On the other side of the space station, a gray-haired girl and a woman with wine-red hair found themselves "surrounded" by several dozen Voidrangers.
"Looks like we've walked into an ambush."
The gray-haired girl glanced at the Voidrangers encircling them, but her face showed no trace of worry or fear. Instead, she seemed relaxed enough to chat casually with the woman beside her.
"So we have," the wine-red-haired woman chuckled softly.
"Too bad for them—they're the ones who are trapped."
Twin pistols materialized in the woman's hands, and in an instant, several Voidrangers were blasted into digital dust.
"Heh, I always liked that line," the gray-haired girl said, shooting a look of contempt at the remaining creatures.
"You guys…are surrounded by the two of us."
As soon as she finished speaking, the Voidrangers around them pixelated and vanished from the area.
"Strange, did Elio's script mention there would be this many Voidrangers?" The gray-haired girl watched as more continued to pour in, a hint of confusion in her voice as she turned to her companion.
She roughly estimated—there had to be at least a hundred or two of them here now.
"Not sure. Whatever isn't in Elio's script is irrelevant," the wine-red-haired woman replied indifferently, casually dispatching a few more Voidrangers with another flick of her wrists.
"Let's wrap this up quickly. No point wasting time."
The gray-haired girl nodded, but just as she was about to make her next move, all the remaining Voidrancers suddenly crumpled to the floor as if crushed by some immense gravitational force.
Watching the scene unfold, the two women exchanged a glance and stowed their weapons away.
"Clara, your presence wasn't written into Elio's script for this act."
"Yeah, I'm just an extra, nobody important," Clara's form gradually materialized before them, a cheerful grin on her face.
"So don't mind me, just carry on with the script as planned~"
"Judging by your expression, you seem to know where the Stellaron is?" Silver Wolf stared directly at Clara's beaming face and cut straight to the point.
"Call me 'daddy' and I'll tell you."
Silver Wolf: ᗜ ‸ ᗜ
"Alright, let's move," Kafka chuckled lightly at the sight of Clara and Silver Wolf's exchange. She pushed open the door to the space station's interior and stepped through.
"Such lowbrow humor."
Silver Wolf shot Clara one last look, tossed out the comment, and followed Kafka inside.
"Fine, 'mommy' works too!"
Seeing this, Clara hurried after them and called out.
Silver Wolf: (ᗜ ˰ ᗜ)
...
"Not a soul in sight. I'm surprised they evacuated this critical area so quickly," Kafka remarked, a note of genuine surprise in her voice as she surveyed the empty, important-looking room.
"Was it an order from Herta herself?"
"Don't know," Silver Wolf shook her head.
"Herta's currently on the station. We should hurry and avoid drawing her attention."
"I know this one, I know this one!" Hearing this, Clara immediately raised her hand eagerly, like a star student in class.
"?"
Both Kafka and Silver Wolf turned questioning gazes toward her.
Feeling their eyes on her, Clara planted her hands on her hips, a touch of pride coloring her small face. "I just finished an experiment with Herta. She's completely absorbed in analyzing the data right now—she probably doesn't even know what's happening on the station."
"An experiment? You weren't hurt, were you?" Silver Wolf and Kafka asked almost simultaneously, concern lacing their voices.
"Hurt? Why would I be hurt?" Clara tilted her head, puzzled, and scratched it lightly.
"Right," Silver Wolf and Kafka nodded in unison, letting the matter drop.
"Elio's script stated we wouldn't encounter Herta. So, there's nothing to worry about."
"We just need to complete the mission before the Astral Express arrives," Kafka said, her eyes scanning their surroundings but finding no trace of the Stellaron.
"Heh, with that Doomsday Beast in the way, the Astral Express won't be landing on this station anytime soon," Silver Wolf snorted lightly, her expression turning noticeably more lax.
With that Doomsday Beast blocking the Express, they still had plenty of time.
"Um… about that…" Clara raised her hand tentatively and held out a small data-stone to Silver Wolf.
"..." Silver Wolf took the stone curiously, then went utterly silent upon seeing the scene recorded on it.
"What is it?" Kafka asked, intrigued by Silver Wolf's reaction.
Silver Wolf handed the stone back to Clara, her tone completely flat. "The Doomsday Beast I summoned has been reduced to ashes by Clara. Not even dust remains."
"Then let's complete the task swiftly," Kafka responded with a gentle smile, not a hint of blame directed at Clara.
Silver Wolf nodded, then turned her gaze back to Clara.
"Now, because of you, our window to execute the mission has shrunk. So, aren't you going to tell us where the Stellaron is?"
"Call me 'big sis'," Clara flashed a bright, toothy grin.
Silver Wolf: (ᗜ ˰ ᗜ)
"Whatever, it's fine," Silver Wolf rolled her eyes at Clara and stepped forward, surveying the room. A screen materialized in her hand, and she tapped on it a few times.
Instantly, every monitor in the room lit up with Silver Wolf's personal icon—except for the central terminal device.
"Simple and crude, but effective."
Silver Wolf glanced at the sole terminal she hadn't hacked, shooting a smug, raised-eyebrow look Clara's way.
"Beginners luck. Really, you installed it?" Not one to back down from a challenge, Clara fired right back.
"Luck is a form of skill too," Silver Wolf ignored Clara's glare and walked over to the terminal, manipulating it for a few moments.
The next second, the entire room seemed to blur and warp. A path appeared on a previously solid wall, leading to another chamber.
"Let's go. The Stellaron is in there."
Silver Wolf pointed down the newly revealed passage, addressing both Kafka and Clara.
"As expected of a member of the Genius Society. The ideas you all come up with are truly something," Kafka remarked with admiration, taking in the sight.
"Let's proceed. By my estimate, the Astral Express should have reached the station by now. We don't have much time left."
The three of them stepped onto the newly formed path and entered the other room.
...
Clara: Regarding Silver Wolf
When will she ever willingly call me "big sis"?
…
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