Done.
Ryan hung up the phone, a proud smile spreading across his face. A person as cautious as him rarely showed this expression. However, this complete victory indeed gave him a sense of accomplishment. Though he wasn't sure why, it seemed that the incident was mostly his fault, pushing Mobius to the brink of turning hostile.
Under normal circumstances, resolving this would have come at a great cost—losing face and possibly leading to a direct loss, something Ryan couldn't allow.
'Then, I pinpointed Mobius' weak spot, set a logical trap, and turned a bad situation into a good one.'
He lightly clapped his hands, as if applauding himself. This was perfect; not only had he calmed Mobius down, but she also praised him greatly and promised compensation, the only cost being a little shrinkage of her secret funds.
It almost felt like he had made his girlfriend angry and then spent money to win her back.
Ryan smile froze for a moment, but he quickly dismissed the thought.
Money is dirt, face is the most important.
"From the look on your face, it seems like you've settled things?" Elysia sneaked up behind him, signaling that she had already paid the bill.
Well, that saved him some money.
Ryan smiled and casually snapped his fingers. "Not only did I settle it, but I also made Mobius owe me a favor."
Ah?
Elysia curiosity was piqued. She immediately jumped forward and grabbed Ryan hand. "Tell me how you did it!"
"Ahem, it's a long story, let me summarize it." Ryan inhaled lightly, then rattled off a string of technical terms:
"Deeply connected mutual interests, precisely pinpointing Mobius' weak points, accurately targeting her needs, deconstructing the key factors, then responding quickly, reverse-engineering solutions..."
Elysia was getting more and more confused, and this didn't seem like much of a summary.
"Ryan, can you speak in simple language?"
"I basically flattered her and then spent money to smooth things over."
That's it?
Elysia stared at Ryan, slowly blinking, then suddenly burst into a soft laugh.
"Ryan, I think you've gotten more mischievous♪."
"I've always had a great sense of humor," Ryan shrugged, just as his phone vibrated. He pulled it out and once again wore a smug smile.
"Is it dear Mobius?"
"I told you she owes me a favor; this is one of the ways to settle the debt. Hmph, I was prepared for this, thinking she would make me owe her? Hmph, not so easily."
Ryan snorted and opened the file, revealing a unique program—a map unfolded on the screen. Due to the data overload, it froze his phone.
"What is this?" Elysia leaned over to look, noticing many red dots on the map.
"Real-time image from the SkyNet system. It's a few minutes slower than the headquarters, poor hardware. I'll grab a tactical terminal later."
So it was the location of high-level Honkai Beast.
Elysia seemed to have understood, like she knew why Ryan was eager to deal with these Honkai Beast. But, as usual, she just smiled and remained silent, showing no sign of probing further.
"Do you need help? It's free, you know?"
Why emphasize "free"? It almost makes me sound stingy.
Ryan hesitated for a moment but firmly shook his head. "No need. The Honkai Beast are too clever; if too many people go, they'll likely hide."
I'm just here to farm experience, not steal kills with you.
He secretly added in his mind and firmly emphasized, "But don't rush off. Stay in Britain and be ready to assist me."
Upon hearing this, Elysia understood that Ryan was worried about an ambush from the Fifth Herrscher and nodded obediently. "Got it."
You're still the best. No charges, no sarcasm.
Ryan silently muttered in his mind, then, like a gentleman, he raised his right hand. "Madam, shall I escort you home?"
Elysia, unsure of what Ryan was up to now, smiled sweetly, resting her hand in his, covered by white gloves.
"Then I'll leave it to you♪."
The next day, Ryan woke up in the hospital bed, first heading to the restroom to freshen up. He then took a set of clothes from the wardrobe and laid them on the bed.
This was the outfit Elysia had sent the night before, enthusiastically claiming she had a transformation plan, which she said had come to her after the last birthday party.
'I see, you probably enjoyed the results on Hua and now want to try your hand on me.'
Ryan muttered silently, then proceeded to put on the clothes and checked himself in the mirror.
A light gray knee-length coat, with a black turtleneck sweater underneath, and dark blue jeans. Ryan spun around twice and nodded silently.
Not bad, it's within acceptable range, and I saved money on clothes.
This outfit made him look younger, and Ryan typically didn't care much about his attire. He usually just wore a white shirt and a black coat, which made him seem a bit old-fashioned, earning him the nickname "old scholar" from Elysia.
A typical "straight man" style. Ryan had bought over a dozen identical outfits in one go, as he figured spending too much time in the lab had unconsciously made him blend in with the balding crowd there.
"Not bad, Elysia taste is quite stylish," Ryan smiled at the mirror, adjusted his bangs, stuffed the tactical terminal into his coat pocket, then glanced around the hospital room before gently closing the door.
He wasn't in a hurry to leave. First, he handed the discharge papers to the nurse and then grabbed a hearty breakfast from the cafeteria.
The members of the "Sword of Punishment" were already back in the M continent, and he didn't have any familiar people here. Plus, Elysia had thoughtfully refrained from disturbing him.
He grabbed fried eggs, fries, milk, and a sandwich and found a corner to eat. Bored, he took out his phone to browse his social media.
He saw that Mobius had posted a cryptic photo—a pitch-black room with what seemed to be a safe in the background, and all the comments were filled with question marks. He couldn't help but hum.
Was she celebrating the fact that she made a windfall? That's my money!
Spending 3 millions euros to make Mobius happy… I wonder if it was worth it, but the money's already been sent, getting it back now would be nearly impossible.
"Let's see if Eden is satisfied. She's so rich, she shouldn't be haggling over it."
Ryan had burned the midnight oil last night, and he had already sent out a new song. One wasn't enough, so he sent two. After all, he had plenty of stock to cash in on.
"Probably all busy, just wait a few more days," Ryan scrolled through other updates. Besides Hen, who posted daily pictures of his daughter, most people seemed to be silent.
People like Kevin and Hua were probably on some battlefield with no internet.
Ryan dipped his fries into ketchup with one hand while scrolling through the news with the other. After a while, he turned off the screen and put the phone aside.
The world keeps getting worse.
There was nothing good in the news. One moment it was about a town being wiped out by the corrupted, then it was about another area being abandoned.
Food shortages, law and order problems, religious issues, rebel movements—enough to make the "Fire Moth" bald heads lose sleep. No wonder the higher-ups hadn't contacted him recently.
'Feels like I'm a mantis before the wheels of a train, unable to stop this destructive train, at best just slowing its pace.'
He smiled silently, at least so far, he hadn't been crushed by the wheels.
Beep.
His phone rang. Ryan unlocked it and saw a message from Sakura, simple enough.
[Do you need me to come with you?]
[No need, you stabilize your powers first, then proceed with the second-stage operation.]
Since time wasn't critical, Ryan decided to take it slow. He thought for a moment and added:
[Just stay in Britain, keep an eye on the kids, and don't reveal my whereabouts.]
[Got it, thanks.]
With Elysia around, you won't be bored.
Ryan grinned, stuffed the last few fries into his mouth, and silently stood up. He borrowed a motorcycle and headed straight out of the hospital.
Now, the intelligence department no longer dared to monitor him, and no one knew where Ryan was going.
After resting for many days, it was time to get back to work.
Ryan rode his motorcycle out of the city, passed the farmland, and reached the coast. He took out his tactical terminal, checking the destination which had already been set last night.
Northern Europe, with three corrupted sources, all close by.
Having received two pleasant surprises, Ryan was even more cautious this time. He reviewed all the high-corruption source records from the "SkyNet" system over the past half-month and selected the nearest area.
Even if there was another surprise, with Sakura and Elysia around, it would be as stable as a rock.
Quick in and out.
As the sound of the waves crashing on the shore filled the air, he slowly floated up into the sky, rising to a height of a thousand meters, then slowly accelerated.
This time, Ryan was using the power of the Wind, which had far less explosive force than the Thunder but had the advantage of being more energy-efficient, allowing for longer distances—like being pushed and floating far away.
And when continuously accelerating, it wasn't exactly slow, giving a unique feeling of freedom.
Ryan felt as though he had become a bird, gliding through the clouds. With just a bit of effort, he could change his posture instantly.
It wasn't an abrupt stop and turn, but it was much smoother, making it hard to predict. He finally understood why the Wind Herrscher was like an eel.
The instantaneous destructive power was average, but the reaction speed was very fast, plus the detection and invisibility abilities.
Above the roaring North Sea, Ryan didn't have to worry about damaging public property and took the opportunity to practice the power's usage.
The air twisted the light, creating an invisible shield in the air. Migrating seagulls collided with it and died, while the ocean, as if alive, split and closed, sometimes calm, but with hidden currents like knives beneath the surface, killing fish within moments.
"Nice. Creating ideal fluid flows with this power has many applications. It's a great auxiliary skill."
Ryan slowly discovered some shortcomings—it had low instantaneous damage, and the gathering speed was slow. No wonder the Wind Herrscher liked to keep distance.
But I'm different.
Ryan nimbly changed direction in the air, diving down, raising his left hand to twist the air. The falling snow was blocked by an invisible shield, and his right hand gathered a lightning spear, throwing it toward the distance.
Boom—
The mountain peak on the coast exploded, but even more bizarrely, the scattered rubble and shockwaves were pushed back by an invisible hand.
Tap.
Ryan landed in the snow, gently twisting his neck, looking at the "perfectly intact" mountain peak.
Wind and Thunder, both mastered!