Lowering the car window slightly, the unrelenting wind of the wilderness surged through the narrow gap, making her fiery red hair dance like flames.
How long did it take to get from the HQ, deep within Eurasia, to the American branch on the other side of the planet?
By Fire Moth warship, perhaps fifteen to eighteen hours.
By rapid combat skiff, maybe ten to twelve.
Launched by the Second Divine Key, it wouldn't even take a second.
However, none of these options were available to Himeko.
Both the warships and the skiffs relied on intelligent computer systems, and no one could guarantee they hadn't been compromised by the Twelfth Herrscher. As a precaution, all smart and semi-smart weaponry, including the weapon and power systems on unmanned mechs, had been completely dismantled.
Thus, Himeko traveled from HQ to the Americas in a propeller plane specially modified by Vill-V. Departing from an airfield outside HQ, she refueled at several military bases across Europe and North Africa.
Setting off at dusk on the first day, she didn't arrive at the American branch until the dawn of the third.
Now, she sat in a jeep heading towards the Third Village, using the dim morning light and the lamp in the back seat to review a report authored by the Kalabis siblings of the Third Battalion regarding the recent situation in the American branch's human settlements.
Most regions within the American branch were engulfed in waves of strikes. The number of military police was simply insufficient to control such a large population.
The collective rebellion of the American branch's municipal officials had, on one hand, paralyzed all local departments, and on the other, thrown the mid-to-low-level bureaucrats and the wealthy class into a state of confusion.
Consequently, a strange phenomenon occurred. Unsure of what to do, a small number of military police joined the striking masses. However, the vast majority still obeyed the summons from the upper districts and remaining city hall officials.
They retreated into the upper districts of every human settlement with heavy equipment and weapons, using force to repel the crowds attempting to storm these areas.
As a result, all the lower districts descended into complete chaos. People stopped working. They smashed machinery, burned factories, and looted warehouses bare of stockpiled food, clothing, and other goods.
A small quantity of military supplies was also stored in the warehouses, but it mostly consisted of light weapons, barely anything considering the population of over a billion.
Ironically, many more supplies were semi-finished products. With machines, they could be assembled into weapons or other production equipment, but most factories and machines had already been destroyed and couldn't be used anytime soon.
In one giant warehouse, the rioting crowds discovered it packed full of strange materials. They were sealed in the distinctive green, high-strength plastic packaging used for military supplies. Opening them revealed ten glass bottles per crate, each containing an almost transparent liquid.
These "glass bottles" couldn't be shattered or burned, and no one dared drink the liquid inside. Ultimately, everyone decided to dump the entire stock of Soulium—each gram worth the equivalent of a ton of pre-Honkai gold—into the sea.
But the chaos didn't end there. People discovered that even after plundering every warehouse in the lower districts, they still couldn't meet their basic survival needs.
The heavily guarded upper districts were impenetrable, and most didn't dare venture into the world beyond the protective barriers. Thus, only one possibility remained for survival—
People began to turn on each other. They dragged out former foremen and overseers, hanging them and their entire families from lampposts before ransacking their private stashes.
Even so, the supplies each person received were a mere drop in the ocean compared to their needs.
Thus, the scope of the purges expanded. Anyone accused of having spoken "politely" to these foremen was, after a cursory judgment, also hanged from a lamppost. Such crude and simplistic methods, naturally, neither could nor did adhere to any standard of evidence. When survival was at stake, morality became a luxury.
At night, the lampposts cast a dim, yellow glow. Corpse after corpse, stripped bare of clothing, swayed with the night wind, resembling curtains fluttering wildly from someone's balcony in the dim light.
The American branch had completely lost control. Over a billion people acted solely in their own interests, killing each other. Only one in ten thousand truly heeded Reugel's call and gathered at the Third Village.
After all, humans are inherently selfish creatures.
Everyone understood grand principles like saving the world, and Reugel's words were certainly inflammatory, but people prioritized filling their stomachs first. Otherwise, they wouldn't even have the strength to walk to the Third Village.
Besides, there were questionable aspects to Reugel and his group's claims. Especially the fact that the entire cohort of American branch municipal officials had collectively "rebelled"—could it be that none of them had engaged in any illegal or disciplinary offenses?
Although there was no concrete evidence, anyone who stopped to think calmly could easily conclude, "Perhaps these people are just shifting the blame." Consequently, it was understandable that most chose to adopt a wait-and-see attitude.
However, considering the total population exceeded a billion, "one in ten thousand" still meant that the number of people gathered at the Third Village had surpassed one hundred thousand!
This group consisted mainly of young, unattached adults. They were relatively healthy, full of passionate idealism, and easily swayed. Moreover, many had lost their families in the Honkai disasters of the past twelve years.
They harbored a natural hatred towards the Honkai, or rather, towards the entity Reugel falsely accused as its originator—Fire Moth.
Even more concerning was that the military police who had chosen to join the rioting masses had mostly converged here. Their decision not to retreat into the upper districts like the majority already indicated their allegiance.
They were well-trained, fully equipped, and had even brought dozens of armored vehicles.
Coincidentally, the Third Village was located beside a canyon in the eastern mountains of North America.
When Himeko arrived at the Third Village, greeted by the rising sun, the North American branch's rapid response team had already been in a standoff with the armored vehicles brought by the rebellious military police at the canyon entrance for an entire night.
Behind these armored vehicles, within the canyon and on the slopes flanking it, the people who had answered the call had pitched tent after tent, a dense constellation stretching as far as the eye could see.
"Captain Himeko, you're finally here."
Kalabis rushed forward eagerly the moment Himeko opened her car door.
"Kalabis, there's no need for that. I haven't brought any reinforcements."
Though he had mentally prepared for this, Kalabis's face still fell.
"Then the MANTIS fighters..."
"They won't interfere in this matter. No, more accurately, they cannot interfere in this matter."
"What about... weapons authorization?"
Himeko remained silent, merely shaking her head. The last spark of hope in Kalabis's eyes extinguished.
Logically, the fully equipped members of the rapid response battalion should have been able to breach a defensive line composed of a few dozen armored vehicles with ease.
Even without access to heavy weapons and air support, the exoskeleton armor and weaponry they possessed—specifically designed to deal with Honkai Beasts under ten meters tall—were more than sufficient to break through the enemy's fragile defenses.
But Mei's orders were:
No carrying exoskeleton armor.No carrying any firearm with a barrel length exceeding 18cm, and each person is limited to two magazines.No carrying explosive weapons.Do not initiate fire unless the opposing side uses firearms first.If an exchange of fire occurs, do not forcefully suppress the enemy. Exercise utmost restraint, return fire in self-defense, preserve the unit's integrity, and withdraw to the HQ base.
Due to the communication channels being blocked by the Twelfth Herrscher, even these orders had to be relayed by Sakura.
However, after delivering the message, Sakura and all the other MANTIS fighters had vanished, leaving him only with a psychic-type MANTIS specialized in sensory perception.
This was understandable; other MANTIS were one thing, but Sakura's long fox ears were exceptionally conspicuous. Even before the riots, MANTIS features tended to provoke negative reactions from ordinary people, even moments after being rescued by them.
How much more so now? To avoid unnecessary conflict, it was best not to involve the MANTIS fighters in this affair.
The reason for leaving one psychic MANTIS behind was that they could serve as a "base station" for the mental communication network, enabling communication between HQ and the American branch when conventional methods failed.
But, perhaps intentionally, the MANTIS Sakura had left him was a product of the mass-production plan, possessing almost no direct combat capability.
Due to underdeveloped abilities, his capacity as a mental network base station was limited to transmitting extremely simple messages. Apart from the advantage of being "wireless," its information transfer efficiency was worse than old-fashioned telegraphs.
Therefore, when he first received the message that Himeko was arriving in America, he had hoped Mei had issued new orders or granted greater autonomy. Now, it seemed the rapid response team's mission remained nothing more than monitoring the situation.
But with communications hampered, what good could such monitoring do?
Although he held deep respect for Mei, at this moment, Kalabis couldn't help but wonder— Faced with such a predicament, had Mei perhaps lost her composure for a moment?
Himeko observed his expression, easily guessing his thoughts, and proactively explained:
"Currently, resorting to violence would only deepen the rift between Fire Moth and the general populace. People who were previously skeptical of Reugel's accusations would unhesitatingly join them."
"Conversely, if we only show restraint, it might prompt these people to think—"
"If Fire Moth truly aims to enslave all humanity, as Reugel claims, then as an organization possessing thousands of MANTIS fighters and absolute military power worldwide, we could easily crush any rebellion forcefully."
"The fact that we haven't done so should make rational people understand our stance. While this won't cause their so-called resistance army to collapse instantly, it can at least control the rate of their growth..."
Just as she finished speaking, three packed buses drove onto the nearby wasteland. Without needing Kalabis's introduction, it was clear these were people intending to join the "resistance army."
Kalabis's expression darkened slightly. He carefully glanced at Himeko, but her face remained unchanged.
So, Kalabis waved his hand. A signalman on a distant hillock waved flags—wireless communication was too risky, forcing them to resort to such primitive methods.
The soldiers of the Third Battalion seemed accustomed to this. They didn't obstruct, decisively choosing to let the three buses pass.
The "resistance army" inside the canyon was also familiar with this routine. A tacit understanding seemed to have formed between the two sides. Despite the tense standoff moments ago, they now boldly moved aside the armored vehicles forming their barricade, allowed the three buses to enter, and then quickly closed the line again.
"Have you been handling it like this for the past two days?" Himeko asked.
"Yes."
There was no point hiding it. If Himeko intended to pursue the matter, Kalabis had his defense ready— Given Mei's five directives, how could the Third Battalion possibly intercept them?
Persuading them to turn back would be ideal. But since they had already come this far, they likely held a "succeed or die trying" resolve. If faced with obstruction, what if they just floored the accelerator? Since they hadn't used firearms, the soldiers couldn't shoot back. How could they stop them?
Moreover, what if a soldier couldn't dodge in time and, in a moment of panic, opened fire? That would plunge everything into chaos.
Rather than forcefully trying to stop these people, it was better to let them in. This reduced friction and lowered the chance of accidental escalation.
Of course, his actions weren't entirely born of helplessness:
"My thinking was, trying to forcibly stop them would likely cause conflict. Letting them in might not be a bad thing for us."
"Reugel claims that with the help of 'a friend,' he has stockpiled large amounts of food and weapons here. Fine, let them gather people. We'll seal all exits to the canyon. People can enter, but supplies cannot. I'd like to see how many days their food lasts."
Himeko blinked, then chuckled softly.
"Is this your own idea, or did your sister suggest it?"
"Hey! Captain Himeko! Don't look down on me!"
Kalabis coughed awkwardly. Years ago, due to connections with Vassago, he was promoted to Captain of the Fourth Squad while still inexperienced, often relying on his more precocious sister for help, including taking Mei's side during later turmoil, thanks in no small part to Kalabia's advice.
But years had passed. Apart from the disappointment of his body being unsuitable for the MANTIS operation, his position hadn't shrunk despite Fire Moth's expansion and reorganization.
Instead, he took over the defense of the American branch after Ato assumed duties on the moon.
It was well known that Mei treated original Fire Moth soldiers differently from the bureaucrats merged from the United Government.
Those bureaucrats were considered unavoidable "negative assets" for Fire Moth. They formed their own cliques, resisted external influence, and Mei lacked the energy and resources to manage them, often adopting a "laissez-faire" attitude as long as they didn't interfere with Fire Moth's combat readiness.
Within Fire Moth itself, however, since Mei took charge relatively early, and neither Phamas nor Vassago had been lax with internal discipline during their tenures, promotions for original Fire Moth personnel were quite strict.
Therefore, Kalabis reaching his current position meant, at the very least, that Mei deemed him capable. Himeko surely knew this; she was just teasing him good-naturedly.
Besides, Kalabis's strategy coincided with Mei's intentions, saving her the trouble of explaining.
"Alright, it's about time. Take me to see the front line situation."
Kalabis understood. Himeko was acting as a human reconnaissance drone. It made sense; HQ needed to maintain awareness of the situation here.
"But... Captain Himeko, why you? Uh... I don't mean you're unqualified, Captain. I meant... why not send Su or Dystopia? They could relay the situation back to HQ quickly, and they can use the Second Divine Key for travel."
Himeko lowered her voice as they walked:
"The situation at HQ is a bit... delicate. Dr. Mobius has been confined."
"What happened?"
Himeko glanced at him. Right, without an official notice from HQ, they wouldn't pay attention to boring television interviews.
"Dr. Mobius and Vassago were invited onto an interview program. There was an accident during the broadcast.
Everyone present was corrupted by Honkai Energy and turned into zombies, who were subsequently eliminated by Dr. Mobius. This led to some misunderstandings, causing instability even within Fire Moth.
Mei's decision is to temporarily suspend all Anti-Entropy operations, at least publicly."
"Besides, among the stronger psychic MANTIS at HQ, Aponia needs to constantly soothe everyone's emotions, Su has become the hub of the mental communication network and cannot leave, and Dystopia's abilities are powerful psychokinesis, not suited for mental communication. As for the other psychic MANTIS... they're no different from the one Sakura left with you."
"I see..."
"However, Mei did ask me to pass on a few words to you."
"Please tell me!" Kalabis straightened his back, even while walking.
"Well, basically, she wanted to tell you that when people come to join the 'resistance army,' don't block them, just let them through. If they genuinely reach a point where they lack food inside, you might even consider providing them with some emergency supplies."
"Tch, a psychological tactic," Kalabis muttered.
"However, you must also remain vigilant. Reugel couldn't possibly have overlooked these possibilities. You must be careful he doesn't resort to desperate measures."
Their conversation brought them to the canyon mouth. The Third Battalion lacked heavy equipment. Due to the standoff with the armored vehicles inside the canyon, they had constructed some temporary fortifications, leaving only a single lane open for those joining the resistance.
"Captain Himeko, long time no see!"
Kalabia lowered her binoculars and greeted Himeko with a smile. The wind was strong in the canyon; she had tied her own hair into a bun. Seeing Himeko's long hair flying about, she quickly offered a hair tie.
But before the two could exchange pleasantries, a commotion erupted from within the canyon.
"Let us out!"
"Don't block me, dammit!"
"Let me go!"
Unclear what had happened, about a dozen people squeezed through the gaps between the armored vehicles and ran towards the Third Battalion's position.
Kalabis and his sister started to crane their necks to look, but Himeko quickly pushed them down. The next second, the remote-controlled machine guns on the armored vehicles fired warning shots into the air. The dozen runners instantly froze in place, unable to advance or retreat.
Himeko peered over the fortification. The dozen runners were almost all elderly. They raised their hands, facing the Third Battalion's position, pleading constantly:
"We're good citizens who were forced into this! Save us!"
Himeko exchanged a glance with the siblings. Seeing no reason to doubt, Kalabis waved his hand. The soldiers in front of the fortifications immediately raised their pistols, aiming at the armored vehicles. Though pistols were useless against remote machine guns and the vehicles were out of effective range, it was all they could do at that moment.
Then, Kalabia took a loudspeaker, gathered her thoughts briefly, and shouted towards the canyon interior:
"Brothers inside, we're all human! There's no need to be so heartless, right? They're just a group of old men and women. Do you have the heart?"
"Letting just a dozen non-combatants go isn't a significant loss for you, is it? You fired warning shots, which shows you don't really want to kill them."
"Why not hand them over to us? We'll ensure they're properly taken care of. If you agree, raise your machine gun barrels. Can you do that?"
Kalabia hadn't held out much hope, merely stating their position, but unexpectedly, the barrels of the remote machine guns actually began to tilt upwards, one after another.
Overjoyed, she quickly waved the loudspeaker towards the trapped group.
At first, the people hesitated, not daring to even turn and look behind them. But when they realized that after taking slow steps, no shots followed, their pace quickened, and they ran straight towards the fortification where Himeko and the Kalabis siblings were located.
"Wait, why are they..."
Why were they all uniformly rushing here?
The group quickly closed the distance to about ten meters from the fortification. At this range, it was impossible not to notice their excited expressions and their slightly bulky figures under their summer clothes.
"Not good!"
Kalabis had just started to stand up when Himeko kicked him into a nearby trench. Kalabia reacted a fraction faster, immediately drawing her pistol and aiming at the approaching group, but Himeko grabbed her, trying to pull her into the trench as well.
But it was too late. In just one or two seconds, these people had reached Himeko and Kalabia.
BOOM!
A chain of explosions threw up a massive cloud of dust. As Kalabis coughed and climbed out of the trench, he saw only two mangled, incomplete bodies, still groaning on the ground.
His vision instantly turned crimson, accompanied by an overwhelming dizziness. A sharp pain stabbed through his heart, and then everything in the world... humanity, Honkai, Fire Moth, himself... all of it, ceased to matter.
"Damn it..."
"OPEN FIRE!"