I am a hero of the former civilization.

Chapter 238 A Thousand Tribulations? Isn't it all the same as deceiving people?

No one can catch up, because no one is a fool. Even if they are wearing a full set of annihilation combat gear, an ordinary fusion warrior will be killed in one encounter.

And so they watched as the two fled into the distance, disappearing into the vast mountains west of Dusk Street.

thump—

The cold fist shattered the boulder, and after the ice armor disintegrated, Andevich knelt on one knee, breathing heavily.

His skin was covered in ice, and every breath caused a tearing pain in his internal organs. His eyes were red, and he raised his head angrily.

Why didn't you use your full strength!

“Because it’s dangerous for a fusion warrior to break through their limits, I don’t want to become a monster.” Duvakin’s eyes were cold, and after a moment, he shrugged indifferently: “Besides, even if I use all my strength, I can’t take down these two monsters.”

He sighed. Putting aside the pseudo-Herrscher, that masked man was far too fierce. He had put all his energy into defense and was almost beaten to death.

"you!"

"Forget it, your brain's been frozen shut. Have you even thought about it? They're clearly stronger than us, so why are you running?"

Yeah, why run?

Andevich's throbbing head cleared up slightly. This made no sense at all. The outcome was still uncertain. To say it was just a test was a bit too much of a luxury.

Why did they run?

"How would I know? It just doesn't make sense." Duwaqin looked at the mountains and said in a low voice, "Besides, we came here to investigate the truth. What's with this chaotic battle?"

The giant was speechless. According to the original plan, they should have used the masked man as bait, then captured the pseudo-Herrscher alive, and obtained relevant information from the latter. However, the plan had a huge error.

The two targets were far too powerful for them to capture alive.

"Right, even killing two targets is pointless. Judging from the current clues, the pseudo-Herrscher, the Neon Incident, and the Peninsula Incident are all intricately connected to Dr. Ryan."

"I'm certain he's the mastermind behind it all!"

"These are all speculations, without any evidence. We don't even know what Dr. Lane is trying to do."

The two were extremely embarrassed. To this day, they still hadn't found the bodies of the two councilors. News also came from the peninsula that 'Black Dog' had been killed and the attackers had broken through the encirclement. Due to their speed, the high-ranking fusion warriors who were trying to intercept them couldn't stop them at all.

The body size and combat skills don't match, making this seem like a powerful figure who appeared out of nowhere. This is based on the information gathered by Andevich and Duvakey:

This must be related to Ryan, but the extent of the connection is unclear. Everything seems like a coincidence, and even having that doctor confront them would provide some food for thought.

Neon, I'm on vacation. What does that have to do with the disappearance of the two councilors? Everyone knows my ability is lightning, have you seen it? Yes, I'm investigating Black Dog, but that doesn't mean I'm going to kill him. There are plenty of people in this world who use knives. Why don't you do another round of investigation?

The pseudo-Herrscher of Twilight Street? Are you kidding me? I've never seen it before, and what makes you think it's a pseudo-Herrscher?

Oh, so it was them who did the thing with the neon lights. Then why are you looking for me?

"This doctor is really cunning. He's full of flaws, but there's no way to prove them." Andevich clenched his fists so tightly that they cracked, feeling like he was choking on blood, unable to spit it out or swallow it down.

"He's quite cunning. Ordinary people can use powerful memory restoration techniques, but he..."

I won't go into what Duvakey said next. It's impossible to get Ryan to self-destruct, because no one can beat him.

"Let's call for reinforcements. All the clues are focused on this pseudo-Herrscher."

“Reinforcements are not easy to come by. Dr. Ryan is not alone. The Fusion Warriors loyal to the Council all have missions. We must prevent those people from getting involved.” Duvakyn’s voice was even lower, making people suddenly remember that Ryan was not alone.

It was a faction, small in number and not very powerful, but its members were all elites of humanity, and the mere thought of them sent chills down one's spine.

“Miss Alicia, Dr. May, they would never betray us,” Andevich said, glaring.

"We still need to be careful. Our mission is to investigate the truth, and what to do after that is up to the higher-ups."

"How can we investigate now? Both of them have already escaped."

“Sure, you haven’t seen the intelligence on ‘Twilight’?” Duvakin took a document from his subordinate, held it between his fingers and dangled it, and you could vaguely see photos of Padofelis and Aponia.

"Those two aren't the only ones who know the truth."

......

Beyond Dusk Street are rolling mountains that, together with the bay, encircle the town in the center. These lush, overgrown areas have long been abandoned, and apart from a few abandoned hunters' huts, even local gangs wouldn't dare to come here to court death.

Honkai Beasts are everywhere; if you're not careful, you'll become their prey.

thump—

A muffled sound came from the cave, and rubble fell from the cave ceiling. Ryan, who had regained his original appearance, leaned against the wall with his back against it, glancing at the fist next to his face out of the corner of his eye.

Qian Jie almost grazed him as he crashed into the rock wall, his eyes flashing with murderous intent, appearing extremely fierce.

"Why did you run away when you could have killed them?!"

He was far from satisfied; given another ten minutes, he was sure he could tear that man in the red robe to shreds.

“This isn’t called running away, it’s called a strategic retreat,” Ryan explained coldly, then added, “And why would I kill them? It’s pointless.”

It's hard to say what the red-robed man's stance is, but the Fist of Shattered Ice is definitely on the side of humanity. He's just limited by intelligence and influenced by orders. Why would he do something that pleases his enemies and makes his own friends hate him?

"The battle itself is the meaning!"

"No, the outcome of the battle is what matters, which is why I saved you."

That's not saving someone!

"Okay, that's why I'm supporting you."

Ryan quickly changed his mind, finding it amusing that Qianjie was too proud. However, to be fair, while he was irritable, he wasn't mentally challenged; at least he could see the situation clearly.

'If that punch had been aimed at my head, it would have taken more effort to deflect it.'

He breathed a sigh of relief, feeling that he had made the right bet. While Qianjie was deep in thought, he quickened his pace and said, "I know who to kill and how to kill them. Those two were just bait. The main course is yet to come."

"Who's the main course?"

"The Herrscher."

Qian Jie was clearly stunned for a moment, as if he was a little confused about what a Herrscher was. Ryan also realized that Qian Jie had never encountered a Herrscher in this timeline.

"It's an even stronger monster that will let you fight to your heart's content."

"Hmph, so this is why you saved me?" Qianjie quietly raised his other fist; he hated being used.

"This has nothing to do with you. I can defeat the Herrscher alone. As for why I'm supporting you," Ryan slowly pulled his fist out from beside his face and said, word by word, "I don't want to lose a good opponent. After I've settled this matter, I'll fight you to my heart's content."

His gray eyes were clear, not quite believable, but they suited Qian Jie's taste, causing him to quietly lower his raised left fist.

"That's it?"

"Otherwise, are you the kind of person who would cooperate with anyone just because they've received a favor?" Ryan dusted off his shoulder, offering the best explanation.

He didn't need to explain the complicated plan or the identity of the merged warrior, because he had no interest in any of those thousand tribulations. If they weren't interested, they would start fighting, so he might as well be frank and open.

Qianjie thought about it and realized that it made some sense, because the person had not asked for anything in return or made any conditions.

"You're very bold. Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"

“You’re not the kind of person who’s unreasonable, and even if a chaotic battle breaks out, I won’t be the one who dies,” Ryan replied calmly, walking away from Qian Jie. “Nobody’s using their full strength. If I were to fight at any cost, you wouldn’t be able to win.”

His tone was resolute, which made Qian Jie's lips twitch and release a strong fighting spirit. But precisely because of this, he didn't make a move.

The rage is merely a facade; as the purest warrior, everything should serve the purpose of 'winning,' but the current situation is:

He wasn't confident of winning, and even felt he wouldn't get the satisfaction he wanted, because once he started, there would always be annoying guys interrupting. To deal with the man in front of him, he had to get his body into top condition.

"After this is done, let's have a proper fight!"

"Yes, it's time to settle things." Ryan was also aroused, but he also breathed a sigh of relief.

Having managed to fool him, Qianjie remained unmoved by either soft or hard tactics, so the only option was to start with his hobbies and leave him with plenty of anticipation.

He focused his attention on the present moment. With this move, he had essentially revealed his hand. After all, they were two high-level fusion warriors, not some nobody. In fact, Ryan had used all his strength, except for his authority.

If even the Herrschers don't take the bait, I can only admire your skill in hiding your true nature.

This matter is not over yet; it has only just begun. The two fusion warriors will settle for second best and try to find out the truth, a truth that the Herrscher also wants.

“Thousand Calamities, do you know where Aponia has gone?” He glanced at the man warming himself by the fire.

"I don't know, she dismissed the people from the sanatorium last night."

"So she stayed on Twilight Street, hmm, pretty much what I expected." Ryan felt something was off. What made Aponia so sure I would get her out?

Padofelis can at least be said to trust, but she can only be considered a metaphysical figure.

"You want to save her?"

"Yes, so I have to go back."

"And then you'll encounter that Herrscher?"

"It's highly likely, but they probably don't have the guts to come after us directly. They're probably thinking of using the fusion warriors as cannon fodder so they can get something for nothing."

"Hmph, a bunch of cowards."

Qianjie cursed under his breath. He despised this kind of person the most. He lowered his head and thought for a moment, then slowly stood up and stretched his neck.

“I’ll go with you. I happen to owe that woman Aponia a favor, so I’ll pay it back this time. I’ll also take the opportunity to see what that Herrscher is all about.”

A true man disdains to hide his feelings, and this sense of righteous indignation was exactly what Ryan had anticipated, a barely perceptible smile playing on his lips.

I've been waiting for you to say this.

Chapter 239 Wiping Away the Moths Chasing the Flame!

As dawn broke, the warm sunlight illuminated a scene that sent chills down one's spine.

The entire western section of Twilight Street was completely transformed, even more horrific than the aftermath of the earthquake and fire, because only the purest 'nothingness' remained in this area, with not a single intact building left.

The circular pits were filled with seeping groundwater, resembling lakes, while the buildings collapsed completely, leaving the area cleaner than if burned by a fire. The muddy road was completely overturned, with car parts scattered everywhere.

Utter destruction, cleaner than the licking of the greediest scavenger.

The twilight street was thrown into chaos. Even the most ruthless desperados trembled with fear, desperately searching for a chance to escape, but the result was utterly hopeless.

The sea route has been blocked by the Moth of Fire fleet, allowing entry but not exit. Even if one were to risk traveling by land, they would be caught by the roaming combat robots.

These rudimentary AI-controlled killing machines, though not as agile as humans, resolutely carried out orders, capturing anyone who tried to escape and killing any who resisted. The sound of machine guns had been continuous since morning.

Now no one dared to run away. They obediently stayed in their residences, waiting for the equally fearful gang members to come and search them. The streets and alleys were plastered with wanted posters, and when the bounty hunters saw the numbers on them, greed immediately replaced fear.

"I have 30 million euros, Qian Jie has 30 million euros, Padofelis has 20 million euros, is this Aponia? Why is there no photo?"