"The Emperor-class Honkai Beast's Honkai energy reading is dropping! It's fallen below the threshold! That's great! Fifth Squad successfully subjugated the Emperor-class Honkai Beast!"
The people in the temporary operations department were busy running around, delivering documents, reports, combat plans, and resource supplements to headquarters. The command staff were frantically planning a new strategy. The variables of the Third Honkai Eruption were simply too numerous so far; they still hadn't devised a single effective combat plan.
Located at the edge of Changkong City, they couldn't contact most of the operating squads within the city. The monitoring equipment could only track high Honkai reactions and couldn't confirm the Herrscher's exact location, only sending the squads that could barely receive a signal toward that general area.
The feeling was like being blindfolded, deafened, stuffed into a sack, and beaten—utterly powerless to fight back.
The Honkai was constantly growing stronger, and this was far from the end. This was the overwhelming impression the Third Honkai Eruption gave them.
Just then, a loud cheer broke the deathly, busy atmosphere. The monitoring staff, Skar, slammed his hands onto the desk, making a loud sound.
"Monitor Skar! This is during an operation! Why are you shouting!" The already irritated head of the command department slammed his own hand on the desk and stood up. He glared at the oblivious monitor and roared in a deep voice.
"Uh..." The monitor stared at him blankly, then smiled foolishly and happily rubbed the back of his head: "Oh, I was saying that the Emperor-class Honkai Beast has been defeated."
"What good is one defeated Honkai Beast... Wait, what did you just say?" The Commander's impatient hand froze in mid-air. He thought he had misheard and asked in disbelief.
Everyone's attention focused on the monitor. They all stared at him with suspicion.
The Emperor-class Honkai Beast's presence was confirmed only half an hour ago, right? And it was defeated in such a short time?
The monitor realized his outburst was inappropriate under so many stares. He quickly stood up, saluted stiffly, and said: "The Third Herrscher's companion High-Tier Honkai Beast dropped below the Honkai energy threshold one minute and thirteen seconds ago. It can be confirmed as deceased."
"Defeated? By whom?"
"Fifth Squad!"
The Commander searched his memory for the members of the Fifth Squad. His frowned brow smoothed out: "Fifth Squad... Himeko's squad? Headquarters assigned them a search and rescue mission. I didn't expect them to defeat the Emperor-class Honkai Beast on the side."
"Search and rescue mission? Weren't they a specialized reinforcement team?"
Skar's joyous smile vanished abruptly, and he asked in confusion.
"Bang!"
The door of the temporary operations department was violently kicked open. A deep-crimson figure rushed in from the curtain of rain, gently setting the black-haired girl on the ground.
The white-haired boy and the inner-layer-dyed girl followed closely. Rainwater streamed incessantly from their bodies, quickly forming a puddle at their feet.
The icy coldness of the downpour surging from the doorway made everyone shiver.
Before anyone could react, the deep-crimson figure bounded over to Monitor Skar, grasped his shoulder, and stared at him with aggressive intensity: "Did you just say the Emperor-class Honkai Beast was defeated?"
"Y-you are?"
"Answer quickly!"
"Yes! The Emperor-class Honkai Beast was defeated by the Fifth Squad... Huh? That voice... Aren't you the Fifth Squad Captain, Himeko?"
After confirming she hadn't misheard, Himeko's expression softened. She covered her head, letting out a sigh of relief.
Seele, who was supporting Mei, closed her eyes and quietly murmured: "Thank goodness... Thank goodness..."
"That bastard Lin. I told him to just distract it, and he went and defeated the Honkai Beast instead. He really knows what he's doing," Himeko muttered to herself, wiping the rain from her chin and showing a look of relief. "Seele, let's go. We need to go get him."
The Commander clearly hadn't grasped the situation yet. He called out to Himeko, who was about to leave as quickly as she arrived: "Captain Himeko, please wait. Weren't you engaged in combat with the Emperor-class Honkai Beast?"
Himeko stopped. She thought for a moment, then shook her head: "No. Our primary mission was to rescue Ms. Mei. We've successfully escorted the target here. Please take responsibility for protecting her."
"Then who defeated the Emperor-class Honkai Beast?"
"That was my squad member, Lin." Himeko took a deep breath. She couldn't wait any longer. Lin must be injured after fighting the Honkai Beast. The priority was getting him back.
"Lin? That person who is only able to use that over-spec equipment because he cozied up to the R&D head?" The Commander frowned, the name, which had been gaining massive attention in recent months, clearly making an impression. "It seems Delta gave him some more advanced equipment this time. Hmph. Instead of equipping other warriors, they give advanced gear to some greenhorn who only knows how to climb the social ladder! I opposed Delta being the R&D head long ago. If other warriors had new equipment like his, why would they struggle so much..."
Lin, a young man who had only joined the Moth of the Flame-Chasers for half a year, yet whose battle record was more glorious than most veteran warriors. How could an ordinary person who had never been on a battlefield achieve all this?
This solo subjugation of the Emperor-class Honkai Beast proved that Lin's equipment was definitely more advanced than other warriors'. After the battle, he was determined to confront Lin and Delta about why the advanced equipment wasn't being deployed on a larger scale.
"What exactly do you mean?" Himeko's eyes suddenly darkened. She lowered her hand from the saluting position and subtly took a small step forward with her left foot—her subconscious prelude to an attack.
At a time like this, a commanding officer was questioning subordinates and comrades, speaking words that could disrupt morale.
Even Seele cast a dark glance at the Commander.
The Commander glared back defiantly: "What I mean is—"
"Please put an end to this pointless argument." A clear, cold female voice interrupted the impending quarrel.
Mei calmly twisted the water out of her drenched hair and casually draped it behind her head. She pushed up her fogged glasses. Her eyes, which were always calmly emotionless, swept over everyone present.
She was only dressed in a student's uniform, but her gaze made everyone shiver with cold.
"The operation is not over. Please provide me with the Honkai energy curve graph for Changkong City... I assume it's called Honkai energy? And the high-concentration distribution map, as well as your drafted combat plan and the coordinates of the operational squads."
"Also, please adjust the indoor temperature and humidity to 22°C and 49°C, respectively. Now, please..."
"Move."
Mei's unsolicited instructions were like a freezing ray that froze a lake, and her subsequent gaze was like a heavy hammer that shattered the ice, causing everyone to start moving in an orderly fashion again.
No one knew who she was, but the chilling absolute rationality conveyed in her words was something no one dared to question.
Himeko and Seele exchanged glances, nodded, and prepared to leave.
"Beep beep beep—"
The monitor, Skar, suddenly sat down. A communication transmission suddenly cut in: "This—sizzle—is Elysia—sizzle—seven minutes—sizzle—Herrscher—sizzle—battle."
"Elysia's squad?"
"Beep—"
Skar, who was about to reply, suddenly widened his eyes, staring at the monitoring screen.
"Elysia Squad! Retreat immediately!"
"Attention all squads! The Third Herrscher's Honkai energy reaction is rising! It's accelerating its movement! Predicted target location is..."
He covered his face, his voice hoarse and unbelievable—
"The target location is the same place where the Emperor-class Honkai Beast was located."