The Thirteen Flame-Chasers

"That's right, she's nothing to worry about, but the problem is that unless she reveals herself, we have no way of knowing."

"But Mei, you already have a solution, right?" Eden tilted her head; she didn't believe Mei had come to brainstorm with everyone.

Mei only has two purposes for holding meetings—to explain the current situation and assign tasks. The rest of us are not even qualified to talk to Mei about brainstorming.

Now that everyone has a better understanding of the current situation, the remaining task is to assign tasks.

"Aili, Kevin, Eden, Kalpas, Su, Kosma."

Mei called out six names in a commanding tone, and the people whose names were called immediately stood up on their own.

"You six are tasked with accompanying me to the research base on P-21 Island in the Pacific Ocean."

"Are they researching some kind of decisive weapon up there?" Kosma asked with a curious expression.

It's not unusual to deploy six top-tier Fusion Warrior at once, but it's certainly rare if the purpose is to establish a presence.

"We haven't studied anything above." Mei wasn't being deliberately mysterious. "But we can make the Herrscher think we're doing research."

"Hmm...a trap?" Kosma immediately realized what Mei meant, then looked troubled. "We're alright. But Dr. Mei, you don't need to take the risk. After all, the enemy is Herrscher."

"If I don't go, they might not take the bait—by the way, you should temporarily put away your God Key as a second bait."

"No problem." Eden nodded. Of the six people, only Kalpas and Kosma did not have the God Key; the others did.

However, the main problem with handing it over is the decline in combat effectiveness, which is far too dangerous.

However, considering Mei's consistent wisdom, Eden did not immediately question her, but waited for Mei to continue.

"Next, I will spread rumors about the God Key and secret experiments, and begin recruiting volunteers around the world."

"... There will be Herrscher of a Thousand infiltrating."

Without needing to say more, everyone understood how things had unfolded.

"So, you mean we wait for the Herrscher of a Thousand to infiltrate, and then we wipe them all out in one fell swoop?" It was Kosma spoke again.

"Don't think things are so simple. The initiative is not entirely in our hands. It is predictable that before the Herrscher of a Thousand make their move, they will definitely try to lure you here, or simply use their abilities to influence you—but the latter is what I need to be more concerned about."

Mei explained patiently.

"Pretend to be lured away, then turn around and strike?" Kosma seemed to understand, yet also seemed not to.

"No, you just need to pretend to be lured away, and leave the rest to me."

The lenses of Mei reflected cold light.

The reason they don't need their help is because they're afraid they'll return too soon, before all the Herrscher of a Thousand have been exposed.

To prevent things from going wrong, Mei didn't mind taking on the most crucial role herself.

In fact, Liu Bai had already formed a contract with Herrscher of a Thousand. Fortunately, the Herrscher of a Thousand were judged as an individual, but the curse could only affect a single body.

According to Liu Bai's experiments, the time required to kill a single physical body by curse is approximately one day.

It was both fast and slow. No one had time to wait for Liu Bai to spend nearly two and a half years cursing him, not to mention that the core after the curse might be taken back by other Herrscher of a Thousand. So Mei chose to use Liu Bai simply as a positioning and finishing blow, while the overall plan was more aggressive.

If it weren't for the trouble caused by Herrscher of a Thousand attacking at once, Mei would absolutely not mind hunting them down one by one. But unfortunately, civilization cannot afford the losses caused by Herrscher of a Thousand attacking at once.

Moreover, Mei simply refused to believe that, after she had thrown out such a large bait, this Herrscher, who clearly possessed intelligence, would engage in mindless slaughter.

They'll definitely hold back, and then... take the bait.

As for who will ultimately prevail, that depends on who is more skillful.

Everyone was somewhat taken aback by Mei's idea, leaving the final decision to an office worker... They then realized that Mei still had a trump card up her sleeve.

"When will the plan be implemented?" Mobius asked.

"Now," Mei nodded calmly, "I'm leaving the courtyard to you. Remember to check it carefully. Although it's not so easy for someone to sneak into the courtyard, what if someone does?"

"I see."

"Volunteer recruitment?"

"That's interesting."

"It says it's related to the God Key —oh, my poor compatriots."

"I think it's necessary to go; I heard the host is Dr. Mei."

"Dr. Mei, a genius of civilization, a wise man once in a millennium, a beacon guiding civilization... Hahahaha! We need a companion like him."

"Join us, join us... seize the God Key, turn the leaders of civilizations into our companions, and let those weak humans be destroyed by the hands of their beloved leaders."

"Then restore her consciousness! Let her experience excruciating pain!"

"Turn her into a weapon! Hehehehehe! We'll call her the Key of Man! And those despicable Fusion Warrior, turn them all into weapons! Weapons!"

"Go! Go! Everyone! Sign up! If there are competitors, kill them or convert them!"

"Kill! Transform!"

Are you all so reckless?

As Liu Bai was constantly switching hosts among the Herrscher of a Thousand, he watched as all the Herrscher of a Thousand seemed to fall into a state of frenzy and fanaticism at the same time, and a somewhat subtle expression appeared on his face.

These people seem to lack intelligence.

Well... I feel like they're even dumber than the Herrscher of a Thousand I remember—that is, the Herrscher of a Thousand of the current civilization.

Now, Liu Bai Herrscher cut down a hundred Herrscher in a minute, and then, well, it seems like everyone has either gone out or quit their jobs to sign up.

You guys are really not acting at all!

Regardless, although both generations used an all-in strategy, the current civilization's Herrscher of a Thousand' achievements are still worth mentioning. They stole Bronya's Authority of Reason, and with the Domination Theater activated, it was disgusting to watch. If the opponent hadn't been Kiana, who could already be called a mature player, anyone else would have really failed.

Moreover, this only means that Kiana's spirit hasn't been destroyed; in fact, she has already been captured.

In contrast, the Previous Era's dominance, with its overwhelming advantage, was completely wiped out by Mei alone, and very quickly at that.

Although, well, it's understandable that it can't beat the pseudo-triple-core Mei, the problem is, Mei doesn't have three cores connected at the same time either.

The battle in the original timeline of the Previous Era was basically like this: a high-ranking member of the Moth Chasers to Fire became Herrscher of a Thousand. This Herrscher sent two hundred people to attack head-on and ordered Kevin to meet the enemy, while he himself led the remaining 540 people to raid the enemy's base.

This move, well, it showed some brainpower, but not quite.

If even one person were left to survive, or if one were temporarily converted, everyone in the Previous Era would be in serious trouble.

Okay, to be honest, in Liu Bai's definition, the Herrscher of a Thousand are actually guerrillas. Yes, the kind who retreat when the enemy advances, harass when the enemy camps, attack when the enemy is tired, and pursue when the enemy retreats.

It doesn't need logistics, can convert enemies, has camouflage capabilities, and its combat strength is considered elite. When many of them gather together, they can unleash their ultimate abilities and be used as boss units. This kind of template would already be unbalanced in an RTS game.

Using it for head-on attacks is just plain stupid.

And it must be mentioned that Honkai 3rd really went above and beyond in terms of the types of troops it provided, but unfortunately, they were all "AI-controlled"...

However, the more idiotic the enemy, the better.

On the contrary, the Herrscher of a Thousand of the current civilization seem to be more rational, and it might be worth considering subduing them if necessary.

Even if the guerrilla nature of the enemy isn't very effective against the Honkai, a thousand or more Herrscher are equivalent to a thousand or more teleportation points!

—Yes, the Herrscher of a Thousand are not actually a standard thousand-person organization. Due to the fluctuations in Honkai Energy, it is quite normal for there to be two or three out of a thousand.

The Previous Era seemed to have a standard staff size of a thousand, while the current civilization has a slightly more than a thousand.

Because this Herrscher of a Thousand could be used as a teleportation point, Liu Bai felt that this thing seemed to have some connection to him...

Okay, Herrscher aren't so easy to subdue, but to be fair, a live specimen is acceptable, and a live teleportation anchor point isn't out of the question either. After all, Herrscher don't need to eat, drink, or relieve themselves, and you don't need to talk about Herrscher and morality with them.

Ahem, I've gone off on a tangent.

Liu Bai spent ten minutes checking the status of all the Herrscher of a Thousand and decisively determined that these guys were preparing for an all-in.

Mei's preparations are no longer of much use. The question is whether this group will charge directly or launch a feint attack before charging—this probably depends on which of the Herrscher of a Thousand has the highest IQ after they calm down.

Although he couldn't join the mental network of the Herrscher of a Thousand, it didn't prevent Liu Bai from relaying Herrscher of a Thousand movements in real time.

In any case, it only takes ten minutes to confirm the movements of all the Herrscher, which is efficient enough for this kind of operation.

"All in...?" Mei raised an eyebrow. "Well, maybe I shouldn't have placed too much hope in the Herrscher's intelligence, Kevin. What if I put them all on the same boat...?"

"One strike is enough to destroy it," Kevin replied succinctly.

"While they may not be very intelligent, cramming them into a ship is going too far, isn't it?" Eden's lips twitched slightly.

"Then I'll dismantle a few more ships, one for each of us. Kevin, can I borrow Skyfire?"

We can't address the issue in batches. If we do, the Herrscher of a Thousand will definitely discover the problem – people just have issues with their thinking and logic, they're not really idiots.

As for borrowing fire from heaven...

"Senior sister, you actually wanted to play this game yourself, didn't you?" Kevin said sternly.

"I don't have anything to connect to, do I?" Mei said somewhat awkwardly.

They already know that beneath Mei's clothes lies a form-fitting suit of armor— the Key of Emptiness.

It can be connected to the core or the God Key to become Pseudo-Herrscher, but unfortunately, its applicability is too limited; only Mei can use it.

"You're just causing trouble for everyone by going to the battlefield, aren't you?" Eden said with a lecturing expression. "You're not a kid anymore, stop being so playful."

Mei: "..."

I think what you said is just trying to upset me!

"Let me give it a try. I also want to experience what it's like to fight alongside you guys."

Mei sighed.

"It's only used once, nothing will happen, especially since there's a teacher nearby."

"What about Kevin?" Eden asked, arms crossed.

"If I can't beat a hundred or so Herrscher, I might as well go home and raise pigs."

Kevin himself plays with ice, but he doesn't usually play with it because of the Skyfire.

But is unarmed combat weak? No!

In a bare-handed duel between a regular Emperor-class opponent, Kevin would most likely win.

This guy is already stronger than Ice Pig, both in terms of ice manipulation and physical strength.

"I have no objection." Kevin tried his best not to show any embarrassment.

If you can't win, go home and raise pigs... That's really true.

At most, one person can be ranked in the top 100, which is equivalent to one-seventh of the Herrscher, and that's without any positive special effects.

Furthermore, the gap in strength is exponential rather than linear. Saying something like "If you can't win, go home and raise pigs" might not be pleasant to hear, but it's actually quite true.

Chapter 440 Thirteen Flame-Chasers

"According to Liu Bai's description, all the information about the Herrscher of a Thousand... or rather, their information before their deaths, has been clarified."

Mei breathed a sigh of relief when she saw the message from Mobius.

"The Herrscher of a Thousand's infiltration of the Moth Chasers to Fire was not strong. The infiltrators were mainly the lower-level members of the Moth Chasers to Fire. Fortunately, it was discovered early and a plan was quickly formulated."

"...Mainly?" Elysia keenly noticed the strangeness in Mei's choice of words.

Since Mei used the word "mainly," it means that the infiltration of this Moth Chasers to Fire" mentality is definitely not limited to the grassroots level.

"That's right, there are two non-grassroots personnel. One is the former Minister of Strategy of the Moth Chasers to Fire, who has already retired to the second line. It's normal for him to be taken advantage of by the Herrscher of a Thousand. As for the other one..." Mei glanced at Kalpas, "You should be familiar with him as well, Immer."

The first reaction of others upon hearing the name was to ponder, but the next moment, a strong killing intent erupted from the wall.

Kalpas, who had been leaning against the wall with his eyes closed, opened them and looked at Mei with eyes full of anger and killing intent.

However, Mei remained completely unmoved; she knew that Kalpas's gaze wasn't directed at her.

"...impossible."

Kalpas spoke slowly, but anyone could sense the Kalpas anger in his calm tone.

"You can ask him yourself. Also, here is Immer's application form. I've sent you the electronic version."

Mei offered no explanation, but instead laid the facts bare before Kalpas.