Life is Full of Helplessness

"Yuno, answer me one question seriously—do you want revenge?"

Lin Wei looked earnestly at the girl beside him, asking in a serious tone,

"Revenge against Anti-Entropy, who destroyed Nagazora City..."

"Boom!"

As soon as his voice fell, the quiet girl beside him seemed to suddenly transform into a different person. A ferocious aura, as if she wanted to devour someone, emanated from her. In an instant, several thorny vines extended from her shoulders, armpits, and lower back, slowly stretching outwards, also climbing and intertwining around her torso.

Nagazora City was her unbearable past; Anti-Entropy was the culprit who destroyed her home, made her lose everything, and turned her into what she was now.

These two phrases were like thorns deeply wedged into Yuno's soul, making her heart bleed and suffer immensely.

She thought that after more than a year, she had gradually forgotten and was no longer so obsessed and pained. But now, the word "revenge" was like a faint spark, once again igniting the anger and hatred that had been suppressed in her heart for so long.

Yuno suddenly realized once again that she had never forgotten, never let go. She was still living in the day of the Honkai eruption, repeatedly tormented by the pain she had suffered then, never freed...

Lin Wei's gaze carefully swept over every vine extending from Yuno's body, confirming that there were no "blooming flowers." He was slightly relieved, and the feather he had prepared in his palm was temporarily put away.

Yuno didn't recklessly release her "innate" toxins, indicating that she hadn't completely lost her mind from the impact of his words. This meant that her mental state was more stable than expected, which was undoubtedly excellent news.

Thinking about it, it wasn't strange.

A person who, even with a shattered heart, still persistently sought the "meaning of life," was often much tougher than expected.

And this also lessened Lin Wei's concerns about his impromptu plan.

"Anti-Entropy... I remember, you know people from there..."

Yuno muttered to herself in a low voice. She remembered the scene where Lin Wei talked to an Anti-Entropy scientist in front of her and Otto, and the pain in her heart intensified. She glared at Lin Wei, questioning him almost hysterically,

"You lied to me?!"

"I didn't lie to you, Yuno. You were willing to trust me, willing to leave Schicksal with me, so I have even less reason to deceive you."

Facing Yuno's threat and questioning, Lin Wei first signaled to the suddenly alert Yae Sakura to "calm down," then said slowly and calmly,

"If I really wanted to deceive or hide something from you, I wouldn't have shown you those things back then, and I wouldn't be taking the initiative to bring up the matter of 'revenge' now. Although some of the words back then were meant for Otto, weren't they also meant for you?"

"...Why?"

But Yuno was still unwilling to give up. Her gaze was still fierce and sorrowful, like a pitiful child deceived, betrayed, and abandoned by the whole world, full of unease and suspicion towards everything around her.

"Because that's the truth. Whether it's Schicksal or Anti-Entropy, I have some connections with both."

Lin Wei smiled slightly and said calmly,

"But after all, you and I, as survivors of Nagazora City, are in a special situation. Whether it's misplaced anger or projection, compared to any unnecessary misunderstandings that might arise in the future, I still hope to clarify things in advance."

Saying this, Lin Wei took a step forward and said gently,

"After all, since you're willing to trust me, I have an obligation to be honest with you."

"..."

Along with the sincere words, Lin Wei's step forward seemed to cross an invisible boundary, making Yuno involuntarily take half a step back. The burgeoning unease and anger dissipated in an instant, and the ferocious vines extending from her body began to slowly retract.

Seeing Yuno calm down, Lin Wei understood, and so he said seriously once again,

"In any case, I can now give you a chance to take revenge on them, but..."

"But what?"

Yuno asked with her head lowered.

"But I don't want you to completely lose control because of killing or excessive indulgence."

Lin Wei said softly,

"So, before that, I will also stop you from taking further action."

"..."

Yuno felt somewhat resentful and aggrieved,

"Are you playing with me?"

"I just want to give you a safe space where you can vent the anger, grievance, and hatred that have been suppressed in your heart."

Lin Wei said earnestly,

"Every injustice has its perpetrator. Since Anti-Entropy committed such an evil act, you have the right to seek retribution from them. You don't have an obligation to hold back, and I shouldn't stop you."

"But your state is unstable. If I let you indulge completely, it would be no different from harming you."

"...Why?"

Yuno didn't understand what Lin Wei was saying.

"I just hope you have a chance to understand one thing—"

Lin Wei said seriously,

"The power you've gained is not a burden, it's just a tool you haven't fully mastered yet. It can be used to protect others, and it can also be used to protect yourself—for example, to seek justice for your past self!"

"Seek... justice?"

Yuno repeated the words, a fire burning even stronger in her heart.

Yeah, why can't I seek justice? Why should I keep suppressing myself, wronging myself?

Once this thought clicked, a joyful, even somewhat morbid smile gradually appeared on Yuno's face.

The pressure in her heart had been building up for too long; it was bound to burst one day.

It was precisely for this reason that Durandal had allowed her to practically occupy the entire training room, giving her a place to vent.

But that was ultimately just scratching the surface. Lin Wei's words at this moment finally touched upon the deepest confusion in Yuno's heart—

"What's the meaning of this curse-like power?"

At this moment, Yuno felt a sense of sudden enlightenment. A fire ignited in her heart, as if it was about to completely devour her!

"Calm down!"

Lin Wei timely brushed down a feather, like a basin of cold water poured over her head, instantly sobering the excited Yuno.

"This is why I want to stop you."

Lin Wei gently stroked Yuno's hair, and said seriously,

"Maybe one day, when you can completely control this power and won't be controlled by it in return, I can stop restraining your actions, but not now."

"I just want to help you walk out of the shadows of the past, move towards the future, and accept your true self, so some venting is necessary. But that's all. If you indulge too much in this kind of unrestrained desire, it will harm you—just like just now."

"I..."

Yuno was a little scared and hesitant,

"Can I do it?"

She really disliked her current appearance and knew that others didn't like it either. Therefore, she especially didn't want to become a monster, afraid that one day she would even lose her few remaining friends.

"The same question—do you trust me?"

Lin Wei said softly,

"If you trust me, then before I stop you, you can do whatever you want."

"But... I'm afraid that I might hurt you."

Yuno said uneasily.

"Then, just like you trust me, trust yourself."

Lin Wei smiled gently and said,

"Just like I believe that one day you can fully master this power and become a brand new, better you."

"...But, what about Anna?"

Yuno blinked her big eyes, somewhat worried about her good friend's safety.

"Heh, this can actually be considered the same thing."

Lin Wei said seriously,

"The bigger the commotion we make outside, the safer Anna will be."

"Really... ?"

Yuno was a little skeptical, but seeing Lin Wei's sincere eyes, her heart warmed. She nodded and said,

"Okay, I understand. What should I do?"

"It's simple, do whatever you want to do."

Lin Wei stroked her hair, brought her back to the aircraft, helped her set various parameters, and instructed,

"There's no need to hold back against them. Don't let yourself get hurt."

Hearing these purely caring words, Yuno was happy and nodded heavily,

"Okay!"

As they spoke, Lin Wei used Pandora to block all tracking and positioning systems on the aircraft, then began to input the coordinates of the Anti-Entropy base into the navigation system.

"It's a pity. If I knew the exact location of Eye of Deep City, I wouldn't need to go through so much trouble."

Lin Wei chuckled inwardly, preparing to input the location of ME Corp to give Cocolia a surprise, but hesitated at the last second.

As everyone knew, ME Corp was in Nagazora City, which was Yuno's place of trauma. If she were to return to that dead city in her current state, many uncontrollable things might happen.

After thinking it over, Lin Wei sneered,

"Heh, consider yourself lucky!"

He then deleted the coordinates of ME Corp—replacing them with the coordinates of Anti-Entropy HQ in North America.

It was all Anti-Entropy anyway. He didn't care who ended up being targeted!

"Alright."

After finishing the operation, Lin Wei returned the pilot seat to Yuno,

"Go, have a safe trip."

He unexpectedly wasn't planning to go with Yuno, which surprised her,

"What about you?"

"I have other things to do."

Lin Wei shook his head gently and said calmly,

"I'll catch up with you later using other methods. When that time comes, you must listen to me."

"After this is over, I'll take you to someone who can help you eliminate the hidden dangers and control your power."

"...Okay!"

Yuno steadied herself and nodded.

Then, Lin Wei stood on the dust-filled ground, squinting as he watched the aircraft slowly lift off, then fly towards the east.

"..."

Lin Wei felt a pang of melancholy in his heart.

He knew that doing this was somewhat irresponsible, but he couldn't find a better way for the time being.

Perhaps Kevin could indeed be used to counter Otto; but as the saying goes, "It's better to rely on yourself than on others." No matter when, Lin Wei didn't like to leave matters that determined his future and destiny in the hands of others.

Compared to "asking for help," he preferred "transactions."

"Heh..."

After a moment of silence, Lin Wei suddenly put a hand to his forehead and chuckled softly,

"Hahahahaha..."

"Lin Wei?"

It was the first time Yae Sakura had felt such sadness from Lin Wei, and she couldn't help but call out softly.

"Sakura, tell me, why is it so hard to be a good person?"

Lin Wei chuckled without stopping,

"After leaving the Elysian Realm, I dare say that even if I'm not the kind of pushover who's good to everyone, I'm at least cautious and restrained, knowing when to stop, right?"

"If I had just continued like that, the outcome would have been good for everyone. But how did things turn out like this, step by step?"

"I never wanted to look for trouble, but trouble kept coming to me, one after another, endlessly annoying and impossible to guard against..."

"Heh, hey, haha!"

Lin Wei chuckled a few times and asked in utter confusion,

"Why is it that one after another, they're all so ungrateful?"

"..."

Yae Sakura was speechless.

"That's just how life is."

She thought for a moment and sighed,

"Just like the village back then, just hoping for timely rain, even such a simple wish was so difficult to fulfill. Not to mention, there are also unforeseen disasters like the 'demon in the box' that fall from the sky..."

She shook her head gently and said self-deprecatingly,

"Except for Stigmata like me, who can find joy in their own little world, which of the ordinary people living in this world isn't full of helplessness everywhere?"

"...Heh, you're right. Forget it! Helplessness is helplessness."

Lin Wei was silent for a moment, then chuckled and said,

"Although I already understood this fact back when the Honkai erupted in Manila, thinking about it now still makes me feel unwilling."

With a mocking smile on his face, Lin Wei slowly picked up the communicator that originally belonged to Yuno and sneered,

"In that case, I can't be the only one who's 'helpless,' can I?"

Thinking about it carefully, compared to being a "good person" who was always hesitant, it seemed more satisfying to be an unscrupulous "villain."

Since they were all so ungrateful, then let's all have some fun together!

With this malicious thought, Lin Wei dialed Tesla's number again.

"Hello, scientist, it's me, Lin Wei."

"Don't be surprised. I have good news and bad news—the good news is, I escaped from Schicksal HQ; the bad news is, the person who helped me escape is now going to cause trouble for you at Anti-Entropy..."

Lin Wei reminded them kindly,

Before I arrive, you must hold on, don't get killed...

Otherwise, this game won't be fun anymore!