I am the former civilized hero.

Why is it him again?

The giant aerial carrier was shaking slightly in the air current. Ryan's ears were filled with various mechanical noises. The corridors inside were also very narrow, only allowing two people to pass side by side.

As the chief of staff, Calis certainly has the authority to command the entire campaign, but the cooperation between Ryan and him in Canghai City was not a pleasant one. This guy was not only cunning and ruthless, but his appearance also aroused vigilance.

"Forget it, let's wait and see."

The automatic door opened, and Ryan followed the crowd to the combat bridge. He looked around and saw that this place of more than 100 square meters was quite lively.

Outside is a vast sea of ​​clouds. Below the bridge are three rows of seats. Twenty or thirty communications soldiers are fiddling with computers. Staff officers are jogging to deliver information and then marking the latest situation on the electronic map.

The walls on both sides were transformed into giant screens, with electronic maps of different scales unfolding one after another. Some videos were playing images of the front line, and real-time information was scrolling above.

It's very advanced, from the whole of Europe to the British Isles, with all kinds of routes, signs, and collapse energy responses. Without the above knowledge and experience, just looking at it will make you dizzy.

"Everyone, welcome to our arrival."

Ryan turned his head following the voice and saw a blond man standing up from his chair. He was wearing a white trench coat-style military uniform with golden epaulettes, and holding a jewel-studded saber in his hand.

He was in his thirties or forties, with a handsome face, and in his straight military uniform, he looked steady and elegant.

"Your Excellency the Chief of Staff."

The team of Sword of Punishment immediately stood at attention and saluted. They were an elite force directly under the Fire-Seeking Council and had a strong sense of hierarchy.

Ryan and Ying stood there casually. There was no military rank or level between them. Ryan even looked a little doubtful.

"Dr. Ryan, I know our last cooperation was a little unpleasant, but please believe me, there is no need to do anything extra this time." Calis was not angry and took the initiative to extend his right hand.

"That depends on your performance. Let's get down to business." Ryan shook hands with him and then raised his eyebrows slightly: "You also underwent fusion surgery?"

"Yes, I happen to have this qualification. Even as a commander, I must have the ability to defend myself." Calis replied with a smile.

What he said was true, but Ryan didn't ask in detail. Calis's file authority was extremely high, and even Mei didn't know, so it would be useless to ask.

The two of them only exchanged a few words, but it left a different feeling to Vinal and the others. They suddenly realized that even though they were both fusion warriors, the gap between them was too big.

The top management has a very strong tolerance and there is no suppression such as orders. It is really enviable and jealous.

"Then I'll make it short. Please watch." Calis nodded to the person beside him, and immediately a female officer wearing a boat hat pressed the remote control.

The tactical map changes to show the ocean north of Britain.

"Yesterday, according to the Skynet detection results, a strong source of Honkai appeared at this coordinate, which disappeared after about 22 minutes. After the detection buoy was thrown, no Honkai energy reaction was detected under the sea. According to the database energy spectrum search, there was no similar result, which proves that the source of Honkai is new."

No matter how they try to converge, Herrscher and Honkai Beast cannot completely block Honkai energy. The Fire Moth has also established a Honkai energy spectrum database to determine their identity.

"So the source of the collapse has moved and hidden its whereabouts?" Ryan asked. He was obviously not restrained.

"From the current situation, this is correct, but we have Dr. Mei's latest research detector that can capture residual energy. Dr. Ryan, please take a look."

Calis nodded to the girl next to him, and some data and a winding dotted line flashed on the big screen.

This dotted line continues southward and suddenly disappears when it approaches the island of Great Britain.

"The speed at which the scattered energy disappears exceeds the speed at which the buoys are deployed, so the detection limit is 200 kilometers north of the British Isles." Calis explained, and when he saw Vinal raise his hand, he nodded to signal him to speak directly.

"The target could be east to Scandinavia or west into the ocean."

"No, the First and Sixth Fleets arrived first and have detectors on board. It's impossible for them to slip past us." Ryan answered for Calis. He noticed that the friendly forces' logos on the big screen all had arrival times, so it was not difficult to make a reverse inference.

"Dr. Ryan is right. The probability of the target escaping is less than 5%. It is almost certain that it has landed on the British Isles." Calis nodded with a smile and sighed, "But once we reach land, we won't be able to locate it accurately."

Basically, the collapse occurs on land. For example, there are dozens of small and medium-sized collapse sources on the electronic map. The energy spectrum is mixed together and cannot be distinguished at all.

On the contrary, the deep sea is particularly "pure", and it is difficult to hide there when the Fire Moth has updated its equipment.

Got ashore.

Ryan narrowed his eyes and scanned the densely packed symbols on the electronic map. There were sources of collapse, the bases of the Fire Moths, and even rebels. It was a microcosm of the world at this moment.

Red, gray, and blue are intertwined like pieces of a puzzle.

It has been almost a year since the Canghai incident, and the world has not gotten better as the noodle stall owner had imagined. Instead, it has become more and more chaotic, with humans and the Honkai Impact 3rd, just like a grassland burned by a wildfire, and it is impossible to kill them all.

So the two sides entered a stalemate.

The world is too big, and even if the Fire Moths expanded several times in an emergency, they are still stretched to the limit. They can only concentrate their forces to protect the main areas, and for areas outside the protected areas, you can refer to those wasteland movies.

One is the occupied area, and the other is the abandoned area that was voluntarily abandoned.

'From protecting the world, to guarding the continent, to protecting key areas, the territory that humans can fully control is getting smaller and smaller, just like a giant that is constantly bleeding and becoming weaker and weaker.'

Ryan licked his lips. The map was clear at a glance. After coming out of the dark research institute, he found that the world had become strange and cruel.

"Northern Britain has already fallen. The focus of the island of Ireland is to protect the southern waterway. Is that blue line the border?"

He pointed to the blue line that ran across the center of the British Isles, because there were countless friendly army symbols there, plus the army was estimated to be over a hundred thousand strong.

"Yes. The larger the area to be protected, the more serious the loss of troops. We have to divide the protected areas according to population size and importance." Calis forced a smile, his eyes somewhat mocking: "So the public opinion criticizes us for surrendering and committing crimes. What do you think?"

"It's a rational decision. Fighting with Honkai will lead to death. Only by concentrating our troops and firepower can we resist." Ryan had no intention of blaming anyone. He had experienced this in Neon.

At that time, the collapse was not yet severe. Even if the Far East Branch called for reinforcements and worked hard to the point of vomiting blood, they would not be able to handle it. Even if he swept it personally, everything would return to normal in another month.

It is an exhausting feeling of despair, where even if you fight a hundred times, a thousand times, or ten thousand times, there is no sign of victory.

But it has only been a short time, and the human territory is shrinking so fast...

Ryan turned his head to look at the global map, scanning the countless blue lines. In the past, except for the indigenous wastelands, humans controlled more than 95% of the earth. Now it is close to 70%. Millions of square kilometers of land and hundreds of millions of people have disappeared inexplicably.

There are almost the same number of people who have been abandoned, living in abandoned areas without normal order, without the protection of the Fire Moths. Just like a certain ball, they need to draw lots to enter the safe protected area.

Ryan retracted his gaze and shook his head silently:

"But have you ever thought about it? Those abandoned areas are filled with Honkai beasts and dead soldiers. They are increasing like a snowball. If they are under unified command, it will be a frenzy."

These words made the air temperature drop several degrees, and everyone's expressions turned ugly.

"Dr. Ryan, according to the intelligence we have so far, there is no hierarchy among Honkai beasts, and they have no clear goals. They will only destroy surrounding towns and rarely move long distances." Vinal retorted.

"But what about the Fourth Herrscher? Didn't the Herrscher foolishly crash into the defense line before? What about this Houkai Source? Has any Houkai beast learned to sneak right after it was born?"

The purple-haired young man opened his mouth, but couldn't find any reason. The corners of his mouth twitched and a hidden fear flashed across his face.

"For humans, the collapse is an unknown and unpredictable thing. We don't even know when it will end, or who is behind it." Ryan looked at Calis, making this steady man look gloomy. "Of course, I don't mean to pursue responsibility. The world is too big, and the Fire Moths really can't defend it. Shrinking is also a good thing, just like drawing lots. The remaining supplies can't supply the entire population."

He could understand this helplessness. Abandoning the land would not only bring pressure from public opinion, but the hunger and public security issues alone would make managers feel overwhelmed. But what could they do?

This is a crisis of civilization's survival. It's not a game of house. We have to make choices at every moment.

"Dr. Ryan, so you think you can't find the target?" Calis said, trying hard.

"It's hard."

"Is the battle cancelled?"

"On the contrary, we must find it. In the face of human firepower, lower-level Honkai beasts are nothing to worry about. If the Fire Moths really want to attack, they must focus on the upper-level Honkai beasts and Herrschers and carry out targeted elimination without leaving any hidden dangers."

Ryan's mind was clear, pointing to the densely packed red dots on the map, only a few of which could be confirmed to be sources of high collapse.

"It's only been a few months since the global hunt, and very few Honkai beasts above the Emperor level have been discovered. This also proves my previous hypothesis. They are indeed hiding among their own kind, so Lieutenant Colonel Venar."

The young man was suddenly called and looked up in confusion, and saw Ryan with a blank expression but deep eyes.

"Honkai can have classes, can have clear goals, and can act in groups, as long as——"

“He wants to.”

Chapter 136: As if in another world

The rotorcraft passed close to the sea surface, and the airflow it created cut through the dark sea surface.

There was no moon in the sky, it was pitch black, with only dim lights in the cabin, where Ryan sat with his legs spread out, resting his eyes.

Perhaps influenced by Mobius, he had no interest in meetings. After expressing his opinions, he immediately threw himself into the battle and participated in it without hesitation.

Sakura nibbled on the rice ball and secretly glanced at the man who was sitting upright. She thought that the impression she gave had changed again.

He became colder and more rational, like a killing machine, calculating what would happen next every minute and every second.

He is brave and resolute, with unparalleled fighting power, just like what is described in the books, a role model of the warrior, giving people an infinite sense of security.

"Ying, do you have any questions?" Ryan opened his eyes a little and saw the girl's surprised look.

"No, I just want to ask, did the chief of staff understand?"

"Don't underestimate the top brass, they're all smart people. What I said today, the Intelligence Department had already guessed." Ryan snorted. It was impossible that they had gathered the best agents and intelligence officers in the world and didn't see anything. He was not so arrogant as to think that he was equal to the wisdom of all mankind.

"So the original battle plan was to target high Honkai energy targets, but they just wanted me to say it myself."

Ying suddenly felt that her brain was not enough and asked why.

"Because the Fire Moths need to verify the hypothesis, they cannot invest a huge number of troops to support it. If the hypothesis comes true, the defense line they have built will not be able to stop it, let alone attack."

The Honkai Impact is not just about the Herrscher. Just as he said to Mei, the world is a chess piece and every chess piece has a role.

"So this battle is just relying on us and those teams of Sword of Punishment?" Ying looked out the window and saw another gyroplane turning.

Ryan said nothing, just taking it as a tacit agreement. This assumption was extremely fatal and left Fire Moth with no choice.

If the global collapse can be linked, it will indeed be a frenzy. It takes humans twenty years to create a soldier, but collapse only takes a moment.

'The Ruler, the Ruler again,'

He repeated to himself over and over again that this was a war, so the means would never be monotonous, and no one could conquer the world, just as the continental-level destructive power of the Seventh and Ninth Herrschers was not easily achieved.

To be honest, if the Fourth Herrscher is given enough time, she can destroy a continent, so even a tiny Advance-level Honkai Beast has its value.

Ryan reorganized the clues he had and talked to himself.

"The Herrscher is the most perfect tool of destruction. She has no emotions and no human desires. She has disappeared for so long. It is impossible for her to enjoy her life. Add to that this new high-energy source of collapse..."

"I am sure that the fourth Herrscher is most likely on the British Isles."

"Huh? She expected you to come?" Sakura turned her head. She was no rookie in combat and knew that the Fourth Herrscher wanted to kill Ryan.

"I don't have such a big face. The main responsibility of the Herrscher is still to destroy civilization. She just learned to judge the situation. Because of my existence, she can't complete this main responsibility. Oh, I see. Everything affects each other like a snake with its own tail."

Ryan's eyes lit up, he discovered another blind spot, that is, he was not only an "outsider", because his actions changed the world line to a mess.

Even if it is the Seventh Herrscher, his birth now is the key to send gods. If Honkai wants to destroy the world, it must innovate the version and find another way.

Sakura sat quietly beside him, not wanting to disturb Ryan's thoughts, until a few minutes later, when the man broke out of his thoughts, and then she asked quietly.

"So what do we do?"