Challenge · Concern / Puzzle · Interrogation

He should apologize to Hua, whether for his previous remarks or for his recent sarcasm.

He knew that if he apologized like that, Hua would accept it, but only to avoid making them both feel bad.

"Tick-tock".

A loaded pistol, no matter who it's fired at, will bring tragedy.

Time passed slowly, and there was no movement inside the room. No one came to rescue them from outside. The room seemed to be isolated from the world, and nothing changed.

"Hua, when I was checking the records, I saw something strange in the records of the Seventh Honkai Eruption."

The bed gently sank, and Lin sat on the soft mattress. He pondered the day he woke up, knowing nothing, and how he could only learn about the past through written records.

"During the Seventh Honkai Eruption, I was the first person to come into contact with the Seventh Herrscher. I was there the moment she became Herrscher."

"..."

The gray-haired girl turned her snow-white neck, her blue eyes reflecting the calmly speaking man.

"But at the moment when the Herrscher was born and the entire city was instantly turned into a sea of fire, I did not die. Moreover, the report I submitted mentioned that the Seventh Herrscher discovered me but chose to avoid me."

"Then, when the Seventh Herrscher destroyed the entire Australia, she deliberately avoided the Moth of Flame branch, so that it was not the first to be destroyed."

"Therefore, I believe that before the Seventh Herrscher was finally defeated, Himiko's consciousness was also fighting against the Herrscher consciousness."

Hua clenched her fists, her eyes were calm, and her lips were pursed.

Hua knew every single word of the records about the Seventh Honkai Eruption better than anyone else, and she could certainly deduce the situation at that time from those records.

But what's the use of saying all this? In the end, Kevin defeated the Seventh Herrscher. Even though Himiko's consciousness still existed in that body, it had completely dissipated. All that remained stored in the Herrscher Core was the consciousness of the Herrscher of Flames.

The reason why Himiko became Herrscher has been revealed: the people they once knew will become their motivation to continue.

But it is precisely because of this that Hua Cai does not understand Kevin's act of killing Himiko who still has consciousness. She will continue to carry out orders, but she can never get rid of the resentment in her heart, which has become an obstacle that troubles her mind.

They have the motivation, but they don't know where the road leads.

"I'm sorry, there were many problems with what I said before." Lin sighed softly, an inexplicable pain piercing his consciousness. "Himiko's will has already been carried by you. I shouldn't let you carry the will of another dead person and inflict this pain on you. Hua, live for yourself."

He wanted to use selfishness to keep Hua alive, but he had already experienced this before.

The pain in his heart was real; the emptiness of having nothing only intensified the pain, so he didn't want Hua to bear these burdens anymore.

"..."

"..."

"... Lin, you really do do things your own way and talk to yourself." Hua's rigid expression softened slightly. "You easily decided my future path, and then easily canceled it."

Lin couldn't refute it. He lowered his head and said, "I'm sorry."

"So this time it's my turn to decide. I will live for you, but only if you don't die."

Lin was stunned, while Hua Tonglu, who was usually as stern as an old man, showed a rare hint of a young girl's smile on his face.

She's adorable and beautiful, making you realize that this girl, who looks more like a boy, can also have this side to her.

Lin also let out a soft breath and nodded with a relaxed expression.

"Doctor Mobius and the others probably don't mind..."

Hua muttered to herself, somewhat lost in thought, and her expression changed when she mentioned a certain person, after all, that person often experimented on her.

"What did you say?" Lin, who had just relaxed, looked at Hua with confusion.

"... No, it's nothing."

"And another thing," Lin said, changing his tone. "Actually, you don't need to worry too much about that part. Your figure and thighs are beautiful. At least in my aesthetic sense, long and slender is more attractive."

"Very... very beautiful?"

Hua panicked immediately; she never expected Lin to say such frivolous things.

But her heart was pounding, and she didn't resist his words at all.

I even... want to hear more.

However, Hua is not the type to act coquettishly. Her classical and traditional Chinese nature makes her both reserved and serious.

It's impossible to be passive, but if it's proactive... obviously, an excuse is needed.

So she turned her head sharply and said to Lin with a solemn expression, "Hmm... I think you smell really good, it's strange, can I smell you again?"

"... Okay." Lin agreed somewhat helplessly.

Chapter Fifteen: Challenge - Concern

The fragrance... does it really exist?

Lin had checked all his past medical reports, and none of them mentioned any unusual fragrance on his body. He couldn't smell it himself, so he didn't know if the scent was actually there.

However, Hua seems to care a lot, so let's just let her be.

He sat down on the edge of the bed like a meditating monk, crossed his legs and closed his eyes. The girl's gray hair brushed against his nose. He wrinkled his nose slightly and carefully smelled the fragrance that seemed to come from nowhere.

It's good that things are peaceful like this.

But just a few dozen seconds later, a heart-wrenching scream echoed throughout the room. Lin opened his eyes and looked at the wall to the side at the same time as Hua.

Kevin's screams came from the next room again!

The two moved with lightning speed, rushing to the wall in the blink of an eye, and knocked on it.

"Kevin! What happened where you are?"

"..."

Incredibly eerie, after the screams subsided, the next room fell silent once more, with no one responding.

Hua frowned; she couldn't fathom what Kevin and Sue must have encountered to end up in this situation.

Eden outside the house remained motionless. Could she not hear what was happening inside? Or... was Eden the mole?

"Lin... do we really have to keep dragging this on?" Hua pondered, resting her chin on her hand. She calmly said to Lin, who was leaning against the wall and deep in thought, "The key to this game, besides clues, is time."

Really.

Lin had already considered this when the game started. Since a week was set aside, time must be crucial in this game, and the mastermind behind it would definitely use various means to delay them and create obstacles for them.

Aside from issuing various challenging tasks and planting moles, the most obvious challenge is these ones that offer clues.

Choosing between clues and timing is a fatal choice.

"What do you think?" Lin looked up and asked Hua.

"Me?" Hua hurriedly wiped away a bead of sweat, a blush rising to her cheeks. "I... I... have no objection."

"Hmm..." Lin shook his head, his pupils beneath his black hair showing little change. He quickly said to Hua, "Although the challenge is sexual 'beep—', the legal definition is very broad. Let's assume that as long as both parties are stimulated and satisfied, the challenge is completed."

Hua had no experience in this area, so she could only listen to Lin's explanation with blushing cheeks.

"What are you going to do? With your hands? Or your legs?"

"Look, look at you."

"Okay." Lin didn't waste any more words. He picked up Hua's tall, strong, and slender body and rushed to the bedside, placing her on the clean white bed. After taking off his shirt, he calmly said to her, "If you're shy, you can cover your face with a pillow. I'm sorry, I'll try to finish as quickly as possible and I'll take responsibility."

"No need." Hua took a deep breath, tucking a small tuft of gray hair between her lips, then tilted her snow-white neck back and kissed Lin's lips. "I'll cooperate. Do whatever you like."

Then, with the remaining skills in his body, Lin skillfully reached for the girl's delicate body and easily unbuttoned her swimsuit.

The sunglasses on Hua's head slid off to the side of the bed as the two moved, but no one on the bed, which was vibrating and making a soft groan, paid any attention.

"Bang!"

The heavy metal doors opened automatically, and a stern-faced, black-haired man stepped out. He was fully armed and ready, like a lion unleashed from its cage. As soon as he stepped out, he saw...

Kevin and Sue sat under the tree, enjoying chilled coconut juice, while Eden pondered how to design something from a few fan blades.

After the door opened, the three of them turned around at the same time and looked at Lin, who was standing motionless at the door.

"Are you done?" Kevin put down the coconut and walked over with a normal expression. "What did you encounter? You've been inside for so long."

"..."

Lin suddenly fell silent.

He looked at Kevin and Sue, who seemed completely unaffected, and Eden, who was also slightly curious. His solemn demeanor vanished instantly, and he stammered, "What... happened to you?"

"It's nothing, just a very simple challenge. Sue and I finished it and came out, and then we've been waiting for you guys." After Kevin finished speaking, he realized, "You encountered a very difficult challenge?"

"... No, the simplest kind of challenge."

"..."

Why did it take so long inside?

"Didn't you hear that either?" Lin asked again, and the others asked in confusion, "Heared what?" He knew then that he had fallen for their trap.

Eden suddenly asked, "Where is Hua?"

"I'm here, I'm fine."

Hua, dressed neatly, walked out from behind Lin. She looked no different from usual, but those present were all at the top level of human perception and could tell at a glance that something was wrong with Hua.

Her sunglasses were askew, her neat gray hair was a little messy, and her right hand brushed against the inside of her thigh, then pretended to casually bring it to her nose to smell it. There was some redness and swelling on the lower part of her fair thigh and buttocks...

Most importantly, Hua, whose eyes were usually sharp and calm like an ancient well during battle, showed signs of emotional turmoil.

Of course, no matter how hard they racked their brains, they still didn't know what had happened inside. Seeing this, Su, who was most sensitive to emotions and consciousness, said, "Hua, your consciousness is very chaotic. Was there a battle inside just now?"

Hua had reached a state of perfect clarity and stillness in martial arts. After being recognized, she quickly adjusted her breathing and state, nodded and said, "Yes, Lin and I fought because of some things, and then we completed the challenge."

Kevin looked at Lin: "You and Hua..."

"It's a minor matter, it's already been resolved," Lin said casually.

"We've obtained the clues, and Hua's mission is complete. We can leave now."

Hua told Lin about her task after she finished it. It was actually very simple: make a request to someone that she felt was excessive, and get the other person to agree.

Therefore, the task was completed when Hua Wenlin could smell the scent.

Lin's task progress has also moved forward by one level, which means he will be able to complete it soon... just kidding.

None of them had any objections. It was already night, but that wouldn't stop them from moving forward. In this race against time, it was better to try their best a little longer.

So the group set off again, this time intending to head to the center of the island to meet up with Mobius.

Neither Kevin nor Sue noticed that after leaving the challenge room, Hua and Lin had unknowingly become much closer together.

Hua always had a faint smile on his face when he talked to Lin.

Only Eden would occasionally glance at the two of them, lingering for a moment on certain ambiguous actions of Hua Pingzeng.

Chapter Sixteen: Riddles and Questions

"Too slow!"

Dressed in a gorgeous swimsuit, Mobius sat like a mermaid on her vehicle, raising an eyebrow at the group emerging from the woods. "Did you take a nap on the way?"

Meanwhile, Prometheus had already changed back to her latest body, stood quietly to the side. She had also changed into a swimsuit designed by Eden, and her skin, made entirely of highly malleable Soul Steel, looked even more delicate than that of other girls, even though she could withstand the attack of the Honkai Energy Conversion Cannon head-on.

"We encountered a challenging project on the way and got some clues," Eden explained to the impatient Mobius. However, the other party became even more annoyed at the sight of her smiling face, indicating that Mobius still remembered the photos and messages she had sent to the communicator earlier.

As he spoke, Mobius turned his gaze to the remaining few people.

... If we were to say who was the least popular among the sixteen, it would undoubtedly be Mobius. Her unique research direction, style of doing things, and way of speaking were completely different from the others. For various reasons, she was ranked tenth among the "Thirteen Heroes" of the Elysia organization, despite her considerable experience and abilities, only one place higher than Pardo, Hua, and Griseo, who were all less mature in various aspects.

Although, according to her, she had no ill intentions toward these people, but just wanted to study most of them, she conducted her "research" on them either secretly or against their will, resulting in the subjects having a very bad impression of her. Especially in the year between the Tenth Honkai War and Eleventh Honkai War, she carried out a large number of illegal experiments, including on Chrono, Sakura, Kosma, Hua, Aponia and Pardo.

Sakura and Hua were only slightly wary, Aponia didn't give Mobius any chance to make a move, and Pardo said she couldn't afford to mess with them.

As for Kosma's long string of ellipses and his eyes that seemed to have countless things to say, it already showed how complicated his mood was. The Ark Project was also thanks to someone's inhuman experiment on him.

In contrast, Chrono's response was simple, clear, and polite. "Get lost!"

Even the good-natured Sue frowned frequently when Mobius was mentioned.

Strangely enough, Eden and Mobius had a pretty good relationship, and it was even a close friendship that was clearly visible to the naked eye.

"Don't let me find out which bastard is behind this ridiculous game," Mobius said through gritted teeth, his face contorted with rage. "Otherwise, I'll definitely attach His toes to his fingers."

... It seems Mobius didn't really like this game that damaged their ship and exposed them to the elements.

"Prometheus, can't you contact the outside world either?" Lin asked Prometheus, who was standing there blankly.