I am a hero of the former civilization.

The Honkai energy rubbed against the air, creating a crimson light that shimmered like a path to the stars, before slamming solidly into the crack in the Honkai Beast's chest.

Time seemed to freeze for a moment, and the next instant, the Honkai energy, compressed to its limit, exploded inside the monster's body.

Boom——Long——

Like a torch suddenly bursting into flame, the crooked school building was melted into a hole in the middle, and the spilled shockwave swept away all the dust.

As their vision returned, the fully armed Moth Warriors stopped in their tracks, and Himiko, the leader, craned her neck and instinctively lowered her gun.

She raised her hand somewhat blankly, took a silver fragment from her head—it was the 'flesh and blood' of a Honkai Beast—and then stared blankly ahead.

The teaching building, covering several thousand square meters, had been cut in half from the center. On the pile of ruins, only the incomplete lower half of the Honkai Beast remained. Right in front of the corpse, the black-haired man remained in a forward-leaning position.

Silence reigned, broken only by the occasional gunshot. The Moth Chaser soldiers, clad in black combat uniforms, stood frozen, like statues.

Clang.

The half-body, having lost its energy, fell to the ground and then rolled down the rubble slope like a piece of trash.

At this moment, the man on the ruins finally withdrew his fist and slowly stood up straight. Despite his tattered clothes, he was more imposing than a soldier armed to the teeth.

"This collapse has been ended."

Chapter Twelve, Kevin, It's Time to Wake Up

Disasters are like a movie, just reaching their climax and then suddenly ending, leaving no time to prepare.

Helicopters circled overhead, soldiers with instruments were clearing away the remaining Honkai energy, and the cyber department had been mobilized, deleting trending topics and manipulating public opinion.

The disaster that nearly destroyed a third of the Chiba Academy campus will be turned into a terrorist attack. The government and police departments are already holding press conferences, and the memories of specially reserved death row inmates are being distorted.

Witnesses will also be hypnotized by the equipment. With this professional and efficient method, everything will become an urban legend, and then a few days later, some unlucky top star will be exposed in a scandal to attract the last bit of attention.

After all, for the general public, gossiping is much more interesting than finding out the truth.

"A professional team and efficient aftermath, but how long can they keep fooling the public? Don't you think so, Major Himiko?"

Ryan, dressed in new clothes, sat in his room, sipping steaming coffee, completely at ease.

Opposite him stood a red-haired woman, Himiko, whose face was filled with conflict.

After the battle, Ryan was invited here. Of course, the people of the Fire Moth were very polite, and had no choice but to be.

Even though he knew that the guy had a powerful background and could operate outside the rules, the fact that he single-handedly killed the Honkai Emperor was too big to ignore, so he had to be kept under surveillance.

Without heavy equipment or fire support, if it weren't for the precedent set by the Fire Moth, she would have already considered Ryan a monster.

"Ahem, that's none of Dr. Ryan's concern. We'll just keep it a secret for as long as possible." Himiko paused noticeably when she said "doctor," suppressing her inner grumbling.

What scholar in this world can single-handedly defeat a Honkai Beast? Shouldn't they be tinkering with machines in a laboratory?

"I'm sorry, but I have to ask you to come over. How should I put it? Who knows how to write a battle report!" Himiko seemed a little frantic. Rose quickly pressed her shoulders to calm her down and then took out paper and pen.

"For the sake of my salary, I'd like to ask the Doctor a few questions. For example, how did you defeat the Honkai Emperor, and how did you control Honkai energy? Was it tough fighting that monster?"

The dust was too thick; in Himiko's view, it was simply unbelievable that the Honkai Emperor was killed by a single punch.

My destiny is my greatest secret, how could I possibly tell you? Moreover, my true strength must remain a mystery.

Ryan thought for a moment and then simply replied, "I don't know either. Just like you, among the vast human race, there are bound to be Honkai energy adaptants. In religious terms, they are the chosen ones, just like my classmates who escaped. Each of them is very special."

Himiko immediately thought of the two students. The girl was alright, but the boy was practically an elite soldier. There were reports that he killed two 'knights' with a baseball bat and fought his way through them.

This was already unbelievable enough, but it was nothing compared to the humanoid demolition machine in front of them.

“But you are too special. Even Honkai Energy Adaptors need to undergo long-term training and use heavy equipment to fight against high-level Honkai Beasts.”

"Don't try to fool me. The data on the Firemoth is full of examples of civilians killing Honkai Beasts with their bare hands, and there are also many people with special abilities." Ryan took a sip of coffee and thought of a certain nun whose ability to see through fate was far more fantastical than his own.

So they're either imprisoned or put on the operating table, unlike you who's leisurely sipping coffee.

Himiko put down her pen, her carefree expression vanishing: "Writing reports and applying the experience to the next battle is my duty. You can have a few more cups of coffee to calm down."

She was a little annoyed. This bastard should at least give her some information to report. Moreover, ignoring combat ability, he didn't seem like a student at all. He was clearly a seasoned veteran. Where did he get all this life experience?

"As I said, I have no clue either. By the way, could I go and see those two classmates?"

“No, you’re not like the one at headquarters. You’re not one of the Moths of Flame. If that power gets out of control, it will cause a disaster. I have to keep you here.” Himiko refused without any politeness, and then called out to the person behind her, “Rose, go order two pork cutlet rice bowls and get me two bottles of beer. I’m going to have a late-night snack with Dr. Ryan.”

"But the on-site commander..."

"Just follow the procedure. Take the money and remember to give me change."

Seeing Rose leave in a huff, Ryan's lips twitched slightly. He thought to himself, "This girl isn't trying to slack off, is she? And what she said makes sense."

Honkai Energy Adaptors are not just 'chosen ones'. Judging from the cases of the First and Second Herrschers, Moth of the Flame even suspected that they were the vessels of the Herrschers and was never quite at ease with them.

He was fine with justice, but he was worried about Kevin and May, and wanted to take some time to experiment with what he had just learned from the Honkai Emperor, so he wasn't in the mood for pork chop rice.

"Major, do you really want to know my secret?"

"Of course, if it can be widely adopted, it can save many lives. From another perspective, we are all uncontrollable, just like the suicide squads. Those elite species are precisely the ones who are adapted to Honkai energy." The red-haired woman became more serious, and a few traces of sadness flashed deep in her eyes, as if she had experienced something similar, followed by disgust.

"So I hope you will cooperate. The world is already chaotic enough, and there is no time to take care of everyone's feelings. At least you can join the combat forces and deal with disasters in various places under command."

It seems he wasn't trying to slack off, but rather deliberately trying to get his subordinates away.

Ryan seemed to understand, and shook his head, asking, "Major, you're one of the younger officers, aren't you?"

"Oh? You know that?" Himiko was somewhat surprised. The organization, Moth Chaser, is divided into many factions. The so-called younger generation advocates concentrating all resources to fight against the Honkai.

"So after discovering that I could deal with the Honkai Emperor, you felt you could no longer ignore it, even though you knew I hadn't wasted my time?"

"Yes, time no longer allows us to have our own ideas. Those in power have never been to the front lines of the battlefield, yet they still have the mind to fight for power and profit. Do they really think that's all the Honkai can do?"

Ryan looked at the woman, who was visibly angry, and understood her thoughts. The frontline soldiers saw mountains of corpses and vaguely sensed that the future would become increasingly cruel.

But my destiny cannot be replicated. I must constantly learn about Honkai from battles. That kind of growth potential cannot be discovered, otherwise, the human heart is unpredictable and difficult to control. One such being is enough.

To put it bluntly, I'm not as powerful as Alicia, to the point that even the higher-ups have no choice but to swallow their pride and admit it when they discover a problem. Besides, Alicia has to keep some tricks up her sleeve now.

The thought flashed through his mind, and Ryan interlaced his fingers to support his chin, equally serious.

"Major, let me tell you something, so you can be mentally prepared. Soon you will receive a call from headquarters, conveying instructions from the Fire Chaser Council. They will congratulate you on quelling another disaster, contributing to the future of humanity, and for being loyal to your duties and following the rules."

Himiko lowered her outstretched hand, a hint of mockery in her smile.

“I know that one of the Moths of Fire is your family, but even a powerful family has its limits. This incident proves your importance, and we can't let you roam around freely anymore.”

"Yes, so they'll tell you that I've joined the Firemoth, but I belong to a special unit. Where do you think all those massive supplies came from? Why do politicians from various countries obey orders so readily? Why is the Firemoth the only official organization?"

The woman's smile froze on her face. She seemed to understand something and said stiffly, "Continue."

"So the world is complex, and the enemy is not just the Honkai. You underestimate my value, and you underestimate this world. All freedom is marked with value, and the value I can provide exceeds staying in the laboratory or fighting desperately on the battlefield. At least, that's the current world situation."

Looking at the handsome and composed face of the man in front of her, Himiko moved her lips, wanting to say countless things but not knowing where to begin.

She suddenly understood why Ryan was so calm; he had arranged everything in advance so that he could make a choice based on his own will. No wonder he dared to step forward and play the hero.

The room became extremely quiet until the phone rang. Himiko subconsciously took out her phone and looked at it, her eyes twitching slightly.

He's right.

......

Military vehicles drove across the shattered road, and the terrorist attack was resolved just like that. Needless to say, these were all carried out by the moths chasing the flame.

Ryan stood by the roadside, watching the busy soldiers, his hands in his pockets, and after a long while, he gave a self-deprecating laugh.

Nobody is a fool, and with the Firemoth's superior intelligence system, there are no unsung heroes. That's why he started planning many years ago, all for the sake of this right to act freely. Because Ryan knew how desperate the outcome would be, and that it couldn't be solved by simply following orders and clinging to powerful figures.

He needed both power and knowledge, but more importantly, he needed to keep the secret. And the first rule of survival was not to treat others as fools.

If every battle were recorded by the Fire Moth, then flipping through the files would reveal a problem: someone who struggled to deal with the Knight race ten years ago can now single-handedly kill the Honkai Emperor and would definitely be dissected.

Ryan wasn't so saintly as to dissect himself to benefit humanity, and he knew that such mystical things as destiny were simply beyond the comprehension of humans in this world, so cutting himself off would be pointless.

“Mystery is the best protection. Once the Third Herrscher appears, the Fire Moth, who is overwhelmed with problems, will have no time to pay attention to me. If we wait until the Fusion Warrior project is completed, there will be plenty of ways to make them fill in the blanks.”

However, the coffee at Moth Chaser is really awful.

He glanced at the red-haired woman sitting blankly in the room, then casually walked through the crowd and quickly found a campsite.

Several armored vehicles and a giant medical vehicle formed a circle, with a bonfire lit in the center to ward off the cold. Armed soldiers stood guard on the roofs of the vehicles, and people were constantly being pulled away for treatment by kind doctors. Before long, only a man and a woman remained in the open space.

The girl seemed lost in thought, while the young man curiously looked around, secretly glancing at the guns in the soldiers' hands, just like any boy, unable to resist firearms.

But these soldiers were wearing heavy protective suits, with only their eyes showing. After watching for a while, he got bored.

"Mei, when will they let us leave?"

"I don't know. We saw things we shouldn't have seen, so it's not so easy for us to leave." The girl was very calm, writing and drawing in her notebook.

Kevin tensed up instantly, movie clips flashing through his mind, and he clenched his fists.

"Mei, I will definitely protect you!"

"Relax, Kevin, someone has already taken care of it. You don't need to risk your life." May closed her notebook and watched as Ryan, now wearing a white shirt, crossed the cordon, the soldiers acting as if they hadn't seen him.

"Hey, should I call you a secret agent or a mysterious expert now?"

The conversation was full of sarcasm, making Ryan unsure how to respond. When he saw Kevin looking at him with a strange expression, he could only spread his hands.

"None of that matters. By the way, is this how you two treat your saviors?"

"Well... thank you, you really saved us." Mei gritted her teeth slightly and pointed to the medical vehicles: "You also saved me from being 'treated'."

“That will hurt your brain, and your brain is very important.” Ryan blinked, which was enough for a smart person, and then quickly raised his hand and pressed down on Kevin’s shoulder.

"Stop hugging, I'm not gay."

"Oh, how about we shake hands?"

"Come on, we're friends, why bother with all this formalities?"

Kevin stared blankly at the man in front of him. Many things before might have been false, but this sentence was definitely true.

“Yes, we’re friends.” Kevin completely relaxed, the thrilling battle flashing through his mind. He felt dizzy for a moment and muttered to himself in a daze, “Ryan, am I...am I dreaming?”

A gigantic monster, classmates being corrupted, a school in ruins—he felt many familiar things were becoming strange, as if a bottomless pit was right in front of him, and he had to step into it.

Ryan put his hands back in his pockets, looking at the once sunny and handsome boy who now seemed like a stranger. Fortunately, he was prepared and had no intention of making up lies to comfort him.

Looking around, soldiers in protective suits were carrying body bags, and the 'flesh and blood' of Honkai Beasts were being packed into special containers. The helicopter rotor blades made hair flutter.

Students discussing mobile games and couples holding hands in class have been replaced by soldiers. Occasionally, muffled gunshots rang out, blowing the heads of any stragglers off the line.