Splash—
The black submarine surfaced, its long underwater journey incredibly dangerous. Even encountering a lower-tier Honkai Beast would severely test the submarine's defenses.
After traveling south for a hundred miles, the submarine had to surface. The satellite antenna popped out, establishing contact with the M continent.
Inside the central compartment, the cramped space was decorated lavishly. Though there was little gold shining, every ornament was a priceless item.
With his short black hair and goat-like beard, Takeuchi hung up the phone. His naturally commanding face finally relaxed.
"Brother, what's the word?"
"The council has started public relations work. They've issued a death order—the underground research lab's information won't be exposed. Hmph, which faction doesn't have such things? That Damian has killed how many people for his research on excessive mutations?"
The two brothers, seven parts alike, exchanged a look and sighed in relief.
Rules are always rigid. If they were to be punished for this crime, then Fire Moth might as well disband.
"I'll contact the PR team immediately. Even if they expose it online, we can shut them up," Koche, who was slightly shorter and had a cunning look in his eyes, said. "We own shares in several major websites, so whoever exposes it will have their account banned. Then we can send in the bots to flood them. There'll be no trace left."
"You've got experience with this, go ahead and do it. But for now, we can't go back to Neon. We need to stay low for a while. However, I've already arranged for the agent. Nothing will be delayed."
"Is this because of him?"
"Of course. We still underestimated that doctor. Didn't expect he still had a trump card up his sleeve." Takeuchi rubbed his beard, frustration welling up inside. No evidence had been obtained, and they had lost a mansion for nothing.
"But it's normal. Those monsters were all brought into Fire Moth by him. It makes sense that he'd keep one in reserve. Fifty billion euros for a trump card? Not bad."
The two didn't mind the loss. They knew it was an investment—using their bodies as bait, they were bound to receive tenfold or hundredfold returns.
A small trick didn't work out. It was a bit disappointing, but not a big deal.
"As long as we still hold power and control the economy, Fire Moth will work for us. Those people will send compensations." Takeuchi spread his arms, speaking to his brother like a Master.
"In this world, everyone needs some capital to establish themselves. Just like those monsters forming their own army, our capital is power."
"You can take this chance to stir up security chaos. I'll push for the proposal to raise security taxes. When the money comes in, we'll split it 70/30—70% to the headquarters for some dealings, and 30% into a charity fund. We'll quickly recover our losses."
"Make sure the media blows it up. When those refugees receive the money, they'll not only thank us but also help us deal with Edwin. The Far East branch should be reorganized too."
Koche was getting impatient, thinking to himself that even in his forties, he was still being treated like a rookie. He was about to nod and flatter his brother when they suddenly heard a round of applause.
"Well said, truly a big figure."
Both of them froze. No one could enter this secret room without their permission. Who could it be? They turned around and, in unison, said, "It's you!"
Black hair, gray eyes, and a brown long coat—this appearance had already been seen in photographs countless times.
Ryan? How did he get here? Just half an hour ago, the Far East branch said he was under surveillance. Did they buy him out?
Impossible. The Far East branch was already on their side, and this person didn't even have teleportation abilities. How did he find them?
Seeing the two old foxes in a daze, Ryan smiled faintly. He had just arrived and overheard their conversation. He had to admit, these two were skilled.
Killing is just a method. The real skill was in manipulating people's minds. The brothers were even better at it than him. From a small setback, they had already planned months of work.
"First time meeting you, Director Takeuchi, Chairman Koche. Truly impressive, at least your mental fortitude is strong enough."
He leaned back, and apart from the initial shock, he didn't see any fear from them. After experiencing so many storms, if they couldn't handle this little shock, then what big figures were they?
"And you two are interesting. As low Honkai energy adaptors, you actually have a Honkai energy reaction on you. I think Mobius would be very interested in slicing you two for research."
At these words, the brothers' cheeks twitched.
"Not talking? Aren't you afraid I'll kill you?"
"Afraid, but since you haven't made a move, that means we still have some value," Takeuchi said, forcing himself to calm down. He found a chair and sat down, placing his hands on his knees, carefully observing Ryan expression.
Unfortunately, he couldn't read anything. Ryan gaze was indifferent, like the Honkai Beasts he had captured—pure and devoid of emotion.
At this moment, the brothers started to panic. The most difficult type of person to deal with in negotiations was one whose thoughts were completely unreadable, or rather, someone who didn't seem to have any thoughts at all.
"So, what do you want to know?"
Straight to the point. Ryan liked this kind of honest approach, though he didn't hold much hope.
"What I want to know, you two won't dare to tell me, because even if I let you go, you'd still die."
Takeuchi and Koche exchanged a glance, their eyes filled with bitterness. They were all smart people, and any attempt at manipulation or persuasion was laughable. Instead, they were able to speak frankly.
"You want to know information on the 'Faith Sect,' right? What role we've played since the Fourth Herrscher?"
"The Lieutenant Rose incident, you handled it well, leading me to make a move. You're quite capable. But do you know where you made a mistake?"
"Where?"
"As soon as I arrived in Neon, you should have come to beg for mercy, told me everything, and worked together to deal with the people behind the scenes. That was your only way out," Ryan said emotionlessly, fiddling with the jade ornament on the table. "But you miscalculated your strength, thinking that having a high-ranking fusion warrior would make me hesitate?"
The brothers remained silent. Logically speaking, Coleman was enough. Ryan couldn't possibly assassinate him under his watch, and openly making a move would brand them as traitors.
"We've studied all your intel, we know you're a rational person. You always weigh the pros and cons, but we didn't expect you'd keep a trump card—an outsider, a monster that's not even part of Fire Moth. Truly a genius..."
He paused mid-sentence as he saw Ryan turn into a pitch-black silhouette, his body expanding.
His gaze froze, trembling. Finally, he spoke with acceptance: "Koche, look, this is the real fusion of intellect and power. It makes everything you thought from the beginning wrong."
His younger brother didn't argue. He smiled wryly. "He's never just controlled lightning. And did you notice? This black material looks very similar to that past project of ours, and he happened to visit the Nordic region."
"The Pseudo-Herrscher's ability, ha, indeed, that makes sense. The encounter we had was truly ridiculous. We never realized its most basic ability. This is a monster that overturns all concepts!!"
Takeuchi laughed manically, a mix of desperation and satisfaction, then Koche joined in. It was like a detective fan finally getting the case results.
Both brothers fell silent, lowering their voices as they watched Ryan, who had set down the jade ornament, approach them.
"Feel free to use whatever methods you want. I have one request."
"Speak."
"Hurry up. Let us die with dignity."
Ryan paused in his steps, placing his hand on both of their heads.
"From starting with nothing to getting to this point, if you're truly figures of importance, then I will give you that dignity."
Without much more to say, Ryan released his gathered spiritual energy, causing the light in their eyes to fade, leaving them standing like puppets.
It worked.
Because of the Honkai energy, these two had some resistance. Ryan had used a small trick. In a situation where they were doomed, Takeuchi and Koche cooperated willingly, without needing to struggle.
It wasn't necessary, but Ryan didn't trust their words, so he chose a more secure method.
"First question: Why did you become part of the Faith Sect?"
"Because fusion warriors can gain unlimited lifespan, and we wanted to receive that blessing."
"The best way to fight monsters is to become one. The higher the position, the more afraid people are of being overthrown by stronger forces."
The brothers answered one after another, making Ryan silently laugh.
How very practical. What they really wanted were those things. Fanatics and lunatics couldn't become big figures. These two didn't worship the collapse, they just wanted benefits from it.
The benefits were obvious, just like emperors seeking immortality. The more power someone had, the more they feared death. The sample was right in front of them—not some imaginary immortality elixir.
"I almost forgot. Compared to power itself, the lifespan of fusion warriors is more attractive to them. No wonder they're so crazy."
Ryan chuckled self-deprecatingly. Being in the situation, he hadn't noticed this advantage, but fusion warriors couldn't just be anyone. The genes were determined before birth, and even Mobius couldn't change that.
Since science couldn't do it, they relied on metaphysics. As for metaphysics, the Herrschers had a strong pull.
"Then, have you had contact with the Herrschers?"
Ryan awaited their answer but saw both brothers shaking their heads in confusion: "I don't know."
Another "don't know." Could it be that the related memories were erased?
Ryan thought of the fusion warrior from the intelligence department, whose answer was also the same—"I don't know." Yet these two were Fire Moth members, with II identification numbers.
They didn't know either. Interesting.
Ryan became more intrigued and asked again: "Do you know the identity of your comrades? Who is the core of the Faith Sect? How many people are there?"
This time, Ryan got the answer, confirming a key fact.
Someone, somehow, had the ability to alter or erase memories, ensuring that the most crucial secrets remained hidden.
At this point, Ryan was satisfied. He snapped both of their necks, leaving the now-slaughterhouse-like submarine. Flying into the sky, he gripped the 3000-ton steel submarine tightly.
Creak—
In the groaning of metal, the submarine was crushed into a ball of iron, slowly sinking into the sea.
A faint, salty breeze swept across. Between the sea and sky, nothing remained.