Reflection

The Third Airport—the location that was seized and used as a landing point during the joint "surprise attack" on Schicksal HQ by the Far East Branch and Anti-Entropy a year later.

The reason Theresa and the others prioritized capturing this location was not only because the Third Airport was located on the east side of the floating island, conveniently situated in the direction of their attack, but also for a more important and practical reason:

Unlike other numbered Airports, the Third Airport was a military port exclusively for Valkyrie forces. Most military ships, led by the Immortal Blades' flagship, the EOS, were docked here.

After all, as a veritable "city in the sky," Schicksal HQ's only means of contact with the outside world, aside from online communication, was through various aircraft. This practical need and limitation made the headquarters' "air traffic control" a very important, extremely tricky, and complex issue.

Under these circumstances, as a Valkyrie force that needed to be dispatched urgently at any time, it was particularly important to open up a dedicated Airport for them, and even leave a clear airspace for easy deployment. The Third Airport was chosen to undertake this responsibility.

It was precisely because of its special status that it became the priority target for the joint forces of the Far East Branch and Anti-Entropy. As the weaker party in a battle of the weak against the strong, and a quick-strike surprise attack at that, the most important tactical action was to control, or even destroy, the opponent's military facilities and military forces as quickly as possible.

Only in this way could they ensure the smooth progress of their subsequent actions to the greatest extent.

And now, Lin Wei also chose the Third Airport as his target, and the reason was simple—as a military port, the performance of the aircraft here would be much higher than the civilian aircraft at other Airports.

Since he was already in a hurry, he naturally had to choose an aircraft with better performance and faster speed!

"Yuno, can you pilot an aircraft?"

In a corner of the vast Airport, several aircraft of the same model as the shuttle Lin Wei had taken in the Far East Branch a year ago were parked.

Seeing these familiar "old friends," Lin Wei took Yuno aboard one of them. Looking at the familiar layout inside, he couldn't help but feel a little sentimental.

"Yes, I learned it. Vehicle piloting was part of the Valkyrie curriculum."

Hearing Lin Wei's question, Yuno puffed out her chest and answered seriously.

Back then, when she learned about the Honkai outbreak in Manila, she had relied on her piloting skills and planned to fly there alone to help her. It was just that she was ultimately dissuaded by Overseer Otto and couldn't go.

"Is that so? That's good."

Lin Wei nodded, not feeling too surprised,

"Then I'll leave it to you. I'll rest for a bit."

Saying that, he scanned the entire aircraft with Pandora, taking over all permissions, setting the navigation to Manila, and smiling slightly at Yuno,

"Let's go."

After saying that, he found a seat, sat down gently, and closed his eyes to rest.

"Okay."

Yuno looked at Lin Wei steadily for a moment, then looked ahead, gently pushing the control stick as taught in the simulation course. The aircraft vibrated for a moment...

...and didn't take off.

"...Didn't you say you could do it?"

Lin Wei couldn't help but open his eyes, astonished.

Your brain knows how, but your hands don't, is that it?

"..."

Yuno was embarrassed. She silently shut down the engine and restarted the operation from scratch. This time, after confirming everything was correct, she pushed the control stick hard.

"Take it easy!"

Before Lin Wei could finish speaking, he felt a fierce push from behind, pressing him tightly against the back of the seat. The ground outside the window rapidly receded. The entire aircraft shot out like an arrow from a bow, "whoosh," spurting fierce flames from its tail, flying towards the eastern sky.

Meanwhile, at the Overseer's Residence.

Otto stood by the large floor-to-ceiling window, quietly watching a flash of light disappear in the distance. He asked expressionlessly,

"Are there any flight missions at the Third Airport right now?"

Amber, standing behind him, replied calmly,

"Apart from Lady Durandal, there are no other operations in the airspace of the Third Airport tonight."

"Is that so?"

Otto nodded, looked out the window again in the direction of the Third Airport, and chuckled,

"It seems our guest has left without saying goodbye. Heh... He's really quite vigilant, and his actions are swift, but..."

A strange smile gradually appeared on Otto's face,

"It seems our Miss Anna, her value is much higher than expected!"

Lin Wei's actions had told him all the answers, making Otto ecstatic for a moment.

This was a trump card!

Just then, Durandal pushed open the door and entered,

"Overseer."

After a simple greeting, she reported everything that had happened not long ago to Otto in detail.

"Oh? Heh... Interesting."

Otto was slightly surprised, then his expression turned serious, and he ordered,

"From now on, all areas and systems of the headquarters will be closed and isolated for a thorough inspection, to avoid any hidden dangers being left behind!"

Since the disgusting thing had already left, Otto didn't want to wait another second to "clean up."

"Yes."

Amber respectfully obeyed.

"Please punish me, Overseer."

Durandal asked for punishment in a serious tone.

"Heh, Bianca, there's no need for that."

Otto was always extremely tolerant of Durandal, and coupled with the fact that he was now in a dominant position and in a good mood, he just smiled dismissively at Durandal, who was asking for punishment,

"That Yuno is a trainee Valkyrie of the Immortal Blades. As the captain of the Immortal Blades, you naturally have full authority to deal with her. As for Lin Wei... Heh."

Otto once again cast his gaze out the window, his tone soft,

"Driving him out of Schicksal HQ is already a great achievement. Compared to him, a highly unstable Yuno is insignificant."

"And since both of them care so much about Anna Schariac, they will sooner or later fall into the trap I've prepared for them."

For a moment, Otto felt that the direction of things had once again returned to his comfort zone, which made him quite pleased,

"Heh... Mr. Lin Wei, compared to when we first met, you look a lot more pleasing to the eye now!"

Compared to the embarrassment and awkwardness of being restrained everywhere, he preferred the feeling of controlling others' weaknesses and manipulating them.

"..."

Durandal looked at Otto's back not far away, and the reflection of his expression on the large glass of the floor-to-ceiling window, and was speechless for a moment.

"Alright Bianca, you should go and rest."

Otto also saw Durandal's silence from the reflection in the glass, and smiled gently,

"The next matters shouldn't require your involvement for the time being."

"Yes."

Durandal nodded in agreement, turned, and left.

...

Meanwhile, on the aircraft traveling at full speed, Lin Wei was still leaning back in his seat with his eyes closed, resting, while also communicating with Yae Sakura.

"Lin Wei, aren't you overreacting a little?"

Yae Sakura said with some concern,

"You didn't have to leave there in such a hurry."

In her opinion, many of Lin Wei's actions were strange, both radical and conservative. The contradictions and strangeness were completely unlike his usual composure.

"Plans can't keep up with changes. Leaving there was inevitable sooner or later."

Lin Wei said calmly,

"Even without Anna's matter, I would have had to leave there as soon as possible. After all... that place can't solve the problem of your and my Stigmata. Anna's matter just helped me make up my mind."

Schicksal's research on Stigmata was extremely superficial. The so-called "artificial Stigmata" were only the result of research in the last decade or so. Lin Wei wouldn't have any expectations of them.

"..."

Yae Sakura was silent for a moment, then sighed softly,

"Too hasty."

"Time isn't on my side. I have to race against time, both for you and for Anna."

Lin Wei's voice remained calm,

"I'm not that useless Otto. Surrendering and waiting for death isn't my style. Since I'm aware of the danger, I naturally have to take action!"

"...You look down on Otto that much?"

Yae Sakura couldn't help but smile, finding it a little funny.

"'Making Herrschers possess humanity' comes from Elysia's legacy, not from someone's 'great experiment.' Heh, kidnapping the world to satisfy his own selfish desires, why should I look up to such a person? Like I said, what the hell were you doing earlier?"

After a chuckle, Lin Wei's tone quickly returned to calm,

"The reason I'm restraining myself with him, besides considering Durandal, is another, more important reason."

Lin Wei paused, then asked,

"Sakura, you've seen my memories, and you've also experienced the Elysian Realm."

"Do you think the Previous Era really failed?"

"Eh?"

Yae Sakura was stunned,

"Why are you asking this?"

Your topic jumped too abruptly, didn't it?

"No, they didn't lose."

Lin Wei answered his own question,

"The people of the previous generation, marked by Elysia's sacrifice, accomplished the greatest feat—officially pulling the so-called 'god' off its pedestal."

"When the so-called 'god' begins to possess humanity, when 'god' begins to bleed, it is no longer invincible. This is the most valuable legacy that era left to the civilization of this generation."

"And the twelve Herrscher authorities confirmed in the current civilization are the spoils of war that the Previous Era seized from 'god.' Like the twelve Divine Keys they forged, they are all gifts they left to the humans of this generation. Heh, and then Otto destroyed half of them."

Lin Wei couldn't help but chuckle again, and then said,

"Even the current civilization itself is full of shadows of the Previous Era everywhere, even the genes have the imprint of the Previous Era. Strictly speaking, it should be regarded as the continuation and rebirth of the Previous Era. So, can they really be considered a failure?"

They just ran out of steam and fell before the door of victory...

"The reason I'm temporarily tolerating Otto is actually very simple: I don't want Elysia and the others' legacy to be wasted."

Lin Wei's tone remained calm,

"Of all the legacies left by the Previous Era, excluding the special existence of 'Herrscher authority,' apart from the 'Stigmata Plan' firmly grasped by World Serpent and the 'Project VALUKA' still in Su's hands, almost all the legacies are controlled by Otto."

Even the results of 'Project VALUKA' itself would be delivered to Otto's hands in the near future.

Lin Wei couldn't understand what Su, a "Enlightened One" who could be schemed against by Kevin, was thinking. Because he thought Durandal was pleasing to the eye, he felt that her teacher Otto should also be trustworthy, and then happily entrusted Durandal to "transfer" all his research results to Otto.

Lin Wei was baffled by this, and could only say that staying indoors for too long was indeed detrimental to physical and mental health...

"Whether it's Schicksal itself, the Far East Branch, or even Anti-Entropy, in a sense, they all operate around Otto's will. At this moment when the 'Herrscher of the Void's revival' process is irreversible, when the final curtain is about to be drawn, it will only cause everyone except World Serpent to fall into chaos and internal strife, and then regretfully miss this only window of opportunity."

"In this way, the 'Stigmata Plan,' which is disliked by everyone, will be the only solution, and will be fully implemented by Kevin. That's why, at least until Kevin, the 'highest guardian,' officially returns, Otto can't die."

Speaking of this, Lin Wei paused, then smiled helplessly,

"Actually, if Durandal was willing to stand up and oppose Otto, things would be much simpler. But unfortunately, it's impossible to persuade her."

Even if he told her the so-called "truth about her origins," what would it change?

Not to mention whether he, with no evidence, could gain her trust.

Just looking at the original world line, Durandal eventually did learn all about her origins, but even so, what did it change?

Durandal never hated Otto because of this.

The reason she stood up to oppose Otto had nothing to do with who she was. It was simply that she couldn't accept Otto's crazy plan to reverse the flow of time. She had already drawn her sword against Otto before she even knew her origins.

Before that, and after that.

So, she was actually forced to rebel by Otto himself.

And before that...

Lin Wei spread his hands,

"Even if I can't win Durandal's support, at least I shouldn't make her dislike or even hate me!"

"...That's really complicated."

Yae Sakura said helplessly,

"So what are you going to do next?"

"Just react to whatever comes."

Lin Wei said indifferently,

"It's better to chop off Otto's outstretched claws first."

This was too abstract, and Yae Sakura couldn't help but be stunned,

"What do you mean?"

"I mean..."

Lin Wei was about to speak when he heard Yuno's voice from the driver's seat in front,

"Mr. Lin Wei, we're almost there."

Oh, so fast?

"Thank you for your hard work, Yuno."

Lin Wei opened his eyes. The sky halfway across the world was now dawning. Under the sparse clouds, islands were scattered,

"Let's go down and take a look together."

Lin Wei said with a light smile.

"Okay."

Yuno maneuvered the increasingly familiar aircraft, beginning to descend slowly.

"..."

Lin Wei's gaze was deep as he looked through the window at the approaching ground, and he fell into thought for a moment.

If...

Heh, I still have a few cards in my hand. It's not impossible to use them!