Ryan didn't know what had gotten into Möbius.
Even though he knew that the current Möbius was not the same as the one from the past, her crazy persona was deeply ingrained, not to mention the mental influence of Sesa was indeed present. This was the price of power.
'Could this be when her mental issues started? Hmm, it definitely has become more aggressive and uncontrollable. If she could attempt suicide, what else wouldn't she do?'
For a moment, Ryan grew concerned, but such a price was unavoidable, much like Sakura fox ears. If the mental state was unstable, it all came down to whether Möbius could handle it herself. He couldn't help her.
He ended his pointless musings and focused entirely on the battle.
After all, Möbius was a source of worry, but the Herrscher could take lives, especially one with intelligence—those were particularly troublesome.
The supersonic transport plane was speeding through the clouds. Sakura was sitting upright, knowing that the Fourth Herrscher was targeting Ryan. Such high-altitude flights were actually very dangerous.
When Ryan saw her tense expression, he knew what she was thinking. This was the perfect assassin and also a competent bodyguard.
"Relax, she's no match for us, and she knows how to assess risks well."
"Phew, that's a bit reassuring," Sakura sighed, but then suddenly remembered, even if the plane exploded, she wouldn't die.
"No, that's exactly what's scary. The ultimate goal of battle is to preserve yourself while killing your enemy."
Ryan said casually, flipping through files on his encrypted terminal. Fire Moth weren't stupid; if the Herrscher learned how to use this, the map would be wide open.
He read quickly, his glasses reflecting the data flashing by. He had a basic understanding of what was going on in Britain.
As soon as the collapse energy source appeared, Fire Moth's high-altitude drones were sent for reconnaissance. However, except for the massive waves in the North Atlantic, nothing else was found. The ocean was the best hiding place for collapse energy, even the lowest level of collapse beasts didn't need to breathe. As long as their bodies could withstand the pressure of the deep sea, they could dive as deep as they wanted.
It was truly a comprehensive change. I also smell some conspiracy.
Ryan tapped his thigh with his fingers. He wasn't afraid of challenges; he had already acknowledged the logic of the Honkai.
If it didn't bring out the Herrscher constraints, with the current situation, no matter how many came, it would be like sending them all. Even a Seventh Herrscher, with continent-level destruction power, wouldn't be a concern for him.
Originally, the Seventh Herrscher only faced Kevin, who was living for death. Now, Ryan could have dozens of fusion warriors surround her, chopping her into dust, one strike at a time.
So, I gather my forces, and you gather yours. Just like an equal and opposite reaction—the more force applied, the more intense the reaction.
Ryan smiled, a smile that sent chills down Sakura, as if he were a chess player. He then turned his gaze toward the seat across from him.
The seats on this military transport plane were arranged in a longitudinal pattern. However, on their side, there were only two people, while across from them sat a dozen or so, all in full armor with various annihilation weapons.
Looking at them, one in a lab coat and the other in a low-cut T-shirt, with only swords and long knives hanging from their waists, it seemed as if they were just ordinary civilians hitching a ride.
The gazes of the several people on the opposite side of the street were fixed on their ears, which made Sakura slightly uncomfortable and shift in her seat. her expression to become even colder and harder.
Ryan noticed this small movement and turned his attention to the group across from them.
They really had "battle machine" written all over their faces.
Ryan glanced at the insignia on their armor. It was a Moths to the Flame logo, with a fiery "1" in the center.
"Punishment Sword, First Team?"
"Yes, esteemed Dr. Ryan, I am Captain Vinal," said the man in the center with a slight nod, taking off his helmet to reveal long purple hair and a face full of scars. He leaned forward and extended his right hand.
Oh, and that's 'I'm an Elite' written on his forehead.
Ryan didn't hesitate, leaning forward to shake his hand, saying with interest, "I've heard of you. You were active during the rainforest eradication battles and saved several trapped cities."
Now the collapse was a global disaster, and it would never end. It wasn't as easy as the reports on TV made it seem. Humanity had already abandoned many regions.
"Ah, I didn't expect you to have heard of us, mass-produced units." A sharp female voice cut in, causing Ryan to think of Möbius.
"Freya!"
"Yes, yes, I shouldn't have interrupted," the girl said with her hands up, burying her head in a TV show.
Aside from the silver-haired girl, Ryan also glanced at the young girl sitting next to her. She had a sweet appearance and blonde hair, radiating a refined air.
She looked a little familiar, as if she was one of the blind dates that Verne had given
He had a vague impression of her, and seeing her here was a surprise. After all, his match candidates were from the elite classes, so why would she be involved in the high-risk fusion surgery?
The young girl clearly recognized Ryan too, but instead of speaking, she merely nodded and flashed a sweet smile.
That smile confirmed it—he had definitely seen her picture somewhere.
"Dr. Ryan, you're one of the leaders of the fusion warrior program, essentially the one who granted us our powers," said the young man, glancing at the two women. He spoke sincerely, apologizing, "But I hope we can preserve the warriors' individuality. Please forgive her rudeness." Sincere, polite, and cultured.
Ryan waved it off, indicating that it didn't bother him, and even agreed, "Our bodies are evolving beyond human, so we need to retain our emotions as 'humans,' or we'll be assimilated by those Honkai beasts sooner or later."
"Yes, we are forever human, but to gain the power to protect our loved ones, we must pay the price," Vinal smiled, tugging at his scar and looking a bit grim..
Ryan also had a good impression of him. At least this Dr. Ryan had turned into a monster just like them while transforming others.
The journey was dull, and they had some mutual respect. Ryan soon learned that the young man had been fighting in Southern Europe for many years and had even participated in the hunt for the First Herrscher.
Those scars were the marks left from that battle.
"I led a suicide squad for an airborne assault, but the plane was shot down. While parachuting, I fell right into a fire pit, but luckily I had some talents. I only had to stay in the hospital for a few months," Vinal touched his scars, painful memories flashing through his mind.
"So you were born special, too."
"Not really. People like me aren't Special. Back then, we were either conscripted or imprisoned. This time, the fusion warrior program gave me another chance to choose," Vinal shrugged helplessly, with a slightly sarcastic smile, "After being locked up for so many years, most of us chose cooperation."
Fire Moth's secret prison wasn't easy, and instead of going mad in there, it was better to come out and fight the collapse.
"How many special talents are there in the world?"
"One in ten thousand, not too many, but based on my own experience, most people's abilities can only be called 'magic.' People like you, Miss Elysia, and Dr. Möbius are rare."
Möbius, Vil-V, and others were certainly "superpowered," their intelligence and computational ability already surpassing ordinary humans.
Ryan nodded lightly. He had already noticed this. Most people with talent were very ordinary and couldn't affect reality.
This was likely due to gene mutations brought on by the collapse. Möbius seemed to be researching the origins, and if they found the cause and could modify it, perhaps it could be passed down.
"Those with such traits have a higher success rate in the fusion surgery, giving this otherwise useless ability some purpose," Ryan muttered to himself. It was just like collapse energy adaptation—life and death were decided the moment they were born.
"Vinal, do you think humanity is self-selecting? Those who don't have enough adaptability don't even need collapse beasts to kill them—Honkai disease is enough to take them down."
The young man fell silent. He knew Honkai disease was rampant everywhere, killing far more humans than collapse beasts. After all, Fire Moth couldn't defend against it.
"You mean, even in the best-case scenario, only a portion of humanity will be left in the end?"
"Yes, and the Herrscher' goal is to wipe out that portion as well." The cabin grew tense. Reality was that cruel. Even without collapse beasts, their loved ones and friends might not live long. This path seemed endless.
"Even if humanity is wiped out, we'll drag the collapse beasts down into the abyss with us!" A roar made Ryan turn his head slightly, seeing a young man with gray-blue hair, who seemed familiar.
"This is our team's new recruit, Ed. His whole family was killed by collapse beasts. No amount of counseling has helped him recover," Vinal said, somewhat embarrassed. His subordinates seemed like children compared to the mature and steady Ryan.
Hatred makes people evil,, and no counseling could work.
Ryan didn't care much. War couldn't happen without some hatred. He just smiled, "You're from Neon?"
"Yes, I used to live in a small mountain village. One day, Honkai beasts destroyed my hometown, and I was rescued by Fire Moth." The young man reminisced first, then trembled. "So I must clean up the collapse beasts, not leaving a single one!"
The girl chewing gum next to him rushed to comfort him, looking at Ryan that was stunned.
'Indeed, in a world like this, if Honkai came here, he'd definitely turn into a madman.'
"Your subordinates certainly have character."
"Yes, everyone is full of hatred for the Honkai." Vinal smiled bitterly.
"So, as long as we give our all, at least some of us will survive." Ryan stood up, patting the young man on the shoulder, and pointed forward. "Cheer up, the Raven has arrived."
Everyone looked up to see a huge shadow appear in front of the transport plane, flying above the clouds. It was a silver-black sky battleship, its body divided into two layers. The upper layer had forward-swept wings, while the lower layer had backward-swept wings.
Sixteen giant turboprop engines spun rapidly, powered by the collapse energy reactor, providing almost endless energy.
The transport plane seemed tiny in front of it, with a wingspan exceeding 300 meters, like a flying fortress.
The ASC-03 "Raven" aerial carrier was specifically designed for global high-altitude patrols and was the vanguard for Fire Moth in hunting down the Herrscher.
Ryan had seen it in the sea before, but now, up close, he was still amazed by this marvel of human civilization.
'Those pure-blooded factions aren't useless. Building such a giant thing isn't something theoretical research can accomplish.' It took thousands of factories and countless wind tunnel tests.
He saw the lights flicker on the lower deck, the rear opened to reveal a passage, and then the transport plane dove into it.
The tail hook caught on the arresting wire, and under the electromagnetic flywheel's influence, the plane quickly slowed down and finally came to a complete stop. The mechanical arms grabbed the landing gear and slowly moved it to a designated spot without any pilot control.
Beep beep beep.
The alarm lights lit up, and the lift began to descend.
Ryan looked out the window with interest, seeing the complex mechanical structures and staff holding "glow sticks." The transport plane was placed in the hangar, and the busy hangar was also sending fighters to the runway and retrieving others.
Everywhere was filled with machinery and electronics, making Ryan feel a bit of regret.
Given time, maybe they could really build a Gundam.