Where the hell did Vill-V go?
Early in the morning, Ryan emerged from a junkyard; discarded vehicles were piled high behind him; he'd found some clues.
Missing gearboxes, sabotaged engines—Vill-V had been scavenging parts; she'd modified the machines, but she wasn't a Herrscher; she couldn't defy the laws of physics.
Improvisation was miraculous, but ultimately, it was scrap metal; it wouldn't stop Cocoon.
If a Previous Era Herrscher Core could be implanted, Vill-V becoming the Herrscher of Reason would be devastating.
Ryan dismissed the thought, shaking his head; the Previous Era Herrschers lacked personality; if Vill-V became the Herrscher of Reason, she'd be a terrifying enemy.
But with sufficient support, Vill-V could still achieve miracles.
Ryan coveted God Keys for a long time; he looked towards the distance, at abandoned mines—poor resources, but excellent hiding places.
"Only two potential locations left."
He quickened his pace, crossing the street. The town's security had improved dramatically; kidnappings, robberies, and thefts had ceased.
Ryan was pragmatic; those who provoked him, male or female, were eliminated without mercy, without a single word; preventing any melodramatic scenarios.
Powerless attempts to pursue justice were naive; his actions became the truth; the town even developed a legend of the "Lingerie Devil."
He'd done a good deed, but Ryan didn't dwell on it; Vill-V's access to sensitive data was key; it could topple the Pureblood faction and facilitate the warrior fusion project.
Passing an overpass, the bodies hanging beneath it were gone, likely removed by some "conscientious" gang. As Ryan reflected on his pragmatic approach, his brow furrowed.
"Honkai energy?"
The sensation was too familiar; it wasn't an illusion; the timing was too convenient; he'd just arrived, and a Honkai outbreak occurred?
No, it wasn't Honkai.
Ryan crouched, leaping onto the overpass; he followed the energy signature; his pupils constricted.
It wasn't a Herrscher or an Emperor-Class Honkai Beast; he saw cloaked figures sprinting through an alleyway.
That was the smugglers' and prostitutes' territory; a gang opened fire; the lead figure deflected the bullets; amidst the gunfire, he sprinted forward.
Three shots.
One man was instantly vaporized; before the others could react, the strong man's companions scattered.
A pale spear extended from one cloak, piercing the wall and a human; another figure levitated, transforming into a projectile; with a loud boom, he smashed through a two-story building.
Rat-tat-tat…
Gunfire erupted again; bullets were deflected; screams filled the square.
Ruthless slaughter; the cloaked figures were indiscriminately destroying everything.
Not zombies?
Ryan was confused; these individuals were intelligent; they used formations; their abilities were familiar.
The stolen data yielded results so quickly? No, the evolution faction stole the data; they conducted human experiments before Council approval, then used the results to seize power.
The logic was flawed, but Ryan didn't hesitate; he needed to find out what was happening.
His left foot pushed off; he leaped from the overpass; his speed increased tenfold.
Bang—
A deafening explosion; a monster crushing a woman's head looked up, seeing a rapidly approaching fist.
Thump!
The figure was embedded in the ground; only its trembling legs remained; the cloak was torn, revealing a grotesque body.
Honkai crystals pierced the skin and muscles; it resembled a zombie, but the long, spear-like left arm was unusual.
"Warrior fusion; just a low-quality product Mobius discarded."
Ryan, a key figure in the project, recognized these characteristics immediately.
The failure rate was high; the interference rate was alarming; even consciousness and intelligence were affected.
He grabbed a corpse, pulling it forward; the remaining monsters raised their arms, firing projectiles that ripped through their cloaks.
Rat-tat-tat…
Intense gunfire filled the air; the corpse in his hand trembled in the rain of bullets, sparking.
"But I have to admit, even the failures are superhuman."
Vulcan cannon fire shredded the corpse; the projectiles disintegrated before reaching him, crushed by his Honkai energy; then Ryan used his right fist.
As the gunfire stopped, a figure attacked from the side; the attack method resembled a Seraph-Class Honkai Beast; its Honkai energy wasn't significantly stronger.
But this was a human; its remaining intelligence was functioning; it abruptly changed direction before striking Ryan; a spear from its companion was about to hit Ryan.
Whizz—
Its cloak ignited like a rocket engine, instantly increasing its speed.
Using tactics, coordinating attacks, enhanced abilities—no wonder fusion warriors were stronger than Honkai Beasts.
Ryan understood; he dropped the corpse and attacked.
His right fist unleashed purple lightning, striking the spear's tip; the spear shattered and disintegrated; the entire body was torn apart.
A fleeting exchange; Ryan remained in his sideways punching stance; behind him lay a half-disintegrated corpse; a brief silence fell over the alley; his eyes scanned his surroundings.
He calmly turned, seizing the slender figure attempting a sneak attack.
"But you've lost the Honkai Beast's ferocity; you're a strange aberration."
Intelligence meant fear; flesh meant pain; they'd gained power but retained these weaknesses.
He looked at the distorted, rigid head in his hand, the fear in its eyes. With a firm grip, he ended its life, tossing it aside; then, he picked up the projectile launcher from the corpse's hip.
Thump thump thump…
A fusion monster over two meters tall charged; half its body was a thick shield; its footsteps caused the ground to tremble.
A Templar-Class Honkai Beast fusion? To compensate for its weaknesses, it wore heavy alloy armor?
Ryan looked at it and the other approaching monsters, focusing his power, ignoring the incoming gunfire, unleashing his right fist.
Inch-Fist. Raimei.
As his fist struck the metal, an arc of electricity created a vacuum, wrapping around the projectile launcher; the thousands of grams of metal instantly accelerated, screaming through the air, flying far away.
Whoosh—Boom—
A streak of light tore through the alley; its trajectory was invisible; it vanished beyond the town, leaving a trail of molten metal, shredding everything in its path; under this penetrative force, steel was like paper.
The shield-bearing monster lowered its head, seeing a smooth hole where its lower body had been; its companions behind it were similarly disintegrated.
Humans, vehicles, buildings, walls—the void extended hundreds of meters, until the projectile completely melted.
Plop plop.
Like falling dominoes, the corpses fell; Ryan watched impassively, shaking his head slightly.
I've become a cannon myself, and even more powerful. If this were Academy City, each of these would be at least Level 5.
Ryan pondered briefly; the power existed; it depended on the user; creativity and calculation were essential; thankfully, these were his strengths.
Combining the concept of force, physics, and Authority created new possibilities.
Force is like Raimei's muscles; if I directly generate electromagnetic cannons, wouldn't it be more efficient?
I got so involved, I forgot to leave a survivor.
Ryan looked at the neatly arranged corpses; he wasn't particularly regretful; these incomplete subjects lacked intelligence; only their combat skills remained.
Corpses littered the ruins; these individuals were unlucky, killed by the battle's aftereffects, proving the saying:
Avoiding stepping on ants while walking is difficult.
"It's fine; others will take care of it."
Ryan levitated, accelerating instantly; the abandoned mine appeared before him; he slowed automatically, landing precisely at the entrance.
Speed, precision, silence.
Ryan looked around; he'd left no trace; the dust on the machinery and ground was undisturbed; it looked untouched for a long time.
"A professional team; clean work."
There were no outward clues. He closed his eyes, sensing the invisible electromagnetic signals, constructing images in his mind.
Seconds later, he walked towards the mine entrance, easily bypassing the security system.
Click.
Formless watched him approach, even seasoned assassins couldn't help but swallow; he recognized him.
Ryan, the vanquisher of the Third Herrscher, the one who dismembered the Emperor-Class Honkai Beast; the monsters the employer had sent were insignificant.
Wasn't he in Mobius's lab?
He recalled the opponent's speed; he was even more surprised to find that communication was cut off upon his arrival.
Everything was mysterious, but Formless knew this Cocoon team was no match.
Suppress my presence; wait for him to leave, then transmit the information…
His thoughts froze; a handsome face appeared before him, inches from his mask; those gray eyes were filled with amusement.
"Found you."