I'm Not a Flame-Chaser

Perhaps Lin had asked too many probing questions along the way, because the girl in the cheongsam glared at him impatiently, just like before, looking very disgusted.

"So, what exactly is your relationship?" Kiana tried to talk to the aloof girl in the cheongsam.

Even the owl perked up its ears in curiosity.

"Enemy? Nemesis? Stranger? Who knows?"

Yan Luo, holding the Black Abyss White Flower, replied indifferently.

They don't seem to have a good relationship.

Kiana breathed a sigh of relief, though she didn't know why.

"We've only kissed, that's all."

Yan Luo added calmly, then fell silent.

P. S.: I'm picking up the car tomorrow. I have so much to do when I get home. By the time I finish picking up the car and going to the hospital, I probably won't be back until noon.

The "Rebirth" of the Sky: Chapter Eighteen - The Transaction is Established

Things are getting out of control.

Lin is not the type to plan everything perfectly, from the first step to the last. That kind of person doesn't exist anywhere, not even Mei.

Therefore, he really hadn't expected Kiana to break free from his embrace and walk away without looking back, completely ignoring him.

It's as if he angered a terminally ill patient to the point of recovery, allowing them to get out of bed.

Kiana.

"..."

The silver-haired girl's pretty face was tense. The call from behind couldn't even make her stop in her tracks. Yan Luo glanced at her out of the corner of his eye, while Yexiao's eyes swept over the three of them strangely. He felt as if he had suddenly stepped into the scene of a large-scale emotional drama.

Lin shook his head helplessly. Although he was happy that Kiana could move freely again, he wondered whether the current situation was good or bad.

"Time has no meaning in this space, so the different scenes we see are likely to be the same area at different times."

Upon reaching the next rift, the scene changed again, from a desert to a seaside. They passed through the rift and continued in the direction directed by Yan Luo.

But this made Lin frown, and he asked, "How can you be sure the exit is in this direction?"

Without turning his head, Yan Luo replied, "I can reproduce most of the Divine Key and know their characteristics and structure inside and out, so I can also sense the Imaginary Singularity created by the Thousand Worlds Assumption."

At this point, she turned to look at the sullen Kiana.

"I'm more curious as to why this true Herrscher of the Void can't sense it."

"..."

The atmosphere was a bit strange, and Night Owl's watching gaze grew increasingly odd. Just as Lin was about to try and smooth things over, Kiana spoke first, "Yeah, I'm just a useless guy."

Is this statement self-deprecating, or is it sarcastic?

Kiana quickened her pace, puffing out her cheeks. Lin hesitated for half a second, then caught up with her and grabbed Kiana's hand amidst Yan Luo's disdainful gaze as he crossed his arms.

"What?" The silver-haired girl wasn't as energetic as usual. She turned back to look at Lin with resentment, her eyes almost overflowing with grievance. "Let me go."

As the renowned female psychologist Elysia once said, when a girl is angry, never do what she says; instead, treat everything she says as the opposite of what she means.

So Lin Fei didn't let go; instead, he held on even tighter.

Kiana blushed slightly and withdrew her hand shyly, with two other people watching. A blush rose on her face, as red as a ripe apple.

"I think I need to explain." Lin looked coldly at Yan Luo beside her. "The kiss she mentioned was actually done by herself, and she even bit off my tongue. As a result, we only understood each other's thoughts a little, but we didn't reach a real consensus. We're only acting together now because her target isn't me."

Kiana looked at Yan Luo, Yan Luo didn't bother to explain, and her silence made Kiana think that this was an admission.

"What does that have to do with me? I'm nobody to you, why are you explaining this to me?"

Even so, Kiana's anger had subsided considerably. No longer wearing a cold expression, she broke free from Lin's hand and slowed her pace to walk ahead.

After successfully resolving the matter, Lin breathed a sigh of relief. He was afraid that Kiana might put herself in a dangerous situation if she got angry.

"You're really something." Night Owl, who hadn't said much the whole way, watched Lin retreat to his side. His anger at Lin for taking his necklace vanished, and he spoke to him in a sinister tone, "Your relationship with the Herrscher of the Void..."

"..."

"So that's how it is. You attacked World Serpent in Sky City to help her." Night Owl couldn't help but sigh. He thought of something and his eyes fell on Lin's pocket, which contained his necklace.

"... What are you talking about?" Lin replied coldly, "Kiana and World Serpent are two different things."

"That's true. It's not surprising that some people would resist large-scale, inhumane human experiments."

From Night Owl's words, it's clear that he, like Raven, isn't particularly enthusiastic about the experiment in Sky City, but he doesn't oppose it either. Just as Lin sees him, he's a mercenary who doesn't feel a strong sense of belonging to World Serpent. Staying with World Serpent is only because World Serpent can give him what he wants, so if there's a personal matter that exceeds the benefits World Serpent provides, betraying World Serpent is a matter of minutes.

Lin Cong. Against the shimmering sea, it shone like a bright star, almost causing Night Owl to reach out and snatch it again. But he held back. He knew he couldn't possibly snatch it now, and even if he did, he couldn't escape. Even if he escaped, he wouldn't be able to leave the narrow space.

Lin had seen the change in Night Owl's expression from excitement to restraint. He said calmly, "I can return the necklace to you."

"... But there are conditions." Night Owl finished Lin's sentence without hesitation, saying readily, "I can tell you everything about World Serpent, but it's impossible for me to infiltrate the organization to deal with World Serpent. I've already attacked Raven, and they won't let me go."

Lin didn't mince words; he asked directly, "What did the World Serpent give you?"

"To prolong life." Night Owl pulled open his collar and showed Lin his modified prosthetic body, his expression calm. "I am intolerant to Honkai Energy and have been Honkai by Honkai for a long time. World Serpent removed my original diseased body and modified me into this."

"What about serum? It can eradicate your problem in one go."

"Heh, you need to understand one thing. They will modify me and help me because I am useful to them. If I were just an ordinary person, the World Serpent would not be able to help me prolong my life, let alone cure me with its serum."

Night Owl saw things very clearly. He never considered World Serpent as his own. No, even Kevin probably never considered the people of World Serpent to be of one mind. Whoever was useful would step into the limelight.

"They plan to use the Stigmata Project to 'heal' all of humanity. In the words of that woman, Jackal, I am not a member of 'all of humanity,' but an experimental subject that will be consumed in the process."

After saying that, he took out a memory card from the prosthetic body's waist and handed it to Lin.

"This is all the information I gathered about World Serpent while in my capacity as a cadre. However, although I am called a cadre, the only real cadre should be Gray Serpent. Raven, Jackal, and I each have our own duties, and even the parts we have come into contact with regarding the Stigmata Project are incomplete."

Lin glanced at him, and Night Owl shrugged, indicating that he could check it as he pleased.

Lin didn't have any tools to examine it, but he didn't suspect anything either. He casually tossed the necklace to Night Owl, who caught it with a slightly excited expression and put it in his pocket.

"By the way, I've dealt with you a few times, but I still don't know who you are or what your name is?"

"Forest."

"...Forest?"

The "Rebirth" of the Sky: Chapter Nineteen - Different Directions

The moment Lin uttered his name, it was as if a bomb exploded in Night Owl's mind. His original guesses and the current facts mixed together, causing his brain to crash.

Same name? Or did he mishear?

His mind went blank as he blankly asked, "MSA-079?"

"You know me?" Not only Lin, Yan Luo also turned around and glanced back. Lin heard this number that no one had mentioned in a long time, and after a few seconds of thought, he realized a possibility. His eyes darkened. "Golden Courtyard?"

"Are you really Lin? You're still alive? You've lived from 50,000 years ago until now?"

Night Owl stared in disbelief at the man before him. He had once had a cross-generational conversation with Lin in a place that transcended time. They talked about their past and discussed their views on the future. Even though Night Owl had never mentioned the most important thing in his heart to anyone else, he had intentionally or unintentionally asked Lin, who was as legendary as Flame-Chasers in his eyes, for his opinion.

It can be said that, apart from Jackal, all the World Serpent cadres who had been to that place had a deep connection with Lin. He patiently taught everyone, and even after leaving, they benefited greatly.

But apart from Kevin, the living god, Lin, the ordinary man whose Hypervariable Surgery failed, also lived for 50,000 years and became an enemy of the World Serpent, standing on the opposite side of his best friend Kevin.

Night Owl wondered if he was dreaming. How could such a magical thing happen in front of him?

"You, you, you..."

Under Kiana's unusually strange gaze, Night Owl pointed at Lin Bantian, unable to utter a single word, his face filled with shock. Finally, he managed to squeeze out, "Could you give me your autograph?"

"..."

Under the strange gazes of the three, Night Owl finally came to his senses. He coughed and pretended nothing had happened. "Okay, actually I'm just shocked... It feels like a historical figure from a textbook has crawled out of his grave and is standing in front of me. This is the first time I've seen you without a helmet. You look a bit... beyond my imagination."

"Is he very famous?" Kiana's gaze swept over Lin. She did indeed think that Lin had a remarkable background. Not only was he a person who had lived for 50,000 years, but he was also Herrscher. However, even the people of World Serpent treated him differently.

She seemed to know why Lin was wearing a mask.

"Of course he's famous." It wasn't Night Owl who answered, but Yan Luo, a cold smile on her beautiful face. "MSA-079, the most famous soldier of the Fire Moth. To put it bluntly, his fame is greater than that of many Flame-Chaser."

Lin calmly looked at Yan Luo.

"Why are you looking at me? You're not trying to say I'm the same, are you? Humph, don't get me wrong, you can't even control the muscles in your face."

Yan Luo revealed a cruel smile. She was indeed more expressive than Lin; at least, she would give Lin a mocking sneer most of the time.

However, their life trajectories are actually the same. Just as Lin wore a helmet for almost her entire military career after joining the Fire Moth, no one knew what Yan Luo looked like. They only knew that she was a woman, leading many people to believe that she must have been disfigured to cover her face.

In the latter half of their lives, Lin and Yan Luo chose different paths. Yan Luo no longer concealed his true appearance and hunted down his Parallel World counterparts with his absolutely alien appearance. Lin chose to continue his ideals and continue to save humanity as a faceless and bodyless being.

Therefore, their views on their past experiences also changed.

"I've communicated with your memories, but everyone says you're dead. What exactly are you..."

"Stop." Lin stopped Night Owl from asking further questions. "Let's leave here first, and we can talk about it later."

To be honest, after seeing Night Owl's reaction, Lin roughly understood what role his memory played in World Serpent.

What is Kevin thinking? Is he sending their memory cells to educate the World Serpent's executives?

Lin found himself increasingly enjoying trying to figure out what Kevin was thinking, but he probably would never be able to understand what Kevin was thinking.

"You can still prioritize, let's go." Yan Luo continued to lead the way, and the tense atmosphere among the four of them eased up considerably. If nothing unexpected happened, Lin would have a better grasp of World Serpent after leaving, and then he would be able to accompany Kiana to Anti-Entropy to find a way to completely control Honkai Energy.

But clearly, this world is full of wicked humor, and "what ifs" rarely turn out as desired.

"Wait, where are you going?" Lin suddenly called out to Yan Luo, who was walking in front. She turned around in confusion and expressed her meaning with a look of disgust—what do you want to say?

"Weren't you going to the Imaginary Singularity?"

"... If you have suddenly lost your memory again, I have a good way to help you regain it."

"No, do I mean we shouldn't go this way?"

Lin pointed in a different direction than Yan Luo.

"What evidence do you have that you think we should go there?" Yan Luo asked in return.

"I... wait, didn't you sense that some kind of voice was calling to you?"

Lin then realized the problem. He had been moving forward according to the call from the underworld, but when he arrived at this place, the direction of the call diverged from the direction of Yan Luo. He subconsciously thought that the call was the Imaginary Singularity that Yan Luo sensed.

"A call?" Yan Luo was usually not very friendly to Lin, but she wouldn't take his words as nonsense. She frowned and said, "I didn't hear it. The sound you heard came from that direction... It's very likely caused by some kind of spatial distortion."

Kiana gave Lin a look. "Should we go check on them? Or perhaps..."

Her implication was that, regardless of whether she trusted Yan Luo, she would definitely trust Lin, while she had no goodwill or trust towards Yan Luo, a stranger who had drawn his knife against her on their first meeting and whom Lin claimed to have been her enemy.

Night Owl has no decision-making power and is of no help in the current situation.

"... There is still one person who has not been found."

Lin then brought up another matter, and Kiana's eyes sharpened.

Rita, the Valkyrie of Schicksal, was also transported to this space by Kiana's portal, and she has not been found yet.

"There's one more person?" Yan Luo's expression changed slightly.

"Yes... we can't leave yet."

Lin looked at Yan Luo, who snorted coldly and walked in the direction Lin pointed without pausing.

Her ruthlessness is evident from her saving Night Owl; it's only towards Lin.

Kiana followed. She didn't have a good impression of Rita, at most her opinion of her had changed somewhat after fighting side by side in Sky City, but she would never give up on a person's life, even if her current situation was extremely critical.

Now that everyone had reached a consensus, Lin and Night Owl exchanged a glance and headed toward the direction from which the call had come from.

The "Rebirth" of the Sky: Chapter Twenty - Survivors of the Manila Honkai

Humans are changeable beings; their thoughts change with age, environment, and knowledge. Unlike animals that live by the same instincts throughout their lives, humans may deny their past selves just a few hours later.

Perhaps humans would praise the quality of consistency.

But change is the essence of humanity.

Lin has heard no fewer than a dozen mysterious voices, most of which are related to strange phenomena encountered in the Quantum Sea. The unique nature of his consciousness often leads him to encounter events related to consciousness, so he is quite experienced in this matter.

According to Yan Luo, time has no meaning in the gap between the Imaginary Tree and the Intrinsic World. So, was he really the target of this voice that called him alone? Did it know all along that he would come here?

Before seeing the facts with their own eyes, all speculation is useless. With Yan Luo's combat power, the Herrscher of Reason could tie up Lin and the other two and beat them. All the imaginary creations along the way had no effect on them.

When she is an enemy of Yan Luo, her strength is truly terrifying, but when she is with her, it is reassuring to watch her slay monsters with a blank expression. Her silver hair flying as she wields the Black Abyss to cut through demons has a unique beauty.