"Senior… what we did over at Valley Fortress… is it really going to be okay?"
Eyjafjalla's voice was slightly muffled, and Eldera stood to the side looking a little stiff.
The three of them were pressed against the wall, listening to the commotion outside filtering into the room—feeling, frankly, like guilty thieves.
When they made that emergency drop near Valley Fortress, they'd caused a huge disturbance…
And they'd also dealt with the Breaker's nest-vulture.
Valley Fortress might still have Breakers, but it definitely wouldn't be "swarms everywhere" anymore. It would be elites gathered together, occupying a small area so they could survive.
"…It should be fine… probably…"
Even Bai Ling couldn't say for sure…
If that "big guy" hadn't suddenly appeared, there was a chance the Breaker foot soldiers might've actually been wiped out in one go.
Because—
The outskirts of Valley Fortress—what used to be the valley passage… calling it "Valley Ruins" now would be more accurate…
Breakers only know how to destroy, but they still need places to live. They wouldn't smash everything to pieces—otherwise they'd be freezing out in the wind themselves.
They'd always done it the same way: capture and control the enemy, occupy their resources, and kill anyone who refused to submit.
So, based on that, Bai Ling had taken advantage of the last moments of Eyjafjalla's Noble Phantasm and had her unleash a full-power "volcano."
The residential zone outside Valley Fortress—and almost all the land the Breakers had occupied—had basically been turned into wasteland. Even that nest-vulture had been burned down by more than half.
The odds of Breakers surviving were extremely low. It was only because that guy named Rodan popped up out of nowhere that some Breakers had a chance to escape.
Even so, he was badly injured.
"It's the communications record from Valley Fortress!"
"…That's great. The casualties at Valley Fortress aren't severe. Looks like someone helped them."
The voices from outside reached the room, and the three of them finally let out a breath.
"But…"
That single word made all three of their nerves tighten again.
"…The settlement was heavily damaged. Most people are refugees now and need aid fast.
"And it looks like there are still some Breakers inside the Valley Fortress stronghold."
Hearing that, all three felt a complicated mix of frustration and helplessness.
Given what they'd faced back then, they'd done the best anyone could.
When the Breakers invaded, most workers and civilians had already taken shelter. Those who hadn't… there was nothing to do but accept the tragedy.
And this Rodan seemed to be connected to that one who'd destroyed the bridge route earlier—Nephis.
If they'd managed to stop her on the spot, maybe things would have turned out a little better.
But with the kind of control he'd shown over her… the next time they met, she'd definitely be on guard.
And so the Valley Fortress report was brushed past.
Qin Jiangchi's orders echoed through the Hub Center. She herself was running around nonstop, handling post-disaster reconstruction.
With Endfield's Crisis Response team temporarily returning to the Dijang, the Hub Zone's ability to restore order outward slowed a little.
After all, Valley No. 4 wasn't some rich, prioritized region.
It was a place that had long stopped being considered a key development area.
"…What was that guy?"
Standing at the highest point of the Transdomain Proving Grounds, Nephis looked down over all of Valley No. 4—especially the Hub Zone.
She could feel it: the source of that presence that had erupted at Valley Fortress was now inside the Hub.
Because of this variable, her plan would be delayed by quite a lot.
A Breaker squad sent out from the Power Highlands to clear the road had been wiped out by unknown personnel. Then later squads were attacked by the guild's people, causing the invasion plan against the Transdomain Proving Grounds to hit major obstacles.
Those people were weak—but their suicidal resolve was, oddly, worthy of respect.
Because of their efforts, the Breakers hadn't taken the Proving Grounds easily.
And the obstacles she'd originally designed at Valley Fortress had also been removed. If she hadn't destroyed the route from Valley Fortress to the Power Highlands in advance, she'd likely have faced even more trouble.
But none of that mattered anymore.
Because her plan was already half successful.
Take the Transdomain Proving Grounds. Trigger transdomain erosion…
If they wanted to reach here, they could only go through the Originium Research Institute route—and she'd already planted an anchor point along that road. Reaching this place from there wouldn't be easy.
So…
"It can begin now, Nephis."
"I've been waiting."
As she spoke, the corners of Nephis's mouth lifted.
A crystal in her hand flared with light—
And a terrifying wave of energy began to spread outward.
At the same time, in the Integrated Core sector, the little penguin, Perlica, Chen Qianyu, and Qin Jiangchi were all present.
The weather was nice today: blue skies, white clouds, bright sunlight. The kind that made you feel good just breathing.
Some parts of Valley No. 4 had regained order, but the situation at the Power Highlands was still unknown. Because of that, they'd gathered to discuss what to do next.
"Communications at the Power Highlands still haven't been restored, but most obstacle-clearing work is complete…"
"Given how frequently Breaker activity has been occurring… it looks like they're planning something big in Valley No. 4."
"And the Originium power station at the Power Highlands supplies most of the electricity for the entire valley, plus the guild's Transdomain Proving Grounds. If they take the Power Highlands, then no matter what they're after, our losses will be irreversible."
As she spoke, Qin Jiangchi pulled her gaze back from the distant mountaintop where the Proving Grounds sat—and turned to look at Endfield's "Crisis Trio" in front of her.
"Of course, the station is easy to defend. As long as that doesn't—"
She didn't finish her sentence.
The sky suddenly changed.
Above the Transdomain Proving Grounds, a horrific wave of energy slammed outward. A gigantic ring tore space open, radiating dense, erosive turbulence…
Just looking at it made your skin crawl.
A Transdomain Rift.
A disaster in the truest sense—born right in front of their eyes.
Qin Jiangchi's face went blank, as if her mind had switched to machine mode—stiff, stunned.
Chen Qianyu stared up at the rift and asked carefully:
"Isn't that… the power station's location?"
At the same time, Perlica's comm bracelet lit up.
A wolf-tribe Breaker had sent a message:
Countless Bone-Grinding clan Breakers had appeared inside the Power Highlands. They intended to seize it completely.
Since it had already happened, Qin Jiangchi snapped back into action immediately and began reporting what needed to be done next to the little penguin.
"…We have to deal with this fast. The Hub Zone is still safe for now, but the rift will quickly expand and erode into the Hub. When that happens, it'll be too late…"
"We must cut off certain routes to prevent erosion. Administrator, to reach the Power Highlands we can only take the Originium Research Institute road. We'll coordinate with your operation."
"Alright. No time to waste."
Meanwhile, at the Hub Center, Bai Ling was sitting in the plaza, enjoying the sun.
Then the sky went dark.
And in the distance, above the mountaintop structures, a massive vortex-like rift opened.
Endfield had one great perk:
It didn't force operators to work every single day.
Just that alone—Bai Ling gave Endfield's benefits a perfect score.
But staring at that hole in the sky, Bai Ling felt he had to do something.
Not because he was bored.
But because from the moment the rift appeared…
The Command Seal on the back of his left hand started to stir.
It was urging Bai Ling to do something.
Or rather—
To use it to do something.
-------
My : pat*eon*com/RuneA
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