I am a hero of the former civilization.

An unkillable cockroach? A sudden burst of hidden strength?

That's because the attacks weren't continuous enough, or ferocious enough.

Ryan clenched his fist into a claw, pressed it against the wall and dug it into Kevin's head. Then, ignoring the whip kick aimed at his neck, he pulled out the entire armor plate and swept Kevin away like a fly swatter.

thump.

Another cloud of dust exploded on the ground, but Ryan didn't even look at it, and simply raised two fingers on his left hand.

Wind King Hammer.

Boom! !

An invisible air hammer crashed down, causing a large section of the floor to cave in. Kevin bent over, his two ice swords crossed above his head, feeling his bones trembling. He gritted his teeth and swung upwards, and the iceberg that rose from the ground tore the air hammer apart.

'I need to find a way to create distance. I'm no match for him in close combat, but maintaining distance won't work either; he has too many attack methods.'

Kevin was a little stunned, but he remained calm. Being suppressed in close combat and bombarded at long range, there was only one way to win:

Drag it out until Ryan is exhausted.

Yes, this attack frequency is very energy-intensive, and it's a bit scary. It would be great if we had a Divine Key.

The tactics were in place, but before he could put them into practice, the iceberg that balanced offense and defense shattered into pieces. The ten-meter armor plate came spinning like a chainsaw, accompanied by lightning.

That's nothing compared to the shirtless soldiers behind the armor plates, which are particularly terrifying.

"What... what kind of blood feud do the commander and Kevin have? Why did they fight so fiercely?"

As Erwin watched the footage from the high-speed camera and felt the thunderous rumble, he felt a chill run through his body, even though he was encased in heavy armor.

If Ryan wanted to, he could tear this to pieces in seconds; there was absolutely no sense of security about it.

Seeing her subordinates grimacing, Mei's lips twitched as she glanced at Möbius, whose eyes were also twitching.

Boom, boom, boom.

Each heavy blow sent tremors through the control room. The two women stared at each other in silence. Möbius glanced at the screen:

Kevin was punched in the stomach and bounced more than ten meters into the air. He took the opportunity to stab Ryan in the right chest with his ice sword. However, Ryan seemed to feel no pain. He suddenly jumped on top of Kevin, slammed his hands together, and blasted Kevin from the sky into the ground.

"Mei, when you three were in school, it wasn't like what the books say..."

"Don't say such nonsense. This is my fault. I shouldn't have told Ryan that all warriors should take him as their ultimate training goal. Has that bastard gotten addicted to this?" Mei's twitching lips became more and more obvious. Her heart was breaking, but she couldn't say anything.

A person with high emotional intelligence would say this is to establish authority. Anyone who has experienced the simulation battle, even if they know that the content is generated from actual data, will probably have to avoid Ryan from now on.

Low emotional intelligence is even simpler; this jerk just wants to be the BOSS in the game, making those who challenge him suffer.

"Record the data. Oh, and remember to triple the number of people in the counseling room. Many people are going to suffer. Also, recommend him for the squad simulation battle."

No one made a sound; everyone was trembling. Someone like Erwin really wanted to slap himself. Why did he have to undergo a fusion surgery? Was he preparing to experience 108 ways to die?

"Don't you find it strange? Ryan is clearly much stronger than Kevin, so why is he using such a short-sighted tactic?" Mebius felt something was off as he watched. The combination of the three powers and 3500HW of Honkai energy could elegantly defeat Kevin.

Moreover, shouldn't a high-ranking figure like the Commander-in-Chief be calm and composed? What's with this war-crazed barbarian look?

Boom! ! !

A loud thud shook the control room. The experimental team leader, Serene, who was already prepared, roared, "It's over! First aid team, move out immediately, quick, quick, quick!"

Amidst the chaos and confusion, Mei regained her composure.

As Mebius said, Ryan didn't need to be so violent, giving the impression that he was afraid of capsizing in a ditch, so what?

She gazed at the screen, at the man in the center, holding a sword crackling with lightning, standing as solemn as a mountain.

Blood and sweat evaporated, forming hot white smoke that swirled around him, while Kevin lay sprawled in the pit in front of him.

This commander is clearly incredibly capable, yet he's excessively cautious?

Let's call Chapter 298 "Dark Souls"

Hu Hu Hu.

His breathing was like thunder, the blood had already evaporated, and the testing ground that Mei had boasted about was also completely destroyed.

His bulging muscles tensed, then he clenched his fist, annihilating the thunder sword in his palm, leaving only arcs of electricity dissipating into the air.

Ryan glanced at Kevin, whom he had beaten unconscious, and slowly grinned.

He suddenly realized that the protagonist's halo really exists. For example, Kevin always exceeds his own limits and is as hard to defeat as a cockroach. This is not very scientific and can only be attributed to the level of willpower.

If you remain calm when dealing with this kind of person, you'll eventually break down. If you add some pretentious nonsense, you might just end up getting caught off guard.

Luckily, I was prepared for you to suddenly cheat, just like back in Senba Academy, when you were just an ordinary person but you used a baseball bat to send a Honkai Beast flying. Who can you reason with that? It can't be explained by common sense at all.

"But the protagonist's halo has its limits, unless you don't even follow the rules of physics."

Ryan exhaled sharply, acknowledging that within the Fire Moth, Kevin's combat power was second only to his own, even though he had only fused with an Emperor-class Honkai Beast, and even though his stats on paper were slightly weaker than Alicia's. But if the two of them were to actually fight, Kevin would definitely win.

"Even a weakened version of the surgery is this powerful. No wonder the original version was able to kill the original Seventh Herrscher right after the surgery. Could it be that there's a bonus from the determination to die?"

He didn't quite understand this kind of 'tactics', after all, he took a different path, which was to make all the preparations, plan every detail of the battle, and try his best to meet all the conditions for victory before starting the fight. He never believed in any kind of last-minute burst of energy or belief boost.

Is this the way of the BOSS?

Ryan suddenly realized that the two were completely opposite. For example, Kevin might lose even if he made thorough preparations, but you have to not think about anything and just charge in headfirst, just like when you later transform into a BOSS and are immediately defeated by another paramecium.

My route is better; at least I won't crash.

Ryan saw a large group of first aid workers in protective suits rush in, hurriedly lifting Kevin onto a stretcher, then cutting open his tattered combat suit and connecting various instruments.

"Don't worry, he won't die. He's as resilient as a cockroach." Ryan glanced at Mebius, who had followed him in. Apart from her, no one dared to approach him.

Even knowing that Ryan would never kill his own people, the instinctive fear still made them stay far away.

"You beat Kevin up so badly, aren't you afraid that woman will hold a grudge against you?"

"Is Mei really that petty?"

“That’s hard to say.” Mebius glanced at the man’s muscles, his gaze first darting away, then he gave a strange laugh: “I didn’t realize you were so muscular. You’re quite a sturdy guy.”

Ryan glanced down. He was strong enough to compete in a physique contest without any problem, but Mebius's tone annoyed him.

"You female hooligan, take off your clothes and give them to me."

Mebius didn't waste any words, tossing the white coat over, and looking somewhat disappointed to see his muscles covered.

Faster, higher, stronger—that's human evolution, and it fits her aesthetic perfectly: that destructive power, that oppressive force...

Her long, straight legs in black stockings were slightly clenched together.

"Anything else to say?" Ryan glanced at him sideways.

"Ahem, you're going to be the nightmare of fusion warriors from now on. Unless the Chimera Project or the Overweight Transformation succeeds, no one can win."

"Once your two plans succeed, I'll record it again. When it comes to getting stronger, who can surpass me?"

Ryan used to try every means to hide his strength, but now he's showing it off without any concealment, since no one's investigating the source of his power anymore.

"Don't be too arrogant. It would be embarrassing if you lost to someone."

"That's impossible. On the side of humanity, I must be the strongest, and I will definitely be the strongest."

This was no longer just confidence; it was practically stating the truth. Taking advantage of Mebius's momentary daze, Ryan, wearing a white coat, headed toward the control room.

"Your Excellency, Commander-in-Chief."

"Your Mightiness."

From soldiers to researchers, people kept saluting, their eyes finally filled with awe.

Not everyone witnessed Ryan's frenzied advance that day, and frankly, his rise to power wasn't exactly honorable; rumors are still circulating that the Fire Chaser Council will turn against him.

Mei acted too quickly, suppressing the backlash from various interest groups before they could retaliate. Moreover, due to the rules, no matter how they were tested, the councilors would say that it was voluntary, that they were sacrificing personal interests for the future of humanity.

But there will always be people who won't believe it, and there will always be people whose interests will be harmed. However, such doubts will disappear after facing Ryan directly.

Most people crave security above all else; power and money take a backseat to survival. Ryan's core value lies in providing that security.

'Awe is useless if you only talk about it. Once those fusion warriors suffer and develop psychological trauma, the Firemoth will be completely under our control.'

Ryan nodded in response coldly. At this point, he no longer needed to pretend, because no one dared to look him in the eye.

"I regret letting Kevin go. I should have let Qianjie come instead." Mei crossed her arms, leaned against the wall, and gritted her teeth.

“After seeing the battle footage, Qianjie won’t come. For him, battle is for enjoyment and to win, not for suffering.” Ryan shook his head slightly, anticipating that the meeting with Qianjie would have to be postponed again.

That man will become the simulator god of war, at least he will tear his illusory self apart first, and the fusion surgery alone is not enough, it will also inspire Qian Jie, which will be of great benefit.

"Kevin is very strong; he's probably second only to me among all of humanity." Ryan thought for a moment, then offered his praise.

"That's why you're taking it so seriously?"

"I've done more than just be serious; I've given it my all."

The two exchanged a glance, and after a few seconds, Mei sighed. If they hadn't known each other for many years, she would have really thought that the two had some kind of grudge.

"Is there anything to add to the 'Refining Project'?" She walked to the control panel, her fingers flying across the keyboard as she explained the entire plan.

As you can see, the whole plan is divided into several steps, and entertainment elements have been added to keep people engaged. If some storyline were added, it would really resemble a fantasy online game.

However, Mei does not intend to turn it into a game, fearing that participants might become too immersed in the role and lose sight of the difference between fantasy and reality.

Ryan glanced at it and got a general idea of ​​what it was. This thing created a chain of tasks, including elements such as investigation, tracking, raids, and skirmishes. It could throw dozens of participants into a constructed digital world and then conduct a ten-day simulation.

It's very sci-fi, but when you think of a certain golden court, this setting without memory seems crude and straightforward, like a prerequisite technology tree.

"Let's increase the randomness by randomly inserting powerful enemies, including myself, into the missions, creating surprises that suddenly appear during the mission."

This isn't a surprise, it's more like a shock!

Mei glanced at him. If this man suddenly appeared, even if there were two high-level fusion warriors leading the team, they would be blasted into dust.

"Bad taste?"

"No way, battles are inherently random. Just like you never know when a Herrscher will jump out. Even if you can't defeat them, you can at least practice your escape skills." Ryan said confidently, but the smile on his lips never stopped.

"That makes some sense. It can train people's ability to respond in life-or-death situations. Okay, I'll add this in. I'll pick two teams to try it out later."

She looked at Erwin and the others from the direct research department. They were packing up their tools, but when she stared at them, their faces turned ashen.

"Let Kosmo and Hua lead the team. They have higher potential for growth and have been somewhat complacent lately."

"Don't you feel sorry for your junior sister?"