People are in Star Iron, and the game begins with the unsheathing of Heavenly Fire.

Ron remained calm, unconcerned by Gray Serpent's words. Saving Changkong City was the system's mission and his own goal, and it couldn't be negated by a single sentence.

The gray snake seemed to sense Ron's will, and so it spoke slowly and solemnly:

"This is not only my will, but also the will of all World Serpents, and even more so the will of Lord Mebius."

"Do you intend to make an enemy of Lord Mebius?"

Chapter Sixty-Eight: Negotiations with the World Serpent! Facing the Herrscher of Thunder! (3k5)

"To be an enemy of Mebius?"

Ron's eyes narrowed immediately upon hearing Gray Serpent's words.

As an absolutely rational researcher, Ron has his own set of judgments about everything.

Therefore, he will not be swayed by any words, but will instead try to understand the meaning behind them.

Although Gray Serpent's words just now seemed like an ordinary threat, or rather, not a threat at all, but simply an attempt to persuade himself by relying on Mebius's reputation.

However, Ron discerned two hidden meanings in the other person's words.

Firstly, Mebius and the other heroes are not dead; they are very likely still alive, unlike the original Collapsed World where, apart from Kevin and Hua, they are all in a state of a past paradise memory.

Secondly, the source of this chaos in Changkong City is Mebius; everything was designed by him, which led to such a chaotic situation.

Of these two points, the first one is basically good news for Ron.

Ron's attitude towards the heroes of the previous civilization was basically that of treating them as old acquaintances, and their relationship was even better than that of ordinary friends.

After all, he had fought against the Honkai for decades in the ruined world of the previous civilization, and naturally spent decades with the heroes as well.

Even though Ron kept traveling through different worlds at the system's request, the Honkai World was one of the worlds he stayed in for a relatively long time.

Other worlds with longer durations do exist, but the experiences of previous civilizations are ultimately more unforgettable and difficult to forget.

So, although we don't know the current situation of the heroes, or why they are alive but haven't appeared in the world, just knowing that they are still alive is already very good news.

Besides that, the second point is not good news.

If everything in Changkong City was indeed part of Möbius's plan, and Möbius himself is very likely still alive in this world, then it means that the mentality of the heroes may have undergone some kind of change over this long period of time.

Ron didn't actually experience the destruction of the previous civilization. He thought he had left that timeline after defeating the Herrscher of the End, but now it seems that the situation may be much more serious than he imagined.

At least, the surviving heroes are no longer in the same mindset as before. Instead, they are more like Mebius, willing to sacrifice everything to completely defeat the Honkai!

"Did Mebius send you to find me?" Ron asked calmly after a lot of thought.

“No.” Gray Serpent shook his head, his face still showing respect and reverence. “The reason we came to you is our personal idea. The Herrscher experiment in Changkong City will be the first step in the Stigmata experiment. Through this experiment, the Stigmata experiment will obtain the key to officially start, and the Stigmata Project can also be officially launched.”

"Project Stigmata... Was this a decision Mei made?"

“No, Dr. Mei only left behind this plan and then passed away.” Gray Serpent slowly spoke. “The decision to carry out the Stigmata Project was made jointly by Lord Kevin and Lord Mebius.”

"Kevin and Mebius?"

Ron frowned at Gray Serpent's words.

Mei's death was not unexpected for him. After all, Mei was different from the heroes; she was not a fusion warrior but just an ordinary person.

She can live for a maximum of one hundred years; the human body will reach its limit and cannot extend its lifespan any further.

Kevin and Mebius later acknowledged the Stigmata Project left by Mei, which is the real reason for the chaos in Changkong City...

“I understand.” Ron nodded slowly.

"You've agreed to my request?"

A glimmer of hope appeared on the gray snake's face.

Ron himself calmly shook his head and said, "I refuse your request and will stop all your plans in Changkong City."

"This……"

Upon hearing Ron's words, the gray snake showed disappointment, but it did not forcefully deny Ron's intentions. It silently nodded and watched him leave completely.

"You're just going to let him go like that? What if he ruins our plans?"

From the shadows, Natasha the Raven slowly emerged.

She had been secretly observing the situation here, and naturally saw the respectful attitude that the arrogant Gray Serpent had just displayed within the World Serpent.

Honestly, she never expected that Gray Snake would be so respectful to that man, and wouldn't even have the slightest thought of stopping him.

"Otherwise what?" Gray Serpent glanced at Raven silently, his tone unchanged. "The moment that person made the decision, everything was destined to be unchangeable and unstoppable."

"What?" Raven was confused by Gray Serpent's words. She asked, bewildered, "You mean? As long as he makes a move, our plan is doomed to fail?"

"Yes."

The gray snake nodded silently, not finding anything unreasonable about the matter at all.

The raven found this reality hard to accept, feeling that it was all too exaggerated.

In her opinion, although the man in the white coat had a mysterious identity, he couldn't possibly be a match for an organization as large as World Serpent.

While the raven was filled with doubt, the gray snake had already turned around and headed to the world snake's temporary stronghold.

It must quickly relay the contents of that conversation to Mebius in the Land of the Dead. As for the Stigmata Project and the Herrscher in Changkong City, it no longer cares...

……

"Boom!"

With the arrival of the Herrscher of Thunder, the entire Changkong City was plunged into immense chaos.

The Valkyries were paralyzed as soon as they appeared, completely unable to take any action.

"Insects, submit to me!"

The Herrscher of Thunder's cold gaze swept over everything before her, and all the Valkyries felt an indescribable and astonishing sense of despair at this moment!

Human strength is absolutely no match for this terrifying creature!

"Snapped!"

The next instant, blinding lightning slowly appeared in the Herrscher of Thunder's hand. The massive lightning transformed into a sharp blade, which suddenly shot into the sky and tore through the clouds!

However, after displaying astonishing power, the Herrscher of Thunder did not immediately kill everyone present. Instead, her gaze drifted, as if searching for something.

"Tsk, isn't that man here... Damn it, he dared to use such frivolous methods to suppress me before. This time, I must tear him to pieces!"

With this thought in mind, the Herrscher of Thunder looked at Kiana lying on the ground in the distance, her condition worsening, and couldn't help but sneer.

Although they could sense that the girl was one of their own kind, Herrschers wouldn't develop any unnecessary feelings just because they were of the same kind.

Therefore, the Herrscher of Thunder decisively came to Kiana's side and coldly lifted her up slowly.

"Let's use you as bait to force that despicable doctor to show up!"

"..."

Kiana remained silent in the face of the Herrscher of Thunder's cold words.

Her condition was extremely bad at the moment. She was also constantly being impacted by the Herrscher consciousness within her body, and for the time being, she was completely unable to move.

However, due to the abundant power that Ron had previously infused into her, her body had gained considerable resistance to Honkai erosion, and she was still able to maintain her balance.

But the price is that she is now more fragile than an ant, and she is completely unable to put up any resistance in the face of the Herrscher of Thunder's heinous acts!

"hateful!"

Upon seeing the Herrscher of Thunder's actions, the Valkyries present all showed expressions of tension and confusion.

Just as the Herrscher of Thunder was about to crush Kiana like an ant and completely destroy her, a startling sound suddenly came from the sky!

"boom!"

In an instant, the massive Hyperion warship pierced through the clouds and rushed into the sky above Changkong City, confronting the Herrscher of Thunder on the top floor of Qianyu Academy.

"This guy is a Herrscher? I thought it would be something more terrifying, like a monster covered in tentacles or slime?" Himeko Murata stood at the front of the warship and spoke slowly.

"Major, your imagination when you're thirsty is truly terrifying," the adjutant in the command room muttered to himself.

When Himeko Murata and the Hyperion arrived together, the Herrscher of Thunder exuded a terrifying aura and spoke coldly:

"Annoying insect, who gave you permission to be above me?!"

The Herrscher of Thunder slightly raised her arm and spoke coldly:

"Disappear!"

A terrifying bolt of lightning, tens of meters thick, appeared before her and charged directly toward the Hyperion warship.

"Quickly! Activate all protective barriers!"

An indescribable collision resounded across the sky above Changkong City, the terrifying pressure seemingly about to tear the sky and earth apart and destroy everything.

"Warning! Warning! External armor is severely damaged!"

"Output down by 40%! Immediate return to base recommended!"

Although the Hyperion barely withstood the Herrscher of Thunder's devastating attack, it caused the warship's energy to drop at an extremely rapid pace.

There is virtually no chance of them surviving a second attack.

If this continues, they will eventually be completely destroyed by the Herrscher of Thunder.

Therefore, Himeko Murata jumped off the warship, holding a huge alloy greatsword, and stood directly in front of the Herrscher of Thunder!

"How dare a mere ant look down upon a god?!"

The Herrscher of Thunder curled her lips into a cold, mocking smile, temporarily setting aside her attack on Kiana.

"Who are you calling an ant?!"

Himeko Murata gritted her teeth. Although she could feel the huge gap between herself and the Herrscher of Thunder, she still chose to fight at close range and give it her all in order to save Kiana, the innocent girl!

"Boom!"

A violent storm suddenly swept up the scene!

The Herrscher of Thunder raised her hand and unleashed an astonishing storm. Endless lightning spread out, instantly blasting the fragile Himeko Murata away!

Although they are both A-rank Valkyries, the gap between Schicksal's A-rank Valkyries and Herrschers is even greater than the gap between a dog and a human.