Night fell. The minivan pulled into a desolate little town on the northern border of the Mu continent, a remote, rarely visited place.
Young people had long since left for larger cities. Its remoteness discouraged even the most hardened rchants, leaving behind only dilapidated buildings and a near absence of human life.
Shops along the road had their doors bolted shut. A dry wind whipped up dust, tattered billboards creaking ominously in the breeze. An indescribable desolation perated the air.
Ryan surveyed the scene. This desolation wasn't the sa as that caused by the third Honkai outbreak. This place was always deserted, but after the Honkai, even the ager remaining value had disappeared. Supply trucks never returned, and the remaining inhabitants were slowly starving.
"Beyond the town lies the wasteland. There are many isolated tribal settlents there." Sakura poked her head from the middle seat. She was familiar with the Mu continent, acting as a kind of guide. "These tribes are ignorant and primitive, living outside civilization. The various governnts don't even bother with them."
Tribal settlents?
Ryan didn't give it much thought. The Previous Era was sowhat counterintuitive. Despite advanced technology, there were many pockets of ignorance and isolation. Scholars had studied this, drawing interesting conclusions.
These people chose self-imposed isolation, embracing a primitive lifestyle and rejecting all outside influence. Their living conditions were so poor, it was decided to simply let them be.
'The reason is still Honkai. Over the years, so wise individuals realized that Honkai is linked to the advancent of civilization, so they chose regression. Unfortunately, they couldn't convince all of humanity to join them.'
Seemingly intelligent, yet ultimately foolish. Even if all of humanity regressed, it wouldn't have stopped the Honkai. A single Emperor-Class Honkai Beast could wipe them all out.
"Fools. Honkai targets all of humanity. What good does a few individuals regressing do?" Ryan wasn't about to waste ti on a handful of fools. Turning to Vill-V, he said, "You hid the data in this place? You're a genius, alright."
"I didn't hide it here, actually." Vill-V blinked innocently.
What?
Even Ryan nearly choked: "Then why did you bring us here?"
"It's actually hidden here...and not hidden here..."
"Get out of the car, you riddle-loving idiot!"
"Don't be impatient. Let explain." Vill-V cleared her throat, placing a hand over her chest. Her voice deepened, becoming rich and lodious:
"I hacked into the communication satellite and uploaded the data. According to my calculations, every seven days, this satellite passes directly over this empty town. We just need to download the data during that ti window. Absolute secrecy, maximum efficiency."
Ryan's jaw slowly dropped, his expression slack. He glanced at Sakura, who had a similar expression of shock.
Vill-V was clearly pleased with their stunned reactions, smugly asking, "So, how many points out of ten would you give for that operation?"
"Zero points!" Ryan instantly smacked the mage's head, grabbing her by the collar and shaking her back and forth. "It was a simple task! Why did you make it so complicated? Just dig a hole and bury it. Why all the flashy maneuvers?"
"Dig a hole? Too mundane."
"Do you think this is a performance? I need to get this done quickly and get back to work. Are you wasting my ti?"
"Life is all a performance, you know. Stop shaking ; my head is spinning."
Ryan took a deep breath. He wanted to dissect Vill-V's head to see what was inside. This woman was even more eccentric than Mobius. Mobius was unpredictable, but she was serious when it ca to work.
Vill-V, on the other hand, was perpetually whimsical.
He finally released her. There was no point in beating her; her 'ego' might even co and question him about it.
"When does the satellite pass over again?"
"Two days from tonight."
"Then why were you in such a rush? I could have gotten rid of the pursuers by then."
"You told to get the data quickly." Vill-V looked completely innocent, spreading her hands. "Besides, I couldn't resist such a flamboyant operation."
Ryan let out a long sigh. He convinced himself not to engage in a ntal battle with this schizophrenic; focus on the objective.
The original plan was clearly useless. The Pureblood faction and Cocoon would be here soon. Many would be secretly observing, so it wasn't wise to reveal his Herrscher powers under normal circumstances.
But their political enemies weren't fools; they wouldn't give up easily. Logistically, it wasn't a major problem.
While Ryan pondered, Sakura was secretly observing. She found him less terrifying than she initially thought. A slightly cold-blooded person wouldn't easily let the 'mage' go.
As for Vill-V... she lacked the vocabulary to describe her other than 'eccentric.'
"What do we do now?"
"What else? If we hide in the wilderness, we'll have to return eventually. They'll definitely connect the data to this location, and might even consider satellite communication." Ryan rubbed his head, cursing whoever had co up with this unnecessarily complex plan.
Truthfully, stealing the data or destroying the satellite was far easier than dealing with this situation.
"Staying here is incredibly risky."
Ryan glanced at Vill-V, who was whistling rrily, then turned back. "There's no choice. Besides the wasted ti, without the data, you're as good as dead."
Sakura said nothing. If she failed her employer, she would be eliminated. Once they had free ti, they'd co for Rin first.
"Should I lead them away for two days?"
"You're not afraid of the risk?"
"I'd rather not owe favors. Moreover, if I die, Rin can still live."
The girl's serious reply earned a sidelong glance from Ryan, who didn't dislike her resolve.
"Don't worry, everything is under control. I said I wouldn't let you die, and you won't." Ryan patted Vill-V on the shoulder, instructing her to drive to an abandoned garage.
As the three exited the vehicle, several elderly locals eyed them. Ryan's handso features, coupled with Vill-V and Sakura's striking beauty, instinctively sparked avarice in their hearts.
Ryan, however, wasn't interested in conflict. With a wave of his hand, an invisible ntal force caused the n to freeze, then stumble and turn away.
Subtly manipulated, they retreated to their hos to quietly plan their escape.
There wasn't much ti before their breaths returned to normal, and the novelty of the scene began to fade. Ryan climbed onto a rooftop, tossed aside a tattered tarp, and began observing the terrain.
The surroundings were too open, which wasn't good; it favored clandestine observation. Conversely, the wasteland to the south was shielded by a mountain range.
Bare, jagged peaks and strange rock formations dominated the landscape. A large fissure ran through the center, devoid of any signs of civilization, yet the Honkai energy was palpable.
"Honkai activity in that wasteland? Fire Moth doesn't care?"
"Probably not worth protecting. Fire Moth is severely short-staffed now." Sakura joined him, a hint of disgust in her eyes. "Besides, that area is inhabited only by uncivilized tribespeople. Savage and dangerous. Why bother with a fruitless endeavor?"
"You've been there?"
"Yes. Cocoon once received a mission to infiltrate and scout the area. Supposedly sothing fell from the sky, but besides killing many tribespeople, nothing was found."
Sothing fell from the sky? That sounded familiar.
Ryan instinctively frowned. In the Previous Era, anything that fell from the sky wasn't simple. Before he could ponder further, he saw vague shadows swaying in the ravine opposite.
"The Honkai Beasts don't seem interested in this town. Perhaps they consider it already a hellhole; killing these people might be a form of liberation?"
Sakura remained silent. As a special agent, she had limited experience fighting Honkai Beasts, but as an assassin, she possessed abundant patience.
She watched Ryan in deep thought, Vill-V humming softly as she rummaged through the dilapidated buildings, collecting scraps of tal. The combination was truly bizarre.
'How did these two completely different people end up together? And Vill-V doesn't seem like a subordinate; doesn't she feel any pressure from this man?'
'And him. He trusts so much? Allowing to strategize without fearing I'll betray him?'
Sakura had many unanswered questions. At that mont, she saw Ryan suddenly slap the table, causing the rotten wooden square to collapse with a 'thud.'
"I've got a new plan."
"Wait, you have to tell about it."
"If you distrust soone, don't use them. If you use them, don't distrust them. I've already explained our mutual interests. I trust you're intelligent." Ryan didn't bother with pleasantries. "I'll have Vill-V hide in town. You and I will go to the wasteland to draw out the pursuers. The Honkai energy there is higher than normal, which can disrupt 'the eyes.'"
"Sounds like an ideal battleground. We can use the Honkai Beasts as cover. Once the downloads are complete, we'll erge and deal with the pursuers." Sakura nodded, gesturing towards the girl downstairs, who was tinkering with so strange device. "There's only one problem. Is she... trustworthy?"
So embarrassing, she dragged into this.
Ryan avoided eye contact, grumbling, "Don't worry. Vill-V is reliable at crucial monts, especially when it cos to hiding and escaping."
"Surviving a hunt by Cocoon proves that point."
Ryan glared at the girl, always feeling she and Hua would get along. Efficient and to the point, her cold deanor seed more like an act than Hua's natural stoicism.
"Don't worry, tonight should be safe. Rest up. We'll act tomorrow."
Ignoring Sakura's surprised look and Vill-V's tinkering, he descended the stairs, gazing towards the distant ravine with a curious expression.
What was out there?
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