I am a hero of the former civilization.

In the pitch-black room, only the computer screen flickered with light, illuminating the person in front of it.

A linen robe covered his face, revealing only a hooked nose, while the image on the screen showed Ryan walking into the darkness.

On his computer desk were eight rectangular tombstones with black backgrounds and red borders, and unlike those of the Fire Chasing Council, the numbers on them were all random characters.

"No, but several suspicious targets have been identified."

"Who?"

"The Fusion Warrior Squad under the Intelligence Department, the Eastern European Second Squad that suddenly lost contact, and... Dr. Ryan."

"Ryan?" The hook-nosed man fell silent. The first two were alright, but this last one was not only bad news, but even somewhat terrifying.

That man had a nickname, "Herrscher Killer." Of the five Herrschers discovered by the Firemoth, two died at his hands.

He was even more threatening than Alicia, because the latter was hardly ruthless and often made mistakes.

"The last intelligence received by headquarters was last night. He was searching for the Fifth Herrscher near Iceland, and the patrol fleet also detected his communication signals and Honkai energy, which matches the report from the Britannian branch."

Did you see the person with your own eyes?

"No, he just left, and no one could catch him."

The man with the hooked nose fell silent; this was only circumstantial evidence, and his heart was filled with unease.

"We need to find a way to confirm it; he's very important."

"Yes."

One tombstone disappeared, while others remained standing, and a cacophony of voices rose and fell.

"Dr. Mei is close to the truth. With that fusion warrior by her side, the assassination is impossible."

"It's alright. Number III has chosen to return to heaven, and her trail has ended."

"But this proves that the Moths of Fire have awakened, and a counterattack will come soon. Can we ask the Holy Apostles to hide for the time being?"

“Yes, Alicia, Sakura, and Ryan are all very close to Northern Europe. Given their relationship with Dr. Mei, they could go there to investigate at any time.”

"Foolish! Do you have so little faith in the Holy Apostles?"

The voices were chaotic and even filled with fear. The reason why the Faith Faction tried so hard to hide was because they would never be understood by foolish humans. They were fundamentally different from the destroyed Pureblood Faction.

The pureblood faction shares the same ideas but differs in their approach, while the issue between them is a matter of stance, and neither dares to reveal their differences to the other.

The hook-nosed man listened quietly. He understood his companion's fear, but knew that no one would choose to give up.

The success of the experiment was too tempting, as it revealed that Honkai was not a natural disaster but could be cooperative, just like the Angel's subordinates, whose heads could still function and possess emotions and consciousness even after being blown apart.

This represents immortality, it represents never having to fear being killed by the Honkai again, and it has endless appeal.

Duh duh duh.

He tapped the table lightly to quiet the room and said calmly, "Apostles do not grant every request."

The tombstones stopped arguing, suddenly realizing it was pointless; that person wasn't a servant, how could they possibly act according to their own wishes?

“In this cruel era, everyone is looking for a way out, so I don’t hate those die-hard resisters, and I’m grateful for the time and opportunities they provided.”

The man was very rational, speaking as if he were talking about someone else's business, with a touch of sanctity in his tone.

“Every path is full of trials and tribulations. Ending humanity’s childhood is no easy task. At least we have produced results, proving that this path does indeed exist.”

The room grew even quieter. The Nordic achievement was a shot in the arm for them, a ray of light found in the depths of despair.

"Therefore, let the judgment be made by the holy apostles. All we can do is wait, gain more power and strength, and guide the fusion warriors back to the right path, and finally—"

He paused, and the 'tombstones' responded in unison.

"Finally, eliminate all the stubborn ones!"

Ding.

Ryan, who had already gone deeper into the area, took out his phone and saw a message on it, which was a news article forwarded by May.

[Koria was attacked by a medium-sized Honkai attack. The powerful Honkai could cause 20,000 deaths. It was later confirmed that the regional governor, Rogine, was dead. There are rumors that he was a member of the Fire Chaser Council.]

Has the trail gone cold? Those people are really ruthless; they'll self-destruct at the slightest provocation.

Ryan never believed in coincidences, but he knew that the other party had a method to gather a large amount of Honkai energy in an area. However, before the Skynet was set up, no one could detect such fleeting energy fluctuations.

He glanced at the number 20,000, silently put away his phone, and walked with even more deliberate steps.

You guys deserve to die.

Chapter 169 You Can't Stop Me!

The unknown was gradually emerging from the fog, causing Ryan's heart to race.

This news not only showed that the clues had been cut off, but also made him realize that the other party had the ability to gather Honkai energy, which is very scientific.

The Fire Moths have long mastered some use of Honkai energy, such as the Honkai warheads used against the Herrschers, and the ever-emerging energy weapons. They can be used in scientific research simply by reducing their intensity.

Prison cells, secret research institutes, tens of thousands of corpses, human traffickers...

Ryan stopped and stood before an iron bridge.

The wind swirled around in front, making a howling sound. It was a giant hollow that stretched from the ground to the bottom, with the faint sound of flowing water. A three-meter-wide iron bridge crossed the center, leading to the other side.

There are also many small holes around the cavity, which are probably used to dump wastewater.

'The research institute is right across the street. This complex underground passageway must have concealed countless things; it must have cost a fortune to build, and they just abandoned it like that.'

Ryan dared not fully unleash his authority, partly for fear of scaring the other party away, and partly because he lacked the information processing abilities of a Herrscher and was afraid of losing his mind.

Fortunately, we don't have to hide it for long anymore.

He looked up and could see some blurry figures climbing onto the iron bridge. Footsteps could be heard behind him, along with the sounds of insects and mice.

'They lured me here, then attacked me from both sides. They've got some brains, after all.'

Ryan decisively raised his gun, confirming once again that the Herrscher did not want to leave, so he tried to cover up the destruction of the battle as much as possible. He stood there motionless, as if he was stunned, because the scene in front of him was indeed frightening.

A few beams of light shone from the skylight overhead, revealing a dense mass of people on the iron bridge—no fewer than a hundred at a glance. Some people or animals were also hanging on the walls, crawling over like geckos.

Turning his head to look behind him, he saw hundreds of rats and cockroaches crawling out of the shadows, squeaking and staring at Ryan.

While it wasn't exactly a massive, all-encompassing security network, it was still completely surrounded, and Ryan had seen how troublesome these things could be.

Speed, defense, and agility all surpass human limits. They can still attack without being disassembled into pieces. Most wonderfully, each one possesses self-awareness, so there's no need to expend energy controlling them like puppets.

“One man can form an army, that’s really impressive.” Ryan looked up at the first man to reveal his true face on the iron bridge, which was Copper Rust.

The intelligence broker gave a wry smile, just like when the two first met: "Frontal combat is actually not that great; it's better used for intelligence gathering and infiltration. An unseen enemy is what's truly terrifying."

"Professional. You immediately saw what I was most worried about. If these things get into the city, there won't be any place that can be defended."

"It would be better if we couldn't hold on. Wouldn't it be better if we could all be happy like in Snow Prison Town?"

"hapiness?"

“That’s right, it’s fair and reasonable to rely on one’s own abilities.” Copper Rust raised his head and revealed a mocking smile: “You don’t actually think those big shots are pure, do you? The deputy mayor of Gothenburg came to Snow Prison Town because he was under too much pressure. I found him ten men and had him take knives and chop off their heads one by one.”

"Pah, just because of power, anyone who has his head chopped off could easily beat this old man to a pulp."

"Are you saying that the old order has collapsed and a new order should be established?" Ryan tilted his head slightly.

"Order? That's just an excuse to prey on the weak. There's no need for order; everything is done according to instinct. Chaos is the best thing!"

Oh, the Chaos Warrior, is it?

Ryan chuckled. His words were quite persuasive, but he was long past the age of being a teenager and didn't bother to think about it further. He simply turned his gaze to someone else.

A thin body, a worn-out trench coat, and a timid expression.

"Christina?"

“Sir, please come to our side. There’s really no need to fight anymore.” The girl crossed her arms over her chest, her eyes shining. “I can’t feel hunger or cold anymore. I’m finally not afraid of being humiliated or contracting Honkai disease. I don’t have to use my body to get food anymore.”

"If everyone could become like me, how wonderful that would be. You know, death gives birth to new life. I've come to understand the weight of that saying."

The girl's voice was clear, but the joy in it was something Ryan had never heard before, and it even filled him with irony.

If you experience all the hardships of being human, becoming that kind of thing is actually a form of redemption?

Lane didn't elevate the discussion to a philosophical level, nor did he argue about right and wrong; in this crazy world, there's no such thing as right or wrong.

“Copper Rust, what you just said is very true. We act on instinct and follow our deepest desires.”

"So?" the man asked with a smile.

“I will eradicate the source of the pollution, no matter what it says or how it tries to seduce me, I will—” Ryan suddenly raised his gun and pulled the trigger without hesitation.

"Exterminate the Honkai completely!!"

Da da da.

The crisp gunshot echoed underground. The expression on Copper Rust's face suddenly froze, his head exploded and he fell backward, causing an uproar in an instant.

Despite their verbal sparring, everyone was prepared for battle.

The shadowy figures moved in a blur, requiring no running start, accelerating to 100 meters in a matter of seconds, rendering Ryan's rifle as useless as a fire poker; a burst of fire only sent up sparks.

Soon, their attacks were also quite strong.

Ryan leaped into the air and hung upside down from the ceiling. He saw that the spot where he had been standing was now covered by the 'Shadow Blade', and the alloy floor was riddled with holes.

He exerted force with his arm, swung backward, and the floor slab was cut open. Then he gathered Honkai energy and punched forward.

Boom! !

The force of the punch shook the air, and a large number of 'black needles' were annihilated. These were cockroaches that had been flying up. They were very small, but their penetrating power was extremely strong, and even steel could not stop them.

Ryan didn't fly away with the wind, nor did he use electromagnetic levitation. He stepped on the air with both legs, as if stepping on an invisible step, and jumped completely into the void, throwing grenades at the crowded people below.

boom--

Several bursts of fire erupted, accompanied by the sound of steel twisting. An enemy with blackened arms was waiting below, ready to thrust forward with both arms as Ryan fell.

The sharp blade sliced ​​through the Honkai energy, but before it could even touch the body, Ryan had already stomped on it hard.

Extreme force. A thousand-pound drop!

Boom!

This kick was so heavy that it twisted and collapsed the iron bridge, sending hundreds of people plummeting into the abyss. Yet, it also created countless black lines in the air, which, like nails, pierced the rock face, causing people to float in mid-air.