Seawater poured into the ship's hull. The tens of thousands of tons of tanker were slowly collapsing, soon to be grounded on the docks.
Ryan had already reached the deck, gazing intently at the machinery Vill-V had left behind.
Each device was bizarre in design; one was a giant handgun mounted on two wheels, its armored casing full of welds and rivets. It looked crudely made, but considering it was all crafted by Vill-V herself, it was impressive.
The girl herself had little combat ability, but the war machines she designed could handle mid-sized Honkai threats.
Ryan patted the cold metal. These devices were now scrap.
"Quite the genius. She even used her brain well; after escaping, all the control chips self-destructed."
Working with intelligent people was easy. He estimated the butterfly effect had altered two significant events.
First, Mei and Kevin joined Fire Moth early; second, Vill-V wasn't captured.
These changes might seem minor; three people wouldn't change that much. However, it was significant, like a chain reaction, exponentially altering the timeline.
For better or worse?
Ryan couldn't see the future, but he knew exploration always carried uncertainty. He could only continue forward, knowing each step would come at a high cost.
"Mobius's interest is irrelevant, but my entanglement with this world deepens. More and more people will notice me."
Like stirring a pigsty with a stick, he was stirring up the hornet's nest, knowing he would attract flies.
Yet Ryan had no regrets. Danger was also opportunity; the path to enlightenment couldn't be paved with stagnation.
Whirring…
The rotors churned up a fierce wind. Ryan snapped to attention, turning to see Fire Moth's armed helicopters circling overhead. Highly trained soldiers quickly secured high ground. Under their protection, a helicopter slowly descended.
The hatch opened, and Ryan saw a middle-aged man in a black uniform. He pushed back his wide-brimmed hat and nimbly jumped out, followed by a dozen black-armored soldiers.
"Special Response soldiers. Why weren't they deployed during the Chiba Academy incident?"
Ryan glared at the soldiers. They wore black body armor that exuded a metallic aura. This was combat exoskeleton armor; their futuristic-looking rifles were quite large in diameter—powerful electromagnetic rifles.
The world's technology far surpassed that of Ryan's Earth. Fire Moth's technology was even more advanced, otherwise, consecutive Honkai catastrophes would have long since shattered human order.
Each branch had several Special Response soldiers. They were all enhanced humans, their bodies augmented and equipped with advanced weaponry, capable of confronting Honkai Beasts below the Templar-Class level. Before the Warrior Fusion Project, they were humanity's elite; indeed, the 'material' for Warrior Fusion largely came from these individuals.
"Most of that is Mobius's research. If Honkai were only at the level of the previous two Herrschers, it would be sufficient."
Ryan nodded slightly. This represented the current peak of human technological capabilities; it was still essentially humans controlling machines. Unfortunately, Mobius had foreseen the outcome:
Humans couldn't fight Honkai, unless... they ceased being human.
Returning to the present, the dozen soldiers spread out, subtly surrounding Ryan. Though their weapons were lowered, the AI in their helmets would allow them to fire hundreds of lethal "steel needles" per second if he made any sudden movements.
Ryan glanced at the soldiers, feeling a measure of threat. He wasn't invincible. Over a hundred elite soldiers with concentrated firepower could easily overwhelm him.
He therefore focused his attention on the man in front of him, nodding slightly. "Director Edwin, long time no see."
The man stopped about three meters away, removing his wide-brimmed hat to reveal a sharp-featured face and salt-and-pepper hair, making him look somewhat like a weary farmer.
He was neither jovial nor did he greet Ryan. He simply surveyed the surroundings and gestured lightly.
"Get the transport aircraft. Clear this all out."
"Yes, sir."
The soldiers immediately began working; using their exoskeletons, they effortlessly lifted several-ton pieces of machinery with their bare hands.
Ryan offered no assistance, watching with his hands in his pockets. "MK.II exoskeleton, latest integrated helmet, combined with electromagnetic rifles, ah, and bio-electric muscle enhancement… Impressive technological advancements."
"Don't casually reveal classified information, Dr. Ryan." The man finally turned, his voice low. "Overly advanced weaponry must be controlled; otherwise, the damage it inflicts is far more terrifying than Honkai Beasts."
"Indeed. Electromagnetic rifles are far more efficient at killing than Honkai Beasts. A single trigger pull can shred hundreds of people. Combined with the Heavenly Principles Weapon, even a Herrscher could be defeated. No wonder the organization trusts me so much." Ryan smiled; this was precisely why he dared to act.
As long as Ryan didn't equal to the Herrschers, everything would remain under control; at least, that's what they believed.
"Good you understand. It's that very rationality that prevents the organization from treating you as a monster." Edwin nodded, slowly opening his triangular eyes. "That fugitive escaped?"
"Yes. Before our confrontation, she had already prepared a submarine and disappeared into the sea."
"Do you know where her information originated?"
"No contact; how would I know?"
Edwin stared intently at Ryan, finding no trace of deception. After half a minute, he looked away.
"Unbelievable that the legendary 'Blood Demon' would fail."
"She escaped from a nearby secret location; I was in the open. Also, please don't use that embarrassing nickname. I'm just a powerless researcher." Ryan adjusted his glasses, exuding elegance. "I'm more curious about why Far East Branch's response time is so slow. Is Dr. Mobius not valuable enough?"
The words were laced with sarcasm. Mobius's value was immeasurable; a single experimental result could reduce pain by fifty percent. Fire Moth wasn't stupid; they wouldn't throw a billion euros at a fool.
"We've investigated. The soldiers contacted provided false information, leading us to believe it was just a terrorist attack. Nagazora City police were also infiltrated; they suppressed the true situation." The director paused, spreading his hands in a gesture of helplessness. "Also, Dr. Mobius always likes to evade our protection."
Protection? More like surveillance.
Ryan saw through the pretense, simply asking, "Have you found out who did it?"
"All those involved chose to commit suicide, leaving us with no leads."
Five suicides? A convenient cover-up, right?
Ryan couldn't help but show a sarcastic expression. He knew this went very deep; Honkai seemed almost innocent in comparison.
Destruction, at least, was straightforward.
"Then please report to headquarters and let the intelligence department handle this. I'll be going."
"Wait, you can't leave yet."
Ryan paused, unconsciously glancing around. No one was aiming a weapon at him. He turned halfway. "Is there something else?"
"It's not related to me." Edwin tapped his wrist terminal, a strange expression of pain crossing his face. "Orders from above. They're taking tonight's attack very seriously, they want you…"
"To hunt down Vill-V?"
"No. Dr. Mobius sent a request to headquarters for your protection during her leave, and the Fire Moth Council just approved it."
Ryan abruptly turned away, his expression one of disbelief. He then clearly saw a smile on the man's face, which resembled that of a weary farmer. Upon noticing Ryan's grim expression, he cleared his throat.
"Dr. Mobius is a valuable asset, always avoiding work. And as you know, she's stubborn; I can't persuade her."
"So you're selling me out?"
"It's simply a lack of protection, no conditions attached. Just be careful; she might not return when she's done playing."
Done playing?
Ryan gritted his teeth, his mind racing. A researcher like Mobius couldn't be coerced with a gun to her head. Tonight's incident looked suspiciously like a damsel-in-distress scenario. Fire Moth didn't mind helping with such trivialities; if Mobius cooperated a little, the organization would benefit.
This woman was a born schemer.
Ryan even felt that Mobius was employing a strategy of suffering to gain favor, yet after careful consideration, he found no reason to refuse.
His previous work at the academy was Honkai research; fine, they'll provide him with an expert. How considerate of Fire Moth.
"Fine. But first, send a helicopter to take me back to Chiba Academy. I have some things to collect."
"No problem. You actually agreed?"
"Rest assured, I won't defect because of this little incident." Ryan frowned, casually asking, "What exactly did she negotiate with higher-ups?"
Edwin neither answered nor shook his head. He tapped his wrist terminal, a clear, cold female voice emanating from it; if he listened closely, it seemed faintly laced with amusement.
"Try to guess."