I am a hero of the former civilization.

Seeing Ryan's change in expression, Alicia exclaimed in alarm and immediately jumped over to grab his hand: "Actually, I called you here because I have something important to tell you."

"Can you possibly have anything important to say?"

"Hmph, if you insult me ​​like that, I'll really get angry!" Alicia turned into a chubby face and dragged Ryan into the room again without saying a word.

As soon as Ryan stepped inside, he knew whose room it was. The walls were painted light purple, and a pink gauze canopy covered the double bed in the center. One wall was turned into a large wardrobe, filled with various clothes and hats.

It's very cozy, like a girl's dream bedroom. There's a sewing machine next to the dressing table, and a half-finished dress.

"So, isn't it a great room?"

"It's great, I can tell you put a lot of thought into it." Ryan walked around the room and pointed to the bed: "But what's with this Eden pillow?"

"Sleeping alone is boring, are you jealous?"

"No, by the way, could you tidy up the room?" Ryan glanced at her subtly, his eyes like a computer screen.

Two pairs of white stockings and one pair of black stockings. Judging from the smell, they were just worn. A corner of clothing was peeking out from under the blanket. Was that underwear? On the left side of the sofa, there was also a worn bra. Data collection confirmed the size; it was definitely Alicia's.

"I didn't know you were coming today, it's okay." Alicia didn't know Ryan had such a sharp eye, but she wasn't shy at all, and took a notebook out of the dressing table drawer.

"Come and see, this is my latest plan."

"Oh." Ryan felt it wouldn't be very gentlemanly to continue reading, so he turned around decisively and suddenly reached out and pressed down on Alicia's page just as she was turning it.

"Huh, what does this say?"

The table above lists items such as "Housewarming Celebration", "Birthday Party", "Beach Trip", "Hot Spring Snow Viewing", etc.

Before he could even see clearly, Alicia had already flipped over.

"Oh dear, this is just one of my little wish lists."

Why is it all about playing games?

"You and Mei can handle the fighting, and I'll take care of the team building. That's what you call a clear division of labor." Alicia patted her chest lightly, looking like she could leave it to me. She now had all the conditions and time to fulfill her wishes.

"Take a look at my thoughts first, and see if you have any problems with them?"

She turned to the last page, and Ryan couldn't help but crane his neck to look. He saw that the notebook was filled with dense writing, but the title was simple.

"The Thirteen Heroes Chasing Fire?"

Ryan read it aloud and was immediately dazed. How did things go around in circles and end up back at the starting point?

Chapter 284 Am I confessing to Alicia?

Eden, Greta, and Sue haven't arrived yet, so why is it Thirteen again? And aren't you too obsessed with the number 'thirteen'?

It's no wonder Ryan was confused. Alicia's idea was too coincidental, and it was impossible to match it up with the thirteen Herrschers.

It's not bad, but at least it has the word 'team' in it. He took a closer look, and his expression became even stranger.

Alicia wasn't just having wild ideas or coming up with any 'genius' thoughts as usual. After careful consideration, she found that there was some truth to them.

This even coincides somewhat with Ryan's plan, which is to concentrate humanity's high-end combat power as a mobile force to deal with various threats.

According to her plan, the high-end combat force of the Fire Moth should be divided into thirteen squads, each squad should be equipped with at least one high-ranking fusion warrior, and then several fusion warriors should be gathered to form a strategic mobile force.

'It's somewhat like combining a poisonous pupa with a sword of punishment.'

Following the previous practices of the Fire Moth, they used 'branches' as their basic tactical units, with a fixed high-ranking fusion warrior and a Punishment Sword squad assigned to each. In case of emergency, they would draw support from other branches, but their organizational structures were not subordinate to each other.

The advantage of this is that each branch can be responsible for a specific direction, but the disadvantage is also obvious. Just like the Australian branch's experience, when they encountered an overwhelming force like the Seventh Herrscher, even the high-ranking Fusion Warriors couldn't hold out until reinforcements arrived. By the time the main force arrived, they could only collect the corpses, losing a valuable soldier for nothing.

Ryan recognized the fallen warrior; in terms of strength, he was not much weaker than Sakura, but he was facing a mutated and enhanced version of the Herrscher of Flame.

Therefore, May has already begun reforms. The first step is to consolidate the defenses, pile up troops in every direction as much as possible, and prepare to rebuild the mobile forces.

"Gathering all our high-end combat forces would certainly weaken local defenses, but it doesn't necessarily have to be concentrated at headquarters. For example, I could station two teams in key areas, and mobilize the entire force in case of an emergency."

Having a fixed squad structure has many advantages. First, each team can develop a sense of teamwork and, based on the captain's abilities, can leverage their strengths and mitigate their weaknesses to formulate the most reasonable tactics.

Secondly, they are easy to mobilize; an entire squad can be deployed at once.

Ryan suddenly remembered a discarded draft in the central database. That plan was similar to Alicia's, but the reason for its abandonment was also simple:

The biggest flaw in this tactic is the small hill. If one squad betrays the Firemoth, humanity will lose one-thirteenth of its fighting strength. If three squads unite, the Firemoth Council will have no way of sleeping.

However, this flaw is meaningless to Ryan. Not to mention the absolute suppression of strength, it allows Ryan's small faction to reach its limit and control those middle and lower-level forces who have doubts.

The only downside is that these thirteen squads reminded him of another work. What is this? The Thirteen Guardians of the Ninja?

And this would also mean that the conventional army would become a completely different system, like the Astartes Chapter?

"What a brilliant idea! It's unbelievable that you came up with it."

"Ahem, you can take back the second half of your compliment." Alicia first complained, then puffed out her chest: "So I'm pretty amazing when I'm serious, don't underestimate me."

"I hope you'll always be this serious, but why do you have this problem with '13'?"

"I don't understand. How about you change it to 12 or 14?"

Seeing Alicia's bewildered expression, Ryan was certain that the number was just a coincidence, so he closed the notebook for her.

"The specific composition will depend on the list, but I've accepted the idea. We'll discuss it with Mei before making a decision. Such an important matter can't be decided on a whim."

"Okay, how about I think about the team uniforms and team motto?" Alicia said excitedly, while hugging Ryan's hand and swinging it back and forth, the soft touch was irresistible.

But Ryan had to refuse, otherwise the Fire Moths would turn into a circus, and a hardcore guy like him couldn't stand all that fancy decorations.

“Let’s discuss it again. Besides, Mei is in charge of these kinds of small things, so don’t bother me.” Ryan quickly pulled his hand away, afraid that if he felt it for a while longer, he would change his mind. “You’ve done me a great favor today. As a reward, this villa will be in your management. You can set all the rules and regulations, how about that?”

Ryan's actions seemed like a reward, but in reality, he was shifting the blame. As far as the 'family' is concerned, no one is more suitable to be the master than Alicia.

Selflessness, enthusiasm for everyone, and consideration for everyone—these are two qualities that even Ryan himself cannot achieve.

"Okay, but there's no need for any rules at home. Everyone can do whatever makes them comfortable." Alicia clapped her hands lightly, then suddenly tapped her head. "Oh dear, I forgot something important!"

"What is it?" Ryan, who was about to go to eat, turned around.

"Do you remember what I promised you when Aponia had her surgery?"

Ryan had a good memory, and even though his thoughts were jumbled at the time, he still remembered: "Oh, you mean if the result is good, you'll grant me one request?"

"Yes, nothing could be better than this result. Not only did you win big, but I also gained a lot." Alicia walked over with a smile on her face and her hands behind her back.

She felt she had gained even more than Ryan, and that she had fulfilled a childhood dream—

Build a big house, live with your friends, enjoy peaceful, happy times, and then write them into a fairy tale.

"I keep my word, you know. I can fulfill any request you make."

Ryan was somewhat dazed, as if he hadn't considered the question at all, and only subconsciously glanced at the girl in front of him.

She had a beautiful face, pointed ears, clear and bright blue eyes, and a voluptuous figure. Her blue and white dress had a hem that draped down, revealing her full breasts, which were made even more prominent by gravity.

Her pert buttocks lifted the hem of her skirt, and her two straight, long legs in white stockings had slightly bent knees.

The warmth of the sunshine, the beauty of flowers—a thought stirred within Ryan. Without thinking too much, he instinctively asked, "How about a hug, or a word?"

"These are two requests. Okay, I agree."

Alicia hesitated for a moment, and before Ryan could prepare himself, she pounced on him.

Ryan's eyes widened slightly. Before he was mentally prepared, he felt a soft, watery, yet fiery body rush into his arms, and a pair of delicate, silky hands wrapped around his neck.

He couldn't quite describe the feeling; he felt that even the descriptions of "a beauty in one's arms" in literary works seemed pale and powerless.

The nasal cavity is filled with a fragrance like a spring garden, far surpassing any perfume product. A feeling of pressure is felt in the chest, making breathing cautious, and the visual impact is even more intense.

Because of the height difference, Ryan lowered her head slightly and saw that the stunning face was only inches away from her. A faint blush appeared on her fair face, which was surprising because she had pounced so fiercely, but now she was shy.

"This is my first time hugging a boy. If I'm not decisive, you might change your request, so I had to resort to a sneak attack, right?" Alicia seemed to read Ryan's doubts, and answered softly, her face turning even redder.

“It’s my honor.” Ryan gave a gentlemanly smile, slowly raised his hand, and hugged the smooth back. When he saw those pure eyes, he calmed down from his simple instincts.

Alicia is both alluring and innocent to the extreme, making one reluctant to defile her, yet equally reluctant to let go.

The dress had a cutout at the back, and when Ryan's hand rested on it, Alicia's body tensed up, but she didn't feel any resistance, and then relaxed slightly.

She lowered her head and didn't look at Ryan again. It was as if the two of them had pressed the pause button. After the hug, there was no other movement. It was more like they were getting used to this unfamiliar feeling, imprinting this strange touch deep in their minds. Even Ryan's brain started to race.

In Changkong City, our first meeting was in a roadside garden. In Canghai City, after a desperate attack, a pink fairy descended from the sky. In Britain, a mix-up after the concert...

He suddenly realized that he seemed to have known Alicia for a long time, and there was no sense of abruptness at all.

I changed the world beyond recognition just to get this hug, so how can I not give it a proper hug?

Seeing that there was no response for a long time, Alicia shifted her body and whispered, "It's time to eat. Ryan, just say what you want to say. It's not good to keep Sakura and the others waiting."

Yes, I have another request to make.

Ryan then remembered that he had things to do, but he had been so engrossed in reminiscing that he didn't know what to say.

You absolutely must live? Life and death are not in Alicia's hands.

Will you fall in love with me? I'm just dreaming. What if I get friend-zoned?

Jingle Bell--

The lunch bell rang, and there were footsteps coming up the stairs. There was no time to think about it anymore; Ryan's eyes darted around.

"Ellie, I hope that one day I can transcend the concept of 'human'."

Huh? Ryan, are you planning to become a monster?

Alicia looked up blankly, but before she could ask, Ryan had already let go of her hand and taken a half step back. The next moment, gray-blue hair appeared in the doorway, and a beautiful girl poked her head in.

"Aili, senior brother, what are you two doing?"

Hua raised an eyebrow and saw the two standing face to face. Alicia's face was still slightly red, and her heart sank to the bottom.

The two of them... no, it can't be!

That was close. Wait, why am I acting like I'm afraid of being caught?

Ryan breathed a sigh of relief, then felt something was off. Looking back now, did he think he had just confessed his feelings?

However, he didn't have time to think too much. He turned around, his expression still indifferent: "Is dinner ready?"

"Yes, Sister Ying asked me to come up and call you."

"Okay, I'll be right there. Alicia's suggestion was very helpful. Let's discuss it during dinner."

Oh, it was a suggestion. With Ellie's thick skin, what embarrassing suggestion could make her blush?