Ryan eventually entered the gathering point. The survivors here had hollow eyes, but their intelligence hadn't been entirely eroded. They knew that these two strangers who had come from the coast, cutting through the wilderness, were not something their two broken rifles could contend with. This place, called a gathering point, was really just a huge cave. A few diesel engines hummed, providing electricity, and a few light bulbs cast a dim glow.
There weren't many people inside, just a bit over a hundred, with no one over fifty. Collapse was like a natural selection, the absolute dark forest theory. The weak, the old, the sick, and the unlucky were the first to be eliminated, leaving those who had some skill or were simply lucky enough to survive.
'This is much harder than a zombie movie, even the air feels full of killing intent,' Ryan thought as he sat on a rock, watching the people work. Women carefully scraped moss from the cave walls, men went out with guns to hunt for food, bringing back precious cans from the ruins. A few children helped wash clothes. Water had to be fetched from the nearby creek, so they washed carefully, economizing.
The cave was filled with a strange feeling—not exactly passive, as these people were still fighting to live, but not optimistic either. Even if they were rescued by the Fire Moth, there was no cure for them.
The strange mix of emotions made the atmosphere feel eerie.
"Salvation, ha, there is no savior in this world," Ryan laughed bitterly, shaking his head with a bitter smile. Even he couldn't change their fate, and it felt somewhat ironic. He had just seen the "Raven," the pinnacle of human civilization, and now he was witnessing modern people returning to their primitive roots.
It truly... filled him with killing intent towards destruction!
Ryan quietly clenched his fist, crushing the rock into powder. These people should have been working in office buildings or studying in bright classrooms, but instead, they were like rats, hiding in caves to survive. And in just two years, they would all be dead.
"Sorry, I shouldn't have done that," Sakura approached silently, a bit uneasy.
This scene was indeed hard to feel positive about—it was depressing to watch. Extracting information using mental manipulation would have been easier.
"Predictable. After coming here, I never thought I would find a quiet little town to sit with you and drink coffee on the side of the road," Ryan chuckled at himself, though this thought seemed more like a fantasy. "Whether it's here or a vacation villa in Hawaii, they are part of the world, with no distinction between high or low, rich or poor."
"And observing the real world is my fate," he added. If he spent his days with Aelisia and the others, basking in peace, he would never see this. But Ryan didn't tire of such scenes—only by witnessing suffering could he truly live in this world.
Sakura widened her eyes slightly, not expecting Ryan to say this. She had thought she would be reproached, but instead, she smiled, "Ryan, you are truly a gentle person."
"The world can accept gentleness, but not saintliness. You must recognize the difference between the two. Sakura, do you want to do something for them?"
"Mm, but I don't know what to do." Sakura nodded, then shook her head. Asking the Raven to send a helicopter to pick them up would be a saintly act—something she wouldn't even consider.
Ryan thought for a moment and replied, "Then do what you can, do what you won't regret." Sakura eyes-like purple eyes widened slightly, and the gentle, cold-blooded assassin nodded gently.
"I understand." Sakura walked away, not needing to be reproached or to say grand, righteous words—she just needed full respect for her thoughts.
Ryan watched her help women scrape moss, help children wash clothes, or perform first aid on the injured. Gradually, he realized that most of the heroes had one thing in common: they lived in hell, longing for the light. Even after a thousand tribulations, they still yearned for a home. Perhaps it was this trait that kept them from becoming vessels for the Herrscher? Ryan didn't know the answer, but he preferred to focus on efficient tasks. He quietly watched until the light outside began to fade. The entire day passed like this. Ryan didn't speak to anyone or contact the other two teams. He just watched Sakura busy with her tasks.
Perhaps it was an illusion, but Ryan felt that the despairing atmosphere seemed to have lifted a little. At least with a strong warrior helping, the people struggling to survive felt a bit easier. Seeing the large amount of food Sakura brought back, they finally smiled.
Like candlelight, it could only illuminate a small bit of darkness, but it was light nonetheless.
Ryan unconsciously smiled slightly. He had grown used to listening to passionate speeches and tired of grand blueprints. Yet, seeing this small flicker of light was more satisfying. At least, she was truly shining.
"You're not what I expected," the bearded man climbed up into the cave, his expression somewhat surprised. "I thought you'd say some big words or make promises to rescue us."
"Would that have any meaning? Even if I called in Fire Moth helicopter, you'd all be dead within a year, or thrown into a lab to contribute something small to humanity's future." Ryan glanced sideways, knowing exactly what the man was doing.
The whole day had been spent observing in the small hut, his hand constantly on the detonator. They had no hope but didn't want to be dragged back for further torture. Since they were already dead, why care when it happened?
"The Fire Moth have been here before, right?"
"Yeah, they tricked people into leaving, and not long after, they were thrown back. I heard they injected some kind of drug to see the effects. I honestly feel thankful to the collapse beasts that killed them."
"You hate them?"
"Of course." The bearded man's eyes were filled with hatred as he rasped, "I was once a part of the Fire Moth. During the great retreat, my entire squad was abandoned here, surviving between Honkai beasts, death warriors, and mutated monsters. Do you know? They later had the audacity to contact me, asking me to help recruit volunteers!"
"No wonder you said 'welcome to hell.' Mental betrayal is more despairing than physical pain." Ryan remained expressionless, unaffected by the tragic story. "I'm not making excuses for them, but for humanity to survive, their bottom line has to be lowered again and again. Just like you, survival instincts outweigh all morals."
The bearded man fell silent. If this man suddenly pulled out a cure for collapse disease, he was sure that this despair would immediately turn into greed.
Everyone wanted to live, but they just couldn't.
"That's why I think you're different. You didn't say pretty words, but she's truly helping. Even though it doesn't do much, at least it makes us feel like we haven't been completely abandoned," the bearded man said quietly, a faint bitter smile on his face. "I still have friends out there. Maybe humanity won't be extinct after all, maybe civilization will continue. At least this responsibility is in your hands, much better than in the hands of those others." He said, pulling out an old notebook from his camouflage jacket and placing it in Ryan hands.
"This is what I've recorded during my six-month stay. Maybe it'll be useful to you, after all, I used to be an intelligence officer." The notebook's cover was worn and tattered. Ryan ran his fingers over it, feeling a mix of surprise and irony.
This was far more useful than mental manipulation. Most of the people in this cave knew nothing, but this former intelligence officer had some resistance to mental corrosion, making it difficult to extract information from him.
His goal had always been information, and he hadn't expected it to come so easily.
"You think we're sincere?"
"Kind of. Mainly, I hate those who hide behind and issue orders, treating living people as expendable. People like you, who go to the front lines, are really rare, Dr. Ryan." The bearded man said, revealing Ryan identity. Ryan wasn't surprised—after all, this man had likely seen the Third Herrscher files. What he sought was simply to be treated as a person.
Ordinary soldiers hated Honkai disease patients, even though the medical department had long explained that it wasn't contagious between humans. They were still treated as monsters, discarded from society, existing only to become research material to be drained.
"I'm not a big shot. Like you, I'm just a survivor," Ryan replied lightly, without a trace of pride.
"But you have power." Ryan glanced at him and pointed to the busy cave. "So I'm facing the Herrscher. I need to protect more people, bear more responsibility, no different from you."
Indeed, no different.
The bearded man smiled for the first time. Ryan, a monster who could take on the Herrscher one-on-one, was essentially the same as him—doing what needed to be done with whatever power they had.
"My name is Pino," the man said, offering his right hand. Ryan shook it firmly.
Ignoring reputation and power, they were both survivors in this apocalypse, no higher or lower than one another. When Ryan took his hand, he understood why this man had changed his attitude.
What he wanted was simply to be treated with equal respect. It sounded easy, but in practice, it was as difficult as reaching the sky.
"What's your plan for the future?"
"Stay here, survive day by day."
"Waiting to die?"
"Everyone's going to die. Dying here is at least a bit freer. Dr. Ryan, I know you have the authority to get us special treatment, but we've had enough of living under surveillance."
These words were heartfelt, which made Ryan abandon any thoughts of gratitude. He couldn't even control his own orders, so he wasn't about to get too sentimental. With the condition of most people here, they wouldn't survive long enough for the drug to be developed.
"I respect your decision. The Honkai beasts around here have been cleared. You have plenty of time to gather supplies. It's better to die comfortably."
"Heh, I think I understand why that young lady called you gentle," Pino said with a bitter smile. This doctor really was something special.
He wanted to say something more, but at that moment, Sakura jumped into the cave with a grim expression.
"What happened?" Ryan asked.
"A squad was ambushed, and we've lost contact with the Raven." Sakura replied succinctly.
Ryan raised an eyebrow and instinctively asked, "A Herrscher?"
"No images have been transmitted, but according to the Raven's analysis," Sakura voice paused as a hint of seriousness flashed in her eyes, "It's an Executioner-level Honkai beast."