The Oriole

- Flashback -

"I've picked up some intel. A Valkyrie named Yuno from Schicksal HQ has been temporarily dispatched to Southeast Asia."

"You'd better watch out. It might be aimed at you!"

Hearing this news, Lin Wei froze.

He'd already been surprised to hear this name from Anna before, and now hearing it again from Anti-Entropy astonished him even more.

After a long silence, he finally exhaled and asked for confirmation, "Is the intel reliable?"

"Of course! You think we at Anti-Entropy have nothing better to do than play house with you?!" Tesla's tone was as sharp as ever.

"Anything else? If not, I'm hanging up!"

"Wait!"

Lin Wei interrupted his racing thoughts, quickly stopping her. Then, after several seconds, long enough for Dr. Lobster on the other end to grow impatient, he finally spoke seriously, "There's a question I've wanted to ask you for a long time…"

"…What question?" Seeming to hear the seriousness in Lin Wei's tone, Tesla's temper surprisingly cooled. Then, as if feeling she'd lost face, she quickly put on a fierce facade, "Spit it out! Don't drag it out!"

"My question is simple: Why did you initially mistake me for Otto?" Lin Wei took a deep breath, asking earnestly.

"Huh?!" Tesla's tone was exaggerated, as if she'd heard some unbelievable joke.

"I understand Dr. Tesla mistaking me, since you saw me use the Divine Key with your own eyes…" Lin Wei continued seriously, "But Siegfried had never met me before. Why was he so hostile towards me the moment we met, immediately wanting to fight? I don't think he's a hothead, nor someone easily provoked. So I'm curious…"

"What about me caused you such great hostility?"

"..." Tesla on the other end fell unusually silent. After a while, she asked weakly, "Why are you asking this completely irrelevant question?"

The aggression in her voice had vanished entirely, as if the question had puzzled her as well: Yeah, why?

She had never considered this before, as if it were as natural as breathing, eating, and sleeping.

"No, this question is very important," Lin Wei's tone grew even more solemn.

"Because I never hesitate to assume the worst when assessing the people and situations I face. This question can give me the most crucial perspective."

- Flashback End -

"Sakura, how do you know… that the girl who appeared here is really Yuno, and not someone else in disguise?"

Lin Wei turned his head, closing his eyes behind his sunglasses, as if truly enjoying the warm sand bath. His tone was lazy and casual as he chuckled, "Heh. You know, Overseer Otto's disguises are so good, even the meticulous Rita couldn't see through them…"

In the original timeline, not too far into the future, Otto, disguised as Su Shana, had given Rita a massive headache, yet she hadn't noticed anything amiss about the person in front of her.

"…So that's why you insisted on hiding yourself this time?" After several days of Lin Wei just watching from afar, not even able to hear what they were talking about, Yae Sakura felt it was a waste of time. "But this way, our efficiency is very low…"

"What else can we do?" Lin Wei smiled wryly.

"Didn't you see, even from this distance, Anna almost noticed me? That girl's observation skills are too sharp."

"Isn't this trouble Mr. Lin Wei brought upon himself?" Yae Sakura smiled gently, a hint of sarcasm in her voice. "Surely with your brilliant intellect, these minor obstacles are nothing."

"..." Lin Wei felt like he wasn't buried in sand, but in a cocoon of his own making.

But he couldn't explain this, after all, Yae Sakura had witnessed everything, knowing no less than him. The more he explained, the more suspicious he would seem.

"Obstacles or not, as long as you don't mind them, they don't really matter. Besides, they're strangers. It's not like I have to meet Yuno," Lin Wei ignored the sarcasm in Yae Sakura's words, continuing to voice his thoughts.

"If it turns out I was overthinking things, and this is really Yuno, then she'll naturally return to Schicksal HQ after having fun for a few days, and there's no need for me to interfere, right?"

"And if it turns out there's something fishy going on, and this 'Miss Yuno' is indeed a fake, then it's even simpler."

Lin Wei still maintained his lazy and casual appearance. The midday sun warmed the soft sand, the comfortable warmth enveloping his body even made him want to fall asleep.

"If she's here with a purpose, she'll eventually show her hand. So, I'll say it again, wait and see… Heh, if 'she' really makes a move, then we'll react accordingly."

Lin Wei closed his eyes, wanting to take a nap, casually raising a flag for himself: "After all, the enemy is in the open, I'm in the dark. The advantage is mine. Why should I be in a hurry?"

Yae Sakura looked at Lin Wei's unconcerned appearance, hesitated, and said, "But, if you're right, and this Yuno is a fake, then wouldn't Anna… be in danger?"

Having read Lin Wei's memories, Yae Sakura knew something of Otto's dangerous nature.

"..." Lin Wei's relaxed breathing suddenly became heavy, then returned to normal after a moment.

"…Then we can't act rashly." Lin Wei's tone remained relaxed and casual, but if someone could see him, they would find his eyes had already opened at some point.

"Sakura, you really… can't you let me sleep for a while?" Lin Wei smiled wryly, shifting his body, the "sand dune" burying him collapsing slightly on both sides.

"Why did you have to spell it out? Now I can't sleep…"

"I was just worried…" Yae Sakura's tone was apologetic.

"After all, if Overseer Otto really intends to harm Anna… knowing you, Lin Wei, you definitely won't stand idly by. I'm worried you'll be caught in a dilemma."

"…So, I really am asking for trouble, aren't I?" Lin Wei stared silently at the freely drifting white clouds in the sky. After a long while, he slowly closed his eyes.

"I originally thought she was just an A-Rank Valkyrie outside the 'main storyline,' who wouldn't have any impact on the situation besides the Herrscher thing. Who knew… heh."

Lin Wei chuckled, not sure whether he was laughing at his own naiveté, or at "fate's" playful coincidence.

"If I had been more ruthless on Coral Island, and directly rejected Anna's enthusiasm; or if I had been colder, and ignored my 'old leader's' plea, and not gotten involved in that mess, I wouldn't have to worry about these problems now!"

"But then you wouldn't be Lin Wei. After all, you're a very kind person at heart~" Yae Sakura chuckled softly, her tone gentle. "And also someone a bit clumsy, who doesn't know how to refuse others' kindness, right?"

"…You're right." What was this? A compliment or an insult? Lin Wei couldn't tell.

"Anyway, what's done is done. There's no point dwelling on it. After all… Sakura, you know, I'm quite greedy~"

Realizing he had unknowingly created a weakness for himself, and unable to be completely selfish, Lin Wei could only accept its existence, and the series of problems it would bring.

"That's also one reason why I came here, and the main reason why I chose to hide myself… After all, if that's really Yuno, then it's all a false alarm, and we can just treat it as a vacation."

Lin Wei spoke softly, "And if it's Overseer Otto in disguise, then as long as I, a nobody, stay out of their sight, nothing unusual will happen to Anna, and he won't discover our connection. Then, after everything is over, Anna will naturally be safe. But if…"

Lin Wei's tone gradually turned cold, "If Overseer Otto really intends to do something, I can also intervene immediately. If necessary… heh… In any case, it's better than leaving things to fate, waiting passively for death, right?"

"It might not come to that…" Yae Sakura sounded helpless. She could sense the madness stirring within Lin Wei once again. She had witnessed this madness before, the kind that could drive an ordinary mortal to fight desperately against a Herrscher.

If she could, she preferred the usual gentle, humble, and polite Lin Wei.

"Sakura, you know, I never hesitate to assume the worst when assessing others and the problems I face," Lin Wei's tone was calm and composed.

"It's always good to be prepared, even if it doesn't come to anything. It's better than being caught off guard. That makes me feel very insecure."

Lin Wei, when feeling insecure, often had some rather extreme reactions.

Yae Sakura stopped talking. She knew she was Lin Wei's only confidante in this world, and at this moment, silent companionship was all that was needed.

"I don't think Otto has discovered my existence. The reason why he's here in disguise – if it's really him – can't possibly be because of me. That would be too dangerous." Lin Wei's words were calm yet dangerous.

"If I were him, I would simply level all of Southeast Asia with countless Honkai fission bombs, directly obliterating the 'Lin Wei' hiding among the masses, thinking he's gotten away with something. But he hasn't done that, which means his target isn't me."

"So, for now, both I and Anna are safe."

Ever since getting that ambiguous answer from Tesla, besides feeling disgusted, Lin Wei had also started playing this "role reversal" game, imagining what he would do if he were Otto.

"If I'm not mistaken, he's still after World Serpent. After all, he still hasn't found the 2nd Divine Key he's been obsessed with!"

"Whether it's Yuno's fusion warrior-like constitution, or Anna, who just destroyed a World Serpent base, in Otto's eyes, they're both bait."

Then, Lin Wei opened his eyes, shifting his perspective back to himself, and chuckled, "Heh, since that's the case, as an unknown nobody outside his line of sight, why should I bite the hook? The more pressing issue is…" Lin Wei's expression turned strange.

"To be careful not to be used as a scapegoat by those crafty old foxes in World Serpent. So, we absolutely can't act rashly."

Even though the script had changed drastically, the advantage brought by his foreknowledge was still unparalleled, allowing him to quickly grasp the situation and become the "oriole behind the mantis and cicada" in this three-way game.

Hiding his tracks, staying out of it, letting the other two play their game, pretending he didn't exist.

He could watch from the sidelines, and decide whether to intervene based on how the situation developed.

"…I still think you're overreacting and making a mountain out of a molehill." Yae Sakura could only smile helplessly. Besides indulging him, what else could she do?

"Overreacting or not, I've been considering the worst-case scenario ever since Anti-Entropy synchronized that intel about Yuno with me."

Lin Wei stood up from the sand. Anna and Yuno were already far away and wouldn't notice him.

"After all, how could it be such a coincidence? Anti-Entropy managed to obtain such timely intel about a mere C-Rank Valkyrie going on vacation? Even knowing exactly what time her plane would arrive! I don't believe they'd be so bored as to constantly monitor Yuno's movements."

"It's more likely that Otto deliberately released this information through some covert means. Anyone interested would naturally notice. Heh, after all, bait needs to spread its scent to attract prey."

Lin Wei brushed the sand off his body and hair.

"Let's go, Sakura. The current situation has nothing to do with us. We can do something else for now."

As he spoke, Lin Wei walked towards the edge of the beach, preparing to leave. Unnoticed, he picked up a black feather between his fingers.

"Really, I didn't want to come here. As long as I didn't see it, I could tell myself it had nothing to do with me… Otherwise, facing an impending disaster, I can't help but want to do something."

Lin Wei looked at a tourist on the beach who had suddenly started discussing overseas travel with the people around them, mocking himself, Who are you trying to fool?

"After all, they're all living beings… With disaster imminent, I'll save whoever I can…"