I am a hero of the former civilization.

I felt grateful to someone a thousand times over in my heart.

"Ryan?"

"Well, it's something very important. I'm sorry, you should go back now." Mei bit her lip and resolutely turned around.

There was no other way; some things she had to do herself.

That's pretty much it.

Ryan was unaware that he had ruined someone else's date. He put away his phone and breathed a slight sigh of relief.

He trusted Mei's intelligence. Even if those people deleted the information, they would still leave clues. What he needed to do now was to use a two-pronged approach to dig him out.

Ryan looked up at the dilapidated ceiling, instantly tensed up, and gripped the pistol on the table.

Bang bang bang.

At the same time, a knock was heard on the door. Ryan hesitated for a moment, then opened the door a crack.

Several fully armed gangsters stood outside the door, their guns subtly pointed at him, but they didn't pull the triggers.

"what's up?"

Where were you last night?

survey?

Ryan paused for a moment, then immediately replied, "Sleeping, with a female prostitute, I forgot her name."

The gangster glanced at him, then turned to the hotel owner, who nodded slightly, indicating that there was no problem.

"It's alright, you can go back to sleep." The gangster turned and left, clearly being very impolite. He had only taken a few steps when he heard the tenant behind him asking again.

"What happened?"

He turned his head, his eyes filled with anger: "My boss 'Thorn' is dead. If you have any clues, remember to tell me at 'Black Raspberry' bar. There's a reward."

The words were concise, yet the door remained open for a long time. Ryan stood in the doorway, slowly raising his eyebrows, as if he had seen something interesting.

Thorn, that's the human trafficker. The speed at which he silenced them is ridiculously fast.

He seemed lost in thought. He had originally planned to wait for the other party to return so they could talk, but now he was completely silent. Clearly, the person behind him didn't want him to say too much.

So why not just come after me directly? Right now, I'm demonstrating the combat capabilities of an elite special agent.

Ryan suddenly sensed the malice of the world. It wasn't easy to play dumb and take advantage of others. No enemy was a fool. It must have been that fusion warrior squad that made them wary.

It's okay, I actually enjoy courting death more than you think.

Ryan put away his gun, ignored the warning, went out to the church, and after thinking for a moment, put a few cans of food on the table.

When that lady arrives, consider it compensation for standing me up.

There's no need to drag someone down with them; they can handle that themselves.

Before long, Ryan arrived at the 'church', which looked like a converted art gallery or something similar. It covered several thousand square meters, with a tall dome and a strange sculpture at the very top.

She looks like a woman, except her hair floats up like Medusa's, and instead of snake heads, it has human faces on top.

It was somewhat terrifying, but Ryan had read the information about the Fire Moths. These madmen were not actually connected to each other, and each branch had a different token.

To be honest, apart from frontline soldiers, very few people in the world have ever seen a Honkai Beast, especially the high-ranking Honkai Beasts. They are simply created based on news photos and imagination.

It does have a rather eerie artistic feel, and it's quite effective at intimidating people.

Ryan stepped inside and looked around. He saw rows of benches in the dimly lit church, with quite a few people praying silently.

Some are born religious and genuinely see Honkai Beasts as divine messengers; some are simply unwilling to live and believe that being killed by Honkai has special effects; and some simply pray that they will never encounter these monsters.

Sunlight streamed in through the small windows, casting a hazy glow inside. At the front of the hall stood a sculpture identical to the one on the roof, beneath which was a pulpit, and then—

A figure dressed in a linen robe stood there.

Ryan's pupils contracted, somewhat incredulous, because this was the same one he had seen last night. At such close range, he was almost certain that this thing was not human, but the Honkai energy detector did not emit a sharp alarm.

Who gave you the courage to stand in front of me?

Ryan almost blasted him to smithereens with a lightning spear, but after a moment, he calmed down.

No, this thing's Honkai energy is less than 100 HW, it's not even worthy of carrying the shoes of a Herrscher, so what's with this feeling?

Ryan was an expert at hunting Herrschers, but the scene before him left him momentarily bewildered, though he was certain of one thing:

This is definitely not the Herrscher of Ice or the Herrscher of Death; something must have gone wrong.

Many thoughts flashed through his mind, and then Ryan returned to normal and found an empty seat to sit down.

Since the other party hasn't made a move, it means they haven't discovered my identity. Let's wait and see. If things get really bad, we'll start immediately.

Strength is the foundation of peace of mind. Ryan sat quietly, but his interest was piqued. Before, they all rushed into battle like brutes. He wanted to see what kind of tricks the Honkai would pull.

"Gentlemen, let us begin our sermon today."

The figure on the stage suddenly spoke, his voice hoarse yet carrying a hint of kindness.

"No matter how much the outside world slanders us, we are all guilty: greed, indulgence, cruelty, fear, killing. Humanity rules the world and then inflicts suffering on all things."

"Because of sin, we need to repent, we need to be punished, we need to experience the suffering of livestock, and we need to experience the extinction of species. This is the judgment God has made."

The church was immediately filled with somber voices, and many people were still sobbing, which Ryan naturally scoffed at.

It's the same old twisted logic: first assume you're guilty, then see the tragedy as punishment—what a masochistic mentality.

"Life is inherently filled with injustice and suffering. Why do the rich remain rich? Why do the strong have the power to plunder the weak? Why is it only the weak who are required to follow the rules?"

"So-called civilization is a cage, restricting us from resisting. Even if we are pushed to the limit, those who resist now will become plunderers in the future. This is a flaw that human civilization cannot solve."

"Therefore, God sent messengers to shatter this tragic cycle completely. Civilization is tragedy itself, the very cancer that creates everything. You should remember this—"

"Only destruction and death are equal!"

"Only destruction and death are equal."

A chorus of voices rang out. Ryan didn't speak, but he didn't refute either. He actually found that this twisted logic made some sense and fit the mindset of the abandoned district.

At least in their eyes, the fire-chasing moths did not protect themselves, and the world was divided into two completely different parts: one hell and the other heaven.

We're all human beings, so why do you get to live such a good life?

Lane couldn't answer this question, so he always ignored philosophy and focused on doing only one thing:

Because I still want to live well and use Honkai as a stepping stone to the unknown, anyone who wants to befriend Honkai is my enemy.

Ryan ignored the fallacies and got up straight, drew his pistol from his waist, aimed at the priest, and pulled the trigger decisively.

boom!

Chapter 165 The Herald and the Madman!

boom!

Gunshots echoed, and the church fell into a deathly silence the moment it happened.

Ryan ignored the reactions of the congregation, focusing only on the priest who had been shot in the head.

He flew backward, his hood billowing up to reveal the face of an ordinary middle-aged man, his eyes frozen, shock still lingering on his face, before crashing into the pulpit with a 'boom'.

He... died?

Ryan slowly widened his eyes, but there was no violent counterattack or strange phenomenon. The other party was just like a normal human being, dying immediately after being shot.

Ding ding.

The smoking shell casings fell to the ground with a crisp sound, finally breaking the silence, and then countless evil thoughts erupted from all directions.

"What did you do?!"

"You killed the priest!"

In an instant, men, women, and children rushed forward, some drawing guns, others simply raising their fists, all with gritted teeth.

Bang bang bang.

Ryan raised his hand and fired, two shots to the body and one to the head, then his mental energy spread outwards.

"Quiet!"

The ability derived from the Moshachi was very useful to ordinary people. The enraged crowd immediately froze in place. Some people lost consciousness, while others still stared fiercely at Ryan, their eyes as if they wanted to skin him alive and devour him.

However, Ryan ignored the anger and slowly walked forward, looking at the corpse in the pool of blood, and seemed to realize something.

If this is considered a Herrscher, then it's far too weak. It could be taken down with a single bullet.

No, that feeling is still there. He's not dead?!

Ryan paused, and then saw the corpse shot between his eyebrows suddenly jump up. Its movements were very stiff, like a puppet being pulled up by invisible strings.

Stiff and unnatural, but quick.

Originally five or six meters apart, they were in front of each other in the blink of an eye, and casually grabbed a sharp candlestick, stabbing it towards Ryan's chest.

It's far faster than human speed, but it's still not enough in my eyes.

Ryan instinctively rolled backward, felt the candlestick pass in front of him, and pulled the trigger.

bang bang bang...

The bullet hit its mark precisely, blowing half of his head off and piercing his elbow and heart. However, the opponent remained motionless, like a corpse, and continued to charge forward, delivering a kick to his face.

Ryan turned to the side, raised his hand to grab the foot that swept past him, swung his waist and abdomen out with force, and turned his head to see that the thing was hanging from the dome like a gecko, and just like that, it rushed back.

'Stronger than assassins, but still too weak; I have no need to use my authority.'

In an instant, Ryan made his decision. He watched as the candlestick slammed into the ground, creating a shallow crater, and then took another step forward, unleashing a vicious whip kick.

Bang—thump!

A row of benches was reduced to sawdust, and even a large hole was smashed in the wall, making the originally dim church much brighter. Ryan changed to a new magazine and looked into the dust.

The priest lay on the ground like a hunting dog, his head bent at a ninety-degree angle, in a very strange posture.

A youthful version of the Herrscher of Death? No, he doesn't seem to be repairing his body.

Ryan wasn't worried. There are no immortal monsters in the world. If there are, it's because they haven't exerted enough force. If you use your authority to break it down at the atomic level or cut it into minced meat, would it still have the ability to attack?

But he didn't choose to do that; it wasn't time to reveal his hand yet.