Coleman left, simply following orders, without any harsh words. Ryan's face remained unchanged as he took a sip from the untouched coffee in his hand, then glanced out the window.
There were traces of snipers on the roof, and several patrol cars had circled the area more than ten times without changing their route. The intelligence department's operational efficiency hadn't improved much.
Ryan didn't bother pretending to be cool. He just wanted to draw all the attention to himself to give Ying a chance to act.
"Even if I still have reason, I don't have the time to wait for you to come to a conclusion."
He drank the coffee slowly, then slowly stood up, estimating the timing was just right.
Including Kevin, Ryan's small team would be leaving, but they wouldn't engage with the Fire Moth directly. Instead, they would remain on guard outside, ensuring the Herrscher didn't seize the opportunity to attack.
You have to fight, but you can't just fight blindly. It really tests your strategy.
"Welcome next time."
The pretty waitress bowed at the door, accepting the tip happily. Ryan, the gentleman in her eyes, walked out of the store and disappeared into the neon-lit alley.
Ah, that's not the place for someone like you.
The waitress was about to say something, but Ryan had already vanished, leaving her to wipe the banknotes and wonder if she had seen the wrong person that day.
The sky gradually darkened, and the cold autumn wind swept up fallen leaves and trash. Ryan seemed to ignore the scantily clad women and drunkards on both sides as he walked aimlessly.
The noisy bar street, the damp slums, and the rusty iron yard where those suffering from collapse disease were hidden...
At this moment, Ryan didn't care to reflect on the darkness behind the city lights. He kept walking straight ahead, swatting away thieves who tried to approach, making them run off as though they'd seen a ghost.
Gradually, the flashing streetlights faded, and the people on the streets began to feel more dangerous.
This was an abandoned freight terminal. The sea battered the embankment, and the air smelled of rust.
Old oil barrels burned as firewood, and strong men with tattoos, carrying guns and knives, gathered around the fire to warm themselves. When they saw Ryan, impeccably dressed in a suit, walking in, they were puzzled.
The style didn't match. A man like Ryan should be sitting in a spacious, bright office, not wandering into a dark, stinking ditch.
Something didn't seem right. They hesitated for a moment, then, seeing Ryan continue walking forward, they decided to surround him.
"Hey, kid, this isn't a place you should be."
The path was blocked, and Ryan slowly raised his head, looking around. He realized that he had stumbled into the most chaotic area of the West District.
Seems like chaos is really persistent around me.
Ryan found it amusing. He hadn't thought about anything or seen anything earlier. He was just taking a walk to clear his mind after dinner. Maybe he'd even dive into the sea. But now, he had ended up in the most chaotic place without even trying.
"Hey, I'm asking you a question."
The strong man roared, saliva nearly splashing onto Ryan's face. That annoyed him. He almost waved his hand to stun the man but suddenly noticed something.
There was a red circle on the dirty leather jacket of the strong man in front of him. Ryan immediately recalled what had happened at Pardo's house.
That was a lot of contraband Pardo had stolen. Ryan had casually glanced at the list at the time and remembered the location where the goods were to be delivered.
"Hey, it's really fate."
"What the hell are you talking about? Are you crazy?" The strong man cursed, his neck veins bulging, looking terrifying.
"I'm saying we're really meant to meet. Just by walking around, I've ended up in your red circle territory," Ryan said with a gentle smile, which seemed completely out of place with these rough people.
Seeing Ryan expose his identity, the black man was both proud and confused. "What kind of gang are you in? Why are you here in our territory?"
"Nothing, by the way, I'm with Shura Road."
Shura Road? Never heard of that gang in New York.
Another doubt popped into his mind, but then his thoughts returned to emptiness.
Pah!
The air exploded suddenly, like thousands of sharp blades, tearing the people surrounding Ryan to pieces. It was like a pot of ketchup bursting, splattering the entire alley in bright red.
Ryan stepped on the slippery, bloody minced meat with his pointed leather shoes. The gentleman-like man looked at the gang members, who were frozen in fear in the distance. The high concentration of ice powder mixed with blood and rust made him feel disgusted.
"If we're going to do this, we need to give them an excuse. Let's use your blood to light the fuse—"
"Just barely."
"Alpha 1 reports, the target is in action."
"He is slaughtering innocent citizens at an alarming speed, with fifty victims already."
The soldiers monitoring from the command center quickly detected the anomaly, their muscles tensing. The once-elegant Ph.D. in physics had transformed into a demonic mad dog, hunting down anyone in his path. Humans were like fragile glass in his hands, shattering with the slightest touch, leaving only blood everywhere.
Blood poured out of the munitions warehouse and overflowed from the ice powder workshop, mixing together into a red stream that slowly flowed into the sewer.
There was silence on the communicator until the target entered a building with a red circle painted on it. Finally, the order came through, crackling over the line.
"It is speculated that the target's mental state is unstable, and this appears to be a super-mutated rampage. As per the Supreme Resolution Council's order, suppression efforts are to begin immediately, and lethal force is authorized."
"Repeat: The target is extremely dangerous, extremely dangerous, and lethal force is authorized."
In fact, there was no need for headquarters to remind them. Everyone involved in the mission was on edge. Even some fusion warriors believed that this "insect" was not an innocent citizen.
But Ryan's destructive power was too great. If his mental state truly was compromised and he spread chaos in the city center, it would be disastrous. His killing spree was horrifying.
It wasn't uncommon for fusion warriors to retreat, and it was extremely dangerous now.
"Alpha Group received."
"The Sword of Punishment received."
"The battle begins, the battle begins!"
Fighting spirit surged, and the invisible radio waves intensified exponentially. Few people in the world could refuse this, and even fewer wanted to engage Ryan directly. Most of the warriors were just following orders, at least for now, the reasoning was sound.
The battle had begun.
Ryan stood in an office, surrounded by ketchup and two broken human heads hanging on the wall. Hundreds of kilograms of ice powder, now like crystal gravel, lay scattered across the carpet.
The sudden surge of radio waves was too obvious for Ryan, who possessed the power of thunder. He discarded the half-disfigured corpse in his hand and closed his eyes gently.
He didn't kill innocent people indiscriminately, but his actions were too brutal and too swift. It was understandable that the Fire Moth was taking precautions, but—
"I didn't betray humanity. I was just executing justice."
Moonlight shone through a hole in the ceiling, illuminating Ryan in his suit, like a spotlight on stage. The man closed his eyes and extended his right hand.
Feng.
With a clenched fist, the silver-white flute transformed into a two-foot-long halberd. The narrow spear and its horizontal groove reflected the moonlight, and elegance vanished in an instant as a warrior emerged.
Bang!
The Honkai energy beam cannon obliterated the wall. Ryan's figure flashed and appeared on the roof. He stood solemnly, holding the halberd, his old white coat flapping in the wind. The lights of New York glowed behind him, as he quietly looked ahead.
On the ruined roof, abandoned containers, and atop a crane tower, people had gathered in small groups, some standing alone.
The sea shimmered, and massive mechs, nearly ten meters tall, rose from the water.
Many were coming, but they hadn't lost their composure. They didn't send regular soldiers to fight him.
Ryan glanced at them, too lazy to care whether they feared the situation would spiral out of control. The troops before him were terrifying enough.
There were three high-level fusion warriors led by Coleman, three members of the Punishment Sword Team led by Vinal, and a special reaction force, the "Unicorn" mecha squadron. Ordinary enhanced soldiers were stationed outside to maintain perimeter control.
It was a large force, but it wasn't enough. The Fire Moths had plenty of cards to play. If they couldn't handle it, they could wipe out the Fire Moths and blame him.
The Faithists could do that, and so could Carius.
The sky buzzed with propeller noise, but it was eerily silent on both sides.
One side had thousands of troops and the strongest forces of the Fire Moths, capable of defeating the Herrscher. The other stood alone, like a god of war, waiting for any challenger.
Damn, this posture is absolutely stunning. Just missing an exclusive soundtrack.
Coleman hid in the shadows, looking at Ryan with suspicion. Seeing that Ryan had no expression, he cursed under his breath, then turned to look at the pair of girls behind him.
They were dressed identically, in white shirts and plaid skirts, with long black hair reaching their waists. Beneath their neat bangs were two identical beautiful faces, looking like a pair of high school twins. The only difference was their eye color.
But the giant arm armor, chainsaws, and meteor hammers added a fierce touch to their otherwise pure appearance.
"Anna, Isa, I don't think Dr. Ryan looks crazy. Is something wrong?"
Coleman asked, crossing his guns and leaning back, looking solemn.
"Major, I'd be happier if you could give me a military rank or a CM008," Anna, with red pupils, frowned.
"You want to learn from Dr. Ryan? Forget it. Your face is disgusting. You don't look like a master at all." Isa, with dull purple eyes, shook her head, visibly nauseated.
"Genital face..."
Coleman coughed violently, feeling like he was about to die from this venomous tongue before the fight even started.
"Hey, I'm just giving you a suggestion, don't be so venomous."
"Suggestion? No, you're just scared. Afraid to face him and making excuses to avoid fighting."
The twins were blunt, and Coleman almost choked on his anger. He didn't pay much attention to it.
The two girls raised their heads at the same time and looked at Ryan on the roof. He stood tall against the backdrop of thousands of lights and a full moon hanging high above. His eyes, hidden behind the lenses, showed no trace of murderous intent, but it made the sisters' muscles twitch slightly.
After the fusion operation, stepping into the inhuman realm, their pride vanished in that instant. Anna turned her head and looked at the fusion warriors under her command, her gaze lingering for a moment on the faces of a man and a woman.
"Kosma, Dystopia, did you see that?"
"This is Dr. Ryan, the father and the strongest of all fusion warriors!"