"Rescue signal sent. Lin, do you need to disconnect the neural link?"
"No."
Lin slumped into the seat as soon as he entered the cockpit. An endless feeling of exhaustion took over his body, making him unwilling to move.
He hadn't been injured in the battle, but the mental exhaustion was unimaginable. Even with Prometheus's help, Lin was practically running on empty.
The most fatal part was that he was forced to stay awake while suffering from nervous exhaustion; this pain was the most tormenting.
The neural link with the Titan and Prometheus kept his brain active, stimulating his thoughts to operate at a high level. No matter how weak he was, he couldn't fall unconscious or asleep.
Lin chose not to cut the neural link because he still needed to maintain vigilance until help arrived.
The uncharacteristic peace also allowed him to contemplate things he usually didn't have time for.
Delta was dead.
He died on the battlefield he had always longed for, fulfilling his duty as a researcher and a soldier.
A person who usually worked late nights and enthusiastically told Lin about his weapons had suddenly vanished from Lin's life. The swiftness of his death was suffocating.
Lin had always thought he would be the first to leave after learning of his Honkai infection.
Should he... cry now? But why did he not feel like crying at all?
Only a void remained in his heart, making him want to scream.
Lin was uncharacteristically bewildered.
For some reason, he thought of Spaciel hysterical roar again.
'You have nothing. You have nothing to lose, that's why you have no human emotions! Did you hear me! You have nothing!'
Lin gently took off his helmet, looking at his reflection in the darkened screen.
A face that was calmly cold-blooded.
...It turned out he really didn't have ordinary emotions.
"Lin, what are you thinking about?" Prometheus seemed to sense a heavier atmosphere than usual, so to keep Lin from being too bored, she started a conversation.
"...Delta."
"Are you thinking about Doctor Delta's sacrifice?"
"..."
Was it right for him to sacrifice himself for a broken body like his that only had four years left to live? No... Delta must have thought of the other soldiers... It was hard to say.
"Prometheus, do you think what he did... was right?" Lin couldn't answer this himself, so he tossed the question to Prometheus.
Prometheus's answer was quick and precise: "Lin, you don't ask that question when you're sacrificing your life for others."
Lin shook his head: "...It's not the same."
"But your life is no different from theirs. Human lives are equal, Lin, you told me that."
"..."
"The way humanity exists is by passing on life to the next generation. Therefore, Delta is unquestionably a qualified human."
That's right. The reason humanity has survived for so long is the continuous passing on of life. Delta achieved that.
Lin stopped speaking at this thought, staring at himself in the reflection.
"Lin, you are my hope."
In a trance, he thought he saw Delta saying that to him.
...
It was that gloomy meeting again. Everyone sat in their seats, silently waiting for the explanation.
"MSA-079 sent a message stating that the Fourth Herrscher has been killed."
After a moment, after a light tap on the edge of the table, a document was distributed to everyone.
The contents recorded on it caused some to gasp softly in surprise, and others to furrow their brows tightly.
"..." Amidst the silence mixed with various emotions, one person stood up and said with a doubtful tone, "Gentlemen, I think we need to re-evaluate the threat level of Herrschers."
The person who presented the document sat at the far end, his hands clasped below his nose, looking at him: "Councilman, what do you mean?"
"We have long considered Herrschers to be the highest level of Honkai threat, so we always invest massive resources without reservation to combat them." He picked up the document and tapped the seemingly absurd text on it solemnly. "But now you're telling me that a single soldier and a newly developed robot can defeat a Herrscher, and this same soldier also single-handedly defeated the Third Herrscher during the Third Eruption."
"The total casualties caused by the First through Fourth Herrschers are less than those caused by the advanced Honkai Beasts emerging across the world. Just by comparing the raw numbers, one can sense that the so-called 'Herrschers' are not as terrifyingly powerful as we are so worried about."
This statement, which was utterly beside the point, made another person lose his patience: "Are you talking nonsense? Isn't this entirely due to MSA-079's efforts? Just because he single-handedly defeated the Herrschers and prevented greater casualties, does that prove that Herrschers are no big deal?"
"Heh heh, Mr. Star, are you trying to promote your 'Individual Human Enhancement' plan again?" The councilman sneered at the person who jumped up to argue. Seeing it was a familiar face, he laughed even more coldly. "Even if we take a step back, the intelligence suggests that MSA-079's ability to kill the Third and Fourth Herrschers relied entirely on the technological achievements of the Headquarters R&D Department. Unfortunately, we just received news that the head of the R&D Department who developed MSA-079's equipment has died in the line of duty."
"Died in the line of duty?" The person called Star frowned, clearly unaware of the information.
"That's right. Sigma from Command tried to stop his reckless actions, but unfortunately, that genius was too impulsive and died saving a soldier whose value was negligible compared to his own." The councilman sighed regretfully. "It's truly... a great pity."
Sigma... Star recalled that Sigma was a member of this councilman's faction, wasn't he?
The councilman wiped away his sorrowful tears and suggested to those present: "As things stand, Doctor Delta has proven to us with his talent and life that what humanity needs is more powerful technology—technology that can easily kill Herrschers—not 'modification experiments' that turn humans into monsters."
"So this is what you were aiming for all along?" Star couldn't help but let out a cold laugh when he saw the councilman reveal his true intentions.
Indeed, all that supposed sorrow was just a pretense for his own agenda.
Ignoring him, the councilman continued: "Furthermore, hasn't MSA-079 also proven to us that ordinary humans are already strong enough?"
"...So, are you planning to abolish Doctor Mei's research?" A person who had listened silently from the beginning stared intently at the man with a smirk on his face.
"Precisely."
The councilman bowed deeply to them.
"Humans should remain human, not... monsters."