Unexpected Encounter

The T-800 wandered through humanity's largest city, while other dormant T-800s moved through various locations. It needed to collect information on population shifts caused by geological disasters, changes in Fire Moth's strongholds, and more.

Its hands were shoved into the pockets of its trench coat as it roamed around. Although Qin Su had complete data on this so-called "humanity's largest city," most of the information had been uploaded before the appearance of the Herrscher of Earth. Countless new ruins and collapsed walls weren't in its records. Some roads had caved in or were blocked by debris from collapsed buildings, which was why he was wandering aimlessly—following a map was worse than just exploring.

In this city, Fire Moth's insignia was everywhere. Fully armed soldiers patrolled every corner, and armored vehicles were stationed at every intersection. Cranes hoisted large chunks of rubble from collapsed buildings and set them down on open ground. Small groups of workers huddled over blueprints, their faces grim as they discussed construction projects. The desolate streets held only a few scattered pedestrians, their expressions sorrowful, dragging their feet as they walked. It seemed people had lost the ability to feel joy.

"Few high-rises have been destroyed; most of the damage is to small shops and malls. Sure enough, the majority of this city's destruction is man-made. It didn't fall to the Honkai, but to its own people." Qin Su couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the devastated blocks in the city center.

"Keeping humans rational forever—that really is a luxury."

A voice sounded in front of him: "Hello, friend." He turned around, and the person before him pulled out an electronic tablet. "Please show me your identification."

Qin Su paused, then said, "Oh... alright, but I don't have a physical ID on me. Is an electronic one fine?"

"No problem, friend." The patrolling officer handed him the electronic tablet. Qin Su entered the pre-prepared electronic ID code, then took a careful look at the officer before him.

The T-800's HUD continuously compared the officer's facial model against the database.

Silver-white hair, dashing and sharp. A silver-white trench coat over a black shirt. His blue eyes gave Qin Su an illusion—like they reflected the glaciers drifting on the Arctic Ocean. The T-800's built-in Honkai energy detection instruments could roughly tell that this officer was a Fusion Warrior. But the energy level of the man before him was unimaginably high—perhaps surpassing even some Law-Rulers.

Qin Su glanced at him. Two guns were holstered at his waist. Cross-referencing the data, they were Divine Keys. The only pistol-type Divine Key was Fire of Heaven's Judgment.

"So it really is you, Kevin." Qin Su thought to himself. The database search and comparison had yielded the result, and the Fire of Heaven at his waist further confirmed the man's identity.

Kevin Kaslana—though he didn't yet bear the surname "Kaslana." The strongest human of the previous civilization and the one to come. The only one who could defeat him was the Herrscher of the End.

"Welcome, comrade of Fire Moth, survivor of Mu Continent." Kevin had a smile on his face as he patted Qin Su on the shoulder.

Qin Su pretended to be surprised and extended his hand: "I didn't expect to meet our strongest Fusion Warrior here."

"Hello." Kevin shook his hand with a polite smile. Qin Su carefully analyzed his facial expression, but couldn't detect anything unusual.

"Do you need me to show you around the city? I rarely meet someone who isn't afraid of the cold." Kevin was humanity's first Fusion Warrior, and also the strongest. But great power often came with unexpected drawbacks—Kevin's body was constantly maintained at minus thirty degrees Celsius.

Qin Su's T-800 had excellent temperature tolerance, capable of briefly withstanding extreme heat or cold. At minus thirty degrees, the T-800 could operate perfectly. It could be said that even an average A-rank Valkyrie wouldn't have the temperature tolerance of a T-800. Qin Su had designed it this way for future contingencies, though on Earth's surface, this design was overkill for the T-800.

He asked Kevin cautiously, "Don't you need to be on duty?" For a top-tier Fusion Warrior to be so warm toward him—he had to be careful. Seeing that Qin Su showed no fear of the freezing air around him, Kevin seemed to have no suspicion. Maybe Kevin genuinely thought there was nothing wrong with him—if you kept your nerves taut all the time, even a Fusion Warrior would get tired.

"Of course I do, but that doesn't stop me from introducing you to our city. Patrolling is part of duty, and wandering around counts as a form of patrol, doesn't it?" Kevin put his arm around Qin Su's shoulder and pulled him forward with long strides.

"By the way, I'm curious about one thing. Since you're just an ordinary person, why aren't you afraid of the cold?" The intent was obvious, but Kevin had dealt with so many Law-Rulers that he could tell at a glance whether Qin Su was one. So to some extent, this lowered Kevin's guard. Since Fire Moth's founding, it had never had any human enemies.

Qin Su shot back at Kevin: "Since you know you're so cold, why are you getting close to me?" He began simulating escape routes. Escaping from Kevin was impossible. If this T-800 was discovered, it had only one fate—self-destruction. Qin Su was just calculating which route would minimize the T-800's explosion's impact on Fire Moth.

Kevin laughed heartily. "Everyone has their secrets. I don't mean to pry into yours. I was just thinking—with a physique as strong as yours, if you became a Fire Moth warrior, you might be the next Fusion Warrior."

Qin Su tapped his own head and replied with the same smile, "I prefer knowledge over combat." The T-800's identity was set as a researcher who had narrowly escaped Mu Continent.

Kevin didn't pick up on Qin Su's words. Instead, he talked about the city's history and its current status, and so on. He actually understood just how low the survival rate was for Fire Moth's combat units.

Kevin hadn't always been someone cold enough to sacrifice countless lives for that one-in-a-million chance of evolution. Just as Kiana had once been an ignorant, naive girl. The current Kevin was merely a man wrapped in cold, yet still unable to extinguish the fire in his heart—as long as Mei was alive.

"By the way, let me clear up a misunderstanding you had about this city earlier." Kevin walked side by side with Qin Su along a wide avenue. The sidewalks weren't bustling, but they weren't deserted either.

Kevin pointed to a burning building not far away. Fire Moth's insignia was prominently displayed on it, and many firefighters were rushing around below. But surrounding the building was a crowd of noisy protesters.

"Destruction is unavoidable. Who could have imagined that the Ninth Law-Ruler would make the most prosperous Mu Continent vanish into a black hole's event horizon? No previous Law-Ruler could do that. Anyone who saw that scene would think humanity was on the verge of extinction, right? And it's a mercy that people are only taking it out on buildings, without causing large-scale bloodshed."

"Fire Moth tries its best to cover up the frequent Honkai disasters in recent years, but obviously ordinary people sense something's wrong and come to question us. Of course, we can't tell them the whole truth. How could Fire Moth say that humanity is racing toward extinction? We can only spout incomprehensible scientific jargon and meaningless platitudes."

Kevin walked ahead of Qin Su, pointing to another blazing skyscraper as he spoke.

"They don't understand what we're saying. The only thing they can grasp is—'This is a very, very rare natural phenomenon.' So they get even angrier. But beyond that, there's nothing else to be done."

"Ineffective strategy," he evaluated internally.

"I have a question: Why are you here, doing the tasks of an ordinary soldier?"

Kevin glanced back at him, then explained: "You know, in the fight against the Honkai, many warriors have fallen. We're short on manpower right now. Even Fusion Warriors are basically all on patrol. I'm no exception."

They reached a checkpoint at an intersection. Kevin pulled out a tablet, cross-referenced some information, and entered data into a computer. Soon, the printer beside it spat out a "Entry-Exit Permit." Kevin handed it to Qin Su.

"This way, you won't have to enter your electronic ID number again."

"But patrolling as ordinary soldiers has its benefits too. If the Honkai appears, we can respond immediately, instead of waiting for someone to notify us."

PS: The phrase "Mu Continent vanished into a black hole's event horizon" is an exaggeration. Kevin was just emphasizing the severity of the Law-Ruler's threat. The black hole created by the Ninth Law-Ruler only made the Mu Continent plate extremely unstable, causing the exposed land to sink into the sea. If there really were a black hole that big, Earth would have been swallowed already.