"You mean you actually didn't know that? I thought you were just acting aloof and looking down on Mebius."
Seeing Velvie's sudden realization, Chang Yuan's mouth twitched slightly.
He had thought Velvie was simply too proud of her genius to bother cooperating with others.
In the end, she just had not considered it. Still, that was good. There would be no rift between them.
"Oh, right. The people you specifically asked us to bring back have arrived. They're waiting for you. And her little boyfriend is with her too."
As if remembering something, Velvie casually mentioned it to Chang Yuan.
Only after Velvie's reminder did Chang Yuan recall that he had asked for Mei and Kevin to be brought back before they went to fight the Herrscher.
After all, he feared that the butterfly effect might cause the two of them to disappear. They were humanity's top-tier combat strength and a treasure of wisdom.
"Then, Velvie, agree to Airi's request. I'll go see Mei and the others first."
After waving goodbye, Chang Yuan hurried toward the reception room.
Inside the reception room, a black-haired woman wearing glasses calmly sipped her tea.
Meanwhile, the white-haired man beside her paced back and forth anxiously.
"Kevin, stop pacing around. You're giving me a headache. Can't you calm down?"
Rubbing her brow, Mei let out a helpless sigh.
"I... How am I supposed to calm down after everything that happened? Just a few days ago, we were still living normal lives at school, and then suddenly it turned into the end of the world.
"Most importantly, we were brought to some unknown organization. Who knows whether they have ulterior motives toward us?"
Hearing Mei tell him to calm down, Kevin answered helplessly.
How could he possibly stay calm after all that? Monsters as tall as buildings, and those zombie-like things wandering the streets that resembled humans.
No matter how he looked at it, the apocalypse had become reality. If he could stay calm, that would be a miracle.
Click!
Just then, the lock on the reception room door sounded.
Chang Yuan then pushed open the door and walked in.
"You two, I'm not late, am I?"
"No."
Mei shook her head.
At the same time, she shot Kevin a glare when he looked like he wanted to say something.
Under that gaze, Kevin immediately became timid and did not dare speak.
Only then did Mei turn her attention back to Chang Yuan.
"So you're the leader of this organization?"
"Not entirely. Flame-Chasing Moth was established jointly by the higher-ups of various continents to fight the disaster known as Honkai.
"But you should know that once this kind of organization falls into the hands of parasites, its fate becomes utterly miserable.
"So I used a few methods to take control of all the higher-ups and transferred all authority into my own hands."
"Isn't that just seizing power? No matter how you look at it, that doesn't make you sound like a good person."
Hearing that, Kevin's sense of justice flared up, and he blurted out a complaint.
But as soon as he finished speaking, Mei pressed a hand against his chest.
"Kevin, could you stop selectively listening to people? You completely ignored the part about those people being parasites, didn't you?"
Hearing Kevin take his words out of context, Chang Yuan explained once more.
"But that... mmph."
Kevin had wanted to say something else, but Mei's gaze frightened him into silence.
"Forget it, Kevin. I won't talk to you for now. Let me speak with your little girlfriend first."
Hearing Chang Yuan refer to Mei that way, Kevin's face reddened, and he looked extremely embarrassed.
Seeing the great ancestor Kevin like this, Chang Yuan could not help but marvel. So Kevin could get shy too.
As for Mei, she did not deny the term either.
"Now then, what I'm about to tell you will overturn your worldview. In this world, there exists a disaster known as Honkai..."
It took Chang Yuan nearly half an hour to explain the concept of Honkai to them.
Of course, that was mainly because a certain white-haired man kept asking question after question. Otherwise, it could have been settled in ten minutes.
"So how exactly do you know so much?"
Mei was not focused on Honkai at the moment. What concerned her more was how Chang Yuan knew so much.
Since a higher-dimensional civilization already existed, could Chang Yuan be an agent sent by another civilization?
"I can't tell you that for now. When the time comes, during the war to subjugate the Thirteenth Herrscher, I'll tell you. I'll tell everyone."
"...Then I have no further questions."
Seeing this, Mei nodded and stopped asking.
"Since that is the case, Mei, are you willing to join Flame-Chasing Moth and add a spark to the future of civilization, even if it means charging into the flames like a moth?"
"I am. But I want Kevin to join too."
"That's fine, but he'll have to start as a recruit. After all, I fought my own way up to this position."
Chang Yuan had no reason to refuse such a small request.
Hearing that he would not have to be separated from Mei, Kevin sighed in relief.
At the same time, dreams of becoming a savior rose in his mind. After all, every boy had dreams like that.
"Since you've chosen to join us, sign these contracts. These assets and material manufacturing plants will be under your name.
"Our shared goal is to do everything in our power to overcome or defeat Honkai. Since we already know the ultimate objective in advance and understand our enemy inside and out, I hope that you, Dr. Mei, can bring me the future I wish to see."
Chang Yuan took out several unsigned contracts from the councilors and handed them to Mei.
Mei signed her name without hesitation.
"Then may I begin my research now?"
"Please do. Before you joined us, I had already entered your identity into the database. Your current clearance is equal to Mebius's and the others'."
Mei gave Kevin a look, signaling him to follow her.
Understanding immediately, Kevin eagerly followed Mei out, without a trace of the aloof male-god aura he would have in the future.
After the two of them left, Chang Yuan closed his eyes and began to think.
What else had appeared during this period? Or rather, who else had appeared?
"It seems Hua was also brought back to Flame-Chasing Moth by Himiko during this period, but I probably don't need to concern myself with that."
Rubbing his chin, Chang Yuan continued worrying over nothing.
As long as Honkai had not truly been defeated, he could never truly relax.
After all, whenever he tried to let himself relax, he would remember how Airi sacrificed herself so that future generations could defeat the Herrscher of Finality.
Before you continue