Dusk? What's that? I've never heard Pardo mention it.
While Pardo was running for her life, Ryan stood in the middle of a pile of wreckage, with the corpse of the mech pilot at his feet. The head of the mech had also been blown off.
Using his psychic shock, he had gathered an important piece of information.
Tonight's operation was called by "Dusk," who had put a high bounty on Pardofelis, sending nearly a hundred people to act.
This was a bit too much. Even if they were curious about the "boss" situation, why would they invest such a huge amount?
'This person must be a major figure behind Sundown Alley, because this pilot was also a fusion warrior.'
He glanced at the body underfoot. The pilot wasn't much stronger than an average person, but Ryan noticed a few clues, revealing that this was a half-failed product of a massive modification surgery.
Strength varies, and of course, there must be a class division. The strongest would definitely be top fusion warriors like Sakura and Kevin, while those like the Punishment Sword were elite. But just like a pyramid, failures always made up the majority.
Their power wasn't greatly enhanced, and they were the kind that couldn't even face the Herrscher . They could only rely on their enhanced physique, several times stronger than the average person, to pilot mechs. It was like making use of waste.
This combination had already become mainstream within the Fire Moth because even the weakest fusion warriors had much better reflexes, overload resistance, and spatial recognition than ordinary humans.
"The problem is this person is a native of Sundown Alley and wasn't even registered in the Fire Moth. Has the modification surgery data already leaked?"
Ryan pondered for a moment. As a scientist who had fully participated in the fusion warrior project, he knew the core technology wasn't difficult. As long as you weren't afraid of dying, you could try it out. Theoretically, everyone had a chance at success, and the mutation factors had varying levels of difficulty.
If it were a top-tier Honkai Beast, the death rate would be 99.999%, but if it were just a rush-class, it would be much better.
Interesting. The Fire Moth had clearly already set up shop in Sundown Alley. It made sense. With their intelligence capabilities, they couldn't be unaware of the abnormalities here.
Of course, this arrangement could either be a routine matter or deliberately done because of him. Ryan was very interested in exploring it, at least—
He stroked his face, looking at the cracked electronic eye, his face reflecting in it, white hair, and red eyes.
While disassembling the machine, his distinctive features had already been sent back. The people behind him must have received it by now.
"I don't believe you're not curious about this face."
...
Just as he expected, this highly recognizable face had already appeared on a tablet.
White hair, red eyes, looking like a beautiful fifteen or sixteen-year-old girl, one who would only ignite the desires of thugs in Sundown Alley, immediately conjuring up all kinds of inappropriate fantasies.
But in the eyes of some people, this face had become terrifying. They too were fantasizing, but their thoughts spread into outer space and the apocalypse.
"Impossible. This great creation was clearly already purged, fallen at the hands of foolish warriors."
A slightly aged voice, once confident and deep, now trembled, as if their worldview had been completely overturned.
The Pseudo-Herrscher was their highest creation, a proof that human bodies could reach the "domain of the gods." Logically, these artificial apostles should only carry out the will of the gods.
But now, what was happening? Had it defected?
Could the apostle of the gods change sides, even be controlled by humans?
"Purging is doubtful. We didn't find the Pseudo-Herrscher body, nor any trace of its existence. The only remaining evidence is the ruins left by lightning," IX replied indifferently, offering evidence for this hypothesis.
If we can't prove it's dead, then we can't prove it's alive. In theory, its appearance remains plausible.
"He might still be alive. We need to confirm this with the Herrscher, after all, we know nothing about the Broken Ones. But I'm more interested in why he is in Sundown Alley?" I's voice symbol lit up.
"Definitely strange, but not too strange."
"Why do you say that?"
"Don't you find it too coincidental? Dr. Ryan is heading to Sundown Alley, but now he's stuck on the Peninsula, seemingly in no hurry. Also, after closely observing the footage sent back, I suddenly feel like I've seen someone like this before."
"Who?"
"In Colonel Coleman's report, the person who flattened the Neon Palace."
As soon as these words fell, all ten tombstones fell silent. The voice symbols disappeared, clearly all deep in thought.
The black monster had disappeared, but its combat ability and weapons left a deep impression, and that black skin seemed so familiar.
Long-handled weapon, black, could it be the shadow? That ultimate crystallization, the Herrscher of Sentience actually turned traitor?
"Now it all makes sense. No wonder he isn't in a rush. It turns out he has a powerful helper outside our view."
"Yes, it's clear he trusts this helper, as determined as the Herrscher."
Elysia and the others were already in the monitoring system, and Sakura's whereabouts were also being tracked. After several confrontations, they knew that Ryan liked to call upon friends, and since they weren't from Sundown Alley, this only proved one thing: he had another trump card, capable of doing anything without hesitation.
The logical chain was gradually completed, and its credibility reached 80%. Now it was time to prepare a response.
"IX, I'll send you the coordinates. You'll communicate with the divine apostle. This involves the Herrscher of Sentience, and it's no longer something we can touch."
The tombstone remained silent for a long time before the voice symbol lit up. The electronic synthesized voice carried a touch of curiosity and relief.
"Thank you for your trust."
...
The brick was carefully removed, and a petite figure stealthily crawled inside.
Fortunately, she made it back before dawn.
Pardofelis patted her chest and sighed in relief. Tonight had been truly dangerous. If that masked man had acted, she would've most likely been dead by then.
"I won't go to the nursing home again, it's as terrifying as the rumors say."
She thought of the legend—that anyone who caused trouble at the nursing home never ended well. Now she knew it housed a terrifying madman.
Pardofelis quietly crept into the room and saw the big orange cat lying on its back, snoring. She held back the urge to rub its belly and prepared to crawl into bed.
"You're finally back."
A voice suddenly came from behind her, and Pardofelis trembled, using both hands and feet to climb up onto the beams. She looked down and saw Ryan sitting on a box.
"Mr. Adam, don't scare me."
She jumped down, a bit guilty, and looked at Ryan. "Ahaha, I ate too many cans tonight, and couldn't sleep, so I went for a walk."
Ryan didn't speak, just stared at her with a neutral expression. Pardofelis immediately became stammering, scratching her head.
"Walking was one thing, but I mainly went to buy something. After all, I need to cover expenses at home."
Ryan still didn't speak, his expression and gaze unchanged. Pardofelis forehead immediately broke out in sweat, and she hung her head in defeat.
"Alright, alright, I went to restock."
You see, I didn't even ask, and you already told me everything.
Seeing how strong the girl's mental fortitude was, Ryan smiled slightly. "What's restocking?"
"Well, I quietly took some things and gave them to those who needed them."
"Got it, you mean stealing."
"It's not stealing!" Pardofelis panicked, scratching her head, not knowing how to explain. After several seconds, she sighed. "Okay, it's stealing, but I'm a righteous thief, targeting the rich and then giving to the poor."
Indeed, she was a righteous thief. With Pardofelis skills, if she were willing to do evil, she would have long been a sought-after figure in all the major gangs and wouldn't be hiding in this corner.
Ryan admired her. How should he put it? Except for being too weak, she had the demeanor of a knight-errant. Robbing from the rich and giving to the poor, fitting the fantasy of justice.
So, he didn't bring up tonight's events, trying to keep Pardofelis pure. Otherwise, that scared little kitten look would make one feel bad for her.
"So, who did you rob? Who did you help?"
"Ah, a profiteer merchant. Every time there's a famine, he raises the price of grain several times. I've disliked him for a long time." Pardofelis said this casually but with pride. She took off her jacket, revealing her corset, then suddenly realized Ryan was a man and quickly put it back on.
"And then I gave the stolen grain to the nursing home."
"The nursing home?"
"Yeah, remember we saw the exiled Broken Ones at the nursing home? I thought to myself, with grain prices high this year, the nursing home must be struggling. So, I decided to give them a gift. I gave it to them and left. Doing good without leaving a name."
Wow, you're quite the living Robin Hood.
Ryan smile grew wider. He didn't need to maintain his persona, but the more he interacted with Pardofelis, the more he felt she deserved the title of a hero.
"At least, in Sundown Alley, that sounds quite great."
"Not really, I'm so weak. I can't even beat a Broken Beast. I can only do what I can. It's better than doing nothing in this world."
"When you're poor, you focus on yourself; when you're rich, you help others. Not many people can do that. In some sense, we're the same kind of people."
Pardofelis, who hadn't been to school, didn't quite understand the complex sentence. After thinking for a while, her eyes lit up, and she quickly took out a worn notebook to jot it down.
"I have to write this down. It seems like it makes a lot of sense."
She's quite eager to learn.
Ryan sat beside her and saw her gripping the pen in her palm, writing in a way that made him uncomfortable.
"When you have some free time, I'll teach you how to write."
"Sure, I overheard these words back in elementary school." Pardofelis said as she focused on writing, then nervously added, "By the way, today when I went to the nursing home, it was really dangerous. I met a madman, wearing a mask, even scarier than you."
A mask? A madman?
Ryan immediately snapped back to attention upon hearing those keywords.
Has Kalpas come to Sundown Alley?