Defeat · Fragrance / For You · For Me

"I rarely communicate with you privately, never try to understand your thoughts or past, and most of the time I just do my own thing. Even though we are a team, I often act alone without considering your feelings." Lin calmly analyzed what he saw in the records and what Hua said, "It sounds a bit like a pretentious person with depression."

"..."

How could this person be so cruel to themselves?

"No, I don't think so." The gray-haired girl gripped her wrist, a glint of light flickering in her bewildered blue eyes. "I think Lin, in most cases, is trying to protect us."

He was always very anxious, and even though you couldn't see his expression, you could feel the anxiety surrounding him.

Like a taut string, it's about to snap, but it stubbornly holds on. Every time someone leaves, it adds another bit of weight to the weight hanging at the bottom of the string.

"However, you are indeed a bit willful and treat us too much like children." Hua Zhuanzhi put on a serious expression and said to Lin Chenyin, whose expression remained unchanged, "No matter what, I am only a few years younger than you. Strictly speaking, we are of the same generation."

Lin frowned upon hearing this and retorted sternly, "This is not a matter of age."

"But even in terms of experience in fighting the Honkai, you are only a few months ahead of me, not even a year ahead."

Hua was rescued during the Third Honkai War and joined the Fire Moth only half a year after Lin joined during the Second Honkai War. In terms of time, it is indeed not much, especially now that the two of them have been with the Fire Moth for ten years. Half a year is nothing at all.

"But in terms of the number of missions I've completed, my experience far surpasses yours," Lin retorted, his gaze fixed on Hua.

In the past, Hua might have backed down, but for some reason, she didn't back down at all and stared at Lin: "I've carried out just as many missions as you, and in the six months you've been missing, my total number of missions has already surpassed yours."

"..."

Is there really such a thing?

Lin, for some reason, seemed to have a mental breakdown, becoming extremely stubborn about this matter where both sides could easily compromise and remain at peace. His face was ashen as he asked in a deep voice, "What about experience in defeating Herrscher?"

Hua was powerless to refute this point.

Even though Hua can now be considered a veteran member of the Fire Moth, she has very little experience in direct combat with Herrscher, while Lin Guang has single-handedly defeated no fewer than five Herrscher.

Ke Hua was still unwilling to accept it. "This is not fair."

"Where is it unfair?" Lin sneered. "Then let's fight here!"

He didn't want to back down, except on this matter.

Fight?

Hua was stunned. She realized that the argument seemed to have gone too far and was unnecessary.

But just as she was about to let it go, she saw Lin's eyes, and an inexplicable anger ignited in her heart. She gritted her teeth and said, "Fine!"

Prove yourself.

There was no other reason; it was simply to prove that the little brat he saw who needed protection was no longer the trembling little girl in Canghai City.

The two were certain of their thoughts, and since this was a room that even Hua couldn't break with his bare hands and all his strength, it provided them with a perfect space to fight. So there was no need to continue talking. The two of them walked to one side of the room with grim faces and assumed their fighting stances.

After becoming Flame-Chaser, Hua had been thinking about how to use her experience and martial arts to utilize this power. During the gap between the Tenth Honkai War and Eleventh Honkai War, she accidentally discovered Lin practicing the fighting techniques of the Fire Moth, which gave her an epiphany. She then combined the fighting techniques and martial arts into one skill and tried to use the Honkai Energy to control it.

Even after losing his memory, Lin did not forget his instincts and skills. In terms of combat, he still has excellent insight and reaction ability. By reviewing his battle reports, he can quickly return to his state.

So, the two of them got into a fight in that room over the outcome of a childish argument.

Chapter Thirteen: Loss - Fragrance

It's a matter of experience; judging someone solely by "fighting a game" is not very reasonable.

But there is no better way. When a matter cannot be explained by reason alone, the accumulated strength of each party becomes the key to victory or defeat.

The victor is always right. As long as the enemy is defeated, it's perfectly fine to even humiliate them!

As the famous saying goes, "Truth is always only within the range of missiles."

What will be the outcome of Lin Hehua's battle?

Even though Hua possesses the physique of Flame-Chaser, outstanding combat intuition, unparalleled martial arts skills of the Flame Chaser, and excellent techniques honed through years of combat, she is facing the strongest human in terms of physique and reaction ability, who participated in the extermination of more than half of the Herrscher before the appearance of Flame-Chaser. Can she defeat the top existence among ordinary soldiers?

Absolutely.

It's easy.

In just a few minutes, Hua stood there looking at Lin lying on the ground, wondering if he had gone too far.

Without any external factors, neither side had any weapons, so the only contest was physical strength, reaction speed, and combat skills. In these aspects, Lin was no better than the Flame-Chaser. Lin was no longer able to use the Great Void Swordplay, while Hua had created his own combat skills. Fighting bare-handed in this room without any obstacles... the result was predictable.

"Um... Lin? Are you alright?"

After Hua punched Lin and sent him flying, rolling twice on the ground, she calmed down completely. She hesitated as she looked at the motionless Lin, and suddenly regretted it.

He said he wanted to prove he wasn't a child anymore, but he acted in such a childish way.

After not receiving a reply from Lin, she panicked, thinking she had gone too far, and hurriedly went forward to check on Lin's condition.

The moment she placed her hand on Lin's shoulder, she sensed something was wrong, but it was too late to react. Lin instantly grabbed her wrist, twisted it behind her back, and pinned her down.

"That's the difference in experience." Lin Yun calmly announced his victory after resorting to despicable and shameless tactics.

"..."

"...magnificent?"

Suddenly, Hua fell silent, her gray bangs obscuring her eyes, and a deep, somber aura emanated from her.

At that moment, Lin felt that he had probably made a wrong decision.

"Boom!"

Hua slammed his remaining hand on the ground, and an invisible "qi" sent the two flying. In mid-air, a cold glint flashed in the eyes of the gray-haired, blue-eyed girl. She pierced through the fog like lightning, stepped onto the ceiling, kicked off with her back leg, and used the recoil to grab Lin, landing heavily on the ground.

In the blink of an eye, their positions and postures reversed, and Hua pinned Lin to the floor. Her unusually bright blue eyes were filled with shame and indignation, and her raging anger almost burned Lin to ashes.

Incredible.

This is unbelievable!

If a few seconds ago Huadu was thinking that her behavior was too childish, now she only had one thought in her mind.

She wants to correct this kind of adult!

"You lost, Lin," Hua said sternly, staring at the back of Lin's head.

"No, you lost. You're just using force to coerce me into submission."

"Is all you've got left is stubbornness?"

"Not necessarily."

"You've already lost to me, are you still going to treat me like a child?" Hua was furious. Her peaceful and unambitious attitude towards martial arts had been disrupted. "What do you want me to do before you admit that you were wrong?"

"Aren't you a child?"

"Where exactly do I look like a child?"

Lin retorted at this point, "It's like it everywhere."

"..."

Suddenly, the arguing in the room stopped. Confusion, surprise, and resentment all surged onto Hua Gufeng's beautiful face, and then froze there, just like the face in a photograph.

... Well, to be fair, a certain part of Hua's body is indeed regrettable to the point of being unsightly, making one wonder if martial arts training has eliminated unnecessary fat. However, judging from her healthy, firm thighs and perfectly shaped buttocks, that's not the case. Although she herself doesn't care about this, when someone brings it up meaningfully at this moment, it's impossible for her not to care even if she wants to.

Especially when all the women around her, except for Griseo, had enviable figures, Hua immediately felt inferior when she compared herself to them.

Lin's vicious sarcasm was so damaging that it could drive a person to madness, and Hua was not going to back down at this point.

In a moment of passion, she blurted out something she shouldn't have. "Then do you want to give it a try?"

"..."

In contrast to her, Lin suddenly became sober. He had gotten too carried away by the argument and his sarcastic remark, which was in some ways no less than a psychological attack, had slipped out without thinking, revealing his hidden wicked sense of humor. He immediately wanted to apologize to Hua.

Before he could even speak, Hua, with tears welling in her eyes, grabbed his hand and placed it on his swimsuit, which had a large amount of decoration but didn't appear to have much movement.

"..."

Both of them were struck dumb, and the room fell into complete silence.

What... does this feel like?

Hua naturally knows her body inside and out. As a martial artist, she knows every meridian and acupoint in her body better than any doctor. Even though she doesn't usually touch that area, she knows what it feels like.

It's a completely different experience to touch it yourself versus to have someone else touch it.

As for Lin... he certainly wouldn't have a feel for it, but his eyes could clearly see that the swimsuit Eden designed for Hua did indeed "bounce".

This shows that Hua is more capable than he appears.

So, in shock, the two of them froze and dared not move.

During this stalemate, Hua, who had just finished his strenuous activity, smelled a faint fragrance, seemingly coming from Lin, who was also panting heavily after the same activity. He stared at the gray-haired girl with a look of surprise and uncertainty. This expression and the fragrance made one want to explore where the fragrance came from.

"Hua... Hua?"

The gray-haired, blue-eyed girl lowered her head with a somewhat unfocused gaze, sniffing the air as if she were smelling something, and gradually moved closer to Lin's neck.

Lin immediately pulled his hand away to stop her.

Hua precisely countered and grabbed his hand, pinning it to the side. She said to Lin solemnly and sternly, "Lin, you have a strange smell on you. Don't move yet, let me find out where it's coming from."

"..."

Then, as she sniffed, she moved closer to Lin's neck...

Chapter Fourteen: For You, For Me

What is this smell...?

Hua finds it hard to describe exactly what kind of fragrance this is. It's somewhat floral, with a hint of sourness. This sourness doesn't ruin the fragrance at all; instead, it's like the subtle bitterness in chocolate that's so captivating.

Perfume? No, it wasn't strong like perfume. The scent was faint and very subtle, and even though it was such a faint scent that it would dissipate if you moved a little away, she could still smell it.

As she got closer, the fragrance didn't intensify; it remained a faint, ethereal scent that seemed ready to dissipate at any moment. The more she was captivated by the fragrance, the more she wanted to get closer and intoxicated by its aroma. In this alluring way, which maintained a distance, she unknowingly pressed herself against Lin's shoulder, exploring him little by little with her sense of smell.

And this smell... makes me feel stuffy... a little hot... strange, I'm only wearing a swimsuit...

Lin noticed the dazed look in the gray-haired girl's blue eyes and realized something was wrong. He shouted, "Hua! Wake up! This room has been filled with poison gas!"

There must be some kind of poisonous gas with unknown effects in this room, which is why Hua is in such an abnormal state!

Ke Hua wouldn't listen to him anymore, and her actions became bolder. As if she was trying to find the source of that scent, half of her exposed skin pressed tightly against Lin's, and she inhaled deeply, her breath rising from her shoulder to her chest, her entire being filled with that alluring fragrance.

"Hua!" The situation was getting out of control. Lin was worried that Hua's consciousness was blurred and he didn't even know what he was doing, so he struggled to get up.

However, Hua said calmly, "But we're going to do that kind of thing, for the sake of the challenge, so..."

"No, that's not it." Lin gasped for breath, gritting his teeth. He saw Hua's cold, pretty face lift up. "This kind of thing..."

"Didn't you... tell me to live for you? Then what do you want me to do?"

The tone was so cold that it didn't seem like it came from Hua.

"..."

Upon hearing this, Lin realized that Hua was neither out of control nor poisoned; on the contrary, she was very calm, judging from her tone and eyes.

Lin's words, instead of dispelling her confusion, only made her sink deeper into it.

He did something wrong.

Whether it was her earlier attempt to prove she wasn't a child who needed care, or her current outrageous behavior, both were outward manifestations of her painful and conflicted struggle.

If it has nothing to do with you, then why say such things?

If I live for you, why do you distance yourself from me?

Even though Lin had lost his memory, he didn't become a different kind of person.

He took on the hopes of others, unaware that what they needed was not a distant comfort, especially in an era that stretched people's spirits to the limit. The countless pains and separations they had endured could not be cured by his words alone.

It's good to everyone, but it's also bad to everyone.

The piano strings that bind one's consciousness only tighten and entangle it the more one struggles.

"..."

"..."

The two girls, with their green and black eyes, stared at each other silently. After an unknown amount of time, the gray-haired girl finally looked away and got up from Lin to sit on the edge of the bed.

In a room of the same color, only the pristine white bed is so jarring.

Unable to leave, and unable to enter.

Lin covered his right eye and silently propped himself up, sitting on the floor. His dark green eyes, which appeared terrifying to others, were as deep and mysterious as an ancient well.