I am a hero of the former civilization.

Ryan answered in his mind that Mei had never witnessed the Honkai, and it was already terrifying that she could get this result just by calculating it with a formula. He listened more and more seriously.

"Furthermore, under her guidance, I modified the part about the origin of imaginary energy and proposed another hypothesis." Mei placed the leaf on the white paper and drew a circle outside the leaf with her hand. "Energy cannot be generated without a reason. There should be something in the space outside the 'world,' like a low-temperature heat source and a high-temperature heat source. Their opposing 'movement' can generate energy."

The opposition between trees and the sea.

Ryan lowered his eyes and clapped softly: "All your assumptions are based on calculations. You're a genius."

"Stop flattering me." Mei rolled her eyes at Ryan and swept away some leaves. "You also contributed, at least completing 30% of the calculations. By the way, why didn't you go to the discussion?"

"The Mu Continent is too far away, and you know I don't care about these things."

"Then what do you want to do?"

Just as a story needs a main plot, so too do people need goals.

“Standing on the present and looking to the future, we can tolerate the unknown, but we can never tolerate the unknowable. Whether it is knowledge or power, I want to—” Ryan smiled and gently shook hands.

"Contact, understand, explore, then transcend, and finally become a pioneer."

To become stronger, a pathfinder must uphold the principles of that path and be influenced by those principles in return. Ryan's pioneering path is not simply about killing.

Slaying Honkai Beasts and experiencing Honkai energy firsthand is important, but studying the theory with Mei is equally important. This means knowing not only what it is, but also why it is.

"It's very profound, giving off a philosophical sense of obscurity." The girl paused for a moment, then regained her composure. She slowly stood up and casually said, "Then don't do dangerous things. Dead people can't become pioneers."

“Haha, survival and exploration are prerequisites for each other, there is no conflict.” Ryan was not surprised at all, and gently pushed up his glasses.

"Don't worry, I'm just a researcher who can't even kill a chicken."

Chapter Six: Kevin, you social butterfly!

For the next few days, Ryan went back and forth between his dormitory and the laboratory every day.

Writing formulas for supercomputers, conducting various experiments, participating in project discussions, and preparing for particle collision experiments—I'm busy from morning till night.

Ryan was already used to this kind of life. To put it simply, this kind of tedious research work allowed him to better understand the nature of Honkai energy and improve his energy control efficiency, which could be considered as practicing the concept of 'exploration'.

To put it bluntly, there aren't many instances of collapse in the world right now, and the Fire Moth isn't someone to be trifled with; it can't possibly be running around stealing kills all over the world, and it doesn't need to be wandering around everywhere.

He didn't know why, but he was always surrounded by Honkai. He hadn't paid attention to it before, but since the Second Herrscher, the frequency of this had been increasing, and it had started to attract his attention.

"The more reference groups there are, the higher the accuracy of the experiment. In the past, we would only encounter a collapse at close range once every few months, but now it happens once every two weeks."

In a corner of the cafeteria, Ryan chewed on a rice ball, constantly typing on the keyboard, occasionally frowning and deleting, sometimes lost in thought.

"I could not possibly cause any Honkai energy to accumulate, otherwise there would have been widespread destruction long ago, and the Moth of Fire would not have allowed a mobile natural disaster to occur."

Ryan glanced at the bustling crowd in the cafeteria. If he could cause the Honkai to gather, even the slightest increase in concentration would be detected.

Could it be that the theories of those evil cults suggest that Honkai is actually a god who discovered I'm an 'alien' and is targeting me specifically?

Ryan paused for a moment, then chuckled in exasperation. This was illogical, at least inexplicable by reason.

There is no evidence to prove that the Honkai is conscious. Moreover, if it were truly conscious, it would have already created the First and Second Herrschers around it. Why would it start with the assassins and keep using ordinary Honkai Beasts to deal with itself?

Having arrived in this pre-civilization nineteen years ago and awakened his destiny for ten, Ryan has long since grown from an ordinary person. Although he doesn't know the exact extent of his power, according to the data from the Fire Moth:

"I also killed a Temple-level Honkai Beast back in Shenzhou."

With that in mind, he opened an encrypted folder, entered the password, and found a text file with a moth-to-a-flame pattern.

These are some pictures and text, without much theory. They simply categorize the Honkai Beasts, humanity's most direct enemy, into specific levels based on the records of the Fire Moth in its fight against Honkai over the years, including their size, destructive power, and Honkai energy concentration.

Ignoring variant subspecies, there are roughly three major categories and ten subcategories.

Firstly, living beings are infected by Honkai energy, including zombies and wild beasts. These things are essentially real living beings, made of flesh and blood.

Secondly, there are lower-level Honkai Beasts. At this level, they are Honkai energy aggregates; it would be more accurate to call them living beings rather than biological entities.

Rush-class, Knight-class, Chariot-class, Temple-class, and Honkai Emperor.

The Assault-class and Knight-class monsters were taken down a few nights ago. Don't be fooled by Ryan's nonchalant attitude; they already require large-caliber weapons and anti-tank missiles to deal with, and their strength is increasing rapidly.

Ryan stopped on a picture. According to the records of the Fire Moth, the Honkai Emperor in Southern Europe used armed helicopters, rocket launchers, and heavy bombs to turn the forest in the picture into the surface of the moon.

“This is the pinnacle of conventional firepower. Anything beyond that…” Ryan’s expression turned serious.

Upper-rank Honkai Beasts: Emperor-class, Judgment-class.

According to the Fire Moth, this level already possesses a [core]. To defeat it, one must not only break through its powerful physical body but also destroy its core. Ryan has never encountered one before.

"This is a bit troublesome. It feels like the wheels of fate are turning faster."

Ryan closed his eyes, countless troubles flashing through his mind, but he showed no emotion on his face.

After the Second Herrscher, this sense of urgency is gradually increasing; just a little thought reveals several imminent troubles.

The frequency of Honkai attacks around me is getting higher and higher. Sooner or later, the Moths of Fire will find me and either kill me, slice me into pieces, or throw me into the dungeon.

"But that's unacceptable. I don't want to be locked up until the end of the world. I must constantly become stronger to forge a path forward."

Another problem is that the strength of Honkai Beasts is increasing. What if a Judgment-level Honkai Beast appears next to me one day? Wouldn't I be doomed on the spot? Ryan doesn't think he can beat a high-level Honkai Beast.

These deadly threats would have made anyone else extremely anxious, but fortunately, Ryan remained calm and rationally analyzed the only way out.

"We must speed things up. We must take risks when necessary. These problems are both threats and opportunities. High-level Honkai Beasts will also allow me to gain a deeper understanding of Honkai and solve the first problem along the way."

Is the collapse around us accidental or inevitable? If it's inevitable, what are the reasons?

Thinking about it won't help, and getting anxious will only make things worse. In this messed-up world, Ryan has no choice but to hold his head high and move forward.

The worst outcome is simply fighting against both the Moths of Fire and the Collapse. But what then? The Trailblazers never despair.

Snapped.

He closed his laptop, and the next moment two figures walked up to him.

Kevin was holding a lunchbox, and there was a long-haired young man beside him. The latter was handsome and had a gentle and approachable aura. He looked kind at first glance.

"Su, what brings you here today? Did those guys from the medical school finally let you off the hook?" Ryan greeted her with a smile, making room for her.

"I only skipped a grade. Although I'm not as good as you and Mei, I can still keep up with my studies." The young man smiled gently, which was as refreshing as a spring breeze. "The cherry blossom festival is coming soon, and I don't have much to do before the holiday."

"With your intelligence, you should come to the physics department with me and Mei. Why study medicine? You'll have to do internships and all that, which is quite troublesome."

"My ambition lies elsewhere. Since we need someone to promote civilization, we also need someone to heal the wounded and save lives." Su smiled and spoke sincerely.

"Alright, alright, it sounds like I'm an idiot, a sports student. Let's eat." Kevin sat down decisively. Actually, his grades weren't bad, but compared to these monsters, he looked like a moron.

He slurped up a mouthful of noodles, then noticed the laptop on the table and casually asked, "Ryan, what are you doing all mysteriously hiding in the corner of the cafeteria?"

Of course, I'm thinking about what to do next.

Ryan thought to himself, but said aloud, "It's nothing, just looking for some material for the novel."

"Why are you still writing that stuff? What experiment is it for? Mei is nowhere to be seen all day, and you're here slacking off in the cafeteria." Kevin said, slurping noodles and shaking his head. "If you could work a little harder, I wouldn't need to ask Su to come to the cafeteria for meals."

It was blatantly a case of prioritizing romance over friendship. Fortunately, Su had a good temper and wasn't angry. The group had been classmates since high school, so of course they knew about Mei and Kevin, this odd couple who, despite being in the same college, rarely saw each other.

Ryan wasn't angry either, and said with a smile, "Kevin, I actually admire you quite a bit."

"What do you admire about me?"

"You look like a social butterfly, but you're so innocent. It's been years and you're still stuck at the stage of holding hands. Su and I are getting anxious watching you. Do you not know anything? Su can teach you a lesson on sex and health."

Kevin paused for a moment, then blushed: "I'm not as despicable as you think, and besides, you don't even have a girlfriend, so what right do you have to lecture me!?"

"I don't want to, you're just a repressed pervert, but there's a fundamental difference between us."

"Who's secretly a pervert?"

"Alright, alright, Kevin, eat your noodles properly, or they'll get soggy." Sue interjected at just the right moment, calming the escalating Kevin down, and then gave Ryan a knowing look.

Ha ha.

Ryan grinned wickedly. Teasing Kevin was quite amusing, and then he thought of that cold-blooded, ruthless, and delusional savior from later generations...

That's even more damn interesting!

However, he still respected Su quite a bit, and before Su could ask, he took the initiative to ask, "You want to ask me where I'm planning to go tomorrow since it's my day off, right?"

"Well, with the five-day weekend, and our medical school also prohibiting group trips, do you have any travel plans?"

Ryan blinked and understood Sue's good intentions. Although he hadn't become withdrawn over the years, he didn't have many acquaintances besides a handful of friends, which made him seem somewhat aloof to others.

"I appreciate your kindness, but there's a collider experiment tomorrow night. You know that thing is a bit dangerous, so it's usually done on holidays, which is why I'm busy."

"Alright, this is the fifteenth time you've rejected me." Su remained gentle, glancing thoughtfully at Kevin slurping noodles beside her. "You and Mei are somewhat alike, yet completely different."

"What's the difference?"

"I can't quite put my finger on it, but compared to Mei's pure dedication to research, you have a kind of trapped beast-like madness, as if you're always ready to wage war against the whole world."

A trapped beast's madness?

Ryan's smile widened, and he shook his head noncommittally. He casually picked up the milk tea next to Kevin and took a sip, which made the latter glare at him angrily. Just then, Ryan's phone rang, and he immediately looked up.

"Your book friend messaged you again? Oh, this is another one, junior sister? What's this?"

Ryan didn't try to hide anything; the information he saw after unlocking the app was quite simple.

[Senior brother, when will you be coming to Canghai?]

There were no emojis, and the tone was quite serious.

He replied, "I'll come back when I have some free time during summer vacation," and after the other party simply replied with "Okay," he smiled and put down his phone.

"Literally, this is someone I knew from my time in China. I haven't seen him for almost half a year. He's studying in Canghai now."

"Hmph, no wonder you disappeared during summer vacation, so you had a girlfriend." Kevin looked like he had discovered a huge secret, and even Sue next to him showed a relaxed smile.

“My junior sister is so old-fashioned and proper. Look, she ignores me after just a couple of sentences. Go eat your noodles, don’t overthink it.” Ryan was too lazy to explain and turned to the gentle young man: “Su, you came here specifically to see me today, right? Is there anything else you want to ask?”

“You saw right through me.” The gentle young man took a light breath, then became slightly serious: “Why have you been so concerned about Mei and Su’s progress lately, as if something is about to happen?”

These outstanding individuals are truly all exceptionally talented; they can even recognize that.

Ryan didn't answer, only glancing at the even noisier cafeteria.

The evening news was playing on TV. The boys were discussing the latest e-sports events, while the girls were chattering about celebrity gossip. A few cafeteria ladies were huddled together, talking about where to go for fun.

The world is peaceful and quiet. The discussion about helicopters on the forum a few days ago has been drowned out by more information. Under the influence of the Fire Moth, there are very few wars and conflicts in this world, which often gives Ryan a sense of illusion.

"Because there's not enough time. At this rate, within six months..."

"Time? What time?" Sue's expression changed drastically, thinking that Ryan knew some secret, such as May having a terminal illness.