I am a hero of the former civilization.

But it is precisely because of their fear that they become even more determined. It's not even about the grand ideal of saving the world; they just don't want those tragedies to happen to their own relatives and friends.

Simple ideals, ironically, forge the greatest warriors.

He even felt a bit of pressure from those gazes, silently patted the other person on the shoulder, and jumped off the helicopter.

This place happens to be an abandoned apartment area. Not long ago, Ryan had just resolved a Honkai attack here. Now, on his second visit, things have changed. At least the academy in the distance looks much dimmer.

Because the 'terrorist attack' damaged a lot of teaching buildings, many departments chose to conduct online classes. Ryan also took this opportunity to go back to his dormitory to get some things, at least to take his drafts.

After climbing over the wall, the school was indeed quiet, with only a few lights on and not even the streetlights turned on.

Those students who used to laugh and play are now a thing of the past, leaving only dilapidated buildings and red and white police tape fluttering in the night wind.

He couldn't even see stray cats and dogs, because these things would also become mobile sources of infection, and they were all killed by the fire-chasing moths.

Everything around him became desolate. Ryan saw a twisted bench at his feet. He remembered it well; this was the place where Mei and Kevin had been showing affection before the experiment. He wondered which Honkai Beast had knocked it away.

After a moment's hesitation, Ryan slowly squatted down, straightened the twisted part, and placed it on the bare lawn. He chuckled to himself when he saw the missing wooden strips, then gently patted it before turning and disappearing into the night.

Time flows forward, and the past will never return.

A few minutes later, Ryan returned to the empty dormitory. He saw the door was ajar, put the key back in his pocket, pushed the door open, and saw a figure sitting on the bunk bed.

"It's a miracle you haven't starved to death in the past two weeks."

"I'm not stupid. If the cafeteria isn't open, why wouldn't I go to the shopping street to find something to eat?"

A gentle voice came from outside, and a man with shoulder-length hair and a handsome face walked to the door and turned on the light with a 'click'.

The person waiting for Ryan was Sue, who had changed into his pajamas, just like he often did when he came to visit.

As always, Ryan only glanced at his messy blankets.

"You're sleeping in my bed again?"

"Even with Kevin's terrible sleeping posture, I still sleep with you, don't I?"

"Don't say such gay things, I'm not interested in men." Ryan couldn't help but laugh, and wanted to pat the other person's shoulder, but slowly lowered his hand. "You must have a lot of questions to ask, right?"

"Of course, you three didn't answer the phone and just sent a weird text message. I originally thought our friendship wasn't that fragile." Su didn't seem angry at all. She turned around, took a glass of water, and handed it to Ryan. "You came back to get your things, right? I packed your clothes for you. And I finally saw your gym equipment. It's so heavy."

Ryan turned his head and saw several large bags in the corner, containing computers, clothes, and weapons, all neatly categorized and even carefully labeled.

"Su, if you were a woman, I think I would fall in love with you."

"Come on, the whereabouts of the three of you are all confidential, right? You chose to keep it a secret to protect me?"

Ryan took a sip of water, and for some reason, the plain water tasted nostalgic. He simply nodded slightly: "How did you guess?"

“Ever since high school, I’ve known that the three of you are no ordinary people. You and Mei aside, even though Kevin is a bit loud and boisterous, I have a feeling that one day you will leave for something great.” Su leaned against the door, her face full of tenderness and nostalgia.

"Unfortunately, I guessed right. It's just a pity that I couldn't say goodbye to you. Don't look at me like that. I know you didn't want me to be anxious, afraid that one day I would never see you again, so I didn't ask anything. Waiting for half a month, seeing you once is enough."

Ryan held his water glass and listened quietly to Sue speak. Her voice was still gentle, always putting herself in others' shoes. There was no annoyance, only a hint of surprise and satisfaction.

He had waited so long just to see his friend, even though only Ryan came.

What do you want to do in the future?

“Graduate as soon as possible and become a doctor. Although I don’t know what happened, I have a feeling that our paths will intersect again in the future.” Sue tilted her head, still with a gentle smile. “So Ryan, you should be relieved.”

"I'm relieved. You're still the wise one. I've come back at just the right time." Ryan felt completely calm and placed the cup on the table. "Would you like me to take a walk with you?"

“What’s there to see in ruins? But this invitation can wait. If you encounter any danger, please remember this promise.” Su nodded gently and walked outside. “I’m going home to take online classes. Remember to let Kevin know I’m safe.”

The figure was not desolate, but rather filled with peace, even a hint of joy. He hadn't expected Ryan to return.

“Su, there’s something I lied to you about,” Ryan called out, smiling at the frozen figure.

"Don't worry, you're special too."

The young man lingered for a long time before silently nodding and disappearing into the dark corridor. Even after his figure vanished, Ryan maintained a smile on his face.

This is the first time he has given away a spoiler in over a decade, but if fate could truly be changed, he would rather his friends live their daily lives until everything is resolved.

There are no heroes there, only bloodshed and suffering. The only thing that can hold onto hope is the most resilient existence.

Kevin, I had no choice, but at least the later you step into this world, the better. It's a pity that our pre-civilization doesn't have it as easy as Kiana and the others.

Ryan glanced at the water droplets sliding down the glass and couldn't help but think of an old saying.

The friendship between gentlemen is as pure as water, yet it is often more sincere and passionate than flames.

Ryan put the water glass into his pocket, took one last look at the room as if to memorize it, then walked to the window, pushed it open, and looked down.

A figure hung on the eaves, looking embarrassed; it was Kevin.

Chapter Twenty-Four: Trying to fight the Honkai so quietly!

A few rays of moonlight pierced through the gaps in the clouds, illuminating the man below the window. Ryan propped his head up and saw Kevin hanging from the fourth-floor windowsill.

"When did you come?"

"Uh, we'll arrive around evening. By the way, could you let me go up first?"

Ryan seemed not to hear, thought for a moment, and then suddenly realized: "You came to get something, but saw Su in the dormitory, and didn't want to see him, so you simply hid outside the window and waited for him to leave?"

"Yes, yes, I've been hanging here for two hours, my hands are numb." Kevin was speechless, realizing that Ryan was messing with him.

"Tell me first why you don't want to see him."

Perhaps the clouds had obscured the moonlight again, for Kevin's expression darkened noticeably. He hesitated for a moment before saying, "What we're doing is dangerous. The more Sue knows, the more worried he'll become, which is pointless. I joined the Firemoth to protect them. Ideally, we should know nothing, and then everything will be fine."

"Yeah, just as I guessed."

"You already guessed it, yet you deliberately asked me?!" Kevin was furious, only to see a hand reach out and pull him into the dormitory like a piece of paper.

Kevin lay on the ground catching his breath, thinking to himself that Ryan usually seemed like a weak scholar, but he was surprisingly strong. But then he thought about what happened that night and it all made sense.

The aftershocks of his battle with the Honkai Beasts destroyed two school buildings. Is this even human?

Just as he was thinking to himself, Ryan's face suddenly came close to his, startling him so much that he quickly sat down on the ground.

"W-what are you doing?"

Ryan squatted on the ground, staring at Kevin's expression for a long time before shaking his head: "Nothing, it's just that you seem a bit different. You've learned to think rationally. Let me guess, did you see some stimulating material during recruit training?"

When the topic of information came up, Kevin fell silent. Basic training had been going on for over half a month, and he had a general idea of ​​the truth of the world.

Towns reduced to ruins, rivers of blood flowing from the soldiers who chased the flames. With the help of virtual reality technology, you can personally experience the feeling of the battlefield. Then you see soldiers smashed into mincemeat, charred corpses next to tanks, and witness the horror of the Herrscher.

Thousands of new recruits were instantly engulfed by the artillery fire created by the Herrscher of Reason, leaving not even a trace behind.

Kevin swallowed hard, feeling nauseous again.

“It seems you have indeed changed.” Ryan patted his shoulder and said calmly, “People always change because of their environment, that’s normal. The important thing is to always stay true to yourself.”

"You want to persuade me?"

"If I had advised you, I would have kicked you out of the moth-to-a-flame world long ago. Since you have talent, you have to bear the responsibility. I am reminding myself of this."

Ryan grinned. Seeing Kevin now reminded him of his past self. When he first regained consciousness, he was excited. Seeing the magnificent house, he had already planned how to be a spendthrift. Then one day, he saw a familiar pattern on the documents his father brought home.

"I remember I was completely dumbfounded. I tried restarting several times but couldn't bring myself to do it. I could only grit my teeth and think of a solution, so I contacted many firearms instructors and such."

This sense of unease didn't subside until he was ten years old. Once again, while hunting on his own estate, Ryan encountered an attack by an infected animal. The nausea he felt from extreme fear is still vivid in his memory.

'I killed it, thus beginning my destiny. Like a person struggling against the current grasping at a straw, I steeled myself to leave my comfortable life, traveling the world, learning from fighters, assassins, and hunters, frantically absorbing knowledge while hunting down Honkai. Before I knew it, I was already at the forefront.'

"Hey, what are you thinking about?" Kevin waved his hand in front of Ryan's eyes, and the latter immediately came to his senses.

"Seeing a greenhorn like you inevitably brings back memories of the past."

"Wait a minute, we're the same age, what kind of senior are you talking about?"

"Among the Firemoths, am I not a senior?" Ryan slowly stood up, hands on his hips. "Recruit Kevin, call me senior! Your instructors haven't even taught you this basic etiquette!"

Kevin blushed instantly, feeling that Ryan was right. Judging from the battle that night, Ryan could easily defeat all the new recruits with one hand, but he also felt ashamed.

"S-senpai."

"Can't you hear me? You think you can attack the Honkai with such a low voice?!"

Kevin clenched his fist, then saw Ryan also smile and raise his fist, and could only grit his teeth in frustration.

"senior!"

“Okay, very energetic. Now, tell me all your specialties…” Ryan was halfway through his sentence when he saw Kevin’s murderous expression. Knowing that this paramecium had reached its limit, he quickly changed to a friendly expression. “Alright, I won’t tease you anymore. Su has packed everything. Let’s go back to the Far East Branch together.”

"That's more like it, otherwise I would have given you a good beating today. Hey, you're going back to the Far East branch too?"

"I've received a troublesome task, and there are some things I need to study, so I might as well stay a few more days."

Kevin was overjoyed and quickly picked up his luggage, even helping Ryan carry two bags: "Great, I haven't seen Mei at all."

"You only think of your brothers now that you've lost your woman, huh?"

"No, I've always cared about you, just like I care about your junior sister."

Ryan's expression froze for a moment, then he realized that Kevin was talking nonsense.

"You're kidding me, aren't you?"

"Haha, I guessed right, something really happened."

“Don’t talk nonsense. When I met Hua, she had just graduated from elementary school.” Ryan said casually. He used to be reluctant to talk about his travels because Mei was too smart and would easily give him away, but now it didn’t matter.

“I was learning martial arts in Shenzhou at the time. Her family was a martial arts family, so I visited them and we gradually became familiar with each other.”

"and then?"

Kevin took a sip of water and listened attentively. In the past, he would have definitely wondered why a teenager would be learning martial arts everywhere, but now he understood.

Ryan worked harder and started fighting earlier than him.

“She’s honest but unlucky. She ran into some trouble, and I helped her sort it out. Over the years, I’ve gone back to China to see her every now and then.”

Looking at the indifferent man, Kevin swallowed hard, as if he could smell blood. That must have been a big deal for a normal person.

He realized he had been too stupid before. It was like May had said that Ryan was not simple, but he had never taken it to heart. Only now did he realize that this guy had been preparing for this day for many years.

After a moment of silent staring, Kevin suddenly punched Ryan in the chest: "I used to think you were pretty proper, but I didn't expect you to go after even elementary school kids."

Damn, I thought you were going to break up with me.

Ryan almost lost his temper and raised his fist as well: "You fucking want to get beaten up, don't you?"