The battle lasted for an extremely short time, less than ten minutes.
The Herrscher of Reason was already severely injured and unable to create high-powered weapons. Coupled with the fact that the Fire Moth's database contained data on the Herrscher of Reason, it was not difficult for Lin to win.
But that didn't mean it was easy.
A hand covered in a broken gauntlet grasped the leg of the Herrscher of Reason, who was trying to fly upward. His other hand grabbed the corpse of a Honkai Beast on the ground, and with a sudden force, he slammed the Herrscher of Reason, who was already missing one wing, onto the ground.
A cerulean light fell from the sky. Lin placed one foot on the Herrscher of Reason's raised hand, and the inverted dagger stabbed into her back. He twisted—
"Zzzz—"
Blood splattered onto his face from the crevices of the shattered helmet.
"Hoo... hoo... hoo..."
Lin dropped the dagger and slumped onto the ground, one hand pressing against the back of an unknown person's hand in the pile of corpses.
His fight this time was almost a suicide attack. Even if the simulated body died, it wouldn't affect his real body outside. To quickly dispose of the Herrscher of Reason, he had virtually wrecked his simulated body.
However, the virtual body would not automatically recover. To achieve its training purpose, the simulation training set the individual's data volume from the start, making self-healing impossible.
The Pre-Civilization appeared to have ended at the hands of the Herrscher of Reason. Humanity's last remaining forces were exhausted, and then the not-fully-dead Herrscher of Reason raided the tower, killing Lin and ending the Pre-Civilization.
However, in this simulated scenario, Lin could slightly change the final outcome.
He staggered back into the tower.
To stop the Herrscher of Reason outside the tower in time, he had damaged the elevator, so he could only drag his semi-crippled legs up the stairs one step at a time.
But soon, he didn't need to struggle to climb to the third floor from the top.
Lin stood at the staircase entrance, looking down at him. The warmth in his eyes was gone, replaced by a look that Lin was familiar with.
This look was most often seen in Mei's eyes.
"You seem very familiar with the Herrscher of Reason. I have never seen the weapons you used, and that helmet's purpose is probably not just to protect your head and obscure your face." Lin eyes narrowed—a subconscious habit of his. "Who exactly are you? If you are human, why have I never seen you? If you are a Herrscher, why would you attack the Herrscher of Reason?"
"..."
This Lin was only the last human of the previous civilization, simulated by data, yet he perceived the anomaly in this virtual world.
"...And, Sakura is not my wife, is she?"
"..."
Seeing Lin look up in surprise, Lin stern expression faded, and he smiled slightly: "You rushed out without a word and found her location, and you seem to know her."
"...Don't you find that strange?"
"I am truly curious. I maintained curiosity about many things since childhood, and in my opinion, the way to solve these mysteries is very simple." Lin pointed to Lin helmet. "Take off your helmet."
Lin and Lin stared at each other for a few seconds. He sighed, said nothing, placed his hands on the helmet, and lifted the helmet, which had a broken corner, from his head.
After seeing Lin appearance, Lin showed no surprise or shock. He simply nodded in realization.
"I see... So, am I real or fake now?"
"Does it matter? Whether real or fake, the 'you' right now is your own will."
"I just wanted to confirm the situation, but I already know from our conversation."
"...Was this data left by you?"
"I don't know. Maybe it was just a coincidence." Lin smiled at Lin. There was a light in his eyes, as if he wasn't a simulated virtual character, but a living person standing right there.
"In our era, there were many people like you. They plunged forward without hesitation. Even if the final victory couldn't buy humanity's survival, they still stood firm and fought to the death for this last piece of territory belonging to humanity."
Lin turned his head, looking out at the mountain of corpses and sea of blood outside the window. He looked at the human remains, some of whom he knew and some he didn't. In the end, they lay together, experiencing the same death.
"Do you think I was afraid of death? That even after all humans died, I remained alive, watching my comrades fight a losing battle."
"Yes, I had to be afraid of death. As a commander, even if comrades, friends, relatives, and my wife died in front of me, I had to endure. They all believed I could fight for humanity's hope of survival and lead humanity forward, so I couldn't die."
"I've been inside this steel coffin for so long that I've almost forgotten what my former self looked like."
Lin sighed, lowering his head, and stood on the stairs, looking at Lin face.
Gradually, the dissipation of data began from his feet, spreading to the surrounding buildings.
The data for this simulation had reached its end.
Lin whispered a prompt: "Aren't you going to hug your wife? Perhaps the 'you' at that time..."
"That is not my wife. How could I embrace someone else's lover?"
Lin smiled brilliantly and disappeared.
"So, you must hold on tightly to her..."
After the light faded, Lin stood in the empty data space, watching Sakura gradually open her eyes.
He looked up but didn't see the "anomaly" data.
...
"This is what I left for you... Zzz—"
Lin watched silently as the data collector in his hand overloaded. A piercing alarm echoed in the empty tower. He turned his head and looked at the approaching Herrscher of Reason on the screen.
He put down the data collector. It seemed there was no time left to leave more for the future civilization, but he hoped they would find the legacy he left behind.
After activating the tower's self-destruct mode, he glanced at the countdown and went to the third-to-last floor room, but just as he was about to enter, he stopped.
He lifted his metallic foot, suspended in mid-air, and slowly retreated.
Lin no longer lingered to look at the person "sleeping" inside. He turned and took the elevator outside the tower.
Looking up at the moon faintly visible behind the clouds, he pulled out a broken blade stuck in the ground and walked toward the approaching Herrscher of Reason.
"Come on, I am the last human."
The figure leaped up, falling like a shooting star.