Life does not lack waiting; possessing patience is the first lesson for everyone toward success.
Once upon a time, Lin and Kevin had also soaked in internet cafes like these students who were still full of energy in the middle of the night, shouting in games and enjoying the peak of youth.
And now, this man who was saving humanity was miserably squeezed into the same chair with another person, feeling like he was about to become a canned sardine.
Fortunately, Elysia was wearing her hood, and since the sight of men and women sitting intimately together in the internet cafe wasn't rare, they didn't attract much attention.
On the contrary, Prometheus standing behind them—with her inorganic expression and doll-like aura—caused many to look sideways. Someone tried to reach out to see if she was a mannequin, only to be frightened by her rotating eyeballs.
They didn't understand why a pretty girl would stand there, like a piece of stone that wouldn't weather.
Lin looked at the time. 1:15 AM had passed; it was now 2:00 AM. No abnormal events had occurred.
It seemed this wouldn't work.
"Phew..." At this moment, a hooded head leaned gently on his shoulder, and a light snoring sound came from under the hat.
When Lin turned his head, he could see neat, soft eyelashes lowered. Those lively eyes, usually like autumn water, were peacefully closed, adding a bit of maidenly quietude to her glamorous face.
Of course, it wasn't that Elysia had fallen into a coma. Before 1:15, she had somewhat impatiently leaned on his shoulder and said she would close her eyes to rest for a while, only to fall straight asleep.
Although covered by the hat, from Lin perspective, he could see the girl's elf-like ears twitching occasionally in her sleep, as cute as a cat's.
Perhaps because it was cold, she leaned heavily toward Lin; his body temperature was high, like a large heater.
Lin shook his head at this, then said softly to Prometheus behind him, "Do you want to rest?"
Prometheus was the insurance policy to prevent Lin from accidentally watching the recording and falling into a coma. If all else failed, she could also record the entire process. But now that it was clear the recording couldn't be found using this clumsy method, there was no need for her to keep standing.
Actually, Prometheus didn't need rest. Her appearance was almost identical to a human, but in essence, she was an android who didn't feel pain or fatigue; standing all night was no problem.
However...
"Yes." After her brief and concise answer, she unceremoniously sat on Lin lap.
The chair, bearing the weight of three people, groaned under the heavy burden.
"I meant, go open one yourself..." Lin stared at the back of her head.
"I'm not playing, so I won't take up a spot someone else could use."
Why did this dialogue feel so familiar?
The mechanical girl leaned into Lin arms just like that, resting her head on the other side where Elysia wasn't, then closed her eyes and began to sleep... or was it periodic maintenance?
Her refusal to communicate made Lin sigh again. He thought for a moment, then took off his coat and draped it over the two girls.
A total lack of results...
Lin rested his eyes amidst the surrounding sound of clicking keyboards and noisy conversations.
...
Yama hadn't explained much about the "future" before she left. Perhaps it was related to her past experiences of trying many times to change the course of fate by informing the Lin of other worlds, only to fail every time.
But the person who had occupied his body also seemed to know the "future." In the text he left for Mobius, there was a sentence that bothered Lin.
"I don't know if giving these to you will cause further changes in the Honkai..."
Cause further... changes... in the Honkai...
From a long time ago, Lin had known that the Honkai seemed to self-adjust and evolve according to human circumstances. Could this be the reason Yama failed every time?
Even if one could know the future, one could not escape the control of the Honkai. If one made responses based on the known future, it would lead to even more unbelievable and dangerous consequences.
That was why neither of them had mentioned the situation of the upcoming large-scale Honkai eruptions.
No... if there was a next time, he would definitely...
Lin opened his eyes. Beneath his sunglasses, his black eyes instantly locked onto the approaching waiter. The terrifying gaze that pierced through the sunglasses made the waiter's hand freeze in mid-air.
"Um... you're awake..." The waiter laughed awkwardly. The internet cafe was now dead quiet; almost everyone had left. It was nearly six o'clock. The waiter faced Lin scrutinizing gaze with restraint.
So it turns out some people's gaze can be felt without even seeing their eyes... like a knife, so terrifying...
Lin looked down. Elysia was still sleeping quite soundly. Prometheus... uh... could Prometheus sense the outside world during maintenance?
"Is there something?" Lin asked indifferently.
"No, nothing. I just came to clear the table. Actually, there are private booths in the shop, how about..."
The "booths" here didn't refer to the five-row seats for teams, but a small room with living facilities, a bed, and even a shower—equivalent to a small hotel. The price was much cheaper than a hotel, and it offered great privacy.
People with a strong internet addiction, or young couples looking for excitement, were particularly fond of them.
"No need." Lin shook his head. He continued to stare at the waiter until the other man stepped back in horrifed silence.
"The-then I'll go get a blanket for you!"
Without waiting for Lin reply, the waiter sprinted to the back and brought out a blanket. As he passed the front desk, he thought for a moment and conveniently poured a cup of juice to bring along.
"Here."
Lin silently watched the waiter, making him swallow a nervous gulp. Fortunately, Lin still took the blanket.
After placing the drink on the table, the waiter turned tail and fled back to the storage area.
...
The waiter breathed a sigh of relief after entering the back. Facing Lin gaze, the pressure had nearly made his blood vessels burst. Luckily...
He used the corner of his eye to look at something on the floor, then reached out to grab it...
Bang!
His head hit the wall with a loud thud. His head took a heavy blow, and he let out a cry of pain, but he was soon unable to make any other sounds.
An arm like steel choked his neck, pinning him against the wall. In his agony, he reached out to claw at the face of the person pinning him, accidentally ripping the sunglasses off that person's face.
Clack.
The sunglasses hit the floor with a sound.
The waiter's face turned red; the sensation of suffocation deprived his brain of oxygen. With bloodshot eyes, he struggled to look at the person in front of him.
Within a pair of murderous black pupils, a faint, ominous fluorescent green swirled, emitting a weird light in the darkness.
"You..."
Lin didn't give him a chance to speak. His face suddenly drew close, pressing against the waiter's face as he issued a piercing interrogation: "Who are you?"
At their feet lay another... internet cafe waiter.