Waiting

"If only Yuno had offered to help me escape, then what I'm doing now would be more justifiable..."

Lin Wei chuckled self-deprecatingly. He felt like he was taking advantage of Yuno.

In fact, if not for the unexpected turn of events, if they had continued their relatively friendly conversation, Yuno probably would have offered to help him escape from Schicksal HQ.

After all, she had witnessed Lin Wei being "captured" and brought to Schicksal HQ. Whether it was due to Anna's previous request or her own gratitude towards him, wanting to repay him in this way would have been perfectly reasonable.

Moreover, this wasn't the first time she had acted on her own. If Otto hadn't stopped her, she would have flown to Manila to support Anna. It would just have been another familiar journey.

In fact, the reason she insisted on seeing Lin Wei was indeed with this intention...

However, Anna's situation made the acutely aware Lin Wei take immediate action, catching her off guard.

Although the result was more or less the same, the nature of the matter had undergone a subtle change. This made Lin Wei's current act of provoking Anti-Entropy seem somewhat forced and unprovoked.

But in any case, as a huge, invisible hidden danger between them, the matter of "Anti-Entropy" had to be brought to light as soon as possible.

After all, it was a blood feud that led to the destruction of his home and his disfigurement. How could he listen to anyone's seemingly reasonable excuses and be dissuaded from seeking revenge?

This was a volcano buried deep within the girl's heart. The reason it hadn't erupted was simply because she had been in Schicksal HQ, with no environment and no reason to erupt.

Now that she had left Schicksal, when she came to her senses, this volcano, which had been accumulating energy, would erupt sooner or later. The scorching magma would burn away all obstacles in its path, even Lin Wei.

If the seeds of "doubt" were planted in Yuno's heart, not only would it turn all her "trust" in him into "disappointment," but it might also completely push her already fragile spirit into the abyss of collapse, making all her efforts over the past year go to waste...

Since he was aware of this, rather than waiting for this outcome to happen naturally, Lin Wei preferred to take the initiative to bring it up, to let this volcano, destined to erupt, vent some of its pent-up dangerous energy in a relatively controlled manner, thus dismantling this extremely dangerous bomb.

Only in this way could Yuno truly move towards the future. And as the one who brought her out of Nagazora City and then out of Schicksal, he had the obligation and responsibility to lead her to a brand new future...

If Yuno was a cup, then the water in this cup was already overflowing. A slight touch would spill it, scalding everyone who touched the cup.

Only by pouring out some of the overflowing water could the cup be held steadily without fear of being scalded. Only then would there be room to add other water to the cup.

Therefore, "seeking retribution from Anti-Entropy" was inevitable. And in this matter, whether emotionally or rationally, Lin Wei naturally should be on Yuno's side.

As for Anti-Entropy?

After this series of events, Lin Wei was extremely disappointed in them.

A bunch of incompetent people who could only be "tools." Since they only had the capacity to be "tools," then just be good tools!

With this thought, Lin Wei once again dialed Anti-Entropy's number. What he said was simple; he had no interest in small talk.

"Scientist, I've broken out of Schicksal HQ. I have the Key of Erosion after all, so Otto didn't dare act rashly against me. With Yuno's help, I successfully escaped. Just reporting in safe."

Lin Wei said in a flat, concise tone,

"However, I also have bad news for you—Yuno really hates you guys at Anti-Entropy and wants to cause you some trouble. She's already headed towards your North American HQ. While you still have time, make preparations."

Given Anti-Entropy's incompetence, if he didn't give them a warning in advance, if they were suddenly attacked by a full-powered, even hysterical Yuno, the result might not be any better than World Serpent HQ being attacked by the Herrscher of Sentience, and might even be worse. They might be completely crushed in one wave...

That wouldn't be fun!

"What?!"

Before Tesla could react to Lin Wei's first sentence, his second sentence made her jump up,

"Lin Wei, what do you mean?"

Haven't we had enough trouble lately?

"What, do you want me to stop her in advance? Not to mention that I was able to escape from Schicksal HQ so quickly thanks to her help, that alone is enough to make me dismiss any thought of dissuading her."

Lin Wei's tone remained flat,

"Let me reiterate a fact—Yuno is a survivor whom I rescued from Nagazora City after the Honkai eruption and entrusted to Schicksal."

"She's from Nagazora City, and so am I. I'm afraid you've forgotten, so I'll repeat it."

"I..."

Tesla was instantly deflated, speechless.

But Lin Wei wasn't planning to end it so simply, and continued in a flat tone,

"Also, do you know where I am now?"

"...Where are you?"

Tesla didn't know what to say, so she just asked along with Lin Wei's intention.

She didn't know why, perhaps she was too tired recently, or perhaps it was for other reasons. In short, she, who should have been fiery and sharp-tongued, now seemed to lack momentum.

"I'm in Manila now."

He paused, as if it wasn't clear enough, and emphasized,

"The ruins, and the refugee camp on the ruins."

Another "masterpiece" of your Anti-Entropy...

Seemingly sensing the lack of momentum from the Prawn scientist on the other side, he suddenly lost interest. He swallowed the harsh accusation, and simply concluded in a calm tone,

"Paying the price for doing what shouldn't be done is only natural, isn't it?"

"Tell me, what reason do I have to stop her? Dr. Tesla of Anti-Entropy?"

If it had been a few months ago, back in Nagazora City, Lin Wei might have stood on the moral high ground and lectured her fiercely. But now, he didn't have the slightest interest.

"I... I..."

Tesla felt like she had never stuttered so much. She stammered for a long time but couldn't say anything coherent.

She was angry and anxious, but she couldn't direct this anger at Lin Wei. In the end, she just said dejectedly,

"Lin Wei, I know you hate us now, but... but..."

Tesla felt really wronged. Anti-Entropy shouldn't be so ugly...

I admit, we've done a lot of wrong things and caused a lot of irreversible consequences. But we've also done a lot of good things!

During the Second Honkai Eruption, we did so much, paid such a high price, and saved so many people!

If we have to bear such accusations and consequences, what about Otto?

He's committed countless heinous acts, harming countless people.

But why doesn't anyone make him bear the consequences?

Tesla felt both wronged and resentful, but the last bit of pride in her heart prevented her from venting to Lin Wei.

What he said was true, so what could she accuse him of?

She should even be grateful to him. If it weren't for what Lin Wei had done in Manila, Anti-Entropy's image would have been even worse...

"Heh, forget it. Since we're all victims of this incident, why should I blame you?"

Lin Wei chuckled softly, then sighed,

"It's just that everyone ultimately has to pay the price for their actions. You are, and so is Otto..."

Of course, including me, Lin Wei added silently.

He had been trying so hard to avoid the vortex of this world, but unknowingly, he suddenly realized that he had become the center of the vortex...

This was truly absurd!

"Forget it, I'm just telling you this to give you time to prepare for the 'enemy,' so you won't be caught off guard."

Lin Wei shook his head and said,

"I indeed can't stop Yuno from the beginning and deprive her of the chance for revenge. But I also told her that I would set off after her and then rush to stop her. You can't even hold on for that long, can you?"

"..."

Tesla didn't know what to say for a moment.

"Oh, a friendly reminder..."

Lin Wei was about to hang up, but suddenly remembered something,

"Yuno's abilities are related to plants and are highly likely to be poisonous. Be careful not to get hit."

"...Tha..."

Tesla opened her mouth, but before she could finish her forced thanks, Lin Wei cut off the communication.

To a certain extent, he had already done his best—especially if all the hostility and spearhead could be directed at Cocolia.

However, Lin Wei wasn't a police officer. Why should he be so proactive in distinguishing between the guilty and the innocent?

He only knew that she was from Anti-Entropy; therefore, all accounts should naturally be settled with Anti-Entropy as a whole.

Cleaning up their own mess was Anti-Entropy's own business. Lin Wei wasn't interested in interfering, and as a "non-Anti-Entropy person," he had even less obligation to do so.

Wronged? You brought it on yourself, so deal with it!

After hanging up the call with Anti-Entropy, Lin Wei closed his eyes and carefully reviewed everything he had to do next in his mind. After confirming there were no omissions, he let out a long sigh and slowly opened his eyes.

"The bait has been cast. Now all that's left is to wait..."

Lin Wei thought silently, then turned and walked towards the refugee camp not far away.

This small camp was part of the fruits of his previous efforts. Thinking that many people who should have died in that disaster—including Valkyries and ordinary civilians—survived because of his small contribution, a sense of pride welled up in Lin Wei's heart.

It was a kind of joy that was more concrete and pure than chatting and laughing with Grey Serpent, confronting Otto, or interacting with the remarkable figures of this world in one way or another...

Seeing Lin Wei approach, before the armed personnel on guard at the entrance could ask, a Valkyrie who recognized Lin Wei took the initiative to come up to him,

"Mr. Lin Wei, Seni and the others just told me about your return. I'm really sorry, there are still scattered Dead Men and Honkai Beasts appearing from time to time, it's not quite safe yet, and the camp is still a bit chaotic..."

The Valkyrie said somewhat embarrassedly,

"Although using words like 'visit' doesn't seem quite appropriate in this kind of place, if you need anything, I can accompany you!"

"Uh, there's no need to trouble yourself, I'm just taking a casual look..."

Seeing the serious look on the young girl's face, as if he were some kind of leader coming for an inspection, Lin Wei couldn't help but feel a little awkward,

"By the way, is there a pair of siblings named Chen Tianwu and Chen Tianwen among the survivors?"

Back when the tsunami hit, the Chen siblings had risked separating from the three of them, and he hadn't heard from them since, not even knowing if they had managed to escape alive.

Lin Wei had a good impression of the siblings. He would be very sorry if they had died because of this.

"Chen Tianwu... siblings?"

The name sounded familiar. The Valkyrie frowned and thought carefully for a moment, then her eyes lit up,

"I remember, there are!"

A story of an ordinary boy, with his younger sister, riding Jell Meister's motorcycle, charging out of the crisis-ridden, fallen city like a lone hero, had become quite a popular tale among the Valkyries who participated in the battle.

"Really? Where are they now?"

Lin Wei's heart stirred, and he asked hastily.

"Uh, I don't know..."

The Valkyrie said awkwardly,

"They should be among the first batch of survivors to be taken away from the camp and resettled. They're not here anymore."

"...Is that so? I understand."

Lin Wei nodded. It wasn't surprising.

Not to mention his feat of single-handedly breaking through the encirclement, when Anna was still here, she would have found a way to properly settle the siblings.

"Thank you, I don't have anything else. You can go back to your work. I'll just look around on my own."

Lin Wei smiled at the Valkyrie, and then they parted ways.

Afterwards, Lin Wei walked alone through the camp, searching for any survivors he had rescued while searching for people in the city. He did see a few familiar faces, but unfortunately, there were very few of them. Most people still hadn't held on until the rescue team arrived...

Lin Wei felt some regret about this, but there was nothing he could do. After exchanging a few simple words with one or two of those who were still in good spirits, he let them rest and excused himself.

Just like that, Lin Wei quickly walked through the small camp, then left through the entrance he had come in from, standing on a half-collapsed wall, looking out at the long-dead city, and at the sun that had just risen above the sea in the distance, appreciating the rays of dawn scattering across the land.

After appreciating the view for a moment, Lin Wei sighed softly and said,

"Compared to the heavy snow that can cover up wounds, allowing people to temporarily forget all the suffering and pretend that nothing ever happened, is this ray of sunshine a warm hope or a burning pain for these wounded survivors?"

In this world, most people were insignificant and powerless, only able to passively accept the judgments or gifts of fate.

And being able to have a moment of leisure to ponder such seemingly pointless questions was also a kind of luxurious enjoyment, wasn't it?

The morning breeze, carrying a thin morning dew, gently brushed past Lin Wei's face, leaving a faint, delicate rose-like fragrance in his nose, announcing the arrival of an uninvited guest.

Or rather, it was a guest whom Lin Wei had been waiting for.

Lin Wei looked in the direction the wind was blowing from and raised his voice slightly, asking calmly,

"I wonder, Miss Rita, having also experienced all of this, do you have any different feelings when you see this scene?"