I Don't Want to Lie to You, Fu Hua

"So, is that your whole plan?"

Fu Hua's voice was dry. Lin Wei had just finished explaining his plan, accompanied by two not very long stories.

Only now did she realize just how insane this man's plan was—a plan he was willing to stake his life on.

"Yes, that's my whole plan," Lin Wei replied calmly. "It's the only possible path to survival I've found for myself."

He looked at her with an earnest expression. "I don't want to lie to you, Fu Hua."

His tone was sincere, as if the plan he spoke of had nothing to do with him.

"You already know everything. It would be easy for you to stop me right now. You understand—I have no way to fight back."

Fu Hua shook her head. She knew she should stop him, but something deep within held her back. Perhaps, in a strange way, this wasn't such a terrible idea after all.

She felt a little lost.

It had been countless years since she'd felt this way—a sensation so unfamiliar that it almost felt nostalgic.

A faint, wry smile crossed her lips. Hesitation, she realized, was an answer in itself.

But...

She shook her head again, suppressing the storm of emotions swirling in her heart.

"Then what are you planning to do next?" she asked, her voice steady, betraying none of her inner turmoil.

Lin Wei breathed a quiet sigh of relief. The weight of placing his destiny in someone else's hands was suffocating, even if he'd made that choice himself.

"Even if it's terrifying," he thought, "at least it shows I've been sincere."

"The Herrscher has occupied Yae Sakura's body," Lin Wei began, his voice slow and deliberate. "But after five hundred years sealed away, that body has become battered and broken. Otherwise, she wouldn't have been so easily defeated by the inexperienced Kiana and her two friends. And she wouldn't still be wandering in these ruins without leaving."

He paused, letting the weight of his words settle. Finally, it was time to unveil his hand and see what it was made of.

"My plan is based on a bold guess," he continued. "The Herrscher of Corruption was originally planning to replace her host. But she can't find any humans alive in these ruins. To maintain her existence, she's forced to linger in an environment with a high concentration of Honkai energy. And this gives me an opportunity."

The surviving children of Nagazora City had been gathered by Raven on the city's outskirts, where the Honkai energy was relatively weak. That was why the Herrscher—or Yae Sakura—hadn't been able to find them.

Lin Wei felt a surge of excitement as he spoke. This sense of martyrdom, of staking everything to prove his hypothesis, was intoxicating.

"If that's really the case," he said, his eyes glinting with determination, "then let's give her that opportunity. There are only two living people here. Since she's no match for you, I'm her only choice. In this way, my goal will be achieved."

He paused again, his confidence unwavering.

"RIN," he added, "is another Herrscher from the Previous Era—one with her own consciousness, separate from Elysia. And as long as there's consciousness, there's a possibility of negotiation."

A faint smile played on his lips. "And that is where my expertise lies."

Fu Hua raised an eyebrow, recalling the madness of Lin Wei's subsequent plan. A thought crossed her mind: This guy is truly insane.

She couldn't resist teasing him. "You said they are two separate consciousnesses. But what if you're wrong? What if the person wandering outside is actually Yae Sakura?"

Lin Wei chuckled softly. His response was lighthearted, though it was hard to tell if he was joking or not.

"Oh, well, that's easy," he replied, his tone tinged with a hint of bashfulness. "If that's the case, I'd simply ask Fu Hua to deceive her consciousness and make it so that I appear to her as Kallen."

"Anyway," Lin Wei continued, "once the Herrscher consciousness is in my body, we'll become one. Since we can negotiate, it won't affect my plan."

He paused, a flicker of guilt crossing his face. "It's just… that would mean deceiving Yae Sakura's feelings. But I've already thought about it. Since Otto plans to sacrifice himself to save Kallen anyway, I'll find a way to help her hitch a ride and fulfill her wish. It's just a small thing within my power."

His lips curled into a sly smile. "If that works out, it'd be a win-win-win-win situation—for me, Otto, Kallen, and Yae Sakura. Wouldn't that be wonderful?"

Lin Wei's voice grew animated, clearly pleased by the thought of annoying Otto.

Fu Hua shook her head, suppressing a sigh. Could you act like a decent human being for once?

She couldn't help but pity Otto—just a little. But that pity was quickly drowned by ridicule. He had wreaked havoc on the world for five hundred years, sacrificing everything and everyone for his self-satisfaction. In the end, he was nothing more than a sad, ridiculous man.

Lin Wei's expression suddenly shifted. His demeanor grew serious, his voice sharp and focused.

"The most important thing is this," he said, leaning forward slightly. "The Herrscher has been sealed for fifty thousand years, and her body no longer exists. She is now extremely weak."

He let the gravity of his words settle before continuing.

"This is the key detail. Even if my plan to cooperate with the devil fails, it won't cause any irreparable consequences."

Lin Wei raised a hand, counting off his evidence.

"First, five hundred years ago, she occupied Yae Sakura's body but was sealed away by Kallen. That's one piece of evidence. Second, five hundred years later, she wakes up—only to be defeated by three inexperienced newbies. That's another."

The current trio, working together, couldn't even beat Himeko!

Fu Hua didn't say anything. She already knew what Lin Wei was about to say next.

As expected, Lin Wei turned to look at her, his expression serious.

"So," he began, his tone steady, "if after I'm eroded by her, the negotiations break down, my will is annihilated, and my body is completely taken over… then with my weak strength, Fu Hua, you can easily crush both me and the Herrscher into dust. I know you can do it."

Fu Hua nodded. Indeed, this was the final insurance—a way to prevent any accidents.

But she also had a trump card, one she had never revealed.

The fourth-generation God-Slaying armor, Shadow Knight: Moonless, had already been completed and tested successfully. Otto had prepared it for her as a last resort, to deal with the potential early rampage of the Second Herrscher.

It wouldn't be wrong to use it here, if needed.

Lin Wei had laid everything bare, revealing his greatest sincerity. What else was there to say?

In return, Fu Hua knew she should reciprocate with her own sincerity.

Yet, one question lingered in her mind—a curiosity that refused to be silenced.

She broke the silence, her voice calm but probing.

"What exactly are you?"

Fu Hua's eyes narrowed slightly. This might be her last chance to ask.

The doctor at St. Freya had said that Lin Wei was an experimental subject who had escaped from a lab.

But Fu Hua leaned toward another, far more improbable possibility.

An experimental subject—even one who was meticulous, talented, and resourceful enough to survive—should have their limits.

Yet Lin Wei seemed to know too much. He spoke of things that most people in this world could never know. He had even thrown himself into a feud that stretched back fifty thousand years, risking his life with a certainty that defied reason.

Fu Hua already had an answer in her heart. But she needed to hear it from him—to confirm the truth.

"What exactly are you?"

Lin Wei froze, her question catching him off guard. His words faltered, and silence fell between them.

For a long time, he said nothing. Countless thoughts tumbled and churned inside him, clashing and merging into one another.

Eventually, everything crystallized into a single response—a truth that encompassed all his doubts and confusion.

"I don't know either," he finally said, his voice quiet but steady.

After pausing, Lin Wei slowly explained the meaning of that sentence. He didn't intend to be a riddle-maker.

"It's like you're reading a story," he said. "This story has depth. It has a first page and a last page, and within it, a complete world unfolds."

"In this world, there are many, many people. Some are the main characters, some are supporting characters or villains, and some are just passersby—appearing for a moment before fading away. They all live, grow, experience things. They are born, grow old, get sick, and die."

Lin Wei's voice softened, his words carrying a distant, almost wistful tone.

"Sometimes, the stories are filled with twists and turns. Other times, they're simple and uneventful. But you watch from beginning to end, feeling everything the main characters feel. When they laugh, you laugh. When they cry, you feel their pain. When they suffer, it hurts you too. And when they conquest over their struggles, you cheer alongside them."

"Your soul gets infected by them. Their lives touch you, shape you, and even change you—as if they were real friends."

"But in the end, a story is still just a story. There will always come a time when you finish reading it. When you close the book, you'll return to your own life, to a reality that belongs solely to you."

Lin Wei murmured to himself, his voice very low. Although he was speaking to Fu Hua, it was as if he was talking to himself. His tone was confused. He raised his hands, as if his eyes could see through the thick isolation suit and directly see the erosion patterns on his arm.

"But one day, I realized something," Lin Wei began, his voice tinged with quiet bitterness. "My original life had disappeared."

"When I woke up, I was shocked to find that I had stepped into the story itself. This place felt so familiar—because I had experienced it all before."

"But it was also so unfamiliar—because I had never belonged here."

At this moment, Lin Wei raised his head to look directly at Fu Hua. His suppressed emotions finally erupted, and his gaze carried a fierce intensity, sharp as a blade.

He scoffed bitterly, shaking his head.

"I don't know if I'm dreaming now, or if my memories were the dream. Or maybe…" He hesitated, his voice trembling with frustration. "Maybe I went mad a long time ago."

"I don't care about those philosophical riddles. Zhuang Zhou dreaming of a butterfly, or the butterfly dreaming of Zhuang Zhou—it's pointless to me."

"What I do know," he continued, his voice rising, "is that I never belonged here. Yet here I am, existing in this world—and about to die here!"

His voice cracked as he raised his arms high, exposing his Honkai-eroded body to Fu Hua. It was as if he wanted to show her his suffering—or perhaps reach out to God, demanding answers for why he was being toyed with.

But then, as quickly as his emotions had flared, they receded. Lin Wei realized his gaffe, took a step back, lowered his arms, and apologized repeatedly.

He laughed bitterly, the sound hollow and fragile.

"So, I really don't know who I am," he said softly. "But I do know this: I'm not some chosen one. I'm just a pitiful bug struggling at death's door."

"As for everything else, it's useless to think about it. Let's get through this first."

"People must be able to survive first before they have the qualifications to consider other problems, right?"

Lin Wei looked up at the gloomy sky. The dark clouds formed by the Honkai energy looked magnificent and strange, and made people feel depressed. The sparse sunlight shone through the cracks, and Lin Wei reached out to catch it, feeling the warmth of life with his heart.

As long as there was still sunlight shining in, the dark clouds would be driven away sooner or later.

The issue of time should be left to time to slowly find the answers.

"You truly are a lonely soul."

Fu Hua's tone was calm, but there was a faint trace of something else—understanding, perhaps.

She had listened to his long speech without a hint of annoyance.

Fu Hua had taken every word seriously. Then again, she always took everyone seriously.

And because she was listening so closely, she realized something: Lin Wei had just delivered his own eulogy.

If all his plans failed in the end, these words would become the final mark he left on this world.

Like every life on this earth—insignificant, fragile.

But wasn't it also rich and beautiful in its own way?

Her gaze drifted upward to the sky, almost instinctively. She didn't know why she did it, only that it felt natural.

It was as though someone—something—was watching, listening.

"It seems that my temporary mission is over," she murmured.

The conclusion felt satisfying to her.

Whether Otto would be satisfied… that was another matter. She didn't care.

Now, there was only one thing left to do.

"Enough with the small talk."

Fu Hua glanced at the time, then turned her full attention to Lin Wei, examining the extent of his erosion carefully.

Time was slipping away, and they couldn't afford to waste it.

Fu Hua took one step forward and lifted Lin Wei up into her arms. She jumped lightly between the balconies and reached the highest point. Then, she quickly ran between the buildings and the ruins, her movements smooth, and not at all like she was carrying a young man who weighed over a hundred pounds.

"Hey hey hey! Stop for a second!"

Lin Wei was completely out of it. What was with the princess carry? The roles were reversed!

And she should at least say something first. There was no preparation at all! Jumping back and forth at heights of dozens of meters was very scary!

"Or are you planning to continue wasting time?"

Fu Hua's face was still as cold as ever, but her tone was a little teasing.

"Uh..."

Great, please continue. I shouldn't have spoken so loudly.

"Hmph."

Fu Hua stopped talking, focusing on her travel, and carefully searching for the intended target.

On this day, the dead ruins of the city suddenly gained a bit more vitality and life.