I am a hero of the former civilization.

Ryan glanced at it, not having heard of the name before, and kept scanning his surroundings.

There were no Honkai Beasts or zombies. Debris blown by the typhoon was piled up everywhere, and crooked utility poles blocked most of the road, but the surveillance cameras were still running.

Is the newly installed anti-interference model being monitored by the moth that chases the flame?

Ryan bent down and crawled through. Hua was just a few meters in front of him, not saying a word, just running forward blankly, his destination clearly the harbor at the end of the long street.

Even without a detector, Ryan could feel the Honkai energy rapidly increasing, like approaching a fireball. Once it exceeded the critical point, he would naturally feel a burning sensation.

'The problem is right by the sea? Have they done nothing but monitor the situation and not come to attack?'

He was increasingly unable to understand what this Southern China branch was up to. As he turned the corner, a small fishing port came into view.

Several rusty fishing boats were moored on the dock. A thin mist rose from the sea, and only the light of a distant lighthouse could be vaguely seen, while the sound of the rushing sea could be heard.

With about a hundred meters to go, Hua suddenly switched from jogging to sprinting, and Ryan, without thinking, rushed ahead.

"enough!"

He grabbed the girl's thin shoulders and pulled her back, but unexpectedly, Hua resisted. With a 'rip', her T-shirt was torn open, revealing the simple underwear that only the elderly wear.

At the same time, Hua suddenly turned around and slammed his elbow into Ryan's temple, a rather ruthless blow.

Have they completely lost their self-awareness?

This counterattack was somewhat unexpected; it didn't seem like enticement but rather control, given the vast difference in skill between the two.

Ryan crouched down, dodging the elbow, and delivered a sweeping leg kick that sent Hua flying. The girl spun in the air, displaying amazing flexibility, and using the momentum, slashed her right leg towards Ryan's skull.

But she was still too slow. Ryan grabbed her by the chest and slammed her to the ground.

"Her eyes were lifeless, as if she were sleepwalking. The Honkai energy was even more concentrated on her body, like a thin film covering her. So—"

In a fraction of a second, Ryan analyzed the situation, and the hand pressing on the girl's chest emitted a burst of red light.

shock.

This energy was fleeting. Ryan turned his eyes to the side, and a fist was already touching his temple.

Sure enough.

He breathed a sigh of relief. He had also encountered mentally specialized Honkai Beasts during the Neon Sweep. Honkai energy was indeed omnipotent; it could not only cut everything like a laser, but it could even invade a person's mind.

Hallucinations, manipulation, and even mind control.

"Hua's Honkai energy is highly adaptable; even she was affected, which proves that the things here are not simple."

In an instant, his thoughts wandered far, even considering the problem of the fire-chasing moth. To simply enclose such a terrifying creature with barbed wire is to treat human life as worthless.

"Master... Senior Brother?"

At that moment, he heard a soft murmur in his ear, and finally saw that pair of emerald eyes had regained their clarity, looking at him with a somewhat bewildered expression.

"You're awake. What did you feel just now?"

"My dizziness suddenly got worse, and then I didn't know anything." Hua was still a little confused. Then her eyes moved down and she saw Ryan lying on top of her, his knees pressing against her lower abdomen and his right hand pressing against her chest.

In a flash, her face and neck turned completely red, but she didn't scream like in a melodramatic soap opera; her voice, however, became deep and rough.

"You...you're hurting me a little, can you get up?"

"Oh, sorry." Ryan also realized that his position was wrong, and got up somewhat awkwardly, while also flexing his fingers.

It's really flat, offering absolutely no grip...

Ryan felt no shame whatsoever; after all, he hadn't done it on purpose, and besides, the same position had happened before.

Her gray-blue hair obscured her delicate face. Hua stole a glance at Ryan, whose expression remained unchanged, and for some reason, she gently bit her lip.

A hint of shyness, a hint of annoyance, then her expression returned to its usual seriousness as she covered her forehead with her hand.

"I was just hypnotized??"

“To be precise, it’s mind control. I guess this is a domain that selects its prey based on Honkai energy adaptability. Most people would fall for it on the outskirts, but you’re very adaptable and weren’t affected until you reached the village entrance.” Ryan licked his lips and looked at the messy little fishing port.

"By the way, personal will also plays a role. When you threw up, your mind was completely relaxed, and you fell directly into the trap."

It's that Honkai energy again.

Hua seemed to understand but not quite, and frowned as he asked, "Then how come you're alright?"

"Experience and strength? This thing is far from being able to deal with me," Ryan said calmly, raising his hand to grip the nearby telephone pole, his fingers sinking into the cement like hydraulic clamps. "Hua, didn't you want to know the truth about the world? How are you feeling now?"

The girl's breath hitched, and she couldn't utter a single word. If it weren't for Ryan, she would have been dead long ago, without any explanation. Subconsciously, she clenched her fists, her fingertips turning slightly white.

She had once driven away assassins and thought they were Ryan's enemies, but now it seems that the real enemy is not as simple as she had imagined.

"Don't be discouraged. You're just unlucky to have run into such a high-class person right away. I brought you here not to destroy your confidence," Ryan laughed instead.

"What's that for?"

"I'll grant your wish and show you how cruel the future can be, because even if you're afraid, you can't escape it. Do you remember what I said a year ago?"

Click click click......

The power poles buried deep in the ground were pulled out inch by inch. Hua stared wide-eyed at the inhuman power and blurted out.

"Only by facing fear, holding onto hope, and staying true to oneself can one be called a strong person."

"Of course!"

Ryan twisted his waist and hurled the telephone pole like a javelin. Its afterimage swept across the dawn and collided violently with something flying through the mist.

boom--

It was half a fishing boat. The steel and cement collided and were thrown back, crashing down on a two-story building a dozen meters away with a loud 'boom'.

Hua's already blank face became even more dazed, completely unable to comprehend the scene before her. She didn't even have time to sigh, because the man in front of her disappeared the instant the 'javelin' was thrown.

"Let me see what you really are."

Honkai energy condensed into steps, and Ryan stood in the air, more than ten meters high, looking down. The thin fog gradually thickened, obscuring his vision, but he could sense a powerful Honkai source in the sea.

Emperor-class Honkai Beast, with a focus on mind control.

After a moment's hesitation, Ryan saw several fishing boats hurtling towards him. These steel vessels, weighing tens of tons, resembled a giant concealed weapon, but before they could hit Ryan—

Boom boom boom!

The beam of light appeared out of nowhere in front of him, like a hot knife through butter; steel that touched it snapped and shattered as it swept past Ryan with a crash.

He didn't even bother to look, just leaned slightly forward with his head down.

Boom!

With a stomp of his feet, a figure pierced through the metal plate, and the gray sea surface rapidly magnified in his eyes. Ryan finally saw a dark shadow.

It is roughly oval in shape, with an uneven brown carapace on its body. Using the fishing boat next to it as a reference, its diameter was measured to be about fifty meters.

This enormous creature was half submerged in the sea, with four crab-like pincers protruding from its back, and a huge eyeball on its back. When that black eyeball looked...

not good.

Ryan suddenly felt dizzy, as if someone had hit him hard on the forehead. He instinctively jumped to the side and saw the Honkai Beast rise from the sea with a ribbon-like tail.

call out--

The beam of light pierced through the mist, drawing an arc in the air, breaking down the fallen fishing boat wreckage into particles, and then splitting the sea in two.

That's terrifying destructive power, even stronger than that of Adieu.

Ryan's pupils contracted slightly. He leaped back across the sea, spreading his right hand and concentrating all his energy.

Gather and shape!

Honkai energy gathered into a sphere in his palm, then stretched into a short gun, which he threw as he stepped onto the shore.

The Fallen Star Spear!

Swah——

The sea, which had not yet closed, was torn apart again, and the crimson meteor struck the crab's pincers with astonishing speed.

The energy swirled and intertwined. After a moment, the more concentrated short spear broke through the Honkai energy, touched the shell, pierced and squeezed it, and finally could no longer maintain its stable form, exploding all the energy.

boom! !

A dazzling red orb of light appeared on the sea surface, and even the cool sea breeze became warm. Ryan looked at the orb of light and exhaled a breath of stale air.

That's not enough. This thing is too big. Even if I gather a lot of Honkai energy, I still can't kill it.

Condensing and shaping energy is very energy-consuming, but Ryan wasn't afraid. This was his home turf. He raised his head slightly and saw several 'shooting stars' with long trails of flame falling from the sky.

Boom boom boom...

The equally dazzling orbs of light burst forth one after another, turning the warm sea breeze into a scorching heat. Ryan lowered his hand from his face, his brows furrowed.

Honkai energy warheads? Looks like I misjudged them?

This is the latest equipment of the Fire Moth, which stores energy in a special alloy warhead. Since it doesn't contain Soul Steel, this thing has a very short shelf life. If it explodes in the base, it will cause a lot of trouble, so each branch can only produce a few.

But these bullets aren't enough to kill an Emperor-level Honkai Beast.

Ryan looked again at the thick fog that had been completely blown away. The giant beast was no longer visible on the sea, only some fragments bobbing up and down with the waves.

They did escape, as expected.

He wasn't surprised; the higher-ranking Honkai Beasts weren't stupid. Just like dealing with Adeddo required some brainpower, Ryan didn't chase after them. Who knew if the Fire Moth would launch another attack and blow him up too?

The Honkai Beasts appeared and fled in just two minutes. It seems that the Southern Shenzhou branch did not let them go unchecked, but kept a close eye on them. They launched their attack as soon as they started fighting.

"Fishing? Well, that makes sense. The only way to deal with these things that hide in the sea is by fishing." Ryan shook his head and turned to walk back to the fishing village.

The aftershocks of the battle tore apart the houses by the sea, and the rising seawater flooded the streets. Ryan walked straight to a collapsed house and pulled open the iron gate.

"it's me."

The fist stopped in front of his nose. The ragged girl, who had been hiding inside the house in a fighting stance, dropped her fist limply when she saw it was Ryan.

Hua felt a mix of fear and numbness, but more than anything, a sense of resentment, as if he had discovered he was living in a post-apocalyptic movie, and a deep feeling of powerlessness welled up inside him.

"I'm sorry, senior brother, all I can do is not hold you back; I can't help you at all."

Those scenes flashed through Hua's mind. Thinking of the fishing boat weighing tens of tons as if it were a piece of paper, she bit her lip and felt like she was being unreasonable like a child.

“No, do what you can with your strength. You did very well, this trip was worthwhile.” Ryan placed his hand on Hua’s head and said calmly, “Congratulations on seeing the truth of the world, but are you afraid?”

The truth of the world, every word weighed heavily, completely overturning previous understanding. Even when that hand touched his head, Hua instinctively trembled.