How long does it take for a person to die?
Spaciel ran his hand through his hair. A cold, bloodless light flickered in his eye socket. A unique coldness belonging to a scientific researcher brewed in his heart as he stared coldly at the man who had lost consciousness again.
If the heart, the body's pumping organ, is pierced, causing extensive damage, the pumping function will be severely impaired, and death will occur in no more than five minutes.
Spaciel hated the Councilman from the bottom of his heart. He was able to speak those words calmly just now only because, as the head of Fire MOTH Fifth Branch, his mission was to create a cure for the Honkai Virus.
But putting aside his identity as the head, Spaciel had wanted to pierce the Councilman's heart, pin him to the wall, and watch him slowly die from the very first moment he saw him.
In terms of identity, the Councilman was a traitor who murdered other high-level executives. Morally, Spaciel ought to give an explanation to everyone in the former Fifth Branch, including his wife and daughter.
His single hand picked up the handgun from the table and switched off the safety.
The room was silent, completely unlike the hustle and bustle outside.
"…"
Killing this man would also allow him to extract serum from his body. Although the difference over a few hours would be minuscule, Spaciel could have his revenge and resolve the psychological burden that had been suppressed in his heart for many years.
This was a win-win situation. No one would care if the Councilman died; there would only be cheers.
Should he do it?
Now?
Spaciel didn't hesitate at all. He raised the muzzle and aimed at the Councilman's heart. He didn't want to see the Councilman's head explode like a watermelon; that scene would remind him of his wife.
"…"
But his finger never pulled the trigger.
The Councilman's smile before losing consciousness still lingered. It wasn't any kind of mockery or sneer, but rather a smile of… a successful plan.
Would anyone be happy to hear that they were going to die? Was his original intention to die?
But the Councilman had brought the Sixth Herrscher to a densely populated city just to survive. This was equivalent to dropping a nuclear bomb into the city.
"I must live long enough to reach the Fifth Branch!" That ferocious roar echoed in his ears, making Spaciel's body tremble.
Live long enough to reach… the Fifth Branch.
A person only truly sees themself at the moment of death.
Enlightenment dawned on Spaciel. He finally understood why the Councilman's smile looked that way: because his plan had indeed succeeded.
He was willing to bring the Herrscher just to live long enough to reach the Fifth Branch. He solved the Herrscher's Authority for humanity, but after completing this final act for what he believed in, his heart was left with only selfishness.
The Councilman wanted to gamble with the corpse of this final Honkai Virus patient for the completion of the serum, even if it meant sacrificing the entire city, or even the fate of humanity.
And this was merely for another person, another Honkai Virus patient, the man rushing to the front line.
Sometimes, the significance of one person transcends that of many others.
Spaciel recalled the night he lost his wife and daughter. He lost all reason and vented all his anger onto Lin, even though he knew it was the optimal solution, even though he knew he was the one responsible for researching the cure for the Honkai Virus…
But if he had the chance, he would definitely trade his own life for the lives of his wife and daughter. Even if he could save more lives, even if his survival allowed more people to live, he would not hesitate.
But does this one reason nullify the significance of everyone in the former Fifth Branch!
Spaciel clenched his jaw, his eyes wide with fury, his finger showing no sign of releasing the tension.
This man destroyed the Fifth Branch for his plan, and now, for the sake of someone important to him, he wanted to risk the lives of so many others again.
The significance of the Fifth Branch…
His finger slowly applied pressure.
I will—
Fully press the trigger.
"Bang!"
Boiling blood splattered onto Spaciel's murderous face. The blood vessels in his eyes were gruesome and terrifying.
"…"
He slowly inhaled, then exhaled. His rapidly beating heart slowed down.
A bullet hole was clearly visible on the desk beside the Councilman. The Councilman coughed up a mouthful of blood and became even weaker, on the verge of breathing his last at any moment.
Spaciel's hand fell to his side. The handgun dropped to the floor with a clatter.
The significance of the Fifth Branch was to save lives. All of them had risked their lives to join Moth's Flame for this purpose.
He had to carry on their will.
The side where Spaciel had lost his other arm felt a slight phantom pain. He turned his head and saw a white-haired woman holding his hand, and a young child smiling at him.
Vividly lifelike, as if they were still alive.
"Karen, Silk… just wait for me a little longer… just wait for me…"
Spaciel sat down, leaning against the wall, and whispered, looking up.
…
"Where will my dream end?"
"At the starting point of reality."
"Where will my reality end?"
"At the starting point of your heart."
Lin stood in the dark night. He looked back and couldn't see the path he had traveled, nor a single light.
Looking forward again, he couldn't see the road ahead.
It turned out he wasn't on the right path at all.
He laughed self-deprecatingly and chose a direction at random.
Lin couldn't hear the voices of others in this dark night. He wanted to shout, but could only hear a roar in his throat, like a demon, pathetic and ugly.
After walking in the darkness for too long, he lost his sense of direction, unsure if he was walking in circles or turning back.
But it didn't matter. In any case, no matter which direction he walked, all he could see was darkness.
Others also described him this way. He walked into the darkness with those people; they were the same kind, only able to linger in the darkness, and even the slightest glimmer of light would incinerate them into ash.
That's right, like the moth chasing the flame.
Once the mask is put on, it cannot be taken off.
But Lin had no regrets. This was the path he had chosen.
He could not let the sacrifices of those who fell on this path lose their meaning. He had to persist, even if more and more people died, even if he became cold and ruthless, he had to adhere to this principle.
Mistakes breed mistakes. He had spent his whole life making mistakes, and in the end, that's what he was doing.
Where will this road lead?
The rugged night road explored for a lifetime, its end will probably be an unfathomable blackness.
That's right, people like him don't need a good ending.
Wait, what about "him"?
"…"
Forget it, it's not for him to worry about.
Lin smiled sadly.
The people he had wronged were countless, the lives he had harmed innumerable. It was ridiculous and shameless to merely want to atone through "him."
"His" recovery of memory and departure from Twilight Street to return to this battlefield was perhaps a punishment for his naive actions.
How much further does this road go? It's so cold.
"Huh?"
In a trance, a faint, soft light shone on Lin's feet. He looked up in confusion.
An inconspicuous ball of light, yet radiating a warm glow in this dark night, had appeared ahead at some point.
That was the end of the dark night, the starting point of his reality.
Tears, illuminated by the light, rolled down Lin's cheek.
"Why… why am I always so hesitant… everything I do is wrong, I can't even stick to my mistakes…" He knelt on the ground, sobbing uncontrollably. The mask on his face collapsed utterly in the light.
"Why were we born into this world full of pain…"
"Why did we meet…"
"Why is all of this happening…"
Even if you don't illuminate anything, are you still willing to appear in this dark night?
If only you hadn't been born…
If only I hadn't found you…
If only you had grown up normally…
"If only… I could love you normally…"