I am a hero of the former civilization.

She knows what she can do and what she should do, a quality that Ryan admires.

"Alright, that Honkai Beast is badly injured and won't be able to come out for a while. By the way, is this how you protect me?"

"Yes, I know I'm weak, but being able to block one attack for you is enough." The girl remained serious, without a hint of joking.

Ryan was somewhat moved by Hua's persistence and could only nod slightly: "Thanks."

"I should thank you. If you hadn't come to Canghai, I would have eventually run in out of curiosity. You saved me again."

“Then we’re even.” Ryan naturally took the girl’s hand and walked towards the edge of the village. “Let’s go home. I’ll cook lunch. I haven’t cooked in a long time.”

"My senior brother's cooking skills are ten times better than mine. By the way, are you really not going to go to that Moth Chaser?"

“I hate all that nonsense. I’d rather stay with you. But it’s a deal. If you stay a few more days, you have to go back to Huwu and take your master to hide in the mountains. No tricks allowed.”

A hint of resentment flashed across Hua's face, but as a sensible and upright person, he knew there was nothing he could do after witnessing the battle.

"Okay, I promise you, but you have to promise me too."

"what?"

"Since I can't escape it, I should at least contribute my share, so that I can at least take control of my own destiny like you do."

Ryan slowed his pace, turned his head slightly, and looked at the girl's determined expression. Selfishly, he didn't want Hua to step in, because even he himself couldn't control his future.

But after thinking about it, just as I said, no one can escape the collapse in the future. Since we'll be involved sooner or later, it's always better to get involved sooner.

"Okay, I promise you."

......

The clouds were dark, as if a storm was gathering. Seagulls flew through the clouds, their dark eyes reflecting the image of a giant steel ship.

A fleet is sailing on the sea, with six destroyers forming a wheel formation to escort the aircraft carrier in the center.

As the wind and waves grew stronger, the bow of the ship rose high and then plunged back into the water. Only the aircraft carrier, which weighed around 100,000 tons, remained stable, and under the rotating weather radar was the huge moth-to-a-flame emblem.

Unlike the Far East branch, which was established in a military base, the Southern China branch simply moved to an aircraft carrier. This giant steel ship patrolled the open sea, like a moving castle.

With blond hair, Kalis held up a telescope, watching the sparks produced by the electromagnetic catapult as a new group of patrol planes rapidly took off, a testament to the prosperity of civilization.

"Chief of Staff, the battle report is ready."

Just then, a burly man with blue hair walked in, waved for the people around him to leave, and stuffed a thick stack of reports into the man's hands.

"As planned, Dr. Lane repelled the Mosaic, which suffered more than 58% damage and has now dived into the deep sea."

Kalis took the report, glanced at it briefly, and placed it on the table beside him, a graceful smile on his face: "As expected of the most powerful known Emperor-class Honkai Beast, this kind of firepower only severely injured it. As long as its core is still intact, it will be back soon."

"We've done our best; this thing is really hard to kill."

“I didn’t mean to reprimand you, Branch Chief Erwin.” Kalis glanced at him, flipping through a few pages of the report. “So, has that Honkai Beast left?”

“No, it’s still lurking fifty kilometers off the coast. An unmanned underwater vehicle is watching it. These monsters are really incomprehensible. They neither come ashore nor run away.” Erwin tapped the table lightly, his angular face scrunched up. “It’s good that Dr. Ryan is here. Why don’t we call that pink monster over as well and take the risk to kill it?”

"Don't try to understand these amazing creations; it will only make us look ignorant and arrogant. Actually, the staff's opinions are quite interesting."

What is it waiting for?

"That's right, all signs indicate that the critical value is approaching, and the third Honkai is just around the corner."

A deathly silence fell over the bridge. Erwin swallowed hard. He wasn't worried about the Herrscher; it was just that the man in front of him was acting strangely.

He wasn't in a hurry at all; on the contrary, he was secretly looking forward to it. People who could become branch leaders were all quite emotionally intelligent. Considering the frequent meetings of the League of Nations recently, he suddenly understood something.

"You mean..."

"Humans always like to learn from their mistakes. You've probably heard about the proposal to dismember the fire-chasing moth."

"Yes, but it was suppressed by the chief commander."

"That's enough for now. Once the storm passes, discordant voices will resurface." Kalis looked at the raindrops pattering against the window and the borrowed fleet before him, and asked with a smile, "You've had enough of the previous two Honkai outbreaks, haven't you?"

"Yes, I fought on the front lines and experienced that brutal and desperate war."

"So you know the significance of the Moths of Fire, but images alone can hardly convey the pain to the bone. Do you know what my thoughts are on the first two Honkai Impacts?"

Before the branch secretary could answer, Kalis took a breath, his handsome and elegant face contorted with rage.

"That means it's not desperate enough, not cruel enough, and the pain hasn't penetrated into everyone's bones. People are still living in a false peace, even if it's a peace that people like you have worked so hard to bring about."

His chilling tone was like the raging wind outside the window, but Erwin became agitated instead. He had had enough of being constrained and loathed racking his brains to cover up the truth.

Those naive young people thought they were acting in a superhero movie, indulging in fantasies of being behind-the-scenes heroes.

Kalis glanced at the excited branch leader and said calmly, "The future will be even more brutal. We must wake everyone up, even if the price is high, it is insignificant in the future of all mankind."

These words were like the sun breaking through the clouds, turning Erwin's excitement into calm.

"I know what to do."

"Then go, go and be the whistleblower for humanity."

"Yes, I'll change the plan immediately." The branch manager nodded, then remembered something else: "What about Dr. Ryan? Should we notify him, or hint at it?"

he?

The blond man remained somewhat silent. Logically, since the other party had helped repel the Moshachi, he should have invited them over for a chat, and the two sides could cooperate in hunting down the Honkai Beasts.

"No, I can't see through this person, and I can't predict his actions."

"Perhaps he will sense something?"

"It doesn't matter. The time is approaching, and it won't matter if he realizes anything. Besides, we're not really helping the Honkai. It's better to end the disaster sooner."

Aren't you afraid he'll die?

Erwin's lips moved slightly, but he said nothing. He saluted, turned and left, his steps heavy and sacred, as if a great mission had been placed on his shoulders.

Kalis watched the retreating figure intently, his face filled with admiration, but deep in his eyes was contempt.

The weak are always forced to make choices, like a badly sliced ​​apple. With each cut, nothing is left. It's truly frustrating to be born into such a weak, complex, and inferior species.

He turned his head and glanced at the intelligence on the table. At the top was an aerial photograph of Mozambique. He tapped his fingertips on the table and looked up at the storm that was about to break out.

Are we qualified to go to some higher existence and end this tender childhood?

Chapter Forty-Eight: To Be an Immortal Requires Integrity!

What exactly are those people from the Moth Chaser group up to?

Ryan sat on a deckchair in the courtyard, having asked this question countless times.

At first, he thought he had been used. Although he was inevitably a little unhappy, he had at least repelled Moshachi and made contact with the Moth of Fire.

But then things got a little strange. Two whole days had passed since the Honkai Beasts were defeated, and apart from Hen calling to say that everything was done, it was as if nothing had happened.

Mosas did not come to seek revenge, remaining on the seabed of the continental shelf. The Fire Moth also did not take any further action, as if the battle had never happened.

They didn't raise their guard, nor did they approach me for cooperation; they just left it aside and ignored it. What kind of behavior is that?

Ryan gradually realized there was a problem, but he couldn't just go and confront him; he was far from being able to do whatever he wanted.

"Senior brother, let's go."

Ryan was swaying back and forth in the recliner when he suddenly heard Hua's voice. He instinctively turned his head and his eyes lit up.

The girl had tied her long, gray-blue hair into a ponytail and wore a striped shirt with the collar undone, revealing her delicate collarbone. But what surprised Ryan the most was her lower body.

Hua wore a denim skirt that went past her knees, revealing a section of her fair calves, and paired it with white sneakers, exuding a youthful vibe.

The girl was tall and slender, and the heroic spirit she gained from long-term martial arts training also masked her flat figure. Although she was not exactly glamorous or charming, she was stunningly beautiful.

Ryan's appreciative gaze made Hua smile slightly, revealing a few white teeth, but the smile quickly froze.

"Did you take the wrong medicine today?"

You can't blame Ryan for being foul-mouthed. He's known Hua for five years, and thanks to Hua's sports uniforms, he's never seen her wear a skirt. She always wears sports pants, or at most, jeans.

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he knew he had made a mistake, so he chuckled awkwardly and said, "Don't mind it, I'm just really surprised that you've suddenly started dressing up."

Actually, the girl wasn't wearing any makeup at all, and the denim skirt was incredibly tacky, but for Hua, it was already a groundbreaking move.

"You praised me for wearing nice clothes the day you came in," Hua muttered, recalling the things Ryan had seen hanging on the clothes rack when he first arrived.

"What are you mumbling about?"

"No, it's just that the last time I went shopping with Carol, she insisted on buying it for me. After what happened a couple of days ago, I suddenly realized that if I don't wear it now, I'll never have the chance again."

“That’s true. In the future, everyday life will become a rare treat.” Ryan nodded, accepting this statement.

On the surface, he was accompanying Hua to buy some local specialties to take home, but in reality, he also wanted to help the girl change her mood. After all, what happened a couple of days ago was too exciting for ordinary people, and Hua wasn't as oblivious as Kevin.

Of course, he could also take this opportunity to relax. It would be too miserable to be thinking about dealing with the Honkai every day.

"By the way, isn't Carol coming along?"

"I'm not going. I even got a lecture on the phone. It's so ridiculous."

Why did she yell at you?

"Uh, don't ask too much about girls' topics. Let's go quickly." Hua's face flushed as she thought about it, and she hurried ahead.

Ryan scratched his face, glanced at the slender back and the swaying snow-white legs, and followed after her.

Because the rental house was too remote, it took Ryan half an hour to drive into the city, and then he was stuck on the overpass and couldn't move. Canghai truly deserves to be the largest city in China, even on weekdays it is bustling with traffic.

Hua thought Ryan would be impatient, but then he realized that the man was actually enjoying the traffic jam. In his words, this kind of prosperity was something that could be seen only once in a while.

We set off at 10 a.m. and were stuck in traffic until noon before finally arriving at Huaizhong Road. As one of the most bustling commercial districts in Canghai, it is filled with various shopping malls and upscale restaurants.

"So this is Huaizhong Road." Hua stood by the roadside, looking out of place at the towering buildings and the fashionable men and women hurrying by.

"No way, you haven't been to Huaizhong Road in the two years you've been in Canghai?" Ryan locked his car, put on his black trench coat, and seemed quite used to the bustling scene.

Over the years, he has lived as Bear Grylls in remote mountains and forests, and also stayed in the most expensive hotels in Manhattan.

"No, things here are too expensive. Why did we come all the way here?" Hua turned her head and said helplessly, "I just wanted to buy some ham for my father. Did I really need to come all the way to Huaizhong Road?"

"You buy yours, I'll buy mine. Don't forget, your father is also my master. Let's go, let's go have lunch first." Ryan pulled the girl away. Since he had decided to spend some quality time with her, he certainly didn't want to leave any regrets.

The man was handsome and the girl was beautiful. They strolled through the bustling shopping mall. Although they were dressed simply, there was no dramatic scene unfolding.

There are no melodramatic plot twists, but there are also no scenes like those in TV dramas where women have unlimited stamina while men complain endlessly.

After a full hour, from the first floor to the fifth floor and back to the first floor, Ryan sat in a roadside noodle shop, watching Hua pick up a huge bowl of beef noodles and slurp it up with a sense of helplessness.