The expected piercing alarm did not sound. Lin proceeded slowly along the road toward the amusement park like a tourist. After hanging up the communication, Spaciel's side was already directing combat personnel to the amusement park, and they would likely arrive before him.
The city alarm was sounding in batches and by district. The situation with this Herrscher was unique; Spaciel wanted to complete the evacuation without prematurely alerting the Herrscher as much as possible. Already, a third of the residents had been evacuated.
Moreover, the intelligence Spaciel mentioned about autonomous Titans being deployed to suppress the rebels suggested that support from the headquarters would also arrive quickly.
In the five major Honkai outbreaks, civilian casualties were under ten million, with the majority of mass casualties caused by the Third Honkai in Nagazora. It could be said that Fire Moth had done everything they possibly could.
The time from the birth of a Herrscher to her death never exceeded a week, as if the heavens were still favoring humanity, allowing them to resolve the crisis in the most timely manner.
But how many more times could this luck last?
Lin knew that he alone couldn't change anything now. His combat power was negligible, yet he inexplicably kept walking toward that direction.
To fulfill a long-ago promise.
So long ago that they didn't know their own fate, so long ago that she was still a timid and gentle girl.
"Cough, cough…"
Suppressing his turbulent consciousness, he walked toward the unknown path.
…
Three zombies.
"She" watched coldly as three ferocious zombies collapsed under the scythe. The black mist rushed over, decomposing the corpses of the zombies. "She" didn't even look down. After "she" passed, nothing remained there.
"She" looked up and scanned the dazzling sunlight. It didn't feel good; there was a stinging sensation, like being watched. So "she" used the black mist to shield herself from the sun.
"Seele, what exactly is going on?" At this moment, Delta, in the crowd following behind "her," asked "her."
"Head Delta, you are truly always full of curiosity," "she" said with particular patience to her friends, especially these deceased ones. "She" turned back and smiled, "You're the type of person who reads through the disclaimers in phone apps carefully to find loopholes, aren't you?"
"That analogy of yours is really…" Delta gave an awkward laugh. His white coat stood out prominently among the group of people. "I remember I was supposed to be dead, and even if I wasn't, I wouldn't suddenly appear here… By the way, where exactly is this? And why are there zombies?"
"She" paused: "Head Delta, don't you remember how you died?"
"I…" Delta shook his head in confusion, "I don't remember, but I certainly died during the Fourth Honkai."
"I don't know what your sacrifice looked like back then, I only know that you drove the Titan into the wind field to rescue combat personnel trapped there…"
"Ah, right! I died because I drove the Titan!"
As the conversation between the two deepened, Delta's memories seemed to become clearer, and his eyes grew more animated, becoming more and more… like a living person.
And "she" was completely oblivious to all this, paying no attention to the fact that only after "she" affirmed her opinion and experience of this person would the other party state the predetermined facts according to her thoughts.
This was a form of self-deception, but "she" didn't notice.
Or rather, "she" was happy to not notice the abnormality.
…
"Alarm?"
Su, who was packing things in his office, was stunned for a few seconds when he heard the unfamiliar alarm, completely confused about the situation.
The hospital alarm was completely different from this one. The sound of this alarm was more jarring and shrill, like a warning, and also like an urging command.
What did this alarm signify?
Before he could react, the door was violently pushed open. Doctor Ragna stood at the doorway with a serious face and urgently told Su: "Su, hurry up and take shelter."
"Ragna? What's wrong? What's with this alarm?"
"I don't have time to explain. Just hurry and go to the shelter with Director Faal and the others. The location of the shelter is marked on your phones. They sent comprehensive information to every resident's phone."
"Wait—" Su was overwhelmed by the sheer amount of information. He took a breath. "'They'? Who are they? Why can they utilize the city alarm and send information to residents' phones? And what about the critically ill patients? Their conditions are deteriorating rapidly, and there are no facilities elsewhere for us to perform surgery."
"…They are Fire Moth, the mysterious organization that has been cooperating with us all along." Ragna stepped forward to help Su pack his things. "As for the patients… don't worry, there are corresponding facilities there, and they are more advanced than ours."
"Fire Moth?" Although Su was mentally prepared, he was still startled for a moment when he heard the name again. He asked again, "Aren't they… a medical organization?"
"Medical is only one part of them. I'd say they're more interested in solving the problem at its source rather than just finding a cure for the illness." Ragna helplessly scratched his short brown hair. "Unfortunately, I used to be one of them."
"You…"
"Alright, stop asking so many questions. There are more important things to do right now. Su, do you remember the disaster in Nagazora?"
How could he forget?
Su remembered the disaster that caused Kevin to disappear, the mysterious event that turned an entire city into a ghost town. It was from that time that the Honkai Virus frequently appeared in cities surrounding Nagazora, and it was the reason he chose to prematurely end his advanced studies and become a doctor.
So he asked with some horror: "The alarm being sounded now, is it the same type as the disaster from that time?"
"Unfortunately, you guessed correctly, but I can't tell you more. You'll have to join Fire Moth and find out for yourself."
"Then why are you here? Why did you leave Fire Moth?"
This was truly too strange. The Fire Moth that Su had always wanted to join, its former member was now standing in front of him, saying things he couldn't fully comprehend. This was truly perplexing.
"Is it strange for me to be here? I hate Fire Moth, so I wanted to save people in my own way, so I changed jobs. Isn't that a simple matter?"
Su was speechless at the hint of oddity conveyed through the self-righteousness.
He made leaving that organization sound as simple as changing jobs.
"Su, I don't think you absolutely have to join Fire Moth."
Ragna paused, a strange light flickering in his eyes: "It might not be a 'good' organization that selflessly dedicates itself to saving lives."