I am the former civilized hero.

"Why should I hide it from you? Come on, the final ceremony is about to begin. Let's go to the top of the mountain." Ryan held her hand, and Hua didn't think about anything and just continued to climb the mountain.

After climbing hundreds of stone steps, they almost reached the top of the mountain. The open space was crowded with people. In the center was a large bonfire. A priest wearing a tall pointed hat was throwing some garbage into the flames and burning it.

I heard that these are all garbage fished out of the sea, which symbolizes praying to the sea god to appease his anger and pray for good weather.

With the bonfire as the center, people held hands and danced as they moved. There was a wooden platform in front of the bonfire, and the priests and maidens were also dancing and chanting incomprehensible prayers.

As a scientist, Ryan had never studied the folk customs of this world, so he found what he saw now somewhat confusing and impressive.

“I didn’t expect that Neon’s local religion has such a big influence.”

"Well, we have to find some spiritual sustenance. It's already great that they can call on their followers to fight against Honkai." Hua answered casually. She had no interest and kicked the stones under her feet. "Brother, do you want to dance with us?"

pop-

There was a burst of applause, and thousands of people clapped their hands at the same time, which was quite impressive. Then they held hands and began to spin around and dance, full of religious fanaticism.

Ryan suddenly thought of the madman in Snow Prison Town, frowned, and replied: "If you want, I can accompany you."

"Then let's not dance. It'll be interesting if we find a place to watch them dance. There will also be a fireworks show later." Hua said casually, and directly changed Carol's strategy to pieces.

According to the plan, she was supposed to invite Ryan to dance, and then express her feelings amid fireworks and dancing, but she sensed Ryan's disgust and gave up without hesitation.

"Well, it's not like I'm being forced to accompany you."

"You've been with me for a whole night. I can't ask for too much." Hua smiled, pulled Ryan to the side of the road and sat down, then they sat shoulder to shoulder, the bonfire reflected in his emerald eyes.

It's lively, even a little fanatical, but if you think deeply, human fragility determines who they have to pray to, otherwise they will not be able to survive in this increasingly cruel world.

Either the collapse, or the invisible god.

Silence has become the exclusive domain of the strong, just like Ryan and Hua, who watch this frenetic dance with cold eyes.

No one spoke. Ryan got a little bored after watching for a few minutes. He turned his head slightly and looked at Hua who was sitting on the ground.

The long skirt revealed her round and smooth shoulders, the hollow neckline revealed her delicate collarbone, her bent knees lifted the hem of her skirt, and her white legs reflected the firelight.

The most wonderful thing is the back revealed by the long skirt, which is smooth and delicate, and looks small and exquisite because of her figure. It reflects the moonlight and blooms with a silvery-white color.

Very beautiful, just like Megebius's long legs, it instinctively attracts the eye.

The girl supported her chin with a focused expression, and her other hand grasped his wrist and never let go.

Just then, a sea breeze blew by, lifting some gray-blue hair and blowing it onto Ryan's face, making him feel a little itchy.

"It's so quiet."

"Huh?" Hua turned her head in confusion. The mountain was full of noise, and she didn't understand where the silence could be.

"Brother, are you bored?"

"No, I just feel that when I'm with you, it's always extra quiet. How should I put it? It feels like a still and tranquil place."

A calm well?

Hua didn't quite understand, but looking at the smile on Ryan's face, he thought it was at least a good thing, so he turned his head and looked around.

The sea hidden in the darkness, the dim lights of the city in the distance, and the hustle and bustle in front of me, I hesitated for a moment.

"Do you find it ordinary to stay at my house these days?"

"It's indeed ordinary, but this is also a good thing. To be honest, I never thought that more than half a month would pass silently, just like pressing the slow-motion button." Ryan looked up at the sky, where there was a half moon and faint stars.

"I've always been very busy. I have to fight, research, and think about the next step. I rarely have time to relax."

"After all, you carry the hope of mankind. If anyone can defeat Honkai, it must be you." Hua said without a second thought, his expression extremely firm.

"Thank you for your trust, but who can predict what will happen in the future? I volunteered to take on this hope, and I didn't force myself to do so. But I often wonder what I should do after I fulfill this hope."

"Of course, to become a hero of mankind and be admired by everyone!"

"That's what I deserve, but I can never stop. Even if I solve the collapse, it's like stepping on a stone step and I have to keep going up."

“All the way to the top of the mountain?”

“This road has no peak, or rather, I am the peak.”

Hua was stunned for a moment. No wonder his senior brother was so busy. He was constantly moving forward and sounded very tired. But looking at Ryan's expression, it was a desire that came from the heart.

"Brother, just do it if you like. I will always follow you, no matter where you go."

"Haha, so I figured out the answer." Ryan laughed in the sea breeze, just as dense 'meteors' jumped up and exploded in the air. The beautiful fireworks made the top of the mountain look like daytime.

"I want to take you to explore a wider world. Whenever I feel sleepy, I will spend a few days with you living an ordinary life. I feel better all of a sudden. This may be called a combination of work and rest."

"We've been through so much together, and before I knew it, I can't leave you anymore."

Am I that good?

Hua was in a daze, and when she saw the brilliant fireworks all over the sky and the man laughing loudly, her face suddenly turned red.

Can't leave me, doesn't this mean...

She felt her face was as hot as boiling water. Wasn't Carol's ultimate strategy to wait for this sentence?

"Hua, what you are afraid of is not that the senior brother ran away with someone else, but that he would abandon you and let you live alone in this ghost world. You are stubborn, but in fact you are very fragile inside."

She remembered that when Carol said this, his expression was more serious than ever before.

"Ryan, I won't leave you either!" Hua took a deep breath and finally called out his name bravely.

The fireworks continued to flicker, making Ryan's face flicker, and he could only vaguely see that he seemed to be smiling.

"What if I really leave you, against my will?"

Hua's expression froze and her hands clenched the hem of her skirt. Although there were cheers, exclamations and laughter everywhere, she felt that everything was quiet. The brilliant sky was more like an abyss, swallowing her up step by step.

That's right, there is no hope in this world and anyone can die. Ryan carries hope, which also means he takes the greatest risk.

The emerald green eyes lost their luster, but became extremely bright again in an instant, even brighter than the fireworks above her head, and the girl spoke in a tone that was almost like a vow.

"I will wait for you, no matter if it's a hundred years, a thousand years, or ten thousand years, I will wait for you, no matter..."

She paused before she could finish her words because Ryan had hugged her.

Ryan brushed his fingers through the soft hair, felt the smooth and slightly warm shoulders, and gently stroked the girl's smooth back.

"Stupid, I can't bear to keep you waiting that long."

Hua's mind was blank and he stood there stupidly. Fortunately, Ryan didn't hug him for too long. He could sense someone approaching, and the girl's body was tense to the extreme. He felt that this was not a good thing.

He gently pushed the girl away and held her shoulders.

"Don't worry. Honkai can't take me away, and it can't take you away either. Don't worry about anything. Just do the things in front of you and follow my steps. I'll take care of the rest."

Ryan's tone was not firm, but full of tenderness, which gradually calmed Hua's pounding heartbeat.

"Well, I'll leave everything up to you."

It was an ordinary answer as usual. It can be said that in the past ten years, whenever she encountered difficult problems, this man would come to her side and say the same thing.

Just like the bottomless pool of Neon, Himiko would feel desperate, but Hua didn't even think about it, she knew that Ryan would solve everything.

As footsteps approached, several soldiers in Fire Moth uniforms appeared nearby. Seeing the two people hugging each other, they felt a little awkward, and the leading captain coughed lightly.

"Lieutenant Hua, I'm sorry to bother you, but there is an emergency dispatch order. A large-scale collapse has occurred in Karakura City, and you need to attack immediately."

Hua frowned slightly. She instinctively hated this kind of guy who ruined the atmosphere, but she said nothing. She just glanced at Ryan, who nodded slightly. She immediately understood.

"Okay, let's find a landing spot and have the helicopter come directly over."

"Thank you for your cooperation."

Hua had not yet forgotten his identity as a soldier. He walked a few steps with the men, then turned back reluctantly and bowed slightly.

"Brother, I am very happy today. I will definitely remember it and will never forget it."

"Me too, Hua." Ryan stood there, smiled and waved, and saw the girl looking back every few steps, slowly disappearing into the noisy night.

All kinds of sounds entered his ears, the comfortable tranquility just now disappeared, and he suddenly stopped smiling.

Is this your warning?

Ryan reached his hand down his back and stroked the smooth silver flute.

again and again.

Chapter 209 You're going to piss me off to death!

Without making a phone call, someone was suddenly sent to convey the order. The meaning was very clear:

The rules of the Fire Moth cannot control you, but they can control other people. For example, sending Hua out to carry out missions is all reasonable and legal, and no one can find fault with it.

"But just like Lieutenant Rose, it's hard to say how much danger is behind a normal mission. This is the role of power."

He knew that Hua would not be in any danger. Those people were not crazy enough to force him to rebel and kill people. They were just showing their strength and giving a warning.

Ryan smiled again. Power comes from rules. The other party used it reasonably, taking all aspects into consideration and keeping a good balance.

"But who gave you the illusion that I was prepared to follow the rules?"

Ryan stretched his body. The premise of power struggle did not exist at all. He had never intended to play the game of power from the beginning. Just like there was no position, this represented absolute freedom.

After resting for such a long time, it’s time to go to Dusk Street and eliminate some hidden dangers along the way.

The festival has ended, the crowd is dispersing, and the commercial street on the hillside is about to enter its peak business period. Ryan glanced at the helicopter flying in the sky and left with the crowd. This time he did not go to those poor bosses to purchase goods.

He walked through the crowd and found the blond young man he was still chatting with at the foot of the mountain. The young man was typing frantically on his phone, and it was obvious that he was chatting with many people at the same time. He only looked up when Ryan approached.

"Ready to leave?"

"Yeah, it's a bit disappointing. They think too much."

"All big shots are like this, but don't worry, it's just an attitude. They haven't gone crazy yet." Coleman put away his phone and licked his lips. "Do you want to go home and wait? If you're bored, you can come and play with me. It's not convenient with that girl around."

He smiled somewhat lasciviously, hiding his uneasiness very well.

"Forget it. Hua won't be back for at least five or six days on this mission. So you guys don't plan to go?"

"It's just an emperor-level Honkai beast. The second team led by the lieutenant is enough." Coleman laughed dryly and asked, "Are you ready to leave Neon?"

"Well, there are some things that need to be investigated in the Peninsula, and it happens to be close." Ryan paused and looked at the other party meaningfully: "Have you heard of Paradise? I want to deal with these scum."

The peninsula has been compressed to the south, and the situation is more critical than in Japan. The higher-ups are planning to draw lots and evacuate the lucky ones to Shenzhou.

Coleman went over the intelligence in his mind. He also knew about Paradise and licked his lips again: "I've heard of it. Those people are indeed scum, but I hope you follow the normal procedures."