The Honkai energy core could be compared to a nuclear fusion battery, possessing incredibly strong output. It was also one of Vil-V's proudest inventions.
As long as the 'radiation' was controlled, its energy efficiency was extremely high, and its small size made it easy to carry. Thanks to this breakthrough, there were now air battleship programs and increasingly powerful battle robots. With breakthroughs in materials and energy, technology could experience explosive growth. Ryan had also participated in part of the research, and such a large-scale Honkai energy core couldn't escape his eyes.
"These are the GAX mecha series, and these are the cores for the T-series battle robots. They're all extermination battle gear," Ryan said, as he looked over the items.
Thanks to Mei's warning, Ryan had already known that some elite forces had been deployed nearby. Now, they had finally arrived.
"Wait, you said you found them on a ship?" Ryan asked.
"Yeah, it was a smuggler's ship, always bringing in good stuff," Pardofelis replied nonchalantly.
Ryan stared at her for a while, then shook his head. This was the first time he had felt 'lucky.' Such equipment would surely have been heavily guarded, yet somehow Pardofelis had stolen it right under their noses.
Smuggling? Trying to sneak in, huh? But the moment the ship docked, Pardofelis had run into him.
Ryan glanced at Pardofelis, who was quietly sneaking away, and waved with a smile: "What are you so nervous about? I'm not going to let you return the stuff."
"Whew, I can't go back, I'll definitely die if I do," Pardofelis patted her chest, looking relieved. Then her eyes suddenly lit up, and she became playful. "Master~~ how about we take all this stuff back? We could sell it for a lot of money."
She purposely dragged out the tone, looking like she was trying to act cute.
Ryan gave her a sideways glance and patted the box. "This thing has a tracking function. Do you want the customers to come knocking on your door?"
"Just break the containers open, won't that work?"
"That'll turn half of Sundown Alley into a contaminated zone. The energy radiation inside is pretty intense."
Pardofelis immediately pouted, feeling like her luck was terrible. She'd just wasted another day. In the middle of her frustration, she saw Ryan place his hand into the wooden box, and a dangerous burst of energy radiated out.
"Master, what are you doing?" Pardofelis asked.
"Adding a little something extra for them. Hurry, let's go. The enemy is only about two hundred meters away."
The authority had already indicated the result. Pardofelis's eyes widened, not realizing that the enemy was so close. She was stunned by Ryan calmness and quickly turned to run.
After running a few steps, she suddenly felt herself being lifted into the air, flailing her arms wildly, and froze when she bumped into something strange.
"Don't move. I'll take you out of here." Ryan face looked strange as he gritted his teeth and shouted. After a few quick leaps, they disappeared into the complex port area.
Pardofelis curled up like a cat, unsure why Ryan was moving so fast or where they were heading. But she understood one thing for sure.
Master wasn't lying. He really is a man!
Bang—
The warehouse wall caved in, quickly covered with white frost. After a brief moment, all the bricks within ten meters were crushed, turning into fine ice particles that dissipated into the air.
A thick leg stepped through the hole, followed by a massive body. The newcomer stood over two meters tall, his muscles stretching the black leather suit tightly.
The strong man had a square face with spiky black hair like a hedgehog. He scanned the surroundings with his brown eyes and waved his dark golden, heavy gauntlets.
"Safe."
"Lord Andewich, with your high profile, how could you not be safe?"
With a soft voice, a much shorter figure dropped down from the ceiling, landing silently in front of him.
The figure was cloaked in a red robe, with a white smiley mask covering half of the face. The gender was hard to tell, with narrow, upturned eyes that made anyone who met that gaze feel uncomfortable.
'Fist of Shattered Ice' Andewich did indeed feel uncomfortable, but he didn't speak ill of this high-ranking fused warrior directly under the council. His massive head shook slightly.
"Dowakin, you people from the Toxic Cocoon never get things right. Such important things, and you lost them."
The Toxic Cocoon had no connection to the previous assassination organization. Its members mostly came from research institutions directly under the council. Now, the Fire Moth had split into two factions when it came to producing fused warriors.
Dr. Mei and Dr. Damian each led a group.
In terms of combat organization, there were three parts:
The Punishment Sword team as the defense force.High-ranking fused warriors as the mobile units.And the Toxic Cocoon directly under the council.
"Our mission is to eliminate traitors, not to protect things," the fused warrior named Dowakin shrugged.
This nonchalant attitude caused Andewich to furrow his brows, but he said nothing. He simply walked toward the center of the warehouse, leaving behind a trail of frozen footprints.
The man in the red cloak glanced at him and followed with a smile, making a teasing remark.
"Both are Pavanti's super-mutagenic factors, but you've had it much worse than Kevin, leaving behind such serious side effects."
"I heard Dr. Mei was very gentle with Kevin. To lessen his side effects, she injected him in several doses. That way, the power would be weaker, but life..."
Boom!!
A massive iron fist interrupted his speech. The strong gust of wind blew away his hood, revealing golden long hair. Behind Dowakin was a hundred-meter-long path of ice.
The two silently stared at each other. The terrifying killing intent caused the fused warriors behind them to retreat. Even though they were all fused warriors, the difference between high-ranking and low-ranking warriors was like the distance between heaven and earth.
"But you also gained even stronger power. Isn't that good?" The red-cloaked figure's voice remained cheerful, as if he didn't notice the earlier wall turning to dust.
"I'm here to carry out the mission, don't try to get close," Andewich said, giving the other man a deep look before retracting his massive fist.
"Mm, we have to work," Dowakin replied, unbothered.
"Then stop wasting time."
They didn't engage in combat. After all, not everyone could break the rules like Ryan. The existence of the Toxic Cocoon was to hunt down rogue fused warriors and ensure they obeyed.
"The thing wasn't lost. It looks like the locals did it," Dowakin said.
"Consider yourself lucky. If these Honkai energy cores had been exposed to the air, Sundown Alley would have turned into a dead zone." Dowakin whistled and once again spread his hands. "If that had happened, we'd have to send someone to clean up. I hate killing soldiers. These monsters have no brains or pain, so torturing them gives no feedback."
The muscular man didn't even listen to his companion's ramblings. He bent down, roughly checking the core, and absentmindedly brushed his hair.
Ding ding ding.
The sound of his hair brushing against the gauntlet was like metal scraping. Andewich muttered to himself, "The theft itself is problematic. What kind of thief can steal Honkai energy cores right under the noses of fused warriors?"
"I checked. The two idiots guarding it were either having lunch or on the toilet. If you don't believe me, I can give them a little 'persuasion.'"
"No need. This mission's personnel were all transferred from the South American branch. It has nothing to do with him."
"Right, that doctor's connections are impressive," the red-cloaked figure sat on the box, crossing his legs and asking playfully, "By the way, why are you even participating in the mission? Are you jealous of Kevin?"
The strong man's mouth twitched. Of course, he was jealous of Kevin. He endured dozens of degrees below freezing every day, unable to embrace his wife and daughter, while that person received special treatment.
"A little, but more importantly, I can't tolerate the rules being broken. No one is above the organization."
"I didn't expect you to be so loyal to the organization," the red-cloaked figure remarked.
"No, it's just a matter of weighing the pros and cons as an adult. I don't want to see personal ambition ruin this great situation, making millions of people pay the price. You should understand—we're closer to monsters than ordinary people," the man said.
This was the common sentiment among most fused warriors. There were many cases proving that once fused warriors crossed a certain threshold, they became monsters.
The task given to him was simple: at any cost, capture the Psedo-Herrscher, preferably alive, and figure out the relationship between the Psedo-Herrscher and Dr. Ryan.
As a pawn, Andewich didn't see the whole picture, but the information he had was clear:
A Psedo-Herrscher had formed a relationship with Dr. Ryan, and the latter had caused chaos in Neon. Although his identity was concealed, his stance had become questionable.
This was absolutely intolerable. A human hero, the original fused warrior, defected to the Herrscher' side. The aftershock of this would be unacceptable to all of humanity. As for where the Psedo-Herrscher came from, that was for the scientists to figure out.
"If the intelligence department is right, and Dr. Ryan has allied with the Herrscher, he is the father of the fused warriors," Dowakin's tone became more serious.
"I'm grateful for the power he granted me, but because of that, I can't allow his mistakes to affect all the fused warriors. The power structure is already established, and it's not as easy to correct as the 'pureblood faction.' We can't let humans doubt us."
The cases of excessive mutation were all top secrets. Ordinary people already feared fused warriors, knowing they could turn into monsters. If they defected, it would make humans two distinct types of beings.
"So?"
"I'll kill him, silently, without a trace."
"Heh, that's the council's decision. If it's true, he must die, and it must be at the hands of the Herrscher. Then he can have a grand funeral. Honestly, I envy that," Dowakin shrugged for the third time and jumped off the box, just in time to see one of his subordinates standing a few meters away, shaking his head slightly.
"It seems the Psedo-Herrscher got wind of it early and has already hidden away."
Pardofelis' hideout was very well concealed, but it couldn't stop the surveillance. However, this action further amplified Ryan suspicions.
Where did the Psedo-Herrscher get wind of this?
Andewich licked his lips, feeling the unease turning into reality. No more hesitation.
"Operation begins. We must find that Psedo-Herrscher."
"What if we don't find him?"
"Simple." The muscular man glanced at the terminal screen, where a beautiful face with white hair and red eyes appeared. He said gravely:
"Our operation will be more direct. Her helpers won't escape."