I am a hero of the former civilization.

The apartment balcony was only a few square meters, barely enough to fit two rattan chairs and a round table. Looking at the lights of Singapore, Ryan squinted his eyes contentedly.

Compared to the extravagant lives of those fire-chasing politicians, this was too ordinary, yet for someone like him, ordinary daily life was incredibly precious.

"This feels so good." He enjoyed the moment, and even though he knew that Lion City's fate would be similar to that of Canghai, sooner or later, it didn't affect his mood.

Constantly thinking about the end of the world is both pretentious and makes one seem neurotic. Even if a Herrscher appears tomorrow and turns this place into ruins, at least tonight is still normal.

This same idea can be applied to Sakura and Rin. Knowing that the two sisters' final fate is a great tragedy, do you feel pity and deliberately avoid them, or do you presumptuously act as a savior?

No need. Since Sakura is already a companion, he just needs to face it with a normal mindset.

No need for pretense, just be your true self when facing others—is this what Alicia meant by 'true self'?

Ryan chuckled self-deprecatingly. As a fellow true self, he was far more complex than Alicia. He was the one who crushed the poisonous cocoons, and he was the one who played games with Rin.

Therefore, Sakura's wild thoughts were completely unnecessary. He disdained to pretend with the right person.

Sitting there was getting a bit boring, so he took out his phone again and, unusually, logged into WeChat.

buzzing.

His phone vibrated immediately. Since joining Moth Chaser, he had been incredibly busy and hadn't used social media in a long time. Then, his inbox was flooded with unread messages.

"Damn, this person is so boring. Has the Honkai not affected her yet?"

Mei goes without saying, and Kevin hasn't sent any messages in a long time either. However, that flower-shaped profile picture has left more than two hundred unread messages.

Why hasn't it been updated yet?

[Author, stop pretending to be dead, I know you're alive.]

I promised I'd finish writing it, so please keep your promise!

[Crying loudly]

[Tap tap tap]

......

All of them were this "splendid as flowers," which made Ryan scratch his neck. He quickly opened the backend and found that the number of reads was only one-fifth of what it used to be. Then, his peers all abandoned their posts.

It goes without saying that many people are physically unable to read novels. Everyone is busy escaping for their lives, and the internet may even be down.

"They were still urging me to update yesterday. This person must be a descendant of some powerful family, and definitely not someone related to 'Moth Chasing the Flame,' otherwise they wouldn't be so free."

He thought for a moment and then typed softly.

I have some free time today, so I'll write a little.

Yeah, I said I'd finish writing it, so I'll just squeeze out a little time.

As soon as Ryan sent the message, his phone vibrated immediately.

【Really? Really?】 (Starry-eyed)

They replied instantly!

Ryan simply couldn't understand who would still be glued to their phone late at night in this world.

[As I said in my launch statement, if I'm not dead, I won't abandon the project; updates will just be slower.]

Okay, okay, I won't rush you anymore. Consider it a greeting between old friends.

Hmm, why are you being so understanding this time? It's like you know I'm pretty busy.

Ryan was slightly taken aback, but didn't think much of it. To be honest, he was quite moved to see these unread messages, such as the lost readership, which meant many people would never be able to read a novel again in their lifetime.

Where are you now...?

He typed a few words, then quickly deleted them. How should I put it? Let's keep a bit of hope in mind and see if this person can live to see the day the world's internet is cut off.

Wait a minute, I'll go write it right away.

【Yay, I'm not going to sleep tonight!】 (Eyes full of anticipation)

Ryan smiled, finding it quite nice to be anticipated. He opened his phone's typing app, tilted his head back slightly to recall the plot, and thankfully, his memory was good enough to pick up where he left off.

He wrote a new chapter when he was at the Mebius Institute last time, and he basically finished writing about the Sixth Apostle.

"Let's just write a romance scene, let the male lead get a feel for it, and give him some perks along the way. These days, the censors definitely don't have the energy to strictly check for GHS (sexual misconduct) content."

Ryan found an opportunity and his fingers left afterimages on the 3x3 grid. Even on his phone, he could write more than 5,000 words per hour, only getting stuck on the bonus content.

How can I write it in a more colorful way?

Ryan scratched his head, subconsciously opening the second moderator's page, only to be met with a huge 404 error, which made him grind his teeth.

Damn it, of all things, this website is down. Isn't it supposed to be a place where good people live in peace and tranquility?

Da da da......

Just then, the sound of slippers came from behind him. Ryan turned around and saw Sakura slowly walking over with a teapot in her hand.

Her long pink hair was wet, obviously she had just taken a shower, and she was wearing an oversized t-shirt that revealed a pair of smooth and slender legs. Coupled with her cool expression, she looked like a lotus emerging from the water.

Ryan twitched his nose and smelled a faint body fragrance, somewhat like the scent of winter plum blossoms.

It was subtle, yet deeply refreshing, and a sudden flash of inspiration struck me.

Here's a real-life model, um, starting from after the second female lead finishes her shower.

"Sakura, do me a favor, lean slightly over the table, yes, yes, half-cover your neckline."

The girl was puzzled, thinking that Ryan had some important research to do, so she listened to him, put her hands on the table, and leaned down slightly.

"so?"

Ryan looked up and, through the wide neckline, could vaguely see two round hemispheres, which were slightly covered by his hand. Coupled with his bewildered expression, it gave the illusion of a coy refusal.

"Yes, yes, that's exactly it, it sparks my artistic inspiration."

Art? Shouldn't it be science?

Sakura was even more confused, but her cheeks were burning from that gaze, and Ryan's smile seemed wicked no matter how she looked at it.

"Ryan, what are you doing?"

"You came just when I was writing a novel and I was having writer's block, which was a huge help."

"You can write novels?" Sakura immediately leaned forward; her eyesight was excellent, and she caught the words before the screen went dark.

Grey slipped and knocked Zhen to the ground. He immediately felt a softness and the dampness of her hair. When he looked up, he saw a deep cleavage and two bright red nipples at the top...

Sakura's face flushed red instantly as she recalled the incident with the stockings.

"What are you writing? And I was wearing clothes underneath!"

“Ahem, I saw it, and this is called artistic divergent thinking.” Ryan was as steady as an old dog, having already prepared his words: “You’ve also seen those nude oil paintings. I’m just using words to describe her beauty, having already transcended animalistic desires.”

"But you copied it from mine."

Wow, it's actually gotten smarter.

Ryan licked his lips, put down his phone, crossed his hands to support his head, and looked at her with a pure and deep gaze: "No, you just represent the beauty of countless women, just like those legendary sculptures. They have long since surpassed their original models and become symbols of the concept of 'beauty'."

"And in that instant, you also became light, beautiful light, and what I want to do is to use words to preserve that beauty until the end of human civilization."

I don't understand it, but it sounds very impressive.

Sakura blinked. The current Ryan reminded her of when they first met; he was wise and serious, and possessed a unique charm.

After a long silence, the blush on her face faded, and she said gratefully, "I feel like I've learned something new again."

Phew, thank goodness I'm not smart enough. Oh right, what was I just saying?

Ryan couldn't remember and didn't think it was important, and was just about to make a fuss about it.

Ding.

The phone vibrated, and the two instinctively turned their heads to look.

As Radiant as a Flower: [Hehe, you're pretty good at being a pervert, but don't be lewd!] (doge)

Sakura blinked again, pointed at her phone, and tilted her head slightly.

"Art???"

Chapter 103 I'm Really an Artist - A Sad Tale

A gentle night breeze blew, and Singapore remained as bustling as ever. If it weren't for the fighter jets roaring overhead, it would be no different from before.

Ryan covered his face with a newspaper, occasionally glancing at Sakura across from him. In the dim moonlight, he could see water droplets dripping from her hair and her fair neck, but her expressionless face was somewhat frightening.

Sakura didn't do anything to him, but there was a hint of wariness in her eyes. Let's not talk about it anymore; all the explanations she gave during the day were definitely in vain.

This bastard ruined my glorious image. Well, I can't blame him. He's a burly man, after all. He can't resist seeing something risqué; it's instinct.

"Ahem, I've already taught this vulgar pen pal a lesson. You know, artists are always hard to understand, which is why they seem so rare."

Sakura glanced at her sideways, looking like she wouldn't believe a word she said. She was a little annoyed; she had almost been fooled again.

This won't do; we need to change the subject.

Ryan shifted his position, his brain working quickly, and soon he had an idea.

"Is Ling asleep?"

"Yeah, I just went to bed. I finally finished my homework, and I don't know if I'll be able to keep up after school starts next week." Sakura perked up when she talked about her younger sister, and looked apologetic. "I have to hire a babysitter tomorrow. I'm so sorry, it took up too much of my time."

Sister-complex girls are so easy to manipulate; they can make you instantly forget everything.

Ryan grinned slightly, already prepared his trump card.

"You don't need to worry about that. I made arrangements when I went to buy the rabbit doll today. A middle-aged woman will come to your door tomorrow to apply for a job. She is absolutely reliable."

Sakura paused in drying her hair, then asked in confusion, "Didn't you say you didn't have the authority?"

"It has nothing to do with moths chasing fire; it's just a form of psychological suggestion that's very effective for ordinary people with very few side effects."

Sakura suddenly remembered that Ryan also had a kind of soft-kill ability. Back in the small town, he made those people leave with just one sentence. She didn't need to ask any questions; she had already believed in this man's methods.

The minor unpleasantness from earlier was immediately forgotten, and her face was filled with gratitude, along with a touch of embarrassment.

"Sometimes I don't know how to thank you. As a business partner, I owe you so much."

"Are you feeling uneasy?"