Street lights flickered, and cars whizzed past on the road. After midnight, even Manhattan had quieted down, with only the nightclubs' flashing lights still attracting crowds.
Ryan was walking along the side of the road with Hua on his back. The girl on his back had clearly woken up but refused to get down, leaving him with no choice. Every time he tried to let go of her, she just hung around his neck. He couldn't use any tricks, like an over-the-shoulder throw, or a guillotine to get her down.
Is this considered drunkenness?
Ryan thought to himself as he walked. It seemed like Hua's usual personality wasn't completely gone, but it was definitely different from her usual self. Hua was normally serious and a little introverted, and if he rubbed her legs a few times, she'd jump off with a red face, never daring to defy his wishes.
Alcohol makes cowards brave, right?
Never mind. It was inevitable that she would act a little willful tonight. He had to understand that.
Ryan was surprisingly patient, considering he rarely saw Hua's willful side. She was always so obedient, keeping many things bottled up inside and following him quietly. If she hadn't been drinking, she probably wouldn't have acted like this.
"So tell me, where do you want to go?" Ryan asked, half-jokingly.
Hua didn't answer, only raised her hand and pointed forward. Ryan couldn't help but feel speechless. His "human car" had been walking for two hours—was Hua planning to make him run a marathon in the middle of the night?
Alright, let's keep going then. Hua is incredibly brave today. What if she tries a guillotine move on me later?
The coast was ahead. They could hear the sound of waves hitting the shore, and in the distance, a lighthouse stood hidden in the night, resembling a star from afar.
When they reached the breakwater, Ryan exerted a bit of force with his legs, as if clamping a horse's belly. He stopped immediately and let go of his hands, but Hua still wouldn't come down from his neck.
"Hey, we need to find a place to sit."
"It's fine this way," the girl replied firmly.
If it were anyone else, Ryan would have lost his patience by now, but he was surprisingly patient with Hua. He rarely saw her act this way, so he let it slide.
She was usually very obedient, always keeping her feelings hidden and quietly following him. If she hadn't been drinking, she wouldn't be acting like this.
He faced the sea, asked softly, "What's going on?"
"You see?"
"You hid it well, but we've known each other for so many years, and you think I can't see through it? I must be unworthy of being your senior brother."
The girl behind him fell silent, only her hands tightening on his shoulders. Her breathing became rapid, and then she started muttering to herself as if in a dream.
"I've been cleaning up the Honkai beasts in Shenzhou for a while, but I can't kill them all. Dozens of cities have become ruins. I hunt Honkai beasts every day, carry their bodies, and then the people in my team start dying one by one…"
Ryan listened quietly. He had read the battle reports, but compared to his personal experience, those lines seemed shallow and weak. Blood and tears were hidden between those lines.
The third Honkai had ravaged East Asia, killing tens of millions of people. It was the worst disaster before the seventh collapse, and Hua had been directly involved in the entire process.
Ryan stayed silent, feeling that he should have intervened from the beginning. Even though he had mentally prepared himself, these events were still too much for an eighteen-year-old girl to bear.
She searched for survivors in the ruins, fought fiercely against the Honkai beasts, pressed the wounds of dying teammates that kept bleeding…
"Honkai beasts kept appearing in the area, and we couldn't kill them all. So we had to guard and evacuate survivors from high-risk areas. And then the Honkai disease came back."
"It started with quarantine, and the sick were abandoned. Eventually, they turned on each other. We received secret orders, right? To deal with those infected."
"Stop talking." Ryan interrupted. He knew what kind of methods were available to deal with Honkai disease.
In order to prevent the spread, all those who were infected with Honkai disease and disobeyed orders were shot. Though a desperate measure, it was less damaging to humanity than letting the disease spread.
There is a price to being a hero, but that price is sometimes too steep.
"Brother, do you think I'm being hypocritical? Mr. Kevin could handle it."
"Don't compare yourself with that Paramecium. He can't think of so many things. His mind is full of Mei. And besides, East Asia was truly a purgatory." Ryan wasn't trying to comfort her—he knew that Hua's African traits had come into play again.
East Asia had so many war zones left, and they had to take extreme measures to return safely.
"What you've seen is what humanity will eventually face. Just come over here." Ryan patted the little hand on his shoulder and asked, "The real question is—what have you learned?"
"I've found that Honkai is not as simple as they say. It's not just about killing the Honkai beasts. It's enough to let humans kill each other. Even without a Herrscher, we're running around so hard that even Captain Himiko had to go for psychological treatment."
"Himiko?"
Ryan thought of the cheerful tomboy who was a mature warrior.
"What happened to her?"
"She became a little mentally ill after returning from a mission. A small town was used as a quarantine base, and when the Honkai beasts attacked, those infected patients rushed out and attacked us from behind."
I'm dead, and you guys can't survive either?
Ryan took a deep breath. He could guess what happened next. There was bound to be a bloodbath. While the damage wouldn't be catastrophic, it would destroy the faith of the warriors who had once wanted to be heroes.
"Originally, our enemies weren't just the Honkai beasts and the Herrschers. They were just the instigators, exposing all the ugliness of mankind." Ryan sighed. He had killed many idiots on the Mu Continent. Those people were like blind men, still obsessed with fighting for power.
"No wonder I sensed your fear. But why persist?"
"Because of you."
"I?"
"Yes, you are my hope." Hua lifted her head, her emerald eyes burning with intensity, "If you were in Shenzhou, I wouldn't be afraid. Because you're like a big tree, blocking all these things out!"
The firm tone made Ryan laugh and cry. He wasn't an omnipotent god. Yet, in a strange way, he felt fortunate.
If he hadn't taken that step at Qianyu Academy, he would've been powerless to do anything but offer comfort to the helpless. And just as Hua had guessed, his plan had already started.
"If you want to stay with me, I can arrange it."
The girl behind him had a conflicted expression. She wanted to be protected by this man, just like when Ryan stood in front of the Honkai like a giant at the seashore, shielding her from all the storms.
"Brother, I've already stepped into this world. If you want to move forward, you need a stepping stone, and I need the strength to be qualified as that stepping stone."
Ryan's expression froze. He wanted to stop Hua from speaking, but the words didn't leave his lips. Instead, he swallowed them down.
The plan to slaughter the Third Herrscher and claim the power had gone smoothly, but Ryan knew Honkai wasn't a simple game of killing beasts and leveling up. The more humans resisted, the more excited the Honkai became.
Not to mention the distant past—the phrase "outsiders" echoed in his mind like a curse.
Even if he intervened, the world line would shift drastically. But without him, the fate of the previous civilization was already sealed. How much worse could it get?
At least, besides Elysia, there was another flame of hope—someone like Hua, who was willing to pursue it.
"Thank you for your trust, Hua. It even makes me feel a little pressured."
"Are you afraid of pressure?"
"Hahaha, pressure is a catalyst for me. Without it, we wouldn't even know each other. So just do what you want. When you come back, I'll give you a gift."
Ryan had thought it through. He respected Hua's will and let her take this step. He stopped imagining things and found a way to keep her alive.
"What gift?"
Hua was still confused when she saw Ryan turn his head. Half his face was hidden in the night, but the other half, illuminated by the dim streetlights, looked up at her with eyes that shone like stars.
"Do you want to be a Mantis?"
If it were a normal day, Hua would probably answer, "Everything is up to you." But she was still drunk, and a look of ecstasy appeared on her face.
Ryan, who had always followed his own temper, was now inviting her closer, no longer seeing her as a child, but as a companion like Kevin.
Isn't this the recognition you've been waiting for?
"Yes!"
"Then let me arrange it."
"How will you arrange it?"
"Then you have to ask the woman who's still awake so late at night."
Hua turned and saw a ferry approaching the shore. A green-haired woman was standing at the bow, arms folded. Her white coat fluttered in the sea breeze, a strange smile curling on her lips.
Mobius?
Hua immediately tensed, ready for battle, as if facing a formidable enemy.
Mobius noticed the two of them, locked her gaze on the girl on Ryan's back, and raised a long eyebrow.
"Oh, you didn't come back so late. Came here to enjoy the sea breeze? It's quite warm for the two of you to lean against each other."
The ferry slowed down as it approached the shore. Mobius had waited most of the night to show off her breakthrough in 'Soul Steel,' but now, she saw these two bastards on a date at the beach.
It was... infuriating.
Why do I have the illusion that I was caught cheating? I must remain calm at times like this, otherwise, I'll be mercilessly laughed at by this woman.
The man on the shore suddenly disappeared and landed silently on the deck. His expressionless face made Mobius feel a little guilty. She had imagined many different situations but found the reality was quite different.
"W-What do you want to do?"
Ryan didn't even bother asking how she knew his whereabouts—after all, this sarcastic woman always had a way of finding loopholes. There was no need to explain anything, as Mobius could always detect a gap to exploit.
With just a slight shake, Ryan held Hua in his arms, and as Mobius was about to attack, he casually stuffed the girl into her hands.
"I've decided to launch the Mantis Plan immediately and hunt down higher-level Honkai beasts now. I'll leave some things to you." Ryan spoke quickly, his body already floating above the ground.
"Notify Mei that I need information on Honkai beasts above the Emperor level. Ask Sakura to bring it to me. I'll send the collection coordinates to your email. Also, for the breakthrough of Soul Steel, I need some prototypes. Find a way to send them to me."
Mobius didn't react. It was as if she was about to ask for an explanation, but suddenly, she was handed a bunch of research materials, leaving her confused and holding a dazed girl in her arms.
If she was like this, let alone Hua, they both said in unison: "Now?!"
"Of course now. The research is done. Should I stay and play house with you? Saving the world is very busy." Ryan floated higher and higher, raising his hand to stop the two of them who wanted to open their mouths. "Hua, remember what I said to you tonight. If you want to keep up with me, you must become a Mantis. Mobius, in exchange, I will find you a suitable Honkai beast, and I'll never let you suffer."
His words were serious, raising some unspoken questions. Hua and Mobius instinctively understood, but before they could process it, Ryan had already disappeared into the sea, leaving only a straight white wave behind.
"Wait..." Mobius stretched out her hand, but couldn't even catch a trace of him. Her eyes shifted slightly as she realized his plan had been cut off, just like a sharp blade.
We had agreed to corner him tonight and get a handle on him, but...
Mobius slowly lowered her head, and her eyes met Hua's, who was also blinking in her arms. They were both stunned for a moment, then quickly separated as if electrocuted, each showing an expression of disgust.
After a few seconds of awkward silence, Mobius patted her clothes and spoke slowly, "Why are you here on the beach so late at night?"
Normally, Hua would keep silent, as if afraid of saying something wrong that would cause Ryan to pick up the mess. But now, with the alcohol still in her system, she felt unusually brave. She seized the moment to ask the question that had been hidden in her heart for a long time.
"Dr. Mobius, are you my senior brother's fiancée, as the rumors say?"
What a mess. Eh, but that bastard made me go out to blow the wind in the middle of the night, so I can take revenge on her.
Mobius quickly found a reason to convince herself, but as soon as she opened her mouth, Hua raised her hand to stop her.
"You hesitated, it seems not."
"Haha, when did I hesitate? I was just thinking, what can I say so as not to make you sad? A little girl like you is very fragile. What if you can't figure it out and jump into the sea, and Ryan comes back to settle the score with me?"
Mobius said a lot of things, but Hua just shook her head firmly: "You're lying."
"Little sister, how can you tell that I'm lying?" Mobius frowned, clearly in a bad mood.
"Intuition."
Hua was frugal with her words, but her eyes were full of determination, which made Mobius, who was brimming with sarcasm, grit her teeth.
She clearly hadn't said a lot of exciting things yet, like sleeping together, giving him a massage, and giving him stockings, but when the words came to her lips, she didn't know how to say them.
Because Hua didn't respond at all, her eyes spoke volumes: I don't believe anything you say, and I'm too lazy to talk to you.
I don't want to listen. It's just a turtle chanting sutras.
The sea breeze blew, and no matter how high Mobius's IQ was or how sharp her tongue was, she didn't know where to start when facing such a stubborn person.
Why is this little girl like a wooden stake?