I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

"You should at least have told me."

"... Didn't you go inside? How am I supposed to tell you?"

Kiana's reproachful words amplified Lin's strange feeling slightly. He spread his hands and changed the subject, saying, "Why did you come out?"

"I didn't go in." The silver-haired girl's expression softened considerably after mentioning this. "They're probably still outside."

She went to the bottom of the transport ship's hatch and called out to Mei, but received no response. Then she went back to look for Lin, only to find that Lin was gone.

Her heart was instantly filled with an indescribable fear.

Fortunately, Lin returned shortly afterward, and the inexplicable emotions she felt completely dissipated.

"Wait a minute." Lin suddenly remembered something. When he met Mei and Tesla, their search area was already very close to the settlement. "They may have gone to the Raven's settlement."

"Won't they run into that woman?"

Kiana's expression became much more solemn. After all, Raven's ruthlessness and unscrupulousness were no less than Lin's, and Mei and the others might encounter danger.

"Let's go take a look!"

Lin knew that Raven couldn't get back so quickly, but given the current situation, it was better to go together, so the three of them immediately set off for the nest.

"Alas, fifty thousand years after fifty thousand years, how many fifty thousand years have passed?"

Zero sat in front of the chessboard, fiddling with the pieces on it with his index finger. He seemed to be thinking of something and couldn't help but sigh.

"Even Yan Luo- chan hasn't experienced such a long wait, has she? The time you spent killing forests everywhere was only a little over a thousand years."

He paused briefly at this point. "Sometimes I really admire us old folks. Even though the world changes and time becomes just a meaningless stack of numbers, we can still maintain our human way of thinking."

"Really? I don't think you've maintained it very well."

Yan Luo, dressed in a cheongsam and sitting on the sofa inside the car, coldly put down his book and said...

"My situation is different from yours. Rather, I don't mind if you treat me as 'inhuman'."

"I've never treated you like a human being."

"... It's so heartbreaking, sob sob sob..."

"I hope that when you're faking tears, you can actually squeeze out a couple of tears."

"That might not work." Zero's lips curled up as he picked up a chess piece and placed it on the board. "I already cried all my tears while watching Magical Girl."

"Could you use your tears for something less childish?"

"No, I haven't cried in ages. Just cry for me when I die."

"I'll be so happy when you die that I'll set off firecrackers on your grave."

"... It seems pretty good?"

"Thump."

The chessboard set on the table was disrupted by the shaking of the carriage, and chess pieces rolled all over the table. Zero sighed and stood up, while Yan Luo also put away his book, got up from the sofa, and picked up the Black Abyss White Flower next to him.

"The Imaginary Singularity is about to begin. Be prepared."

Zero covered his face with his hands, and a pitch-black mask appeared out of thin air on his face.

"It's time to write a new story of heroes and demon kings."

"This is really... troublesome."

Midway through their journey, the three looked up and saw a transport ship bearing the symbol of Schicksal flying overhead. They ducked into a corner of the ruins and watched the transport ship land not far away.

The forces of Anti-Entropy, Schicksal, and World Serpent have once again come together, and this time it's not a battle fought in the shadowy corners of Sky City, but a real, head-on conflict. Worse still, Schicksal and World Serpent seem to have reached an agreement, making Kiana and her companions their common enemy.

"The Honkai Energy concentration has increased again."

Bella suddenly spoke, her sky-blue pupils flickering slightly, as if she were testing something.

"A large amount of Honkai Energy flowing out from another dimension."

Another space...

Lin looked at Kiana, whose expression had turned ugly. "After Schicksal captured me, they used me to conduct an experiment to open Imaginary Singularity. Could it be that they plan to open an Imaginary Singularity here as well?"

"..."

Opening the Imaginary Singularity will not only cause a large amount of Honkai Energy to flood into the Intrinsic World, but also bring some "things" that only exist in the Imaginary Space. They may not be easier to deal with than the Honkai itself.

"... You go find the Anti-Entropy people, I'll go scout."

Lin made his decision without hesitation. He turned around and ran towards the location where the transport ship of Schicksal had landed, giving Kiana no time to reach out.

Her hand paused in mid-air, then slowly clenched.

"Let's go, let's find Mei and the others quickly and then go help him." Kiana nodded to Bella and quickened her pace.

The "Rebirth" of Chang Kong: Chapter Eight - Working is Impossible

"Rita, this time we don't need to deal with K423. We just need to ensure the experiment proceeds normally. Try to avoid conflict with World Serpent's side. Of course, I trust you. You have never let me down."

"Yes, Your Excellency."

After ending the communication, Rita's smile faded. She walked outside the transport ship. The wind blowing from the stagnant city carried a slight fishy smell. She brushed her long hair behind her ear and exhaled a sweet breath. She took two items out of her pocket.

Originally, this experiment by Schicksal did not require anyone to maintain it. Otto's implication was that he had already ensured that he could obtain the data he wanted, and it didn't matter if someone interfered. However, Rita still insisted on coming to Changkong City to assist with the experiment.

The reason was one of the things she had— the Gray Serpent's prosthetic eye.

Rita doesn't consider herself a good person. She has a clear understanding of herself, which is why she can do all sorts of things for Otto without any psychological burden.

But she also had her own thoughts. The senior she admired was the reason she became a maid, and the senior's perfection made Rita unconsciously try to get closer to the image in her heart.

At the very least, that senior will keep his word and do so.

Since K423 escaped to Changkong City, Raiden Mei will definitely follow K423's trail and come to Changkong City as well. After Rita handed over Gray Serpent's prosthetic eye to her, she had fulfilled her promise in Sky City.

"Well then, let's not delay and go find Mei first."

Rita smiled slightly and put away the two items in her hand, but before she did, she took one last look at the "things" other than the prosthetic eye.

Compared to Gray Serpent's prosthetic eye, this thing was a "trophy," and she certainly wouldn't be so kind as to return it.

Rita, dressed in a battle maid outfit that seemed out of place in the post-apocalyptic Changkong City, chose a direction and headed off. She had just spotted Anti-Entropy and World Serpent's transport planes while surveying the skies, so she was now heading to meet the people from Anti-Entropy.

I wonder if there will be any conflict then, haha...

"Buzz—"

"Um?"

The sound of the transport plane's engine caught Rita's attention, who had only taken a few steps.

Could it be that Anti-Entropy or the World Serpent have sent more people? Which side's transport plane is it?

Rita looked up in confusion and saw a familiar transport plane flying overhead.

Oh, so it was her transport plane.

"...Wait a moment."

Rita stared incredulously as the transport plane sped toward the edge of Changkong City. She was certain she wasn't mistaken; it was the transport plane she had just disembarked from, the cockpit still warm from her body heat!

What's going on?!

Rita put her plans to see Mei out of her mind, transformed into a fragrant breeze, and frantically chased after the transport plane that was about to disappear from sight, while using her portable terminal to try to regain control of the transport plane.

She just crashed a transport plane in Sky City, and now she's had another one hijacked in Changkong City. The cost of a medium-sized transport plane is almost comparable to that of an aircraft carrier. Even if Schicksal has money, they can't waste it like this!

Moreover, the transport plane clearly requires Rita's biometric verification to start, so it's almost impossible for them to hack into the system in such a short time. How did they manage to do it?

Rita gave the transport plane the order, "OT, transfer all control to me, disable all control in the cockpit and lock down the cockpit!"

"..."

What's going on? Why isn't the intelligent system installed on the transport plane responding? Shouldn't she have ultimate control?

How could a human leg possibly catch up with a transport plane? Even if Rita was Schicksal S-rank Valkyrie, it wouldn't work. In the blink of an eye, the transport plane had vanished without a trace, leaving not even a speck of dust behind. Rita stared blankly as her beloved aircraft disappeared into the distance...

Lin sat in the cockpit, the seat still warm from the buttocks of a careless maid. He meticulously piloted the transport plane toward the edge of Changkong City, then chose a relatively secluded spot for a vertical landing.

"Call..."

Lin stood up, pulled the Jizo Mitama from the floor of the transport plane, and put it at his waist.

The Herrscher of Erosion can corrupt both biological and mechanical entities. Her powers are akin to a super virus, capable of penetrating any crevice. While she may not be as powerful as the Herrscher of Reason in the realm of consciousness, she can accomplish far more, such as breaching firewalls and hijacking a transport plane with biometric authentication.

After Rita landed, he waited for her to leave. Once he was sure that Rita was alone, Lin immediately sneaked into the OT, Jizo Mitama to control the transport plane, and then drove it away in front of Rita.

... Speaking of which, this maid was swindled out of her money and prosthetic eye, and now her ride has been stolen. She doesn't seem as shrewd as the one on his Hyperion.

Lin had two plans for stealing the OT. First, Schicksal posed a greater threat to Kiana, and this experiment was also part of Schicksal's plan. Lin's job was to hinder them as much as possible. Second, he wanted Schicksal's information, to know what Schicksal's leader was doing, and what kind of deal they had reached with World Serpent.

He arrived at the OT terminal. With the help of the Key of Erosion, he was more powerful than the world's top hackers, able to easily infiltrate all electronic devices and communications, including Schicksal's database.

"Um?"

But when Lin was about to use the OT to directly connect to the Schicksal Terminal and then invade the Erosion Virus, he realized he was wrong.

After he hijacked the OT, the transport plane completely severed its connection with Schicksal, clearly due to a fully automated protection system.

Did Schicksal design such a system to constantly guard against the Herrscher of Erosion...?

Fortunately, Lin could still use other systems on the OT, including reading most of the data on Schicksal, including most of the information on Schicksal itself and Anti-Entropy. He quickly read through the data on Schicksal.

Unlike the World Serpent, which has always been hidden, Schicksal and Anti-Entropy are closer to the operating mode of the Fire Moth and have a deep connection with the surface world. They each obtained a part of the Fire Moth's legacy. Schicksal created Artificial Stigmata, while Anti-Entropy reproduced the Titan Mech.

"Otto Apocalypse ..."

Lin was not surprised to see the name again. What he had glimpsed in the World Bubble was only a glimpse of this man's madness. In the complete Intrinsic World, this man would probably be even more troublesome.

Then, there's the part about this plan.

"..."

No.

On Rita's transport ship, there was only a brief briefing on the plan, instructing Rita not to act rashly, but to observe and collect data.

However, there was little mention of the plan itself.

But Lin still noticed a word.

Imaginary Singularity.

The "Rebirth" of the Sky: Chapter Nine – The Dodo and the Cold Forest

To be honest, Lin didn't find any particularly useful information from the OT, but he still knew a few things. For example, the experimental World Serpent and Schicksal in Changkong City probably didn't intend to be heavily guarded, or rather, they thought that even if someone interfered, it wouldn't be effective. Secondly, the experiment was related to the Imaginary Space, which might involve the Quantum Sea and the Imaginary Tree...

Wait a moment.

Lin Mo was taken aback.

Thousand Worlds Assumption...

To open the Imaginary Singularity in the Intrinsic World, a large amount of Honkai Energy is needed, as well as a tool that can open the Imaginary Space. Currently, Changkong City meets the first condition, and after opening the Imaginary Space, a continuous stream of Honkai Energy will flow out, supporting the expansion of the Imaginary Singularity.

As for the second condition... Lin Xiang already knew the details of the deal between Kevin and Otto.

"... Let's go back."

Now that things had come to this, Lin knew that he alone could not stop the experiment. Even if he went to Schicksal at top speed, it would be too late.

Only Kiana can stop all of this, but given her physical condition, forcibly using the power of the Herrscher of the Void...

Now, the only thing he could convince himself to believe was that one of the reasons Kevin and Otto chose Changkong City as the experimental site was that innocent civilians would not be harmed there, so this experiment would not pose any danger to the outside world.

But is the purpose really that simple? Did Kevin personally come to Changkong City just to observe the Imaginary Singularity? Was Otto's purpose also to observe the Imaginary Singularity?

It feels terrible to place almost all your trust in people you can't trust at all.

Behind the mask, a lingering gloom had unknowingly settled over the eyes.

"May I have your name."

"... Raven."