I am a hero of the former civilization.

He looked up at the sky and saw countless stars, but the night sky felt more like a cage.

Sitting here watching the sky, if only I could escape this cage I would be free. Alas, I must save my life first before thinking about the future.

Rumbling--

The sound of armored vehicle tracks drilled into my ears, somewhat like the wheels of fate suddenly accelerating.

After a long silence, he simply patted Kevin on the shoulder and answered softly:

"No, you've just woken up from a dream."

Chapter Thirteen: Alicia Has Arrived!

Whether it was a dream or a dream come true, Ryan himself didn't have the answer.

The ruined school, intertwined with the peaceful daily life just hours before, makes it impossible to tell which side is the dream. The world takes a sudden and unexpected turn, leaving no one able to guess what the end will be.

Even the usually optimistic Kevin fell silent. Fools are usually intuitive, and he seemed to sense that this was just the beginning.

"Ryan, is this the real world?" He remained stunned for a long time before finally opening his parched lips.

“Whether before or after, your eyes won’t lie; they are the real world.” Ryan paused, without a trace of arrogance. “What matters is what you want to do and how you’re prepared to face it.”

Kevin fell into thought, while Ryan simply patted him on the shoulder and quietly walked away. Having known him for several years, he knew Kevin was an outgoing, sunny, and strong person. This little thing wouldn't make him panic, much less turn him into a madman.

So how much suffering did he endure in later generations to almost become a living dead?

"You need to talk to him more, Mei."

"Kevin isn't naive; he should figure it out."

"But he's too sentimental. If you die, and Sue and I both die, guess what he'll become?"

Mei fell silent, gazing at the man before her for a long while before finally replying, "I think he will continue on this path with our wishes in mind."

As expected of a couple, they understand each other very well. Indeed, Kevin is the kind of person who likes to carry everything on his shoulders and is easily influenced by those around him, turning from extreme enthusiasm to extreme coldness.

"Alright, let's not talk about such heavy topics. With me here, Kevin might not have turned out that way." Ryan waved his hand with a smile, pulled over a small stool and sat down. "What are you going to do next? If you want to go back to your previous life, I can help you coordinate. You can sign a confidentiality agreement or something and go back. Just keep your mouth shut."

"Pretend nothing happened? You're the one who said you woke up from the dream."

“Haha, you can pretend to be asleep even when you’re awake, there’s no conflict.” Ryan laughed, then looked at the girl in front of him who had no smile on her face, and became serious again. “It seems my question was unnecessary, you’ve already made up your mind.”

Mei is no naive girl. Her long-term research has yielded some evidence, and her research on imaginary space is even of great interest to the moths that chase fire.

The girl's gaze fell on the medical vehicle, where there was a symbol of a moth chasing fire. She muttered to herself, "Some people say that people can't change the world, they can only change themselves to adapt, but I don't believe that. I'm going to change this world back to normal."

May's eyes gleamed with ambition and confidence, which made Ryan smile bitterly.

Well, it wasn't unexpected. A genius like Mei wouldn't just follow the crowd.

"What about Kevin?"

"He...he'll probably come with me, you know he overthinks things, he's always worrying about this and that." Mei hesitated slightly, pursing her lips. "But I don't want him to come. Can you talk to him about it?"

"Forget it, I don't want to get a 'friendship-breaking punch'. You two should sort out your own problems. I can only try my best to let you survive to the end."

"Oh? That sounds like something a savior would say."

"Don't belittle me. I only do what I can handle. Besides, I'm just a researcher with no strength to even kill a chicken." Ryan pulled out a pair of frameless glasses from somewhere, put them on, and slowly stood up. "People from the Firemoth headquarters have come. They want to invite you to officially join us."

A researcher? The researcher who demolished the teaching building?

Mei didn't know where to begin complaining, so she turned her head and saw a man in the shadows wearing sunglasses and a sharp suit, who practically had the word 'secret agent' written all over his face.

The man noticed the gaze, bowed slightly, and made a gesture of 'please'.

Are we finally able to understand the truth of this world?

Mei looked at him without nervousness or fear, but rather with excitement and a deep-seated sense of mission.

"Kevin, come with me."

"Oh, okay." The young man snapped out of his daze, looking at the Moth Chaser with some wariness, and then took Mei's hand.

The two left, disappearing from the firelight and into the darkness of the night. Ryan watched from behind, noticing that their hands remained clasped.

Why do I suddenly feel full?

Caught off guard, Ryan was bombarded with another mouthful of dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing public displays of affection). He couldn't help but wipe his face. To be honest, sometimes he was quite envious of these two people who seemed to be living a fulfilling life. At least they wouldn't be alone when life took a turn for the worse. But this envy was quickly forgotten.

'My power isn't enough to protect too many people, and now a new mystery has emerged.'

After calming down, Ryan began to consider the course of this disaster. Did the particle collision experiment cause the collapse, or did the collapse lead to the failure of the experiment? If the experiment caused the collapse, was it related to my proximity to the collision point?

Countless pieces of information flashed through Ryan's mind. He reached out to warm himself by the campfire, standing like a statue, his brows sometimes furrowed and sometimes relaxed.

He's developed a habit of making bold assumptions and carefully verifying them over the years, and thinking about it made him laugh.

"It is enough to arouse my attention and suspicion, but I can't find any evidence to prove it unless I conduct more than ten similar experiments, but that's impossible."

There are fewer than ten large particle colliders in the world, and he was able to reach a conclusion. The Moth of Fire could also sense something was wrong. If it discovered that it could attract Honkai, it would definitely be humanely destroyed.

"Forget it, let's put this issue aside for now. Even if I knew the conclusion, it wouldn't change anything. But what I gained this time..."

Ryan closed his eyes and focused all his attention. In a daze, he seemed to see an invisible path breaking through the sky and reaching the sea of ​​stars.

Exploring, understanding, building, connecting—every detail of the battle with the Honkai Emperor flashed through Ryan's mind. He had a strange feeling, as if he had become that Honkai Beast and sensed an indescribable space.

This feeling......

His fingers twitched slightly, then he opened his eyes, his pupils contracting because of the campfire in front of him, and in an instant, the corners of his mouth turned up.

Click.

A crimson arc of electricity flashed across the campfire, and a broken piece of wood shattered into fragments in the middle, as if it had been severed by a blade of energy.

"Another step forward. Next, we should find a secluded place to slowly digest this power before using it in the next exploration."

He slowly clenched his fist, and unintentionally remembered Mei's words.

"Does she want to change the world back? I'm not that greedy, but I'm slowly gaining that power."

When you're poor, you should focus on your own well-being. Ryan was very clear about his future. Before he could think about it further, footsteps came from behind him again.

"Kevin?"

He didn't expect the guy to come back, walk straight through the blockade, and shove something hot into his hand. Looking down, he saw it was a bucket of instant noodles.

"I suddenly remembered that you didn't eat dinner tonight, so I asked the soldiers for some. Eat it while it's hot."

Still a human being.

Ryan stared blankly at the other person for several seconds before he came to his senses: "You've joined the Firemoths too?"

"Yes, they agreed. It's just a pity that I can't stay with Mei. I have to go to some basic training. Don't worry, I won't lose to you. Just leave your back to me."

The young man's confusion vanished, and he returned to his usual optimistic and cheerful self. Ryan opened his mouth, but didn't know how to answer him.

"Eat quickly, I have to go now. You keep up the good work, that major said I'm very qualified, don't let me surpass you!"

After saying that, Kevin ran off and disappeared into the night, leaving Ryan dumbfounded.

This guy has actually become so grumpy, even though he's just a greenhorn.

Ryan didn't know what to say. He only felt that the night wind was cold, but his hands were warm, and through his shirt, his chest felt warm too.

He suddenly felt quite lucky tonight, not only because his strength had increased further, but also because he seemed to have come to understand a new truth:

If I'm the only one who survives to the end, then there's no point in it.

.........

buzzing.

The experience of riding in a military transport plane is not pleasant. The dull sound of the propellers is unsettling, and the hard seats combined with the bumpy ride make your buttocks ache.

'Sigh, I should have told you to take a commercial flight, but the Doctor insisted on saving money by hitchhiking.' Blanca rubbed her plump buttocks and quietly raised her head. Dr. Möbius had been in a bad mood ever since they boarded the plane.

On the one hand, the ride was terrible, and on the other hand, Miss Alicia was like a curious child, asking all sorts of questions along the way, from the lifting structure to the principles of clouds. Möbius was too lazy to answer such elementary school questions.

Blanca looked up and saw Mebius reading a report. She first raised an eyebrow, then showed some interest.

"I knew it. That guy was definitely suspicious. He even managed to kill the Honkai Emperor. That's really interesting."

"Mebius, you're so noisy! Do you really want to chat with me?" Alicia rubbed her eyes and found that Mebius was actually smiling at her, which was quite rare.

"Alice, I have to thank you. If I hadn't gone to Changkong City with you, he would have gotten away again."

"Doctor, what's wrong?"

"Look at the report from the Far East branch. I never expected to be so lucky. Even Mei has joined the Fire Moths."

Blanca ignored the doctor, picked up the document and saw that it was indeed a report from the Far East Branch, which detailed the collapse of Chiba Academy and included photos of some of the people involved.

Ryan, May, and Kevin are all available, but Mebius doesn't take Kevin seriously, only caring about the first two. Ryan aside, Dr. May is also a rising star she values.

How many times has this happened around him? What a coincidence!

Mebius looked out at the sea of ​​clouds and couldn't help but laugh. She was a very persistent person; the more forbidden something was by the authorities, the more she cared about it.

Alicia peeked out and saw several photos of people and a pile of ruins. She paused for a moment, then suddenly clapped her hands.

"not good."

"What's wrong with you now?" Mebius turned her head to look at her; she hated being interrupted.

"Kong is in Changkong City. I remember he's still in school. Could he be from Qianyu Academy? No, I have to contact him." The girl's eyes were filled with worry.

I'm thinking about these inexplicable things again.

Mebius, unable to understand, began to calculate on his own.

Even the Far East branch couldn't contain him; he must have made a deal with the higher-ups. There's no way he can follow the normal procedures.

Then use some extreme measures? No, even with the minimum strength, killing a Honkai Emperor would require at least several hundred troops. How could I possibly have the authority to mobilize an army?

As a researcher, she really didn't have the power to suppress the other party. If she used some underhanded tricks, she was worried that her superiors would list her as a defector. Without the funding for the Moth of Fire project, how could she explore the truth?

Just as she was having a headache, she caught a glimpse of the girl opposite her out of the corner of her eye. Alicia was sending messages at lightning speed, showing concern for her friend.

friend?

Mebius was taken aback, but then an idea came to him.

Yes, my experiment has hit a bottleneck, so I went to Changkong City on vacation. You won't allow me to study it, could it be—