Soon, Firefly and the others arrived at their room on the second floor of the inn. Though the city's environment left much to be desired, the room itself was surprisingly spacious and clean. This was likely because Wesley had gone straight to the best inn in town and booked the most expensive suite.
Wesley then evenly divided the thick stack of banknotes he carried among everyone, even giving Firefly over a dozen bills. He turned to his three teammates. "Next, we'll split up and explore the city to gather more intelligence."
After issuing these instructions, Wesley finally turned his attention to Firefly. He paused thoughtfully. "As for Miss Firefly..."
"I'll stay nearby and won't wander far," Firefly replied instantly. "You can go without worry—I'll be fine!"
"Alright." Wesley nodded. After a moment's hesitation, he pulled a handgun from his waistband and offered it to her. "Take this for self-defense, just in case. By the way, Miss Firefly, do you know how to use a gun?"
Intent on maintaining her "ordinary person" persona, Firefly shook her head. "I know what guns are, but I've never fired one before..."
After another crash course in basic gun handling, where she was taught from scratch how to operate the safety, aim, and fire, Wesley gave her a few more words of caution. "If you can, try to avoid those really secluded areas. Stick to the main streets. This city shouldn't be too dangerous."
"Mhm! Mhm!" Firefly nodded earnestly, feigning rapt attention. Only after Wesley and his group had finally left did she breathe a sigh of relief.
Finally, free time!
Not all Outsiders were necessarily formidable fighters; ordinary people could also be transported across worlds. Firefly's decision to blend in stemmed from her current location in Europe and her inability to stay there indefinitely.
If she revealed her true combat prowess, leaving the country later would become exceedingly difficult. From a rational perspective, any nation discovering a powerful Outsider within its borders would likely attempt to retain them, wanting to keep such talent for themselves.
On the other hand, if Firefly adopted an unyielding stance and demonstrated combat capabilities far exceeding the European Union's expectations—in essence, if she showed she had an iron fist—the country might grudgingly let her go. But what would happen afterward?
Why would such a powerful Outsider be so eager to enter the Dragon Nation? Surely they would be highly suspicious of her.
In any case, just imagining the potential complications gave her a headache. The best approach was to feign harmlessness, obtain an identity document through the Superhuman Association, and enter the Dragon Nation as an ordinary foreign visitor. That would be the simplest way.
Of course, the crucial question remained: what did Firefly's harmless facade have to do with "SAM"?
After Wesley left, Firefly couldn't wait to leave the inn. Without hesitation, she headed straight for the secluded area he had warned her to avoid.
Along the roadside, countless gaunt refugees sat on the ground, their eyes vacant like living corpses. Even as Firefly passed, their gazes remained fixed, unmoving.
After wandering for what felt like an eternity—at least half an hour—she finally found an empty patch of ground. The recent influx of refugees had made finding a vacant space nearly impossible.
Specks of cyan light coalesced in Firefly's palm as she gazed curiously at the Transformation Device. "Shouldn't I shout some cool transformation catchphrase at this point?" she murmured to herself.
"Hmm..." After a moment's contemplation, she raised the device high and bellowed, "Like fyreflies to a flame... life begets death.!"
In the next instant, flames erupted around her, engulfing her completely. When the fire dissipated a breath later, the silver-haired girl had vanished, replaced by an incomparably sleek, silver-white mech: SAM!
Firefly vaguely recalled a question she'd seen on an online forum: "Would you choose a beautiful wife who loves you unconditionally or the chance to pilot a Gundam for ten minutes?"
Both options were undeniably alluring, but she remembered that the overwhelming majority had chosen the latter!
You can always find another wife, they reasoned, but the chance to pilot a Gundam might only come once in a lifetime!
No man can resist the allure of piloting a Gundam!
So, what if those two choices were combined into one? Wouldn't that be even more irresistible?
Even though this "wife" was Firefly herself, and she wasn't piloting a Gundam, it hardly mattered!
As Firefly's thoughts crystallized, several slots opened on SAM's lower legs, back, and shoulders, spewing forth scorching flames. Bathed in the crimson firelight, Firefly rocketed straight into the sky.
It's worth noting that Firefly might be the easiest identity to master.
For example, if Firefly had drawn Jingliu, she would have needed to learn—or at least refresh her memory of—swordsmanship. But with Firefly, all she needed to learn was how to operate SAM.
Which was easier: mastering swordsmanship or learning to wield a weapon? The answer was obvious.
At that moment, Firefly felt like she was riding a roller coaster—no, it was far more exhilarating! As she soared higher, the city below quickly shrank to the size of sesame seeds.
If I wanted to, Firefly mused, I could probably fly straight off the planet and into space.
After all, the Glamoth Iron Cavalry had been developed specifically for combating insect swarms in the cosmos.
But did this "Otherworld" created by the Dimensional Rift actually operate under the laws of the universe?
After a moment's thought, Firefly decided not to fly any higher. Her burning curiosity lay in testing her combat capabilities, and finding some hapless target to beat up was her top priority.
She oriented herself toward the direction she had approached the city earlier. Since the refugee column had fled from that way, flying in the opposite direction would undoubtedly lead her straight to the monsters' lair.
A crimson meteor streaked across the sky. Initially, Firefly had felt a slight apprehension and discomfort, but as she soared higher, only pure exhilaration remained.
This is amazing!
Firefly had no idea how fast she was moving, but within minutes, she spotted a vast expanse of dark, amorphous shapes.
Slowing her descent, she finally got a clear view of the monsters' true forms.