Whoosh—
A gray shuttle-like aircraft pierced through the clouds. Its Honkai energy engine spewed a brilliant blue exhaust plume. At this altitude, the Earth's massive curve was clearly visible.
This was a hypersonic aircraft developed by Vil-V. As she put it, since they were going on a long trip anyway, they might as well test the aircraft along the way, making full use of their time.
At an altitude of 80,000 meters, flying at Mach 7, the heat shield was already red from high-speed friction. The acceleration was enough to make a pilot wearing a G-suit pass out, so Griseo and others had left earlier by business jet, while Ryan held onto a handrail, admiring the view outside the window.
He could clearly see the distinct curvature of the Earth, the distant atmospheric boundary displaying a beautiful azure, and further out, in the deep, dark space, were brilliant stars.
This speed was not much of an issue for MANTIS, and laughter filled the cabin.
"Pardofelis, hurry and take your hand away, these are really cat ears, huh, and there's a tail too, truly cuter than Sakura."
"Sister Ellie, don't trick me! And don't pull my tail, it feels weird."
"Dear Mobius, do you think Pardofelis is cute?"
"It's an evolution. I think 'beautiful' is more accurate, but don't forget, this beauty was created by my own hands."
"Ah, yes, yes, yes, it'd be great if you added a tail to yourself sometime."
"Don't even think about it!"
It really felt like a trip, but then Ryan thought about who would travel on a Mach 7 shuttle, recalling the serious gazes of a group of warriors when they departed.
Led by Ryan, including Elysia, Mobius, Vil-V, Kalpas, and the recently operated Eden and Su—this lineup was even more luxurious than the front line. Normal people would think this was a top-secret mission, that these most terrifying powerhouses would hide under Ryan leadership to launch a fatal blow against the Herrschers.
For example, orbital airborne insertions from outside the atmosphere, or hypersonic aircraft directly crashing onto the battlefield. All kinds of speculations were spreading. According to the news Ryan received, yesterday the Herrschers had fully contracted their lines, spitting out the three relay points they had just swallowed, and the Herrscher of Blood had also disappeared, refusing to come out again.
This was natural. The logical conclusion was that Ryan would suddenly descend onto the battlefield at some point, and they absolutely couldn't relax their vigilance until his whereabouts were confirmed. Kevin and the others were merely bait. If they bit the bait again, they would be acting like idiots.
"Then you can take your time searching. I'm going on vacation. Search space and the deep sea all you want."
Ryan smiled with pleasure. Sometimes Elysia truly was an unpredictable genius. It would be a miracle if the Herrschers could find him.
Of course, she wasn't the only genius.
"What were you thinking, letting that scoundrel Kalpas pilot the aircraft!?"
Ryan gripped the handrail tightly. The gravitational acceleration made him uncomfortable, as if he heard a certain man's wild laughter.
A Mach 7 joyride, how could it not make one's blood boil!
Accelerate, dive, change course, then suddenly climb!
Some people were clearly having too much fun, simply treating the trip as a trial, which brought Mobius and Hua seat-grabbing game to an abrupt halt. It made Ryan turn to look at the 'magician' Vil-V.
"This thing of yours isn't going to disintegrate, is it?"
"Don't worry, don't worry, this is my proud work. Theoretically, it won't disintegrate."
'Theoretically' was acceptable. Even if it did disintegrate, this group of MANTIS wouldn't die. It was just that if this expensive shuttle were to break down like this, Mei would be very angry.
Ryan fought against the gravity, turning his head towards the window. The ground was rapidly being left behind, and soon the sea turned pale.
The Arctic Icefield. Elysia had specifically requested to come here. Thinking of this, he couldn't help but turn his head.
"Ellie, there are snowfields north of the Mu Continent. Why come all the way out here?"
"To put it officially, the northern Mu Continent is still within surveillance range. If our presence were detected, the Herrschers might take reckless action, and wouldn't that just ruin all the good vibes?" Elysia wagged her finger, looking mature beyond her years.
"Then what's the real reason?" Pardofelis suddenly asked. She felt a bit uncomfortable, but then realized she wasn't that uncomfortable; she was actually very excited.
"This kind of beautiful scenery will be hard to see in the future. After seeing those scorched jungles, I had an idea: to engrave the beautiful nature into my memory."
Everyone fell silent. The war was growing in scale, and both sides could easily alter terrain and landscapes. This meant that Earth was somewhat unable to withstand the devastation. If the intensity further increased, the entire surface would probably be annihilated.
"It's okay, with our Fourth Divine Key, it can be repaired someday," Vil-V patted her chest confidently.
"Thank you, Vil-V. A few millennia should be enough. Everyone, cheer up! If you're in a bad mood, the scenery won't be as charming."
As the shuttle slowed down, the casual chatter resumed. Only Ryan and Mobius, across the aisle, exchanged glances. Even though they were quickly separated by Hua, who intentionally yawned, they saw the sadness in each other's eyes.
Elysia was a bit unusual, showing more anxiety than usual. So where did this anxiety come from?
Ryan probably had an answer, suddenly realizing a thought he had deliberately ignored in his heart.
'The reason I've been procrastinating, the high-sounding reason is that I want everything to be under control, allowing Honkai to fatten me up systematically. But I have to admit, I'm deliberately delaying progress, as if I'm afraid of that day's arrival.'
But this is already the Tenth Herrscher. Will that day still be far off?
He couldn't say, he could only stare blankly at the vast land, and glance at the note in his hand.
This was a questionnaire Elysia randomly handed out, containing 'New Year's wishes,' 'favorite things,' 'disliked things.' His particular questionnaire asked 'what are you afraid of,' with options like ghosts, insects, haunted houses, etc.
Ryan scoffed, crossing out all of them, and casually wrote at the end:
'I fear nothing.'
His pen paused. He figured Elysia would definitely tease him after collecting the questionnaire, so he added another sentence:
'If you can make me afraid, I'll call you Dad, above all!'
...
The Lusian Icefield had long been deserted. The cities in this area were destroyed during the Second Herrscher awakening, and even though Honkai energy levels gradually returned to normal later, no one rebuilt them.
The cost of rebuilding in such a harsh environment was too high, and its remote location held no strategic value. It was simply left to rot. Because there were no people, Honkai Beasts were also extremely rare, making it a rare untouched land on Earth.
"Too bad this untouched land isn't very valuable."
The shuttle landed on a derelict runway. Ryan, wearing a cloak, walked down the gangway and looked up to see a row of fighter jet wreckage, slowly decaying in the wind.
Due to early spring, it wasn't too cold here. Rin and others had already arrived, building a snowman with Griseo by the runway. Aponia had also returned from her mission in the Holy City and nodded slightly towards him.
Looking around, there were only the people from the Golden Courtyard. Instead of feeling lonely, they felt a sense of security.
Since there were no people, there would be no Dominators of the Herrscher of Domination, allowing them to completely relax. And this place...
"Ellie, I'm guessing you came here for more reasons than just the low population."
"Heh, nothing can be hidden from you, can it? I want to see that place. Will you come with me then, just the two of us?"
Ryan was silent for a moment, then finally nodded.
At that moment, Kalpas, who had gone ahead to scout, also returned. Indeed, there were no humans here, let alone Honkai Beasts. It was as if this place had been peeled away from Earth. Only a few mutated beasts served as punching bags, torn to shreds by Kalpas.
As a result, it was incredibly clean.
"Now everyone can relax. Let's go. The valley not far away used to be a famous resort. Back then, I didn't have money to go in, but I liked it just from a distant glimpse."
Elysia had indeed done her research, leading the way with cheerful little skips. Her joyful steps contrasted sharply with the snow-covered cars and collapsed houses lining the road. A cold wind blew, making the billboards creak, causing the timidest Pardofelis to shrink back.
"Sister Ellie, are you playing a prank on us? This looks like a horror movie set."
Slap.
Just as she finished speaking, Ryan smacked her hard on the back, almost making her fall flat on her face.
"Teacher, what are you doing?" Pardofelis rubbed her back, completely unaware that Ryan earlier strength was enough to flatten steel.
"You're a MANTIS now, can't you be less timid? Even if a ghost jumped out, could it beat us?" Ryan said, his eyes catching a glimpse of a certain blockhead's pale face, thinking that this timid cat really didn't know how to talk.
Pardofelis glanced around, saw the enthusiastic Kalpas, and Mobius observing mutated plants, then stuck out her tongue, thinking that real ghosts wouldn't be affected by their attacks anyway.
However, this complaint disappeared the moment they stepped into the valley, her eyes slowly widening.
"Wow, it's so beautiful!"
The valley shielded them from the wind and snow. Due to geothermal heat, the temperature inside the valley was slightly higher, with only a thin layer of snow on the ground. Red, purple, and pink flowers bloomed all over the mountains, made vibrant by the white snow.
The mountains were covered with dense snow pines, while the valley bloomed with flowers, as if forming a clear boundary. On both sides of the wide road were rows of high-end hotels and villas, either modern style buildings or retro wooden cabins.
They were not damaged, but appeared desolate due to the absence of any human figures, silently narrating their former prosperity.
"This is the famous resort 'Rose Valley'. I didn't expect it to be so well-preserved," Eden had clearly been here before, smiling as she turned her head, "Do you want me to recommend places? I'm quite familiar with it, having been here a few times."
Those from the Slums, naturally, had never been to such a high-class place. Ryan, busy training back then, had only heard of it. As for its pristine preservation, it was quite normal.
Only the rich and powerful came here for vacation, and their escape speed was astonishingly fast. Only some high-rise buildings were left with half their structures, looking less like they were cut and more like they were simply erased.
"Vil-V, find a usable car. Eden, you lead the way."
"The King's Hotel is too big for our small group; it's not suitable for us to stay there," Eden pointed to the tallest building, its glass exterior reflecting the setting sun like a golden tombstone.
"So let's go to the mountainside. There are many resort cabins there, and open-air hot springs. They're perfect for our group."
Everyone turned to look, seeing some small wooden cabins in the center of vast flower fields. Except for Kalpas, who showed disdain, everyone else gradually became excited. At this moment, a car arrived. God knows how Vil-V managed to get these outdated, gasoline-evaporated machines to move, but Elysia was even happier, piling all the luggage onto it.
She pushed aside Kalpas, who wanted to drive, and took the driver's seat herself, sticking her head out, her face full of smiles.
"Everyone, are you ready to enjoy this wonderful trip?"
"Yay! Much better than Teacher's suggestion. Who wants to be self-isolated in a deep-sea submarine?"
"Speak softer, or you'll get hit again."
Ryan watched her, listening to the cheers around him. It was so wonderfully sudden. His brain, which had just been tirelessly strategizing, laying traps, and planning ambushes, became calm. That sudden shift felt surprisingly natural.
Was the world filled with blood and cruelty, or with laughter and happiness like this scene before him?
Ryan glanced at the flowers all over the mountains and stepped into the car.
It was, and it wasn't.