As we moved through the streets, we saw the once-orderly city descend into anarchy, with most people trying to run away, but the small remaining minority who instantly turned to looting and robbing showed how humans behaved when the constraints of society were ripped away. But we ignored all of that, as with the Honkai Radiation Levels of above 100HW, all but a few people will turn into zombies within a quarter hour after exposure.
This meant that now, half an hour after the eruption, the evacuation had officially ended; even if someone escaped from the city now, all that awaited them was death. Only the chosen few with high Honkai resistance could survive in such an environment.
-"Sir."-Forget-Me-Not called out to me.-"This should be the broadcast station."
I looked at the building on the opposite side of the street and nodded.
-"It would seem so. Any Honkai readings inside?"
-"No."-Nuwa denied after looking at the tool in her hands.
-"But humans should be inside."-Forget-Me-Not pointed at one of the windows.-"I saw a few shadows."
-"We'll be careful then."-I nodded and took out a handgun from a holster.
Forget-Me-Not entered first, clearing room after room with us a few steps behind, and soon, we found a room that was barricaded from the inside. Forget-Me-Not looked at me, and after getting my confirmation, she forced an entry, causing the group inside to point their baseball bats at us, only for them to be cut at the handle in one swift strike.
-"Hands up."-Forget-Me-Not demanded.
I also entered, pointing my gun at the group, but after getting a better look at them, I was surprised by who I found.
-"My, long time no see, Mei."
-"Sir Eno?"-She was surprised, but after recognizing me, she sighed in relief.-"Great."
-"Eh?"-My 'brother' also recognized me.-"It's you."
-"Kevin?"-Mei looked at him.
-"He is the person I told you about, the hero hater."
-"Ahem."-I cleared my throat to bring them back before they could change the subject.-"For now, you'll stay with us; evacuating now would be useless."
-"Can you explain what is going on outside?"-Mei also focused on the matter at hand.
-"Sure, but first you need to be tested. Nuwa, can you?"
-"Right, right."-She took out Honkai resistance tests and distributed them while explaining how to use them.
Minutes later, the results were out, along with the cruel reality. I explained the basics of Honkai, especially the importance of Honkai Resistance.
-"Wait!"-Kevin interrupted me.-"You mean…"
Mei sighed and looked away, aware of what would happen.
-"Aside from you, who is almost pseudo-immune to Honkai, and Mei, who possesses solid High Resistance, the rest of your friends have at most hours before turning."-I turned to the rest of the group and spoke without any sugarcoating.-"I advise you to write your goodbyes now, before you can still think straight."
-"We have to save them!"-Kevin couldn't accept the reality.
-"Kevin!"-Mei looked at him sternly.-"Stop!"
-"But…"
-"Stop."-She shut him up.-"Sir Eno has no reason to lie."
Kevin looked shell-shocked, but I could see that he still couldn't accept this outcome.
-"Nuwa, can you get the broadcast going?"-I turned to my assistant.
-"Almost done."
-"Then designate the school as a gathering spot."
-"Can we help?"-Mei approached me.
-"Do you have a way to bypass the EMP effect of the electric field we are in?"-I looked at her.
-"It should be possible if I could create a strong enough signal."
-"Would the antennas here be enough?"
-"It should, but I have no practical experience, only a theoretical basis."
-"Forget-Me-Not, help her."
-"Sir..."-She was about to object.
-"We both know that establishing communication is essential."-I interrupted her.-"I'm safe here."
She looked at the students who would soon turn into Zombies, but still listened to my orders and walked out of the room with Mei. Not even a minute later, Nuwa got the broadcast system working and started to broadcast prepared messages. As time passed, I could see from a window how more and more people started to gather there, some already showing the symptoms of Honkai Infection.
-"Success."-Mei looked at the screen of the communicator.-"Sir Eno, we have a connection."
-"Good."-I approached her and connected to the frequency used by Fire-Moth.-"This is Researcher Eno of Fire-Moth R&D. I'm currently in the Nagazora City old broadcast station. We managed to restore it and can act as the forward base of the operations. Over."
-"Res##rcher Eno, this is Com#and. We received your trans#issi##. We accept your sugg#s#ion; soon #wo teams will b# #eployed in your vic###ty. You shall temporarily #s##me the role of the coor#inator between com##nd and the local br##dcast s#stem; your desi#nat#on is E#ho. A#knowledge, Echo. Ov#r.
-"Roger, Command. This is Echo. I assume the role of coordinator between the command and the broadcast system, awaiting the reinforcements. Over."
-"Roger, Echo. Out."
And so, I got to work while the situation around deteriorated with every minute. After about ten minutes, the sound of helicopters appeared, and soon, a heroic-looking woman entered the broadcast station.
-"Sir Eno."-She saluted me.-"I'm Himeko, the Captain of Squad V."
-"Miss Himeko."-I nodded to her.-"What are your orders?"
-"I'll have my team establish short-range communication here and take over the role of the coordinator, but I hope that Sir can help us with the survivors."
-"Good. If you can control the crowd, I'll have Nuwa, Mei, and Kevin help with testing Honkai Resistance; I'll deal with the wounded."
-"That would be helpful."-She agreed with my arrangement.-"Our task is to secure this district before proceeding with the clearing."
-"What about Herrscher?"
-"The main team was already deployed, but if an evacuation order is given, we'll have fifteen minutes to leave the range of bombs."
-"Understood. We'll follow your command."
And so, we were conscripted to work.
-"It should be a simple fracture; for now, I'll make a temporary splint, but after you arrive in a new city, make sure to visit a hospital for a further checkup."-I instructed a somewhat timid-looking girl.
-"Thank you, doctor."-She bowed to me politely.
-"I didn't do much."-I just shook my head.
-"You saved my life, doctor."-She corrected me.-"If not for your announcement, who knows if I hadn't already been killed by those monsters."
-"Then I can be glad that one more cute girl survived this tragedy."-I tried to cheer her up.
Hearing my praise, she averted her gaze, a blush appearing on her face and ears.
-"Doctor…"
-"Just call me Eno; I'm not exactly an MD, so no need to refer to me as such."
-"Dr. Eno, can you tell me more about those monsters and all those tests?"
-"You heard about that deadly disease that appears here and there, right?"
-"Yes, someone in my hometown suffered from it."
-"We refer to it as Honkai Disease…"-I started my science lesson, as there was not much for me to do.
Despite many people being wounded, only about fifty have tested to possess High Honkai Resistance or above, meaning that the rest were already doomed; no need to waste time on them. The girl before me was another 'rare specimen' with pseudo-immunity to Honkai, so befriending her would only benefit me in the long run. Little did I know that this moment would bring a lasting impact, changing not only her, but also my life in a way I could never anticipate.
While we were talking, a commotion occurred outside, causing a panic to erupt in a previously somewhat orderly environment around this camp. Walking outside, I could see a few Fire-Moth warriors confronting a group of Zombies.
-"Those are…"-The girl also watched the fight.
-"Zombies, sigh…"-I sighed and looked at the crowd who tested negative for Honkai Resistance.-"Do you have any friends or family there?"
-"No, I don't think so."
-"Then I suggest you go and evacuate."
-"Will it be dangerous here?"
-"You can say so."-I decided to advise her without stating what was to happen to all those gathered here; she didn't have to be burdened by that.
After I watched her leave, I looked to the side where Himeko was already waiting.
-"Sir Eno, we received the order to start clearing the area."
-"Have Kevin and Mei already evacuated?"
-"That boy Kevin did, but Mei demanded to see our action to the end."-She pointed where Mei was standing.
I furrowed my brows and quickly walked to where Mei was
-"Mei…"
-"Sir Eno."-She didn't let me persuade her.-"I understand, but I have to see it with my own eyes. I'm not that fragile."
-"I don't claim that you are fragile, but some things leave a scar no matter how strong you are."
-"Yet you stand here."-She looked at me.-"One who called them here just to be…"
-"Yes. I saved those fifty-or-so people who entered the building, but because of me, those thousands will be executed, depriving them of the last hope before they can turn into Honkai monsters."
-"If you can calmly make such a decision, then I can also see its outcome."
-"Sigh, so be it."-I turned to Himeko, who waited a little farther away, and nodded.
Seeing this, she spoke something to her communicator, and after one of the helicopters carrying those who could be evacuated left, sounds of gunshots echoed around. In just thirty seconds, the whole crowd was dead. Mei and I watched silently as the soldiers started to dispose of the bodies, a single gunshot appearing here and there when some 'lucky' survivor was found.
I could see Mei tremble every time the shot was fired, but she didn't look away, nor did she spare any tears. She was indeed a strong woman, but that strength wasn't something someone her age should need. Seeing that the cleaning was done, I patted her shoulder and returned to the broadcast station, waiting for the next evacuation.
Before the sunset over the destroyed city, we received the order to abandon our positions. I looked out the window of the helicopter as the city was bombarded into oblivion, along with the beast that appeared there. While Fire-Moth's main team was able to fight the Herrscher head-on, the arrival of the Judgement-class Honkai Beast Śeṣa forced them to retreat.
In desperation, the city was destroyed along with the monster. Sadly, the Herrscher escaped to Sapphire City to cause more destruction, but was quickly stopped, sparing Sapphire from the same fate as Nagazora. But even then, most of East Asia was irradiated with Honkai, causing all those susceptible to Honkai to turn into Zombies, while most people with normal resistance became infected, leaving them with at most a few more years.
But even with such great destruction and so many deaths didn't cause change inside Fire-Moth; there was no push to change how the organization operated. The priority remained to gain more power and money for the people in charge. And I was in the center of all of that; my presence in Nagazora during the eruption resulted in both fame and stricter scrutiny from the higher-ups.
The fame part was a result of the survivors who were rescued because of my actions and the soldiers under Himeko. While it hadn't made me a household name, it was enough to help me become the face of the fight against the Honkai Sickness, allowing me to create a foundation to gather funds and data solely for that purpose.
But the other side was somewhat troublesome, as I was no longer was treated as a naive scientist, but as an unempathetic realist. Due to that, Forget-Me-Not was ordered to watch me more closely, even given the task to kill me if I stepped out of line. Luckily, I didn't have to do anything that would risk that, allowing me to focus on all my plans.
What surprised me most was that Forget-Me-Not approached me after that order was given and told me everything. In her words, she can't stand by when the person working hardest to stop Honkai Disease is at risk to his life; after all, she and her sister were the sole survivors of a village wiped out by that disease. This broke the ice between us, and after some subtle probing, I decided to make her our double agent, promising to rescue her sisters in exchange for her services.
Since then, Sakura has become much more approachable, even bringing me some homemade food from time to time. But what was more important, with her help, we managed to secure quite damming evidence about most of the higher-ups, not enough to overturn the whole hierarchy, but a solid first step. Mobius and Elysia also made some progress; they managed to contact the biggest donor, someone with enough influence to change the status quo, and made them pay more attention to how Fire-Moth operated.
Elysia also became something of an idol of the whole organization, a center of every party and a glue that held the myriad of people together. What troubled me was that her popularity also brought those close to her into the spotlight, and ever since I got my own laboratory, she would visit daily, mostly to eat with me, while dragging Mobius with her if given the chance. So, all those bored soldiers started 'shipping' everyone around, and while Ely-Mobi was most popular for some reason, close second and third were the relationships including me, and Elysia often brought all them up to annoy Mobius and me.
Aside from that, Mei and Kevin also joined the Fire Moth; even that shy girl decided to join. Mei became a research assistant for now, working in my lab, while Kevin and that girl became trainee soldiers. Mei's arrival was an enormous help, allowing a few of my ideas to materialize; she was essential in the research into the nature of Honkai as an energy, leading to the discovery of two other forces, dubbed by us as Quantum and Imaginary energies.
This achievement was enough to allow her to possess her own lab, but she chose one directly next to me, so we saw each other daily, often exchanging ideas and data. I also made my own progress on the Honkai Inhibitor, creating not only a working prototype that could be mass-produced. I also created a cure for Honkai Disease, but the cost of its creation was so great that it was kept secret.
For enough antibodies to cure one person, samples from thousands of people had to be used, so while I managed to create about ten vials thanks to the samples I gathered during the third eruption, it wasn't viable to disseminate it in the population. Despite that, I still published my results, earning fame that rivaled Mobius's. After that, together with her, Mei, and one more person, we were crowned the four great minds of the era.
On that subject, I had also met that last scientist, an eccentric named Vill-V. She mostly focused on engineering and was the main creator of the advanced weaponry utilized by Fire-Moth. She became really interested in Mei's discovery of Quantum and Imaginary energies, which caused her to visit us from time to time, bringing countless absurd machinations, ranging from useless to groundbreaking. I also cooperated with her to try to research my blood, but she was also stumped by it, something she couldn't accept and often pestered me about.