"Boss, they've arrived."
Inside Veyl's Orphanage, Jack put down the radio and spoke to Veyl, who was standing on the rooftop.
"Mm... I know."
Veyl nodded slightly, her red eyes gradually fading back to their usual gold as the drones slowly descended from the sky.
"Boss, we've switched the Old District's network over to our own, but... is this really okay? What if those Corporation dogs really try to take Punklorde? Can we fight them?" Jack voiced the doubts in his heart as he looked at Veyl, who had just finished deploying the network.
"With the Astral Express here, the Corporation's schemes won't succeed. You can rest assured on that point. Besides..."
Veyl's gaze passed through the chain-link fence on the rooftop, settling on the children playing and laughing in the orphanage courtyard below.
"I only have one goal. To me, Punklorde isn't some prize to be won in a power struggle. Who would want this godforsaken place anyway?"
She shook her head with a smile and turned to pat Jack on the shoulder.
"But this is our home. I don't trust leaving it to a new set of rulers. You know the situation in the Old District. If we don't hold some leverage, this place will sooner or later become another 'New District'."
Hearing this, Jack fell silent.
Everyone on Punklorde, even the children, knew that the New District had once been a slum... and its establishment... came after a "war."
"Yeah... protecting our home. That's the reason [Phantom Light] was founded." Jack nodded in agreement, a look of understanding on his face.
"I never said that. It was you lot who founded [Phantom Light] in the first place, and then you made me your boss without my permission." Veyl crossed her arms, teasing Jack with a smile.
"Hahaha, we were all just full of admiration for you back then, Boss! After all, you were a returning [Galaxy Ranger]. In terms of reputation alone, who in the entire Old District could compare with you? And the first thing you did when you came back was clean up all the other gangs. Our 'little gang,' which had just been formed, became the last one standing before we even had a chance to find a backer. If we hadn't made you our boss, our heads would probably be full of holes by now!"
Jack sighed with emotion, recalling his ignorant younger days.
Who would have thought... that a few young punks who had just started to make a name for themselves would, under the Boss's leadership, become a force to be reckoned with across all of Punklorde... Even the folks over at the Scrapyard didn't dare cause trouble in their territory.
"Mm, that shows you were all quite clever."
"Really! Hahaha!"
"Alright, I take it back."
"Hey! Don't do that!"
---o---
"Everyone, to get to the Old District, you'll need to pass through this area. Forgive us, but our capabilities are limited, and we cannot escort you further. However, with your strength, reaching the Old District safely should be no problem. We've already given you the shortcut to the Legendary Tower. From here on... Punklorde is in your hands."
The tough-as-nails commander named Charles gave Himeko's group a solemn military salute and bid them farewell.
"Mm, thank you."
Himeko gave a slight nod and turned to lead the others away.
"Yay! We finally get to meet up with Wende! I've been dying for his cooking these past two days!" March 7th cheered.
"Uh... actually, if you count it, we've only been apart for two days at most, right?"
The corner of Himeko's mouth twitched. It had only been two days, so why were these two kids so excited? Especially Stelle, who might as well have had "IMPATIENT" written all over her face.
Sigh, at least their Dan Heng was mature and steady...
Himeko glanced at Dan Heng, who was holding Cloud-Piercer under his arm while playing a game, and silently retracted that thought.
Alright, Dan Heng had become a gaming addict...
She pressed a hand to her forehead, feeling a bit weary. Fine... she missed Wende a little too. At least when he was around, she could worry a little less about these kids.
The Punklorde soldiers on the defensive line gazed at the completely relaxed Express crew with grave expressions, silently praying for them in their hearts.
"The future of Punklorde... is in your hands," Charles muttered, his bloodshot eyes fixed on the four departing figures.
"Commander, there are residual monsters attacking the line..."
"Get those cowards up and fighting! Tell them to stop relying on others!"
---o---
"Hoh~ I remember wiping them out before. How are they still alive? And there are more of them than before."
Silver Wolf, wearing her goggles, gazed at the massive camp in the distance. The style of these people was just like those lunatics from the Thieves' Principality. For a moment, she thought her eyes were deceiving her.
"Hmph... If you don't cut the grass by the roots... it will grow again when the spring wind blows," Blade said with a cold snort, holding his fractured sword and a game console, reciting a famous proverb.
"Tch... the Cinder Gang, that dross... have they become the Mad Talia now?" Silver Wolf curled her lip in disdain, looking thoroughly displeased.
"Mm... it's a bit shocking, but this Cinder Gang's new boss... is quite the legendary figure... and he's even younger than you~" Kafka said to Silver Wolf, her eyes full of provocation.
"Hah!?? Has it gotten to the point where any piece of trash can be called a [Legend]? Since when did the title of Legend become so common? Did this DLC patch the bug that allowed Legends to still be alive?"
Silver Wolf retorted to Kafka with an incredulous look, as if to say, I may be young, but you can't fool me.
"Sigh~ Little Wolfie, you still have much to learn. Look, he's coming out."
Kafka pointed into the distance, a slight smile playing on her lips.
"Hmph! I'd like to see just who it is that earns such high praise from you."
With a dissatisfied snort, Silver Wolf increased the magnification on her goggles and looked toward where Kafka was pointing.
From a building made of various scraps of metal and wood, a small figure, sitting atop a metallic "monster," slowly came into view.
He wore a delicate little suit. A large ahoge swayed back and forth in his soft brown hair, making him look innocent and cute. His youthful face wore a dead-serious expression. His shiny little leather shoes rested on the mechanical support device beneath him, and his white knee-high socks were spotless...
"Boss Nolan! Boss Nolan! Boss Nolan!"
Deafening cheers erupted from the distant camp.
"Hiss..."
Silver Wolf pushed her goggles up onto her forehead in disbelief. She looked at Kafka's peculiar expression and couldn't help but shout.
"Are you sure you're not just calling this kid a Legend because he satisfies your XP!?"