I am a hero of the former civilization.

Ryan was quite understanding. He thought to himself, "A teenage girl suddenly jumps into the battlefield. I don't believe she didn't struggle at all, but she gritted her teeth and made some achievements. What's wrong with being a little willful?"

"Tell me, where do you want to go?"

Hua didn't say anything, but simply pointed ahead, leaving Ryan speechless.

He's been driving this human car for two hours already. Is Hua planning to make him run a marathon in the middle of the night?

Alright, let's keep going. Hua is unusually fierce today; what if he comes at me with a guillotine later?

Ahead lies the coastline, where the sound of waves crashing against the shore can be heard in the darkness. In the distance, a lighthouse is hidden in the night, appearing like a star from afar.

When they reached the breakwater, Ryan tightened his legs on his sides, as if squeezing the horse's belly, and stopped abruptly, letting go. However, Hua was still hanging on his neck and refused to get down.

"Hey, we need to find a place to sit down."

"It's fine as it is," the girl replied confidently.

If it were anyone else, Ryan would have lost his patience long ago, but he was surprisingly patient, since he rarely saw Hua's willful side anyway.

She's always very obedient, keeping many things to herself and quietly following behind me. If she hadn't been drinking, she wouldn't be so bothersome.

So he stood there facing the sea and asked softly, "What happened?"

"Did you see it?"

"You hid it very well, but we've known each other for so many years, and you still can't tell? I'm unworthy to be your senior brother."

The girl behind him fell silent, only the hands on his shoulders tightened slightly, and his breathing became rapid, followed by Hua Meng's dreamlike murmurs.

"I've been cleaning up the Honkai in Shenzhou for a while now, but I can't kill them all. Dozens of cities have been reduced to ruins. Every day I'm hunting Honkai beasts and moving their corpses, and then my team members are all sacrificing themselves one by one..."

Ryan listened quietly. He had actually read the battle report, but compared to his own experience, the lines of text seemed pale and powerless. It could be said that every word contained blood and tears.

The Third Collapse affected the entire East Asia region, killing tens of millions of people. It was arguably the most terrifying disaster before the Seventh Collapse, and Hua happened to be involved in the entire process.

Ryan fell silent, realizing he should have intervened from the start. Even though he was mentally prepared, these things were still too stimulating for an eighteen-year-old girl.

She searched for survivors in the ruins, she fought a final battle against the Honkai Beasts, and she pressed on the bleeding wounds of her dying teammates...

"Honkai Beasts kept appearing in that area, and we couldn't kill them all. So we had to take on the role of guards and evacuate the survivors from high-risk areas. Then the Honkai disease came again."

"It started with isolation, and the sick were abandoned. In the end, they killed each other. We received a secret order, yes, to those infected."

"Stop talking." Ryan interrupted him, of course he knew what methods were available to treat Honkai disease.

To prevent the spread of infection, all Honkai patients who disobeyed orders were shot and killed. Although it was a last resort, the impact on people was much greater than killing Honkai beasts.

Becoming a hero comes at a price, but this price is far too high.

"Senior brother, do you think I'm being dramatic? Mr. Kevin can handle it all."

"Don't compare yourself to that paramecium. He can't think that far ahead; his mind is full of plums. Besides, East Asia is truly a hellish place." Ryan wasn't trying to comfort him intentionally, but he thought to himself that Hua's bad luck was kicking in again.

Of all the war zones, he was left in East Asia, and then, by sheer luck, he returned unscathed.

“What you’ve seen is something all of humanity will face sooner or later; it’ll pass.” Ryan patted the little hand on the shoulder and then asked, “The key question is, what have you gained?”

"I've discovered that the Honkai is not as simple as it's advertised. It's impossible to eradicate completely. We don't even need Honkai Beasts; humans killing each other would be enough. Despite not having any Herrschers, we're constantly on the go. Even Captain Himiko has to go for psychological treatment."

Himihu?

Ryan remembered that cheerful, tough woman; she was a mature warrior.

"What's up with her?"

"After returning from a cleanup mission, she became somewhat mentally unstable. A small town was used as an isolation base. Just as the Honkai Beasts attacked, the Honkai patients rushed out and attacked us from behind."

I'm dead, and you won't live either.

Ryan took a deep breath. He could guess what would happen next: a bloodbath would ensue, causing minor damage, but enough to shatter the faith of warriors who aspired to be heroes.

"Our enemies weren't just Honkai Beasts and Herrschers to begin with; they were just the trigger, exposing all the ugliness of humanity." Ryan sighed. He had killed quite a few fools on the Mu Continent; those people were like blind men, obsessed with fighting for power and profit.

"No wonder I could sense your fear, but why did you persevere?"

"you."

"I?"

“Yes, you are my hope.” Hua raised her head, her emerald eyes burning like flames. “If you were in Shenzhou, I wouldn’t even feel fear, because you would be like a great tree, keeping all these things out!”

His firm tone left Ryan both amused and exasperated. He wasn't an omnipotent star god, but at the same time, he felt a sense of relief.

If he hadn't taken that step at Chiba Academy, he would be unable to do anything but offer comforting words like a useless piece of trash. And just as Hua guessed, his plan had already begun.

"If you want to stay by my side, I can make arrangements."

The girl behind him showed a hint of struggle. Of course, she wanted to be protected by this man, just like on the shore of the vast ocean, Ryan stood like a giant in front of Moshazhi, shielding her from all the storms.

“Senior brother, I have already stepped into this world. If you want to move forward, you need stepping stones, and I need power to qualify as a stepping stone.”

Ryan's expression froze. He really wanted to cover the girl's mouth to stop her from making rash promises, but he swallowed the rebuke back down.

He slaughtered the Third Herrscher, seized her powers, and the plan proceeded smoothly. However, he knew that Honkai was not simply about leveling up by defeating monsters. Its exam-like nature meant that the more intense the human resistance, the more excited the Honkai would become.

Leaving aside the distant past, the phrase "a person from beyond the heavens" haunted his mind like a curse.

Even if my intervention causes a drastic change in the timeline, without me, the fate of the previous civilization was already the worst possible outcome; how much worse could it get?

At least, besides Alicia, there is another spark of hope that someone is willing to pursue, just like Hua.

"Thank you for your trust, it even makes me feel a little pressured."

Are you afraid of pressure?

"Haha, this thing is a catalyst for me. If there were no pressure, the two of us would never have met. So just do what you want. When you come back, I'll give you a gift."

Ryan had come to terms with it. He respected Hua's will and let her embark on this path, so he shouldn't overthink it. He should create conditions and find a way to help her survive.

"what gift?"

Hua Shang was still wondering when he saw Ryan turn his head, half of his face disappearing into the night, but the half that was visible had eyes like stars, looking straight into his eyes.

Do you want to become a fusion warrior?

Normally, Hua would answer that she would do whatever he said, but with the effects of the alcohol still lingering, a hint of wild joy appeared on her face.

Ryan used to always act on her own whims, but this was the first time she had taken the initiative to get closer to him, as if he no longer saw her as a child, but as a companion like Kevin, walking together on the same path.

Isn't this recognition exactly what I crave?

"miss you!"

"Then leave it to me to arrange."

"How to arrange?"

"Then you'll have to ask this woman who's still awake in the middle of the night."

Hua was puzzled. He turned his head and saw a ferry approaching on the sea. A green-haired woman stood at the bow with her arms crossed. Her white coat fluttered in the sea breeze, and she had a strange smile on her lips.

Möbius?

She immediately tensed her muscles, as if she were ready for battle, looking as if she were facing a formidable enemy.

Mebius also saw the two of them, his gaze fixed on the girl on Ryan's back, his long eyebrows slightly raised.

"Oh, you're not back so late. Turns out you came here to enjoy the sea breeze. It must be quite warm for the two of you to be snuggled together."

The ferry slowed down at the shore. He had been waiting for most of the night to show off his breakthrough in 'Soul Steel', but this bastard came to the beach for a date instead.

It's simply... infuriating!

Why do I have this feeling that I've been caught cheating? You have to stay calm in these situations, or you'll just be mercilessly mocked by this woman.

The man on the shore suddenly disappeared, landing silently on the deck. His expressionless face made Möbius feel a little guilty. She had imagined many scenarios, but found that reality was slightly different.

"W-what do you want to do?"

Ryan didn't even ask how she knew his whereabouts, because this sarcastic woman was bound to be sarcastic, and there was no need to explain anything, since Möbius could always find a loophole.

With a gentle shake, he pulled Hua into his arms and, just as Mebius was about to have an attack, placed her in her hands.

"I've decided to launch the Fusion Warrior Project immediately. We'll start hunting high-ranking Honkai Beasts right now. I have some things for you to handle." Ryan spoke very quickly, and his whole body floated up.

"Notify Mei that I need information on Honkai Beasts of Emperor rank or higher. Have Sakura bring it to me. I'll send you the rendezvous coordinates to your email. Also, for the breakthrough of Soul Steel, I need some prototypes. Try to send them over."

Even Mebius was caught off guard, as if she had been suddenly bombarded with research data while confronting someone, leaving her completely bewildered, and she could only hold the equally stunned girl in her arms.

If she was like this, then Hua was even more so. The two of them exclaimed in unison, "Now?!"

“Of course, now. The research is done. Do you expect me to stay here and play house with you? Saving the world is a very busy thing.” Ryan floated higher and higher, raising his hand to stop the two who were about to speak: “Hua, remember what I told you tonight. If you want to keep up with me, you must become a Fusion Warrior. Mebius, in exchange, I will find you a suitable Honkai Beast. I will never let you suffer any losses.”

His words were serious, and he posed some questions that made Hua and Mebius think instinctively. By the time they came to their senses, the man had already disappeared into the sea, leaving only a straight white wave.

“Wait…” Mebius reached out, but couldn’t even catch the tail gas. His eyes flickered, and he felt as if his plan had been cut off by a sharp blade.

We agreed to corner him tonight and seize a weakness, but...

She slowly lowered her head, and her eyes met those of Hua Si, who was also blinking in her arms. The two of them froze for a moment, then separated as if electrocuted, each showing a look of disgust.

After a few seconds of silence, Möbius, while patting his clothes, slowly and deliberately asked, "What are you doing here on the beach so late at night instead of sleeping?"

Normally, Hua would have kept quiet, as if afraid of saying the wrong thing and making Ryan clean up the mess.

But with the effects of the alcohol still lingering, she was unusually bold and seized the opportunity to ask the question that had been on her mind for so long: "Dr. Möbius, are you, as rumored, my senior's fiancée?"

What a load of nonsense. Uh, but that bastard made me go out in the middle of the night to get some fresh air, so I can get my revenge on her.

Mebius quickly found a reason that could convince himself, but before he could even open his mouth, Hua raised his hand to stop him.

"You hesitated, but it seems you didn't."

"Hehe, when did I hesitate? I was just thinking about how to say it without hurting you. A young girl like you is very fragile. What if you can't handle it and jump into the sea? What if Ryan comes back and holds a grudge against me?"

Mebius rattled off a whole bunch of things, but Hua simply shook his head firmly: "You're lying."

"Little sister, how did you know I was lying?" Möbius frowned, clearly displeased.

"intuition."

Hua was sparing with his words, but his eyes revealed a resolute determination that made Mebius, who was consumed by thoughts of revenge, grit his teeth.

She had so many exciting things she wanted to say, like sleeping together, getting a massage, or giving him stockings, but when the words came to her lips, she didn't know how to say them.

Because Hua didn't respond at all, her eyes clearly conveyed the message: I don't believe anything you say, and I'm too lazy to talk to you.

Don't listen, don't listen, the bastard chants sutras.