I am a former Flame Chasers

Ryan raced through the night, moving like lightning through the air, his frown never loosening. Unlike Hua, he had prepared for any possible incident. There were no rules when it came to opponents like Honkai. Even after ten years of fighting, Ryan still didn't know what the next move would be.

"Honkai only has two rules. First, the energy limit is the Herrscher of the End; second, it will constantly adapt to the situation."

These two rules were enough to bring anyone down. The upper limit was too high, and the constant adjustments made it like playing chess against a robot—every move precise and deadly.

"I'm loose on the outside but tight on the inside," Ryan thought to himself as he ran through the corridors. "But I'm charging in mindlessly like this. It doesn't feel like Honkai's style."

Though worried, Ryan wasn't afraid. He had left a dozen combat forces underground. If he couldn't defeat them, then this moment would be the end, and there was no need to wait for the future.

He stormed into the massive building, kicked open the elevator door, and jumped straight into the underground. The flashing red alarm went off. In his perception, he sensed dense Honkai energy signatures moving at high speed.

Mei had set up a net of security. Those carefree times had been mere illusions. Some powerful individuals had never even made it to the lakeside villa.

Ryan fell into the depths silently, slapping the electromagnetic rifle against his forehead, which startled the fusion warriors nearby.

"General, General!" they shouted in unison.

"What's going on? Where is Dr. Mei?" Ryan's face remained blank, hiding an invisible pressure. He didn't seem like someone who had just been scolded by a little girl.

"Five minutes ago, the defense alarm was triggered, and the garrison immediately entered combat mode. We've eliminated fifteen Honkai beasts."

"Wait, where did the Honkai beasts come from?" Ryan stopped immediately, turning to the confused soldiers. This was the Fire Moth's nest. It shouldn't be possible for Honkai beasts to appear here.

"I'll explain," a hand with delicate scales pushed the soldier aside. The man stepped forward with a sense of relief. Ryan turned his head to see a man with messy purple hair and sharp horns protruding from both sides of his forehead.

"Colonel Kiman," Ryan recognized him immediately. Kiman was the head of the Supervisory Department. He had been on a business trip when the last attack on the Fire Moth took place.

"Sir, I apologize for reporting during such a moment," Kiman said with a smile, though his feminine features made it seem a bit reptilian.

Military rank came with seniority, and since this man wasn't a high-level fusion warrior, Ryan didn't feel the need to be too gentle with him.

"Just report to Dr. Mei and keep it short," Ryan said as he turned away, walking through a bloody corridor where several tank-level Honkai beasts lay dead. The alloy walls were dented, and researchers in white coats were scattered around.

Kiman wasted no time with unnecessary details. He quickly explained, and Ryan pieced together the situation within moments.

It turned out the Honkai beasts had escaped from Mobius's laboratory. There had been an explosion in the material storage area, and the monsters broke free, only to be quickly put down by the soldiers who responded.

"The material storage area has A-level protection," Ryan remarked. "How could there be an explosion?"

"The exact cause of the accident is still under investigation, but here's the surveillance footage for you to look at first." Kiman handed Ryan a tablet with the video on it.

Ryan glanced at the footage and saw a middle-aged man in a white coat entering with authority. Moments later, the man expanded like a balloon, blood and flesh exploding in all directions.

Self-destruction?

Ryan felt confused for a moment. What could have driven this person to self-destruct? He had an inkling of who this person was—he had seen him in the research department.

But Mei had personally vetted all the researchers. Why would this man throw his life away? What could this accomplish?

There was no bomb or any such device visible.

Ryan continued down a messy corridor. At the end, the protective door had been blown open, and Honkai beast fragments littered the floor. A masked man was leaning against the wall.

Mobius's material library was extensive, containing even several Honkai emperors, but all of them were now torn to pieces, leaving no room for defense.

There was a large hole in the ceiling, and the steel plates had been ripped apart. It was probably this force that alerted Ryan.

"Are you here?" Kalpas put his hands down in front of his chest and glanced at Ryan, who was visibly stunned.

"Yeah. Didn't expect something like this to happen," Ryan said helplessly. "I came rushing here, but there aren't any powerful invaders. This is strange. If this is a diversion, it's too wasteful."

Ryan couldn't make sense of it. If someone wanted to cause damage, why not target a key area? It didn't make sense.

"Who knows? Maybe they just don't like that woman!" Kalpas suggested with a smirk.

"Speak quietly. Aren't you afraid Mobius will hold a grudge and add something extra to your Project Soldier?" Ryan warned.

"If she has the guts, she can add whatever she wants," Kalpas snorted, then shoved his hands into his pockets, disappearing into the corridor.

Ryan chuckled softly, then walked into the shattered door. He found Mobius standing silently in the middle of a pile of dead Honkai beasts. Her annoyance and frustration were almost palpable.

"The losses are heavy," she muttered, "and the repair costs are a headache."

"What were you doing when the attack happened?" Ryan asked.

"I was analyzing the cells of that barbarian," Mobius said without looking back, "and found a problem with his genes. I was secretly happy."

Ryan narrowed his eyes, realizing that Mobius had a little plan of her own.

"So, you became kind and offered to help me with the Project Soldier? Was it just a ruse?"

"And now you can't afford it?" Ryan pressed.

"If you're here to mock me, go away," Mobius snapped. "This man's been with me for five years and almost became my assistant. I still don't understand why he did this."

"This is a problem," Ryan said, examining the corpses of the Honkai beasts. "Spies who can infiltrate the research department are a big deal. This is just a waste."

At that moment, Ryan's phone rang. He pulled it out and his expression grew serious.

"Yes, I'll be there right away."

"Mei?" he asked, recognizing the voice.

"It turns out they were playing a diversionary trick," Mobius explained. "Someone else broke into the central database."

Ryan felt a sense of relief. It made sense—what they had assumed had been a disaster was, in fact, a decoy. The central database contained far more valuable information than the Honkai beasts. The pieces in motion had been hidden under their noses.

Ryan quickly led Mobius to a deeper part of the facility. This area was isolated from the main shelter and wrapped in thick alloy armor. There was only one elevator in and out. Breaking in would require significant effort.

When the elevator doors opened, Ryan saw a maze of electronic lights and dense cables. Further in, a massive black object stood at the center, at least two or three stories high. Hundreds of rectangular chassis were stacked together, connected by cables that would make anyone with a phobia of tight spaces uncomfortable.

The flashing lights and rows of servers created a matrix, dwarfing anyone who stood before it. This was the Fire Moth's highest achievement in electronic technology, later modified by Weierwei. It was a core asset. Without access to this database, Mei couldn't manage it—no matter how capable she was.

Ryan immediately spotted Mobius standing beside the matrix. There was a corpse in a white coat next to her. It didn't seem like there were any external injuries. In the corner, another body lay with its head broken, blood and guts splattered across the floor.

"He did it?" Ryan asked.

"Albert," Mobius replied coolly. "A first-level clerk in the technical department. He was supposed to maintain the servers with his colleagues today."

Ryan looked at the bodies, then back at Mobius. "Why the invasion? What was he after?"

Mobius pointed to the server. "If he wanted to destroy it, he couldn't. Vil-V installed an electromagnetic shield on the server. It's strong enough to withstand even an emperor-level Honkai beast's attack. It triggers automatically when a hostile action is detected."

Ryan was taken aback. "It's more sinister than I thought. He set up a pit and dug it quietly."

Mobius lips curled into a tight smile. "So, the attack on my material library was fake. It was all just a distraction so he could invade the central database."

"You could say that," Mei responded flatly.

Ryan sighed. "The spy infiltrating the research department... this is a high-level operation."

Mobius turned to him, gritting her teeth. "It's all your fault!"

"Wait, how is it my fault?" Ryan said, confused.

"If you hadn't brought that barbarian back, I wouldn't have been distracted. If you hadn't been so lazy, you would've come to help me. The spy wouldn't have gotten in. What kind of general manager are you?" Mei scolded.

Ryan could only laugh at this point. "My name's not Benzema. Why do I have to take the blame every time?"

Mobius scowled, but Ryan cleared his throat. "All losses will be covered. That's fine."

Mobius smiled sweetly. "You're a leader who truly cares for his subordinates."

Before Ryan could comment, Mobius's expression grew serious. "Mei, if the enemy is so deep into their plan, how did you stop them? You can't always be in the computer room."

Mei's face turned grim. "Physical intrusion is always hard to prevent. Since they've stolen from the inside, they must have planned it thoroughly."

Ryan had forgotten to ask Mei how she hacked the "Dingding Conference" system.

Snap.

With a sharp snap of her fingers, Mei made a motion, and suddenly, dozens of screens in the central database flickered to life, displaying a smiling face.

"Hello, Dr. Ryan, Dr. Mei. I am the AI developed by Dr. Mobius. You can call me—"

"Prometheus."