Fusion warriors were already the elite of humanity, and high-ranking fusion warriors were among the world's top echelons.
Coleman, though usually quiet about it, still had a sense of pride deep inside. But when the salty sea water dripped from her hair, that arrogance disappeared in an instant.
This wasn't a Herrscher, but it was even more dangerous than one. In an instant, the massive castle was reduced to rubble, and the monster remained silent, leaving everyone unsure of what it was thinking.
The sound of police sirens echoed in his ears. Clearly, the bizarre barrier had failed, releasing the terrifying destruction. This meant that within an hour, the Far East branch would arrive.
But what does that have to do with me? My ideal died in the belly of a young girl, and I'm not interested in attending any damn memorial.
He tightened his grip on his dual guns, staring hard at the pitch-black monster. Ryan clearly wasn't planning to waste time with him. Slowly, he lifted his toes.
Kill.
In the blink of an eye, Ryan vanished, charging directly into a torrential barrage of bullets. Each shot was imbued with overwhelming Honkai energy, powerful enough to pierce a tank, but Ryan forced a gap through the oncoming fire with his long spear.
Boom boom boom...
Energy exploded around him, creating a dense cloud of smoke. Ryan speed only increased, leaving behind a trail of afterimages. Coleman didn't retreat, but his brows furrowed.
A supersonic dash lasted only an instant, and the long spear sliced through the air, piercing through the chest with brutal efficiency. The energy spilled over, cutting a straight line across the sea.
A one-hit kill? Of course not.
Ryan didn't show any joy. With a flick of his wrist, Coleman's shattered body fell to pieces before Ryan quickly turned his gun toward the rear.
Boom—
A thick beam of light refracted from the barrel, shooting into the night sky. Coleman's pupils contracted as he saw his dual guns merging.
He has precognition!
Of course, Ryan hadn't gained such a miraculous ability. The reason was simple—he had read Coleman's report from Mobius.
Teleportation, mirror images, combined into a technique known as "Void." It was an enhanced version of the ability of an emperor-class Honkai Beast.
These fusion warriors were troublesome, not just because of the overwhelming Honkai energy of at least 1000HW, but also due to such unique abilities. If you didn't know the details, it would be very difficult to deal with.
"This ability is great for stalling, but handling it is simple."
Ryan lunged forward, smashing the afterimages with his spear. He dodged several beams that shot down from the sky, suddenly swinging his spear and pressing his right palm to the ground.
"Take away his will to fight."
Twisting!
The sea around Ryan began to churn wildly, forming a kilometer-wide, multi-layered meat grinder. Coleman had barely appeared before he was forced to disappear again.
He wasn't the Herrscher of the Void. He couldn't hide in the virtual space. His movement distance was clearly documented in the files: 200 meters.
Cutting.
The water rose in waves, creating hundreds of wild, intersecting whips, like molecular vibration knives. Coleman had just materialized when he realized these whips were already coming for him.
This guy must have precognition!
The dual guns fired beams that coalesced into laser blades. With a swift swing, they cut through the water whips. Then, the dual guns merged again, aiming for the center.
Maximum power, obliteration!
Woooo—Boom!
The Honkai energy at maximum power vaporized everything in its path, and Ryan saw a figure collide with the beam, pushing the crimson light back.
No matter how fancy the skills were, it always came down to the collision of Honkai energy. Ryan flew straight into the sky, radiating an unstoppable momentum. But suddenly, he shifted like an eel, evading the next attack.
Four Colemans appeared around him, each raising their dual guns.
Maximum power, scatter!
Like fireworks during a festival, the night sky shattered with dozens, even hundreds of red beams, covering every inch of space with no gaps. But at that moment, a pitch-black lightning bolt shot through the beams.
The long spear, like thunder, howled through the night sky, chasing the figure on the sea.
Coleman turned his head. Before he could even curse, he quickly crossed his dual guns in front of his chest. Fortunately, the Soulsteel weapons were sturdy. Only the immense force slammed against his chest.
Crack.
His sternum shattered, and his body was sent flying, skipping across the water's surface like a stone. As he jumped with his remaining Honkai energy, a thought flashed in his mind.
What's the point of fighting?
His pupils shattered, and the beam dissipated. Ryan calmly watched the sea below, then raised his hand to catch the spinning long spear.
He escaped.
Ryan knew this person had no desire to fight to the death. When he saw the Sea Cutting Slash, he already understood that the man had no intention of desperate combat.
"It's fine that you escaped. I never planned to kill you."
Ryan wasn't one to waste time chasing those who got a chance to escape.
"Besides, killing you would be a hassle."
He glanced at the body emitting rolling white smoke. The black shadow had several holes from the earlier attack, and the scattering had pierced through two layers of defense.
As expected of a high-ranking fusion warrior. They weren't much weaker than Sakura. Killing him would be a shame, and I can't let the Herrschers laugh.
Ryan turned his gaze back to the sea, his gray eyes seemingly looking through the water, though he wasn't actually focused on the ruins behind him. He could "see" a submarine speeding below the surface.
"Like a clever rabbit having three burrows, it's a pity that my strike not only scared Coleman but also hoped to scare you off. I can't really attack the Far East branch, can I?"
He glanced at the warplanes flying overhead, waving his hand casually. It was almost comical—just as this was happening, Himeko and Hua had returned.
Forget it. I can't afford to run into them this time.
With a soft laugh, Ryan dove into the sea, leaving only a sea of rubble behind.
As the Mirage system self-destructed and the emergency calls were overwhelmed, the Far East branch triggered the battle alert for the Herrschers.
All fusion warriors in Neon were mobilized, drones had arrived for reconnaissance, scouring every inch of land. However, apart from a few survivors, all that was left were piles of corpses.
Tokyo's famous "palace" had vanished, along with the hundred-meter-high hill nearby. Both had been sliced clean in half, exposing the underground laboratory.
Inside, over a thousand people were imprisoned, their dismembered body parts on display. Aside from a few unlucky ones drowned by seawater, most stared helplessly as the military arrived.
"A secret laboratory not found in any files. The methods used here break all experimental protocols. It can be said to be inhuman," Edwin said, quickly glancing away as he saw his subordinates rounding up the survivors.
He immediately realized that he had uncovered a deadly secret.
No, this secret wasn't uncovered by him. There was content that could be explored, and the one who had uncovered it...
He turned his head, looking at the girl in traditional dress nearby. Staring at her smooth back, he moved his lips, but weakly waved his hand.
"Continue the search. I'm guessing the data has been deleted, but the people need to be found. At any cost."
The sea breeze lifted Hua gray-blue hair. She stared at the waves and clenched her fist, though her face wore a smile.
Senior Brother is absolutely just. He predicted this problem and acted to save so many people.
Seeing this underground research facility made her furious, but also proud, as though witnessing a hero from a novel.
Ten steps, kill one. Walk a thousand miles, leave no trace. When the job's done, leave with your sleeves folded, keeping your achievements and reputation hidden.
The enemy had been well-prepared, but so what? They had still been defeated by that man's hands.
"It's confirmed. They were all missing homeless people, and they were brought here," Himeko quickly approached, her tone lighter. "As expected, they were conducting some kind of secret experiment. Too bad the data was urgently deleted. We don't know the details yet, but hey, don't look so smug."
"Can we bring those people down?"
"Of course, but..."
"But Senior Brother also has to pay a price. He did break the rules. But so what? Even if the council tries to make a big deal out of it, we're still here."
According to the law, this was certainly wrong. How can they tear down someone's work and then look for evidence? If everyone starts doing this, where will it end?
Himeko expression turned strange. Just as she was about to speak, Edwin walked over holding several documents.
"The problem is, we've already checked the testimonies of the survivors. They all say the attacker was a black shadow. He had strong Honkai energy, but no lightning abilities. I've also asked the Far East branch. Your senior brother just left surveillance, so he couldn't have traveled a thousand kilometers to commit the crime."
The branch leader looked helpless. Seeing the stunned expressions of the two, he thought, these two fools aren't any better than me.
Dr. Ryan, so cunning.
He didn't know how Ryan did it, but the problem now was, even though Himeko and Hua had both guessed it was Ryan, they had no idea how he did it, and they couldn't prove it.
"It seems like this has nothing to do with him," Himeko said after a long pause, her smile growing more obvious. No wonder he told me to leave.
"At least there's no evidence linking him to it. We must follow the rules and not wrongfully accuse anyone."
"So what will they do?"
Edwin's expression darkened. He had already received the preliminary report. The human experiments were truly heinous, like hollowing out heads and replacing them with Honkai energy crystals, or injecting diluted super-evolution factors into ordinary people.
This was obviously a crime, and the content was strange. Rather than trying to find ways to counter collapse, it seemed more like embracing it.
"A secret lab is not a big deal. Do you think the public research institutes are clean? Do you think the council will expose this? They control the public opinion," Edwin said.
"Is that how it's going to end?" Himeko eyes widened in anger.
"When will you stop being so rash? Look at Hua. She's so calm. You should learn from her." Edwin said as he stood with his hands behind his back, staring at the sea, adjusting his glasses.
"That man never leaves behind any loose ends."