I am a hero of the former civilization.

Boom boom boom!

These 'shells' flew back, and with a dull thud, the armor dented, the machine fell backward, and sparks flew from the hole. Before they could stand up, the man had already fallen from the sky, crushing the steel like a heavy weight.

call--

Looking at the scattered robots around him, Ryan exhaled a breath of stale air. Honkai energy was truly incredible; it could not only be used to launch attacks or form shields, but it could also elevate this body to a superhuman level.

With his strength, speed, and perception all improved, he could even clearly feel that he was stronger than he was in the academy. It was just a pity that he did not obtain the Honkai Emperor's ability to teleport.

"The terminal location has been captured; it's at berth number three in area C of the port."

At that moment, Mebius's voice came through, and he sounded very heavy-hearted, as if he was extremely excited.

Ryan didn't think much of it, bent down as if he were starting to run, and energy formed a diamond-shaped stepping stone under his feet.

"receive."

A muffled thunderclap resounded, and a streak of light shot out in a straight line.

Is this even human?

In front of the snow-like screen, Velvi's mouth gaped open.

If she hadn't seen it with her own eyes, she would never have believed that a 'person' could dismantle their own creation into scrap metal without the help of high-tech weapons.

No, the energy from the imaginary space is beyond human civilization.

Velvet also has a deep understanding of Honkai energy. For example, this low-latency control technology utilizes quantum communication. But isn't this energy used to fill cannonballs and such? How can it be controlled by human power?

Could this be a 'Herrscher'? But those two monsters are much stronger; they can even change the terrain. I could bombard them for three days and three nights and not even scratch a hair.

Curiosity made her ponder, but she quickly snapped out of it and realized what was going on.

That person came straight at me!

The monitor captured a blurry shadow, which was definitely traveling at a speed of less than five seconds and was 'gliding' through the air, rushing forward in a straight line.

"Oh no, a hacker has reverse-targeted me, I need to escape."

As a qualified 'magician', one should run away as soon as the performance fails. Without wasting a second, Velvet immediately pressed several buttons on the control panel, followed by the 'click-click-click' sound of gears.

The defensive machinery deployed on the tanker's deck is being activated; it should hold out for a few minutes, so use that time to get out of there.

She packed up her laptop, haphazardly stuffed the documents into her bag, and after taking only a few steps, she felt the cabin shake, followed by a 'crunching' sound of steel tearing apart.

The steel hull twisted, arched and burst like a bubble, and then a mechanical arm crashed in, sparks flying from the broken end.

"Your toy is quite interesting."

The man's voice rang out at the same time as the moonlight shone in. Wilvi lowered her hands from her head and saw a man standing on a mechanical arm, his black hair swaying slightly in the sea breeze.

"But it's not enough."

Chapter Twenty-One: Murder, I'm an Expert!

Ryan scanned the dark cabin and found cables, screens and other instruments he couldn't name everywhere. Each one looked rough, messy and impressive, but with his limited knowledge, he couldn't figure out how to use them.

Putting those aside for the moment, he focused his gaze on the girl ten meters away.

She wore a wide-brimmed hat and a leather jacket covered in gears, her waist cinched to accentuate her curves, and her eyes held a strange mix of curiosity and fear, eagerness and introversion.

Like a spiral of contradictions, it's hard to discern the real her.

"Vellvie, the most wanted criminal of the 'Moth Chasing the Flame'?"

"Uh, I don't deserve the title of the most wanted criminal, I just have a little bit of a reputation." Velvi scratched her head and said somewhat dejectedly, "I didn't expect that besides that pink fairy, the Moth Chaser would also have a superman like you."

Tearing apart machines by hand, cutting iron like paper—this is something no human could do.

Ryan chuckled for a moment, but maintained a serious expression: "You think the Honkai was caused by the Moths of Flame?"

"Otherwise, why are you all trying so hard to cover it up? Besides, I destroyed several labs, and the stuff inside... tsk tsk, I can't even describe how disgusting it was." Velvi started counting on her fingers, her tone becoming increasingly certain: "Out-of-control imaginary energy, a large number of human experiments, and some of the subjects failed, but there were also finished products like you. As long as we have a superman like you, the Moth of Flame can rule the world. Hey, what are you laughing at!"

Pfft, you've been watching too many movies.

Ryan couldn't help but laugh, and he also felt that Velvet had some sense. Some of the higher-ups in the Firemoth did have this idea, and in the name of fighting the Honkai, they eliminated many dissidents.

"So you think you should be the savior?"

"It's not that bad. With the world as the stage and an evil organization like yours as the villains..." Velvi puffed out her chest and said proudly, "Such a wonderful performance naturally needs a protagonist!"

She really is a 'magician', she fooled herself. I almost forgot, she's also a 'fraudster'.

"The stage is indeed large, but you've chosen the wrong opponent. Also, take out your left hand; it only takes me two seconds to kill you. Your toys won't stop you."

Wilvi's confident expression froze as she stared at Ryan's slowly raised fist. Her lips twitched as she took out her left hand, revealing a controller in her palm.

"Uh... how do you know me so well?"

Ryan didn't answer the question, but stared intently at Vervi, making her feel uneasy. After a long while, she gently shook her head.

"You're a genius! You've managed to create so many complicated things without a lab. How did you do it?"

Vivi's eyes lit up, and she instantly forgot the terror of the man in front of her. She patted her chest, causing a slight ripple of flesh to appear.

"Because I think, the meshing of gears, the roar of steam, turning an unattainable dream into reality, sounds really interesting, doesn't it!"

What kind of thinking power do you have? Are you a green-skinned green-skinned person?

Ryan didn't know where to begin complaining, so he pressed his hands down to tell her not to rush to speak.

"Did you relax because you thought I was easy to talk to?"

"Hehe, if Moth of Fire wanted to kill me, it probably wouldn't have been this long. It's not like you're just lonely and want to chat with me. That's impossible. You have that Mebius as your girlfriend, even though she's a bad one."

Why would anyone want that viper Mebius as a girlfriend? Do they think they're living too long?

In an instant, Ryan's eyes turned fierce: "Don't overthink it. Based on the information you've obtained, the Fire Moth will definitely kill you, without even giving you a chance to be imprisoned in the deepest part."

Ryan had figured it out. If Velvet was just a troublemaker, locking her up would be fine, since her engineering achievements were extremely high and she would be very useful in dealing with the Honkai. But she was involved in the power struggle, which meant it was a matter of life and death.

"If I'm not mistaken, you had no idea who provided the information, but you just didn't expect me to catch you."

"People inevitably make mistakes sometimes, who knows if you were on a date with that doctor in the middle of the night." Velvi scratched her face. Of course she knew the danger involved, but magic shows are supposed to be thrilling and exciting.

"I'll say it again, Mebius and I just happened to run into each other."

"I see."

"What do you know!" Ryan took a deep breath and steered the conversation back on track. "Do you know why you fell into my hands?"

This time, Velvi became more serious and immediately replied, "Aside from coincidence, the most crucial thing is the nature of the power. The cost-effectiveness ratio of ordinary weapons to Honkai energy is about one to ten, just like the difference between a catapult and a cannon. There is a dimension to the difference. If I want to be on the same level as you superhumans, I have to make good use of this energy."

"For example, we could use it as an energy core to create a Honkai energy laser cannon. It would be even better if we could convert it into electricity."

Ryan listened and nodded. As expected, Velvey was dedicated to creating a spiral of "common sense" and "counterintuitive sense," which could also be considered a test.

Humans still believe that everything is under control, but Ryan knows that this is a crushing defeat of civilization level. Rash courage is useless, and defeating the Honkai is not about Kevin blindly rushing in.

Mebius, May, Velvi, and others made even greater contributions. Without the Fusion Warrior and Divine Key project, civilization would have perished long ago, and wouldn't have survived until the end.

"You're qualified."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Wilvi was a little confused when she saw something being thrown at her. She picked it up and saw that it was a data disk.

"There are some files about the Fire Moth inside, as well as research on Honkai. You should figure things out first."

"Are you trying to recruit me? Or are you planning to betray the Firemoth?" Velvi waved the USB drive. Stories can be made up, but data can't fool her.

"I'm just saving your life. Don't go around courting death. The Moths that chase fire will soon be too busy to care about political struggles, and your talent is exactly what they need."

"why?"

“Because the will to survive is the first instinct of humankind, and it is especially strong in those who are in a high position.” Ryan didn’t explain much, but smiled confidently: “As for you, the stage ahead is even more magnificent, and you won’t refuse it.”

It's mysterious, but it sounds interesting.

Vivi grabbed it and tucked it into her cleavage. She always felt that the man in front of her was more like a magician than she was, with an unfathomable sense of mystery.

"Now that you know so many secrets and are dissatisfied with their actions, why don't you try to change them?"

"Because I am not strong enough, and the world has not yet reached a true existential crisis."

"What if we get there?"

"Simple, just physically remove them."

Ryan's words were concise, and he noticed that Velvi's expression turned strange. It wasn't surprise, nor did it have anything to do with admiration; it was as if she wanted to etch him into her mind.

"I'm thinking of staying by your side to help you."

"What?"

With her hands behind her back, Velvi mimicked Ryan's indifferent expression and said succinctly, "Because this persona is cool."

"Get out of here!"

"Received." Wilvi gave an odd-looking military salute and lightly stomped her foot.

The steel floor cracked open right before Ryan's eyes, revealing that the patterns on the floor were cut marks. In the blink of an eye, a large hole appeared in the center of the cabin.

Various instruments crashed into the sea with a crash. Ryan grabbed the steel beam above his head and looked down, only to see a dark miniature submarine disappear into the water.

It turns out this guy had already planned his escape route.

Ryan's lips twitched. Wilvi's appearance was deceptive, as if many people lived in that body. However, beneath the magician's exterior lay a cunning fraudster.

With her intelligence, she should be able to understand the truth about the Honkai soon enough. It's better than being locked up in the deepest place. That kind of ingenious thinking will be indispensable in the future.

"The person who provided her with intelligence is quite powerful; they were able to infiltrate the Far East branch."

Ryan didn't think much of it. There's no shortage of self-important and ambitious people in this world, but as his answer said, when the time comes, he won't have the patience to fight them for power.

Velvi escaped. They'll notice me because they're guilty. That's good. It'll save me a lot of trouble later. When the time comes, fighting the Honkai while being wary of backstabbing is unbearable for anyone.

Ryan wasn't worried. The Third Honkai Impact was the turning point. After that, the world would quickly slide into the abyss. He pressed his earpiece.

"The matter is resolved. Let the people from the Far East branch come over."

"You killed Vervie??" Mebius's voice was complicated.

"No, she escaped. She really is a cunning magician."

There was silence for several seconds before a cold reply came through the earpiece: "You don't trust me?"

Mebius wasn't mentally challenged; he immediately realized Ryan was lying. Ryan, knowing the woman wouldn't betray him, offered an explanation.