I am a hero of the former civilization.

Can you still stop me from being 'friends' with him?

Chapter Fourteen Hi, my name is Alicia

The morning light streamed in through the French windows, falling on Ryan. He had changed into shorts and was kneeling on the carpet, shirtless, 'meditating'.

Taking off his shirt reveals well-proportioned and well-developed muscles, prominent deltoids, and a well-defined eight-pack. His scholarly air becomes even more pronounced, as if he's always ready to discuss academic truths with someone.

call......

Exhaling a breath of stale air, Ryan slowly opened his eyes, allowing his tense muscles to completely relax, though there was still some confusion in his eyes.

Murderous intent? Someone wants to get me?

Ryan slowly frowned, thinking for a long time without any result. The power struggle among the upper echelons of the Firemoth had always existed, but the fiercer their struggle, the more they needed him.

A 'superman' can be used to deal with Honkai, but it's even more convenient to use him to kill, whether outside or inside the organization.

He slowly stood up, swung his arm, and a red light flashed across the wooden stake several meters away, instantly splitting it in two.

Controlling Honkai energy from a distance weakens the further away you are, so it's not very useful against enemies with strong defenses, unless I can control more energy.

Ryan frowned slightly, then relaxed. It didn't matter; he still had time to become stronger. He would acquire this ability first.

"Actually, I'm more interested in that short-distance teleportation ability. Isn't the level of a Honkai Emperor enough? If high-ranking Honkai Beasts provide unique abilities, then what can a Herrscher provide?"

With a grin, Ryan walked to the window, full of anticipation.

From this luxurious suite, you can see most of Changkong City. Office workers are hurrying to the station, students are chatting and laughing while waiting for the red light, and the streets are bustling with traffic.

Nothing has changed; the fire-chasing moth has managed to keep it a secret once again.

Ryan looked up slightly to the north and could see checkpoints along the road and groups of reporters. The terrorist attack had been quelled, but there were still bombs hidden inside, so people couldn't just go in.

"In the end, only the graduate students are unlucky. They go on a happy trip, and when they come back, they find that the school has been bombed. Who can they complain to?"

Ryan shrugged in annoyance, threw on a plaid T-shirt haphazardly, and then opened his phone while eating breakfast.

He received a lot of messages that day, from his junior sister and Su. Of course, Ryan couldn't tell the truth. He only said that he was cooperating with the investigation and was temporarily suspending his studies, which was also a way of keeping the same story as Kevin.

Moth of Fire did not interrogate him. Ryan left in the middle of the night and went straight to a luxury hotel in Changkong City.

I can't go back to school for the time being. As one of the few survivors, I don't want to be made a fool of. Su is also very clever; I can't fool him with a story.

Ryan tapped his phone lightly. In fact, without May and the lab, going back would only be a waste of his time.

"I think I should go back to Canghai City. There are some things that need to be arranged. The third Honkai should be coming soon."

He vaguely remembered that the Third Honkai Impact had a huge impact, making it impossible for the Fire Moths to keep their secrets. And the huge impact meant that the casualties were also huge. Some people could not die.

The more involved Ryan became in the world, the less he could see the future, and the more cautious he became. For example, this time, if he wasn't there, Kevin would have been doomed unless he suddenly turned into a monster.

"It's better to play it safe. Anyway, the frequency of slightly higher-level Honkai Beasts appearing has increased significantly, so we haven't encountered any bottlenecks yet."

It doesn't matter if the research is suspended; I still have my knife. I might as well wander around and put the people in the Far East branch at ease.

Thinking of this, Ryan picked up his phone, tapped the pink profile picture, and his fingertips danced across the screen.

"Okay, let's have lunch together. I have time."

【若花绚烂】: Great! How about Roppongicho? There's a yakiniku (grilled meat) restaurant there. (Drooling)

[Empty]: Okay, meet at the station. I'm wearing a plaid T-shirt and black trousers. Remember to be on time.

[Ruohua's Splendor]: (Nods obediently)

Tch, I'm so bored I actually met someone I met online.

Ryan slammed his phone aside in annoyance. He didn't know what had gotten into him yesterday; amidst a flood of concerned text messages, he had inexplicably agreed. As a man of his word, he couldn't very well stand people up.

Let's just treat this as a relaxing break after the war. If anything is exposed, we can just use a massive memory erasure technique.

Ryan shoved his phone into his pocket, put on his sunglasses, and headed straight out the door. But as soon as he stepped out of the hall, he stopped in his tracks.

Surveillance? These young upstarts are like persistent ghosts, so eager to know what dirty deals the higher-ups are up to.

Take your time looking around. I'm just going to meet someone I met online. I'll leave once you all run out of patience.

He shook his head and walked out along the wall. It was early spring, and Changkong City was bustling with activity.

Cars streamed by, fashionable girls walked along the sidewalk, their miniskirts and colorful stockings constantly stimulating the eye. The aromas wafted from the street food stalls. Ryan wasn't exactly a cold-blooded executioner; he bought a takoyaki and ate it while glancing at the high school girls heading home for lunch.

As the car drove by, the girl lifted her short skirt and pressed it down, causing him to turn his head slightly. He saw not only her fair thighs but also the ice cream truck parked in the distance.

"The target is normal, Lieutenant. How come he's different from the legendary special forces?"

The screen glowed, showing Ryan turning around, his every move captured by the roadside camera.

"Watch less movies. Do you think they're Honkai Beasts? Even if they're special, they're still normal men." Rose rolled her eyes, picked up her lunchbox, and shoveled down a couple of bites. "Keep a close eye on things. Our hero has also come to Changkong City. Maybe the higher-ups want to do something."

"Yes, Lieutenant."

The group nodded slightly, even though it exceeded their authority, they firmly believed they were right.

The higher-ups of the Firemoth are very important, after all, they have integrated resources from all over the world, but they are also foolish, unable to see who the real enemy is, just like in the previous Second Herrscher subjugation war.

The pink-clad hero turned the tide, but instead of praising her and providing support, the higher-ups were filled with doubt and fear, as if they were afraid that this 'superhuman' power would break free of control. They forgot that without her, the Second Herrscher would have caused the deaths of millions of people.

So the frontline soldiers chose to fight back, and under this immense force, the politicians and capitalists had to calm down.

"Although we have defeated two Herrschers, who knows if there are more monsters? They think they have everything under control, but they don't know that our casualties on the front line are getting higher and higher."

The car was filled with resentment. The Fire Moth had been fighting against the Honkai for many years, from the initial panic to the composure after being certain of killing the enemy.

Many people believe that this kind of 'natural disaster' is nothing special; those monsters with their minds full of destruction have limited damage, and perhaps the deaths of more people in underdeveloped areas can alleviate population pressure.

Therefore, only humans themselves, especially those who possess the power of Honkai Beasts, can overturn the human order.

"What...are you staring at?"

A cheerful voice rang out, just as sunlight dispelled the resentment inside the car. Rose turned around abruptly and saw a flower-like girl who had appeared behind her at some point, peeking out at the screen.

She appeared and disappeared without a trace, but upon seeing her long pink hair, no one was afraid; instead, they became excited.

"Miss Alicia, what brings you here?"

"Don't be nervous, don't be nervous, just call me Ali. By the way, who are you guys spying on?" Alicia seemed to have dressed up specially, looking like a flower about to bloom in early spring. She happened to be passing by and saw Rose buying lunch boxes, so she quietly followed her.

It was a casual question, yet it was impossible to refuse.

“Miss Alicia, we are monitoring this person because we are afraid he might harm you.”

"You told me to call me Airi." The girl waved her hand, then smiled when she saw the group of serious warriors. "No one is trying to harm me. Don't overthink it. We just have different opinions. Just try to understand each other."

"But......"

"Alright, alright, I think I've seen this person before at Mebius's place. He's the boy who killed the Honkai Emperor, right?" Alicia said nonchalantly, looking at the man on the screen with curiosity in her purple eyes. "He doesn't seem like a bad person, so you can relax."

Is it really possible to tell this directly?

Rose coughed lightly, trying to remain serious: "This man's name is Ryan. According to our surveillance, he left the hotel at noon, as if he was going to meet someone. Based on the route, his destination should be near Roppongi."

Huh? It's also Roppongi-cho?

Alicia blinked and glanced at the time on the screen: "It's almost noon, we should go have lunch."

“There are restaurants near the hotel, and Roppongi is mostly izakayas, which is not suitable for a person to eat fast food, so we believe he went to meet someone in secret.”

The lieutenant was serious when he saw Alicia fall silent, as if deep in thought about something, before her eyes lit up after a long while.

She took out her phone, quickly typed a line of text, then looked up at the screen with interest. After a while, the man under surveillance took out his phone.

Ah, I see...

Alicia narrowed her eyes, her beautiful eyes filled with cunning, and she couldn't help but smile. Rose looked back and forth, feeling that things were getting weird.

"Hehehe, I've actually discovered something so interesting."

The girl laughed out loud, and her joyful mood infected every soldier. For some reason, they all became happy too.

......

Hey~

Ryan took out his phone, unlocked it, and frowned.

[Ruohuaxuanlan]: I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry, I suddenly have an urgent matter and have to go back to Mu Continent. I'll definitely treat you to a meal next time to make up for it! (kowtows)

What followed was a photo of the airport.

Damn it, you stood me up, didn't you?

Ryan's blood pressure spiked, and he thought about blocking this bastard, but his finger twitched and then stopped, finally revealing a self-deprecating expression.

Why should I lower myself to his level? He's just a passerby, and who knows when he might die in the collapse? It's better to keep some distance.

Perhaps it's because he's been eating too much dog food (a Chinese slang term for witnessing romantic relationships), Ryan felt that something was wrong with him lately, and he was even having some unrealistic fantasies.

[Empty]: It doesn't matter, let's meet again next time.

[Ruohua Xuanlan]: You're not really angry, are you? Should I come over now?

[Empty]: No need. Just focus on your own business. There will be plenty of opportunities in the future.

Ryan stuffed his phone back into his pocket and ignored the other person. He was just an online friend, someone to pass the time, not someone to take seriously.

He glanced at the bustling street, unsure of where to go. After a few seconds of hesitation, he turned and walked back.

Let's go back to the hotel to eat.

Kevin and Mei were no longer in Changkong City, and he didn't want to bother Su. He even felt a little nostalgic for school, but he stopped after walking only a few steps.

“I thought you were just keeping watch from a distance, I didn’t expect you to be so bold.” Ryan said expressionlessly, his tone icy.

A few meters away stood the adjutant I had seen before, who was wearing an ice cream chain uniform, but his expression was a bit strange.

"Dr. Ryan, someone wants to see you."

"See me? Who?"

"Please follow me."

Rose turned and left, which made Ryan hesitate. He had never had any contact with these soldiers before, and he looked around but did not find any heavily armed troops lying in ambush.

If they wanted to take me down, they'd be throwing their lives away if they didn't have at least a hundred heavily armed troops. Besides, they're not crazy enough to start a war in a busy city center.

Ryan was full of suspicion, but he perked up and followed. The lieutenant simply led the way, and soon the two entered a small park.