I am a former Flame Chasers

Buzz buzz buzz...

The engine was loud, and military transport planes were never comfortable.

Mobius paced back and forth in the bumpy cabin, high heels clicking against the floor. The passengers, as if in a trance, stared blankly at the front. Even when a beautiful woman in a black silk skirt swayed past them, they remained motionless.

From the moment they boarded the plane, everyone, including the pilot, had inhaled a drug. No one would react, even if they were disemboweled in the next few hours.

"This morning, the higher-ups sent me to give an academic speech and detained Klein and the others. Humph, do they think I'm that stupid?"

Mobius' slender fingers unbuttoned the collar of a lieutenant and pulled out a pendant shaped like a beheaded moth. It was the badge of the special operations team from the Intelligence Department. Mobius glanced at it contemptuously before stuffing it back.

"So, they sent me away on purpose. The General Manager's position is highly suspicious."

The Holy City incident had already broken out, and sending Mobius away seemed strategic, but Ryan didn't think the General Manager had any ties to the Faith Faction.

"This is to protect you. I don't want you involved in the vortex, and I don't want you getting into trouble."

"Ryan, don't forget that I'm also a fusion warrior."

"Oh, yes, yes, but you're a rookie, so you shouldn't join the war." Ryan responded decisively. With so many fusion warriors now, Mobius didn't even rank high in terms of combat effectiveness.

"You..." Mobius gritted her teeth, but rarely lost her temper. "So, he's playing the balancing act again?"

"I don't know, and honestly, it doesn't matter what he thinks. I'll take care of everything soon." Ryan said with disinterest. He could make several assumptions about the General Manager's position.

Balancing forces, seizing benefits, enduring for the greater good.

But it didn't matter. Ryan either wouldn't do it at all or would eliminate all the problems and completely control the Fire Moth. He wasn't going to leave someone behind to play political games. That was too kind.

Mobius frowned. She knew what cards Ryan held to solve this seemingly unsolvable situation. When the time came, she neither asked nor panicked.

"Vil-V was sent to the Antarctic base. The idiot went there happily. Now New York is left with Mei. If I'm not mistaken, she should be a hostage."

"This is normal. I'm still rational overall. The General Manager knows that Mei is important to me. Without saying much, if Mei died in my plan, Kevin would probably go insane." Ryan smiled bitterly. The two sides had been playing a battle of wits for almost two years, and they had all revealed their cards.

"I've given her the gift. There will be a big surprise when it arrives, but you really don't want to gather everyone?"

"No need. Sakura and I are enough. I don't even plan to let Sakura show up." Ryan replied indifferently. This was the other side's conspiracy. If Mobius, Elysia, and the others joined, they would truly become traitors to humanity.

Moreover, the operation was too big. Ryan feared that the other side would be scared and change their plans.

Damn, if I had known earlier, I would have learned assassination.

Mobius gritted her teeth, wanting to mock Ryan for his self-confidence and inability to understand the situation. Clearly, they knew he was coming and had prepared thoroughly.

But what could she say? She just had to believe him this time.

"What do you want me to do?"

"Where is your destination?" Ryan asked in return. It was almost time for the main show.

"My first stop is in Australia. There's a biological research institute there that's working on some projects I'm guiding."

What projects need Mobius' guidance? Wasn't this like a Nobel Prize winner teaching middle school students?

Regardless of the excuse, Australia seemed quite suitable. Elysia was also in charge of the Seventh Herrscher matters there. Sakura and Andevich weren't far away, and there was a biological research institute...

I've been very lucky lately.

Ryan glanced at Pardo, who had already fallen asleep, curled up in a ball like a cat. He stroked her long hair with his hand, faintly hearing her soft snoring.

Who said my Pardo is useless? The luck she brings is much stronger than an upper-level fusion warrior.

Ryan credited Pardo for the good luck, and then realized he couldn't pull his hand out. The 'cat' turned over and held his hand tightly to her chest. The softness and warmth startled him for a moment, but he quickly understood.

"I'm sorry for scaring you today." Ryan simply sat next to her, letting Pardo hold his hand, gently stroking her smooth back with his other hand.

Pardofelis was very weak and sensitive. In just a month, her life had changed dramatically.

The once-dangerous and familiar Sundown Alley was no longer a place she could return to. The stray cats around her had become Ryan and his group. She always hid behind a few people, worrying silently.

Don't worry, I won't let you be frightened forever. These terrifying things will come to an end.

Ryan gently pinched her face. The touch was soft, like water. It was so comforting, just like Mobius's stockings, her shiny back...

Bah, what kind of messy metaphors am I making?

He snapped back to reality and gently stroked Pardo's face, not retracting his hand until he heard the sound of the door lock.

"You're finally back."

It was Aponia, her nun's uniform a little dirty, with white silk knee-high socks marked with several scratches. She looked a little embarrassed.

"You weren't robbed, were you?"

"Are you kidding? I helped a lot and didn't even have time to put on makeup." Aponia smiled compassionately and shook her head gently. "A lot of people were killed and injured. Those monsters are so terrifying. If you get bitten, you become one of them after a while."

Ryan looked up suddenly, finally understanding where the blood on the nun's uniform came from. He sighed, "You really do good work."

Aponia was mysterious, but she was genuinely kind. It was just that often, her good intentions led to bad outcomes.

"I'm just doing what I can, but you're different." The room was dim, and Aponia's eyes seemed to burn with flames. "My fate has been changed by you again. Sure enough, they're all blasphemers, and only you are the real apostle."

Ryan was taken aback by the fanaticism. Aponia hadn't suffered enough setbacks yet and was still very pious, but he couldn't deny this credit.

Without him, the monsters wouldn't have been discovered. Sooner or later, they would have been activated by the Herrscher, and the center would have exploded, revealing the result to millions.

Once it spread, the Fire Moths couldn't control it without deploying Honkai fragmentation bombs to eliminate them.

Well, this is truly my credit.

Ryan wasn't a saint, and being stared at by a beautiful woman didn't bother him. He asked casually, "So, you helped. What else did you do?"

"I talked to Father Joshua and accepted some of his compliments."

Father Joshua? Oh, he's the high-level fusion warrior stationed here.

Ryan remembered this person from his intel. Since he was a believer, his position seemed suspicious, so Ryan hadn't made contact yet.

"What did he talk to you about?"

"Some opinions about the Church. He was very happy to hear I was from outside, and asked me to help clean up the mess at the Church..."

Aponia continued speaking slowly. The disaster had wiped out the Church's top leaders. As a city of faith, the priests and nuns held high positions.

Because Aponia had performed so well, Joshua had noticed her, asking her to speak to the victims. And the result was...

With the power of "discipline," Aponia wasn't giving a speech but rather brainwashing them. The effect was unimaginable. Joshua had even considered making her the new chief nun.

"This guy is not aligned with the Pope. Not only did he fail to suppress the scandal, but he also wanted to make trouble."

Ryan realized. As an old shaman, he instantly saw Joshua's position was problematic. Then, he realized this was an opportunity.

He looked at the beautiful nun with the compassionate face. She was the very definition of a "saint." And he understood the power of faith.

If you don't occupy the public opinion position, the enemy will. They can take it instead.

"Coincidentally, I was thinking about how to clean up the mess after dealing with the Pope." Ryan suddenly slapped his thigh, his heart already certain the Pope was a dead man. The Fire Moth couldn't fill the power vacuum left behind.

"How to clean up?" Aponia asked, curious.

"You should become the new Pope, with Joshua's support. It shouldn't be difficult."

Me? Pope?

Aponia, who had grown up in a small monastery and never left Sundown Alley, was stunned. She had no interest in power, but she never considered this possibility.

The limit of her imagination was being a saint, as Father Joshua said.

"But now there is His Holiness the Pope."

Ryan pulled his hand out of Pardo's arms, standing up with deep gray eyes.

"No, not for long."