"From the very beginning, you've been trying to provoke me."
Lin Wei said coldly.
"Gray Serpent, is this your purpose today?"
As he spoke, he carefully scrutinized the man sitting opposite him, someone he had dealt with several times before.
As one of the few people who had successfully schemed against him, Lin Wei had to admit that he had underestimated him before.
Thinking back, Gray Serpent was a strange fellow through and through.
This "strangeness" wasn't just evident in his unique taste in clothing, nor just in his distributed network form of existence, but even more so in his seemingly contradictory style of action:
On one hand, his methods were bizarre, and he wouldn't rest until he achieved his goal.
After discovering someone like Misteln, who possessed extremely high value, even when she made it clear she had a strong aversion to Gray Serpent, he continuously approached her, only to be killed by her repeatedly.
Finally, after he had thoroughly disgusted that woman with severe self-destructive tendencies, he "successfully" obtained an opportunity to negotiate and then, as he wished, incorporated her into World Serpent's "big family"...
On the other hand, he was also an extremely easy person to give up.
In the original timeline, whether it was the assassination attempt on Otto surrounding the Second Divine Key in London, or the revenge against Cocolia in Sea of Quanta...
All these incidents shared a common characteristic—if they failed, there would be no second attempt. It was as if Gray Serpent never dwelled on the success or failure of matters; if it failed, he gave up.
Furthermore, his attitude towards Kevin also seemed quite contradictory—he was both extremely respectful and loyal to him, yet when Kevin personally promised Raiden Mei she could go to the Elysian Realm to explore the truth, he took it upon himself to have Raven try to stop her.
Of course, just like the previous point: Raven merely told him the operation had failed, and the matter ended there. Even when Raiden Mei left the Elysian Realm midway, Gray Serpent took no further action.
It seemed self-contradictory, but if viewed from a different perspective, every seemingly inconclusive action of Gray Serpent had its own set of rules behind it:
Otto had long searched for the Second Divine Key in vain. Gray Serpent, with one failed conspiracy, easily and logically delivered it into his hands, thus allowing Otto's Herrscher plan to proceed smoothly.
His series of inconclusive actions in ARC City and Sea of Quanta, seemingly failing to secure Sea of Quanta, actually succeeded in bringing Kevin back from the Sea of Quanta to the real world—he even prepared the Might of An-Utu for Kevin in advance.
And the obstruction of Raiden Mei's actions in the Elysian Realm, in turn, helped her strengthen her confidence and determination to continue exploring in the Elysian Realm, factually aiding Kevin in achieving his goals...
Every strange, seemingly inconclusive action of his was, in fact, a superficial effort to conceal, or even facilitate, his true purpose. Only when the action itself was the purpose would he be as relentlessly persistent as he was with Misteln.
It was like a masterful performance, every movement perfectly timed, subtly yet firmly grasping the rhythm of the entire stage...
It could only be said that Gray Serpent, who could lead World Serpent to hide calmly under Otto's inescapable net for five hundred years without being discovered, was definitely not as simple as he appeared on the surface. Instead, he was an opponent worthy of high regard.
Even Lin Wei himself, who had never let his guard down against Gray Serpent or the entire World Serpent from the beginning, was still kept in the dark by his "real and feigned" tricks in Manila, only realizing the truth when the mystery was finally unveiled.
Precisely because he had suffered a loss once, Lin Wei would be even more cautious with him. But this didn't mean Lin Wei would be overly fearful of Gray Serpent—since you want to provoke me so badly, letting you "get your wish" and pay a price first isn't out of the question.
"If your goal is truly just to provoke me, then save your energy and fast-forward to the next segment."
Lin Wei adjusted to a comfortable sitting position and said nonchalantly.
"Although I don't like to actively cause trouble, if trouble actively finds me, then I don't mind making it a bigger deal~"
Although he knew Gray Serpent probably wouldn't be straightforward, it didn't stop Lin Wei from stating his attitude first.
"Hehe, Mr. Lin Wei is, after all, a long-term partner who has had multiple deep collaborations with the Serpent. Naturally, he needs to be treated with more caution."
Gray Serpent said in his booming voice, his tone seemingly always so calm.
"Caution? Those two words coming from your mouth are truly interesting."
Lin Wei was amused by his words.
"Challenging my bottom line time and time again, is this your 'caution'?"
If Lin Wei hadn't been able to repeatedly swat back the claws extended by World Serpent, he probably would have lost his patience long ago.
"That is, of course, part of it," Gray Serpent said bluntly.
"After all, the prerequisite for allowing you to be so rude and presumptuous towards the Serpent time and time again is that Mr. Lin Wei can consistently demonstrate corresponding value—the 'caution' I just mentioned naturally refers to this aspect."
Rarely would he speak so bluntly. Perhaps it was a response to Lin Wei's earlier request to "speak directly."
"...Oh, is that so?"
Lin Wei, however, hadn't expected Gray Serpent to say such a thing. While rapidly pondering the possible deeper meaning hidden in his words, he asked in an inscrutable tone,
"That girl earlier, is she also related to this so-called 'assessment' of yours?"
Lin Wei didn't believe today's encounter was truly a coincidence—Had there really been two Gray Serpents? As if he had guessed from the beginning that I would make a fuss because of this.
"Hehe, it's indeed human nature for Mr. Lin Wei to feel angry about this. After all, kindness, compassion, sympathy for the weak... these are inherently the noblest virtues of humanity worthy of praise."
Gray Serpent chuckled lowly and slowly raised a hand.
"If this were a world full of peace, these would naturally be worthy of praise in the most enthusiastic language. But in such a difficult era as now, these have no real meaning."
"...What do you mean?"
Lin Wei's eyes narrowed slightly, not expecting to receive such a sarcastic comment.
"Life is an expensive and fragile thing; this is an eternal truth, whether now or in the past."
Gray Serpent's tone was as calm as usual, but the content of his words was chillingly cruel.
"In an era ravaged by Honkai, life is indeed like snowflakes falling in spring, melting in an instant. And in the era before that, the challenges life faced were equally cruel—floods, droughts, hunger, plagues, wars... If any of these words were laid out in detail, they would represent the deaths of countless people, and their painful struggle on the brink of a life worse than death..."
"Oh, so what?"
Gray Serpent spoke with emotion, but Lin Wei remained unmoved. He gestured with his chin towards the door behind him and sneered.
"Are you trying to say I'm meddling in other people's business?"
"The sacrifice of the many, in exchange for the continuation of the few, this is the price life must pay to survive in this world."
Facing Lin Wei's undisguised sarcasm, Gray Serpent still appeared unconcerned.
"And Mr. Lin Wei's actions are like scooping a fish swept by the waves out of the sea, only to casually toss it back into the water—thinking you're saving it, yet unwilling to pay the corresponding price. The result, naturally, is an inability to change any reality..."
"Finished? Twisting words and forcing logic!"
Lin Wei waited quietly until Gray Serpent's voice completely faded before sneering.
"It was clearly you who targeted that girl's so-called 'value,' insisting on leading her down this path, forcibly distorting the life trajectory she should have had, and now you're using her to lecture me?"
"Could it be that returning to an ordinary life is so 'valueless' in your eyes? Must she join Anti-Entropy or Schicksal before your World Serpent dares not easily target them?"
"Hehe, it seems Mr. Lin Wei has a different opinion."
Facing Lin Wei's undisguised mockery, Gray Serpent remained unfazed. He merely glanced at Yuno standing behind him and chuckled.
"Could it be that you intend to take her away from World Serpent again, perhaps even keep her by your side like this girl next to you?"
"Heh, Gray Serpent, isn't this uninteresting probing of yours over yet?"
Lin Wei sneered coldly.
"According to your logic, if I have to be responsible for every person I save, then for the tens of thousands of survivors in Manila, should I also inquire about them one by one?"
"Stop trying to frame me with things like 'hero' or 'savior.' I have more important things to do, more important friends to save. I have no time, nor interest, to play such boring games with you!"
Lin Wei reiterated his principles indifferently.
"I don't mind lending a hand to those in distress, but that is neither my responsibility nor my obligation. Everyone's life is ultimately their own responsibility—to decide their own future path, this is a right every living person should have!"
Pausing, Lin Wei then revealed a dangerous, cold smile.
"According to what you just said, for dangerous organizations like your World Serpent, which disregards life and casually manipulates others' lives, should I decisively take action to completely destroy you? To seek justice for the dead and eliminate the scourge for the living—Mr. Gray Serpent, do you want me to do that?"
As Lin Wei spoke, he slowly extended a hand, as if inviting Gray Serpent to answer, or as if ready to summon Pandora at any moment to fulfill his earlier words.
"Hehe, Mr. Lin Wei wouldn't do that."
Facing Lin Wei's threat, Gray Serpent merely smiled faintly, unconcerned.
"After all, what the existence of World Serpent means to this world, no one should know better than you, sir."
"Heh, that's true. I temporarily can't find a reason to completely strike at your World Serpent."
Lin Wei said indifferently.
Although he didn't want to admit it, this World Serpent organization, inherited from the Previous Era, still hiding in the shadows and committing various crimes against humanity, was in fact the entire civilization's greatest ballast, even pushing Otto and Schicksal to a secondary position.
Lin Wei didn't want to cause greater trouble for himself and this world for a moment's gratification, which was why he was patiently sitting here talking with Gray Serpent—if it was about "settling scores," it wouldn't be too late to slowly go through old accounts one by one when everything had settled down in the future!
"Of course. After all, there is still an ongoing transaction between us."
Gray Serpent said in his booming voice, proactively trying to ease the tense atmosphere between himself and Lin Wei.
After all, it wasn't just World Serpent that made Lin Wei feel troubled. In World Serpent's view, Lin Wei, who carried the Key of Corruption and was himself cunning and unpredictable, was also a troublesome fellow.
If that guy were just a madman who would randomly pull the trigger, it would be one thing. But he had always hidden himself extremely deeply, the Divine Key half-revealed, half-concealed, held back but not unleashed, which made people even more wary.
Of course, this restraint and forbearance were, in themselves, a highly commendable strategy.
Thus, both sides held their trump cards, mutually wary, while also acknowledging the extremely high "united front value" in each other—this bizarre balance was the current subtle relationship between Gray Serpent and Lin Wei...
"A transaction? Exactly, I have a new transaction I need to discuss with you now."
Seeing Gray Serpent proactively end the dangerous conversation that could have violently broken down at any moment, Lin Wei was also happy to relax. He spread his hands and said,
"I need a well-equipped biological laboratory. Before some inevitable things arrive, I still have some private matters to attend to."
"..."
Yuno was stunned upon hearing this, then a slight pang of sourness welled up in her heart. She hadn't expected Lin Wei to be so concerned about her affairs, planning for her immediately after leaving the Elysian Realm.
"Oh? That's a small matter. But for business dealings, what are you prepared to exchange, sir?"
Gray Serpent glanced at Yuno, whose expression had subtly changed, and said calmly,
"Could it be that you, sir, are planning to retake the Second Divine Key and return it to me?"
"Hehe, Gray Serpent, let's not beat around the bush. The Second Divine Key falling into Otto's hands, isn't this something you were happy to see?"
Lin Wei chuckled, exposing Gray Serpent's pretense.
"Otherwise, how could Otto have obtained it so smoothly, without any obstruction at all?"
In the original timeline, the Second Divine Key Otto obtained was incomplete from the beginning, and Kevin had never wielded this Divine Key before falling into the Sea of Quanta. Therefore, the one who had the opportunity to dismantle it, after Su also secluded himself in the Sumeru Precept, was Gray Serpent, who had access to the Second Divine Key from the outside...
"Oh? If it's not the Second Divine Key, then what are you prepared to use as a bargaining chip for this transaction, sir?"
Gray Serpent asked calmly. Based on his understanding of Lin Wei, what this fellow said next would definitely not be anything good.
"Mr. Gray Serpent, there's a saying that goes well—when you have the ability to create chaos, 'stability' itself can be sold as a commodity..."
Lin Wei smiled faintly and said,
"Since pushing me in front of Otto was a masterpiece directed by your World Serpent, then as the saying goes, 'joy shared is joy doubled.' When I have a friendly exchange with Overseer Otto next, I should also have the right to reveal some news about our 'new friends,' shouldn't I?"