To be honest, Ryan had no intention of forming a hero team. He simply wanted to gather a small group for himself, for humanity, to prepare for the inevitable confrontation with the little geniuses of the Fire Moths.
The world line had already changed beyond recognition, and no one knew who would die early. But when combined with the Mantis Plan, it all started to make sense. In the future, individual combat power would surely outstrip the military's, and this approach was very much in line with Elysia's appetite. While normal people might wonder why Ryan was so sure about these candidates, Super Elysia didn't care.
"Ding ding, this is my latest plan!"
Two hours later, Ryan was sitting in the living room sipping tea while Sakura mopped the floor when Elysia suddenly jumped out, wearing a pair of plain glasses, holding up a piece of paper triumphantly.
Sakura was confused, but Ryan reluctantly took the plan from her. Elysia was always willing to help, no matter what.
"What kind of plan is this?"
Ryan glanced at the paper, which had a head drawn on it with very few words and mostly doodles. Still, he understood the meaning behind it.
"Wait a minute, when did I say there was going to be a celebration? And what is there to celebrate? What's the point?"
"You don't understand. It's ideals and emotions that connect us. Uniting everyone is what I'm best at, right, Sakura?"
The girl mopping the floor nodded, though she was just as confused. It was true that, in just half a day, she had become friends with Elysia. She was indeed capable.
"Hey, aren't we being too high-profile by holding a celebration right under the nose of Fire Moth?"
"Everyone you mentioned is a friend. It's okay to be happy together. Even if you cut off all contact, will they stop having wild thoughts?"
Ryan's mouth twitched. What she said made sense. It was like when Kevin treated everyone to a meal before. It seemed no different. And looking at Elysia's appearance, it didn't look like she was planning a secret meeting or plotting a rebellion.
Rebellion, both ancient and modern, has never been so high-profile. A group of people going to a holiday resort to eat and drink—who are they looking down on?
"Why do I feel like you're enjoying this? Digging a hole for me to jump into?"
"It's already very happy to make everyone become friends!" Elysia clapped her hands, a mischievous gleam flashing in her eyes. "It's decided! I've found a reason to celebrate."
"What's the reason?"
"Your birthday party. Wasn't it a surprise?!"
Ryan was stunned and instinctively glanced at the calendar. Today was November 8th. In two days, he would be twenty years old. However, so many things had happened this year that he hadn't even noticed.
After a moment of being at a loss, he found himself somewhat surprised, then laughed and said, "I never celebrate my birthday."
"But I want to pass. I'm one day younger than you."
"What? Your birthday is November 11th, how old are you?"
"You can't ask a girl her age. If you're really curious, I'll always be 17." Elysia wagged her finger and quickly snatched back the plan. "Then the birthday celebration for Ali begins now. You must obey my orders."
"Wait..."
Ryan raised his hand, but the girl had already happily jumped up the stairs and returned to her room, leaving him speechless.
He looks so cheerful. Maybe she's using my name to celebrate her own birthday.
Ryan was suspicious of Elysia's true intentions, but rationally, he couldn't find any fault with it. Since he had decided to confront Honkai head-on, he should unite the strong around him as soon as possible. Besides ideals, isn't emotional connection the only way to unite them?
Starting with interests and then bonding emotionally was the most efficient and cheap method. But...
Kevin's birthday party became mine. Some things never change.
"Ms. Elysia, you're really unpredictable." Sakura walked over quietly with a faint smile.
"God knows what she's thinking, but there are things only she can do. Even I'm no match for her when it comes to dealing with humans."
"Maybe she's just worried about you."
Sakura's words made Ryan glance sideways. He wasn't angry; in fact, he was under a lot of pressure. If he were someone who liked to fantasize, he might have thought about dragging all humans into this.
Well, since we've entered a new chapter, it would be nice to start with laughter.
"Sakura, let's have a barbecue. What do you think?"
"Not bad. I'll go buy some ingredients tomorrow and make a few more racks. In these troubled times, it's good to have some trusted friends, especially Dr. Mobius. I'm really curious about her."
Don't be curious. Wait... the look in Elysia's eyes just now—could it be that she's ready to watch a good show?
Ryan suddenly regretted it, but thinking that Elysia must have called in a hurry, he could only grit his teeth and nod.
"Then go get ready. We can take this opportunity to discuss some things."
He thought of some benefits. He felt a sense of honor that the prototype of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers could be created in his hands.
I kept hugging the thighs, and in the end, I became the core. I had to become the core.
It was a little ironic, but looking back, there was nothing wrong. If this was his fate, he would accept it calmly.
In the next two days, Ryan became so busy that he didn't even have time to think about who would become a Mantis first. He spent the whole day either preparing ingredients, blowing up balloons, or preparing gifts.
The Fire Moth received the news quickly. After all, Elysia had no intention of hiding anything. The people in the Intelligence Department did an overnight analysis and found that while there weren't many people invited, each had a prominent background.
Mei, director of the research committee, Vil-V, director of the fourth institute, Mobius, director of the fifth institute, Kevin and Hua, the two most outstanding recruits this year, Ato, director of the South Shenzhou branch combat team, and his wife and daughter, Himiko, captain of the Far East branch combat team, and the least noticeable one: Su, a trainee at the Medical Research Institute.
After further investigation, it turned out there was no real danger. These people weren't in high positions, nor did they hold military power, and they all had one thing in common: they were all friends of Dr. Lane, or friends of friends, and some had no connections at all.
It was definitely a private gathering. Fire Moth didn't have any rules prohibiting birthday parties. Besides, if there was a conspiracy, it wouldn't be so high-profile.
But the Intelligence Department was still cautious, sending agents to approach in various identities. In the end, nothing happened.
Of course, Ryan couldn't kill them, so all the agents were drafted by Elysia and joined in the venue arrangements, all with confused expressions on their faces.
"Yes, yes, yes, hang the banner higher. There are also balloons. Who wants to blow them up?"
"Put up some window paper-cuts. Huh? Are these only put up during the Chinese New Year in China? Doesn't matter, just consider it as celebrating in advance."
"I've poured juice for everyone. Take a break after you're done."
The pink fairy lady was running around, giving orders everywhere, while some people, dressed as maintenance workers or tourists, were busy setting things up, making the villa lively.
"Ryan, is this really okay?" Sakura was making ribbons with scissors and found that she couldn't keep up with Elysia's thinking.
As a killer, the Intelligence Department had once been her natural enemy. She never imagined she would be setting up a venue with them. It could be said that her career as an assassin was overturned in a single day.
"This is Elysia. You just have to get used to it." Ryan didn't know how many times he'd said this. Looking at the girl running around, he couldn't help but complain.
This guy was even more excited than during the crusade against the Third Herrscher. He was obviously enjoying it. This devotion had affected him too, so how could he have any resistance?
I've been too busy recently. This is a good opportunity to sort out my thoughts.
"Don't worry. I can disable the eavesdropping devices and hidden cameras at any time. I've also prepared an emergency escape tunnel. If the Fourth Herrscher dares to come, she won't be able to leave."
Ryan wasn't just thinking about the party; he also wanted to take the opportunity to go fishing. Hawaii was originally an important base of the Fire Moth. With the garrison and their combined strength, the Herrscher would be seeking death if they came.
"If Elysia knew, she'd probably be angry."
"Humph. It's good enough that I've agreed to let her do whatever she wants, but you still dare to get angry?" Ryan snorted and then softened, "You should relax a little. Even if tomorrow is the end of the world, you have to live well today. Time is precious, but it's not a waste to enjoy yourself physically and mentally."
This is true. Some people always think they haven't done their best, and then the more they think about it, the more obsessed they become. But Ryan had gone through enough scientific research to understand one thing:
Even if everything is properly prepared, there's still a chance the experiment will fail. That chance can't be controlled by humans, so why obsess over it?
Sakura thought for a moment, nodded firmly, and then showed a hint of regret.
"It's a pity that Rin can't come to participate."
"The fewer people who know her identity, the better. Don't worry, there will be opportunities in the future. It's not like I only have one birthday."
"I'm looking forward to it."
Sakura showed some tenderness. She was truly looking forward to it, vaguely understanding what Ryan's "opportunity" meant. Once Fire Moth was washed clean, Ling would be free.
As she was thinking, she heard the sound of blades and turned to see a helicopter approaching.
"That identification mark belongs to the Research Committee. Dr. Mei and his team have arrived."
In fact, she didn't need to remind him. Ryan, with his sharper senses, had already noticed that a green-haired woman was sitting by the window, staring at him with snake-like eyes.
She really came?
Mei's arrival surprised Ryan a little. How could such a busy person find time to come? After thinking about it, he had no choice but to go and meet her.
Since Mei was here, Mobius would definitely come...
The grand birthday celebration for Elysia was already in full swing. Ryan couldn't help but glance back at the pink fairy lady who was enjoying herself, a vague premonition forming in his mind:
He was going to have a very lively twentieth birthday—more lively than in both of his lifetimes combined.
TN: In several previous chapters there was a character named Han/Hen, he is the father of Griseo and the wife of Blanca, whose real name is actually Ato.