Chapter 34: Never Fall

The transport operatives and Bruce’s helicopter reached the rooftop helipad of the city hospital within minutes. Although Bruce could not directly access the underground medical facilities at the Schwaiger headquarters, Agent K had used his own credentials to secure a special ward for Bruce at this hospital, which maintained a partnership with Schwaiger. This ensured Bruce received medical support far superior to that of an ordinary hospital.

"Qin Yun... I’m terribly sorry... but I’m leaving Long Sheng and the others to you..."

Before being wheeled into the emergency room, Bruce clutched at Shaxia’s sleeve to entrust her with this request. He might not have known exactly what this group was capable of, but he knew they were responsible for handling the combat against those monsters. His familiar classmate, Qin Yun, was one of them. Moreover, he suspected that the name "Qin Yun" was likely an alias. There were many questions he wanted to ask her when he had the chance, but this was certainly not the time. She surely had more important things to do.

"Hey, don't go piling extra work on me without asking..."

Shaxia looked at the worried Bruce with a sense of helplessness. This boy was simply too earnest and too kind to others. "Just rest for now... all you need to think about is how to get well."

Hearing this, Bruce gave a bitter smile and nodded.

With the sudden attack on the East District, even if the residents evacuated immediately, there would be massive congestion. To make matters worse, the monster had emerged from underground; it was highly probable that the district's underground shelters had already been destroyed and rendered unusable. The timing was critical. If the citizens, including Long Sheng, were to have any chance of evacuating, the responsibility now fell squarely on the military. Nearby military attack helicopters had already been deployed to the area, and hopefully, they could buy some time.

Shaxia needed to reach the base as quickly as possible to sortie. For now, the hospital would have to be left to Agent K and his team.

The East District of New Chunqiu City was the first area developed during the city's urban renewal project. It was the first to feature modern housing and had been the top choice for residents of the old city when they moved decades ago. Of course, more than a decade later, it was now considered part of the old city itself. Most ordinary citizens lived in these semi-modern residential blocks. People like Li Jiayi and Long Sheng were children who had grown up in the East District.

The district was densely populated and convenient, with complete amenities. While not as luxurious as the North District where Bruce lived, it had a vibrant, lived-in atmosphere. Even Shaxia, who lived toward the West District, would sometimes visit the East District to hang out. And yet, such a place was now facing total destruction!

In the East District, residents were fleeing in all directions. However, the streets were not seeing the orderly evacuation one might expect; instead, pedestrians were gridlocked and crowded, seemingly unsure of where to go. Long Sheng had been sleeping at home, his parents not yet back from work, when he was startled awake by the commotion outside. He discovered that a massive, black fluid-like entity was piling up into a mountain a few blocks away. Seeing the surging crowds on the street, he realized something terrible had happened.

Long Sheng dialed his parents, who were already guiding evacuations at their workplace and urged him to escape quickly. Even so, when he rushed downstairs to the street, he found people wandering aimlessly. The military’s armored vehicles and ground troops had arrived late and seemed to be struggling to communicate with the public.

"Isn't the shelter right around here? What is this..."

Long Sheng squeezed through the dense crowd, finally reaching the front to question a soldier who was directing the flow.

"What did you say?"

According to the soldier, the East District's underground shelter had suffered a gate malfunction due to the seismic shock from the subterranean attack. Even if they began repairs immediately, they could not handle the demand for shelter from the panicked populace. Furthermore, no underground facility was currently considered safe, and the district’s subway lines had been destroyed, making escape via the metro unrealistic. The soldiers urged the citizens to follow their instructions and evacuate to shelters in other districts. The public was required to queue for the buses that had been dispatched, but with so many people needing to evacuate, the process would take a significant amount of time. Yet, what other choice did they have?

Looking at the disgusting, black pillar of fluid in the distance—which was still constantly expanding and rising—Long Sheng could only suppress his growing anxiety and join the queue.

"Long Sheng!?"

A familiar voice rang out. Long Sheng turned to see Li Jiayi! He remembered that she lived in the East District as well; he had occasionally seen her and her family on the street after school. Li Jiayi’s father was pushing her in a wheelchair. He recalled that Li Jiayi had once mentioned to him, Bruce, and Qin Yun that she lived alone with her father in a single-parent household. Fortunately, her father seemed to have a good job, so her life was relatively comfortable. Her father had simply decided to stay in the East District because it was so convenient.

At the military-designated boarding points, long lines had formed. Even with a dozen points set up, transporting tens of thousands of citizens would take considerable effort. The military was well aware of this and did not rashly launch an all-out attack on the "Kin." They only performed a probing strike to gauge the effect. Although the attacks seemed to have little impact on the black fluid, the entity did not react violently; it simply continued to grow taller and larger.

"That’s perfect, use the time to evacuate the citizens!" That was the military's assessment.

Meanwhile, Shaxia reached the Schwaiger hangar.

*Clack, clack, clack...* Shaxia’s hurried footsteps echoed through the vast hall of the hangar. She had changed into her pilot suit at top speed and arrived before the *Traum*.

"Ziyuan, what is the situation outside?"

Fearful of being too late, Shaxia opened the *Traum’s* cockpit and climbed into its unique pilot seat. For once, she was showing rare anxiety. Though she had appeared indifferent in front of Bruce, the thought of Long Sheng and Li Jiayi’s lives resting on her shoulders left her heart burning with urgency.

"It's fine for now. That thing seems to only be growing; it hasn't shown any active aggression yet."

"That’s good... I hope we’re in time."

Shaxia initiated the neural link system, and once again, her senses expanded into the steel body.

"But the bad news is that the underground pipes and subway systems in the East District are severely damaged, leading to massive water and power outages."

Ziyuan’s words did not bring Shaxia any relief. This was a desperate situation for the civilians. Although the military had begun rescue operations, it would undoubtedly take a long time.

"The evacuation of the public is being massively delayed; the underground shelter there seems to be compromised." Ziyuan confirmed this in their communication.

"Damn it... what are we supposed to do... Ziyuan, do you have a plan?"

Shaxia’s worst fears had come true. Even if she sortied, she wouldn't be able to fight without reserve.

"Hold that thing off, then use your weapons to annihilate it."

"That’s not a plan at all..."

Even if she hadn't said it, Shaxia would have done exactly that. The problem was, what if she couldn't hold it off?

"Regrettably, because we have very little intelligence on that thing, there is no specific plan. The ground troops will hold it off for thirty minutes as best they can. Hopefully, you can gather some information after you engage it."

"Fine... I’ll try... Oh, Ziyuan."

Before departing, Shaxia remembered something and stopped her.

"Yes?"

"Make sure to tell Master about how I repelled the Kin earlier. I have a feeling that the information on that ability will be the key to this battle."

When Shaxia had just arrived at the base, she had briefly described what happened. Her training under the old master, Mr. Schwaiger, had borne fruit, and that energy had saved her from disaster.

"Understood, I will contact him immediately. You go ahead and sortie."

"Right, I’m counting on you!"

As the launch port opened, Shaxia piloted the *Traum* back into the heart of New Chunqiu City to engage in battle once more! Unlike the first time, this time, many citizens would witness this fight with their own eyes.