"Suppose we compare people to threads. Each person has a beginning and an end. From the outside, they look similar, but in reality, their lengths and thicknesses are all different. It's as the saying goes: no two leaves in the world have the same veins."
"Humans are so similar, yet they use their differences to distinguish one another. They believe in commonalities, yet they reject the idea of commonalities representing them."
"However, threads can be tied together. No matter how different they are, they can eventually form a line far exceeding their own length. The life and history of humanity are just that miraculous."
"Mei... Mei?"
A little girl tugged at a man's trouser leg. She was young and innocent, her eyes filled with curiosity about the unknown. In a milky voice, she asked, "Then what is the meaning of the thread's existence itself?"
"..."
"Even if the threads are connected to become a very, very long line, it's still just a thread."
"...Don't say these things to others." The man stroked her head affectionately, his eyes holding an expression somewhere between worry and complexity. He gave a meaningful smile. "You're right. A thread is just a thread. It is an 'object' to which we humans have assigned meaning. But our meaning as humans is entirely different from that of a thread."
"Then who gives us our meaning?"
"We do," the man said softly. "Only humans themselves can give themselves meaning."
Mei lifted her face from the desk. She glanced at her reflection in the mirror on the table, noting the red mark on her cheek where it had been pressed against the wood, and put on her glasses.
She hadn't slept at her desk in a long time; it was a bit unseemly.
She also hadn't dreamed of her childhood in a long time, which left her feeling both curious and somewhat relieved.
The curiosity stemmed from the fact that she wasn't a particularly nostalgic person, and that conversation with her father hadn't left a deep impression on her at the time. According to the laws of physiological dreaming, it was unlikely she would have such a vivid dream—one she could still recall so clearly after waking.
The relief came from the fact that she could still have such a dream. Did it mean she wasn't yet a person of absolute, cold rationality?
It was similar to how she felt when she saw human flaws in MANTIS soldiers; it confirmed they were still human, not monsters in human skin.
Ultimately, if a day came when humanity had to be redefined just to ensure its survival, Mei didn't want to be the one to play that role. As her father had said, humans share commonalities yet reject being represented by them; they recognize their similarities, yet insist on using differences to distinguish one another.
However... not wanting to do something and not doing it were two different things.
"Mei, are you alright?"
Kevin's cold voice contained a worry that was only directed at her. She turned to see him standing at a distance, seemingly afraid that the cold air radiating from him would freeze her.
Mei couldn't help but smile. "It's fine. You can control the frost better now; you can come a bit closer."
"..." Kevin didn't move, holding his ground with a rare stubbornness.
Mei didn't push him. She leaned back in her chair and picked up her coffee, which had gone completely cold. Seeing Kevin stern gaze, she was forced to put down the potentially stomach-aching brew and got up to pour herself a cup of hot water instead.
"Perhaps I've just been too tired lately. It's no matter—hasn't it been like this for years?"
Mei looked at her reflection in the cup. Fatigue was written all over her face. Though she didn't look like a woman approaching thirty, the marks of maturity were deeply etched.
"The former Director of the R&D department was also..."
"Director Delta did not pass away from overwork, and you don't need to use that to remind me." Mei didn't drink immediately; she used the hot water to moisten her lips. Her deep eyes looked at the ceiling as if piercing through the walls toward a specific place. "A person's character is their fate. Everything we see is a result of that."
"...The atmosphere at Headquarters is getting worse lately." Kevin exhaled, changing the subject, though this one was no lighter. "I don't even know if this is intentional, or if people are sensing something unconsciously. I don't even know... if comrades who once faced death together will turn into enemies in the next moment."
"We cannot control everything, Kevin. Whether it's you or me, once a person lifts their foot, they have no choice but to take the next step."
Mei spoke in a low voice. The woman who had always been the spokesperson for rationality was, at this moment, hiding her own exhaustion.
Erwin stopped the speedboat in the middle of the ocean. He checked the coordinates, confirming that his current position matched the display. He took a deep breath and began checking his gear.
Next, after infiltrating, there might be combat. He had to be fully prepared. After all, he wasn't a MANTIS, nor did he have Lin combat experience or information-processing capabilities. He had to be incredibly careful.
Erwin strapped a simple flight device to his back. This wasn't an anti-gravity device connected via neural link; that would be too much of a burden for him. He had to operate this type of flight device with extreme caution; effortless flight was impossible.
"Recording equipment on... and the channel for real-time transmission to Dr. Einstein is ready..."
He felt like a professional spy. Erwin couldn't help but feel a sense of irony—he was doing to his own people something he had never done before.
The pale sky looked as if it might collapse at any moment, crushing people into mincemeat and filling the ocean.
Erwin pursed his lips. There was still a hint of fear in his eyes, but it was quickly replaced by determination. He activated the flight device and began a slow ascent.
He knew his actions were dangerous. If he were detected by reconnaissance devices, he would likely be walking into a trap. He had to be ready to descend at any time.
As his altitude steadily increased, his heart tightened. He tried to alleviate his tension through thought.
Luckily, I wasn't discovered by Fire Moth while searching for information, which is why I was able to find this place.
Maybe I have potential as an investigator or a detective? Finding various clues and solving cases... okay, that sounds too unrealistic. I don't even believe it myself.
But after the Honkai ends, maybe I can live a real shut-in life of luxury. Being a shady part-time detective might not be a problem either.
Suddenly, Erwin froze.
Luckily... I wasn't discovered?
No.
Why did he think he hadn't been discovered?
Even Lin was discovered and then blacklisted. Why wouldn't he be?
Was it that he "hadn't been" discovered?
Or was it... that he hadn't discovered it yet?
Boom!
The transport plane, which had been waiting for a long time, deactivated its optical camouflage. Before his stunned eyes, it fired a missile.