I am a hero of the former civilization.

That thing doesn't belong to the captain.

Aside from drinking papaya milk, I haven't been particularly obsessed with anything else.

So, my senior brother didn't think this was a defect.

The snow outside the window is so heavy, and the snowflakes are so beautiful.

Various thoughts flashed through Hua's mind, his consciousness gradually drifting towards the vast snowy landscape, then spreading outwards, as if he were playing with the snowflakes, until—

I've finished speaking. Do you have any objections?

Her consciousness returned to her body instantly, and she gently shook her head: "No, you are right."

"That's good. I've said it many times before: my master and I are away from you for long periods of time. You need to be mature, but not too mature." Ryan poured himself a glass of water. He had been rambling on for two hours and was quite thirsty, but he could see Hua's serious expression.

Yes, it must touch the soul.

"I'm not a child," Hua muttered to herself.

"Huh? What did you say?"

"Yes, yes, you're absolutely right."

"You're a promising student. Find some time to return this thing to Himiko, and remember to be discreet about it."

But this isn't the captain's; if I give it to her, she'll be seen as a pervert.

Hua was about to explain when he saw Ryan put down his water glass, preparing to start the second round of lecturing, which made Hua's scalp tingle.

"Yes, I understand."

"That's more like it. Sometimes you're just too slow to react, like a wooden stake."

This is all thanks to you.

Hua muttered to himself, glanced at the wall clock, and stood up, saying, "It's almost noon, let's go out for lunch."

"Oh, it really is. We went a little overtime this time. It must be because I haven't talked to you about these things in a long time."

This is the shortest one yet! When I was 14, I got into trouble, and you talked about it from morning till afternoon!

Hua roared inwardly, but she didn't blame Ryan at all. She knew what kind of person he was; sometimes he was concise, and sometimes he would only speak after killing the enemy.

Although she was very distressed, she knew that this was a privilege only she could enjoy. She thought about Möbius, her senior, who was full of barbs and sarcasm; he would never have a calm and peaceful conversation with her.

Thinking of this, she immediately felt better and grabbed Ryan's sleeve.

"Let's go, there's a barbecue restaurant on the nearby shopping street, I'll treat you."

"Wait, I haven't put on my coat yet."

The two went downstairs, got into their car, and headed straight for the city center. It was still snowing heavily outside, but there were still many pedestrians, hurrying along with their heads down, seemingly busy with something.

The shopping street was soon reached, with a dazzling array of signs everywhere. Ryan got out of the car and looked around. If it weren't for the fact that the neon lights had shrunk to the Kanto Plain, it wouldn't be much different from peacetime.

Restaurants, clothing stores, that sign... it's the legendary bubble bath bar, business is even better than before.

While Hua was parking his car, he looked around and then stopped at the entrance of the bubble bath, though he wasn't interested in this kind of special service.

A blond young man in a brown trench coat came out, looking refreshed and wise. Perhaps it was intuition, but he also looked over.

Their eyes met, the young man gave a knowing smile that all men understand, made a shushing gesture, and quickly disappeared into the snowstorm.

“Oh, it’s him.” Hua walked over at this moment and explained before Ryan could ask, “This is a fusion warrior who was transferred from headquarters last week. Hmph, I didn’t expect him to go to a place like this.”

"Very familiar?"

"We hadn't exchanged more than a few words when I realized he was quite narcissistic and was always trying to get close to me."

He looks like a playboy, but he's not that simple.

“‘Void’ Coleman, ID CM015, I didn’t expect him to come to Japan,” Ryan explained. He had seen the information May had given him; the list was incomplete, but Coleman was one of them.

CM? The designation of a high-ranking fusion warrior?!

Hua's pupils contracted slightly, and his expression became more serious. Including Ryan, there were only a dozen or so high-ranking fusion warriors of the Fire Moth, making them a very scarce resource. There must be a reason why they were sent here.

She even recalled the recent generous supplies, including the delivery of the most advanced combat mechs, as if they held some secret.

What is he doing here?

"I don't know. Maybe it's related to me, or maybe it's related to the investigation of the Honkai Beast invasion. Just be careful." Ryan didn't care too much. The interior of the Fire Moth is very complicated. At least with one more high-ranking fusion warrior, the situation in Japan will be much safer.

"Let's go eat barbecue. You can call Himiko and invite her too. She's the type who doesn't mind skipping work, right?"

"Are you sure you want to continue?"

"Don't worry, I'm just having a get-together with old friends. Don't forget I'm on vacation." Ryan pulled his trench coat tighter and walked into the barbecue restaurant to the sound of "Welcome!"

It's already raised alarms, why continue? My senior brother has never liked taking risks.

Hua was stunned for a moment, but quickly understood the reason.

This composure stems from strength.

Chapter 201: To Me, There Was No Difference

Ryan wasn't averse to taking risks; rather, he considered the potential benefits of every action he took.

Some scattered clues are being pieced together, and gradually, he begins to understand what those madmen are trying to do, and this bold conjecture needs to be verified.

Music was playing in the restaurant, and if you listened carefully, you could tell it was Eden's lead singer again. Ryan tapped his hand lightly to the beat as he swept his fingers over the meat on the table.

Pork belly, steak, and chicken wings were neatly arranged. Tokyo is expensive, and even Hua felt a little heartbroken.

"I told you a bowl of noodles would have been fine, but you had to make it so heavy."

"This is just to welcome you back. It's nothing, it's nothing. I'll get paid next week, and I often eat at home anyway."

Do you hate being stared at?

"Yeah, my senses are too sharp after becoming a fusion warrior. It's always uncomfortable to be stared at."

She was still wearing her black military uniform with gold trim, which, combined with her pretty and youthful face, always drew glimpses from diners. She was so young that even her uniform made her stand out.

Those in the know have already recognized that this is a 'monster', and then they can't help but wonder why such a little girl would become a superhero, even with a hint of provocation and challenge.

“You’ll get used to it. At least you’re luckier than Sakura; those looks were all doubtful.” Ryan took a sip of Reimu’s tea and looked out the window at the hurried crowd. “Actually, you’re already used to it. You’re trying your best to do good, but you’re not understood or accepted. You even have human blood on your hands.”

Hua's breathing quickened. She had fought to the death, struggled, and even killed rebels and patients with Honkai disease.

"In the past, some members of the team suffered from mental illness, but I was relatively unaffected. They all said I..."

“To say you’re like a wooden stake, well, in a sense, that’s a good thing.” Ryan chimed in. Hua wouldn’t think too much about it; he even suspected that Rose’s transformation into a Herrscher was due to a wavering of her will.

When all comrades are dead, and they turn on their own kind, their former beliefs completely collapse. The line between protecting and hating is very thin. Once a weakness is found, the Honkai can easily take advantage of it.

They say I have a pillar of support in my heart, which keeps me in a stable state of mind.

Hua pursed her lips gently, but did not correct him, because her senior brother was never wrong; there was indeed a reason related to his personality.

"Lieutenant Rose's personality changed drastically afterward. She became silent, so the captain used his connections to send her to the mopping-up fleet, thinking it would help her relax. But then that incident happened."

“So I’m also very sorry.” Ryan shrugged slightly, watching a bright red sports car speed by and drift to a stop in front of the barbecue restaurant.

Then the store door was pushed open, and the red-haired woman strode in, knocking aside the waiter who came to greet her.

She was beautiful, but her aura was menacing. Hua could not see that things were going well, so she quickly got up and stopped her. Himiko pushed her with a palm, and she subconsciously raised her hand to block.

Snapped!

With just one move, a shockwave exploded, causing a group of customers to scream and flee in terror.

"You still have such a fiery temper, Himiko." Ryan held his water glass steadily, propping his head up with one hand. "Let her come over, Hua. It's alright, you'll feel better after you've vented your anger."

Himiko snorted, strode to the table, and slammed her hand on it with a 'thud,' her dark golden pupils seeming to burn with flames.

Why didn't you tell me last time?

"I didn't want to spoil your fun in Hawaii. Besides, what good would telling you do? Do you think you can win the lieutenant back with friendship?" Ryan stared at her bluntly and slowly shook his head.

“You know it’s impossible. I’ve tried it too. Becoming a Herrscher means becoming something else entirely, a formidable opponent, no longer human.”

"I'm not as naive as you think." Himiko took a deep breath and said coldly, "At the very least, I can put an end to this matter myself!"

"So what? She's a Herrscher. It doesn't matter who attacks her. At least if I do it, she'll die more easily." Ryan's mind flashed back to the scene of the Fourth Herrscher before her death. He didn't know if Rose had returned or if she was just acting.

But he knew that Himiko would hesitate and die.

“Herrschers must be defeated. There’s no need to risk your life. I’ll do this cruel thing.”

The two stared at each other for a long time before Himiko said with a hint of mockery, "So you're saying I should thank you?"

"You should thank me; killing someone you know is not a pleasant thing."

“You… fine, at least you dared to come see me.” Himiko sat down heavily, picked up the beer on the table and took a big gulp. “But this isn’t over. It’s not about you, it’s about them.”

"I can see that you're not discouraged at all."

"Hmph, I'm not going to be defeated by this. I'm just a little confused." The red-haired woman spread her hands, as cheerful as ever. "With our hands covered in blood and no hope of victory in sight, we're already worried about being attacked from behind. We're really going to lose this battle."

She was beginning to waver, tormented by the endless war; her eyes were filled with weariness, and her faith was no longer firm.

This is the opportunity; there's a reason why Honkai chose you as the Seventh Herrscher.

Ryan finally understood why Himiko had become a Herrscher. She was similar to Himeko in later generations, but also different in some ways, such as her heart always being filled with hope.

Fifty thousand years apart, they were not the same person, let alone the more desperate situation of earlier civilizations.

"Hua, grill some meat for your captain." Ryan didn't show it, but opened a can of beer. "I came here for this. We're friends, so helping out is no big deal."

"The waters here are very deep," Himiko said hesitantly.

"The water isn't deep, do you really need me to come? Tell me, do you want revenge, or what do you want to do?"

"Of course we want an explanation, but it will involve higher-ups. I don't want you to get involved in this mess, even if I'm prepared to die. The more I investigate, the more desperate I become."

Despair, Honkai's favorite word. If I don't interfere, you will become a Herrscher.

Ryan paused, finally understanding that she couldn't bring down those behind the scenes, because that would be challenging the entire order of the Firemoth. Disappointed, she simply gave up on treatment.

"So Coleman was after you. If I'm not mistaken, you haven't been able to find any evidence or get through the proper channels these past few days."

“They do things very cleanly because they are the rule-makers themselves, and they know better than anyone else how to apply the rules.” Himiko gently tugged at her hair, looking caught in a dilemma. “It’s no use you coming here. I will slowly gather evidence and report them to headquarters.”

"What if you can't find it?"