As they spoke, a group of security robots emerged from the walls.
Detecting that the main entrance had been blasted open, the security robots immediately marked Odin and the others as enemies.
A cold mechanical voice sounded. "Open fire."
Bullets poured down like a torrential rain, shattering the chandeliers hanging from the ceiling.
The robots mercilessly activated their emergency defense protocols.
As long as someone was not part of company management, anyone killed by the emergency defense protocol would not even have the opportunity to file for compensation.
Fortunately, while Odin was terrifying as an enemy, he was fairly reassuring as an ally.
His robe writhed, and a miniature steel eagle flew out.
Whoosh, whoosh—
The steel eagle's bullets streaked through the grand hall, reducing the security robots to showers of sparks in no time at all.
"Ah-beep!"
"Big Bro Odin, how can that eagle of yours get bigger and smaller?"
Pardo's eyes lit up. She had never expected the steel eagle to possess such a wondrous function, and crooked ideas immediately began stirring in her head.
Odin did not answer. He closed his eyes and raised one hand, causing a rune stone of unknown function to condense in his palm.
"Release."
He barked the word, and the rune stone erupted with dazzling white light, instantly enveloping the entire club.
Just when Vill-V thought Odin was about to pull off something incredibly badass, she saw him cough up silvery Star Silver blood and collapse to one knee.
"Bro, how'd you already get wrecked? I was just about to say you were surprisingly reliable, and now you're already falling apart? Did your beginner-boss protection period expire?"
Odin wiped the silver blood from his face and the floor with the back of his hand. Ignoring Vill-V's mockery, he said gravely, "They have arrived. We're leaving."
"They? Who?" Pardo still did not quite understand the situation. "We're leaving right after getting here? Weren't we supposed to take some super-valuable treasure?"
A trace of urgency entered Odin's voice. "Forget it. Move!"
Pardo still wanted to insist. After all, treasure hunting always involved a little danger.
In the face of an exceptionally rare treasure, a bit of danger was perfectly acceptable.
Besides, even if the sky fell, Vill-V would be there to hold it up for her. Vill-V was extremely reliable.
Apparently, after being rescued by Vill-V several times, Pardo's mentality had undergone a subtle change. Wealth came from taking risks, and once danger no longer felt threatening, all Pardo could focus on was the wealth.
But when she turned around, she saw that Vill-V had already taken Bronya and Hua and run out through the karaoke club's entrance.
"Ah—Vill-V, wait for me!"
By the time Pardo ran out of the karaoke club, she found everyone else waiting for her at the entrance.
However, Pardo noticed that all of their expressions had changed.
"What happened? Did you decide we're going back in to steal the treasure after all? I say we really should take the gamble!"
Pardo patted her chest. "Don't worry. As long as I'm here, barring any accidents, I can get my hands on it. You just need to provide cover. Leave the rest to me!"
Pardo, where exactly is this confidence coming from? Vill-V's secret gadgets? Big Bro Odin's strength? Or Bronie's hacking skills?
Come to think of it, this team really could bulldoze its way through Dusk City, so Pardo's confidence wasn't exactly unreasonable.
It was rare to assemble a lineup this stacked. Wouldn't it be a waste not to pull off one huge score?
Unfortunately, something far more unreasonable existed within this city.
"Uh... I don't think we can leave even if we want to anymore."
Hua awkwardly waved the Honkai energy detector in front of everyone.
The Honkai energy detector in her hand displayed: "Honkai energy warning: 3,600 Honkai Welts!"
At that very moment, the Sixth Honkai Eruption began across the entirety of Dusk City!
Right in the city's most densely populated central district...
Without the slightest warning.
...
"Beep beep—Respected Dr. Newton, European authorities have confirmed an extreme Honkai energy reaction in Barcelona..."
Inside Newton's laboratory, dark red blood dripped onto Dr. Newton's treasured Homu comic book, while the normally noisy Hello Robot had also stopped moving.
Although it was morning, Newton's laboratory was shrouded in darkness and silence.
Sakura picked up Newton's communication earpiece and answered through a voice changer, "Mm... I understand."
Bzzzt... Static crackled through the communicator before the connection was cut.
The laboratory door opened, and a curvaceous researcher walked inside.
Upon seeing the corpses on the floor, the researcher's expression did not change in the slightest.
As though she had known about this all along.
"Before long, they will receive news of Dr. Newton's death."
Sakura turned and looked toward the newcomer.
"Dr. Mei."
"Mm."
Dr. Mei closed the door, stepped over the corpses scattered across the floor, and pulled the hard drive from the laboratory server. "With this, the people hiding in Dusk City, along with those hiding on Mu Continent, will finally reveal themselves."
"They belong to organizations that revere the power of the stars. They do not merely believe in extraterrestrial life. They even worship the Honkai itself, and some of them go so far as to regard Herrschers as gods."
"In order to lure those people into making the first move, I deliberately presented an aggressively anti-Honkai position and advocated stripping those people of their authority."
"At present, far too many high-ranking officials are occupying positions they do not deserve while contributing nothing. Conveniently, a human traitor like Selwyn provides striking evidence. A high-ranking official fired nuclear weapons at humanity itself. Such definitive evidence concerning humanity's very survival is enough to change legislation at the highest levels."
"Once those people among the upper ranks learn of this, they will inevitably lose patience. At the same time, in order to suppress the Engineering Department's authority, or even reclaim the seats belonging to the Second Scientific Engineering Department and the Third Scientific Energy Department, they will immediately send assassins to launch a surprise attack."
Sakura lowered her head and remained silent for a moment. "What if... they don't send me? In that case, Dr. Mei, your radical statements will leave you trapped with no way forward or back."
Since ancient times, disasters caused by the Honkai had been regarded as natural catastrophes beyond human power. No one had ever seriously imagined fighting a natural disaster to mutual destruction.
Dr. Mei's baiting declaration that the Honkai should be completely eradicated was as absurd as humanity flattening the oceans to control tsunamis or freezing magma solid to suppress volcanic eruptions.
Those words had indeed gained support from some radicals, but most people still believed humanity should avoid confronting natural disasters head-on and instead seek coexistence.
Thus, Dr. Mei's proposal to completely eliminate the Honkai had drawn far more condemnation than approval, especially since she had issued the statement and proposal through Dr. Newton's channels.
It was practically roasting Dr. Mei over an open flame when she was still merely an official researcher at MOTH and had not yet been promoted to deputy director.
A lowly researcher actually dared use the Engineering Department's core authorization to publish a proposal like this? Minister Newton must have secretly instructed her to test the waters!
And afterward, Minister Newton could simply say, "Sorry, that was a new intern acting on her own and spouting nonsense. It wasn't my intention. That intern has already been dismissed." With a single statement, she could completely distance herself from Dr. Mei.
Dr. Mei would simply become her scapegoat.
Dr. Newton really is an old schemer—despicable and shameless! Truly worthy of being the greatest monster of this century.
Dr. Newton had taken the blame for absolutely nothing.