His right eye was throbbing with phantom pain.
Lin knew that in this fragmented memory, his body was merely a ghost-like existence conjured by his own imagination, but the pain simulated deep within his brain still made him cover his right eye, which was whole unlike in reality.
The pain subsided slightly after a moment. He lowered his hand and saw traces of blood on his palm.
"Lin, don't come closer!"
Words he had heard somewhere before rang out again. This time, they exploded right in Lin's ear, as if someone was roaring at him.
The scene before his eyes blurred for a fraction of a second; a pitch-black long night, fresh blood, and corpses flashed past.
Time was running out.
"I know," Lin repeated, as if speaking to someone. "I know."
After saying this, he took a deep breath to refocus and wholeheartedly immersed himself in the conversation between the man and Zero.
"First, adults, then adolescents, then girls, then children, then infants…" The man recounted the events that had transpired. "Finally, fetuses in the womb. When we discovered them, your parents had already used the guise of experimentation to kill nineteen people, including pregnant women."
"The organization, which was still in its fledgling state, failed to realize that their intentions were fundamentally different from the Human Research and Protection Association, which was merely a group assembled out of shared interest. Their research and subsequent escape helped facilitate the establishment of my organization, which is the Fire MOTH."
"According to the investigation, this couple had conducted genetic modification experiments on every victim, attempting to transform humans into stronger beings. As the age of the experimental subjects gradually decreased, it indicated they realized the crucial factor in this experiment lay in the age of the recipient."
"After they came to the Far East, the total number of victims, all either in utero or their mothers, amounted to nearly a hundred, until one day, they vanished without a trace, lost in a department store fire."
The man's expression didn't change much when discussing the victims; he seemed utterly indifferent to the people who had died.
"However, Fire MOTH had already been established, and my status in the Far East was unparalleled, so after some time, we still found them, and at the same time… we found the fruit of their research." The man's gaze shifted to Zero's face. He said frankly, "You already know what happened next."
Using children as experimental subjects to complete a human modification project, and ultimately applying the result of this experiment to their own child.
"Honestly, I generally wouldn't consider people like that to be human, but quite a few people within Fire MOTH supported their methods."
"I don't know when I will be assimilated by their way of thinking. For the sake of all humanity, I'm afraid I will eventually become like that—using those without value as stepping stones for those with greater value."
He smiled bitterly, taking a drag from his cigarette, "I really… don't want to become that way."
"You can leave," Zero didn't show much surprise at the man's words, instead offering advice to the man.
The man picked up the extinguished cigarette butt, tossed it in a perfect arc into the trash can, "Leave? It might be a good solution… but I can't stand by and watch. If I witness an atrocity and remain unmoved, I am an accomplice."
"I saw many people smiling," he muttered self-mockingly, his knuckles turning white from clenching. "So it must be right."
The man resented the couple, but also resented himself. He resented all humans who were similar to him.
Because they held the same unwavering belief, a belief that would never change, even if it meant scattering others into the flames.
What that couple did was merely a glimpse of the man's future. He would eventually commit atrocities more insane than theirs, all under the banner of humanity's greater good.
It was this clarity and understanding that made the man deeply detest humanity, detesting their unyielding beliefs.
"But, they did miss one thing." The man suddenly laughed carelessly. He reached for a cigarette again, but seeing Zero's still young and small frame, he put the cigarette box back. "They modified every aspect of you to surpass humans, yet they neglected the most crucial part: Honkai resistance. Although they genuinely didn't know the true nature of the Honkai. What a bizarre twist of fate."
"As long as you don't have Honkai resistance, you can live as an ordinary person. I will get you identification papers. You will live in Changkong City from now on."
The recording device was turned off. The 19th record should have been the last.
But as the man reached the door, Zero looked up and asked, "What is the Honkai?"
"I don't know exactly what it is. Is it a concept? A manifestation? A disaster? But it made me resolve to become a member of Fire MOTH."
"I want to join Fire MOTH."
Zero's statement made the man's expression freeze. He turned around, and seeing Zero's blank face, he asked instinctively, "Why?"
"Because, I must protect humanity."
The man shivered at that moment.
He had discovered the most terrifying modification the parents had made to this child, and it wasn't his learning ability or his reaction speed.
It was his life.
They had placed a curse on Zero.
"To arbitrarily entrust all hope to a child—only the most foolish humans would do such a thing."
"Heishiu… how do I use this thing?"
Pardofelis laid out all the weapons she could use in the room, including Lin's handgun.
Wooden sticks, kitchen knives, fruit knives, a hairdryer… Undoubtedly, the handgun was the most powerful weapon. It was perfect for scaring away the monitor, but Pardofelis didn't know how to use it, and secondly, she didn't want to kill anyone.
After going back and forth with her choices, she could only stuff the handgun and a knife into her pocket, clamp a thin wooden stick between her teeth, and silently climb onto the rooftop using her hands and feet.
Someone was monitoring them—Lin had told her. She hadn't found any trace of the monitor before this, and she had no confidence she could beat the monitor… She was inherently not the type for fighting, mostly engaging in petty theft.
She was good at being sneaky and opportunistic, but for direct combat, she could only cheer others on.
However, the die was cast. Lin asked her to chase the monitor away, which meant the monitor's presence was not beneficial to them. Furthermore, Pardofelis realized she had been closely monitored by that man all along, and she would probably be eliminated if she did anything wrong.
To regain her freedom, Pardofelis decided to go for the big score.
"Where would they hide? Outside this house, where can one monitor…"
Pardofelis recalled Lin's ruthless movements from that day, and without realizing it, she had calmed down.