Born in utter darkness, surrounded on all sides only by the endless night.
Lifting heavy legs, walking toward an unknown distance.
Slowly, a direction seemed to be found, and the running began.
The surrounding scenery showed no discernible change, but the sense of moving forward was present.
At some point, a beam of light appeared in the distance, bringing a sense of relief, and the speed toward it quickened.
Closer now.
A quiet sense of deliverance in the heart.
Almost touching that beam of light.
"Don't come closer, Lin."
Everything stopped.
At that sharp rebuke, everything returned to darkness.
…
Lin suddenly snapped his eyelids open and flipped himself up from the bed.
"Tick."
The digital clock on the table moved from 5:59 to 6:00.
The flickering light outside the window swayed on the curtains.
A cup was knocked onto the floor.
Sweat dripped from his forehead onto the back of his hand.
"…"
"Lin, what is wrong."
Prometheus's voice came from the helmet placed on the table.
Lin stared at the digital clock on the table.
Time was still moving forward.
…
"Captain, is it alright for us to remain on standby in the base all this time?"
Kosma voiced the doubt that had been in his heart for the past two days.
Kevin was doing simple physical training. When there were no other missions, he would exercise, a habit he had learned from Lin.
Lin often came to spar with him at this time. Although Lin's attacks were ruthless, Kevin's progress was indeed rapid. At least now, the two of them were evenly matched in unarmed combat.
The people in this now-empty gym had been replaced by Kosma and Kevin, and the instructor was now Kevin.
After leaving and returning to Headquarters last time, Lin had never come back to the gym. When Kevin mentioned sparring with him, Lin silently refused.
Lin was always the first one to change, but Kevin didn't even know when he changed or why.
Kevin stood up after completing a set of fingertip push-ups and said to Kosma, "We need to follow orders. Independent judgment in action is only on the premise of mission necessity."
"But..."
"Kosma." Kevin stopped him with a look, then beckoned and adopted a fighting stance. "Ato or Lin would both give you the same answer. A soldier's nature is to obey orders."
"I... understand."
Kosma shook his head and also adopted Fire Moth's combat starting stance.
Just as today's sparring was about to begin, both of their communicators simultaneously rang.
"Beep—"
Kevin and Kosma silently looked at each other, then instinctively lowered their hands, walked to the table, and picked up their communicators.
"Personnel adjustments…" Kevin read the title of the communication with a frown, and then he saw a familiar name on the list. "Kosma."
…
The weather today was still harsh. A gray haze shrouded the city sky. The cold air seeped into his trousers from his ankles, making his blood feel frozen.
Lin still went out with his helmet on. Currently, all combat members were on standby in their distribution areas and were unwilling to go out to face the increasingly brutal cold. Only he would go out.
Are there homeless people in big cities?
The answer is, of course, yes.
Lin saw some shabbily dressed people leaning against walls, their heads bowed, rubbing their hands. Their hands and feet were already frozen purple and necrotic. Their eyes were vacant, devoid of any desire for life.
As he walked past, a flicker of light would appear in the eyes of the homeless, as if corpses were reviving, but it would quickly extinguish.
Are these people also "living resiliently"?
Lin quietly slipped some cash into their pockets as he passed them. Their eyesight wouldn't allow them to see the exact moment Lin did it.
He couldn't help everyone, nor did everyone need his help, but Lin thought it wasn't a bad thing to leave these people enough money to go to a place with heating to avoid the cold.
He soon arrived at Anna's house. Lin reached out and knocked on the door.
No response.
Lin knocked again. Still no response after a moment, so he opened his bio-scanner.
One person was lying in bed, with a high body temperature.
Lin didn't hesitate. The sturdiness of the door was like foam to him. A slight effort twisted the lock, and he pushed the door open and walked in.
The indoor temperature was only slightly higher than outside.
Lin looked up and saw the air conditioner was off, which confirmed what Anna had done after he left yesterday.
The chestnut-haired girl was lying on the bed, breathing rapidly. An abnormal flush covered her entire pale face. The hand placed outside the covers was unnaturally white, and her expression was crumpled in distress.
[Lin, what should be done?]
Yes, what should be done?
Lin shook his head and walked into the bathroom.
…
"Ugh..."
Anna woke up from her nightmare late in the evening. The dark sky hid the sunset, and raindrops struck the glass window, making a crisp sound.
She tried to lift her head but put it down weakly. She was nauseous from the dizziness.
She had a fever, after all. She should have turned on the air conditioner yesterday.
The thought that she couldn't go to work because she was sick filled her with regret.
Muttering complaints, Anna covered her head with the blanket, unwilling to face reality. She would have to call her boss soon to ask for time off. She never expected her long streak of perfect attendance to be ended by a hail storm.
Speaking of which, it was so late. She had wanted the Helmet Uncle to accompany her somewhere yesterday. She didn't stand him up, did she?
"Pat-tap."
All the hairs on Anna's body stood on end.
Someone was in the house.
Footsteps came from the kitchen, slowly approaching her.
N-no way. Was it a burglar?
"Pat-tap." Unconcealed footsteps had already reached the bedside.
Anna gritted her teeth, threw off the blanket, and pounced toward the figure by the bed.
"Hah! Don't underestimate me!"
"Clap."
A large hand caught her head in mid-air, the five fingers clasping her skull, lifting her up.
Then, Anna saw the azure visor, a symbol of a certain person.
Wait, why did she feel so cold?
Anna looked down and realized she was only wearing her underwear.
Only one confused thought remained in Anna's stunned mind: she said, "Don't underestimate me," but it seems she's indeed not very big.
"…"
Lin casually tossed Anna back into the covers, raising his hand to pull the blanket over her.
"Helmet Uncle?" Anna only reacted after the warm blanket covered her body again.
"Take medicine."
Lin ignored her and placed the bowl of medicine he was holding onto the bedside table.
"Take the medicine, then take a shower and eat."
Lin dropped these words, ignored the utterly bewildered Anna, and walked into the kitchen again.