I am a hero of the former civilization.

The supersonic transport plane was hurtling through the clouds. Sakura sat upright, knowing that Ryan was among the Fourth Herrscher's targets, and that such high-altitude flight was actually very dangerous.

Ryan could tell what she was thinking from her tense and wary expression. She was the perfect assassin and a competent bodyguard.

"Relax, she's no match for the two of us, and she's very good at assessing risks."

"Phew, that sounds a bit more reassuring." Sakura breathed a sigh of relief. She suddenly remembered that even if the plane exploded, she wouldn't die.

"No, that's precisely what makes it terrifying. The ultimate goal of battle is to preserve yourself while killing the enemy."

Ryan casually remarked, flipping through the files in the information terminal. The terminal was now encrypted, and the Fire Moth wasn't stupid. If the Herrscher knew how to use it, wouldn't the entire map be revealed?

He read very quickly, the data flashing by in the reflection of his glasses, and he basically got an impression of what was happening in Britain.

The moment the source of the Honkai appeared, the high-altitude drones of the Fire Moth went to investigate, but found nothing except the towering waves of the North Atlantic.

The ocean is the best hiding place for Honkai. Even the lowest-level Honkai beasts do not need to breathe. As long as their physical strength can withstand the water pressure of the deep sea, they can dive as deep as they want.

It's definitely a complete change, and I can even smell a conspiracy.

Ryan tapped his thigh with his fingers, unafraid of the challenge, having already acknowledged the collapse of his rationality.

If it doesn't bring out the Herrscher of Binding, in its current state, it would send as many as it comes, and even a monster with continental-level destructive power like the Seventh Herrscher wouldn't be a concern for Ryan.

Originally, the Seventh Herrscher only faced Kevin, who was living on the brink of death. Now, Ryan can use dozens of Fusion Warriors to forcefully surround her and grind her into powder, one slice at a time.

So I gather my troops, and you gather your subordinates accordingly. It's like a reaction force; the greater the force applied, the stronger the reaction.

Ryan grinned, and his smile sent a chill down Sakura's spine, as if she had seen a chess player. She then turned her gaze to the seat opposite her.

The seats in this military transport plane were arranged longitudinally, but there were only two people on their side, while more than a dozen people sat opposite them, all heavily armored and equipped with various annihilation weapons.

In contrast, the two men, one in a white coat and the other in a low-cut T-shirt, looked like ordinary people hitchhiking if it weren't for the straight swords and long knives hanging at their waists.

The gazes of the people opposite her were fixed on her ears, making Sakura shift her body uncomfortably, and her expression became even colder and harder.

Her little trick didn't escape Ryan's notice, so she put aside her thoughts and glanced at the people opposite her.

They practically have the word 'fighting machine' written all over their faces.

Ryan glanced at the insignia on their armor, which was a moth-to-a-flame design with a flame-like '1' in the center.

"The Sword of Punishment, First Squad?"

"Yes, Dr. Ryan, I am Captain Vinal."

The man in the center nodded slightly, removed his helmet, revealing long purple hair and a face full of scars, then leaned forward and extended his right hand.

Oh, so this is what it means to have "I'm an elite" written on your forehead.

Without hesitation, Ryan leaned forward and shook hands with the other person, saying with interest, "I've heard of you. You were very active during the rainforest extermination campaign and rescued several besieged cities."

The Honkai is now a global disaster, and it can never be eradicated. It's far more difficult than what's reported on TV, and humanity has already abandoned many areas.

"Oh my, I didn't expect you to have heard of our mass-produced goods." A slightly shrill female voice rang out, a tone that reminded Ryan of Möbius.

"Freya!"

"Yes, yes, I shouldn't have interrupted." The girl shrugged and buried herself in watching TV.

Besides the silver-haired girl, Ryan also glanced at the young woman beside her. She was sweet-looking with blonde hair, and not only her hair color, but also the air of a well-bred young lady.

He looks somewhat familiar; he seems to be one of the blind dates Wayne arranged for him.

He had a vague impression of her, and was quite surprised to see her here. After all, his blind date was someone from the powerful and wealthy class, so why would she undergo such a high-risk fusion surgery?

The girl clearly recognized Ryan, but the two didn't speak. They simply nodded slightly as a greeting, accompanied by sweet smiles.

That smile confirmed Ryan's suspicion that he had seen the photo somewhere before.

“Dr. Ryan, you are one of the leaders of the Fusion Warrior Project, essentially the one who bestowed our power.” The young man glanced at the two of them and said apologetically in a sincere tone, “But I would prefer to preserve the individuality of the warriors, please forgive her rudeness.”

Sincere, polite, and well-mannered.

Ryan waved his hand to indicate that he didn't care, and instead agreed, saying, "Our bodies are developing into something inhuman, so we need to retain our 'human' emotions even more, otherwise we will be assimilated by those Honkai Beasts sooner or later."

“Yes, we are always human, but we must pay a price to gain the power to protect our loved ones.” Vinal smiled, pulling at his scars, which made him look somewhat ferocious.

He also had a good impression of Dr. Ryan, since he himself had become a monster while turning others into monsters.

Bored on the journey, and finding they had taken a liking to each other, Ryan struck up a conversation. It was then that Ryan learned the young man had been fighting in Southern Europe for many years and had even participated in the campaign against the First Herrscher.

These scars are the marks left by that punitive expedition.

"I led a suicide squad on an airdrop, and then the plane was shot down. When I parachuted, I landed right in a fire. Luckily, I had some talent, so I only spent a few months in the hospital." Vinal stroked his scars, the painful memories surfacing in his mind again and again.

"So you were born special too."

“It’s not that special, and there are quite a few people like me. In the past, we were either recruited or imprisoned. This time, the Fusion Warrior Program has given us a chance to choose again.” The young man spread his hands helplessly and smiled with a hint of sarcasm: “After being imprisoned for so many years, most of them have now chosen to cooperate.”

The secret prison for the Fire Moths is no easy place. Rather than going crazy inside, it's better to come out and fight the Honkai.

How many exceptional talents are there in this world?

"One in ten thousand, not too many, not too few, but based on my own experience, most people's abilities can only be considered 'magic'. People like you, Miss Alicia, and Dr. May are too few."

May, Velvet, and others are certainly considered 'superpowered individuals,' their intelligence and calculation abilities far surpassing those of ordinary humans.

Ryan nodded slightly. He had already seen through this problem: most people with talent are quite ordinary and can hardly interfere with reality.

This should be a genetic mutation caused by the collapse. Mei seems to be researching the origin of this problem. If the cause can be found and modified, it might be able to be passed down.

“People with this trait have a higher success rate in fusion surgery, which makes this seemingly useless ability useful.” Ryan muttered to himself, just like Honkai energy adaptability, life and death are determined at the moment of birth. “Vinnar, do you think humans are self-selecting? People without sufficient adaptability don’t even need Honkai beasts to fight them, Honkai disease is deadly enough.”

The young man fell silent. He knew, of course, that the Honkai disease was spreading everywhere and had killed far more humans than Honkai beasts, since the Fire Moths were completely unable to defend against it.

"You mean, even in the most optimistic scenario, only a portion of humanity will survive in the end?"

"Yes, and what the Herrscher needs to do is erase this part as well."

The cabin became oppressive. Reality was cruel; even without Honkai Beasts, their family and friends might not live much longer. As far as they could see, the road seemed endless.

"Even if humanity perishes, we will drag the Honkai Beasts down with us into the abyss!"

A roar made Ryan turn his head slightly and see a young man with gray-blue hair who looked familiar.

"This is Ed, our squad's new recruit. His whole family was killed by Honkai Beasts, and he hasn't recovered despite several psychological counseling sessions." Vinar was a little embarrassed, as his subordinates were practically children compared to the mature and steady Ryan.

Hatred can drive people mad; psychological counseling can't help with that.

Ryan didn't seem to care much. After all, war is war, how can you get by without some hatred? He just smiled and asked, "Are you Japanese?"

"Yes, I used to live in a small mountain village, and then one day, the Honkai Beasts destroyed my hometown. In the end, I was rescued by the Fire Moth." The boy first reminisced, then trembled all over. "So I must wipe out the Honkai completely, leaving not a single one alive!"

The girl chewing gum next to him quickly comforted him, leaving Ryan looking completely bewildered.

Tap tap open, tap tap open with a self-touching motion!

That's true. If Allen came to this kind of world, he would definitely become a madman.

"Your subordinates are indeed very individualistic."

“Yes, everyone is filled with hatred for the Honkai.” Vinar smiled bitterly.

"So if we fight hard enough, at least some of us can survive." Ryan stood up, patted the young man on the shoulder, and pointed ahead. "Cheer up, the raven has arrived."

Everyone looked up and saw a huge black shadow appear in front of the transport plane, flying above the clouds.

It was a silver-black sky warship with two layers: the upper layer had forward-swept wings and the lower layer had backward-swept wings.

Sixteen giant turboprop engines were spinning rapidly, providing an almost inexhaustible supply of energy under the action of the Honkai Energy Reactor.

Transport planes look tiny in comparison; with a wingspan of over 300 meters, it's like a flying fortress.

The ASC-03 'Raven' airborne carrier is specifically designed for high-altitude patrols worldwide and serves as the vanguard for the Moths of Fire in their campaign against the Herrschers.

Ryan had seen it when he was in the ocean, and now, observing it up close, he is still amazed by the product of human civilization.

'Those pure-blood factions aren't entirely useless; building such a behemoth can't be accomplished through theoretical research alone.'

This requires thousands of factories, and then countless wind tunnel tests.

He saw the lights on the lower deck flashing, the tail section opening to reveal a passageway, and then the transport plane plunged into it.

Once the tailhook engages the arresting cable, the aircraft rapidly decelerates under the action of the electromagnetic flywheel until it comes to a complete stop. Then, the robotic arm grips the landing gear and slowly moves to a certain location without the need for pilot control.

beep.

The alarm lights came on, and the elevator began to descend.

Ryan looked out the window with great interest, seeing the complex mechanical structure and the staff holding up 'glowing sticks'. Finally, the transport plane was placed in the hangar, while in the busy hangar, fighter jets were being lifted onto the runway and others were being recovered.

The sight of machinery and electronic equipment filled Ryan with a sense of regret.

Given time, they might actually be able to build a Gundam.

Chapter 135 To This Strange World

He thoroughly enjoyed the sci-fi blockbuster-like spectacle, thinking to himself that since the Fire Moth had already solved the energy and material problems, it wasn't abrupt for it to point out this technological advancement.

Unfortunately, one Law of Domination and one Law of Corruption were rendered useless.

"Dr. Ryan, is this your first time visiting Raven?"

“Well, there are only three in the world, so it’s not easy to get a ride.” Ryan regained his calm expression and picked up his luggage. “Let’s go. With this air carrier, our mobility will be guaranteed.”

Just then, the hatch opened, and Ryan and Sakura walked in front and saw a group of people in uniforms already waiting there.

The Moths also had military ranks, led by a colonel with bronze skin and a full white beard, who looked quite valiant. When he saw Ryan come out, he stepped forward and gave a crisp military salute.

“Dr. Ryan, I am Captain Heinrich of Raven III. I have been waiting for you for a long time.”

This guy is clearly a veteran of the Moth of Flames, an elite initially drawn from the armies of various countries, and is not at all like Kevin.

"Hello, Colonel."

Ryan shook hands with him, followed by Sakura and the Sword of Punishment. Everyone introduced themselves one by one, appearing very energetic. Only then did Captain Heinrich make a 'please' gesture.

"Let's discuss the specifics on the battle bridge."

No one objected, except Ryan, who quickened his pace.

Who will command this operation?

"Commanded by Chief of Staff Carlisle." The colonel glanced at him, then turned and left.

Ryan paused, raising an eyebrow.