesight comparable to those with binoculars, and they could see the house nestled in the towering trees in the distance.

This time, unlike the previous simple wooden house, it's a metal house nestled beside a picturesque stream?

If the previous room was like a coffin lid that would collapse at the slightest breath, then the metal room made up of the two rooms in front of us is probably the Iron Maiden.

It makes one wonder if those two tightly closed doors will open at any moment and gush out a river of blood.

"What is it this time?" Lin seemed to have figured out the game's formula. While the main storyline was about "finding treasure," there were also quests and side quests along the way. In addition, the players suspected each other of who was the mole, which was exactly the kind of game the mastermind wanted to play.

Sure enough, as the group arrived at the house, the loudspeaker in the middle of the house emitted a processed sound—

"Hello? Hello? Hello? Sound check... Hmm? Is it already being recorded? Ahem... Okay, everyone, congratulations on discovering the 'reward area'. I will provide you with clues about the treasure here."

"But... hehe, the inventor of this word is truly a genius... but as you can see, there are two rooms in front of us, and only two people can enter each room. You must complete the challenges in both rooms simultaneously to obtain a clue."

"Of course, you can choose not to take the challenge at all. After all, games are all about variables."

"So, boys and girls, good luck!"

After listening to the introduction, the group exchanged glances. Eden grunted and then said, "Two people are fixed... which means one person has to stay outside."

Do you think we need to take this lead?

Lin crossed his arms and coldly surveyed the group.

Eden looked completely calm, while Hua frowned, seemingly lost in thought. Kevin and Sue couldn't discern anything unusual about him either.

Perhaps the mole is already among them.

Halfway there, Lin was already speculating whether any of them had received a mission to betray them, or whether the mastermind was among them.

Eden, Sue, and Kevin are all highly suspicious. Although Eden has been with Lin the whole time, she wouldn't have needed to leave to complete these arrangements, and she didn't seem to be doing any missions along the way, which makes her a suspect.

Sue and Kevin might be putting on an act. Even if they say they were punished, it's possible they staged it to clear their names. Besides, they've been given a new mission but show no inclination to do it, so it's possible someone has already been given a mission to cover up the mole.

Hua was the least suspicious, not because Lin had any conclusive evidence, but because he believed that Hua's personality was not suitable for the role of "mastermind".

In the blink of an eye, Lin had already made a plan.

"Hua and I will team up, Kevin and Su will team up. Let's go into these two rooms."

"Hmm?" Eden looked at Lin curiously, then seemed to realize something, smiled, and said nothing more.

This allocation is intended to minimize the risk of internal sabotage.

Lin and Hua basically ensured that one side of the challenge could be completed. As for Kevin and Su on the other side, if they were both moles and couldn't complete the challenge, it would be too deliberate. If one of them was a mole, the other would play a monitoring role. Even if the challenge was not completed in the end, some clues could be found.

Then, Lin left Eden outside to see if Eden would take this opportunity to secretly plot something, since she was the only one who had the chance to do something outside.

After the assignments were made, the two groups went into the room separately. Lin and Hua were on the right, and Kevin and the others were on the left. Eden smiled and watched them go.

As expected, the heavy metal door behind them slammed down, sealing the room.

"Welcome to the Happy House ~ Gentlemen, we will randomly select a challenge for you. Please work together to complete it."

On the wall directly opposite the door in the room, there was a screen displaying text that exuded a cheerful atmosphere.

"Please note: Once the challenge phase begins in the Happy House, no one may enter or leave unless the challenge is completed or failed."

"Completing the challenge will earn you a reward, including a clue to the treasure, which will help you make further progress in your treasure hunt."

"Failure to complete the challenge will result in a punishment, hehehehe... I'm sure neither of you wants to experience what that punishment is, right?"

"PS: Some challenges are 'super easy challenges,' which are practically a free reward for the challengers. So there is no 'failure' in these tasks. You can only leave the room after you have completed them."

The last sentence clearly reveals their wolfish ambitions.

However, the two of them had no way out now. Hua looked at Lin again, lost in thought, her lips trembling slightly as if she wanted to say something.

But a challenge has now appeared on the screen.

"Congratulations to you both for drawing the 'Super Easy Challenge'."

"This challenge is called 'Koukou Space,' and the goal is to... have a spectacular sex 'beep'!"

"Or I'll kill you all~(<ゝω·)☆."

"..."

"..."

A deathly silence.

Like the deathly silence of being buried in a cemetery.

The two stared at the (<ゝω·)☆ at the end. In the extremely silent atmosphere, a bed slowly rose from the middle of the room. Immediately afterwards, Kevin and Sue's screams came from the next room.

"Ah--------"

Chapter Twelve: Childishness and Sullenness

"Should we... do it?"

"What a load of crap."

Lin answered Hua, who was extremely nervous, with a blank expression. He really doubted how Hua could seriously consider this matter.

Even if you follow the rules of the game and don't want to be punished, there's absolutely no need to do something that would jeopardize a girl's innocence.

However, the screams of Kevin and Sue next door were quite intriguing. What had they encountered that would make two people who had weathered many storms scream like that?

In front of me, besides the screen that was already off, there was only a bed, and perhaps out of someone's twisted sense of humor, there was a pillow but no blanket.

Thinking about it carefully, could this be a hint? It's actually a puzzle, and the clue lies on this bed. But asking someone to confront that kind of reality is just too...

"It's just a bed." After the two finished inspecting it, Hua cautiously said to Lin, whose face was so gloomy it looked like it was about to explode.

Lin walked to the wall and knocked on it hard, making a loud noise. "Kevin, Sue, what happened on your end?"

Silence.

He knocked on the door he had entered through with even more force. "Eden!"

Silence.

Hua watched Lin's lowered head and back, and after a long while, he suddenly turned around. "Hua, blow this room open."

"Oh..."

However...

The two sat back to back on the bed, heads bowed, hands on their knees, completely motionless and expressionless.

The room's material was harder than anyone imagined; even Hua Quan's full-force attack couldn't break through it. Without any weapons, it was virtually impossible for either of them to leave this room, where even the floor was made of metal.

"They'll notice something's wrong after a while."

Lin could only comfort Hua like this, and then the two of them sat on the bed in a daze.

Perhaps considering that the prolonged silence had created an extremely oppressive atmosphere, Lin's slightly hoarse voice appeared in the silent room. "Hua, tell me about the past. I used to be your captain, right?"

After a moment of silence, Hua began to recount his experiences with Lin.

Rescued in Canghai City, she joined the Moth Chaser and the Squad Seven, became acquainted with the Squad Five, and participated in several large-scale Honkai...

Hua told him everything she knew about Lin in great detail. She didn't know if it was the side effect of the Hypervariable Surgery that made her memory so clear that she could remember every detail, or if she had never forgotten anything from the beginning. Lin listened silently as Hua recounted the things recorded in the records, but which were things she saw from her perspective.

It's incredible that before Lin lost her memory, Hua had never shared her own views or what she saw in Lin. Only today, after speaking out, did she realize that her understanding of these matters differed from that of others.

After listening to the whole thing in silence, Lin's first comment was. "I am not a qualified captain."

"Huh?" Hua didn't expect Lin to say such a thing, and she asked in confusion, "Why?"