There was still over an hour until the Gray Moth squad's return. It was already past midnight, and the Fire Moth base, which should have been quiet and settled in for the night, was once again in a state of turmoil.
The members of the Combat Squad, fully armed, began clearing the Honkai creatures near the tracks, while the Engineering Department started checking if all parts of the track gate were functioning properly.
The Gray Moth squad is a special unit led by Murata Himeko, composed of the Valkyries who were once responsible for fighting the Honkai.
But after the Great Honkai Eruption, the Valkyries, tools created solely to fight the Honkai, lost their purpose.
It was then that Himeko stepped forward. With a firm attitude and ruthless methods, she reorganized these Valkyries and gave them a new purpose, personally leading them to continue fighting for the survivors.
They are responsible for monitoring the Honkai situation in the afflicted areas of Nagazora City and searching for resources to supply the base. Because external investigations are extremely dangerous and carrying supplies is even more difficult, the Gray Moth squad possesses a very special vehicle—the rail battleship Hyperion.
It was supposed to be a genuine aerial battleship, but due to a damaged power core, it could hardly fly anymore. To get the steel behemoth operational again, it had to be modified into a ground-based warship that moved on rails.
The only drawback was that the Hyperion's movement on the tracks produced a massive roar and sparks that were like a beacon in the night.
It was this "minor side effect" that caused the Fire Moth to be on high alert every time the Gray Moth squad returned, engaging in a race against time to escort them while fighting off the Honkai creatures drawn by the Hyperion, the beacon in the night.
Ryn and Penglaiji Ryn joined the Third Squad led by Seele, responsible for defending the area around the base's gate control room.
The opening of the gate would let in a large number of Honkai creatures. Bronya would lead the front-line fighters to repel their assault. Seele's Third Squad was responsible for preventing the Honkai creatures from interfering with the closing of the gate after the Gray Moth squad entered.
Having gone through several such escort missions, Seele was quite relaxed, often making jokes to ease the somewhat nervous Penglaiji Ryn.
The three of them were talking and laughing outside, but Yiselian, who was in charge of closing the gate, was in agony. The cowardly Yiselian didn't have their strength or optimistic attitude. If the gate's operation wasn't so crucial, Yiselian would definitely choose to hide in some corner of the base right now.
"Seele, be a little more serious... This gate is the sturdiest barrier in the base. If something goes wrong with it, we're all doomed..."
Yiselian cowered in a corner of the control room, watching the situation outside through a peephole. Seeing Seele still joking around, she couldn't help but remind her over the comms.
"Alright, alright~ It's because it's so important that Big Sis assigned a reliable person like me to defend it, isn't it?" Seele patted her chest confidently, reassuring Yiselian.
"Guh... It's because you're here that I'm worried... Well, at least the other two are reliable. Ryn! Penglaiji Ryn! I'm counting on you!"
"Don't worry!" "I'll do my best."
Ryn and Penglaiji Ryn replied to Yiselian separately, telling her not to worry.
"Hey, hey, hey, you damn Yiselian, don't look down on me like that!"
Seele angrily shook her little fist at Yiselian in the control room.
"All units, attention. The Gray Moth squad will arrive in fifteen minutes."
*Rumble, rumble—*
Not long after the base's alarm sounded, a sharp, deafening roar came from the distance.
The massive roar echoed through the sky, reawakening the slumbering beast that was Nagazora City. In the darkness, the flames generated from friction with the rails seemed to be the only beacon in this pitch-black night. Countless Honkai creatures turned into a surging tide, sweeping along in pursuit of the Hyperion.
Amidst the growing and approaching noise, there were less than five minutes until the Gray Moth squad docked with the Fire Moth.
Looking at the gradually clearing form of the steel behemoth, the Hyperion, Seele shouted proudly and excitedly.
"Even though it makes a bit of a racket, isn't this great?~ It's like an unwilling roar in this world that's been destroyed by the Honkai and plunged into dead silence. This is the proof of our existence in this world!"
"You're really optimistic... Every time I see that dark mass of Honkai creatures behind them, like a 'Black Tide,' I wonder if I'll survive the night."
Ryn's Heat Vision swept around, melting the last wave of Honkai Beasts approaching the area.
"That's why our purpose is highlighted, isn't it? Are you ready, little sis?"
"Of course, I'm always ready."
Penglaiji Ryn put on the gloves she and Ryn had embroidered with the Cross of Finality in their room. With a heavy cannon in her left hand and a greatsword in her right, she followed Ryn and began clearing the Honkai creatures in the area.
Watching the two of them wreak havoc, and then looking at Seele hopping around with her scythe, Yiselian couldn't help but mutter under her breath, "See, I told you they were more reliable than you."
*Clank*. Seele sliced a Honkai Zombie in two with her scythe, then chuckled at Yiselian over the comms:
"Yes, yes, times have changed, haven't they~ I wonder when our great inventor, Dr. Yiselian, will be able to upgrade my scythe?"
"Ahem, about that... resources are tight, there's nothing I can do..."
"Hmph, you're lucky I'm easygoing. If it were Emisha, and you said you couldn't do it, she might just hang you up and whip you for three days straight."
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As the base gate opened and the Hyperion was preparing to dock, something unexpected happened.
A brand-new type of Honkai creature, insect-like beings, rushed forward like a sea of bugs, devouring and consuming all the previous Honkai creatures.
But their numbers did not decrease; instead, they split and regenerated into even more insect-type Honkai creatures.
At the same time, Bronya's urgent cry rang out over the comms.
"All units, attention. New type of Honkai Beast detected ahead. Change of plans, all units retreat to the base!"
Before the voice on the comms had finished, Bronya herself appeared in front of Ryn and the others.
Bronya didn't have time to talk to them and shouted at Yiselian.
"Yiselian, close the gate as soon as the Hyperion is in!"
"But, there are still people on the front line who haven't retreated..."
"I'll go save them, you don't need to worry. If the gate isn't closed in time and those things get through, the people in the base will be in danger..."
Just as Bronya finished speaking, she saw a sight she couldn't believe.