I am a hero of the former civilization.

"Why would I laugh? Mermaids are a rare sight."

"Pah, it's still a fish. I hate degeneration the most."

“I think you should focus on the word ‘beauty’.” Ryan twitched the corners of his mouth and let out a long sigh.

Luckily, she was a mermaid. If she were a merman, he wouldn't know what expression to make, so he took a closer look.

Her long hair was wet, and her soaked white shirt clung to her fair skin, revealing glimpses of her purple underwear. It was beautiful and intriguing, so I gently touched her fishtail.

It has a delicate and smooth texture, even better than stockings, and the fish tail twitches when you touch it.

"Don't touch me!" Mebius shrieked, his snake-like eyes flashing with embarrassment and anger through his hair. "Speaking of which, don't you find this ugly degeneration disgusting?"

"How can you call it degeneration? When you go into the sea, your fish tail should be more convenient. This is clearly evolution."

Ryan's angle was tricky, but it sounded quite reasonable. Möbius was taken aback, seeing that the other party didn't seem to be lying.

It seems he really likes it? Okay, I'll record this gene fragment. Wait, how did I fall for this trap? It's so embarrassing to be acting like this.

She thought to herself, then wiggled her body like a salted fish, and jumped back into the sea with a 'plop,' sticking out her bright green head.

"The blocking medication will take effect soon. I'll go back to headquarters once I've recovered. You can go back now."

Through the sea, he could vaguely see fish tails swaying back and forth, and Ryan felt somewhat lost.

"You're not coming back with me? I won't laugh at you."

"Don't even think about it! If you don't smile, some people will be overjoyed!" Mebius's voice became shrill. Perhaps influenced by the legend, Ryan thought the voice was quite pleasant and would be great for singing.

But before he could speak, the head had already disappeared into the sea.

Wow, she really is like a mermaid who comes and goes without a trace. I should have brought my camera.

Only then did he feel a little regretful, but when he thought about how Mebius could transform into a snake, a sense of curiosity suddenly welled up inside him.

Oh no, how did I turn into a sad wind?

Ryan shook his head, patted his face lightly to regain his composure, and the air currents propelled his body upwards, quickly returning him to the chaotic city.

Many buildings have been reduced to ruins, but fortunately, the people have taken refuge underground, which is where the fortress's role comes into play.

Did May foresee this outcome when she prioritized building shelters as her top priority?

As soon as the thought crossed his mind, he saw fusion warriors everywhere in the ruins. Some of them were thawed ice sculptures, while others had just arrived from global support and were clearing the ruins.

Ryan made no attempt to conceal himself, and the spreading Honkai energy caused everyone to look up and see the man in the tattered white coat in the sky.

The Fire Chasing Council's orders had been relayed, so of course no one fired at this point, but they remained apprehensive and stared blankly at Ryan in the air.

For most people, this battle was somewhat inexplicable. Why was the commander-in-chief changed? And what exactly could this "father of fusion warriors" bring?

We had to say something to reassure people.

Looking at the faces hundreds of meters in the air, Ryan felt tens of thousands of eyes focused on him. There were doubts, questions, confusion, and even relief. Compared to these intense emotions, words seemed pale and powerless.

He was not good at speaking, could not engage in long-winded discourses like Carius, and did not want to go on and on explaining the causes and consequences.

After a moment's thought, the man's calm tone swept across New York with his authority.

"Gentlemen, from this day forward, we will cease self-doubt and internal strife, and we will no longer sacrifice the majority for the benefit of a minority. Follow in my footsteps, take me as your banner, and we await—"

"We will fight the Honkai with all our might!"

This wasn't exactly an inspiring speech, but it answered the doubts of most of the soldiers and dispelled their confusion about the future.

Especially for someone like Andevich, it was even more exhilarating than a long speech. He could finally stop killing his own people, stop accepting inexplicable orders, and vent all his anger on the Honkai, fighting with all his might until his last breath.

boom!

The sound of boots clashing echoed like muffled thunder among the ruins. Everyone stood at attention and saluted, responding with one gesture and one voice.

"Yes, Your Excellency!"

Chapter 278 I'm just being lazy, so what?

The plan went even more smoothly than Ryan had imagined. Apart from turning New York into ruins and accidentally injuring many people, all objectives were finally achieved.

The saying goes that a short pain is worse than a long one. Just like that unique inauguration ceremony, where the brief speech was the only thing that mattered, the moth that chased the flame finally distinguished between enemy and comrade.

No more people will offend the powerful and be sent to occupied territories to carry out reconnaissance missions that will surely lead to certain death. No more cities will be abandoned as garbage. The soldiers are not fools; they have long since discovered that those big shots who spout righteousness are all hiding their own selfish motives.

They can blackmail the Fire Moths for their own 'territory' and conduct human experiments to achieve their unspeakable secrets. They are indeed fighting against the Honkai, but they are more focused on vying for power and profit.

Fortunately, they finally took pity on us and handed over all power to the warriors, represented by Ryan.

Ryan is of course innocent. He even blamed the faction for New York being reduced to ruins. If it weren't for their interference, this battle would never have happened. In fact, he repelled the Herrscher's attack.

Of course, Coleman, Vinal, and the Twins all felt that something was amiss, but they wouldn't say it. For most fusion warriors, daring to take the risk of going to the operating table meant they were absolutely top-notch, and they were already tired of the endless internal scrutiny.

So let's just blame those traitors. Anyway, we'll be mortal enemies from now on, so it doesn't matter how much they smear us.

The rubble is still being cleared, and in the past few days they have realized that their choice was right.

The commands are becoming increasingly efficient and clear, and Dr. May is like artificial intelligence, cleaning up the mess at an unimaginable speed.

The city was rebuilt, its branches scattered around the world were reorganized, production capacity was integrated, and some outposts in dangerous situations were evacuated. Most terrifyingly, even the building materials and transportation capacity had been planned, as if it had been prepared long ago.

Even the veteran members of the Firemoth were bewildered, because this major adjustment was met with no opposition whatsoever. It should be noted that those strongholds were backed by powerful figures, and the integrated factories were sacred private property.

In the past, it would have taken a long time to argue and involved countless exchanges of interests, but this time they managed to withdraw smoothly, taking all the people and supplies with them, and even the lottery was rejected.

Perhaps, the higher-ups suddenly had a change of heart; after all, they didn't send their trusted confidants to rescue them while they were being held captive in the underground city.

"In Africa, only Madagascar was retained as a base, and all other bases were evacuated to South Asia, while the troops were concentrated in the Middle East; in South America, all troops were withdrawn, and the reorganized branches were strengthened in the isthmus region and Antarctica. This is the new organizational material, as well as the list of branches to be abolished."

In the somewhat luxurious office, Mei was pointing at an electronic map and talking animatedly. She had been cleaning up the mess these past few days and was a little tired but even more excited.

She can finally become a chess player and control the world according to her own ideas, and the energy brought by the fusion warrior allows this workaholic to work without sleep.

I didn't misjudge this man.

Mei glanced at Ryan. She didn't believe in fate, but she also felt that the world was full of wonders. Thinking back to a few years ago when this guy had just transferred to Chiba High School, she never would have imagined that he would be sitting in this position.

It's simply a miracle, it's just...

"Commander-in-Chief, are you even listening to me?"

Ryan covered his mouth and yawned quietly. He had slept for several days to recover and was still a little dizzy.

"I'm listening, I'm listening. You did a great job. I knew I made the right choice."

"But why do I feel like you're dumping all the trouble on me?"

"How can you say it's troublesome to strive for the future of civilization and work hard for human civilization?"

"Stop with the high-sounding principles and tell me, what did I do well?"

May wasn't buying it, while Ryan, somewhat annoyed, straightened up a bit, thinking to himself that he really couldn't become Karius.

He controls the Firemoth through this small group, so he can't put on airs, and besides, he doesn't want to.

Putting aside the fact that power can lead to complacency and stagnation, Ryan also couldn't change interpersonal relationships. Was it a case of "releasing military power over a cup of wine" or a purge? Wasn't that just insane?

"Let me see." Ryan perked up a bit; with his intelligence, one glance would be enough.

“Abandon those areas that are bound to fall, concentrate our forces to form a fist, and retain bridgeheads for counterattacks, especially in South America. With the south and north like two pincers, we can launch a counterattack at any time.”

Previously, the Fire Moths used a long, single-line formation, which, to put it nicely, meant they could support each other. But in reality, it was because each councilor didn't want to lose their territory, and sometimes they would even harbor enemies to enhance their own power, just like Takeuchi deliberately released Honkai Beasts into Tokyo.

That would only lead to them being picked off one by one, without even time to provide support.

"At least you're clear-headed." Mei snorted, pointing to Africa and South America. "These two continents have been almost entirely lost. There's no point in keeping some of the fragmented outposts, and they can even become their bases."

"You want to concentrate the Honkai?"

"It's better than running around aimlessly. You rushed to take control of the Fire-Chasing Moths because you wanted to have a fair fight, didn't you?"

“That’s right, playing cat and mouse will always leave you with one side unattended.” Ryan nodded; that was his thought.

Honkai is completely random; it can occur anywhere, with no concept of front or back. But since the Third Herrscher, the world has already changed.

Let alone Honkai Beasts, even if a Herrscher appears, once their trail is caught, they are doomed. The two sides seem to have reached a balance of power, the only difference being who can concentrate their forces to create a situation where they outnumber the enemy.

For example, the Seventh Herrscher, if it weren't for the Moth of Flame dragging its feet and Ryan leading ten high-ranking Fusion Warriors to surround and attack her, she would have had trouble even escaping.

"I took advantage of the Honkai's targeted nature. That thing up there may not be intelligent, but it can make the right choices based on instinct. It won't descend upon the Herrscher to die."

"So the Fifth Herrscher arrives and disappears suddenly, while the Sixth Herrscher arrives almost without warning. But the safest way is to arrive under the cover of their own kind. This is because the overall combat power of the Moths has surpassed that of the Herrschers, and several Herrschers cannot arrive at once."

Mei also made speculations, and even provided data.

She pressed a button, and a world map appeared with countless red dots, with Africa and South America having a density several orders of magnitude higher.

"According to SkyNet observations, the frequency of these two continents descending has indeed increased."

"That's inevitable. Even Judgment-class Honkai Beasts will die in heavily guarded areas. And do you remember that paper from before?"

"The strength of a Herrscher is directly proportional to the Honkai energy environment. Just like a ripe fruit will fall when it reaches a critical point," Mei replied coldly, having roughly understood Ryan's meaning.

"This is the fair and square I wanted. I gave them enough assets. From an absolutely rational point of view, a direct confrontation would have a higher rate of destruction."

Ryan shook his head with a sigh. Doing this was not a good thing, at least it would greatly increase the difficulty, but it could also prevent the Herrscher from being shameless and launching surprise attacks everywhere, destroying city after city.

The latter is a slow death, because if a Herrscher doesn't care about fighting guerrilla warfare all over the world, no one can stop them. Similarly, if a Herrscher does this, they are more likely to perish.

assets?

May finally understood why Ryan wasn't relentlessly pursuing those traitors; during the days she was cleaning up the mess, quite a few branches had chosen to disobey orders.

This was partly due to Kalis's prior preparation of an escape route, but more importantly, it was because the Herrschers displayed a terrifying rationality, refraining from indiscriminate killing. Precisely because of their overall inferior combat strength, they needed the power of these individuals.

As for what to do next? Heralds don't have feelings of 'shame'.

“Ryan, you are building a vested interest group.”

"Yes, by binding individual monsters like 'Herrschers' with interests, they will make choices and will not easily abandon their pawns, as long as the remaining people still have value. And those who rushed over are no pushovers either. Only we become pure."

Mei narrowed her eyes, finding the man in front of her terrifying. He had used the 'targeted' nature of the Collapse to turn a destructive machine, devoid of emotion and with little intelligence, into a 'human'.

Humans make choices and hesitate, which actually makes them easier to deal with.

The Moths of Flame are united, but the Honkai has split into two interest groups. Out of rationality, the Herrschers have no choice but to swallow this sugar-coated bullet. The world is too fantastical.

This is a calculated scheme; the more rational a creature is, the more likely it is to fall for it.

"I think I see the light at the end of the tunnel."