"Neural connection starting. Time limit: one minute."
"Hoo…"
A familiar sensation passed from the connection point into his mind. Lín closed his eyes and used the mech's information system to perceive the outside world.
Searching for the direction of a star in a misty night. This analogy was apt.
To make the Titan fit the pilot, the newly added sensory devices were like an extension of perception. They enveloped the surroundings like ethereal clouds from the thirty-six device locations on the Titan, transmitting all activity information into his mind like water flowing through a pipe.
One minute quickly passed. When Lín opened his eyes again, the neural connection had been forcibly disconnected by Prometheus. The rapid change in his perception range caused a momentary lapse of consciousness.
His pupils were unfocused.
The world before him was pitch black. He could see no light.
Many people stood before him, but he couldn't see them because his eyes were blinded.
The dead climbed out of their graves. Black rain fell from the sky, accompanied by howling winds and thunder and lightning.
He knew those people were there, smiling at him.
It was like a welcoming ceremony, inviting Lín to join them.
He instinctively took a step forward.
"Lín, you are our hope."
His pupils refocused.
"Lín."
The mecha girl called out to him expressionlessly.
"…" Her face was too close, almost touching his helmet. Lín pushed her away with the back of his hand, shook his still-recovering head, and walked out of the cockpit.
Was that… a hallucination?
"You lost control of your body for a full five minutes after a one-minute neural connection." Vil-V turned away from the screen on a distant round stool, sighing helplessly. "And this time it wasn't even paralysis, but turning directly into a vegetative state… No, that's not right. A person in a vegetative state has no conscious awareness but reacts to external stimuli. You are the opposite—your five senses disappeared, but your consciousness remained. That might be even scarier."
"…Just tell me the conclusion."
"The conclusion is…" Vil-V spread her hands. "You had better stop piloting the Titan, or you might face an outcome worse than death."
Lín had heard countless warnings. One more wouldn't matter now, so he only nodded after hearing it, and would forget about it the next time he needed to pilot the Titan for a sortie.
However, this time, he wanted to ask about another related side effect.
There were no residual traces on Lín's retina, as he had no vision during that hallucination. He looked at Vil-V and spoke after a moment: "Can the neural connection cause hallucinations?"
"Hallucinations? It's not impossible, because it involves your neural consciousness itself. But it depends on the nature of the hallucination." Vil-V asked belatedly, "Did you have a hallucination? What kind?"
"…No, I didn't."
"Is that so? Good. After all, adjusting this thing isn't easy, and it doesn't really align with my interests. But what can I do? After the Head of the R&D Department left, you only have me to rely on."
That's right. Lín's current equipment was being adjusted and developed through Vil-V's voluntary assistance. The R&D Department's focus had shifted to Méi's development direction. Lín naturally couldn't afford to waste and discard weapons like before, and new weapon development based on his style was even more impossible.
But Vil-V wasn't specialized in this area either. She also had R&D tasks assigned by the Moth of the Flame. Lín could only have his equipment maintained when she had free time.
"In any case, the Titan is shelved for now. I will try to improve it appropriately, but I don't know how much I can improve it," Vil-V sighed. "After all, they want mass-produced autonomous Titans. No one can afford the side effects and difficulty of piloting the custom-made Titan."
Both Lín himself and the custom-made Titan, after being validated by the Fourth Honkai Eruption, were deemed candidates for replacement.
…
"Team member Lín!"
As soon as he walked out the door, he saw Seele standing far away, waving with a smile. The bloodstains all over her body were shocking to see, likely fresh blood from the mission.
Lín and Prometheus walked over side by side.
"Another mission accomplished~" She smiled, narrowing her eyes in delight, and spoke cheerfully to Lín, who was looking down at her. "The efficiency this time was the highest the Fifth Squad has ever achieved, even faster than when Team member Lín was in the squad."
"…"
Lín did not speak, but he nodded silently, acknowledging Seele's praise.
The girl's experience over the past year and more had been quite effective. Her inherent talent was excellent; a little training could achieve good results.
But… she was covered in blood. Why was she looking for him before cleaning up?
Noticing Lín's gaze, Seele touched her hair awkwardly: "The mission ended quickly this time, but there was a slight accident on the way back. Two logistics personnel went missing. They likely accidentally entered a dangerous area and were killed. We searched for a long time but couldn't find them, so we came back late and haven't had time to shower yet…"
Speaking of the accident, she sighed sadly: "Another person sacrificed themselves."
Logistics personnel going missing wasn't too unusual. Clearing dangerous areas itself carried immense risk, and even positions considered relatively safe were occasionally attacked by Blitz-class Honkai Beasts.
But Lín was relieved that even when Seele was saddened by the loss of life, she quickly cheered up and changed the subject: "Oh right, Team member Lín, would you like to have dinner with me later?"
"…I have something to discuss with Vil-V." Prometheus suddenly turned and walked back, entering the Spiral Workshop without looking back.
Lín was about to say that he had squad training later, but Seele's almost pleading eyes made his eyebrows furrow inside his helmet. He still agreed.
"Then, Team member Lín, you can wait for me in my room while I take a shower."
Seele smiled exceptionally happily.
…
Lín listened to the sound of running water in the bathroom, taking the time to observe Seele's room.
It was a room styled like that of a typical girl. The decor was not overly cluttered, conveying a fresh, pure, white aesthetic.
There were a few photos on the desk. Lín walked over and picked one up.
A photo of Seele with her parents. Based on Seele's appearance in the picture, she looked to be around twelve. All three were smiling.
Lín suddenly felt an indescribable sensation.
There was a strange sense of difference, but he couldn't pinpoint where it came from. He put the photo down and picked up another.
A photo of Seele and Himeko was also smiling. Lín wasn't in the picture; it was likely taken after he left the Fifth Squad.
The third photo was a selfie of her. Her smiling face was unexpectedly cute.
The sense of difference lingered.
The fourth was a group photo of her, Dystopia, and Himeko. Only in this photo was Seele expressionless.
Then Lín saw himself.
Several consecutive photos were taken of his back from a rear angle, some close up and some distant.
"Click."
The flash illuminated one side of Lín's face.
Lín turned his head toward the misty bathroom doorway.
Seele, wrapped only in a towel, giggled and lowered the camera in her hand.
Lín suddenly realized where that sense of difference came from.