I am a hero of the former civilization.

“The first one is fine, but the second one is just a drop in the ocean.” Hen’s tone was heavy, but his eyes revealed admiration: “You are indeed a hero. Knowing there was danger, you chose to face it head-on.”

“I’m not that great, it’s just that there’s a saying that goes something like this.” Ryan paused, his gaze sweeping over Hen and Hua’s faces.

"Do as much as you are capable of, take on as much responsibility as you are capable of, and then do your best."

Hua's eyes lit up. She hadn't understood their previous conversation at all, but this sentence really struck a chord with her.

"Neither arrogant nor backing down, you are truly admirable." Hen clapped lightly, his expression turning serious: "I've taken care of both of these matters for you. There will be results within two days. Do you have any other requests?"

Ryan carried the box to the car and was about to let Hua get in when his expression froze for a moment as he looked up towards the coast.

"Do me another favor: take her to Huangpu Road to pick up someone, and then take both of them away from Canghai."

"Senior brother, you..." Hua opened his mouth wide, unable to react for a moment.

Ryan raised his hand to interrupt Hua, opened the car door, and his expression also became serious.

"The storm is coming, we just need to wait for the thunder."

Chapter Fifty-One: The Storm Has Arrived! (Two-in-One)

woo-

The van sped along the road, its wheels kicking up waves as it raced at over 100 miles per hour.

Ryan decisively changed his plans and once again experienced the uncontrollability of the Honkai.

Just now, he sensed the approach of collapse. Although he had no instruments to measure it precisely, he knew it was in the east, in the place where he had defeated Moshazhi a few days ago.

The prelude is coming. This Emperor-class Honkai Beast should not have come out so quickly because it was seriously injured, but after all, they are not human and have no instinct for survival.

When the 'call' of those in power comes, they will respond without hesitation, regardless of any reason.

"The city has been hit by a severe storm. Experts advise all citizens to leave the city for safety. If this is not possible, please stay at home, keep your doors locked, and do not go out unnecessarily."

An evacuation warning came over the radio, and if you listened carefully, you could also hear a slight 'rustling' sound.

The Honkai energy is gradually increasing, and the scope of its influence is so vast. There's no mistake, the Third Herrscher has descended upon the Ocean.

Ryan frowned as he ran towards the sea, his mind racing with thoughts.

The Makshachi is already at the pinnacle of imperial power; his current unusual behavior raises the question:

The Herrscher is about to descend. It answers the call and will cross that limit to become a companion Judgment-class Honkai Beast.

The more he thought about it, the more likely it seemed. Otherwise, there was no way to explain the strange behavior of the Mosachina. The Honkai Beasts didn't know how to cherish their lives, and they wouldn't be afraid of the Fire-Chasing Moths.

Therefore, the storm has arrived, and all that's left is to wait for the thunder and lightning.

After rushing across the long street, vehicles gradually appeared on the road, and some people who had also sensed something was wrong were following advice to leave. The once empty street suddenly became lively.

However, amidst the bustling traffic, only one speeding minivan drove against the flow of traffic, attracting the attention of many onlookers.

"What's that car doing? Weren't they supposed to be evacuating people? Why is it heading towards the beach?"

"They're probably TV reporters. This typhoon is unusual; it's bound to be a hot topic. By the way, why hasn't Dr. Damian left yet?"

"He said that the research had reached a critical point and insisted on staying at the university to conduct experiments."

"Then let's ignore it and just treat it as a few days of vacation."

Ryan swept past, only noticing the Canghai University access pass hanging on the van's windshield. In that instant, he remembered the colleague he had just met.

He's really unlucky.

I was suppressed by Mei at Chiba Academy, and then I encountered the Collapse in a different environment. Why do I keep running into bad luck lately?

After a brief moment of distraction, Ryan quickly refocused. He was not one to meddle in other people's business, and what his former colleagues did was none of his concern.

"Are they too lazy to even act anymore?"

He saw the barbed wire fence ahead, with a "No Entry" sign swaying above it, but only a few police cars were parked nearby.

If the previous judgment was wrong, then now that the Honkai energy has been enhanced across the entire area, could it be that the detection instruments of the Fire Moth have broken down?

They're just leaving some scapegoats here to guard the place. Who are they trying to fool?

Ryan floored the accelerator, startling the police officer blocking the road, who tumbled to the side. Then, with a loud crash, he smashed through the barbed wire fence and grabbed his phone.

"Hey? Is everything done?"

"I've already met up with your junior sister's friend, and they're heading out of the city. I've also sent a message to Miss Alicia; the situation in the city is very bad right now."

"How is it not good?"

"Death squads and lower-ranking Honkai Beasts have begun to appear in the city, but fortunately, their numbers are not large, and the troops stationed in the city can handle them."

Is the wind and rain getting stronger?

Ryan gently patted the steering wheel. He had read the information about the Fire Moth. Before the Herrscher appeared, the concentration of Honkai energy in a certain area would gradually increase, and assassins and Honkai beasts would appear randomly.

The Herrscher is not a nuclear bomb that can flatten a large area in an instant; it is more like a radiation source that changes the environment of the area.

Those without Honkai energy adaptability will die quickly, and some will become suicide soldiers, joining Honkai beasts in a massacre, destroying everything like locusts. After all, the Herrschers have no intention of targeting ordinary people.

"Therefore, the best way for ordinary people to survive is to run out of this area. If they can't escape, they should just stay home and leave it to fate."

Ryan remembered that Canghai City should have been completely wiped out, but now, no matter how bad things were, at least 10% of the population had survived, and he suddenly had a strange feeling.

Changing one's destiny and forging a completely different new path—if this number is multiplied by a hundred thousand or a million times, it might be a giant leap towards the unknown.

Turning the impossible into the possible, changing the trajectory of fate, is more interesting than exploring the essence of collapse.

Ryan grinned, revealing a satisfied smile, then suddenly turned the steering wheel, glancing out of the corner of his eye at the afterimage rushing towards him from the side.

“Take them out; I will explore this uncharted path.”

boom--

The heavy sword that fell from the sky split the van in two, with the front half rolling directly into the field, splashing mud everywhere.

The phone went dead. Hen looked up, glanced at the terrified Carol, and then fixed his gaze on the calm-faced Hua: "Did you hear that?"

"Yes, I understand my senior brother's determination. He wants to protect the people of Canghai as a hero!"

Hen didn't know how to answer, and just subconsciously shook his head: "Uh, I think there are some differences. Although it's somewhat similar, it's not just about protecting everyone. How should I put it, it's more like enjoying the process of forging a path."

“Indeed, it feels just as exciting as when I figured out a new move.” Hua patted his friend on the shoulder and looked at the messy street.

Many vehicles were colliding, blocking the road completely, and some monsters were rushing out of the alley and slaughtering the crowd.

Chaos, slaughter, destruction.

These terrifying images were reflected in her emerald green eyes, intertwined with memories of shopping with Ryan a couple of days ago.

The noodle shop on Huaizhong Road, the food stalls on the snack street, and Ms. Wen's milk tea shop at the university—in an instant, all the beautiful things were smashed to pieces. Helplessness and anger accumulated in her heart as if they were about to explode.

After a moment, Hua took a deep breath, put on the alloy gauntlets that Ryan had given him, and seemed to take a brave step forward.

"Mr. Hen, I want to join the battle too! I want to—"

She suddenly threw a punch, sending the assassin who was lunging at Carroll flying, causing his sternum to cave in.

"Uphold your own beliefs."

......

A giant transport plane with six engines hovered in the sky, and in the distance, a huge thunderstorm cloud could be seen covering the entire Canghai City.

Purple arcs of electricity flickered in the clouds, even interfering with electronic systems; it's hard to imagine what the scene was like below the clouds.

The blond man swirled his wine glass, the crystal-clear glass reflecting lightning, with the bustling bridge behind him.

The airborne command ship "Raven" of the Fire-Chasing Moth arrived at Canghai City as soon as it discovered the anomaly.

In front of him was a holographic communication device, but without a human image, and with the logo 'SOUND-ONLY' written on it.

"The plan has already begun, and no one can stop it now, but China is putting pressure on them, seemingly alarmed by the previous evacuation announcements."

“I know those people want to be saviors, but they don’t realize that if they don’t give up a little now, they’ll have to give up everything later.” Kalis sighed and replied calmly, “Just reply according to the procedure. The Fire Moth needs time to assess the situation and even more time to regroup its forces, but you can intervene first.”

The silence lasted for a second. From their perspective, they couldn't use evacuation as an excuse, otherwise they would inevitably be blamed afterward.

"Okay, but nobody can use that excuse..."

"This is not an excuse. Humanity knows nothing about the Honkai. Who can be sure that the Herrscher will definitely appear in the Ocean?"

No one can refute this statement, because no one can bear the responsibility for it.

“I understand. Lead the fleet closer to the coast immediately. Also, Chief of Staff, there is something else to report.” Erwin paused before continuing, “Alicia has escaped surveillance. I am still investigating how she did it.”

“No need to investigate. She must be heading this way. When those people discover the problem, of course they'll think of their savior.” Kalis said, neither surprised nor concerned.

"But it's too late now. The Herrscher is about to be born. Even the aftermath of the battle will cause heavy casualties. However, it's better to defeat the Herrscher as soon as possible. As long as we achieve our goal, it would be best to kill as few people as possible."

Thunderclouds have arrived, and judging by their scale, even the most powerful beings couldn't conceal them. They had already set a bottom line.

Half a city, eight million people, that wound should be enough. In the end, we still have to defeat the Herrscher.

Ding--

With a soft click, Kalis pulled out his terminal and saw on the screen a Templar being torn apart, half of its body blasted into the ground.

Beside the corpse, a black-haired man stood like a mountain. In a daze, he felt as if he were being stared at by the other party, and subconsciously tightened his grip on the wine glass.

The man only breathed a sigh of relief when he reached the fishing village.

"It finally begins."

The car parts were scattered everywhere after the explosion, the fields in the torrential rain had turned into mud, and the five-meter-tall Temple-class Honkai Beast was blasted into the ground, its upper body flying dozens of meters away.

The heavy rain soaked his clothes, making his hair stick tightly to his forehead. Ryan withdrew his right fist and shook his slightly numb elbow.

He had just used his elbow as a hammer to forcefully blast the Honkai Beast into the mud, and before it could even crawl out, he ripped it in half with a short, sharp kick.

In just six months, even Temple-level Honkai Beasts were no match for him. Fortunately, Moth of Fire was unaware of this growth potential, otherwise she would have already considered him a monster.

Being powerful is understandable, but being powerful without limits is terrifying.

Ryan stretched his shoulders, pulled the box out of the car wreckage, strapped it to his back with nylon straps, stepped onto the road, scraped the mud off his shoes, and looked up at the fishing village not far away.

A few days later, I came back and the fishing village was still the same as before, except that it was even more dilapidated by the typhoon.

"But the stench of decay has already overpowered the smell of dead fish."

Ryan could tell without instruments that the place had become a den of dragons and tigers, and the biggest one was getting closer, like subjects who had arrived earlier, heading to welcome the arrival of their king.