I am a hero of the former civilization.

Sakura still felt something was off, but the path to survival distracted her, and she nodded gently.

Since things have come to this point and I can't turn back time, I can only listen to it and at least keep the bell.

"I don't need to remind you, you should know that this matter is an internal struggle within the Moth of Fire, a power struggle between the big shots."

“Yes.” Sakura wasn’t stupid; she’d seen plenty of dirty stuff.

“So the poisonous pupa is just a knife. In a confrontation between big shots, no one knows what the outcome will be. You also risk being abandoned. Don’t rush to deny it. I know you’re not among those who will be abandoned.” Ryan raised his hand to interrupt, then suddenly leaned forward.

"But if you do too many dirty things, you might be abandoned sooner or later. Don't forget, the bell is your Achilles' heel, much easier to control than other assassins."

Sakura gritted her teeth. The thing she had been worried about all along had been revealed by this man. That's right, even if the Poison Chrysalis gave her an impossible task, she could only bite the bullet and do it.

"So your lives are tied together. If you die, just in case, they'll kill Rin too. Even if they have a change of heart, do you think the world will allow an ordinary girl to live a good life afterward?"

Ryan continued to deliver a critical strike, causing Sakura's fists, which were resting on her knees, to tremble. She knew, of course, that the world order was collapsing. The purpose of order was to protect the weak, but what would happen to a powerless girl in the chaos and darkness?

Just thinking about it sends chills down my spine.

“Yes, that’s why I absolutely cannot die.” Sakura nodded emphatically.

"So you should thank me, sincerely."

With a deep breath, the girl's chest heaved even higher. She quickly sat up, and said in a deep voice, "Thank you."

puff.

Vivi felt she was about to lose control again. When Ryan's gaze swept over her once more, she had no choice but to climb back into the front seat and bury her head in her arms in anguish.

I can't take it anymore, I'm going to die laughing if I keep listening.

Ryan nodded calmly. He also wanted to laugh, but fortunately, he had received special training and was able to hold it in.

"Do you want to hear about a way out now?"

“Please speak.” Sakura quietly switched to a more respectful tone, her expression cold and focused.

She didn't know why, but she felt that what the man said made a lot of sense.

"Since you know this is a power struggle among the Moths of Fire, it's very simple to save your and Rin's lives: just stand on the side of the victor."

Who is the winner?

“Of course it’s me,” Ryan replied decisively.

Sakura was momentarily dazed, but then realized that the man in front of her had the right to be confident, and there was no need for him to deceive her.

Because the other party could easily take your life with a wave of their hand, and it's not just about strength; this confidence is even more convincing.

Since he was able to find out my identity, it means he had been planning this for a long time. With his wisdom and strength combined, can those councilors really stand against him?

"what do I need to do?"

"You don't need to do anything. Have you thought it through now?"

“You’re right. To survive this incident, we have to stand on the side of the victors and eliminate the people who hired the poisonous pupae. Only then can Ling and I be safe.”

Sakura's eyes are cold, and her methods are ruthless and decisive, which is perfectly acceptable and aligns with the assassin's value system of survival of the fittest.

“A very smart answer. Stand with me. This is your only way out, because no matter how many mouths you have, you can’t explain why you survived. Even if you escape back, you and your sisters will still be doomed.” Ryan’s gaze was indifferent, devoid of joy or sorrow.

"So, going back to the question I just mentioned, the reason we kept you alive was simply to do this. You didn't have to do anything, or rather, your presence or absence had no impact on the event."

She was very confident, yet no one dared to say she was overconfident. It was this indifference that spurred Sakura's warrior spirit, and her tone became even colder.

"But I hate being given charity, and I hate owing favors even more. I must do things, even if it's just to repay a little bit of the favor."

Hahaha!

Hearing the laughter from the front seat, Sakura raised an eyebrow, as if drawing a sword: "What are you laughing at? I've been putting up with you for a long time!"

"Sorry, sorry, I actually have a high threshold for laughter, but I just couldn't help it." Vivi patted the seat, thankfully it was autopilot, otherwise she would have crashed into the roadside long ago.

Ryan watched coldly, though he really wanted to laugh, but he had to hold it in for the sake of the scene, which was very painful.

He certainly needed Sakura's cooperation, at least to bridge the previous hostility. Given his personality, he would never leave any enemies alive, not even if she was one of the Thirteen Heroes.

But getting closer to someone doesn't necessarily mean being a sycophant. Ryan is better at taking advantage of a woman's kindness and using meticulous logic to defeat her.

Everyone heard that, you said you'd help as much as you could, but I've been refusing.

Ryan smiled faintly. He knew, of course, that Sakura wasn't mentally challenged. This was the only way to reason logically, and it made him look bad.

But he didn't care; the previous civilization was not a place for picking up girls, as long as this hero could be used by him.

"Alright, we're all on the same side now, don't waste time on this. Sakura, I respect your integrity, but my answer is still the same." Ryan stood up, still expressionless.

"As long as you don't become my enemy a second time, I'll do whatever you want."

This was both an answer and a warning. Sakura pursed her lips, still not knowing why she had survived.

Force? Beauty? She had no answer, only knowing that if she drew her sword against him a second time, both she and Ling would die.

So who exactly are you?

Ryan leaned closer and saw Sakura instinctively lean back to avoid him. He whispered a few words in her ear before turning and leaving.

Sakura looked at the man climbing into the front seat, and the doubt in her eyes finally lessened a lot. It seemed that she had figured out a lot of things in an instant, and even showed a hint of respect.

“You’re definitely not a girl who’ll like you.” Wilvi finally couldn’t hold back when she saw Ryan crawling over.

They don't care about gender or appearance; they crush others mercilessly, and they're not afraid of anyone turning on them.

For some reason, Ryan's mind flashed with Mebius's smile, and he snorted in annoyance.

"Girls don't necessarily need to be pampered, but some people just fall for my tricks."

"That weirdo Mebius, right? She's never been normal to begin with... oh dear..."

"Keep driving, at least you have no right to call Mebius weird." Ryan gave Velvi a hard knock on the head; this guy was a nuisance and needed to be hit.

He glanced at the rearview mirror, in which the girl was kneeling upright, frowning as if she were thinking about something. Ryan stared at her for a few seconds before looking back at the small town ahead.

Besides, time will tell.

Chapter 82. Virvie, you damn good-for-nothing!

That night, the van drove into the desolate town, which was already on the edge of the northern Mu Continent and rarely visited by people.

The young people have long since moved to the big cities. Because of its remote location, even flour merchants are unwilling to come here. Only a bunch of dilapidated houses remain, and you can hardly see any people.

The shops on both sides of the road had their doors tightly shut, the dry wind stirred up some sand and gravel, and the dilapidated billboards made a rustling sound, creating an indescribable desolation.

Ryan looked around and felt that this desolation was not the fault of the Third Honkai Impact, because this kind of place was originally a godforsaken place, but after the Honkai Impact, even the last bit of value was gone.

The vehicles that transported the supplies never returned, and those left behind would starve to death sooner or later.

“Beyond the town lies the wilderness, where many isolated indigenous tribes reside.” Sakura poked her head out from between the seats. She was very familiar with the Mu Continent and could be considered a semi-guide. “These natives are ignorant and linger outside of civilization, and local governments don’t want to deal with them.”

Indigenous tribes?

Ryan wasn't surprised. The previous civilization was actually somewhat counterintuitive. Despite its advanced technology, it also had many ignorant and closed-minded aspects. Some scholars had studied this and came to some interesting conclusions.

These people choose to isolate themselves, live an ignorant life, and reject everything from the outside world because their living area is too poor, so they simply let themselves live in their own little world.

'The reason is still the Honkai. Over the years, some wise people must have realized that the Honkai is related to the development of civilization, so they chose to give up. It's just a pity that they couldn't drag all of humanity down with them.'

They seem clever, but are actually foolish. Even if all of humanity gives up, they still can't deal with the Honkai. They just need to send down an Emperor-level Honkai Beast and they'll all be wiped out.

“Foolish. The Honkai is aimed at all of humanity. What’s the point of a few people just giving up?” Ryan didn’t want to waste time on a small group of idiots and turned to look at Velvi: “You’re a genius for hiding data in a place like this.”

"I didn't hide anything here," Wilvi blinked, looking completely innocent.

what?

Even with Ryan's composure, he almost couldn't hold back: "Then why did you bring us here?"

"Actually, it's hidden here, but it's not really hidden here..."

"Get off the bus, riddle teller!"

"Don't be impatient, let me explain slowly." Velvi cleared her throat, placed her right hand on her chest, and her voice became more melodic:

"I hacked into the communications satellite and uploaded the data. According to my calculations, every seven days, the satellite will change its orbit and pass over this town. Then, as long as the data is downloaded during that time period, it will be absolutely secretive and absolutely efficient."

Ryan's mouth gradually widened, and his expression became somewhat blank. He glanced at Sakura out of the corner of his eye, and she had a similar expression.

Vervi was very pleased with their shock and said smugly, "Hmph, how would you rate this move?"

"Zero points!" Ryan immediately smacked the magician on the head, grabbed her collar and shook her back and forth. "It was such a simple thing, why did you have to go through all this trouble? You could have just dug a hole and hidden it, instead of making such a big fuss."

"Digging a hole? That's too simplistic."

"Do you think this is a performance? I want to finish my work quickly and go back to get back to my tasks. Are you wasting my time?"

"Life is a performance all the time, stop shaking, I'm so dizzy."

Ryan took a deep breath, really wanting to cut open Wilvi's head to see what was inside. This girl was even more bizarre than Mebius. That woman, though strange and sarcastic, was actually quite serious when it came to important matters.

But Vilvi is different; she always has wild ideas.

He finally let go. At this point, even if he hung the 'magician' up and beat her, it wouldn't make a difference. Maybe his 'id' would even come out and ask him why he hit her.

When will the satellite next pass by?

"Two days later, on the evening of [date]."

"Then why did you rush here in such a hurry? I could have used that time to completely shake off the pursuers."

"You're the one who told me to hurry up and get the data," Velvi said innocently, spreading her hands. "Besides, I couldn't hold back any longer with such a spectacular move."

call--

Panting heavily, Ryan told himself there was no need to fight a schizophrenic, and simply started to reconsider.

The original plan is definitely useless now. The pureblood faction and the poison pupa will catch up soon. There will definitely be many people secretly observing this time. Under normal circumstances, it is not advisable to expose the Herrscher's authority.

But their political enemies aren't stupid either; they'll keep sabotaging them, so theoretically there shouldn't be any major problems.

Ryan was deep in thought, while Sakura was observing from the shadows. Suddenly, she realized that this person wasn't so scary after all. A slightly cold-blooded person wouldn't let the 'magician' off so easily.

As for Vilvi... her limited vocabulary can only be described as 'eccentric'.

"What do you want to do now?"

“What else can we do? If we escape into the wilderness, we’ll have to come back. By then, they’ll definitely be able to guess that the data is related to this place, and they might even connect it to the communications satellite.” Ryan rubbed his head. Thanks to someone, a very simple matter had become complicated.