I am a hero of the former civilization.

Ryan didn't think much of it and was about to jump into the hole when he was stopped by Wilvi.

"Go this way."

Ryan was puzzled, but then he saw a drill bit protruding from the rock wall and was immediately taken aback.

"Is escaping through the underground river also a decoy?"

"Yes, if I waited until they realized what was happening, I still wouldn't be able to get away, so I prepared another way out in advance. Once they jumped into the underground river, I would run out."

"So your slight panic was fake too?"

“It’s true.” Vivi, who was walking ahead, turned around with a faint smile on her face: “But before you can deceive others, you have to deceive yourself first.”

If it weren't for the young girl he was carrying, Ryan would have liked to applaud gently.

This elaborate scheme is far too complex. Even his mental detection was fooled. If there were someone with the same ability inside the poisonous pupa, even if they could read minds, they would still fall for it.

This 'true self' of Vilvi is really quite cunning.

Chapter Seventy-Nine: The Value of Human Beings

There was another tunnel behind the rock wall. After walking slowly for more than ten minutes with his back bent, he entered another mine. When he climbed out from there, Ryan realized that he had actually circled around to the east of the city, which was exactly the place where he had looked out over Montpellier the day before yesterday.

She's truly a cunning rabbit with three burrows; without a large-scale military encirclement, it's impossible to catch her. But if there are too many people, her communications have already been intercepted, and she'll escape just the same way.

Ryan put Sakura on the ground and glanced at Velvi, who was slowly drying her hair. Several helicopters were circling over the town, and the soldiers of the Fire Moth were searching house by house.

Gunfire soon broke out, and it was obvious that a shootout had broken out with the local gang. Despite the fact that the Fire Moths were powerless against Ryan, their firepower was comparable to that of an army.

"I suppose that counts as upholding justice; this small town should be thoroughly cleansed."

Ryan has excellent eyesight and can see soldiers in protective suits dragging corpses out of the rubble. He deliberately kept those corpses, and their genetic composition can be analyzed quickly.

"The evil human experiments of the evolutionists have gone out of control, slaughtering civilians, and then fighting with the moths drawn to the flame. Sounds... so pleasing to the ear."

Ryan laughed. This was the surface evidence, and it made perfect sense. A scheme had been set up from Möbius to the vast ocean.

The Evolutionists, who support the Fusion Warrior program, have been conducting unauthorized human experiments, which is a crime against humanity. This data was leaked from the Fifth Research Institute, and Mebius is also implicated.

Even if the higher-ups were to protect it to the death for the sake of humanity's future, the plan would inevitably be frozen, and no one would suspect the pureblood faction.

"As expected, no one is a fool. They struck first; is this a way of shifting the blame?"

Ryan crossed his arms, thinking those people were weaklings in combat, but their political acumen was top-notch; they had a profound grasp of the essence of the problem.

The redistribution of power requires vacant seats, but these seats can be filled by others.

"It is indeed a very good plan, with each step linked to the next. It can also use this incident to shut me up, so that even if they investigate afterward, they won't find a single clue." Wilvi nodded, appearing calm and rational.

“But what they wanted to do just happened to provoke me,” Ryan added indifferently.

"That's really bad luck, all because you offended Mebius?"

“It’s somewhat related to her, but the Fusion Warrior program can’t be frozen. I also want to use this turmoil to reorganize the Firemoth a bit.” Ryan frowned, reluctantly admitting.

Vervi smiled slightly, knowing that the 'rectification' included her; she had already witnessed this man's methods.

He acts decisively, without any nonsense, only crushing his opponents. His plans are clear and logical, and apart from inexplicably saving an assassin, he has almost no flaws.

"If you can do this well, you'll be doing some people a huge favor, and in exchange, they'll naturally agree to some of your requests."

“That’s right, so I won’t make a special trip. Apart from you, the Pureblood Faction’s plan has been executed very well, and I guess you have some pretty damning dirt on you.”

“Yes, I found one of their human testing sites and downloaded some classified data from it, including some videos and top-secret documents. The people behind it are indeed those purebloods,” Velvi said calmly, then pointed to Sakura beside her. “If Poison Chrysalis testifies again and exposes both of these things, they’re finished.”

Ryan's eyes widened slightly. He had guessed that Velvi must have some dirt on her, but he hadn't expected it to be so shocking. No wonder the Purebloods were chasing her like crazy.

The higher-ups have their own rules; anything that's considered anti-humanitarian is simply dismissed from their positions. But if this conspiracy is exposed, all factions will unite to physically eliminate them.

That's despicable and inelegant. How can you save humanity by teaming up with insects?

"I've hidden the data. When are you going to release it?"

“What’s the rush? Some people in the Fire Chaser Council are more anxious than I am. The later we offer help when things are really tough, the better.” Ryan shook his head. He didn’t like getting involved in these dirty power struggles, but he had already stepped in.

Then they'll make a fortune.

After thinking about it, she realized that this made sense, but Wilvi still chose to make things clear: "But in this way, they will find out that I am not dead, and they will do everything they can to eliminate us, including the poisonous pupae. This commission cannot be considered a misunderstanding."

"With me here, are you afraid?"

The man glanced at her sideways, his tone indifferent, devoid of any impulsive, hot-blooded energy. He was simply stating a fact. Wilvi's eyes widened slightly, then she fell silent again.

"Not afraid."

......

As the governing body of the Fire Moth, the Fire Chasing Council has been shrouded in mystery from the very beginning. Because the organization is extremely secretive and rife with political struggles and assassinations, the identity of each councilor is kept highly confidential.

Although time has passed and their identities are now easily guessed, there's no need for them to gather together like the League of Nations Council. Instead, they hold remote meetings in a dark room at headquarters, using electronic nameplates.

The advantage of doing this is that no one can take down the Fire Chasing Council in one fell swoop, which satisfies the mystery and sense of ritual of the important figures, and also allows for 'group discussions' while the meetings are being held.

"The first phase of the meeting has ended. Karius gave us plenty of time to discuss things individually. He's very clever; he sensed that something was amiss."

Moonlight streamed through the dome, giving the elegantly decorated room a cool and serene feel. The oil portraits on the walls were hidden in shadow, exuding understated luxury throughout.

The large desk was very tidy, with two 30-inch screens on the left and right. The old man who was speaking had a full head of silver hair, triangular eyes, a goatee, and a burly body that filled out a plaid shirt. He was dressed very casually.

The left screen displays the headquarters of the Firemoth. In that oppressive conference room, forty-six tombstone-like electronic nameplates stand tall, each simply bearing the number 'Sicht-XX', along with a silent icon.

The same was true for the screen on the right, except the room was much smaller, and there were only six 'tombstones' emanating from them, accompanied by indistinguishable electronic synthesized voices.

"That commander is being cunning, trying to stall for time and let those people contact each other."

"As long as the exchange of benefits is sufficient, crimes against humanity and war crimes are worthless, but this time, they will have to give up at least five seats."

"A mere five seats, is that enough to satisfy the appetites of the newly rich?"

"How could we possibly be satisfied? But from now on, the Fusion Warrior Project will be frozen, resources will be allocated to the Second Research Institute, and our position will be even more unshakeable."

The value that people rely on for survival in this world is what allows them to realize their own value and also to undermine the value of others; essentially, it is a struggle over paths.

To combat the Honkai, the Fire Moth has prepared two paths: one is to advance technology, and the other is to become fusion warriors. The latter is bound by ethics, so at this stage, more resources are being allocated to the former.

However, the Third Herrscher disrupted the balance. The heavily invested fleet, Honkai energy warheads, and even the Scepter of God failed to play a decisive role. Instead, Ryan and Alicia shone brightly, and this was the origin of the crisis.

This is quite awkward. Earth's resources are limited, and resources must be concentrated on the most valuable routes, which infringes on the interests of some people.

"Humanity must maintain its purity for defeating the Honkai to be meaningful. Changing our genes and becoming like those monsters is no different from surrendering."

The old man gently tapped the table, his voice heavy and sorrowful.

This is the core argument of the Pureblood faction, which has resonated with many people throughout the world.

"Yes, this is the answer that best fits nature and philosophy."

"Carius is too eager for quick success. Those weapons are indeed disappointing, but more and stronger weapons are under development. When the Fourth Herrscher arrives, they will surely shine!"

"Our path is the one that humanity should take, and we must achieve victory as human beings."

A faint smile appeared on the old man's lips. This was not only about profit, but also the expectation of the vast majority of humanity. They had already verified the Fusion Warrior Project, and no one wanted to become that kind of monster.

Just as he was about to strike while the iron was hot, a small window popped up on the screen, his smile froze instantly, and his azure eyes sharpened.

Somewhat unbelievable, some bewildered, it was like reaching the peak of joy only to be struck by a blow to the head.

How could that be? Those were hunting dogs and a whole pack of poisonous pupae.

His expression changed drastically, but he still took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down, and slammed his hand heavily on the table.

dong dong.

The discussion abruptly stopped, leaving the important figures who were outlining their vision for the future somewhat bewildered.

"Gentlemen, I have some bad news to tell you." The old man didn't keep you in suspense and tried his best to remain calm: "The preliminary investigation report is out. The magician is not dead. On the contrary, the poison pupae are almost all wiped out. In other words, someone saw through our plan and intervened in advance."

Silence, deathly silence. The joy that had just been felt vanished, and even through the screen, one could feel the fear.

"That person must die!"

"If she doesn't die, we're finished."

“What she has is the only evidence. If the evolutionists find out the truth, they will tear us apart, and then no one will speak up for us.”

This time, the emotions were even more intense; it turns out that even these top elites can roar and feel fear.

"Gentlemen, calm down. Since the evidence hasn't reached His Excellency the Commander-in-Chief yet, there's still a chance to salvage the situation." The old man tapped the table again and picked up the phone in front of his companions.

"You've received the message, haven't you? If you want to settle accounts with me, we can do so later. But you should know that Du Yong is also involved in this. Now, we must find her at any cost and shut her up forever, no matter who's with her."

There was a long silence on the other end of the phone before a hoarse reply came through.

How many people need to be sent?

The old man gripped the phone so tightly that his fingertips turned white and veins bulged on his forehead; all traces of elegance were gone.

"Everyone!!"

Chapter 80: Psychological Counseling for Sakura

Those purebloods will definitely go crazy.

The car bumped along the old, poorly maintained road. Ryan held the steering wheel with one hand and propped his head up with the other.

He had no interest in the factional infighting among the Moths of Fire, but since these people had targeted Mebius, he would decisively eliminate them. As for their core theory of 'humanity defeating Honkai,' he cared even less about it.

That's too arrogant. Do they think the Honkai is only this bad? Humans have no right to be picky. Besides, in the end, they're just after their own interests.

According to Ryan's intelligence, the pureblood faction is backed by arms tycoons, so of course they would support the technological route. But to think they can defeat the Honkai with conventional weapons is just too naive.

"I remember there was a Herrscher who worked with electronic viruses; the weapons they created will all become toys, and they might even end up hitting humans."

They talk a lot about principles, but their hearts are full of business. Not to mention, this group of people have a flexible moral bottom line. In order to frame someone, they went to conduct human experiments themselves. They are utter scum.

"However, I also have a problem."

The reason why unspoken rules are unspoken rules is that everyone knows the truth, but there is no obvious evidence.

Moreover, exposing the authority of the Herrscher of Thunder would be very troublesome, unless, like Montpellier, all the witnesses were eliminated, thus preventing it from ever being exposed.

Ryan frowned slightly, and finally decided to proceed with caution and try not to drag Mebius into it.

"I've intercepted the Poison Chrysalis's communication network. They seem to have gone mad." Just then, a head popped out from the back seat, a look of glee on its face. "Should we pull over up ahead and wipe them out, leaving a trail of corpses?"