With the death of the "Wolf" known as the "Mountain God," the mountain range had vanished, allowing them unobstructed passage to the other side of the island.
Lin had already guessed what Vil-V was thinking. She was a lover of logic, so combat was likely only a small part of her "game." Most of the time, her puzzles could be solved through information gathering and analysis. For instance, they hadn't actually fought the "Wolf," and the descriptions of its speed, strength, and abilities had never come into play.
He suspected the upcoming "Sea God" would be the same. It wouldn't necessarily require combat, or even high-level thinking—Vil-V was, after all, a fan of riddles and brain teasers.
...She really did have a wide range of hobbies.
In short, after three days and nights, Lin and Sakura finally reached the center of the island. Deep within the jungle, which was denser and more disorienting than before, Lin and the others had to be more careful to avoid another snakebite.
"How much longer until we can leave?" Sakura gazed at the full moon, which hadn't changed at all over the three nights. It was like a static asset that performed the same movement regardless of the scene change; its rising and setting were identical every day.
"One day at the earliest, three at the latest." Lin roasted a caught rabbit over the fire. His leg was still bandaged; he had to loosen it periodically to prevent tissue necrosis from lack of blood flow. "Time in reality should be slower. Judging by sensation, the ratio is about one to two."
"I see..."
Sakura stared at the moon in silence.
Although this period was short and uneventful—mostly just traveling—she found it unexpectedly fulfilling. Perhaps it had been too long since she traveled with Lin; she missed this feeling of tacit, wordless understanding between them.
Then, perhaps due to the long period of relaxation, or perhaps because the moonlight was too beautiful tonight, Sakura found herself asking a question—
"Lin, what is your view on people who take the lives of others with ease?"
She had asked a similar question on the ship, but now she wanted to know Lin specific thoughts and his personal philosophy.
Lin turned the rabbit and poked the meat with a knife. He remained silent in the flickering glow of the campfire, seemingly considering how to answer.
Sakura didn't rush him. She continued to admire the moon, or perhaps she was just looking aimlessly at the vast sky to ease her congested heart, waiting for Lin reply.
Caring about the opinions of others is a form of restraint. Many might say not to care about what others think—Mobius, for instance, said such things—yet one of the reasons Mobius hated leaving the house was the constant rumors about her. Even she couldn't entirely escape the weight of perception.
If one had to name someone who truly didn't care, it would probably be Mei.
When the moonlight fell from overhead, illuminating his face, Lin finally spoke. "Do you remember that before The MOTH was reorganized into Mei's organization, it was the Chairman's private force?"
Sakura was stunned. She hadn't expected Lin to bring up this years-old history now. She was the last member of the first generation of The MOTH and the first member of the second.
"Everyone in the first generation of The MOTH was an assassin. Their mission was similar to yours—professionals dealing with 'non-Honkai biological' threats. But unlike the targets you clear, they killed people solely to further the Chairman's goals."
Sakura cleared "malignant tumors." She didn't act for private agendas. But the first-generation members would kill innocents for the Chairman's plans—people from the Fifth Branch, or Spaciel wife and daughter.
Lin had never measured human life by "value." Both Sakura and the first-generation MOTH killed humans. He didn't believe the people Sakura killed were "scum who didn't even count as human" and whose deaths were worth nothing.
But today, Lin also didn't view everyone as strictly equal. In that bubble world, he had seen his own selfishness and realized where his old views were wrong.
He used to be a bit like Mei, viewing humanity as a whole. They wanted to save the entire species, not just one or two individuals.
The difference was that Lin felt everyone was the same, while Mei would "clear" those who hindered the collective—much like how the law convicts people, except this time the "judge" was Mei, or rather, the entirety of Fire Moth.
Even so, Lin still held a different perspective.
"If the act of taking a life easily can be justified, then the act of 'saving' becomes meaningless. Sacrificing one person for a group is no different from sacrificing a group for one person."
"I can understand the necessity of such actions. If no one did these things, then people like the Chairman would have no restraints."
Just because they didn't do it didn't mean others wouldn't.
Thus, Lin view of people like Mobius, Mei, and Sakura remained in a middle ground. Someone had to do it, and they had stepped forward to shoulder that sin. He didn't have to shoulder it himself, nor did he need to justify it, but he had no reason to condemn them.
They were the ones actually solving the Trolley Problem.
All Lin could do was use his own methods to save everyone so that others wouldn't have to kill their fellow humans or solve Trolley Problems anymore. It wasn't a matter of right or wrong. The meaning of life wasn't just that.
They were moving toward the same goal in different ways. For Lin, that was enough.
"I hope that in the future world, lives won't be taken so easily."
"That is all."
...
"Alright, almost done."
After returning to her workshop, Vil-V began sketching and painting on her instruments again. Mobius glanced at her and walked over. "Are you making the device to restore Lin senses?"
"That still needs the data from this experiment. What I'm working on is a project nearing completion."
"Oh? What a coincidence. I also have a project nearing completion."
Mobius was referring to Active Reaction. Currently, Active Reaction was in its final testing phase, and she was still considering who should undergo the first "MANTIS Transformation."
"It's actually been in the planning stages for a long time. It's finally in the assembly stage."
Vil-V showed the blueprints to Mobius.
"This is..."
"A Divine Key," Vil-V said with a smile. "The first Divine Key, Shamash. It's almost finished."