I am a former Flame Chasers

The sky at the horizon turned a pale fish-belly white, and dawn sunlight spread across the land. Looking out from a tall building, the waves on the sea had disappeared, and several warships were patrolling.

A rare good day.

Ryan rested his head on his hand, not having closed his eyes all night, continuously summarizing, organizing, and contemplating clues.

All plans were currently based on assumptions, but even if the assumptions didn't come true, he wouldn't lose anything.

To put it simply, Ryan wasn't a masochist. If it turned out he was overthinking, letting Eden shine brightly would still be a good thing.

"Anyway, I'm not in a hurry. You are."

He smirked, lightly twisting his neck, and saw Eden asleep on his shoulder. Ryan had seen many sleeping postures, and Eden was quite unique.

Her eyes closed, her head bowed, long eyelashes subtly trembling, hands neatly placed on her knees, and a smile still lingering at the corners of her mouth.

Very elegant, like a painting, truly defining a sleeping beauty.

'No wonder she and Elysia are so close. You're exactly the type of person she likes most.'

Just then, her eyelashes trembled more noticeably, and her amber eyes slowly opened, appearing a little hazy in the morning light. After the brief disorientation of waking, she smiled.

"Good morning, Ryan, and thank you for your hard work last night."

Last night, before she fell asleep, Ryan introduced her to their future housemates one by one: the fiery Kalpas, the adorable Griseo, the diligent Sakura, and the personality-shifting Vil-V...

"Thank you for the story last night. It's made me feel energized today." Eden stood up and stretched, facing the morning light.

Ryan opened and closed his mouth, smiling at her graceful back. After spending a night alone with Eden, his thoughts weren't complicated, but one feeling was exceptionally strong.

Comfortable. Being with this girl was very comfortable.

Leaving aside intelligence, among all the people he had met, Eden was undoubtedly the most emotionally intelligent. Every word made one feel at ease, coupled with her natural elegance, it was no wonder she became the star of this era.

Her flattery made him feel completely at ease. On second thought, it wasn't just flattery; it was all well-reasoned and supported.

Ryan also yawned, slowly walked to the edge of the rooftop, and tilted his head to ask: "Does the city being so quiet feel novel?"

"Yes, usually at this time, it would be bustling with people and noise. You know, I like to enjoy this kind of liveliness; it feels like I can sense the pulse of civilization." Eden raised a hand, pointing towards the silent city.

"But this kind of quiet is also quite nice. Even with the whole city under martial law, I can hear the cheers of those who love me, and I can also feel the undercurrents surging beneath the waves."

She believed Ryan words and naturally understood the dangers of the day, yet she still wore her grand attire, stepping onto the stage with the most defiant posture, to her own battlefield.

"Ryan, I have something to ask of you. If something truly goes wrong with me, please let me say goodbye on this stage."

"It won't come to that. Even if you really get..." Ryan words were cut short as he felt a cool finger touch his lips.

"I will never be an enemy of civilization, because what I love are these beautiful things. How could I bear to destroy treasures?"

Eden said with a smile. Before Ryan could think carefully, she took his hand.

"Respected sir, would you escort me?"

Ryan thought of many things in an instant, but in the end, he simply nodded slightly.

"It would be my honor."

Donggong had entered its highest state of alert. The streets, save for the rumbling military vehicles and fully armed soldiers, were empty. The Fire Moth seemed to take this very seriously, mobilizing forces as much as possible in a short time.

Being protected by so many people was a first for an artist, but no one resented it, nor could anyone blame her.

Eden was worth it. She had gained endless wealth and supreme renown. Even if the world ended, she would certainly be among the last to die. If it were an ordinary person, they would have vanished long ago after facing a Honkai assassination.

But she chose to stand out, to face Honkai alongside ordinary people who had no choice. That was enough.

There were no luxury cars. Eden walked to the stadium with Ryan, with no cheers or screams, only watchful soldiers on either side. They sat in fortifications or stood on tank tops, seeing Eden in her purplish-black long dress approach, still unable to believe their eyes.

She really came. Is it not a double? Is she going to lip-sync later?

They watched dumbfounded. From the superior's orders, there was a high possibility of a battle today. Smart people would hide, just as the citizens of Donggong had hidden in shelters. Stripped of all her aura, Eden was just an ordinary person.

But Eden truly came. That confidence and elegance could not be faked by a double, and she didn't look like she was being forced by superiors.

It was a very strange scene. Eden instead showed an even sweeter smile, gently waving her arm. No one knew who started it, but applause and whistles erupted with a roar.

'This is probably the pinnacle of being an idol.' Ryan watched from behind, also somewhat envying this ability to command a hundred responses with a single call. Unlike him, who commanded awe through strength, Eden fame came from long-term accumulation.

But what can I say? She deserved to be popular. Just like this, who knows how many people would become fans.

Ryan also admired Eden courage. It wasn't easy to be a trailblazer in this era. He quietly scanned the thousands of soldiers.

Mobilizing so many troops overnight, Mei clearly took this very seriously, and no one could find fault with it.

It was a time for them to out-act each other. Do you really think I know nothing? If the hypothesis comes true, this is also the Herrscher best opportunity to deploy clones.

Eden was like a scorching sun, while Ryan was hidden in the shadows. They arrived at the stadium, which was full of satellite broadcasting vehicles, and saw that the large hole blasted yesterday had been covered by a giant poster.

"Miss Eden, there are two hours until the live broadcast begins." Eve came forward, followed by an entire team of makeup artists, photographers, promoters, and sound engineers.

Eden looked at everyone and gently shook her head: "It will be very dangerous next. You'd better take shelter. At a time like this, there's no need to worry about effect."

"If you're not afraid, why should we hide?"

"Yes, you shouldn't risk your life for nothing. We must make the performance as good as possible."

"The concert theme has been temporarily set as 'Before the End.' Do you have any changes you'd like to make?"

Eden pursed her lips, looking at the familiar faces, smiling and then shaking her head again.

The stage is the battlefield, singing is swordsmanship, infecting others, conveying belief—isn't this what she pursues?

"Alright, everyone, follow me. Since the theme has been changed, everything needs to be adjusted accordingly. We have one hour to prepare all this."

She said no more, took the script from her agent, and quickly walked into the Rest area, like a capable strong woman.

Ryan didn't follow her in. From the beginning, he had agreed with Eden philosophy. Like a great man in his previous life who abandoned medicine for literature, art itself was a weapon.

"How's the defense work?"

"Almost done. Dumping all this trouble on me has kept me busy enough." John glared at him, tossing the deployment map on the tablet. "There's too little time, plus headquarters transferred too many people. We've only gathered forces from two branches, but don't worry, these troops are enough to handle various situations."

"So confident?"

"Of course. Miss Eden is important, but not that important. It's not like they'd go all out to deal with her, right?" The strong man shrugged and said casually, "Even if all the Herrschers went crazy, wouldn't they be afraid of our elusive General Supreme Commander? Headquarters is practically swarming with tough guys now. What if they raided their lair?"

There was nothing wrong with that statement. Not to mention anything else, if even half of those lazy people in the villa came out, the Herrschers couldn't handle it. At least theoretically, no one could know their movements.

So, theoretically.

In truth, Ryan still couldn't prove the existence of the Herrscher of Domination, but fortunately, he no longer needed to. The Fire Moth was now executing orders according to his ideas.

"The outer perimeter is all yours. I'll go watch Miss Eden."

"Wait a minute." The strong man directly pressed Ryan shoulder. Seeing his surprise, he chuckled dryly: "Don't worry, I won't harass you during the mission. The Donggong branch caught a saboteur last night."

He roughly explained that someone had infiltrated the stadium's underground last night to install some kind of device and was caught by agents who were waiting in ambush.

"After a 'grand memory restoration,' he just confessed. The content is quite explosive, and his identity is very special."

"Why not just show me the results?"

"No, this is about higher-ups. I can't confirm it, but the mental detector has passed; he's not lying." John expression instantly became serious.

About me? Could it be that Kevin subordinate was caught?

Ryan was momentarily bewildered, but a mental detector usually wouldn't go wrong, which made this very interesting.

Muttering inwardly, Ryan, however, put on a very cowardly expression: "There won't be some earth-shattering conspiracy, will there? In New York, I was beaten badly."

"That's not it. The person is in the second lounge area. You can ask him directly."

Ryan looked back and forth. The two lounge areas were less than two hundred meters apart, theoretically not delaying the protection mission. And he was genuinely curious. After hesitating for a moment, he followed.

The area was heavily guarded. In a windowless tin shack, Ryan saw a white-haired middle-aged man tied back to a chair, covered in injuries, with bloody drool at the corner of his mouth.

When his hair was grabbed and his head lifted, Ryan couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

Somewhat familiar. He seemed to have seen him somewhere before.

His memory was excellent. A scene instantly flashed in his mind: a hotel on the peninsula, a neighbor who lived next door. Afterwards, he had specifically checked the guest list.

"Isn't this the Chief of Intelligence for the Peninsula Branch?!"

"Major Lianfang, Chief of Intelligence for the Peninsula Branch. After the Peninsula was abandoned, he was transferred to the Far East Branch Intelligence Section, directly reporting to Colonel Edwin."

"Last night, he infiltrated the venue. This is the Honkai energy bomb he planted. It has been confirmed by the mental detector that his purpose was to destroy the venue and assassinate Miss Eden."

"As a traitor, please provide your recommended course of action."

As the emotionless male voice spoke, pieces of evidence were laid out on the table. Among them were Honkai energy bombs shaped like walnuts. These things were small in size but extremely powerful, and ordinary Fire Moth troops were not qualified to be equipped with them.

There were also testimonies and videos, making Ryan frown.

The evidence was conclusive; this was a despicable human traitor. It was just that the testimony was a bit headache-inducing.

The order was personally given by Edwin, Chief of the Far East Branch. The reason was unknown. And tracing the bomb's serial number, it originated from the headquarters' armory. This made one shudder.

"According to the current situation, a large traitorous force is hidden within the organization, likely residue left by Kallis. But too many high-ranking officials are involved, so we have to ask for your opinion." The local intelligence director looked too scared to write a report. Coleman was the deputy director of the intelligence department, so reporting to him was reasonable.

Ryan was somewhat confused, and indeed very confused. Based on the evidence at hand, a purge could already begin, sending a group of people to grow potatoes.

The evidence was solid, and there were no logical inconsistencies. If Ryan were Coleman, he should now quarantine all reinforcements from the Far East Branch and then send a report to Mei, preparing to catch the mole.

However, he was not Coleman. He was convinced of his assumption and simply didn't believe what his eyes saw. It was the same old saying:

It's too much of a coincidence. Not too early, not too late, but precisely at this moment, they jump out to cause trouble. Well, it's not wrong to say that fishing with Eden was successful, but what Ryan wanted to catch was not a traitor at all. And how could Edwin be a traitor unless he was controlled?

Framing others, stirring up trouble, and creating false accusations are easier for the Herrscher of Domination than eating and drinking. What's the purpose of throwing out a clue at this moment?

As he was thinking, he suddenly took a small step to the side. The burly man's palm missed, and he awkwardly withdrew it.

"Ahem, what do you think? At least one branch manager is involved here, and who knows how many big fish are behind that."

"My mind is a bit messy, what's your suggestion?"

"These matters are beyond our jurisdiction. Let's report it and give Dr. Mei a headache. But if we transfer the forces of the Far East Branch, it will be troublesome if there are still saboteurs inside."

John was rational, and his suggestion was very useful; he genuinely took the mission to heart.

The situation was urgent, but Ryan was not flustered at all. He chuckled, "This person belongs to the intelligence department, should I also be quarantined?"

"Uh, theoretically, yes, but I absolutely believe you, and if you wanted to harm Miss Eden, you would have already acted." John was a bit confused; how could someone report themselves?

"What if I plan to act at the climax of the ball?"

"Coleman, this is not the time for jokes! People all over the world are watching. If Miss Eden dies on stage, no one can bear that responsibility."

Everyone in the room looked at each other, unable to understand what this major was thinking. He was too frivolous.

"I'm not kidding. The Far East Branch fleet is responsible for blockading the sea. Moving them away now is equivalent to leaving the gate wide open. If an enemy rushes in, wouldn't that just play into their hands?"

"Who?"

Ryan still had his cynical look. He slowly walked up to the prisoner and stared directly at his swollen face.

"Herrscher. If a Herrscher comes from the sea, and you are a Deadman, then wouldn't I be helping you?" Ryan heard applause, estimating that the performance was about to begin. "Let's put this aside for now. I'll send him and Miss Eden to headquarters together then. There's no rush for this one day."

The curtain was about to rise, the elaborately dressed singer was about to appear, and a big drama of competing acting skills was about to begin. He had no mind to create extra complications.

"Coleman, you've really grown." John sighed, crossing his thick arms over his chest. "You've become rational, patient, and difficult to deal with."

"You and I are from the same batch, don't use a senior tone." Ryan turned his head with a smile, then his pupils contracted slightly.

John, people from the East Gong sub-branch, and people from the Australian branch all became very strange.

Everyone looked at him. Some had just looked disdainful, some had just looked fawning, but now all were expressionless, making it impossible to distinguish true from false, sending chills down one's spine.

At this moment, the music began, mixed with the director's 'on air' reminder. Accompanied by the melodious violin, the elaborately dressed singer was about to step onto the stage.

The clamor began, but the room was utterly silent. Every face, though different in appearance, held the same expression, giving one an illusion:

These dozens of people, belonging to different affiliations and of different military ranks, were like one person.

He guessed right.

Ryan lips curved slightly, but he put on a confused expression: "What do you mean by this? Did I say anything wrong?"

"All correct, and all incorrect." The voice came from behind. The scarred middle-aged man suddenly unbound himself, slowly got up, and stretched his wrists. "The performance ends here. You are an unexpected gain."

"No need for truth, just obey the call of destiny."

"A thousand faces, one person; you just need to listen."

"Coleman, become one with us."

Dozens of voices, one tone, like a hypnosis, made his muscles extremely relaxed, his spirit gradually diffused, and his brain slowly lost control of his body. In this extremely comfortable feeling, an invisible blade went straight for his mind, giving Ryan a familiar yet strange feeling.

This was the erosion from authority!

...

"Phew, it's been a long time since I felt this nervous."

Eden stood backstage, lightly patting her chest, and once again tidied her purple butterfly-like necktie, glancing at the prompt on the electronic screen.

The entire concert would be divided into three chapters: Destruction, Doomsday, and Rebirth.

The songs for each chapter had been determined. As was her usual habit, she closed her eyes and began to feel the killing and destruction. Techniques were too simple; Eden pursued making every lyric full of emotion.

'Hmm, for the first half, from the perspective of an abuser, with a faster rhythm; I can use some rock techniques. For the second half, from the victim's perspective, try to express sadness and pain as much as possible.'

Inspiration flashed through her mind. As usual, Eden decided to temporarily modify the plan.

"Eva, help me adjust. Add a violin at the end of the first chapter. Eva?"

Hearing no response, Eden turned around in confusion and then saw a bizarre scene.

Her manager, makeup artist, band members, and even bodyguards stood in a line behind her, staring at her expressionlessly. Their faces were all familiar, but their gazes were utterly strange.

No way...

Eden wasn't confused; she only remembered Ryan words:

A Herrscher will silently infiltrate and corrupt anyone you know, so don't trust anyone.

She was half-skeptical of this horror novel-like plot, but now that she saw it with her own eyes, she realized Ryan had even simplified it.

Without any prelude, without any trace, the people I trusted, the people I was familiar with, became monsters? Even with a warning, I wasn't mentally prepared?

She suddenly clenched her fists, and anger completely dominated her eyes. This invisible betrayal was more terrifying and harder to accept than turning a city into ruins.

"Miss Eden, your psychological resilience is still so good, but I'm more curious, where does your anger come from?" Eva spoke slowly. She had no intention of solving the mystery, tilting her head slightly in confusion.

Shouldn't normal people be shocked or fearful when encountering such a bizarre situation?

"Anger? Eva, what are you talking about?" Eden felt an invisible, terrifying energy gathering. She didn't turn to run away; instead, she straightened her long dress and adjusted the golden bow on her chest.

"This is joy. I've finally experienced the terror of the abuser and the despair of the victim facing something incomprehensible. It seems I don't even need instruments to stir up emotions."

"Congratulations, but it's okay, I'll know the answer soon."

Eva had no intention of wasting words. She took a step forward, and dozens of people also moved forward in sync, as neatly as if they were one person.

Eden watched that familiar hand press against her chest, and pain welled up in her eyes.

This hand had comforted her when she was lost and reminded her when she was proud. The touch of it brushing her hair still lingered in her heart.

"Five years of cooperation, your strictness and gentleness have greatly benefited me."

"Hmm, after all, we spent every day together. Many times I treated you like a younger sister. For your career, I haven't married yet." The woman's face was full of emotion, yet her actions never stopped. A smile appeared on her serious face.

"Don't worry, from now on, we will cooperate forever, until the end of the world."

"No need!" Eden almond eyes widened, as if she forced herself to keep her eyes open to watch the next scene. That Valkyrie-like aura made the hand on her chest pause.

"You will stay here, and I will continue forward!"

Boom—

As soon as the words fell, a crimson beam of light swept across in front of her. The world in Eden eyes slowed down. She saw surprise appear on Eva's face, and then in the next second, that head and most of the body were blasted into smithereens.

The beam penetrated backstage, then swept across like a giant sword, clearing out the remaining dozens of people. The remaining bodies were like fountains, splattering blood all over the room.

Her purple-black long dress was stained red, and her fair face was covered in bloodstains. Eden stiffly turned her head and looked at the end of the ray. Ryan nodded slightly at her, then turned and rushed towards John and the others.

"This is slaughter, this is despair, this is what most humans are experiencing?"

Eden looked at her blood-stained hands, listened to the screams outside, and snapped out of her daze. Without hesitation, she bent down and picked up her skirt.

With chaos and blood as the backdrop, she resolutely stepped onto the stage.