I am a hero of the former civilization.

Karius's pupils narrowed, and he instantly looked at the big screen. He suddenly understood why the Herrscher had come; it turned out that his most trusted assistant was behind it all.

"You dare betray humanity!?"

"The moment we decided to take action against Dr. Ryan, even at the cost of splitting the Firemoth for these fools, we were already traitors." Kalis remained calm, not even mentioning any grand principles like what 'humanity' is.

"Since ancient times, the victor is king and the loser is villain. Just as you have already fabricated charges against Dr. Ryan, he can also make you traitors. Do you think that's difficult?"

It's not difficult at all. As long as Ryan comes in with a knife, these blustering but cowardly councilors will put all the blame on themselves. When it comes to shirking responsibility, all thirty-five of them are Herrscher-level.

"So, both you and I have a choice. What do you want to choose?"

The seductive voice pierced his ears, but Karius felt no fear. He simply replied coldly, "I have no choice. What I want, they cannot give me, and I would never become a dog from among men!"

“Indeed, what you want is power, and only the Fire-Chasing Moth can bring you that.” Kalis wasn’t angry, he just stared at that familiar and resolute face. “You have completely failed. As your old subordinate who has followed you for twenty years, I can only give you this final gift.”

puff.

The commander slowly lowered his head and saw a fair hand reaching into his left chest. His eyes froze, first in disbelief, then gradually becoming calm, as if he knew what the gift was.

He was killed by a traitor to humanity; he may be called incompetent, but he can leave with dignity.

The gushing blood stained Kalis's robes. The end is always sad. He didn't look at his old boss again, but only faced the stunned senators.

No one knows what they said, but Karius's sudden murder gave people a bad feeling.

“I don’t know how Dr. Ryan will convince you to take over the entire Firemoth, but since I’ve taken this step, I must see it through to the end.” Kalis opened his mouth, his words sounding more like an explanation than a self-deprecating remark.

He didn't launch into a long speech; any explanation he could offer now would be weak and ineffective. Saying too much would make him seem like a wronged child. So, before the councilors could even process what he was saying, he raised his hand.

"Time is limited, so I offer this dignified ending to you all."

The soldiers mechanically raised their guns and pulled the triggers.

Ta da da da...

The storm of metal swept away, but Kalis was stunned. The fleeing senators were also stunned. Some lay on the ground, while others turned back in astonishment to see the dense hail of bullets frozen in the first row, as if a pause button had been pressed, leaving them suspended in mid-air.

Kalis stiffly raised his head and saw a black-haired girl standing quietly at the other end of the circular tiered conference hall.

She was wearing a white lab coat, with her hair tied in a neat ponytail, her hands in her pockets, but her eyes were extremely peculiar.

Those were a pair of multicolored eyes, seemingly radiating a faint light, and the Honkai energy in the air was even more eye-catching.

"So that's how it is. You didn't run away, but became a fusion warrior to protect these idiots." The astonishment on Kalis's face disappeared, and he became calm again. He was not a person who was incompetent and furious.

"Dr. May, I must admit that I am completely outmatched by you and Dr. Lane in terms of intelligence."

"That's because the Herrschers are beyond your control. If they could appear here silently, you would still have the upper hand," Mei replied calmly, without any hint of arrogance.

"No need for mutual flattery. I'm just curious, are you and Dr. Ryan really that naive? Or do you think that saving their lives will make these people obedient?" Kalis pointed at the dumbfounded councilors, his face full of disdain. This operation had completely exposed their worst traits.

Cowardly, arrogant, and selfish, they believe that everyone should sacrifice themselves for slogans, and that even the strongest power should be used as a weapon.

Mei, equally suspicious of the obvious attempt to sow discord, simply ignored the remark.

"This is not a question a traitor like you should be considering. Choose: fight me to the death, or run away with your tail between your legs?"

"This is indeed a very difficult problem, let's leave it at that for now."

Before he finished speaking, the front of the conference hall exploded, an invisible blade slicing through the steel floor and spreading in a straight line up the stairs, and Kalis's eyes shone with a blue light.

You have indeed secretly become a fusion warrior.

Mei was not surprised at all. She frowned slightly and saw the spreading straight line suddenly stop.

There were no flashing swords, no bursts of energy, and not even any physical movements. It was as if the two were locked in a mental battle, and a terrifying pressure lingered in the hall.

One second, two seconds, three seconds.

Time passed silently, and Mei, expressionless, suddenly took a step forward, bringing her conviction to its extreme.

"roll."

beep--

A sharp, strange sound flashed by, not like an air vibration, but it stirred up a storm in half of the conference hall.

The floor, the lectern, the projection equipment, and even an entire wall were all rolled up, as if struck hard by an invisible giant hand, shattering everything into dust.

buzzing...

Several rooms had vanished without a trace, leaving only a huge hole through which complex pipes were seen emitting thick smoke.

Mei tensed her muscles, her head buzzing, and desperately tried not to appear weak. Looking ahead, she saw nothing but a few flattened corpses.

Very decisive; if the first strike fails, he immediately retreats, making him a formidable opponent.

She didn't relax; instead, she furrowed her brows even more, knowing that this was hardly a crushing defeat.

Despite the seemingly certain victory, Kalis had already prepared a retreat plan. He was a smart man and did not allow Ryan to be completely wiped out.

She glanced at the ruins ahead, the Moth of Fire emblem shattered into pieces, recalling the war, before turning her head slowly to look at the Moth of Fire councilors who had survived against all odds.

As Kalis said, it's impossible to influence these people, because for them, self-interest far outweighs emotions, just as the famous saying goes:

If the profit is enough, they are willing to sell the rope that hangs them. To get to this point, all the talk of family, love, and gratitude is just a facade.

Mei raised her head, looking at the cracked ceiling, where a terrifying energy source was approaching.

"I'm curious, how do you plan to influence them?"

Chapter 275 They and you are all my pawns

Having experienced a life-or-death reversal in an instant, the councilors were still immersed in the terrifying destructive power. For many of them, it was the first time they had ever witnessed a battle between fusion warriors.

The terrifying pressure made breathing stop, and in an instant, the administrative district was reduced to a mess. Even without visible physical movements, everything was inexplicably destroyed.

It's truly... something to both yearn for and loathe.

Everyone present was used to big storms and was not some indecisive high school student. After quickly confirming that they were safe, they all looked at the standing girl, quickly stood up, dusted themselves off, and nodded demurely.

"Dr. Mei, you are truly a hero of humanity."

"That's right, you've just done a great service to humanity by repelling the traitor and ensuring the integrity of the Firemoth."

“I propose that Dr. Mei be immediately put on the shortlist for Chief Executive Officer. I must cast my vote for her.”

"It's not just about voting; I'm transferring ownership of all five of my companies to you. These things can only reach their full potential when they're in the hands of human heroes."

......

The flattery was overwhelming, but it didn't sound offensive; every word was reasonable and the tone was just right.

The gratitude was secondary; their exchange of favors was truly skillful. They immediately saw through my collusion with Ryan, deliberately omitting him and praising me instead, thus both sowing discord and downplaying the seriousness of the matter.

Mei knew perfectly well that behind every sweet-coated bullet lay a deep-seated hidden danger, a fuse for a power struggle. She suddenly understood why Ryan had taken such a risk:

Within the framework of the rules, anyone attempting top-down reforms through manipulation and power plays is essentially a law enforcer.

Disguise is useless now; a quick glance reveals a series of familiar faces.

The president of a multinational corporation, the chairman of an iron and steel association, the prime minister of a certain country, the spokesperson for an ancient family, and the former chief of staff of the Allied Forces...

These are all extraordinary figures; when it comes to political maneuvering and planning, aren't they at the level of Law Masters?

Mei remained silent, knowing that any words she uttered would be used against her later, so she simply didn't respond, standing there like a puppet until a loud 'thump thump' reached her ears.

The meeting room fell silent once more. The praise and exchanges of favors vanished in an instant, and everyone stared uneasily at the ceiling. This time, however, no one tried to escape.

They're not stupid. Dr. Mei is the safest person around right now; at least she's rational enough to understand one thing:

If I die, who will take over the military, multinational corporations, and factories? Just a powerful monster?

The thumping sounds grew closer, like the approaching footsteps of a giant beast, and then the already cracked ceiling suddenly burst open.

boom--

Dust flew everywhere, and a black-haired man crouched in the center, his spear still stained with blood. His overwhelming killing intent seemed to choke everyone.

Ryan arrived, appearing in the most terrifying form at the heart of the Firemoth. His grey eyes swept over them, and no one dared to speak, not even uttering a word of praise. Similarly, no one dared to reprimand him.

He truly fought his way here using his strength, far exceeding the constraints of the rules; he is a completely free individual.

To put it bluntly, Ryan could decide the life and death of everyone present, and the future of humanity, at his own discretion.

Whether he remains calm or erupts in rage is entirely up to his personal will.

"Ryan, you need to stay calm."

In the deathly silence, someone finally spoke. Ryan turned his head and saw that it was Wayne, which was not surprising.

“Brother, I have remained calm throughout. I am here to carry out the parliament’s inquiry order.”

The second half of the sentence caused countless people's blood pressure to spike, thinking, "How can you be questioned like this? Everyone else sits obediently in the judge's chair and keeps repenting, but you've killed the moth that chases the flame!"

But the fact that he was called "brother" still relieved many people, at least Ryan didn't treat them as enemies.

“That’s right, ‘calm as winter’ is the family motto, you remember it.” Wayne breathed a sigh of relief, knowing that his brother wouldn’t lose his mind.

“Well, there’s a second half to the sentence: ‘It should also be as cold as ice and snow.’” Ryan’s words left the other person speechless. He turned around and walked towards the front of the messy hall.

As he walked, ice spread across the ground, filling the damaged floor and reforming into a platform, complete with a lifelike high-backed chair.

Ryan plopped down on the chair, staring at the bewildered councilors, propping his head up with his left hand and gesturing slightly with his right.

"Gentlemen, please begin your questioning."

......

No one responded. Everyone looked at him as if he were a rational madman. What was there to question at this point? Who would dare to question him?

Moreover, that disdainful look infuriated people, as if they were looking at a group of ants.

"Not going to speak? Then I'll question you all." Ryan sat up straighter and asked bluntly, "There are only thirty-five councilors here, why are ten of you missing?"

There were a total of forty-six members of parliament. Excluding the deceased Takeuchi, forty-five should have been present.

Looking at the long spear next to the high-backed chair, no one was concerned about why the Fire Chasing Council was being questioned instead. The councilors all looked at Wayne, who had no choice but to answer.

“If more than half of the members are absent, the parliamentary order can take effect. Originally, nine people were absent, but Pope I left the meeting midway through.”

“I see. Running away immediately after discovering signs of failure can sometimes be a useful trait.” Ryan wasn’t too surprised. Even the Herrschers knew about Jun now, let alone these old foxes. He just looked at them without feeling any hatred.

Everyone has their own stance and interests, which is understandable, but understanding is not the same as letting things slide; he was even somewhat disinterested.

From their perspective, everything they did was right. From the perspective of all humanity, they are both praised and criticized. Selflessness and sacrifice are not things that everyone can do, and the higher the position, the less likely they are to do so.