For humanity, burn the stars.

My heavy breathing became easier, but my mental fatigue had not yet been eliminated.

Li Lin raised his eyes, and his blurry vision gradually focused.

The first thing that catches his eye is a small, elegantly designed purple aircraft hovering not far in front of him.

Then, two figures floated down from the opened hatch.

Deep purple, skin with a glaze-like sheen under the light, the way it floats and moves...

And the distinctive, slender, soft organ on their heads, swaying slightly like a fiber optic cable—these features quickly made Li Lin recognize their identities.

[Vera]

Li Linshang's somewhat hazy consciousness instantly cleared, and his huge frog-like pupils contracted slightly.

This is the race in the game "Star Ocean" that transforms Earth's humans into shell-like beings.

At the same time, it is also the true ruler of this planet beneath our feet, no, this hell.

His throat bobbed, and from his grotesque, vertically split mouth, he managed to utter a few distorted syllables:

"Who are you...?"

His voice was hoarse and strange, because speaking Chinese using this structure was a very difficult thing.

However, it was this strange and distorted Chinese that made Luke and Varian, who were about to approach for observation, stop in their tracks.

They looked at each other and began to communicate:

"Did you hear that?"

"...Yes, I heard you."

"There's no mistake, although it sounds strange, it's undoubtedly the Chinese language, which belongs to humankind!"

"But...but there shouldn't be any shell beings who have inherited any language!"

Of course, from Li Lin's perspective, it was just that the fiber optic organs on their heads were swinging violently.

After a brief and chaotic exchange, one of the Veras looked at him and then flicked his whiskers.

But Li Lin could only watch it quietly, unable to understand what it was trying to convey.

Vera, observing his reaction, seemed to realize the problem.

One of its tentacles gently touched its neck, brushing against an inconspicuous silver ring.

The next moment, a clearly identifiable Chinese language, synthesized by a machine, entered Li Lin's ears:

"Now...can you understand?"

Luke stared at Li Lin with its eyes, its optical organs tilting slightly forward, and a smile appeared on its face.

Li Lin remained silent for a moment, looking at that smile that was different from that of a human, and felt uncomfortable.

Feeling the life force continuously replenished by the gel behind him, and witnessing the unimaginable unfolding before him, he slowly nodded.

"very good."

Luke's synthesized voice continued to play:

"Then, can you tell me?"

Why did you tear off the shell that you rely on to survive?

"This behavior is tantamount to self-destruction."

Li Lin's voice was still hoarse, but calm; he felt no regret even though he had just nearly died from it.

"My back... feels so heavy."

"It's so heavy I can hardly breathe."

Luke's expression changed slightly, and he continued to ask curiously:

"You mean... the shell on your back?"

Li Lin nodded silently, then said, word by word as clearly as possible:

"Yes……"

"I can't get rid of this shell, and the thought of it is driving me crazy."

Varian also activated the translator and moved closer, its synthesized voice sounding puzzled:

"The scans show that the crustacean is symbiotic with your physiological structure, providing protection and some life-sustaining functions."

"Moreover, it seems that weight was taken into account from the initial design stage, and it was designed to be so as not to affect mobility."

"Feeling 'heavy'? That sounds more like a... psychological description."

Varian's fiber optic organ coiled up, seemingly unable to comprehend it.

"You probably... are indeed experiencing a mental breakdown."

"Your life form has become one with the shell; you cannot live without it."

"Perhaps, as you said, you really are crazy."

"If we hadn't happened to be passing by and provided treatment, you would be a corpse by now."

As Varian explained the necessity of the 'shell' from a completely rational perspective, Li Lin stared intently at them, his strange, enormous frog eyes flashing with anger.

He struggled to get up from the gel covering his entire body and propped himself up from the ground.

Li Lin spoke slowly and deliberately, using all his strength and clenching his teeth as he declared to the aliens before him:

"I am...human!"

"Humans don't have shells!"

At Li Lin's low growl, the air seemed to freeze for a moment.

Varian was somewhat dazed, his whiskers swaying unconsciously, and his synthesized sounds were a little hesitant:

"Humans..."

"Perhaps..."

"But that's in the past. Now, here, there are only 'shell people'."

In contrast, Luke's fiber optic organ oscillated constantly, displaying its vibrant energy.

Clearly, its interest in Li Lin was completely ignited.

"A 'shell person' who still considers himself human..."

"You're a weirdo, actually thinking you're still human!"

Its floating body began to spin on its own, its whiskers swaying, so much so that even the synthesized sound carried a hint of pleasure.

"The existence of this perception is completely inconsistent with the behavioral logic set for the 'shell people'."

"Mental castration should erase the identification with 'humanity' and past memories..."

"You shouldn't even know the word 'human'."

Luke stopped moving, suddenly becoming completely still, staring intently at Li Lin.

"The fact that such thoughts even arises is already unbecoming of someone who belongs in the Shell World."

"Logically speaking, this is a huge problem, and may even require a 'cleanup' of the entire 51st district."

"But...that's fantastic! An outlier like you is exactly what I need!"

Luke maneuvered the levitation device closer, looking down at Li Lin, who was propping himself up.

The smile on its smooth, purple face was almost distorted.

Even in its own view, this is a way of expressing goodwill and joy.

"I can see that you are extremely dissatisfied with your identity as a 'shell person'... to the point of being willing to commit suicide."

"Then tell me..."

Its synthesized sound is lowered, carrying a seductive quality:

"Do you want... to regain your human body?"

"A true human form, as recorded in historical documents."

Li Lin's body trembled almost imperceptibly, the tingling sensation from the gel repair on his back seemingly overwhelmed by the immense impact of those words.

His huge frog eyes stared intently at Luke, trying to discern the truth and intention behind his words.

Restored to human form...

This was his deepest, yet most impossible, desire since he transmigrated.

But at the same time, this was also the last glimmer of hope that sustained him as he lingered on in this hell.

Now, it's been said directly by Vera, and it doesn't seem to be a big deal.

Li Lin's voice was filled with disbelief and wariness as he whispered:

"...Can you do it?"

Luke's tentacle gracefully circled in the air and swayed in front of Li Lin.

"I can help you."

"However, there is one condition."

really.

Li Lin sneered inwardly, staring at Luke as he spoke:

"...Tell me your conditions first."

Even in the depths of despair, a cold, sharp edge still sprouted within him.

If he had to bow down to these executioners who destroyed human civilization and become a slave even more pathetic than the "shell people," he would rather die.

Li Lin does not acknowledge that the current "shell people" are still human, but that does not mean he does not acknowledge the humans who were wiped out by the Vera.