It's him?
Ryan raised an eyebrow. Wasn't this Calis, the former Chief of Staff of Fire Moth, known as the organization's brain?
The two had collaborated many times and fought against each other several times. Ryan had to admit that he was a formidable opponent. He didn't expect him to suddenly appear now, looking as if it had been planned.
The helmet effectively concealed his expression. Without a second thought, Ryan directly switched to Andevich's voice.
"Who's your colleague, you traitor who deserves to die!"
The sudden voice change reminded everyone. Another benefit of this armor was that in unforeseen circumstances, it could at least make it difficult for the opponent to identify him.
The other warriors all showed angry expressions, and the hacker even accessed the network, beginning to trace the IP address in reverse.
"Lieutenant Colonel, your words are truly disheartening. Don't forget who introduced you to Fire Moth after the First Honkai War." Calis tone was light, as if he couldn't be bothered to doubt Ryan identity.
This happened?
He hadn't done his homework on Andevich. If he talked too much, he would definitely expose himself. He simply raised his chainsaw halberd, preparing to strike.
"Trying to buy time? A meaningless act."
"There's no need for that. The Herrscher is indeed in Rio, but it won't reach you for another half an hour. No need to be nervous."
The halberd paused. This wasn't Ryan acting; his words were somewhat unexpected. Feasibility aside, the content alone was explosive enough.
"Do you want to atone? Or do you want to hedge your bets?"
"Neither. I just found that I was somewhat deceived, but at this point, I don't think I can turn back."
No one answered him. Of course not. Calis defection had too negative an impact; he had to die. There was no other path.
"You can no longer have honor, but if you want to atone, you at least have some value."
"Sorry, I'm not interested in that. Time is limited, and I'm too lazy to beat around the bush." Calisas gave a bitter smile, looking intently. Even through the screen, he made people a little nervous.
"After coming here, I confirmed one thing: Honkai is not merely a natural disaster, nor does It despise civilization. It has another agenda."
Ryan slightly held his breath, somewhat unsure of Calis purpose in saying this, but he was very interested, after all, the fate of these people was an unprecedented Trailblazersing effort.
In the original worldline, Calis could not have become a traitor, nor could he have contacted a Herrscher. He should have died as an unsung hero in some battle of extermination, becoming a stepping stone for the continuation of civilization.
"Are you saying that all this destruction, all this death, is just a game?"
"Not a game, hmm, I think it's more like an exam, except the final answer has already been decided. If you don't do the problem according to this answer, you'll get a zero."
He actually got to this point? That's right, he's very smart, and being near a Herrscher, he should be able to find clues.
Ryan was the "skip" type, but after twenty years in this world and over five years researching Imaginary Space, it was normal for him to notice problems through his foresight as a transmigrator. But this Kalpas was truly impressive; even Mei dared not be certain until now.
"So what's the final answer?"
"Don't fight Honkai; find a way to embrace Honkai. Even if 99% of the population is lost, the remaining people can cross the Finality." Calis answered confidently, elegantly grinning, "This answer, Dr. Damian and I found it, but Dr. Ryan, he chose the wrong answer..."
Boom!
No sooner had the words fallen than the chainsaw halberd had already cut the screen and the entire control panel in two. The warriors looked back, but no one was surprised.
"What utter nonsense, what correct answer."
"Indeed a betrayer, truly shameless."
"Is this meant to disrupt our morale? The faithful faction betrayed humanity for such a ridiculous reason!?"
Curses erupted, all sincere, of course. To the victor go the spoils. At least at this moment, no one would listen to the words of the defeated. Only Hua quietly turned her head. She knew Ryan too well; it didn't seem like a lie.
This was the truth, regardless of any plot points. From what Ryan observed, this was highly possible, and he also knew the outcome of the Stigmata Project.
Wasn't that sacrificing the vast majority of humanity, changing the definition of 'human,' and actively embracing Honkai to bypass Finality?
Indeed, there are many smart people in the world. This Kalpas actually noticed.
This answer was chilling, but it had no effect on Ryan, because no matter what Honkai's purpose was, one thing wouldn't change:
Everyone else could embrace Honkai, but he couldn't. It would surely eliminate him, the cheater.
"This traitor is really crazy. I thought he could mend his ways, but he's still plotting. Which of you wants to become a monster in those glass containers outside?"
Ryan calmly pulled out his long halberd, thinking that it was fortunate he had been bored and came along. He didn't know Kalpas purpose, but he had sown a seed.
When the world truly falls into despair, this seed will take root and sprout. The instinct for survival will make people feel that as long as they can live, appearance might not be so important.
Leaving aside other matters, if MANTIS truly wanted to embrace Honkai, the elimination rate would definitely be very low.
Everyone frantically shook their heads. This was what the Director-General said. Who dared to question it? Did they want to be purged?
"Time's almost up, Hua. Arrange for withdrawal. Don't leave anything here."
"Okay."
"Freya, notify the transport plane to hurry over. As expected, the Herrscher is staying in its lair and not running around. Notify the Eleventh Squad to provide support."
"Understood."
Seeing Ryan take command, the warriors also grew tense. Only a fool would believe the Herrscher was still half an hour away. Fortunately, with Ryan in command, no one panicked.
His combat record was too terrifying. So what if the Herrscher was already ambushing them?
Ryan was like a stabilizing force. The Honkai energy bombs had already begun their countdown. He then went to the surface, and incidentally answered Hua questions in a private channel.
"I don't understand Calis. He anticipated that Fire Moth would raid the institute, but he didn't set up an ambush."
"Perhaps he couldn't rally the Herrscher, and he also didn't expect Senior Brother to come, right?"
"That's for sure. No one can control me, the unpredictable variable." Ryan wasn't boastful; he just emphasized his capriciousness.
You think I'll work seriously, but in reality, I'll be slacking off in the Golden Courtyard. You think I've become lazy, but hey, I'm going out to stir up trouble.
He was very good at giving people surprises. His brain quickly analyzed all the current information and rejected several ideas.
A hasty decisive battle with the Herrscher was not feasible. He had no favorable conditions—no timing, no terrain, no human advantage. This didn't fit his style.
The reconnaissance plan was complete, but he still felt a sense of incompleteness. This unfamiliar continent must still be hiding something.
"Arrange the retreat. I'm staying."
"Huh?" Hua thought she misheard. Who would stay in a Herrscher lair?
"Senior Brother, if you're going to start a war, you should call more people. The Eleventh Squad alone isn't enough."
"Who said I'm going to start a war? Don't you think something's wrong with that Ninth Herrscher incident?"
Donggong City was destroyed.
Hua had also read the investigation report and certainly felt something was wrong. Why was a city wiped out so cleanly? She always felt something was being hidden.
She moved her mouth, then finally closed it in frustration.
"You want to stay too?" Ryan finished her sentence for her.
"Can I?!" Hua sharply turned around, her eyes filled with anticipation.
She had always hoped to get closer to Ryan, but the gap between them kept widening, to the point where she couldn't even see his back anymore. How could she not be disheartened?
"Of course, you are also a high-ranking fusion warrior, a hero of humanity, no longer the little girl who followed behind me." Ryan nodded heavily, seeing Hua slightly contracted pupils.
Hua was just not confident, nor would she be willful, like a wooden stake, she hid many things in her heart, clearly wanting to fight alongside him, but afraid of being a burden or something.
What is there to fear? A girl will eventually grow up, and sooner or later, she will have to face the storm alone.
Even through the thick helmet, Hua still 'clearly' saw Ryan expression, which was one of encouragement.
"Thank you."
"I told you, you have the right to follow me. This is what you gained from countless efforts, why thank me?"
"But I still want to thank you." Hua smiled sweetly, she didn't ask for much, what she most looked forward to was that recognition, which was completely different from Mobius and others.
Ding.
The elevator reached the ground, the door opened, and they could see the lightly smoking jungle. As Calis said, the Herrscher was not ambushing them above.
What did this guy mean?
Ryan was a bit confused about Calis's stance. Was he hiding information just to deliver a message? To show humanity a second path?
He didn't know, so he stood still and waited. Hua quickly went to make arrangements and issued a gag order. These veterans couldn't be spies, and through Ryan confirmation, there couldn't be Dominators either, so the news could certainly be kept secret.
As the rotorcraft hurried into the sky, the airflow stirred up dust and stones, and Hua silently returned to his side.
"Ready for an adventure?"
The girl took a deep breath, looking at the jungle covered with corpses. This was a continent completely infiltrated by Honkai, yet she didn't feel the slightest bit flustered.
"Senior Brother, is this our first joint operation?"
"Haven't we worked together before?" Ryan turned his head, only to see the girl's resentful gaze, and then smiled awkwardly: "It seems so, last time only counted as half."
Because of the tall power armor, he knelt on one knee and spread his hands.
Seeing his appearance, Hua face immediately flushed slightly, and then she loudly reminded herself in her heart.
This is a battle now, Hua, you must perform well, don't overthink it!
Then, she realized she was overthinking. Ryan just used his palm to support her legs, letting her hug his arms. This posture, if attacked, would allow them to quickly engage in battle.
This made Hua, who was expecting a princess carry, roll her eyes and gently hug Ryan shoulders.
This man was currently in a hardcore state.