klisemfg Chapter 426 The Fourth Great Collapse
Chapter 426 The Fourth Great Collapse
"I have some good news and a few bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"
Sitting in the pilot's seat, ready to press the ejection button at any moment, Sora looked behind her—because Himeko had drawn all the Valkyries from the Hyperion, the six of them were now crammed into a small fighter jet, barely managing to launch attacks with the help of Ai-chan's unreliable remote control.
Although it wasn't as crowded as the Nine Nether Incident where seven people squeezed into one plane, Qiong's heart was even more chaotic than before—if only Uncle Yang were here to support the plane!
No one spoke. The girls were all lost in thought, checking their parachutes... mainly because Qiong had repeatedly mentioned her distrust of autonomous vehicles.
Bronya wanted to hear the bad news first.
Bronya, who was small in stature and sat in the passenger seat and did not need a parachute, spoke first. She was trying in vain to restore contact with Himeko and the others through the lost communicator.
As Qiong stared at the approaching purple cloud in front of her, she felt increasingly unprepared.
"The bad news is that, considering the interference of Honkai energy, Ai-chan might lose control of the drone at any time, and none of us know how to fly a plane... We'll be parachuting later!"
He couldn't say.
"Dead Gray Hair, what's the good news?"
"The good news is... The communicator on the Hyperion is faulty, but the detector is of good quality. Based on the coordinates Ai-chan gave us, we can pinpoint the Gem of Desire to a medical center belonging to Schicksal."
"Brother, will Teacher Himeko be there?"
Xing was quite excited, showing no signs of fear at all; the baseball bat in her hand was practically itching to be used!
Bronya believes there is a greater than 70% chance that Major Himeko is there.
"Well, so we—"
Before the words were even finished, the fighter jet jolted, and red lights flashed in the cockpit. Ai-chan's virtual image began to flicker erratically.
"Oh no, boss... the Honkai energy concentration... sizzle... it's going out of control..."
"Now!"
Qiong roared and slammed his hand heavily on the red ejection button.
"parachute!"
The canopy popped open, and a surge of violent air currents rushed in from high altitude.
"Everyone be careful! Seele, hold onto Bronya!"
Bronya's voice was muffled by the wind. The Heavy Bunny appeared behind her, creating a levitation effect, and its large size helped Kiana and the others withstand the first, most intense wave of air currents.
"I'm taking my leave now!"
Kiana leaped first, stretching her body in mid-air, and then skillfully pulled the parachute cords, just as she had practiced repeatedly in class. Mei followed closely behind. Bronya jumped down with Seele in her arms, relying on the Heavy Bunny for extra stability.
Qiong took one last look at the fighter jet that was about to crash out of control. After confirming that Ai-chan had sent the emergency signal (if all went well, the Hyperion would meet him in the designated area, and Theresa's support would arrive in a few hours), he grabbed Xing and jumped into the air.
"Xiaoxing, hold me tight!"
The parachute lines tightened, and a tremendous force of deceleration came through. Beneath their feet, the earth, stained by collapse, rapidly expanded.
The battle has begun.
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"Get out of my way!"
Kiana raised her leg and kicked to the side, sending a rushing Honkai Beast flying with a cat's paw. Behind her, Mei had already drawn "Magnetic Storm Slash" to cover Kiana's blind spot.
"Star, Seele, ten o'clock!"
"understand!"
The two rushed towards the northwest direction that Qiong had mentioned, just as three Knight-level Honkai Beasts were about to charge over.
Hey! Look this way!
Xing grabbed a rock from the roadside and hurled it at them with all her might. The rock seemed to enrage the Honkai Beasts; the instant they turned, Xing was already upon them, her baseball bat flashing blue light—
"Rules are meant to be broken!"
Xing slammed her staff into the nearest Honkai Beast, and after her powerful strike, the Honkai Beast froze and fell to the ground. The other two immediately turned to her and thrust their spears at her.
"Hehe, too slow!"
With a smile on her lips, Xing dodged the first attack by sidestepping, grabbed the baseball bat and struck again. As the bat fell, the Honkai Beast's lance snapped in two, and then the entire Honkai Beast turned into points of light.
"Seele!"
Before Xing finished speaking, a dark blue scythe slashed out from the side, precisely cutting into the third Knight-class Honkai Beast and eliminating it.
"Seele, you're amazing!"
"Thank you, Sister Xing! You too!"
"So-so, third in the world."
Hearing Seele call her "older sister," Xing proudly put her hands on her hips—this little sister is so well-behaved, cute, and easy to bully... Now that she's called her "older sister," she'll protect her from now on!
"Xiao Xing, watch out behind you!"
Qiong's voice came from afar. Only then did Xing realize that a small, rushing-class Honkai Beast had shot out from a blind spot and was pouncing on his back.
"Hmph, trying to ambush me?"
Xingchong blinked at Xier, a wicked smile spreading across her face that she thought was incredibly cool. She was going to swat this mosquito to ashes, earn Xier's praise, and then...
Then, a blazing spear of fire descended from the sky and pierced through the entire Honkai Beast.
"Brother, this is my opponent!"
Xing, who was completely oblivious to the danger on the battlefield, stomped her foot angrily and looked at the Honkai Beast that was being pierced by the Flame Spear and gradually turning into specks of light. She was a little unhappy.
Qiong ran over quickly and gave Xing a stern flick on the forehead.
"Ouch!"
"What did I tell you? Be careful, be very careful! Xiaoxing, this is a battlefield, people will die here! Can't you wait until later to show off? If you do this, don't come here again!"
After reprimanding Xing, Qiong turned to Xier, her tone softening.
"Seele, are you alright?"
Seele shook her head slightly, gripping the scythe even tighter.
"Xier is alright... Thank you, Brother Qiong!"
"Brother, I'm really amazing, okay!"
Xing rubbed her forehead in protest, her eyes full of defiance.
"Yes, yes, my Xiaoxing is the best..."
Qiong casually ruffled her hair. Of course he knew Xing was very capable, even stronger than him in some ways, but he would rather Xing just be a not-so-bright, silly little sister than a seemingly aloof but actually despicable little sister who kills shadow monsters without blinking an eye...
Or, how about we talk to Himeko Theresa and put Star in the logistics department?
But that's all for later. Right now, Qiong's gaze swept around... Good, she didn't see any Honkai Beasts.
"Bronya, how is it?"
Not far away, the cannons of the Heavy Bunny slowly retracted. Relying on wide-area bombardment, Bronya was responsible for nearly half of the cleanup operation. At present, she was hovering half a meter above the ground, her eyes focused on a handheld detector and a terrain map.
"Brother Qiong, the Honkai Beasts have been cleared, but there's no signal for now. The target medical center is 500 meters ahead. However, the Honkai energy readings there are abnormally high and unstable... the detection signal is severely interfered with."
Mei sheathed her sword and walked to Bronya's side.
"What does that mean? Does it mean there might be powerful Honkai Beasts?"
Kiana checked the bullets and casually stuck them to Mei's back.
"Who cares! With Mei around, I'm not afraid of anything! With Mei around, it's like having the strength of a hundred people!"
Upon hearing Kiana's words, Sora's mind went blank for a moment.
"The power of a hundred people? I'm not some superman..."
Miss Raiden, looking troubled, was clearly unaware that a certain paramecium was taking advantage of her, and was instead agonizing over the question of "one bud being worth a hundred"... Meanwhile, Kiana was taking the opportunity to grope her, while also spreading her fallacies and giving everyone (especially Sora) a thumbs up.
"No, as long as Mei is by my side, I already feel a hundred times more powerful!"
Mei was amused by Kiana and chuckled.
"That's something only Kiana would say..."
Qiong silently gripped the Flame Spear in his hand, its tip seemingly glowing faintly. Just as he remained silent, two hands grasped his left and right arms respectively.
"Brother Qiong, with you here, Xier... Xier feels like she has the strength of two people!"
"Brother, with you here, I feel like I can... I can challenge Kiana's record of eating eight bowls of rice in one sitting!"
"Um... you're pretty good, aren't you?"
For one reason or another, a bead of cold sweat, representing helplessness, silently slid down Qiong's forehead as his thoughts were interrupted.
Bronya glanced at Kiana and Mei, then at Starry Sky and Seele, and felt a surge of nameless anger rising within her as she felt isolated—you lot, this is a battlefield, a battlefield!
"Brother Qiong, Bronya suggests we go to the medical center immediately!"
Bronya's voice rang out at the right moment, interrupting the increasingly erratic atmosphere.
"Although the Honkai energy readings are fluctuating, the life signal detection in the target area is still active!"
This statement made everyone take it seriously.
"A life sign? Could it be Aunt Himeko?"
"Even if we're just survivors, we have to get in! Kiana, Star, follow me and clear the way! Mei, Seele, stay alert; Bronya, you provide support from the middle!"
"I know, I know."
Kiana pouted, but still obediently let go of Mei and moved closer to Sora.
"If you ask me, why go through all that trouble? Why not just rush in and find Aunt Himeko and Jewel?"
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The medical center's doors were wide open, but the interior was deathly silent. Broken glass and scattered medical equipment testified to the chaos that had once taken place. The air was thick with the smell of disinfectant and blood, causing everyone's brows to furrow.
The team entered in a vigilant formation. Kiana and Starry Sky led the way, with Mei and Seele flanking them on either side, while Bronya hovered at the rear. The Heavy Bunny's heavy artillery was ready to bombard every Honkai Beast that emerged from any corner.
"It's so quiet, bro. I don't like it here."
Xing muttered to himself, gripping the baseball bat even tighter.
"According to the detection, the signal is coming from further ahead, right... Brother Qiong, look!"
Passing through the messy lobby and corridors, the six arrived at the central plaza between several hospital buildings. The scene here was slightly different from the outside—though equally dilapidated, it seemed to have undergone some basic cleaning; at least the main passageways were clear. Even more striking was the presence of a wheelchair in the center of the plaza, and in it sat a young girl…
"Senior, Senior Wendy?"
"Hmm, who?"
Upon hearing the sound, the girl in the wheelchair slowly pushed the wheelchair around.
Her light blue short hair and the tuft of hair on top of her head fluttered gently in the breeze, and her eyes held a kind of unsettling calm. She wore a pure white Valkyrie uniform...
Wait, pure white? Shouldn't it have a touch of green?
As the girl turned completely around with an astonishing speed, all five of them felt Qiong's face twitch...
The reason was simple: those legs, which should have been wrapped in bandages, were now bare, dangling limply from the wheelchair footrests...
The pure white clothes, devoid of any green, and the smooth, unbandaged thighs were all driving him wild – something was wrong with this outfit! Surely it wasn't some kind of Wen Tiandi costume?!