I am a former Flame Chasers

Ryan shoved his hands in his pockets and looked ahead, indifferent to the passing world. When a beautiful clerk walked by, he stood at attention and saluted. A subtle nod of acknowledgment followed, before he turned and walked away with eyes full of admiration.

It wasn't just about the position now—Ryan knew that, while his appearance was far more striking than Carius's, it wasn't just his looks that earned him the title. Without his terrifying power, and the influence of Aponia's commandments, someone like him who "hadn't even grown all his hair" wouldn't have been the one to sit as branch combat director.

But now, it didn't matter. He'd assumed the position in a manner that was legal and completely by "democracy." Once Mei had cleaned up the aftermath and no member of parliament had turned against him, his position had become more and more stable.

But if there was any other way, I wouldn't have wanted this position. It's not exactly a pleasant job being a thorn in everyone's side.

Ryan walked faster, his pace quickening. In addition to the title, he didn't want the responsibilities of the general manager.

The higher EQ would say it's all about pioneering, but Ryan saw it differently. How could I just sit behind a desk with documents all day and stagnate?

The low EQ version of Ryan says: Signing papers and attending endless meetings is boring. If I had the time, I'd rather be an assistant to Mobius. At least that'd be interesting—playing with her is much more fun.

And honestly, I don't want to be too rational, like a robot deciding the fate of millions of people.

Ryan sighed. He had planned to let Mei be the general manager, but after the incident with Carius, he had changed his mind. Mei couldn't use her strength to control the thousands of Fire Moth employees. She wasn't suited for this role.

With Ryan in charge, he had the power and ability to provoke the right changes.

"Don't you want to kill me? I'm the flag of mankind's resistance to the Honkai. Killing me means the end of human civilization. With this goal in mind, even your plans will change," Ryan thought to himself.

He had enough influence now to be the ultimate target. He had drawn all the hate of humanity upon himself. It's not even worth going through the effort to destroy me anymore.

Ryan felt quite powerful. He couldn't help but smile, realizing that the Honkai goals were becoming clearer to him. The Honkai had long been attempting to guide humanity to embrace it. It seemed the solidified plans were moving forward.

In the past, humanity was divided, irreconcilable with the Honkai. But now, there was a group willing to embrace it.

"So, you've gained a lot too?" Ryan mused aloud, glancing up at the ceiling with a slight frown.

He didn't care much about what the Honkai wanted to do, as long as he remained a thorn in their side. His selfish desire was that the Honkai wouldn't take a soft approach, like a god with no self-awareness. As long as they stayed focused on their goals, Ryan was fine with it.

But he wasn't going to just sit idly by.

Ding.

The elevator door opened, and a white-haired young man stood inside. When he saw Ryan, he paused in surprise.

"Kevin, don't you salute?"

"Go to hell, who's going to salute you." Kevin rolled his eyes, then added, with a trace of resentment, "Look at the mess you've caused, you bastard. Mei's been with you longer than me!"

Ryan was momentarily stunned. As a pure love warrior, Kevin's words made him feel slightly awkward.

"Ah, just think of this as revenge for me eating dog food back in school."

"Get lost, who told you to eat dog food? And it's obvious I'm the one who's envious of you now."

"What do I have to envy?"

Ryan stared at Kevin's face, watching his emotions shift. He felt a little guilty—like he was some black-hearted capitalist letting the girl toil away in the factory every day while breaking up their relationship.

"How about... I give Mei a holiday?"

"You've got a little conscience, but forget it. Mei's getting closer to her ideal. She's been in high spirits lately, and I'm happy for her. I can't let everyone's interests be damaged because of my personal grudges."

"I'm going to let everyone in Fire Moth learn this awareness," Ryan said, giving Kevin a thumbs up. Kevin's life wasn't terrible, but some things just couldn't be changed.

"Go away, don't flatter me, Ryan," Kevin muttered as he stepped into the elevator, turning slightly to show only a serious face. "Your appearance this time gave me some hope. I hope there's a good result in the end."

Ding.

Before Ryan could reply, the elevator door closed, leaving him standing there for a moment. With a shrug, he muttered to himself, This paramecium has grown up—he's already seeing the essence of the situation.

Putting aside his little tricks, Ryan had a single goal in mind for his actions. He had created the best platform to fight against the Collapse. If that failed, humanity's extinction would be justified.

Sigh. Everything depended on human efforts.

Ryan didn't dwell on it too much. He had backup plans in place. If it didn't work, he'd spend another 50,000 years with the Honkai. After tens of thousands of years, he would either die or become an Aeon.

He continued down the corridor. It was empty. Occasionally, he passed a few of Mei's assistants. Due to the combat situation, the administrative district no longer needed heavy guards. If anyone could kill Ryan, extra security wouldn't matter.

Such silence was comforting. As a seasoned strategist, Ryan preferred being left alone, without constant attention.

Turning a corner, he collided head-on with Sakura.

She hesitated for a moment, unsure whether to salute, but Ryan solved the issue for her.

"Okay, the general manager is for external affairs, and our relationship hasn't changed."

"Like a small group?"

"Well, I can't deal with the Honkai alone. Just like this time—without you, there's no plan."

Ryan was being honest. He was strong, but not invincible. It was the combined strength of his allies that had helped him reach this position.

"Then I'm relieved." Sakura smiled gently and asked, "But the general manager is very busy. Why are you wandering around?"

Ryan's eyes flickered, and he waved it off casually. "Who said I was busy? The so-called general manager is just a mascot. I don't have to do anything myself."

Sakura didn't quite understand, but was surprised. "It's like this, no wonder everyone wants to be the general manager—great power, no real responsibility."

"Power? Do I look like someone corrupted by power?"

"Elysia said that's not necessarily the case. Many bigwigs give themselves female secretaries once they take office."

"That pink-haired fat woman dared to slander me!" Ryan laughed, his mood lightening.

The two of them chuckled, walking side by side down the empty, spacious corridor. Ying was joking, but Ryan knew that if he had truly been obsessed with power, he would have already climbed to the top of humanity. Power, like strength, was only useful when it served a purpose.

Along the way, Ryan asked a few questions and learned that many fusion warriors had been deployed to various locations. Branches were frequently transferred, and New York's reconstruction had begun under Vil-V's direction.

"Mei wants to use this place as the final fortress, and the cities she voluntarily gave up have avoided destruction."

"Yes, if there's no one, the Honkia beast won't be interested in those cities. If we defeat the Honkai, they won't bother to rebuild."

"That depends on the destructive power of the Herrscher of the End." Ryan muttered. "What about Elysia and Mobius? They won't be idle."

"No, they're busy. Dr. Mobius has restarted the research department and is dissecting the Cocoon's corpse to figure out why those people are aligned with the Herrscher." Sakura answered calmly.

"Aili locked herself in a room, saying she had an inspiration and was preparing a proposal."

I knew it. Ryan immediately felt uneasy. Elysia had a knack for creating hero teams. Now that she had more freedom, who knew what she would come up with.

"Let her be. Elysia must be in a good mood these days."

"Why?"

"Because she loves humans deeply. She was the most troubled in the past when caught between enemies and friends."

Ryan quickened his pace, and Sakura nodded thoughtfully as she followed.

"Ryan, I want to take the Rin when I have time."

"Sure. If the time is right, I'll go with you. I promised last time."

Sakura stopped, a look of disbelief on her face. She thought Ryan would be busy as the general manager, and not running around. Then she realized that Ryan wasn't offering empty comfort.

"I won't stand still. I hate standing still the most. If I have to build a cage for humanity's sake, I won't even consider taking on this responsibility," Ryan said, turning around to explain lightly. His words weren't as glorious as in the propaganda, but they were honest.

"But can you really be so lazy?" Sakura asked, her doubts still there.

"Who said lazy? This is called fire reconnaissance or leading the charge. As for the rules?" Ryan glanced at the silent corridor, the steel a bit monotonous, but the murals on the wall were treasures "borrowed" by Fire Moth from major museums.

No matter who they belonged to before, they belong to us now...

"Sakura, now I am the rule."