I am, Flame-Chaser of Previous Era-Chapter 84: Scientific Railgun

In that instant, he felt he'd been too careless. Without the 13 Flame-Chasers, anything could happen. Even butterfly effects resulting in the deaths of Flame-Chasers were plausible.

He approached, examining her, his face instantly draining of color.

Vill-V wasn't dead; she'd simply fallen asleep inside the machine, her ample body trapped, her head lolling to one side, drooling.

"She was like this last night. I suggested she rest outside, but she refused. I didn't force her."

Sakura's voice came from behind. Ryan turned, noticing the weariness on her face.

"Why didn't you wake me? Were you worried?"

"Not exactly. I was just pondering something." Sakura sighed, a hint of frustration in her voice. "Unfortunately, I found no answer."

Why did Ryan choose to let her live? She'd racked her brain, to no avail. Yet she was pleased with his trust.

This wasn't a test, but genuine faith in her ability to keep watch.

Why she couldn't sleep and had to go out after midnight was beyond her comprehension.

Ryan didn't understand either. He wasn't as carefree as it seemed. His Herrscher authority emanated an invisible field; anyone approaching would wake him immediately.

"Get that idiot out; our guests are arriving soon."

"This early?" Sakura was taken aback, then understood their concealment was insignificant. Open travel was safer, and they weren't committing massacres, only driving out the townspeople.

"What you've shown is different from the legends."

"Haha, legends are just legends. Do you think I'm some kind of murderous demon who'd slaughter the town and then flee? That might buy us a couple of days, but it wouldn't change the big picture." Ryan didn't care about those couple of days.

"Wake Vill-V; we need to hurry."

Sakura narrowed her eyes, realizing she couldn't argue. She went forward, forcibly dismantling the machine, causing a furious Vill-V to erupt.

"What did you do?! My second prototype of the 'Pigeon-Roasting Inferno' is ruined!"

"You're too large; I tried to get you out last night, but couldn't." Sakura remained impassive.

"You should have been gentler! My masterpiece... I was going to use this to surpass you!" Vill-V wailed, clutching the wreckage, causing Sakura a headache. She gestured for Ryan to intervene.

Vill-V wasn't actually overweight; both women could predict which parts of her body would cause this kind of problem.

After a few days together, Ryan had grasped how to communicate with this 'magician'. He grabbed her by the collar and pulled her up. "Good. After this, I'll authorize funding for you to build another."

"Really? You have the authority to authorize funding?!"

Ryan had no such authority. In his plan, Mei would hold that power. But as a friend, asking her for a little money wouldn't be a problem.

If all else fails, I'll use my savings. He's like some kind of three-way savior loan.

Seeing Ryan's firm nod, Vill-V calmed down and quietly observed the conversation.

"Vill-V, can you call out your other 'self'?"

"Oh, she says she's scared of Miss Sakura and won't come out."

She's putting on a show with herself now? Why is she so averse to socializing?

Ryan had intended to use Vill-V's 'self' for strategic planning, but since she refused to appear, he let it go, pointing towards the distance.

"Find a place to hide while you gather materials to build your... contraption."

"It's the second prototype of the 'Pigeon-Roasting Inferno'!" Vill-V vehemently corrected, then nodded. "I've already cleared a tunnel. They won't find it. The signal receiver will be ready soon."

She's already planning ahead.

Seeing her confidence, Ryan felt that this wouldn't be a problem for Vill-V.

"Then you're responsible for hiding, downloading the data, and finding a way to send it out. I'll handle the rest."

"What about me?" Sakura stepped forward.

"Three options: one, stay hidden with Vill-V; two, leave on your own; three, work with me. Choose."

The difficulty increased with each option, yet Sakura didn't hesitate to choose three: "I'll act with you. It seems the riskiest, but it's actually the safest."

A rational choice. So you're not stupid after all.

Ryan suppressed his urge to mock her, walking towards the minivan. He found the backseat crammed with machinery, with two menacing nozzles protruding from a lathe.

He tossed a helmet and a confiscated alloy blade to the girl, waving his hand.

"Sakura, get in. Let's work."

"You're not disguising yourself?"

Ryan, opening the car door, turned, his smile affable. "Killing everyone is the best disguise. That's the truth of assassination."

Sakura was once again speechless, silently entering the vehicle, finding no grounds for argument.

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The engine roared to life, the dust-laden minivan trembling. Ryan leaned out from the lathe, looking at Vill-V, who stood there grinning.

"What are you daydreaming about? Go hide."

"I know, but I wanted to watch your performance."

She's insane.

Ryan rolled his eyes, slamming the accelerator. With a screech of tires, the minivan sped away.

It burst onto the road, bouncing across the rocky desert. From the air, a long, straight tire track stretched southward.

"She's still there." Sakura looked in the rearview mirror, seeing Vill-V waving incessantly, as if bidding farewell to a friend.

"Sometimes I want to cut her head open and see what's inside."

"I sympathize. They say geniuses are mad. I didn't believe it before, but now I do."

"We agree then. Let's ignore her; the guests have arrived. Let's focus."

A powerful acceleration pressed them into their seats. Sakura instinctively gripped the seat, sticking her head out the window, her hair whipping in the wind. She adjusted her helmet, looking up at the sky.

A small black dot appeared in the blue sky. The pursuers had spotted them and were accelerating towards them.

"AH-42 armed helicopters. Their fire control radar has locked onto us. Be careful—"

Her voice sharpened as two white streaks appeared in the sky, rapidly approaching.

Disregarding identities, they fired missiles immediately—pure malice.

Ryan glanced at the rearview mirror but didn't bother reacting, because the two missiles veered wildly only a hundred meters away, their white trails twisting like feathers into a chaotic ball.

Boom! Boom!

Two plumes of black smoke erupted in the desert, scattering rocks that battered the minivan. Ryan continued to accelerate, marveling yet again at the utility of his powers.

Electromagnetic interference disrupted the missile guidance systems, turning them into erratic, uncontrolled projectiles. Hitting anything was impossible.

"Incoming!"

Sakura's voice cut through the noise. He turned to see six more missiles launched simultaneously.

"Calm down."

"I..." Sakura was speechless. In her years as an assassin, she'd never been hunted with anti-tank missiles.

High-explosive warheads at over 1000 meters—this minivan, and even a tank, would be reduced to burning wreckage.

But in the next instant, she saw the impossible. The missiles veered wildly again, their trails intertwining, exploding harmlessly around them.

"Vill-V's a true magician. Her electronic interference is impressive." Sakura praised Vill-V for the first time, assuming it was some kind of jamming device.

However, as she turned, a chill shot down her spine.

A massive fissure, hundreds of meters wide, stretched before them, with the helicopters closing in behind. The pilots, clearly disoriented, prepared to use machine guns.

"What do we do now?" Sakura's voice was urgent; she noticed Ryan showed no sign of stopping.

"Sit down, hold on tight. Leave the rest to me."

Ryan didn't hesitate, pressing a red button on the dashboard. The rear doors of the vehicle swung open, and two powerful engines roared to life.

Whoosh—

The dilapidated minivan lifted off the ground. The intense acceleration pinned them to their seats. Even Sakura, despite her composure, gripped her toes, her eyes darting around.

She saw the bottomless chasm, the Honkai Beasts on the opposite side, the helicopters behind, and the man leaning halfway out the vehicle.

Time seemed to slow. She saw Ryan produce a small, button-sized metal object and toss it casually.

"Answering your question, this has nothing to do with Vill-V. This isn't some kind of magic; it's—"

What is he doing? What is he trying to do!?

Confusion flooded her mind. Then, a blinding flash of light and a shockwave, even stronger than the wind, hit them.

An arc of light, a blazing streak, shot towards the distance at several times the speed of sound.

Boom!

A deafening explosion, followed by the man's clear, cold voice.

"Scientific Railgun!"