I'm not Yingjie

Ying also breathed a sigh of relief. She encountered an unexpected situation when she and Lin went on a mission together for the first time. Due to her lack of experience, they almost got killed together. Should we say that she was holding them back?

"Do you have anything else to do?" Lin asked.

"No...no, what's wrong?"

"I want to find someone to discuss the issue regarding the explosive growth of the Emperor-level Honkai beasts this time."

"With... me?"

"Ah."

Lin actually planned to discuss with Mebius at first, but after Mebius hung up the call, he could no longer get through to Mebius.

Unable to find the reason why Mobius was angry, Lin then looked for the reason among a few people he knew, but finally decided to talk to Sakura. On the one hand, other people had more or less responsible projects and tasks, and on the other hand, he also planned to give Sakura some extra lessons.

"Well...if you ask me for my personal opinion, the Emperor-level Honkai beasts are relatively special Honkai creatures among the Honkai creatures, right? Each of them is different. Is their large-scale appearance due to the increase in the global Honkai energy concentration?" Sakura only has the most basic knowledge of Honkai studies in her brain.

"The relationship between global Honkai energy and Honkai beasts is not just one-way. Areas with high Honkai energy concentrations will give birth to high-level Honkai creatures, but high-level Honkai creatures will also increase the Honkai energy concentration in the area. Therefore, the increase in global Honkai energy concentration this time is actually a causal relationship caused by the high frequency of the birth of Emperor-level Honkai beasts."

"…Is that some kind of sign? Just like the changes in the environment before the previous collapse."

"Global changes make sense, but the signs of a large-scale collapse will be concentrated in a certain area. According to current statistics, the density of the birth of emperor-level collapse beasts does not show that any one place is particularly prominent."

After being denied repeatedly, Ying wanted to ask why he was asking herself?

But since Lin said so, he will start to explain: "Emperor-level Honkai beasts are all single individuals. So far, no duplicate emperor-level Honkai beasts have appeared. But from the encounter reports in various regions, there are more than one place with the same situation as us."

"The same situation... refers to the two Honkai beasts that look like twins?"

"There is also the third Honkai beast that appeared later. Some of the emperor-level Honkai beasts this time are similar in appearance. We cannot confirm that they are exactly the same Honkai beast, but there is a certain connection between them."

Similar Honkai beasts appeared in different places.

what does this mean?

“Man-made…”

"drop----"

The sound of the communicator interrupted Ying from speaking that thought. Lin glanced at her communicator but didn't say anything.

Ying quickly took it out and looked at the caller ID, then chose to answer it.

"Ling, what's going on?"

"Nothing, sister. You haven't been home for almost a month. Will this business trip take so long?" Ling's tone was somewhat dejected. "And what kind of job is it that requires you to go on a business trip to Australia..."

Lin was stunned. Ying directly told Ling that she came to Australia?

He thought Sakura would lie and say she was on a business trip somewhere nearby, but he didn't expect Sakura to be so honest with her sister.

"Well... this time the work is more troublesome, so it may take some time. I'm sorry, Ling, I'll take you to the amusement park when I come back." Sakura's words were also full of apology.

"Okay! It's a deal!"

When Ling heard that Ying would go to the amusement park with her, she suddenly became full of energy again. Then she asked suspiciously: "Brother Lin, are you here?"

"Well, he is..."

"Snapped."

Lin covered Sakura's mouth as she was about to answer subconsciously, but it was too late. Ling, who had already become suspicious, heard what Sakura said before her mouth was covered.

"You two are together indeed. Are you going to the gym together again this time?" Ling accused in a sad and angry tone.

Lin winked at Ying and then let go of her hand. Ying quickly replied, "He is my colleague now. I introduced him to my company after he lost his job."

"Is that right?"

"Yes, yes, that's right."

After that, Ying had to persuade Ling to believe her nonsense. After hanging up the phone, she let out a long sigh and gave Lin an apologetic look.

However, Lin looked at her calmly and said, "It's better for you to let her know the truth as soon as possible. It may not be a good thing to let a child live in ignorance."

Chapter 82: A Not-So-Distant Story

"MSA-31, report!"

With her hands on both sides of her tense thighs, the red-haired girl was obviously still nervous. She shook her ponytail and looked left and right, but she didn't dare to look into the eyes of the woman in front of her who was smiling.

"Hic... New recruits, have you all changed to a number system now?" The woman took a bottle of wine from the shelf next to her. "Can you drink? I remember your name is... Himiko, right?"

"Yes, yes, it's a numbering system now... Captain, it's daytime now." Himiko reminded cautiously.

"During the day? Can't we drink during the day? Don't worry about it. I'm just worried that no one will drink with me."

On the first day of reporting as a new recruit, before they had even spoken a few words, Himiko was forced by the woman to drink until she vomited, and then she fell asleep until the next day.

"Well, not bad, not bad, it suits my taste."

After waking up, the woman laughed and hugged the shoulders of Himiko, who was still confused.

This was the first captain of Himiko's team she met when she chose to join the Fire Moths after her family members died in Honkai.

If Himiko were to evaluate herself now, it would be that she is probably imitating that person's back. Whether it is her fighting style or her drinking habits, they all seem to be inherited from that person.

If you think about it carefully, she clearly entered the Fire Moth with hatred in her heart, but later she found a goal more important than revenge, which was all thanks to the captain.

The memory would be somewhat embellished, but Himiko didn't mind making it more perfect.

"Goal? Purpose? What? Didn't you say it yourself? You want to avenge your family and destroy Honkai?" The woman shook the beer can, and the sound of beer being poured into the can was heard. Her flushed cheeks were so blurry under the light. "Why bother asking me? 90% of the people who follow the Fire Moth choose to join in order to destroy Honkai. No matter what the starting point is, our destination is the same, and that's enough."

"…But I want to find a higher ideal, just like you." Himiko lowered her eyes. She looked like a lost girl who didn't know where to go.

"Noble? Hahahaha... You little brat, do you really think I'm a saint? What lofty ideals? I just want to drink a little every day, tease you little brats, and then have the chance to find a handsome guy to marry..."

It sounded like a drunken woman's words, and the tone was very casual, which made Himiko a little angry.

"Listen carefully, there is no distinction between high and low ideals. They are derived from each person's different views on the future and their own worldly beliefs. Does that mean that the beggars' desire to survive every day is more vulgar than ours? Haha, stop kidding."

The woman had no intention of using her status and experience to educate Himiko, but she still planned to give some advice to her junior, just as she had been instructed by others in the past.

"If you must find a goal, why not look at the people around you and start with the small matter of protecting the people around you? How about that?"

Afterwards, the woman’s name was carved into the “cemetery” at the headquarters.

She died protecting Himiko during a crucial mission.

Himiko understood what she said at the moment of her death.

There is no distinction between high and low among people. What is important is how a person views himself and the world, and how he pursues a goal and regards it as his lifelong ideal. No matter what that ideal is, it is enough.

And the woman did lie to Himiko, her ideal was not that "distant".

She just wanted to protect Himiko, her descendant who allowed her to see her past self.

"Captain, I am now the captain of the fifth team. I have a few young guys under me who are as ignorant as I was back then, but they are better and more sober than I was then." Himiko lowered her head and gently stroked the inconspicuous name with her fingers. "Now they all say that I love drinking too much. Haha... Is this a bad habit you passed on to me?"

"The second collapse has occurred. I'm leaving. I'll come to see you next time."

Himiko walked out of the cemetery and was about to rush to the front line, to the battlefield where the captain died.

……

"What are you... talking about..."

Himiko stood there in a daze, listening to the indifferent "report" of the person in front of her, as if she could no longer hear her own heartbeat.

"The fifth team will be reorganized next. Please be prepared."

There was no "my condolences" or "sorry", only instructions for her to redistribute.

It was like a knife piercing through her chest.

Himiko's feet felt like they were filled with lead. She dragged her heavy legs and walked into the morgue. Inside, the densely packed corpses were marked with numbers.

From a distance, it looked like meat about to be taken out for sale, so cold-blooded that it made people feel sick.

She found the bodies.

No, it's their remains.

An incomplete hand, half a head, and a bloody lower body. "

This is the “part” of them that is left behind that can be recovered.

"What am I doing..."

Because of her misjudgment, all of her team members were killed on the battlefield of the second collapse, and in the end, not even a complete body was left.

She failed to protect the people around her. The captain saved her, but now she couldn't save her own team members.

"what……"

Himiko covered her face with her hands and couldn't even scream.

This time, she didn't feel any hatred towards the Honkai that took away her teammate.

She only hated one person.

……

"...Sometimes I wonder, if you hadn't saved me then, would you have done better than me if you survived?" Himiko stood in the cemetery. She saw many familiar names on it, including her teammates. "If it was you, you should have been able to save them... But you would have saved me, so that's unlikely."

"What should I say now? Am I sorry?"

"The dead can't hear sorry."

A dull and cold voice came into Himiko's ears from the door. She turned around and saw a strange man in a helmet.

"you……"

"No matter how many times I say it here, they won't hear me." The helmeted man stepped forward and handed something to Himiko, "I found this. Here you go."

The moment Himiko saw that thing, her heart trembled.

That is a group photo of the fifth team.

"Are you the soldier who defeated the Emperor-level Honkai Beast?"

"..."

He didn't deny it, but he didn't say anything either.

After handing this thing to Himiko, he turned around.

"Why did you come here if you said they couldn't hear you?"

The helmeted man paused.

"Because I can hear it myself."

Chapter 83: The One Who Chooses

"Thank you for your hard work, Captain Himiko."

Hua handed a bottle of ice-cold beer to Himiko.

"Ah~ Xiaohua, you still understand me~" Himiko swept away the depressed anger in her chest, hugged the helpless Hua's neck, sat on the sofa and started drinking.

"Wow, that's so refreshing! It's really necessary to have a bottle of ice-cold beer on such a hot day!"

Hua felt helpless and wanted to laugh. She didn't support Himiko drinking, but this captain, who had an alternative personality among many team leaders, had the only hobby of drinking. She couldn't deprive Himiko of the right to drink.

"Huh? Why don't you drink?"

"I'll just forget it..." Hua sighed, "Just drink it."

"Beer is a good thing for relieving stress. For soldiers like us who are under pressure all day long, it is helpful to learn some stress-relieving methods."

"Speaking of which, Captain Himiko, you seem to have a lot of personalized rules, such as drinking at least two liters of beer every day, taking photos every time the team regroups, etc...."

"..."

Himiko drank the last bit of cold liquid in the beer bottle in silence.

"Because, sometimes I can only see the complete person in my memory through photos."

Himiko's voice was almost inaudible, and Hua didn't hear what she said at all. The next second, Himiko laughed heartily as usual and rubbed Hua's hair hard.

"Don't worry about adults' affairs. When you grow up, you will understand why I do this."

"Captain, I'm already over 20 years old..."