I am a former Flame Chasers

It was summer, and the sky over the northern Mu Continent was brilliantly bright in the early morning. Ryan opened his eyes, squinting at the intense light.

I had a great sleep.

He sat up, stretched comfortably, then covered his head, still lingering in the afterglow of deep sleep. Finally, he shook his head.

Unfortunately, I still didn't dream.

Ryan had grown more fond of sleep lately, not because his lifestyle had changed, but because of the deep sleep he experienced after the third Herrscher. That dream was like the moon reflected in water—clearly there, but always just out of reach, fading as soon as he tried to grasp it.

It felt as though he wasn't just sleeping, but attempting to cross the line between life and death. Yet, this power was difficult to control.

Maybe I should learn from Mobius—the kind of crazy person who dares to use their own life as an experiment.

No, why should a normal person like me learn from her?

Ryan quickly shook his head, dispelling the unsettling thought. He opened his eyes again and saw another strange sight—not a woman, but something that definitely wasn't right.

Two snow-white thighs seemed to "grow" from the disassembled machine, hanging limply beside it. It looked almost like a murder scene. Ryan's heart skipped a beat as he rushed over.

Did Sakura kill her while I was asleep?

In that moment, he realized how arrogant he'd been. With the Thirteen Heroes gone, anything could happen. It was even normal for some to die early due to the butterfly effect.

He rushed over to inspect the situation, and his face immediately turned green.

Vil-V wasn't dead—she had simply fallen asleep upside down in the machine, her plump body stuck tightly, her head tilted, and drool dripping from her mouth.

"She was like this last night. I told her to get some rest, but she refused, and I didn't force her," Sakura's voice came from behind him. Ryan turned to see her, clearly tired herself.

"Why didn't you wake me up in the middle of the night? Are you feeling bad about it?"

"That's not it. I was just thinking about a question." Sakura sighed and scratched her head in frustration. "Too bad there's no answer."

She seemed perplexed about why Ryan wanted her to survive. But she was relieved that he trusted her. This wasn't just a test—it was real trust in her ability to keep watch.

Ryan was a little confused by her words. He didn't feel fully reassured either. The Herrscher's power could release an invisible field, alerting him if someone approached. He would wake up immediately.

"Get that idiot out, the guests are about to arrive."

"So early?" Sakura was stunned, then realized that the three of them weren't exactly on the run. They were more like traveling boldly, without committing a massacre—just driving the residents away.

"What you're showing is different from the rumors."

"Hahaha, so it was just rumors? Do you think I'm some murderer, killing everyone in this small town and then sneaking around? Sure, it could buy us a couple of extra days, but it wouldn't affect the overall situation. Whether we have those two days or not, it doesn't matter," Ryan said dismissively. He had already chosen his fate, and the other party was just delivering him to it.

"Wake up Vil-V, we have to hurry."

Sakura narrowed her eyes. She realized she had no way to argue, so she walked forward and began dismantling the machine with brute force. Vil-V, now awake, was furious.

"Look what you've done! You've dismantled my second prototype of the 'Pigeon Chaser Fire!'"

"You're too fat. I tried to drag you out last night, but I couldn't," Sakura replied seriously.

"Then you should have been gentler! Wuwuwu, this is my masterpiece! You said you could use this thing to surpass me!" Vil-V cried as she held the wreckage. Sakura was caught off guard by the scene, signaling Ryan to step in.

Vil-V wasn't actually fat, but both Ryan and Sakura could guess that a certain part of her body was too prominent and was getting stuck.

After a few days together, Ryan had learned how to communicate with the "magician." He held her collar and yanked her upright. "Okay, okay, after this is over, I'll approve some funding for you to work on this."

"Really? You still have the power to approve funding?"

Ryan didn't actually have that power. According to his plan, that would eventually be Mei's responsibility. But as a friend, asking Mei for money shouldn't be an issue. If worse came to worst, he'd take it from his own savings. A loan to save the world?

Seeing Ryan nod firmly, Vil-V seemed relieved and stopped making a scene. She obediently stood aside as the two of them talked.

"Vil-V, can you call out the 'self'?"

"Ah, she's a little scared of Miss Sakura, so she won't come out."

Ryan wanted to ask 'self' Vil-V for advice, but when he saw her reluctance to come out, he gave up. He raised his hand and pointed into the distance.

"You should be able to find a place to hide and scavenge for parts to make that broken thing of yours."

"That's the second prototype of the 'Pigeon Chaser Fire,'" Vil-V corrected, nodding confidently. "The drill has already drilled through the ground, and they won't be able to find it. I'll build a signal receiver soon."

Ryan felt reassured. He knew "this little thing" wouldn't be a problem for Vil-V.

"Alright. You're responsible for hiding, downloading the data, and finding a way to send it out. I'll handle the rest."

"What about me?" Sakura stepped forward.

"There are three options. First, stay and hide with Vil-V; second, leave on your own; third, work with me. Which one do you choose?"

The difficulty increased in sequence, but Sakura raised three fingers without hesitation. "I'll go with you. It might seem the most dangerous, but it's actually the safest."

Ryan suppressed the urge to tease her and walked toward the van. To his surprise, the entire back seat was filled with machines, two hideous nozzles sticking out of a lathe.

He took out a helmet and tossed it to Sakura, then threw her a confiscated alloy sword, waving his hand. "Sakura, get in the car, let's get to work."

"You're not pretending?" Sakura asked, surprised.

Ryan, opening the car door, turned around with a friendly smile. "Killing everyone is my best disguise. This is the true meaning of assassination."

Sakura choked, realizing she had no argument left. She silently opened the car door.

The engine roared to life, and the dusty van began to rumble. Ryan stuck his head out of the lathe, watching Vil-V standing there with a smile on her face.

"What are you standing there for? Go hide quickly."

"I know, but I just want to see your performance," Vil-V said, grinning.

Ryan rolled his eyes and stepped on the accelerator. With the sound of tires burning, the van sped off.

It veered off the road and bumped across the pebbled Gobi Desert. Looking down from above, a trail of tire tracks stretched straight south.

"She hasn't left yet," Sakura said, looking in the rearview mirror. Vil-V could be seen waving goodbye as if bidding farewell to a friend.

"Sometimes, I really want to cut her head open and see what's inside," Ryan muttered.

"I feel the same way. They say geniuses are crazy. I never believed it before, but now I agree," Sakura said, sighing.

"Then we're in agreement. Let's ignore her. The guests have arrived. Wait a moment."

Sakura subconsciously grabbed the handrail with a strong sense of being pushed forward. She stuck her head out of the window, her hair flying in the wind. She adjusted her helmet and looked up at the sky.

A small black dot appeared in the blue sky. The enemy had clearly spotted them and was swooping down at full speed.

"It's an AH-42 attack helicopter. The fire control radar has detected us. Be careful—"

Her voice sharpened as two white lines shot toward them at high speed. The missiles were aimed straight at them with murderous intent.

Ryan glanced at the rearview mirror, unconcerned. As expected, the missiles veered off course when they were about a hundred meters away, their white tails tangling into a ball like wool.

Boom! Boom!

Two black smoke clouds erupted in the Gobi Desert, and the flying stones hit the van with a clanging sound. Ryan continued to accelerate, silently appreciating the power of his electromagnetic interference.

The guidance heads of the missiles were disrupted, turning the targets into erratic motion. It would be a miracle if they could hit anything.

"Be careful!" Sakura shouted again, turning her head to see six more missiles being launched in a volley.

"Stay calm," Ryan instructed.

"I..." Sakura was speechless. She had been a killer for years, but she'd never been chased by an anti-tank missile.

A high-explosive tandem warhead, capable of penetrating over a thousand millimeters, could turn the van—and even a tank—into burning scrap.

But then, an unscientific sight unfolded. The missiles began to fly in erratic patterns again, their tails tangled and exploding with loud bangs around them.

"Vil-V is really a magician. Her electronic interference is powerful," Sakura remarked, impressed. She thought it was some kind of device Vil-V had created.

However, when she turned around, a chill ran down her spine.

A huge rift valley several hundred meters wide lay ahead, with a helicopter diving down from behind. The pilot seemed to think he'd seen a ghost, preparing to use machine guns to deal with the situation.

"What should we do now?" Sakura's tone became urgent. Ryan showed no sign of stopping the car.

"Sit tight, hold on tight, and I'll handle the rest."

Without another word, Ryan pressed a red button on the dashboard. The trunk door flew off, and long flames shot out of the two engines.

Buzz—

The battered van lifted off the ground, the powerful thrust pushing them back into their seats. Even Sakura, normally calm, clenched her toes, her purple eyes scanning the chaos around her.

She saw the bottomless chasm, the Honkai beast ahead, the helicopter behind, and of course, Ryan, half his body sticking out.

Time seemed to slow in her perception. She watched as Ryan took out a small metal piece the size of a button, tossing it gently into the air.

"To answer your question earlier, this has nothing to do with Vil-V. This isn't some metaphysics. This is—"

What is he doing? What does he want to do?!

Doubts flooded her mind just as a brilliant flash of light appeared. The shockwave suppressed the strong wind rushing into the car. Electric arcs emerged, and a beam of hot light sped toward the distance, several times faster than sound.

Boom!

With the explosion, Ryan's cold voice followed.

"Railgun."