Lin's finger was on the trigger, hesitating to pull it. Pointed forward from the black muzzle was a Honkai Zombie flailing its arms and legs. It wasn't a special variant; just one shot was enough to kill it and bring it to eternal peace.
He had no sympathy for monsters corrupted by the Honkai. In his eyes, humans were humans, and Honkai Zombies were Honkai Zombies. The two had nothing in common beyond their appearance.
The moment it transformed into a Honkai Zombie, the human inside had already been killed by the Honkai. No amount of howling from the creature wearing its skin would stop his bullet from firing.
The reason Lin didn't act was the implicit plea in Seele's tear-filled eyes, urging him to look at the child in the corner—the other person in the photo.
At least don't do it in front of the child.
His peripheral vision caught sight of the boy, who was surprised and terrified when he drew the gun. Judging by the boy's terrible complexion and cracked lips, he had likely been confined to this room for days, watching the entire process of his mother's transformation from normal to mutated.
The boy's pupils were unfocused. His throat, unused for a long time, emitted unintelligible sounds. His stray gaze didn't know where to rest.
Three days ago, his mother stumbled home. Her hands had already grown sharp claws, and her mind was confused, but she still instructed him to find chains and tie her to the bed.
He had stayed in the corner, watching his mother, who had been comforting him just moments before, gradually descend into delirium, struggle painfully, be slowly covered in paleness, and eventually be reduced to terrifying growls.
The boy didn't know what to do. Should he find someone? Who? The police? A doctor? His mind was a mess. He just numbly curled up in the corner, going nowhere, staring blankly at his mother, who no longer recognized him.
Few people lived in this old apartment building. Even the landlord only came by to collect rent. So many days had passed, and no one had noticed the anomaly in this room.
Until the arrival of Lin and Seele.
Are they going to kill Mom?
Lin's coldness as he held the gun was deeply imprinted in the boy's eyes, causing his scattered pupils to contract.
He summoned courage and strength from somewhere and let out a monstrous cry, trying to rush forward and snatch the gun. But before he could take his first step, Lin instantly redirected the muzzle, leveling it steadily at the center of the boy's brow.
The sudden killing intent and the fear of death instantly froze the boy in his tracks.
"Wait, Soldier Lin!" Seele now stood in front of the boy. Facing Lin's indifferent gaze, which couldn't be masked even by his sunglasses, she couldn't help but swallow, gritting her teeth: "Soldier Lin, how can you point a gun at an innocent person?"
"..."
Lin looked over Seele's shoulder at the boy, saying nothing, but he lowered the muzzle. This action made Seele sigh in relief.
But before she could try to persuade Lin further, he threw a syringe into her hand.
"This is... an inhibitor?" The vibrant green color clearly indicated which lab it came from. This kind of agent could suppress Honkai energy corruption. The Moth of the Flame-Chasers regularly distributed a certain amount of inhibitors to its soldiers, but the quantity was limited, as the production difficulty was too high, and the effect was only mediocre; repeated use would also cause drug resistance.
Lin's number of missions involving Honkai energy exposure far exceeded others, and given his status as a valuable elite soldier with low Honkai energy resistance, he was allocated more inhibitors.
Lin spoke concisely, pointing his pistol at the dazed boy: "Use it on him."
This chilling command made Seele shiver. She slowly turned her head and looked at the boy's neck.
The pale skin made Seele's pupils constrict slightly.
What were the consequences of three days of close contact with Honkai energy?
The boy also noticed her gaze. Following it downward, he saw the paleness.
The color of death, exactly like his mother's.
Suddenly, a hand covered his eyes, and another pulled him into a trembling yet warm embrace. A clear, fresh scent allowed his nerves, strained for days without sleep, to finally relax.
"It's o-okay. We have the inhibitor. You still have a chance. Don't worry," cold sweat seeped from Seele's back. She grasped the icy syringe, gasping for breath, a sense of relief swelling in her heart.
Thank goodness Lin had the inhibitor. Thank goodness they arrived in time...
Tears streamed again from the boy's parched eyes. Hope appeared in his dull gaze: "Really?"
"Really."
This time, the answer came from Lin. He holstered his pistol, walked over to the boy, and his usually cold voice carried a hint of warmth: "You and your mother will be alright. We arrived just in time. It's nothing serious; you'll be fine after the inhibitor shot."
"Really? And you won't kill my mother?"
"No. I never kill people."
"That's wonderful..."
Seele couldn't bear to watch any longer. It was too cruel for a child barely ten years old to go through this.
Especially since these gentle lies would be brutally torn apart when he woke up.
Lin continued to comfort the boy gently until the child, who hadn't slept for three days, finally relaxed and was invaded by the sleep demon, falling into a deep slumber.
"Inject the inhibitor into him." The moment the boy closed his eyes, Lin's voice was once again covered in frost. Without a second of hesitation, he swiftly drew his pistol and aimed at the Honkai Zombie on the bed.
This time, no one stopped him.
Lin pulled the trigger.
Blood splattered onto the white wall.
"Soldier Lin, should we take this child back to the Moth of the Flame-Chasers?"
After Lin contacted the relevant personnel for cleanup, Seele carried the boy, who had already been injected with the inhibitor, to his side. She looked at Lin with some fear.
Lin put down the communicator: "No."
"Then should we..."
"Kill him."
"..."
In that moment, Seele thought she had misheard.
Did this man, whose face she could never see, just utter that word so casually?
"Why..."
She backed away step by step, clutching the boy, as if she were seeing a monster more terrifying than a Honkai Beast. Lin, however, paid her no mind, drawing his gun again to check the clip.
"Clack."
The sound of the bullets clicking together struck Seele's heart.
Lin checked his equipment meticulously, just as he did before every mission, his sole purpose being to kill the enemy: "The inhibitor is not effective against deep corruption, and the speed of Honkai energy corruption is influenced to some extent by the host's emotions and state. His mental state is weak; the inhibitor will, at best, help him pass this period of sleep peacefully."
In a few hours at most, or as quickly as a few minutes, the boy would transform into a Honkai Zombie.
"But we can take him back to the base and stabilize his condition..."
"There is no such thing as stabilizing the condition. No one knows how long it will take to produce an antidote for Honkai corruption, how many resources it will consume, or when it will be his turn to receive it." Every word Lin spoke was like a sharp blade piercing Seele's heart. "And the Moth of the Flame-Chasers does not keep Honkai Zombies. The best-case scenario for him is to be dissected into pieces by some lab, perhaps even by your parents."
"But he's a human! His mother was human too! Don't you have any sympathy at all?"
"The Honkai Zombies you killed—weren't they human before they died?"
Lin's simple question caused Seele to completely collapse onto the floor.
"Those who have died, those we have killed, we carry the burden of their lives. Therefore, any hesitation or compassion for the Honkai is..."
A desecration of life.
Lin did not utter the last sentence. He simply lifted the boy from Seele's hands and walked toward the deserted rooftop.
"Soldier Lin, if I were to be corrupted by the Honkai, would you shoot me?" Seele asked, watching his retreating figure with a mournful smile.
"Yes."
The boy awoke groggily from his sleep, just in time to see Lin, who had removed his mask and sunglasses, gazing quietly at the city against the sunset.
"Big brother..."
The fiery sunset was reflected in Lin's deep eyes. He said softly, "Your mother is already receiving treatment. Go back to sleep."
"I can't sleep." The boy shook his head. "Big brother, you're so pretty. I want to talk to you."
"...What do you want to talk about?"
"Can I go back to school? My classmates told me to drop out, and the teacher said I owed tuition and should leave... but Mom told me she already has lots and lots of money and will pay the tuition soon, and the rent and buy me new clothes..."
"You can. You'll go back to school soon. You must study hard."
"That's great. Mom also told me to study hard so I can be rich someday..."
Lin listened silently to the boy's ramblings, pressing his lips tightly together, saying nothing else.
Until the sunset vanished from the sky.
Until night fell.
Until the innocent words turned into growls.
Under the starless night sky, the gun fired.