"What happened?! Why wasn't there one this time? And this mark... someone got here before me?"
Looking at the mark on the Herrscher of Void's chest, Mebius finally realized that someone had beaten her to it this time.
Otherwise, judging by the First Herrscher's remains, there should have been a core here as well.
"Was it those people? Or someone else?"
There were only two groups Mebius suspected. One was the councilors—she suspected that they did not want her to uncover anything that could threaten them.
The other was the logistics department. There might have been an informant from another organization within the team, who had removed the Herrscher core in advance during transport.
"Tch, this Flame-Chasing Moth really is a mess."
Clicking her tongue, Mebius both loved and hated this organization.
Although the organization imposed restrictions on her in many areas, the funding it provided her was also astronomical.
Otherwise, she would have packed up and left for somewhere else long ago. Who would want to stay here and put up with this frustration?
What she did not know was that the culprit behind the missing Herrscher core was currently being cheered by everyone within Flame-Chasing Moth.
"It was them! The two of them joined forces to kill that monster!"
"What? The two of them killed that monster together? You have to know, it took a small nuclear bomb just to successfully kill the first monster!"
"They're incredible! They must be the strongest people in the entire world so far!"
Listening to everyone's praise, Chang Yuan felt a little embarrassed himself.
After all, if anyone deserved the greatest credit, it was Airi. His role had merely been that of a chess piece.
"Hehe, Ah Yuan, look at how enthusiastic everyone is."
Seeing the starry-eyed girls staring at her, Airi smiled happily as well.
"How could they not be? Your existence has caused their fear of Herrschers to plummet.
In their eyes, you killing a Herrscher proves that those monsters are not invincible. That makes their longing for hope even stronger."
"Hehe, that's because I'm amazing. But Ah Yuan, why didn't you let me say that it was your self-sacrifice that made the feat of killing the Herrscher possible?"
Airi could not understand this at all.
If they reported it, then when the rewards came later, Chang Yuan would receive more as well.
"I have my own plans. I don't intend to appear too dazzlingly before those people just yet. Otherwise, what comes next may become inconvenient."
Since he intended to deal with those councilors later, Chang Yuan naturally needed to keep a low profile for a while first.
If he became too high-profile, those councilors might notice him.
If one day those old bastards decided he was a threat and sent Poison Chrysalis assassins after him, he would really have something to cry about.
After all, their ace assassin was Sakura, the woman who had made Qianjie—who could tear apart Herrschers with his bare hands despite being human—lose a heart.
If he were the one being targeted, he did not even dare imagine whether he might die in his sleep one day. Unless he could sleep with Airi, it would be hard for him to guarantee his own safety.
So, before he possessed absolute strength, he had no intention of being too high-profile. The best course was to let all the glory belong to Airi alone.
Airi was already strong enough that she feared no assassin, Sakura included.
"Fine. Since you have your own decision, Ah Yuan, I won't ask any further."
Seeing this, Airi did not continue pressing the matter.
She believed Chang Yuan must have his own reasons for doing this.
"Is Airi here? Is Airi around? If you are, please come over here."
Amid everyone's cheers, a voice that stood out from the crowd rang out.
Hearing someone call for her, and realizing it seemed they had business with her, Airi immediately brought Chang Yuan over with her.
The person did not pay much attention to Chang Yuan standing beside Airi.
After giving him a single glance, her gaze returned to Airi.
"Following multiple rounds of deliberation by the higher-ups, and due to the death of Squad One's captain, we hereby appoint you captain of Flame-Chasing Moth's Squad One. We hope that you will continue fighting for humanity in the future."
As she spoke, she handed the badge she had prepared long ago to Airi.
This badge differed from the ordinary silver badges. The moth pattern on it was not bronze-colored, but made of gold thread.
It was of the same rank as Mebius's.
After all, top researchers and top combatants were equals. Both were extremely important.
After the award ceremony ended, the woman left briskly.
"Mm-hmm~? Ah Yuan, do you think this badge looks good?"
Holding the badge against her chest, Airi smiled and asked Chang Yuan for his opinion.
"Mm, it looks great. It suits you, Airi."
Faced with such a girlish Airi, Chang Yuan naturally did not hold back his praise.
"Hehe~? I knew it. No matter what, I always look good. But from now on, you're a member of my Squad One. When you see me, what should you call me?"
Airi gave Chang Yuan a playful wink as she asked.
"Captain Airi. Squad member Chang Yuan reporting to the captain."
"Not bad, not bad. Your ideological awareness is quite high. Keep working hard, and you'll become my vice-captain."
Relying on her height of 1.63 meters, Airi patted the shoulder of the 1.8-meter-tall Chang Yuan.
The sight was somewhat comical.
The others who saw it found the scene utterly adorable as well.
But where there were people, there would naturally be clear divisions between good and bad.
"Tch, the vice-captain position is being decided internally just like that? Unfair. This is completely unfair to the other squad members."
The captaincy was an extremely prestigious position, after all. It also came with many privileges.
Flame-Chasing Moth had been established jointly by the highest decision-makers of every continent.
Therefore, the prestige of its captains was already comparable to that of major generals in the militaries of the various continents.
Such status naturally made others envious, but no one envied Airi for having it.
She had earned it through her own overwhelming strength. If they could kill that monster alone as well, they would certainly be made captains too.
But they did not believe Chang Yuan was qualified to serve as vice-captain.
They believed Chang Yuan had only been appointed vice-captain because he stayed by Airi's side and had a good relationship with her.
Thus, many people who coveted the position were deeply dissatisfied with Chang Yuan being appointed vice-captain.
"Airi, Airi... Because of one sentence from you, I've become a target for everyone."
Before you continue