Both sides have been fighting for so many years. The intensity of the war has been continuously increasing, and their methods have been constantly innovated. They have few cards left to play.
Mei's only surprise came from the 'rogue' nature of the Herrscher of Binding. The previous Herrschers were not ignorant of how to maximize their advantages, but in their cold, rational judgment, that was too inefficient and could not achieve a kill.
But she, on the other hand, seemed to have learned how to preserve herself while attacking others.
Is she really not afraid of us just moving to the Sea of Quanta and letting the Cocoon of Finality play by itself?
With such a powerful force, she should have just crushed us. At the very least, she should have lured Ryan and Elysia out. The Herrscher would have executed a suicide mission without hesitation if it meant taking out one of them. But the opponent's choice was unexpected. How should I put it? It had a kind of human-like despicable feeling.
This despicable feeling was precisely what made it uncomfortable, because their past experience was suddenly useless. As a person who relies on her brain to make a living, she hated this feeling of powerlessness the most.
Mei bit her finger, her eyes staring at the flickering giant screen. A light spot was moving horizontally over the Atlantic Ocean, as if it was circling the Fire Moth headquarters and gradually shrinking the circle at a certain angle.
This is the legendary edge ganking, which constantly accumulates pressure, often leading to wrong choices.
Without the concept of death, there is no fear of death. It seems that besides the obsession to complete her mission, she has gained something else.
Mei was extremely smart, and she did see some problems. This most inefficient and mission-failing tactic was actually unsolvable, and the damage it caused was real.
Many seats on the first-floor control console were empty. After a series of battles, the MANTIS numbered just over a thousand, and most of them were frontline combat personnel. This was a powerful force, but it accounted for less than 1% of the entire Fire Moth.
Various logistics, communication, and command tasks were done by ordinary soldiers. After the Herrscher of Binding changed her tactics, the medical room was the first to be overwhelmed, and many people with weak constitutions died suddenly on the spot.
It was not as satisfying as stabbing someone to death, but constantly bleeding them out was more painful.
"Uh, this is probably because of me."
Mei turned her head and saw the conflicted Elysia. Her eyes lit up: "Your authority made the Herrscher of Binding change?"
"Yeah, by linking with her mind, I shook this child's rationality. Who knew she would use it for combat?" Elysia answered, and then she saw her companions around her looking at her. She subconsciously lowered her voice: "Oh no, did I do something bad with good intentions?"
So that's it. I was wondering why this Herrscher was so abnormal. It turns out her absolute rationality was shaken.
Mei finally understood. She looked at the slowly moving light spot on the screen, began to think from the Herrscher's perspective, and gradually got some ideas.
Is this... fear?
Any fool would know that the Fire Moth would prepare a big meal to welcome her. But for the Herrscher, the success rate of completing her mission was far above the survival rate. There was a feeling of fearlessness that comes with knowing the truth. But after having emotions, it was the opposite, because the will to survive was greater than everything else.
"It seems I have to abandon a full seven sets of contingency plans. These plans were all based on a standard Herrscher personality." Mei sighed softly. She originally wanted to use Elysia as bait, but now it seems the Herrscher won't fall for it at all.
"Dr. Mei, should we take the initiative to attack?" Coleman asked urgently, only to be met with a bunch of looks that said he was an idiot. He quickly took half a step back and hid in the crowd.
It was too far, and they didn't know the limit of this domain, or what other changes there might be. If it kept getting stronger as they went deeper, how many people would be able to get within 100 kilometers? It was almost like going to their deaths for nothing.
"But we can't just stand by and watch. The Herrscher is moving south, continuously irradiating us. The key is that this circular domain is still shrinking. In the end, it will be like a noose, suffocating everyone!"
"Lieutenant Colonel Calis, what's your opinion?" Mei turned to the man who was speaking. She also saw what was happening.
"My opinion is to do nothing and just die in silence." Calis stroked the scales on the back of his hand and took two steps forward, tapping on the keyboard. "Everyone, please look. The Herrscher of Binding's domain is a circular storm. As she continues to move south, she will soon go behind us."
The big screen began to simulate the path. This 'cloud' happened to cover half of the Mu continent.
"At that time, she will cut off our connection with the Sea Abyss City, separating us into two groups, front and back. You should understand what will happen when she reaches the Pacific Ocean."
He didn't need to say it. Everyone knew. Nearly half of the population hadn't been transported yet. According to Prometheus's latest calculation, the survival limit for ordinary people was around 500 kilometers.
At that time, a giant eraser would wipe across the ocean, leaving no life within a 500-kilometer radius. And the most troublesome thing was that it would separate the Fire Moth into two groups that couldn't support each other. If they wanted to gather, they would have to take a long detour. They couldn't just cross the domain, right?
The teams of Scarlet, Chastity, and Empyrea were assigned to the Sea Abyss City. It didn't seem like much, but they had one-fifth of the Fire Moth's power. They were protecting the shipping lanes and were barely enough to deal with the Honkai Beasts. When the Herrscher of Binding passed by, they definitely wouldn't be able to stop her.
"Besides, don't forget that two Herrschers are still unaccounted for. The Commander might not be afraid, but we need at least one whole team to fight them." Calis reminded everyone again.
Everyone's heart sank. Not only were there the Herrscher of Death and the Herrscher of Finality, but there were also traitors and Honkai Beasts. Fortunately, they only needed to protect two places now, or they wouldn't be able to handle it.
The Herrscher of Binding was like a mountain pressing down on them in the open, and other forces were hidden in the dark. This light and dark situation even made Mei conflicted.
The Sea Abyss City absolutely couldn't be abandoned. It represented humanity's last hope. The heavy military force in her hands also couldn't have any problems, because the Herrscher she was facing was not the Finality. It was impossible to put everything on the line for a pyrrhic victory.
They had to do something. The best choice was to abandon New York and combine their forces, but in that case, the Herrscher of Binding would only need to maintain her distance and continue to irradiate them, and she would eventually deplete their manpower. Besides, the Sea Abyss City was not even completed. This required time.
'Are you waiting for me to make a choice?'
Mei stared at the cloud, feeling the hesitation surging in her heart. One wrong step, and everyone would be finished. And who could guarantee that the Herrscher had no other conspiracies?
"Keep waiting. Now is the time to test our patience."
"Dr. Mei, we only have two days at most. Once the connection is cut off, we will have to take a detour to support the Sea Abyss City. You don't think the Herrscher of Binding's speed is that slow, do you?"
"I'm very clear about it, but we have to wait."
"Wait for the Commander?"
Mei's eyes became a little sharper. She stared at this warrior who had a conflict with her, and then she decisively passed the buck.
"This is the Commander's will. You can question him."
Who could question him? Who would dare to question him? Only the people in the Golden Courtyard knew Ryan's movements. Calis didn't dare to ask and had to retreat to the queue.
Everyone was a bit confused, but they weren't panicking yet. Similar situations had occurred when they were dealing with the Seventh and Ninth Herrschers, and in the end, that man always solved it.
Coleman and the others just looked at the screen, wondering if Ryan was acting alone again and if he would give them a surprise at some point.
They were bluffed.
Mei also breathed a sigh of relief. She secretly looked at Kevin. Only the people in the Golden Courtyard had the same belief. Most people wanted to run to the Sea Abyss City. At least there was a way out there. If they couldn't win, they could retreat.
She's really smart. She knows how to use human instincts now.
She looked at the cloud and had a faint feeling that if they really escaped to the Sea Abyss City, they would all be wiped out.
This lifeline, she didn't want to leave it for herself, and she didn't want to leave it for others.
...
A fierce wind whistled past from 10,000 meters high. From the eyes of the Herrscher of Binding, the earth showed a clear curve. Occasionally, a 'shooting star' would disintegrate in the air. That was the result of human satellites getting too close and losing control.
They're not doing anything at all?
Mei actually guessed wrong. When the Herrscher of Binding and the Herrscher of Dominance merged into one, she not only had human emotions but also the help of absolute rationality.
She feared death, but she also stubbornly carried out her mission. This contradiction created a wonderful phenomenon:
The Herrscher herself was arguing with herself. In the midst of the contradictory entanglement, she chose a compromise solution, which unexpectedly had a miraculous effect.
"You should now retract your domain and hide on the path that humans must take. Once you find them, suddenly expand it. You can solve many people on the spot. This way, even if you fall, you will have value."
"No, because he is unaccounted for."
"Then let's test them. We will definitely force him out."
"This could be a trap. Once we go in, the possibility of coming back is very small."
The Herrscher fell silent. This was like a vicious cycle. Humans didn't dare to act rashly, and neither did she, fearing that they would show a flaw and be caught by the other side.
"You were the one who talked about courage and acted in advance."
"That's right, but I also felt fear. A dead person cannot complete their mission. Our death will only make him stronger."
The personality of the Herrscher of Domination was a little helpless. After all, her companion was affected by the Herrscher of Human Ego and became unreasonable. But she admitted that after feeding Ryan with a full seven Herrschers, being cautious wouldn't hurt.
She could die, and she could even die without any value, but her authority must never fall into the hands of the other party again. This binding was not only for humans.
"Alright, then let's wait for humans to show a flaw first. Let the Herrscher of Death act first and force humans out. Then we'll intercept them halfway." The Herrscher of Domination proposed a compromise solution, but what she got in return was silence. This also gave her a strange thought:
If she hadn't dominated this companion, in time, the Herrscher might have really stood on the side of humanity. The authority of the Herrscher of Human Ego was truly terrifying.
"We can do that, but I also want to make a slight modification. Why can't I do the job of eliminating secondary targets with my own hands?"
"Are you afraid of facing him directly?"
"I do have that thought, but I also learned a human emotion." The Herrscher of Binding paused. A hint of slyness was revealed in her eyes. "Striking when they least expect it. This is the biggest gain he brought me."
She's going to use her trump card at the very beginning?
The Herrscher of Domination found it a bit difficult to understand. Fortunately, she had already admitted that her absolute rationality had been completely figured out by humans. If they were to play a surprise attack, this companion was the one to do it.
"The pressure from the Herrscher of Death alone is far from enough..."
She tilted her head slightly. A blond man was reflected in her purple pupils. He seemed to have been there for a long time, but no one had noticed him.
"Can you make a move?" the Herrscher of Domination asked. From the Eleventh Herrscher onwards, they became stranger and stranger. For example, this one gave her a strange feeling, as if looking at flowers through a fog, blurry and indistinct.
"I'm a Herrscher now, so why can't I make a move?" The blond man spread his hands. A smile appeared on his otherwise blank face. "Don't worry. The chess pieces I left behind will find him."
"You can still transmit information at a time like this? Do you think that Mei is a fool?"
"It's difficult, but it's possible if there are some coincidences." The man was a bit inscrutable and ignored the doubt. "Don't worry. My position will not change. Once destiny is fixed, the Herrscher personality is absolute."
"But what if you're affected by the Herrscher of Human Ego, just like her?"
"That won't change either." The man shook his head firmly, his gaze seeming to go to the sky.
"Because I want to touch that supreme destiny."