That same evening...
St. Freya Academy Medical Office.
"Thank you for your hard work, Doctor. Much appreciated."
The doctor pushed the door open and handed a test report to Fu Hua, who was waiting outside. Fu Hua stood up, thanking him repeatedly.
"Hehe, no need to be so formal, Fu Hua."
Working as the school doctor here was pretty chill. The doctor was happy to chat with this recently famous genius student. He looked her over, clicking his tongue in amazement, and started gossiping.
"Just got back from a mission, right? How rare! Everyone's saying there's a genius among this year's freshmen. Barely enrolled and already an A-rank Valkyrie."
Fu Hua rolled her eyes inwardly, but on her face, she showed the restraint and bashfulness that a top student should have, repeatedly denying any praise.
Then, she lowered her head to carefully read the test report, pointing to a few data points that concerned her.
"Doctor, regarding this Honkai energy adaptability data... is there something wrong with it?"
A big, fat "0" stood out prominently on the page.
"I'm curious too. I haven't seen a patient like this in many years, although I only received a few drops of blood for testing." The doctor stopped gossiping and became serious. "Although most people have very poor Honkai energy adaptability, they're often vulnerable to Honkai, but 'very poor' and 'none' have a fundamental difference."
"Experiments proved long ago that Honkai energy is omnipresent; it's just that its concentration is extremely low in most places at most times. Humanity has evolved over tens of thousands of years to resist this minimal amount, much like adapting to the common cold virus."
"So, I'm really curious, which lab did you bust this time?" The doctor showed a complex expression, a mix of anger and relief. "Ah, never mind. Confidentiality regulations, I know. Forget I asked."
"Creating a complete 'vacuum' environment isolated from Honkai energy to observe how a person develops without its influence? What's the point of such an experiment?"
"Setting aside whether Honkai energy can even be completely eliminated, this poor kid... probably can't take off an isolation suit for their entire life."
"A respectable spirit of scientific exploration, yet also a serious crime," the doctor lamented. "So, you see, Fu Hua, I don't even know if your mission this time was an act of termination... or salvation."
This doctor has quite the inner monologue, Fu Hua thought. She quickly interrupted, politely asking about her main concern: "So, Doctor, you believe this is a test subject specifically cultivated in a lab? Is this the only difference? No other genetic modifications?"
"Referring to a human being as a 'test subject'... Fu Hua, you're too cold," the doctor criticized. "But that's likely the case. What else could it be? An alien visitor from a Honkai-free planet? Who also happens to have the genes of an ordinary human male? Impossible, right?"
The doctor waved goodbye and pushed the door back into his office.
Fu Hua left, lost in thought.
...
The term "Herrscher of Corruption" struck Fu Hua like a sledgehammer again, leaving her dizzy and reeling. Her insides churned, fragments of memory swirling and vanishing. Anger, hatred, despair, guilt—a complex storm of emotions drowned her, making her struggle as if submerged.
Fu Hua's eyes were bloodshot as she glared hatefully, almost numbly, at the man before her.
She understood now. This was a trap meticulously prepared just for her.
At this moment, Lin Wei breathed a sigh of relief. He knew that he had won this round.
He glanced up at the ceiling, then down at his toes, his mind blanking out as he genuinely zoned out.
Even though he'd won, Lin Wei didn't feel happy. He suddenly felt like a venomous snake.
Coiling up, pretending to be harmless, waiting silently for prey to approach. Then, in the prey's most unguarded moment, striking viciously, injecting the most potent venom, and watching it succumb.
But Lin Wei didn't regret it.
He had considered directly asking Fu Hua for help, but wisely chose against it.
The Fu Hua before him now wasn't the simple warrior named "Hua" from 50,000 years ago, nor the class monitor reborn from her cocoon years later.
She was still a tool that was bound tightly by her mission. In the present, she was extremely dangerous under Otto's control.
Fu Hua's long transaction with Otto was about to bear fruit. At this juncture, where she just needed to follow the established steps, she wouldn't defy Otto's instructions.
The current Fu Hua is merely Otto's tool.
Therefore, if Lin Wei wanted to snatch something from Otto's inescapable net, he could only use heavier chips to completely tip the scales!
Lin Wei gathered his thoughts, slowly raised his head, and met Fu Hua's gaze again, openly and honestly.
I might have schemed against you, but I haven't wronged you!
Settling the debt from 50,000 years ago, isn't that Hua's wish too?
I used you, but I'm also helping you!
Tortured by the conflicting emotions, Fu Hua mentally detached a feather, stripping away the feelings to regain her composure.
"So, this is your plan?"
Her voice was ice-cold, seemingly squeezed through clenched teeth. Her disgust for Lin Wei at this moment was immense, just like when she had been controlled by Otto.
Possessing great power, yet forced to submit.
"You're that confident?"
"It's not about confidence. Death is near, my heart is unwilling, so I made a desperate gamble," Lin Wei replied calmly, without any air of victory, his tone a mix of self-mockery and justification.
"It's better than giving up. Even if I fail, things can't get any worse, right?"
...
"A test subject?"
Fu Hua made a noncommittal sound. She folded the report, tucked it away, and strode off.
She wasn't going to report today's events to Otto. She decided to observe a little longer.
...
After Fu Hua left, Lin Wei collapsed to the floor, unwilling to move.
He was truly, utterly exhausted, like a lifeless corpse whose soul had been completely burned out.
He needed to rest.
This whole journey...
Every step calculated, every step perilous...
Culminating in a clash of wills and souls with a MANTIS.
And he'd even managed to win by cheating, luckily.
Heh, no one would believe it if he told them.
The first hurdle was cleared, but many more difficult challenges lay ahead.
What did Lin Wei have to rely on?
Knowledge of the plot, the setting, the characters, the future's direction.
Nothing else.
It sounded impressive, but in reality, it was worthless.
An insignificant nobody, who was barely able to protect himself, did not even have the right to step onto the stage. What was the point of reciting the script backwards, even if he could?
At this time, only a month had passed since the Third Honkai Eruption. At this time, Yae Sakura was still wandering in Nagazora City, Kiana was still asleep in Chiba Academy, and Theresa was still peacefully living her small, blissful life at St. Freya Academy.
This was the only path to survival Lin Wei had found.
But he couldn't even manage the simple first step of "returning to Nagazora City."
Being a transmigrator who ended up like this... utterly shameful.
Should probably just leave the transmigrator group chat, ASAP.
Originally, Lin Wei had no hope. But through a twist of fate, destiny finally gave him a chance, and he seized it.
Lin Wei had devised a chain plan to essentially get something for nothing—a grand bluff. If successful, the rewards would be immense!
Lin Wei's thoughts drifted. He slowly raised his trembling arms, his gaze following them straight up towards the ceiling.
Cold, sore, but this was the feeling of being alive.
This feeling was wonderful—warm, fulfilling, intoxicating like spring sunshine.
Lin Wei laughed wildly again. It was enough.
Winning this first round... even if the rest of his plans failed, even if he died, this transmigration wouldn't have been in vain!
Lin Wei raised his middle finger toward the heavens for the fourth time,
It's not over yet. Let's continue the game!