Hola, Im Back
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In Jeju City, Dream Hotel.
In the morning, Ryan stepped onto the staircase, ignoring the few glances cast by sanitation workers.
After disappearing for the night, he had once again entered Fire Moth's surveillance radar. No one knew what he had been up to. The two poor souls who had been tasked with monitoring him were already taken away for interrogation.
No matter how much they interrogated, their testimonies would not falter:
When the attack occurred in Tokyo, Dr. Ryan had been under their surveillance the entire time, showing no signs of leaving. Whether he had remotely commanded others to attack, they didn't know.
The chaos from that night had everyone talking, and everyone knew it had something to do with Ryan. But with no evidence, what could they do to him?
Alibi? Witnesses? Testimonies? None of it pointed to him, and his psychological composure left no cracks.
"Heh, are you mad?"
Ryan went straight to the restaurant, took out his phone, and checked the message. It was from Himeko, with just two words:
"Thank you."
It was short, but it carried a thousand unspoken words. Ryan smiled and quickly replied, "No need to thank me."
After causing such a huge uproar, she wouldn't have turned into a Herrscher, right?
This was one of the secondary reasons for his actions. Himeko and he weren't particularly close, but Hua was important to him, and he really didn't want to see his sister upset.
Mental breakdown and high Honkai energy adaptability were the two prerequisites for becoming a Herrscher. Himeko seemed to be fine now. Although she didn't take the direct action, the whole affair had been handled beautifully.
People were killed, the city was destroyed, and Fire Moth still couldn't do anything about it. Playing dirty against me? They really don't know who they're messing with.
Ryan ordered a bowl of noodles and sat by the window, watching the sanitation workers who were sluggishly working, noticing their poor acting skills. He idly played with his chopsticks, reflecting on his recent findings.
"The Faith Sect has nine members, with a new addition recently. This shows that the temptation offered by the collapse is significant. But the clues stop here."
"They are even more secretive than the Fire Moth council members. It makes sense though. They can be considered traitors to humanity for their own benefit. If they weren't secretive, they would have been found out and killed by now."
Ryan chopsticks moved faster, turning into a blur, as he pondered deeper. At least he now knew the full picture of this cancer and was gradually peeling them out from the shadows.
Nine members... no, eight left. From here on out, they should be more careful. I've already sent the information to Mobius, hoping she'll change her mind.
The two of them shared similar views on the matter, but Mobius was more rational and didn't want to risk human infighting. She wanted to wait for the perfect moment, which is why she had been so angry last time.
"Too bad, though. The Honkai is adjusting, and not everything can go according to plan. Sometimes, being emotional is more useful."
Ryan took a sip of the complimentary tea. When he gets impulsive, even Mobius can't understand him. Just like how Mobius couldn't fully embrace Fire Moth, Ryan also didn't want to take the route of self-destructive tactics, where you kill a thousand enemies and lose eight hundred of your own.
The best outcome would be to cut out this cancer, and now there were two possible ways.
"First, start with Lieutenant Whiteman, find out who gave him his orders; second, there's the supplier Black Dog. He should have client lists or something, and if I can trace the owner, the situation will suddenly change."
Ryan wasn't reckless. He just didn't like calculating every little gain like Mobius.
The first thing Mobius could handle, but the second task he would take on himself, though it would be a bit troublesome.
He had to investigate but not too quickly. He wanted to use this opportunity to find out the relationship between the Faith Sect and the Herrschers—one stone, two birds.
But he didn't really worry too much about Black Dog. Based on the way these people operated, if they had an absolutely critical lead, Black Dog wouldn't still be alive. But he could serve as cover for Mobius's doll.
At that moment, the noodles were brought to his table, and Ryan looked up to see the attractive owner.
"Thank you, I appreciate you bringing it yourself."
"It was just a few steps. I have something to apologize for." She pulled out a few sheets of paper from her wallet and gently placed them on the table. "In a couple of days, we'll be doing renovations. I'm sorry, but you'll need to find another place to stay. As compensation, I'll double the remaining room fee for you."
Her expression remained calm and graceful, but Ryan noticed a slight change in her micro-expressions. After a brief thought, he understood the reason.
'She misunderstood. She thinks the agents are targeting her, assuming she's been monitored.'
Her identity had been suspicious from the start, and now living among agents would make anyone nervous, but her attitude was calm, and she was handling the situation well, knowing better than to drag innocent people into it.
Ryan had a sudden idea.
"Please, sit down. We can chat for a bit."
Dream raised an eyebrow, unsure of what there was to talk about but still pulled out a chair to sit.
"Do you have something to say?"
Ryan lowered his head and ate his noodles, wiping the corner of his mouth casually and saying, "Choosing to go against Fire Moth isn't a good idea. Since it's exposed, why not slip away quietly?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Ryan noticed Dream tightening her grip on the tablecloth, her expression turning cold. Other guests at nearby tables suddenly turned their attention to them.
Well, except for me, the rest of you are all playing spy drama.
"You're bait?" The woman lowered her voice, and her hand slipped under the table, making a soft "click" sound as she unlocked a hidden compartment.
Ryan acted as though he knew nothing, picking up a napkin and wiping his mouth. "The noodles are good, but you can be a bit smarter. If I were bait, why would I expose myself? Wouldn't it be easier to catch people in a net?"
"What if you were coerced by Fire Moth?"
"Great imagination, but you're wrong. Dealing with a few traitors like you doesn't require such a long-winded setup. The reason you stayed here is because you realized there were too many enemies and wanted to use yourself as bait, to help your comrades escape."
Her mouth twitched, and she looked Ryan over again. In her mind, she realized that he had never conducted any surveillance, so how could he have guessed her thoughts?
"So what now?"
"You should know I'm from Fire Moth. The reason I stayed here was out of curiosity, right?"
"Yes," Dream nodded. She understood Ryan wasn't after her, at least not directly.
However, as soon as he arrived, a large group of Fire Moth agents had shown up. This was completely unexpected.
"I came to the peninsula to investigate Black Dog. You should be familiar with him."
"Who doesn't know his name in both the underworld and the law?" She chuckled. "You're really spending time to handle him?"
"This is my business. Now, let's talk about you. Getting out of this encirclement is simple—work with me and investigate his background."
"Then you'll clean up the mess and add a notch to your record?"
Her tone grew more mocking. No matter what Ryan wanted to do, he was still from Fire Moth.
Ryan remained expressionless, pushing his noodle bowl forward. "I don't care. As long as you cooperate with me, you won't have to drag your comrades into this. After all, you're doomed to die here anyway. Why not fight for a chance to live?"
Dream blinked, somewhat confused by his words.
"What's in it for you? Aren't you afraid your superior will come after you?"
As he had said, being targeted by so many agents, suicide would be the best option. But her request seemed so bizarre.
Internal strife within Fire Moth? Trying to flip me and take down the organization from the inside?
The second point seemed impossible. What they had done would never attract the attention of Fire Moth headquarters.
But was he not afraid that I would run away the moment I stepped out the door?
"Because, in a sense, the Far East branch is also an obstacle to my mission. My superior only cares about results."
"An obstacle?"
"You don't think Black Dog has connections with them, do you? If I were following the proper channels, I should be sitting in the Far East branch's reception room right now. But the connections you have are more useful than mine."
Dream suddenly realized, her intelligence dropping because of her nerves.
This makes sense. Black Dog has long been closely aligned with Fire Moth. If we followed the proper channels to investigate, we wouldn't find a thing. Only by relying on someone like me, a local, can we uncover traces.
But she still didn't fully believe it. She lowered her voice, "Only me, not involving anyone else. Black Dog is also my enemy. You can trust me on that."
"Then let's cooperate," Ryan extended his right hand.
So direct?
The woman hesitated for a moment but eventually shook his hand. Meanwhile, the surveillance agents noticed this strange gesture.
"Check the woman's identity. Yes, look it up in the database."
At first, they ignored the owner, thinking that Ryan wouldn't have any connections with locals. But this handshake piqued their interest. The powerful intelligence network quickly unearthed her identity.
"She's suspected of being involved in two protests. Section Three suspects she's an opposer."
Once labeled an opposer, she would be expelled from the protected zone, making her a high-risk individual. Normally, agents would just capture such small-time characters. But the fact that Ryan shook hands with her made them suspect something big was at play.
This must be a big fish. Otherwise, why would someone like Dr. Ryan cooperate with her? Perhaps she had a lot of valuable intelligence, maybe even being the leader of Jeju's resistance!
But by the time they realized it, it was too late. After all, it was Ryan involved.
The minister, furious, heard the report.
"They look like they're preparing to leave the hotel."
Dream stood there, stunned. At 35, she had lived through many things, but she never imagined that one day she would encounter something so unbelievable.
After shaking hands, Ryan indicated she should follow him. Then he approached the nearby table and said to a few agents, "I asked her to help me with something. Due to her identity, she didn't want to have much contact with Fire Moth, so you guys stay behind. If I catch you following, people might die."
Dream froze. She thought this person would make some kind of power trade or use strong hands to cover her escape. Instead, it was over just like that? He simply walked over and said a few words, and he thought he was someone special?
Before she could disdainfully dismiss his arrogance, something even more miraculous happened.
The agents turned red-faced and acted as if they hadn't heard anything, continuing to eat their noodles. The disguised hotel guests and delivery personnel all diverted their gazes, some even facing the walls.
This scene was bizarre, but the woman could feel the tension in the air: They were afraid. These vicious, lawless dogs were afraid, just because of a few words.
The two walked to the hotel entrance, where there should have been sanitation workers or street vendors. But instead, it was eerily quiet, showing just how terrifying the trap was.
Yet, in this web of traps, she walked out as if on a casual stroll, turning her head stiffly.
"You… Who exactly are you?"
Ryan, hands in his pockets, looked back slightly, his tone calm and natural.
"Just call me Ryan."