"Chi Chi~ Chi Chi~"
Inside the long underground escape tunnel, a railcar sped forward at full throttle.
It was reaching its limit.
Any faster, and it risked derailing.
At that moment, Walter and Dr. Einstein stood side by side at the console at the front of the car.
Both were watching the path ahead intently.
The tunnel walls on either side blurred past, while the tracks beneath lit up with lights installed in the railcars.
Today, Anti-Entropy's headquarters had completely fallen, and the survivors fleeing from the Salt Lake base barely numbered thirty inside the train.
And most of them were injured.
In this situation, although Walter had just said that if they could board the Huberion, they might have a chance to turn the tables...
But...
A 100% chance is still a chance — and so is a 0.01% one.
What kind of "chance" really remained for them? How distant was it?
Inside the car, in a corner…
—Sister Bronya, do you want to rest a bit first?
Xier looked worriedly at the gray-haired girl beside her.
Lately, the latter's mental state had clearly been deteriorating.
On one hand, Cocoria had been captured. No matter how complicated her feelings were toward her, Bronya couldn't help but worry about the safety of that "mother."
On the other hand, ever since her power as the Heir of Reason had been stripped away and the Domination Puppets were deployed, the full burden had fallen on her.
She couldn't take the pressure any longer.
And now, this sudden attack today…
—I'm fine, Xier —Bronya answered, holding herself together—. Bronya can endure it.
—Now's not the time to relax.
In fact, among Kiana, Raiden Mei, and Bronya, the latter had the most mature personality.
Because she had been personally exposed to the darkest sides of the world far earlier.
In a way, it could be said that she had grown up faster than the others.
After all, during her childhood, Kiana didn't even know who she really was.
And "Raiden Mei" didn't even know what "Honkai" was.
You could only say that, for all their flaws, Siegfried —like Ryoma Raiden— had still been a good father.
They protected their daughters far too well.
Bronya, on the other hand...
Even before she was born, her biological father, a corrupt official, had died in Siberia during the Second Honkai Impact.
And her mother had lost her life just to give birth to her.
As Ling Ke had said, at the beginning, she really was alone.
Now she had Xier, Kiana, and "adults" like Walter, Einstein, and Tesla.
She wasn't alone anymore.
And yet...
—I'll make you be alone again.
Ling Ke's vow of vengeance… Bronya couldn't forget it.
And the truth was, he had already succeeded.
Today, Anti-Entropy's headquarters had been destroyed, and many more had died in the process.
To be honest, Bronya had always had conflicted feelings about that man called Ling Ke.
But now, she understood perfectly…
Ling Ke… was an enemy.
Not just hers, not just Anti-Entropy's…
An enemy of all humanity.
Therefore…
—Bronya will no longer hesitate.
The scent of blood wafting through the car filled her nose, and as she looked at the wounded strewn across the floor… the gray-haired girl, whose emotional core had long since been restored, showed unwavering resolve.
—Ling Ke (Attorney)...
—Bronya will defeat you.
✦✦✦
Several dozen minutes later…
The escape train arrived at a secret transfer base prepared in advance by the Anti-Entropy organization. Everyone quickly evacuated the injured toward the hidden submarine dock.
Huberion.
The floating battleship, retrofitted months ago and equipped with the "Moonlight Throne" engine, lay silently anchored at the site.
Everyone boarded the ship without delay.
Among them, Teresa, Walter, Einstein, and Tesla headed straight for the command bridge.
The wounded were distributed across various rooms.
Bronya, Xier, Kiana, Fu Hua, and the others helped with the effort.
And there was some good news.
The battleship still had enough active crew members in charge of daily maintenance across the ship's systems, so they didn't have to worry about a lack of operational support.
Barely a few minutes passed…
And everything was in place.
—Set sail!
Currently, the whereabouts of the former captain, "Endless Tajiko," were unknown, so command of the Huberion naturally fell to Teresa.
Sitting in the captain's chair, she waved her small hand.
—Destination: Schicksal Headquarters.
The order was given, and the Huberion's engines ignited.
It slowly departed from the submarine dock, but instead of surfacing right away…
It waited until it gained enough speed beneath the Great Salt Lake's waters…
"Boom!"
Like a fish leaping through the dragon gate, the Huberion burst out from the surface and shot into the sky.
Everyone knew full well that with Anti-Entropy's headquarters now destroyed, these few survivors would be hunted down by the Legislators who held dominion over power.
Even though the submarine dock where the Huberion had been anchored was dozens of kilometers from the Salt Lake base…
No one dared to underestimate the Law of Domination anymore.
And sure enough…
"Buzz~"
Barely a dozen seconds after the Huberion emerged from the water, a spatial gate opened on its deck.
Walter and the others didn't know…
But after the "Dominator Puppet: Widowmaker" detected their movement, Ling Ke had already sent his subordinates ahead and marked the coordinates on the Huberion, allowing the Domination Puppets to open portals at fixed points.
Which was why...
—Let me show off a little. I'll let them use it as a vehicle... like it's just a makeshift transport for me —Ling Ke remarked from his hideout backstage, directing the operation like a grand theater.
Soon, he received replies from several of his subordinates.
Even if it was just a show of force…
"Buzz~ Buzz~ Buzz~"
Suddenly, over a dozen additional spatial portals opened.
One after another, "Dominator Dolls: Ambi" began to emerge.
And unlike the prior division in West Asia…
All of these "Dominator Dolls: Ambi" had the combat strength equivalent to a full three-person squad.
Their companions behind the curtain were: "Elaine," "Lycahn," and "Lina."
All of them S-rank agents in ZUE: Zone Zero.
—What a shame we got "Billy," but not "Nicole," —Ling Ke muttered—.
—Am I emptying out all of Victoria's maid nests?
Well… that "high-class Victorian girl" was actually quite capable in battle.
—Let's kill a few first… just to spice things up —Ling Ke sneered—.
—Otherwise, their sense of urgency just isn't high enough…