Honkai, why do you only throw me into high-level battles?

"Otto, is that you?!"

Tesla feels her anger rising. This bastard dared to come here and cause trouble?!

She's connected via a holographic projection and isn't affected by the Key of Sentience, so she clearly saw everything—

Cocolia, about to retaliate, suddenly sits back down with a vacant stare. Lin Wei strolls over to her casually and takes the pistol from her holster, fiddling with it—

Throughout this, Cocolia remains motionless, just sitting there with empty eyes.

And the feathers drifting around…

And these despicable methods, that nauseating way of speaking…

Who else could it be but Otto?!

"You damned dog, you've gone too far!" Tesla is furious. If looks could kill, Lin Wei would be dust.

"Huh? Otto? Where?" Lin Wei looks around in mock surprise—

That guy would be here? You're kidding!

"Stop pretending, I'm talking about you!"

There are only two conscious people left here, the implication couldn't be clearer!

Lin Wei freezes mid-search, points at himself incredulously, and asks Tesla, who's on the verge of exploding, "You're saying Otto... is me?"

"You're still pretending, I..." Tesla wants to fight "Otto" right now. This bastard is too much! Before she can unleash a torrent of curses, Lin Wei loses his composure first—

"The hell?! Who are you cursing at?!"

Ugh! How unlucky!

Lin Wei feels personally insulted and wants to exchange some choice words with the Lobster Doctor as a sign of respect.

Just then, Einstein, having heard Tesla's outburst from the Far East Branch, hurriedly joins the call. She needs to understand Otto's purpose.

Perhaps unintentionally, the arrival of this third party eases the tension.

Lin Wei glances at Einstein, the momentary rage now gone. With his intellect back in control, Lin Wei has found a possible explanation.

He smiles wryly. This misunderstanding is ridiculous.

"Dr. Einstein, could you please ask your companion to be quiet for a moment?" Lin Wei ignores Tesla completely. She's not someone he can communicate with rationally right now. "Making malicious assumptions about someone's identity and resorting to personal attacks... you Anti-Entropy leaders are quite interesting."

Lin Wei is being polite by not directly calling them a "bunch of clowns."

"It was Overseer Otto who barged in first, and now he acts like he's the aggrieved party." Einstein stops Tesla's impending tirade, sarcastically addressing "Otto" in her usual calm tone. She trusts Tesla's judgment, of course. "Tell us, Overseer, what's the purpose of this visit in disguise? And what did you do to Cocolia?"

She has already seen Cocolia's dazed state, increasing her hostility towards Lin Wei.

"..."

I told you, it's not me!

Lin Wei waves his hand dismissively, as if shooing away a fly. This is too much...

If someone says, "You're like Otto," you can take it as a compliment;

But if they say, "You are Otto"...

There's no more vicious insult!

"Don't worry, Cocolia's fine, I just put her to sleep. After all, she's not my target. You two are. I just didn't want her to interfere with our conversation."

Lin Wei doesn't bother arguing and states his purpose directly. His words put them even more on guard and instantly sober up Tesla. They have to be cautious when dealing with Otto.

"You four can go back now, return to your positions, and let everything go back to normal." Lin Wei waves his hand as if giving an order. Then the quantum teleportation system activates, and the four Titan mechs disappear in a flash of blue light.

Is this a demonstration of power, or just toying with them?

The two doctors feel a chill. Is Anti-Entropy's security system a joke to him?

"Don't be so nervous, I'm just showing my goodwill." Now in control, Lin Wei calmly puts the pistol back in Cocolia's holster. He turns and smiles at the red-and-blue duo. "After all, I could easily destroy Anti-Entropy, and I chose not to—that's my goodwill. So, can we sit down and talk now?"

"You..." Tesla is about to retort when Lin Wei interrupts her—

"Don't get excited, I'm being very friendly. As a survivor of the 3rd Honkai Eruption, a remnant of millions of victims, it's only natural for me to seek revenge on Anti-Entropy, isn't it?"

Lin Wei's smile turns menacing. "It would be my right to destroy you!"

Then his expression softens. "You see, it would be easy and justifiable, but I chose not to. Instead, I'm sitting here, communicating with you amicably. How about it? Do you perceive my goodwill?"

"I express my deepest condolences for your experience, but I'm not aware that the esteemed Overseer Otto has also become a resident of Nagazora City." With the "3rd Honkai Eruption" card played, the two doctors can't bear the weight of such a heavy accusation.

Einstein ignores his verbal attacks and continues to target "Otto," trying to tear down his disguise.

I told you it's not me…

The reason Lin Wei revealed his ability to control the mechs was partly to counterattack and partly to showcase his "hacking" skills—to startle the two doctors and get them to leave, giving him time to deal with Cocolia before coming back to clear up the misunderstanding.

But Tesla returned almost immediately after logging off, catching him using the feathers red-handed.

Now he's really in trouble—

Who knew that while you Anti-Entropy people fight amongst yourselves, you're so united against outsiders!

( ノへ～,)

Lin Wei sighs. From the moment the misunderstanding arose, it became difficult to establish trust, so he has to change his approach.

First, use overwhelming pressure to keep them calm, so he can get a chance to speak. What else can he do, really destroy Anti-Entropy? He has to cut this Gordian knot quickly. Lin Wei hates complications.

He snaps his fingers, and the projector at the center of the conference table turns on, illuminating the wall behind him, his figure casting a long shadow.

The two doctors watch, puzzled, as screenshots appear on the screen—articles, videos, news reports, and even the deceased Nagazora City spokesperson.

What is he up to?

"A year ago, I learned by chance that Anti-Entropy was planning a Honkai experiment in Nagazora City. Don't look at me like that, esteemed Dr. Tesla. Do you want to deny it? ...Good."

One sentence almost makes Tesla lose it, but Lin Wei cuts her off.

"Knowing that this place was about to be sacrificed, I chose to escape Nagazora City. But before that, I tried to do something..."

As Lin Wei speaks, the screenshots are enlarged one by one, their contents clearly visible—all the rumors about the nuclear leak that Lin Wei started.

"I was just an ordinary citizen. Facing a behemoth like Anti-Entropy, I didn't dare to be too obvious. If I directly released information related to 'Honkai,' I guess I wouldn't have survived the next day. So, I chose a different approach, writing articles on topics that ordinary people care about but you big shots would ignore."

Lin Wei glances at the two doctors and then at the unconscious Cocolia, his tone tinged with self-deprecating humor. "Heh, who knows how much it would do. Could such a laughable act save even a single person?"

This once-bustling city is now a graveyard for millions. Every victim buried here was once a living, breathing person, just like him.

Back then, he could only do his best. If it were him now, could he save more people? Unfortunately, time can't be reversed. There's no point dwelling on it.

Lin Wei shakes his head, chuckling self-deprecatingly. He's about to continue when his expression suddenly changes, and he freezes.

In that instant, the word "Manila" hits him like a hammer, stirring up his emotions—

It's like a repeating cycle. There are millions of lives about to be lost there too;

And now, I can do so much more than I could a year ago!

So…

Rashly getting involved in this impending event would have significant consequences. Can he bear the responsibility this time?

A year ago, newly transmigrated, he could act like a fearless calf, bravely telling Fu Hua, "I want to live, and I want others to live," such naive words. But a year later, having seen the true cruelty of this world, with a similar opportunity before him, can he still bear the risks of being a hero?

Lin Wei struggles internally, coming to a disheartening conclusion—I can't…

He glances at Cocolia again, and this time, Lin Wei finds he seems to have lost the right to despise her.

Seeing Lin Wei suddenly stop, his expression constantly changing, complex and difficult to read, the two doctors think he's ashamed of not being able to save more people.

Otto feels shame?

Einstein and Tesla have this absurd thought simultaneously. They exchange glances, their years of understanding allowing them to communicate instantly.

"Ordinary citizen? You don't look ordinary at all, sir." Tesla continues her unique way of needling Lin Wei. After all, the weakness and naiveté in his words don't match his current arrogance and mystery.

"EIN, access the global database, set the search parameters—time: January to March 2014, region: Far East. Begin comparison and search."

Einstein withdraws from the confrontation and starts searching for information. She quickly finds the rumors on the internet and traces the source, pulling up Lin Wei's personal information and history.

With the help of her AI assistant, Einstein quickly completes the search in just a few minutes and sends the results, along with Lin Wei's history, to Tesla's terminal—it's all true.

"Let's be frank, I don't bear any ill will towards you. Nor do I think I have the right to judge you." Lin Wei is feeling down, though he notices their private exchange, he's not interested in interfering. Moreover, this is a necessary step to establish basic trust.

"However, you Anti-Entropy people are interesting. I spread rumors on your territory, and you haven't investigated until now?"

Perhaps the conservative faction represented by the doctors has been completely excluded from all aspects of Nagazora City. And Cocolia, that arrogant fool, doesn't seem to care about such trivial matters?

"On the other hand, Schicksal's Otto was quite quick. He found me. Tch tch, maybe he thought my actions were part of your faction's political maneuvering?"

Lin Wei makes up a story. He guessed his actions would attract attention, but only Otto knows what he was really thinking.

"And you say you're not from Schicksal!" Tesla feels like she's being toyed with and explodes.

You attracted Otto's attention with your strange behavior and you're still alive and kicking, how could you be a good person?

"Of course not, because I was lucky. The person Otto sent to investigate me was Fu Hua. She helped me a lot."

Lin Wei smiles, snapping out of his low mood, his attention returning to the present. He sighs. "The feeling of being eroded by Honkai, waiting to die… it's really unpleasant."

A few "photos" flash on the screen behind him, all of them showing him with Fu Hua. They're slices of his memories, transcribed by the Divine Key into digital images. If he wasn't worried about it backfiring, Lin Wei might even consider showing a video.

"...Sir, you're getting off topic. If you're not here to antagonize Anti-Entropy, please tell us directly who you are and who you represent."

Einstein has some guesses about Lin Wei's intentions, so she doesn't want to waste time and interrupts him. With Fu Hua involved, things seem even more complicated.

Their search confirmed that the events Lin Wei described really happened a year ago. This isn't something Otto would do. It's the first time Anti-Entropy has been on the morally losing side. It's an uncomfortable feeling.

"After all, even if you were an ordinary person a year ago, that doesn't mean you are now. As of right now, I see more 'threat' than anything else."

She tries to minimize the hostility in her tone, even deliberately ignoring Cocolia, who is currently under Lin Wei's control. After all, according to the history they just saw, if it's true, then Lin Wei is being very restrained. Bringing it up might provoke him.

As a colleague, even with differing ideals, Einstein has to protect her.

"I don't represent anyone, only myself," Lin Wei says truthfully, glancing at Tesla again, his tone helpless. "If it weren't for someone yelling other people's names and causing misunderstandings, I wouldn't bother wasting my time."