"Multiple hostile reactions detected. Threat level: Low to Medium. Executing area clearance protocol."
Accompanied by a steady synthesized voice, the armor plates on Svarog's back slid open layer by layer, revealing several rows of honeycomb-like launch ports.
The next moment, dozens of small tracking missiles, like a disturbed swarm of bees, roared out with azure exhaust trails, tracing precise arcs in the air before diving straight into the cluster of Rift creatures rushing forward!
Boom boom boom boom—!!
Continuous explosions echoed throughout the abandoned industrial zone. Monsters made of ice crystals and dark energy were shattered in droves amidst the fire and shockwaves, turning into scattered debris filling the sky.
A large blank space was instantly cleared on the scorched ground.
A few Ice Blades and Predators located on the edge, which had luckily escaped direct hits from the missiles, roared as they charged through the explosive smoke, their claws and energy blades pointed directly at Stella and her "summons" behind.
"Hmph, noise interfering with the experimental environment."
Standing slightly behind, the Herta Puppet's exquisite little face wore an expression of slight disdain, identical to that of the original.
She pulled out a large, research-grade (?) hammer from who knows where—taller than herself, with its hammerhead flickering with unknown energy—and swung it horizontally, seemingly at random!
Bang! Thud! Clang!
The few Rift creatures in the front were like baseballs hit by a home run, flying backward at even greater speeds, slamming hard into the remaining metal structures behind, parts scattering all over the ground.
"Mem!!"
The little pink sprite Mem was also full of energy. Waving its star-glittering little fists, it nimbly wove between several small Rift creatures constructs, like playing whack-a-mole. "Bang! Bang! Bang!" With a few muffled thuds, those twisted energy bodies were smashed into specks of light by the cute yet surprisingly powerful little fists.
The battle seemed one-sided.
However, there were always surprises in the Rift creatures's offensive.
An Imaginary Weave, hiding in the shadow of the wreckage, quietly gathered energy. A beam of twisted imaginary energy shot out silently, accurately hitting the Herta Puppet who was currently evaluating the "sample damage degree"!
"Ugh!"
The Herta Puppet let out a short, muffled grunt. Her little body was struck by the beam, staggering backward as she fell. The large hammer in her hand slipped away, and the indicator lights on the hammer handle flashed rapidly.
"Herta!"
Stella exclaimed. In her urgency, she didn't care about her image, grabbed the hat off her head, used all her strength, and threw it forcefully in the direction of the Imaginary Weave!
The hat traced a wobbly arc in the air, crashing into the energy convergence point at the core of the Imaginary Weave!
Although it didn't cause any damage, it successfully interrupted its next round of energy charging, causing it to let out an angry screech and stagger.
"I think it can still be saved!"
Bailu, who had been ready, immediately took action.
She moved her short legs and rushed to the side of the fallen Herta Puppet at top speed. Rubbing her small hands together, purple healing energy filled with vitality and accompanied by "buzzing" electrical sounds instantly jumped in her palms.
"Hang in there! I'm going to 'recharge' you right now!"
Bailu shouted in her milky voice but with a serious face, raising her sparking little hands and pressing them onto the Herta Puppet without hesitation.
Crackle—Zzzzt!
A distinct electric current surged through. The Herta Puppet's entire body gave a violent jolt, her hair seemingly standing on end, but her somewhat dim electronic eyes instantly regained their brightness.
She nimbly flipped and stood up, her movements seeming even faster than before, but she silently retreated behind Svarog's broad back while continuing to receive treatment from Bailu.
With reliable healing, the pressure on the front line was greatly reduced.
Svarog's artillery and melee finishing moves, combined with the Herta Puppet's opportunistic precise heavy strikes and Mem's flexible harassment, quickly cleared this wave of Rift creatures completely.
"Clap~ Clap~ Clap"
Crisp applause came from a relatively safe broken wall behind them.
Sampo Koski poked his head out, his face wearing that signature smile that hovered between admiration and calculation, as he walked out while clapping.
"Splendid, truly splendid, Miss Stella."
His gaze swept over the various clones that were turning into specks of light and being retracted by Stella, lingering a bit longer on the still-smoking Herta Puppet and Bailu, who was standing with hands on hips and chest puffed out, looking like she was saying "Praise me."
"I didn't expect you to not only be able to transform, but also have these 'clones' coordinate in battle, and even have one specifically for healing! This ability... tsk tsk, if it were placed in the Lower District's arena or some 'special occasions,' it would definitely be worth a fortune!"
Stella wiped the non-existent sweat from her forehead and retracted all her clones.
Hearing Sampo's flattery, she just curled her lips helplessly: "Forget it, I've been fighting all day, and I can only bully these brainless Rift creatures, and I almost flipped over."
She pulled up the system panel that only she could see to check the results.
After a full day of high-intensity "grinding," the levels of the main characters had improved significantly:
[Star]: Lv.19 (Leveling is slow; do four-star characters have higher experience requirements?)
[Clara]: Lv.27 (Svarog's AOE clearing efficiency is amazing)
[Herta Puppet]: Lv.23 (Although fragile, the hammer damage is good)
[Bailu]: Lv.21 (Healing also gives experience, nice)
"Sure enough, upgrading four-star characters is just slow."
Stella looked at the lagging level of [Star] and felt a bit depressed.
Even though "Star" had killed quite a few monsters, the experience acquisition efficiency was clearly not as good as the other three-star characters.
And her stellar jade balance was still a pitiful 130, with the next ten-pull far out of reach.
The road ahead is long...
Stella sighed inwardly.
"Haha, don't be discouraged. Little by little, it adds up!"
Sampo walked to her side and patted her shoulder (which Stella dodged with disdain), his smile remaining.
"Don't worry, before you 'grow up,' your reliable old Uncle Sampo will always 'accompany' you, guaranteed to find you the most suitable 'leveling spot'!"
He said this with great righteousness, but the light flickering in his eyes always made one feel like he was finding a suitable sharpening stone for his rare pet.
"Hmm?"
Sampo's smile suddenly faded for a moment. As if he had sensed something, he took out a palm-sized, strange device from his bosom, with its screen constantly flashing complex symbols and red dots. He glanced down at it, his brows slightly furrowed.
He quickly put away the device and turned to Stella, his tone rarely carrying a hint of seriousness and urgency: "Plan changed, Miss Stella. We can't stay here. The Silvermane Guards' search net is closing faster than expected. I need to transfer you to a safer place immediately—the Lower District."
"The Lower District?"
Stella was stunned.
"Yes, Belobog is divided into two layers, with the middle basically isolated. The guards in the Upper District can't reach down there."
Sampo explained while signaling Stella to follow him.
"Your friends will probably be found soon too. I will find a way to 'send' them down as well. It's safer for you to reunite in the Lower District."
He led Stella through the labyrinthine ruins and pipes, twisting and turning, and finally arrived in front of an hidden cave entrance half-covered by snow and rusted pipes.
Inside it was pitch black, and one could vaguely see tracks and a seemingly aged, manually propelled mine cart.
"Get in, take the mine cart."
Sampo was concise and urged her.
"Before going down, turn into Hook first. More people in the Lower District know her, so it won't easily arouse suspicion."
Although Stella was full of doubts, seeing Sampo rarely serious, she followed suit. A blue light flashed over her body, and she turned into [Hook].
Sampo easily picked up Stella [Hook] (with a proficiency that made one suspicious) and placed her into the small mine cart. The mine cart was just right for "Hook's" size.
"Listen."
Sampo leaned over and lowered his voice to give instructions quickly.
"Hook herself should be 'exploring' in some abandoned mine tunnel with her 'Moles' right now. When you get to the Lower District, you will likely meet a doctor named Natasha near the exit. She has great prestige in the Lower District, is a good person, and is very familiar with Hook. Be smart, don't blow your cover, just say you got separated from the Moles, and she will help you."
After the instructions, Sampo stood up straight, looked at the mine cart, then at Stella [Hook], and suddenly that familiar, mischievous smile appeared on his face again.
"Have a safe trip, little 'Hook'."
He smiled and pushed the mine cart with both hands!
"Waaah—!"
Stella [Hook] exclaimed. The mine cart accelerated along the inclined track, "clattering" as it rushed into the depths of the dark tunnel, leaving behind only the fading sound of wheel friction and the echo of her exclamation.
Sending Stella off, Sampo stood at the entrance, the smile on his face slowly fading.
He reached into his bosom again and pulled out a small metal tube, weighing it skillfully—it was the special anesthetic he used to knock out the Astral Express team earlier.
He looked in the direction of the towering walls of Belobog's Upper District, the corners of his mouth hooked into a calculating arc, and muttered to himself:
"Alright, next... time to go 'pick up' the other few lost visitors from beyond the sky."
He shook the anesthetic in his hand, and his figure silently merged into the shadows of the ruins again.