NOVEL WEB Chapter 237: Who Says a Hero Can't Be Selfish?
"Captain Jell, wait." Lin Wei stopped her, waiting until the other Valkyries were out of earshot before asking quietly, "Where's Anna?"
The question had been weighing on his mind. He hadn't seen Anna among the survivors, or among the fallen. The uncertainty gnawed at him.
But with the battle raging, he couldn't add to the Valkyries' already heavy burden by voicing his concerns. It would have broken them.
Now, however, with Rita's display of power bolstering their morale, it was safe to ask.
"Keep your voice down. Don't let your team hear," Lin Wei said, glancing towards the battlefield where Rita fought. "And I don't want Rita to hear this either."
"Huh?" Jell was taken aback. She assumed Lin Wei and Rita were close allies, not harboring such animosity.
"Our cooperation is temporary. With the Honkai Eruption, even the greatest conflicts must be set aside," Lin Wei explained briefly, not wanting to draw attention. "My conflict is with Otto, not with Schicksal as a whole. The fewer people who know about my connection to Anna, the safer it is for both of us." His tone was serious and sincere. He knew Jell cared about Anna.
He no longer harbored any illusions about Otto being unaware of his existence. A confrontation was inevitable. And he had to acknowledge the reality: Anna was his vulnerability, a pawn Otto could easily exploit.
He had been used and manipulated by Otto before, due to Kallen, and he knew the humiliation of being controlled. He wouldn't allow it to happen again.
"Damn it, all that effort for nothing!" He thought angrily. "I shouldn't have gone to Coral Island. It was asking for trouble!"
Had he been truly heartless, he wouldn't have cared about Anna's fate and wouldn't be facing this dilemma now. He chuckled self-deprecatingly. He was usually so ruthless, why did he always let his emotions get the better of him at crucial moments?
Since secrecy was no longer an option, his next best course of action was to keep Anna hidden, allowing him to confront Otto without restraint.
"Captain Jell, I…"
"Don't," Jell interrupted. "Before the Eruption, Anna was still at the hospital you visited. I only managed to send her a recall order before everything happened." She shook her head regretfully. "As for her current situation… I'm sorry, I don't know…"
Had she recalled Anna sooner, would she still be missing? Would fewer of her Valkyries have died? Jell didn't know, but she blamed herself. Though she didn't understand Lin Wei's concerns, she chose to trust the man who had saved her subordinate's life. He clearly cared about Anna.
As for whether he was an enemy of Schicksal… Jell didn't care. She was a Valkyrie, her duty was to fight the Honkai, to protect humanity. Nothing else mattered. Exhausted and grieving, she had no energy for anything else.
Besides, Lin Wei was Anna's only hope. That was enough, wasn't it?
Jell gripped Lin Wei's hand, her voice slightly desperate. "If you're going to save her, please hurry!"
"Why was she still at the hospital? Wasn't she recovered?" Lin Wei asked, confused and worried. If Anna was still injured, her chances of survival were slim.
Jell briefly explained the situation. Lin Wei understood, a wry smile on his face. "So it's my fault after all…" In the end, Anna was still alone, separated from her team. Was this fate? A convergence of timelines? Or another divergence? Perhaps both?
"I understand. Leave it to me. I'll bring her back safely," Lin Wei said, taking a deep breath. What was done was done; he could only move forward.
"Thank you," Jell said gratefully, then returned to the battlefield.
Lin Wei sighed. In this hellish landscape, was there any room for personal feelings? Jell and Team Snow Lotus barely had time to grieve. Human emotions and beliefs seemed so fragile against the might of the Honkai…
Yet, wasn't it these very things that kept them fighting?
Anna, Jell, the other Valkyries of Team Snow Lotus…
Lin Wei's gaze shifted towards Rita, fighting in the distance…
They were all the same.
Rita, her battlesuit's particle dispersal system now deactivated and recharging, retreated from the front lines, eliminating stragglers as she rejoined Team Snow Lotus. Seeing their improved condition, she nodded in satisfaction. This was precisely what she had been fighting for.
"I'll assume temporary command. Any objections?" Rita asked politely.
"None, Lady Rita. Team Snow Lotus will follow your commands!" Jell, reaching her team first, declared, the others nodding in agreement. Even aside from her impressive display of power, her S-rank status granted her command authority.
"Excellent," Rita said with a gentle smile. "Don't advance any further. While the Honkai Beasts are scattered and reinforcements haven't arrived yet, consolidate your defenses." Her tone was serious. "More support is on its way, but the battle is far from over. Don't let your guard down."
In truth, she had no idea when, or if, reinforcements would arrive. Her own presence here was a mere coincidence.
"If the Eruption had occurred while I was further away, not in Singapore…" Rita shook her head, dismissing the thought. She knew these Valkyries couldn't hold out alone. And her arrival hadn't solved the fundamental problem—they still had to hold this last bastion of humanity until real reinforcements arrived.
She couldn't burden them with these grim realities.
Team Snow Lotus, believing reinforcements were imminent, enthusiastically began assigning tasks and strengthening their defenses.
The civilians, having witnessed Rita's power, were also filled with renewed hope. More emerged from the stadium, offering assistance, sharing their meager food and supplies.
"..." Lin Wei, observing this, felt a growing sense of responsibility. Had these people remained cowering, he wouldn't have cared about their fate.
People who lacked the courage to fight for their own survival, who only prayed for a miracle… he would have almost enjoyed watching them succumb to their fear.
But seeing them fight for their lives, despite their terror…
"There's something else I need to do, besides finding Anna," he thought, pushing through the branches and stepping onto the thawing battlefield. "I'm such a meddler…"
He didn't know why, but he felt compelled to act, felt they deserved better…
"Miss Rita," Lin Wei said, approaching her, his hiking stick crunching on the ice. "Communications are down, both short and long range. Do you have a solution?"
"Unfortunately, I do not," Rita replied, her eyes lighting up, understanding his intention. "If Mr. Lin Wei has a solution, I'm all ears." She believed the Herrscher of Reason would be capable of such a feat.
"I do have a method to restore communications within a limited range. It requires high concentrations of Honkai energy, so it won't reach Schicksal HQ," Lin Wei explained, having found a suitable device in Vill-V's archives.
Such technology was common during the Previous Era. "But it should be enough. The Honkai Eruption covers a vast area. There are other Valkyrie teams like Snow Lotus, caught off guard, fighting alone. And others converging on the area, also isolated. Even when Schicksal's reinforcements arrive, without communication, they'll face the same predicament."
He looked at Rita seriously. "You're here now. If you can establish contact and coordinate their efforts, prevent unnecessary losses… you can unite them, give them a fighting chance."
"Miss Rita, what do you say?"
"..." Rita stared at Lin Wei, a thoughtful expression on her face. She was certain now. This man was not the Welt she knew. A true hero wouldn't hesitate, would prioritize contacting HQ for reinforcements. But Lin Wei… he was different…
She wasn't repulsed by his pragmatism; it intrigued her. He could have remained silent, but he had offered a mutually beneficial solution. She admired that.
Who said a hero couldn't be selfish? Wasn't he the one who had been more agitated than even her, a Valkyrie, when the Manila Eruption occurred?
Interesting…
"In that case, I'll leave it to you, Mr. Lin Wei…" Rita smiled, accepting his proposal.
This mutual understanding implied that once communications were restored, Rita would report everything about Lin Wei to Otto. Such a major incident, with so many witnesses, couldn't be concealed anyway. This arrangement was… acceptable.
As for the future… Rita sighed. They were all bound by duty.
"Good." Lin Wei nodded, pleased with the agreement. "I need a tall structure to ensure optimal signal transmission."
"I know a place!" Jell, who had been listening nearby, interjected. "I'm the captain of the local Valkyrie unit. I know this city best. I'll take you!"