I am a hero of the former civilization.

"Don't worry, I haven't even had a chance to dissect you yet." Möbius walked over with a grin, hands in his pockets. "How was it going through life and death? Did you experience that legendary 'revolving lantern' feeling?"

"I didn't see the revolving lantern, but I had a very strange dream." Ryan covered his forehead, frowning, his memory was very vague.

Mebius immediately perked up. She was actually joking when she said that. There's no such thing as a revolving lantern when someone dies. This was the result of her own experiment, and she managed to get information out of her.

"A dream? What kind of dream? Tell me about it."

“I can’t remember, it was like floating in some kind of imaginary space, aimlessly, endlessly, and I could even see…” Ryan suddenly shut his mouth, turned his head slightly, and saw Mebius sitting next to him.

Her long, slender legs in black stockings were crossed, and she leaned forward, her shoulders almost touching her chest. Her emerald eyes were full of focus and curiosity, as if she wanted to memorize every word he said.

"What did you see? Tell me quickly."

“I said I couldn’t remember.” Ryan paused, looked at Möbius, and for some reason didn’t try to fool him. Instead, he answered seriously, “This is not a dream. It must be something very important. That space should be the imaginary space.”

Mebius gritted his teeth. It was like reading a wonderful novel, only to have it abruptly abandoned just as the mystery was about to be revealed, leaving one with an unbearable sense of unease.

But she quickly let go. As a smart person, she understood what Ryan meant. It was a big step forward to speak out about such a crucial secret without keeping it a secret or deceiving him.

"Alright, it wasn't for nothing that I came all the way from Mu Continent to save your life."

With a 'thud,' Möbius stood up, puffed out his proud chest, and said in a sarcastic tone:

"You usually seem quite rational, but I never expected you to be this crazy sometimes. Taking on the Third Herrscher one-on-one, how could you even think of that? Do you regret it now?"

“Reason and madness seem to be two extremes, but they are only separated by a fine line. You should understand this principle.” Ryan shrugged and shook his head. “As for regret, it is even more impossible. Every step into the unknown is a gamble. If you regret it once, you will hesitate in the future. So, not giving yourself a chance to regret is the most rational thing to do.”

The two men locked eyes for a moment, then smiled simultaneously—equally rational and calm, equally mad. Klein, watching from the side, felt a chill run down his spine, finally understanding why Dr. Möbius was so interested in Dr. Lane.

The latter not only has research value, but is also the same type of person.

Ryan ripped off all the cables, gritted his teeth, and sat up, casually asking, "So, my external injuries had almost healed, and then my heart suddenly stopped?"

“Hmm, it’s a strange situation, but it’s not so strange when it happens to you.” Mebius paced back and forth, slowly recounting the whole process. “You fell into a coma after killing the Third Herrscher. When I arrived by seaplane, Alicia was holding you. Hehe, the expression on that fat woman’s face was quite interesting, but unfortunately I couldn’t take a picture.”

Seaplane?

Ryan's expression changed. He hadn't expected Mebius to be so brave. In other words, the battle wasn't over yet, and she was already patrolling the perimeter, ready to land and rescue him at any moment.

“Don’t look at me like that. I’ve said it before, you’re very valuable, and I’ve invested so much in you. If you die, wouldn’t I be at a huge loss?” Möbius explained, then, realizing there was a logical flaw, waved his hand again, “That’s not important. Don’t ask any more questions.”

"Anyway, I got you on the plane, put you in the latest biological therapy pod, and then sent you to this medical ship. You were fine at first, and all your vital signs were starting to improve, but then you suddenly suffered cardiac arrest, so I put you on the operating table to save you. If you still die, I'll have to dissect you to recoup some of my investment."

Ryan had been listening with gratitude, knowing that Mebius had indeed saved his life. Otherwise, he would likely have been dead by the time the Fire Moth rescue team arrived. Moreover, the biological repair pod was very effective. He glanced at the electronic clock in the operating room; only five days had passed.

But later, his gratitude vanished, and he thought to himself that this willful woman was really unlikable.

My heart suddenly stopped, and then I had a strange dream. It felt a bit odd.

Ryan stroked his chin, recalling what he had seen the moment he killed the Herrscher of Thunder, and the Herrscher's last words.

He felt that there must be a connection between the three, but he just couldn't figure it out. It was like an epiphany in a martial arts novel, which had a rather fantastical feel to it.

The unknown is both captivating and repulsive.

Ryan thought this, but another feeling was more obvious. He seemed to be able to see the invisible electromagnetic field, and if he concentrated and extended the Honkai energy there, he could control it.

"What are you thinking about?" Mebius couldn't help but ask.

“Some important things, but without clues, even making assumptions is difficult.” Ryan shook his head, and before Möbius could lose his temper, he asked again, “How is Canghai City? Is there any other information?”

It's that kind of riddle again, only saying half of everything.

Mebius pursed his lips and snorted irritably: "The cleanup operation is 94% complete, but the impact of the Third Honkai Impact is extremely large, covering the entire East Asia. The higher-ups are having a headache right now."

The Herrscher of Thunder is like a typhoon, and Canghai City is just the eye of the storm. The roaring Honkai energy sweeps across tens of millions of square kilometers of land, the number of Honkai Beasts increases rapidly, and the mutated zombies from humans rise and fall one after another.

Is that right?

Ryan sighed softly. The outcome was sealed the moment the Herrscher appeared. Even if he killed it instantly, it wouldn't matter. Fortunately, he wasn't destined to protect or save the world, so he didn't feel any pain.

"Anything else?"

"There's a lot to do. Do you want to hear the big picture or the details?"

"It's something related to me." Ryan took a sip of the coffee Klein handed him. He recognized the assistant, but didn't ask any further questions.

"You? Does Alicia come to see you three times, bringing a fruit basket each time, only to find you weren't awake, so she ate it all herself and left the trash in my operating room!!"

Driven by resentment, Ryan couldn't help but laugh out loud; this really was just like Alicia's style.

“I’ll be transferred to a regular ward later, and I’ll go thank her after I’ve recovered.” Ryan paused, then suddenly realized he’d forgotten something, and nodded solemnly: “Of course, you should also thank me, Mebius.”

"Ha, I don't care." Möbius raised his head slightly, a smirk playing on his lips. "Oh, and one more thing. There's a little girl who's been waiting outside these past few days. Tell me, who is she to you?"

华？

Ryan immediately thought of her, and then noticed that Mebius's expression was off, leaving him completely bewildered.

"She's my junior sister, and she got caught up in this."

"But the information says this girl is a high school student, how can she be so amazing?"

"My junior sister in martial arts has nothing to do with research."

"Oh, how vulgar, but this kid is quite interesting, at least he's honest. I'll have Klein push you out later, and you can introduce us so we can get to know each other."

"Mebius, I'm warning you, you're not allowed to lay a hand on her!"

"Hmph, who would lay a hand on her?" Mebius's face immediately turned cold. He thought to himself, "I didn't want to deal with such a vulgar person, but after hearing what you say, I really want to get to know you. I want to see what kind of magic makes you so concerned."

Ryan knew he was in trouble when he saw Mebius's expression. Hua, an honest man, was no match for this snake. But he was no longer the wary and disgusted man he had been when they first met.

Although he didn't say it aloud, he remembered the favor and was thinking of a solution when he heard Mebius speak up again.

"Klein, give him the bill."

A bill? What bill?

Ryan was taken aback, and then he saw Klein slowly walk over and hand him a thick stack of things, so he subconsciously looked down at it.

"Dr. Möbius personally intervened in the rescue, costing €50 in labor costs. The bio-repair chamber was activated at €2 per hour, totaling €300 million. Dr. Möbius personally cared for Je, at €5000 per hour..."

"You're robbing me! Besides, I was injured because of the Third Herrscher, why should I pay?"

Ryan looked up instantly, feeling that this woman must be settling a personal score. He had indeed saved a lot of money over the years, but it was not enough to cover this exorbitant bill.

“Not at all. As one of the world’s top doctors, this is my fee. You can check it online if you don’t believe me; it’s absolutely transparent and fair.” Möbius picked at his nails and said slowly and deliberately.

"As for you, it's even more troublesome. You don't belong to any department of the Firemoth, nor are you on the rescue list, so you have no medical insurance. As a gentleman, you wouldn't skip out on the bill, would you?"

Ryan's lips twitched. He couldn't find any words to refute it. Looking at Mebius, who had raised his chin, he muttered, "Tell me, what do you want to do?"

"Simple, work to pay off debts, fair and reasonable."

It's so simple?

Ryan thought that Mebius would take the opportunity to find out the secret, and he could just grit his teeth and pay back the money. It was only a few million euros.

But this sentence actually piqued his interest. He had no interest in dealing with lower-level Honkai Beasts, and he needed to recuperate for a while anyway, so he might as well take this opportunity to study and master his current abilities. Besides, he had also benefited greatly from his previous collaboration with Mebius.

"That makes sense, but I always feel—"

Are you kidding me?

Chapter 61 What if I die too?

Ryan eventually agreed to Mebius's request. He was a man of pride and disliked owing favors. Besides, he hadn't fully recovered and needed to rest for a while.

After the Third Collapse, the world will be in great turmoil, with all sorts of doomsday cults and alien religions emerging, creating chaos and causing the crime rate to skyrocket.

When ordinary people discover the truth, they feel nothing but panic and despair, because they can do nothing but act on instinct.

Those who are more carefree will enjoy life to the fullest, those with a longer-term vision will immediately start stockpiling supplies, and the smart ones will stockpile guns and ammunition. As the saying goes, "While others buy grain, I buy guns; my neighbor is my granary."

The evil in human nature will be fully exposed, and Ryan has no interest in going around doing good deeds, because if the root problem is not solved, good people will eventually turn into bad people, unless you exterminate humanity.

Therefore, the research of Mebius and others has become more important in order to change the course of fate. For example, the Fusion Warrior Project has been greatly accelerated after the last research.

However, he dared not stay in Mebius's operating room. Thinking of the woman's capitalist appearance, he gritted his teeth and insisted on being transferred to a regular ward.

"Heh, I told you you couldn't escape my grasp." Mebius watched Ryan being pushed away in a wheelchair, took a sip of coffee with a contented expression, and then saw the operating room door open.

A girl with blue-gray hair was dozing in a chair when she heard the sound. She jumped up immediately, her face beaming with undisguised surprise.

Hmph, this little girl's name is Hua, right?

Mebius's previously relaxed gaze suddenly turned sharp, a strange smile curving his lips. Then, as Ryan turned to look at him, he covered his face with his coffee cup.

Murderous intent?!

Ryan turned his head quickly and saw Mebius drinking coffee, looking completely detached.

He didn't think much of it and just looked at Hua, who had walked up to him.

The girl's eyes were filled with worry, even a little heartache. She bent down, her fingers gently tracing the bandage, and whispered:

"Senior brother, are you still in pain?"

It sounds like a pointless statement, but it's filled with deep concern.

“For martial artists like us, pain is a common occurrence.” Ryan forced a smile, then straightened his face again. “Life is a continuous battle, you don’t think a hard fight would defeat me, do you?”

“Of course not. In fact, you are the victor and the hero who saved Canghai City. Because of your arrangements, at least half of the people were spared.” Hua quickly shook his head, his eyes filled with admiration, but then dimmed again: “But you bore all the pain.”

Only half the people?

Ryan frowned at first, then relaxed. In the original timeline, tens of millions of people in the vast ocean had died, which was already a good result. Of course, they were going to die sooner or later, but wasn't there a "sooner or later" part to it?

"When the sky falls, the tall ones have to hold it up; that's the responsibility that comes with strength." Ryan didn't boast; looking at the girl in front of him, a faint smile appeared on his face.

Hua was a little dirty, and had dark circles under her eyes, showing that she had experienced a drastic change and was exhausted, but the girl still managed to pull through without showing any signs of breaking down.

He reached out and stroked the girl's face as she stepped back slightly. The touch was smooth and delicate, like stroking an egg. But Ryan didn't think much of it and simply wiped away the dust for her.

"It is your growth that makes me both worried and happy."

"I'm sorry, I didn't listen to you..."

"What is there to apologize for? Uphold your beliefs and firmly walk your own path. That is the true essence of martial arts."

Ryan didn't know what Fu Hua was like in the original timeline. Perhaps because of him, the girl in front of him had changed somewhat, but some things were already ingrained in her bones and would never change no matter what.

"Yes, I understand!" Hua's eyes widened slowly; she was actually quite satisfied.

Individual strength is negligible in this catastrophe. Without Ryan, Carroll would definitely have died, and he himself would most likely not have survived either. Even if he did survive, he would be like those others, hiding in the ruins, waiting for the Fire Moth to come and save him.