Over the years, the Fire Moth had defeated the First, Second, and Third Herrschers, and their bodies and cores were carefully preserved deep underground.
Ryan hadn't expected his application to be approved, but now he understood what Mei had meant earlier. The Herrscher Core was an incredibly valuable asset, so it only made sense to keep it in the safest place possible. That's why building such a solid fortress was not a mistake.
A steel corridor, multiple half-meter-thick explosion-proof doors, and surveillance cameras surrounded them. This was the deepest part of the Fire Moth headquarters—the safest place in the world.
He followed Mei through one explosion-proof door after another, eventually arriving at a hall. Both sides of the hallway were lined with dormant combat robots, and standing next to the innermost door were several figures encased in heavy armor.
Mantis? They'd been stationed here to guard the entrance already?
Ryan could feel the presence of Honkai energy, and though there weren't many lower-level Mantis present, it was clear that this area was highly significant.
Mei took out a document, and the soldiers were confirming it via a wired phone on the wall while Ryan observed silently. His strength was still untested, but his decisive actions indicated that he was a seasoned veteran, carefully selected by Fire Moth, with excellent combat experience.
"Dr. Mei, Dr. Ryan, you have thirty minutes to collect data. Please enter."
A soldier pressed his helmet, revealing his eyes, and then had his iris scanned.
Puff.
There was a sound of pressure release, and the door, several times thicker than a bank vault, slowly opened. Guards stood on either side like iron towers.
Mei led Ryan down a long, narrow corridor and asked calmly, "What do you think of these Mantis?"
"They're much weaker than me, but if there are enough of them, they could still pose a threat." Ryan had observed them carefully and concluded, "Once they stop being human, they can be used in many ways. It's like laying a foundation for further development."
"For example, that armor. Even Sakura can't use it. If you can't control Honkai energy, the human body can't withstand the acceleration. And that large-caliber electromagnetic cannon—it likely requires Honkai energy as a power source."
The combination of human evolution and technology is far more than just adding one and one. It's like a mass-produced version of myself before I gained my current power.
Mei nodded slightly. The ability to control Honkai energy was the key difference between living things. In a sense, they were no longer human. Faster, stronger, with built-in recharging, and the advantage of a different technology tree.
"So, how many do you think you could take on?" Mei asked, her curiosity piqued.
"I haven't tested this new thing, and combat isn't as simple as looking at paper data. But under normal circumstances..." Ryan thought for a moment before responding, "A few dozen should be no problem."
Dozens?
Mei mouth twitched slightly, realizing she had underestimated Ryan. This was the ultimate masterpiece of human biology and engineering, yet Ryan answer didn't faze him. She didn't argue. After all, the individual differences among humans were vast. Even lower-level Mantis could mutate or go crazy, and those able to fuse with higher-level Honkai beasts were much rarer.
Fate truly wasn't fair.
She silently opened the innermost door. The room wasn't large, but like Mobius laboratory, there were several glass jars containing three floating corpses.
The first was the body of the Herrscher.
Ryan had seen the white-haired girl, the Herrscher of Thunder, before. The other two were a man and a woman. The man appeared to be an elegant young man with short black hair, and his details were provided on the terminal next to him.
"Domino, a third-year student at the Faculty of Arts at Jianbei University, disappeared in 1994 and later became the First Herrscher. He was named the Herrscher of Reason..."
Ryan read aloud, following with details of his abilities and his "great achievements." More than a dozen towns were destroyed by him, and the Fire Moths had sacrificed thousands of lives to bring him down.
"The ultimate Honkai energy reaction is 1500hw. As a test scout, he wasn't weak."
The previous civilization wasn't so lucky. Domino wasn't like Mr. Walter, who liked doing sit-ups and joined the human camp. Domino had spread destruction quietly and without remorse.
"His ability to understand and construct consumed a lot of energy. The Fire Moth learned tactics from him, using every method to exhaust his Honkai energy and deliver a decisive blow." Mei approached quietly.
"Haha, now the Herrscher runs away. No one can stop him except the Mantis. Fortunately, the Herrscher was a liberal arts student." Ryan shrugged and paused while scrolling through the screen. "Hey, is this guy Damian brother?"
"Damian? Oh, you mean him." Mei thought of that inconspicuous colleague and said casually, "He's joined the Fire Moth and is in charge of special research for the Council. He reports directly to the Director-General."
This guy didn't die in the sea?
Ryan was surprised, but after hearing Mei words, he understood. "So, it was him who performed those fusion surgeries. No wonder a Sword of Punishment team suddenly appeared."
"I'm just copying Mobius' research report. Take a look at this." Mei didn't seem too concerned and walked over to the second glass jar.
Ryan looked at the information again and found it curious, but without concrete evidence, he couldn't question anything, so he followed Mei.
Inside the second jar was a little blonde girl who appeared to be in her early teens. According to the records, she was more destructive than the others.
"Lin, the carrier was an orphan found in a villa in the northern snowfield in 1996. She was confirmed to be the Herrscher of the Void..."
Behind her were several towns she had destroyed. A few of the Fire Moth's defense rings had been breached. If not for Elysia, she would have already entered the densely populated areas of Shenzhou.
Compared to the First Herrscher, the Fire Moth had barely defeated her, and the Intelligence Department had gathered some clues.
"The Herrscher is filled with hatred for humans, in stark contrast to the First Herrscher indifference. It's speculated that this hatred stems from the Herrscher carrier's experiences."
Ryan scrolled further and saw some disturbing images—pornographic and violent photographs taken in a luxurious villa. His eyebrows furrowed involuntarily.
"This villa..."
"In the records, it's called 'Paradise.' Would you like to see the related video?" Mei asked expressionlessly.
"Forget it. I'm well aware of how low humans can sink," Ryan waved his hand, seemingly a bit quiet.
If he had been in the girl's place, perhaps his perspective would have changed. It was because he still enjoyed being human that he had the desire to live. Had he been in the girl's shoes, his fate would likely have been one of destruction.
Ryan had encountered the Third Herrscher himself, so he had no interest in viewing it. He stared at Mei, who nodded slightly and walked over to a cone-shaped cabinet on the other side. After entering a password, several small boxes popped out.
Inside were three gems of different colors, resting quietly.
Mei glanced at Ryan and caught a fleeting trace of desire in his eyes.
"The Key of God Project has entered trial production. The Council has authorized me to take it out for use. Please help me acquire it."
"Okay." Ryan put on gloves and immediately moved to take them. After touching them, his eyebrows furrowed in slight confusion.
There was no response; they felt like stones—impossible to analyze.
Ryan pursed his lips and increased the pressure, but still received no change.
This is strange. Why didn't I see that strange image? Why didn't I have any dreams?
His mind raced rapidly.
First, I can only acquire one kind of authority.
Second, touching the shield will only work before the Herrscher dies.
Within ten seconds, he had analyzed all the conditions and clues and felt that the second possibility was the most likely.
"The Herrscher core of the previous civilization can't be transplanted. After the Herrscher dies, the core loses its activity and can only be used as a weapon. It's like an account that's been completely frozen—it can't be accessed from another location."
"What?" Mei suddenly asked, her eyes full of anticipation.
"It's just a dead object. Making it into the Key of God is the best way to make use of it."
"Really?"
"Why would I lie to you?"
Mei face suddenly darkened, and she looked a bit disappointed. Though Ryan had never openly admitted it, she had already guessed some of the clues.
It didn't seem like a cover-up, but it was a pity that five major plans and 127 adjustments had all been wasted.
"Ah, there really is no shortcut. The Fire Moth has studied these things, but there are secrets even I don't know. Some people inside have an extraordinary obsession with the Herrscher."
Those people were the believers, a group of lunatics and suicide experts. Ryan wasn't sure what they could come up with from these studies.
"Keep an eye on them. They are more troublesome than the surrenderists."
"Well, I've heard there are research institutes in abandoned areas like Northern Europe and Africa, but all the data has been deleted. So, I'm betting on you."
"Do you really think I'm omnipotent?" Ryan said with a touch of helplessness. He put the three Herrscher cores into the briefcase and suddenly felt bored. "If the Key of God can be successfully developed, it could provide some combat power."
"Do you think you'll get a chance to use it?"
"Haha, not everyone can control the Key of God. The Herrscher will make them understand this truth." Ryan took out his phone, checking the time. "You go find Vil-V, I'll check in on Mobius."
They both knew what Mobius had done. Mobius, rolling up her sleeves, checked the time. "It looks like the time is almost up. We haven't received any alarms yet, so the success rate is quite high. But you, aren't you worried at all?"
Ryan expression froze, and he replied, "What is there to worry about? She's in charge of the Mantis Program. Her success rate is higher than anyone else's."
"That's only 25 percent. Sometimes I really don't understand where your confidence comes from."
"You can regard it as intuition. The matter of obtaining the Honkai Beast factor is left to you. The higher-ups won't oppose it too much." Ryan walked away, his mind not in the least bit concerned.
Things that would've succeeded in the original world line now had a lower failure rate. Perhaps it was a rational decision, or perhaps it was simply selfishness.
As time passed, Ryan no longer cared about maintaining the world line. After the Fourth Herrscher incident, Mobius would become the first superior Mantis in human history.