"Alright, alright, stop crying."
Fu Hua looked at the man who was covering his face with his hands and sulking in a corner, feeling like she was wasting her time—
Her mission objective was to investigate this childish thing?
Could this guy, who instantly identified Fenghuang Down's number and power type within the illusion, be some kind of prank specifically arranged by Otto to mess with me? Fu Hua felt another inexplicable surge of anger towards Otto.
Even though she knew it was unlikely, who cared?
As the saying goes, when you hate someone, even their breathing is wrong.
Besides, she was just following orders. Blaming Otto for this felt perfectly reasonable.
Good grief, what I just went through...
As Fu Hua retracted Fenghuang Down, Lin Wei quickly regained consciousness.
He glanced around rapidly. The familiar sunset view greeted him—the riverside path he walked every evening after dinner, the river flowing towards St. Freya in the distance.
He must have fallen into Fenghuang Down's illusion while gazing at St. Freya Academy. And now, it was over.
He had won the gamble.
Lin Wei recovered from the confusion of his consciousness, focusing on the girl who had suddenly appeared before him. She was wearing a blue martial uniform, her figure was tall and straight, her aura was both masculine and feminine, her face was handsome, and she was looking at him seriously, as if waiting for his answer.
Lin Wei stared blankly at the girl for a long moment. It wasn't the typical "my 2D waifu appeared before me!" fan reaction. Instead, Lin Wei was overwhelmed by a volcanic eruption of emotions surging within him.
Lin Wei stared at Fu Hua for a long time, then suddenly raised his finger and burst into laughter. He laughed wildly and unrestrainedly, laughing so hard that he was bent over, and tears streamed down his face.
Then, he collapsed on the ground and cried loudly. He cried heart-wrenchingly, he cried with his guts twisting, he cried with tears and snot streaming down, he cried like a newborn baby.
Lin Wei himself felt that he was acting like a spoiled brat, but at this moment he couldn't control himself at all.
It was hard to put into words the rollercoaster of extreme joy and sorrow he was experiencing.
It had been three months since Lin Wei transmigrated. For the first month and a half, he just went with the flow. He didn't see himself as a hero, nor did he want to be one. He was afraid of dying and just wanted to find a safe place to live peacefully.
Stories are stories precisely because they don't involve you, yet you can still enjoy them.
You appreciate the heroic tales within, feeling the joys and sorrows of the protagonists alongside them.
But when you personally enter this world and become one of the people in the picture, everything is different.
The protagonists are still protagonists, their life trajectories unchanged. And as a transmigrator, there was never a place for you beside them.
Lin Wei knew his own limits, so he'd long since given up on any wild ideas. Just being able to live peacefully would be great.
He didn't think he was asking for much. But reality proved that even this simple request was denied.
The terror known as Honkai erosion, bringing the sentence of death, was crushing his soul day by day.
He knew his time was short; he had to find a way to survive.
But he was too weak, utterly powerless to grasp his own fate. All he could do was wait.
The waiting process was agonizing, an agony called death, an agony of being insignificant and powerless.
This gamble was just Lin Wei unilaterally placing all of his limited chips on the table, betting that someone would sit down and play this game, and as long as someone sat down, Lin Wei would win.
He even felt like he was going crazy.
Therefore, when Fu Hua really appeared in front of him as expected, the sense of power to control his fate, the sense of accomplishment of overcoming fear, the sense of hope for breaking free from death, and the complex emotions such as anxiety, hesitation, and fear that had been suppressed deep in his heart for a long time, all intertwined together, like a volcanic eruption, the earth shaking and mountains quaking, he cried and laughed unrestrainedly.
Fu Hua watched the man throwing a tantrum on the ground, a vein throbbing on her temple. She didn't understand Lin Wei's turmoil; she just found him incredibly noisy.
Swish—a feather brushed past him, and the world fell silent.
Go cry in the illusion then. So weird.
Pedestrians in the distance had heard the commotion and were starting to look over. Fu Hua grabbed the stunned Lin Wei off the ground and vanished instantly.
Plenty of people around here recognized her. If anyone saw this scene, who knows how the rumors would spread? If it got back onto campus...
Otto could start looking for someone else to handle surveillance.
The thought of this dreadful consequence made Fu Hua feel her blood pressure spike. Failing a mission because of this? She'd be mocked until the end of the world.
Fu Hua reached into Lin Wei's pocket, fished out his keys, opened his apartment door based on his memories, and tossed him onto the sofa. She sat down on the other side and started questioning her life choices.
After living for so long, I actually ran into someone trying to pull a scam like this?
Am I crazy, or is the world crazy?!
(╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
She glared at the unconscious Lin Wei, then walked over, unwrapped the bandage on his arm, and took a look. Her brow furrowed. She pulled out a test tube, collected a few drops of his blood, sealed it, and put it away.
Theoretically, no one should be suffering from Honkai erosion near St. Freya Academy.
After more than half an hour, sensing that Lin Wei had calmed down in the illusion, she retracted the feather, ready to continue the mission.
Seeing things through was Fu Hua's principle. The mission wasn't over yet. Although this guy could name Fenghuang Down and the Void Archives, quite a few people knew about them, not just a handful—at least those in Anti-Entropy were aware.
So, Fu Hua's surprise was more due to Lin Wei's sharp perception.
Many could resist Fenghuang Down—top-tier Schicksal Valkyries like Cecilia and Durandal could—but it was always the result of long-term, specific training.
To find a way to notice the abnormality on his own without any warning... this kid was indeed something.
Tsk, just a bit childish.
Coming back to his senses, Lin Wei was overcome with shame. He silently got up, found some tea leaves, poured a cup for Fu Hua, pushed it towards her, and then shrank back into his corner, covering his face.
So embarrassing!
"Alright, alright, stop crying," Fu Hua couldn't resist jabbing, "Are you done yet?"
Lin Wei sighed and sat up straight, facing Fu Hua again.
There was no other way, it was already like this. Lin Wei had to accept reality.
Forget about a three-star clear, just don't get stuck on the level.
He dropped the ball; now he had to pick it up, even if through tears.
"Who are you?"
Seeing Lin Wei had mostly returned to normal, Fu Hua got straight to the point.
She had been observing Lin Wei secretly for days. The guy stayed home playing games, went for a walk after dinner, often gazed towards St. Freya, lived like a NEET, and was suffering from Honkai erosion. He looked like he was just waiting to die.
How could this kind of person be connected to some mysterious organization?
Fu Hua was highly skeptical.
"Here it comes."
Lin Wei took a deep breath. The upcoming negotiation would decide his fate; he couldn't afford to be careless.
The equal negotiation he'd envisioned was impossible now, but he still needed to seize the initiative. So, he also got straight to the point.
"Miss Fu Hua, how much do you remember about your past?"
Fu Hua's heart was shaken. This guy was always full of surprises. She herself had forgotten most of her past, yet this man clearly knew more than she did. This was definitely not good news.
There's no need to talk further. Fu Hua prepared to find the answers herself, even if it meant putting a severe strain on her own body.
"Using Fenghuang Down to read someone's memories is indeed a simple and effective method, but it will put an immense burden on your mind. It's not worth the cost," Lin Wei interjected quickly. While he didn't think being a "transmigrator" was some huge secret, he didn't want to reveal it so cheaply either.
"Please rest assured, I have no malicious intent. Look, even if I did have malicious intent, what threat could I pose to you in this state? I can't even escape this house." As Lin Wei spoke, he removed the bandage, revealing his arm which was stained purple, openly showing his sincerity.
"I'm just a pitiful person on the verge of death, trying to find a way to survive."
"So you want to ask Schicksal for help? You didn't need to go through all this trouble. Just take a cab to St. Freya Academy. The fare is cheap," Fu Hua said, unmoved.
"I don't trust Schicksal. But I trust you, Miss Fu Hua. Or perhaps I should say... Hua."
This address struck Fu Hua's heart like a heavy hammer. An indescribable emotion overwhelmed her whole body, countless images flashed through her mind, disappearing like fleeting shadows, making her limbs go numb.
She didn't understand why she reacted this way, nor what forgotten part of herself this name represented, but it had to be important.
Fu Hua ripped off her glasses and threw them aside, her sharp azure eyes locking onto Lin Wei. This feeling of being manipulated was infuriating.
Lin Wei met Fu Hua's gaze steadily, without flinching, focused and sincere.
It was a staring contest where the first to blink lost, an unequal match where the side with more leeway was inherently less determined.
Fu Hua snorted coldly, leaning back. She gestured for Lin Wei to begin his performance.
If I'm not satisfied, I can just use Fenghuang Down to find the answers myself. It makes no difference.
"I'm just an ordinary person. Even if I know a little more, I'm still ordinary. Just staying alive takes all my effort. See? Even a tiny amount of Honkai energy could kill me," Lin Wei said self-deprecatingly, honestly sharing his inner thoughts.
"I knew the Honkai would erupt in Nagazora City, so I fled. I knew I could find refuge at St. Freya Academy, so I came here. Ridiculous, right? It's that simple. In fact, if I hadn't made those extra moves, I probably wouldn't have even caught your attention."
That was true. Fu Hua nodded. Lin Wei had attracted Schicksal's attention precisely because of those inexplicable online rumors. She gestured for him to continue.
It was a deal in name, but in reality, it was a cry for help. Lin Wei knew that he didn't have any chips from the beginning, so it was best not to lie.
Of course, Fu Hua likely wouldn't ignore him completely, but what was the difference between handing him over to Theresa versus handing him directly to Otto?
Lin Wei always believed sincerity was the best weapon, but it was best not to use it as one unless there was no other way.
"Actually, I hesitated about whether I should do those things, because it would definitely bring me trouble, like it is now. But I still did it in the end, and even borrowed a large sum of money for it, because I wanted to live, and I wanted others to live."
"If I knew that disaster was about to happen and did nothing, what difference would I have from a murderer? Even for the peace of my own soul, I wanted to do something. It's ridiculous, right?" Lin Wei continued to analyze himself, telling it to Fu Hua, and also to himself.
So naive, Fu Hua thought.
"Good deeds are always rewarded, like now. What I thought would bring trouble actually brought an unexpected chance at survival. That's why I've been waiting for your arrival." Lin Wei looked up, meeting Fu Hua's eyes again, his gaze firm—filled with a desperate desire for life, defiance against fate, the madness of betting everything, and undisguised honesty.
"I know about your mission at St. Freya Academy, and I also know about Otto's plan for K423. Frankly, I don't like your plans, but I don't have the right to give opinions."
Lin Wei's words were shocking, effectively placing his life in Fu Hua's hands. He was still gambling.
Fu Hua's eyes narrowed, killing intent radiating from her. But she remained silent, wanting to see what this guy was really up to.
"Otto won't allow variables beyond his control, so he would definitely investigate me. I have no organization; investigating my connections and history would yield nothing. So, the only option is to investigate me personally. He's ruthless and has few trustworthy people available. Durandal is busy, Rita has other important tasks. By process of elimination, the only person who could come investigate me is you, Miss Fu Hua."
"Of course, Overseer Otto might have come himself, but I had no choice but to gamble on that probability. Luckily, I won."
"Oh?" Fu Hua controlled her emotions, letting him continue his speech without interruption.
She'd heard this much already; might as well hear the rest before making a move.
"I don't have long to live, but I want to survive. Therefore... I need a Stigmata..."
Fu Hua couldn't help but chuckle, deeply disappointed. After all that buildup, she thought he was about to reveal some earth-shattering secret, but it was just this?
"Forgive my bluntness, Mr. Lin, but with your pitiful Honkai resistance, I'm afraid Schicksal's artificial Stigmata are beyond your reach."
Hearing the undisguised mockery, Lin Wei remained calm. The endgame was here. Life or death depended on his next words.
"You misunderstand, Miss Fu Hua. I know my limits; Schicksal is out of my league." Lin Wei finally straightened up, meeting Fu Hua's gaze levelly. "As I said, I don't trust Schicksal, but I trust you. Because the terms of the deal I'm about to propose... are something you absolutely cannot refuse."
Fu Hua found this highly amusing. Well, now I've seen everything. The last person who spoke to her like this was Otto Apocalypse himself. This kid's audacity was both annoying and intriguing. She felt a flicker of curiosity about this "offer she couldn't refuse."
But then, Fu Hua felt like she'd been fatally struck by his next words.
"I need a Stigmata. A natural Stigmata. And you can help me get it."
"Entangled with it... is a Herrscher. The Previous Era's Herrscher of Corruption."
"You can eliminate it. And I... can lead you to it."
"So, Miss Fu Hua... or should I say, Hua?"
"Are these terms... satisfactory to you?"