Just as Carol was about to jump off the plane in frustration, Ryan had already landed in Jeju on the peninsula. He didn't bother hiding his whereabouts and came in openly by flight.
Upon landing, he immediately saw the chaotic scene around him. The terminal was crowded with anxious people, each holding their suitcases, some with instant noodles in hand, staring blankly at the flight information.
Many flights were marked as cancelled or delayed, leading a group of people to loudly curse and violently push through security. Then, a gunshot echoed, causing everyone to scream and scatter.
"This place is really a mess," Ryan muttered, shaking his head. The number of travelers was minimal, mostly those coming for official duties.
Once out of the terminal, the scene outside was even more chaotic. A large crowd gathered outside the barricade, holding various signs and shouting in unison.
"We want to survive!" "Drawing lots is neither transparent nor fair!" "I don't want to leave my children!" "Fire Moth, tax thieves!"
Heavily armed soldiers maintained a silent vigil, using their rifle butts to warn anyone who dared to approach. The cries and screams filled the air.
In the distance, the city was shrouded in thick smoke, with occasional gunshots piercing the air, making it feel like a war zone.
This was inevitable. The Honkai Beasts were pushing from the north, and only the coastal area of the peninsula remained. The local branch of Fire Moth was among the weakest, unable to hold out.
Anyone with eyes could tell that within a year, this place would be completely abandoned, and naturally, people would scramble to escape. But with everyone fleeing, who would have time to care for them?
"Well, this works to my advantage."
Ryan didn't think much of it. He squeezed through the crowd, casually shocking a group of pickpockets with a few quick electrical jolts, then hopped into a taxi heading to the city center.
"Are you out of your mind? Coming to the peninsula at a time like this?" the taxi driver finally couldn't hold back, glancing at Ryan through the rearview mirror.
"Had to come for work," Ryan replied calmly, turning his gaze to the window. All taxi drivers seemed to be chatty.
"Are you one of Fire Moth's collaborators? Hey, just talk to me, but keep it secret when you leave. Try to stay inside the base, don't come out."
"Why?"
"Those bastards made all their money from taxes and now they're getting ready to run. Who the hell wants to draw that damn lottery?" The driver cursed, claiming he was staying right there and not leaving.
Ryan didn't bother defending Fire Moth. Despite all the helplessness, the fact that they had abandoned countless ordinary people was undeniable. Just like what he had witnessed—it was filled with tragedy.
On average, only one person per household could be selected, meaning separation, and that was indeed unfair. The wealthy and powerful could easily use special talent channels to evacuate, without needing to draw lots, and they could even bring their pets.
Ryan sighed. Now, absolutely safe protected zones were becoming fewer, and most cities had turned into independent kingdoms. This was the reason Mei hadn't made up her mind.
Toppling the central leadership of Fire Moth would be easy, but it would cause regional divisions. The ocean was becoming increasingly dangerous, and relying on limited air transport was a drop in the bucket.
Close the borders, then cut off the global internet, and they would truly be isolated from the world.
Unity was more troublesome than killing.
Ryan heard gunshots and saw two patrolling Fire Moth soldiers fall from gunfire in the distance. A group of masked bandits rushed forward, picking up the fallen weapons. The driver slammed on the brakes in fright.
"Damn, it's the rebels. I'll charge you half the fare, get off here and make your way to the city center."
Rebels weren't necessarily aligned with the Honkai Beasts; they were just a collective of those opposing Fire Moth, including heroes and opportunists.
Ryan paid the full fare, got out of the car amid the driver's repeated thanks, and stood by the roadside, taking a deep breath of the peninsula's air.
Hmm, somewhere between chaos and order, better than Snowy Prison Town, but only marginally.
He watched a drone squad fly overhead, scanning the bodies of the soldiers before heading in the direction the rebels had gone. The sound of frying beans followed, and then an RPG shot up with a trail of white smoke, crashing down a helicopter with a loud boom.
"Scary, huh? It's noisy every day."
Ryan turned his head and saw a woman in her thirties or forties standing on the stairs. She had golden hair and pale blue eyes, her features striking, wearing a gray-brown trench coat, exuding the maturity of a woman who had seen much.
"The scary stuff is still ahead. At least Fire Moth is still maintaining order. They can't flip the tables," Ryan replied.
"Indeed, we should thank these human watchers. They didn't fight back against the Honkai Beasts, but poured most of their energy into maintaining order," the woman said with a hint of sarcasm, glancing at Ryan suitcase. "You staying at a hotel? I've got a guest room, and the price is quite reasonable."
Ryan glanced up and noticed the hotel's name was simply "Dream."
"Are you the owner?"
"Just call me Dream, follow me," she said, turning around without hesitation.
Ryan paused for a moment, he was already planning to stay, but out of caution, he decided to observe the owner closely.
She showed no signs of Honkai energy, her steps were normal, and she didn't appear to have undergone any professional training.
After confirming there were no issues, he grabbed his suitcase and entered the building. The hotel had five floors, with the lobby looking old and some post-modern style paintings hanging on the walls.
The woman stood behind the counter, with an drawing boardbeside her.
"You have a good hobby."
"In this world, you can't survive without a hobby. One hundred euros a day. How many days are you booking?"
"Five days to start."
"Any special needs? Women? Contraband? Or men?"
"No, just don't disturb me, and I don't need my room cleaned," Ryan replied calmly as the woman placed a key card on the counter.
"503, the best room with a view. You can observe your surroundings."
"Won't you record my information?"
"No need. Whatever you're here for, or whoever you're planning to kill, Fire Moth doesn't have the energy to care, let alone me."
"Thanks."
Ryan nodded, grabbed the key, and took the elevator, using his authority to survey the lobby. He saw the woman pick up the phone.
"A guest from outside. Yes, doesn't look like a regular person. Don't handle him, don't leak any information. Foolish, coming here with a purpose."
"No need to handle him, no need to hide. Let him do what he wants. This person probably isn't after us. I'll observe if he's dangerous."
The vibration in the air conveyed the message to Ryan. He wasn't a rookie, and when the taxi driver had braked earlier, he had already sensed something.
"Nice acting, but your heartbeat is too steady to match your terrified expression."
"Life really doesn't offer much in terms of fate," Ryan thought with a self-deprecating smile. He didn't care about these people's identities.
He had come to the peninsula as a diversion, but a complete disappearance would only raise suspicions.
Rebels? Maybe they could be useful.
Ryan opened the door to the room. It wasn't large, but simple and elegant. He opened his suitcase on the long desk, took out his laptop, and after inputting the password, found the encrypted email sent by Mei.
After decoding, it was a long document.
The photo showed a middle-aged man with triangular eyes, a mustache, looking somewhat sinister. His black hair was parted in the middle, giving him a shiny, slick look.
"Black Dog, the former gangster boss on the peninsula. His business was focused on human trafficking. When the northern evacuation took place, he played a part, thus earning a clean slate."
"He now holds major shares in two airlines and a shipping company, all lucrative businesses."
Ryan knew how booming the shipping business was now; it was nearly impossible to get a ticket. This person had accumulated massive wealth and could easily cause trouble for him.
According to Mei's analysis, this person had provided a significant number of female slaves to 'The Paradise', supplying them to the people behind the scenes for entertainment. From 'Adam', the pseudo-Herrschler, Ryan knew that 'The Paradise' had ties to the Faith Sect.
There must be some clues on him, but I need to move fast. I'm sure others are looking for you, not just me.
Ryan squinted. He knew the person was likely hiding or had set up formidable defenses. With the close ties to the peninsula branch, the Faith Sect couldn't easily eliminate him.
"But first, you need to create an alibi for me. Let's not rush the tea time."
Click.
He heard a door lock click next door. Using his authority to peer through, he saw a few people had checked into the neighboring room. They looked disheveled, like refugees fleeing from the north.
However, once inside, they split up, checking every corner while assembling equipment.
The intelligence department's nose was quite sharp; they found him so quickly.
Ryan hid his identity but didn't completely conceal it. Finding him wasn't difficult, but it was intentional.
The witnesses were in place. Time to get to work.
He closed the laptop, with only the information on "Black Dog" left on the desktop, then placed it in the room's safe before changing into a black casual suit and leaving the room.
Ryan went to the restaurant, ordered the fried chicken made by the owner, and noticed two neighbors following him. Their acting was good; there was nothing suspicious about them on the surface, but Ryan had detected everything from their physical condition to their heartbeat frequency.
'No Honkai energy, just ordinary agents, moderate training. This is the weakest branch; how many elites can they really have?'
Not every branch knew him well, and it was impressive they found people so quickly. Anyway, sending fusion warriors wouldn't be fast enough. Once exposed, all they could do was grin.
Ryan leisurely finished his dinner, chatted with the knowledgeable owner for a while, and then left the building.
The intelligence department had some basic skills. After he left, they sent another team to track him, staying far behind.
'Still ordinary people. Really helped a lot.'
Ryan acted like he didn't notice, wandering the busiest commercial street in Jeju, walking for hours. He even posted a nostalgic photo on social media.
As the trackers began to tire, he suddenly disappeared, vanishing into the bustling crowd.
"Lost him?"
"No, I think I saw him enter a nearby alley."
Two tired agents exchanged glances and instinctively quickened their pace as they turned the corner.
The alley was dimly lit, filled with underground bars. The poor soundproofing made the heavy metal music echo through the air.
"There are quite a few intelligence brokers here. Split up and request backup."
"Yes." One of the agents immediately took out his earpiece, but had not yet pressed the communication button when a head appeared from the back wall, floating like a ghost in front of them, staring at them with a cold smile.
Their hearts stopped. Their pupils dilated. The terrifying aura left only one word in their minds.
Death.
This dangerous figure would crush them like ants, and Fire Moth wouldn't even acknowledge their identity. In the terrifying silence, the earpiece crackled.
"Five-minute routine report. What's the situation now?"
No one spoke. Ryan simply watched them quietly. Strangely, a drunk walked by the three, as if he saw nothing at all.
"We've been exposed. He warned us not to disturb him." The agent pressed the communication button.
"This is normal. He won't act openly. Is the target still under surveillance?"
"Yes, the target is just aimlessly wandering, not caring about our tracking." The agent said mechanically, with no light in his eyes.
"This characteristic matches exactly what the colleagues in Neon reported."