And perhaps that was his last act of tenderness.
He turned his head.
Surrounded by the remaining Night Doctors, he raised his head and gazed toward the ruins of Dark Night City in the distance. Beneath that dim firelight, it seemed to have become one final, desperate gamble.
He said goodbye to the Mechanical Humanoid.
Because he did not want them involved in what came next.
Because he had kept wondering.
What would a person do after letting go of everything?
He thought of the Matriarch, Sir Awen, the Colossus, Miss Doll, and the Mother Tree. He thought of the devastating upheaval the Feather Pen had foretold he would experience. And now he understood. Some things truly hurt more than being killed outright. Some things really could change you completely in a single instant.
He calmly walked toward Dark Night City, step by step.
"Come. Let's gather their bodies."
"Once we've buried everyone, we won't have anything left to hope for."
He turned his head.
The few surviving Night Doctors standing there were reflected in his eyes.
Their lips parted.
Soon, their eyes were red.
They nodded firmly.
At that moment, every Night Doctor on the outskirts of Dark Night City raised their torch high and followed closely behind Lynn, crossing into the city.
The rolling line of firelight resembled a funeral procession, illuminating the pitch-black sky from afar. They followed the solitary figure at its head, walking step by step toward the dark, immense city, toward their home.
Only the uploaded consciousnesses in the Hive watched this scene from afar on their screens.
Those wavering torches.
It was as though they were walking toward death.
"Miss Machine Intelligence-what exactly are they going to-"
The Intelligent Brain's voice grew urgent.
But Silver Fantasy said nothing. Her gaze lingered on those