I am a hero of the former civilization.

Oh no, I've been scammed.

She tried her best to turn around, but she froze halfway through because a hand crackling with electricity had penetrated her defenses and was pressed against her fair neck.

“Sakura, I won.” Ryan leaned forward, his hand pressed against the girl’s neck. Even a fusion warrior can’t survive without a head.

Sakura instinctively gripped the sword tightly, her waist twitching as if she were about to sever Ryan's hand. After a moment, she loosened her grip on the hilt somewhat dejectedly and exhaled a breath of stale air.

"As expected, your strength still far surpasses mine."

She wasn't stupid. Although Ryan hadn't gone easy on her, it was more like he was testing her skills.

This man is not only good at close combat. If he really wanted to defeat an assassin like me, he could have easily kept his distance and tortured me. There was no need to fight in my area of ​​expertise.

In other words, she lost even in terms of 'skill'.

“I’m just more proficient with the ability. Once you’ve fully mastered the power of the Yaksha, the outcome will still be uncertain.” Ryan slowly lowered his hand, a satisfied smile on his face.

As expected of a hero bearing the inscription of 'Moment', once he fully masters this power and integrates it into his skills, his combat strength will undoubtedly be among the top tier in the previous civilization.

These words made Sakura feel much better. She suddenly realized that she might have set her goals too high.

Previously, he would have been killed by this man in a single encounter, but now he can actually fight him to a standstill. This is the tangible power that comes with strength, as if one can hold their destiny in their own hands.

“It seems I don’t need to explain this principle anymore.” Ryan raised his hand, and under the influence of electromagnetic force, the Crimson Sky sword, which had flown into the sky, fell into his palm. With a bright sword flower, it was sheathed with a 'whoosh'.

Meeting the fearful and disgusted gazes from afar, the man's tone was resolute.

"So what if the whole world rejects me, as long as I gain the power of the protective bell?!"

Chapter 132 Giving her face by calling him Commander

Psychological counseling is a rigorous science. If Ryan starts by nagging and using his verbal skills, Sakura might get annoyed. But it would be better to hit him first and talk to him later.

Power, the power to change destiny.

Sakura looked at her outstretched palm; her skin was still fair, making it hard to believe that a fierce battle capable of altering the landscape had just erupted.

Two seconds later, the hateful stares didn't seem so irritating anymore. The negative emotions were released, and Ryan's words revealed the answer.

"Yes, I came this far to protect Rin. For my last remaining loved ones, I am willing to go against the whole world."

As Ryan said, as long as Rin doesn't mind, what does it matter if he grows a pair of ears or doesn't take human form?

"I understand. I really don't need to care about other people's opinions. Even though you've become a monster, you still live your own life. But why do you always help me?"

What do you mean I've become a monster?

Ryan chuckled. He looked at Sakura, whose expression was firm but whose gaze was gentle. She smiled and stretched her shoulders.

He only provides this kind of psychological counseling to his friends. As the saying goes, time reveals true character. After spending several months with Sakura, he had long regarded this gentle girl as a friend.

"Partners are for mutual benefit, but friends should help each other, just like when you were in Singapore, you helped me wholeheartedly."

"I for everyone, everyone for me?" Sakura gently curled the corners of her lips and smiled tenderly, her mind suddenly clear. "Ryan, I feel like you and Dr. Mebius are sometimes alike."

"How is it similar?"

"Sometimes cruel, sometimes gentle, sometimes eccentric, making it hard to tell which one is the real you."

Ryan was slightly lost in thought, and after being reminded like that, it seemed to be true.

"I might have been influenced by her a little bit, which is a good thing. If a person only has one face, that would be too boring." He wiped his hair and sighed, "You should treat friends with one face and enemies with another. I really enjoy the complexity of human nature."

Just as Sakura was pondering what to do, Ryan had already walked towards the research institute with his sword and saw the soldiers who were watching.

No one dared to meet his gaze. Some tried to sneak away, but their legs felt like they were made of lead and they could only watch helplessly as the man approached.

There was no need for bluster or cowardice; the shattered Gobi Desert was the best testament to his power. Ryan simply walked into the crowd, stood before a young girl dressed as a clerk, and extended his hand to her in shock.

It was such a slow movement that the girl almost drew her gun, only to watch helplessly as Ryan took out a communicator from his pocket, which was lit up with a green light, clearly still in communication mode.

"Don't be nervous, I didn't mean anything by it." Ryan gave a friendly smile, picked up the headset, and said indifferently, "Commander-in-Chief, are you satisfied with what you've seen?"

The remaining damage caused the communication to crackle, and after a long silence on the other end, a magnetic male voice finally came through.

“Dr. Ryan, it’s been almost five years since we last spoke.”

“Yes, the last time we met, you were just a councilor.” Ryan, holding an earpiece, walked straight through the crowd. “Lord Karius, I’m curious, why haven’t you summoned me for so long?”

"Hehe, with your current reputation, summoning you would make many people nervous, just as I have always kept my distance from Miss Alicia."

The answer was clever, seemingly very considerate of both of their positions, but Ryan knew that this person was very ambitious.

Offering a meal, beheading, or taking someone as a dog—all three paths lead nowhere, so why waste time and create awkwardness for each other?

Ryan liked this kind of smart person and replied with some emotion, "You really have a lot of magnanimity. To be honest, I'm already a threat now, aren't I?"

"No, it is your power that compels me to maintain my composure. As for threats, it depends on who they target. Whether it's for me personally or for all of humanity, I can distinguish which is more important." Karius was frank, with no need to hide anything. "I have already witnessed your power, as well as that of Miss Sakura. It's enough to make some people back off, but please remember:"

"This is a choice made from a human perspective. If you cross the line, the Flame Chaser will do everything in its power to destroy you, because you are more terrifying than a Herrscher."

They spoke with righteous indignation, but there was nothing wrong with it. Nobody was a fool; they knew that Ryan and Alicia were special and fundamentally different from the Fusion Warriors.

"Yes, you don't need to worry about my stance, but you should also remember that I need the Fire Moths to always remain patient, since we are also standing on the side of humanity. If you cross the line, I will reassess the value of the Fire Council."

There wasn't a single harsh word exchanged; the tone was calm and even devoid of any threat. Everyone was simply stating a fact:

The main contradiction is the collapse, and internal strife will only hasten the extinction of humanity. Ryan believes that the Fire Chaser Council still has value.

“I understand, but I can’t guarantee it.” Karius sighed. He had too many things to balance, including whether or not he had an overwhelming power like Ryan.

“I know your difficulties, but this is the price you pay for gaining power.”

Ryan didn't say much. He crushed the communicator into powder, then spread his hands and scattered the powder into the wind.

To be honest, his previous alibis were just for show. Some things may seem troublesome, but they have to be done.

If I were to actually overturn the table, I would have to kill a lot of people, killing until the moths chasing the flame collapsed on the spot, killing until the branches in various places became kings and fought for supremacy. It would be exhilarating, but I would lose a lot.

"Commander-in-Chief? He put pressure on you?" Sakura walked over at this moment, not having heard all the conversation.

“Give him face and call him Commander-in-Chief; if you don’t, you can just send him to his grave. We’re not even sure who’ll end up working for whom.” Ryan chuckled, then asked abruptly, “If one day we were to take action against him, would you follow me?”

“Yes, I am yours.” Sakura answered without hesitation, not noticing the ambiguity in her words, and gently shook her head: “But you won’t do it.”

"why?"

"Because the Moth of Fire has seven divisions, thirty-five branches, 520,000 employees, and millions of collaborators, you and Mei alone cannot control it. Even if you kill a river of blood, it won't work. People won't be convinced."

"Destroying an order is easy, but rebuilding it is incredibly difficult. And you have always been a very responsible person who doesn't act impulsively."

“Smart. To start a bloodbath at this time would make you an enemy of humanity, a traitor to the Honkai. But I also want to remind you—” Ryan blinked and turned to leave.

"This doesn't mean it will happen in the future."

The man's steps were light, and he had already calculated everything. He was not a butcher who only knew how to talk with a knife. In the vast future, there were two things that could make the councilors wise and shrewd.

One is called precepts, and the other is called the authority of knowledge!

Well......

Just as Ryan was giving her psychological counseling, Mebius opened her eyes. Her emerald green eyes narrowed slightly because of the overhead light. She paused for a moment, as if she had been awakened by a previous memory.

I haven't slept this comfortably in a long time; it felt like hibernation.

Mebius glanced at the digital clock beside him and realized that only a few hours had passed. The time was short, but it felt like he had slept for months.

'What good luck! This side effect is nothing to worry about. Could it be thanks to that guy's genes?' Mebius stroked his smooth chin, his teeth gradually hardening.

She didn't know, and that bastard wouldn't tell her, it was infuriating.

Really... they have absolutely no manners!

She simply stood up, pulled down her stockings, unbuttoned her shirt, and stood in front of the full-length mirror, looking at her own body.

With delicate collarbones, fair and smooth skin, long legs, and perfect curves, if beauty is a kind of evolution, she has already taken the lead.

"Humans are strange creatures; sometimes they are swayed by their emotions, and sometimes they can suppress their instincts."

Mebius rubbed his collarbone, puzzled. Logically, he should have found the weakness, so why wasn't he taking the bait?

Sometimes smart people are annoying, and smart people who care too much about their image are even more annoying. How can I get them to surrender obediently while I can save face?

Doodle.

The communicator on the wall rang, interrupting his train of thought. Möbius frowned and picked up the phone.

"Klein, what's the matter?"

"Doctor, you're awake. It's nothing. I just wanted to tell you that Dr. Ryan's battle with Miss Sakura is over."

fighting???

Mebius was full of questions. He had only taken a short nap, so how did he end up fighting again? The surgery was fine.

Why were they fighting?

"Dr. Ryan said that he provided psychological counseling to Miss Sakura, telling her not to worry about the side effects of the fusion surgery."

Oh, just like when I helped that white-haired kid back then.

Mebius understood, but his brows furrowed even more. This bastard was always meddling in other people's business. He should be using that time to help me discover the super-mutant factor.

Hmm, I think I understand now.

Thinking of this, her gaze froze, and she finally understood why Ryan wasn't taking the bait.

There were too many people around him. Leaving aside Alicia and the wooden stake, there was now the assassin lady. There were temptations everywhere, and it seemed that his own attraction was not so strong.

No wonder they're so fearless and deliberately oppose me.

Möbius pondered this more and more, especially after the events in Hawaii, when everyone had arrived, and now, reflecting on Ryan's attitude...

You have no right to interfere in how I am with him, but you cannot take him away before I abandon him.

She simply stopped worrying about the reasons; whatever her feelings for Ryan might be, that was the premise of everything.

Even if he were made into a specimen, he should be kept in my room!

Möbius, suddenly enlightened, chuckled and said, "What are those two doing?"

"Having dinner in the lounge and checking the Starlink system."

Starlink Möbius knew that the latest detectors were placed in low Earth orbit to form a network, and then worked with ground-based observation stations to detect the sources of collapse, only with added spectral analysis capabilities.

Want to find the Fourth Herrscher? Sure, he already has a lot of cards to play.