Chapter 268 ·Turning point (31)

Turning ‍​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌​‍󠄂󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄂‍​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌​​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​​​​​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​​​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌​‌​​​‌​‌‌‌‌​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​​‌‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​​​‌​‌​​‌‌‌‌​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌​‌​‌‌​​‌‌​​​​​‌​​‌‌‌​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​‌​​​‌​​‌‌​‌​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌‌​‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌‌​​‌​​​‌​​​‌‌‌​‌​​​‌‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌​​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌​‌​​‌‌​‌‌‌‌​‌‌​‌​​‌​‌​​‌​​‌​‌‌​‌‌‌​​​‌‌​​​​​​‌‌‌‌​‌‍󠄂󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄁󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄀󠄁󠄀󠄂point (31)

"The sky is opening!"

Just like someone's shout, the sky, which had been overcast every day, was now ripped open. And not just metaphorically—physically so. The bombardment from orbit had torn a hole in the dense clouds above.

It was thanks to the keyword with coordinates that was momentarily transmitted as Archive broke through the communications blackout on entry. Because we had been given time to relocate in advance and could wait at the specified coordinates, this kind of support had become possible.

'When the silence dragged on, cold sweat ran down my back.'

But that moment was quickly forgotten. It was washed away by the rain-like downpour of blue beams.

Kwakwakwakwa—!

The beams, descending faster than lightning, scorched all of the surrounding area except for Archive. Occasionally, there were bombardments that hit Albatross or Griffin, but considering the barrage was so intense that the cameras couldn't even properly process the scene, those were really just a fraction.

The momentum of the monsters pushing into Archive rapidly began to wane. It was because the relentless assault containers had stopped flying in.

Behind this, there were ships that became flustered by the sudden orbital bombardment, momentarily switching positions or even retreating.

Some couldn't withstand the damage any longer—their hulls burst open or they crashed after losing propulsion; others had problems with their container launching mechanisms, getting stuck mid-fire as if jamming with a round. At worst, the containers themselves were crushed or exploded.

The tightly organized formation of numerous ships was breaking apart under the orbital assault. However, the flagship still stood steadfast in the center, so the chaos seemed unlikely to last long.

As a multitude of craters appeared on Mithrim Montes, Celestia muttered,

"... That's not ordinary firepower."

— Of course not. Do you really think we've just been waiting up here until now? We've spent our spare time maximizing our firepower.

The one who responded to her muttering was the Myosotis fleet in orbit. Celestia, who had been staring blankly at the swirl of blue explosions, snapped out of it and shouted,

"Marco!"

— It's been a long time, Celestia.

"You were so casual with me earlier."

— Haha, just trying to act cool.

"You did pretty well. I'm surprised you managed to wait around without leaving."

— Where would we go? We're all here because of you, Celestia. We wouldn't go anywhere else.

Celestia smiled softly at those words. Her face was glowing with unconcealed joy.

"Right, I trusted you all along. Even in this situation, I was sure you'd be hiding out to wait for me—no, for us. Eric would be pleased."

— Is the captain safe as well?

"Yes, for now. I don't know what'll happen next, though."

Celestia's expression hardened as she started to say more. Just then, Licorice, who had succeeded in seizing the Archive's main systems and was about to take off her hacking-assistance goggles, let out a long sigh of relief.

"... This should have put out the worst of the fire... right?"

"Licorice!"

I rushed over to her. Licorice, who had been barely standing with a hand on the console, gradually let her voice fade and ultimately lost consciousness. I caught her as she staggered.

"Licorice! Stay with me!"

With no reply, I immediately checked on Licorice's condition. Her body was limp, burning hot to the touch. She'd reached the limit of what a body could endure, but oddly, her complexion was deathly pale. As if all her blood, which should have been hottest, had drained from her body.

At least she was still breathing. Her breaths were shaky and unstable, but at least that much was a small relief. Not that I could relax or feel safe—her condition was worsening every moment I spent checking her.

Now, blood began dripping from her nose. What started as a few timid drops quickly became a small stream.

'Is this a side effect of consecutive stimulants? Or is it Lobelia's safety mechanism?'

Gritting my teeth, I hurriedly injected her with the medicine I had brought. It was emergency aid, more focused on stabilizing her imbalance than treating wounds. With a hiss, the drug was injected.

The biochemical mix circulating in her system would purge the stimulant residue still present in her. Forced consciousness couldn't be maintained any longer, so this was the best option left.

At last, her breathing stabilized. But the bleeding didn't stop. It no longer accelerated, but that was all—it had only bought us a little time.

I stared at the red blood that had soaked the upper half of my suit. The metallic tang filled the air.

'I only barely bought her some time.'

I had to get her to Carrot as quickly as possible. He was the one among us with the most medical knowledge; at least he could diagnose her, and perhaps fix whatever Lobelia did to her.

But right now, that wasn't an option. We had no time to linger.

Nadia, who had assisted Licorice, and everyone else nearby, were all staring at us. The joy of securing the satellite deactivation code had vanished without a trace.

I hoisted Licorice onto my back. It was better this way than burdening anyone else—better for me, too.

"We have to get out of here. Now."

As soon as I said so, the control room, which had fallen unnaturally quiet, was thrown into commotion. Everyone got to work, checking the situation inside Archive and figuring out how to get up to Albatross and Griffin.

Celestia, her face tenser than ever, resumed her earlier line.

"Marco, you heard? Things are bad on our end—we need to join up as soon as possible. Any ideas?"

— It's not a situation where you can just come up to orbit?

"That's right. We're stranded on the surface. Not fully cut off, but getting to the ship is nearly impossible right now."

Our original plan was for Roxy to pilot the shuttle to take us up to Albatross. But now, with Roxy out of contact, that wasn't possible.

'If the pilot isn't good, they'd be shot down before even getting here.'

The enemy's assault was brutal—at best, we'd get one, maybe two chances: one with the shuttle, another with Griffin. If Griffin couldn't withstand the attack and crashed, there'd be no more chances. Albatross, with its massive hull, couldn't easily take off or land here.

— This is bad. Really bad. We're coupling the warp gate module right now to connect to Earth, so we can't deploy much of the fleet. And now that we've revealed ourselves, our signal must have been transmitted to the nearby pureblood supremacist fleet.

The warp gate. The last key for getting to Earth. It was the highest priority—without it, reaching Earth government territory was nearly impossible. We didn't have enough stasis chambers or enough food, either.

Besides, from here to Mars, pureblood supremacists would be swarming. Albatross had great specs, but not enough to withstand everything. We also couldn't leave in perfect condition; escaping Titan had already worn down the armor and secondary facilities.

Celestia understood the importance of the warp gate and didn't reply easily. Yelling was heard through the comm, perhaps the pureblood fleet had appeared. Marco continued, sounding urgent.

— Celestia, your top priority should be to get to orbit. And it's not like we can't provide any cover. Sentry guns, missile containers, and air support won't stop.

"That's a relief, at least."

— We're not giving up. So you mustn't, either. We're waiting. We'll defend this place—just get up here.

Just get to orbit above Titan. Don't worry about attacks afterward. We've got something big for a shield. That was what Marco meant.

"Of course. There's so much I have to tell you. You'll be shocked to hear what happened here."

— I look forward to it, then. Good luck.

"Same to you."

With this, Celestia ended the call. She wore an apologetic look—things weren't going well.

"Hyun-woo, I'm sorry. I don't think we can go up right away."

"I expected as much. Let's plan as we go."

I adjusted Licorice on my back. Nadia checked her condition and nodded, apparently relieved that the bleeding had stopped. But it could be temporary—there was no time to relax.

— We've secured an escape route. All the sealed entities in the stasis chambers have been herded into different sectors, so nothing should block your way.

Eric and Canna's team, who had gone ahead, relayed the comm. We immediately left the central control room. Archive held nothing more for us.

We had succeeded in the initial goal of acquiring the satellite deactivation code and contacting the Myosotis fleet in orbit, and we couldn't take any of the equipment or sealed entities here anyway—external export was forbidden.

The sealed entities had all been unleashed and were now acting as a buffer against the tidal wave of mutants out to kill us. Even now, those two tides were colliding in waves of destruction.

「Kiaaaaak—!」

One of the mutants or sealed entities let out a death scream, echoing through the sector corridors. We moved on without stopping—intent on getting back to our ship hovering overhead.

As we advanced, we rejoined the other group members from their posts in each sector. Eric connected to the Albatross.

"Where are you now?!"

— Kzzzt...! Directly above Archive!

"Send a shuttle! Can you do it?!"

— Impossible! They're waiting for just that moment! All the battleships' main guns are trained on us! Even with Griffin shielding you, we wouldn't last thirty seconds!

While we'd been in Archive, it seemed the Griffin crew had run simulations to see if letting us board by using Griffin as cover would work—it spoke of their resolve.

The only way to board Albatross or Griffin was to shake off the pureblood supremacist fleet's pursuit, at least momentarily. If not, we'd never make it aboard.

Thud—Kuuung—thud...!

As vibrations rocked Archive more and more violently, everyone kept running forward, racking their brains for a solution. How could we buy the time we needed?

Then, running beside me, Nadia suddenly exclaimed, as if struck by an idea.

"I have it! A way! Maybe we can shake the pursuers off easier than we thought!"

"How?!"

"The signal post! If we destroy the signal post, the energy field will cover Archive again! That'll trap them here, right?"

Come to think of it, she was right. We'd been so absorbed in escaping Archive that it never occurred to us. It wasn't just about evasion—sometimes imprisoning them was as effective.

We'd neutralized the energy field via the beacon to get through, and that condition was still in effect now.

If we trapped the enemy so they couldn't chase us, that would fulfill the same purpose. All we had to do was board the shuttle or Griffin that would come pick us up during that window. That was it.

The energy field would eventually be overwhelmed by their firepower, but by then, we'd be long gone.

Celestia quickly crunched the numbers. She judged it the most promising option and gave her approval.

"The timing's crucial! If we get trapped too—"

"Right! We can handle the timing! We can remotely disable or overload each beacon's controller and make it blow!"

We now had a plan to shake off the pursuing pureblood squad. All that was left was to handle what happened immediately after leaving Archive.

Albatross hovered above, over the red spark zone, to shield us from incoming fire.

The enemy, their formation already restructured, would launch a very different kind of assault now than when they'd been hurling monsters in assault containers. Massive, rapid-fire explosions were bound to block all our escape routes.

"Marco! Can you adjust coordinates for another bombardment?"

— I can. But it'll be weaker than last time. We hit them extra hard early on to break their resistance.

"That's good enough. Just hit the designated spots when I signal. Just distract them so they can't properly fire their main guns, make their targeting unstable."

— Harassing and clinging to the enemy is our specialty. Just give the signal.

With that, Marco's call ended. We ran and ran.

When the Archive's external gate came into view, we saw a handful of mutants shambling about—either stragglers or ones that sensed us instinctively.

"I'll take care of them!"

"Hurry!"

"Yes!"

Compared to the wave of invaders in Archive, it was nothing—a few handfuls, really. Equipped to hunt even special mutants called buds, our group blasted through the usual ghouls or infected power loaders.

Nadia's support arms, with Multipurpose Unit 2 mounted with Big Hand, grabbed the monsters and hurled them. Pulse rifle rounds savagely speared through their vital points.

Celestia finished off the toppled mutants with her Linear Rifle, the rounds punching effortlessly through power loaders' armor. I used telekinesis to control metal shrapnel and ensure the ghouls were properly dispatched.

It all flowed like water. The skirmish was over in a flash, but our nerves stayed taut—after all, we'd only dealt with a tiny fraction of what was out there.

As we burst out of the Archive's external gate, Celestia called out,

"Marco! Fire now!"

— Coordinates confirmed. Jamming rounds away. The effect should last until they restore security.

As the pureblood fleet charged up their main cannons, the sky torn open again. This time, the attack didn't hit the ships—it spread out as a smog of special particles.

Like ECM particles, these disrupted enemy electronics. The main guns' charges failed to build properly, and some even misfired in that state.

With insufficient charge, the cannons fired pathetic shots—breaking up in the smog and scattering apart. The threat of annihilation by main guns was gone for now.

The main weapons were powerful, but not the only armament. There were also regular autocannons and area-denial missile pods.

A massive curtain of firepower unfolded—enough to make your skin crawl. As if even this was nothing, small craft began spilling out from the enemy ships. Albatross scanned and fed us data.

— Multiple armed shuttles launched from the enemy ship! We can't stop those! Also, the overload on Mithrim Montes is decreasing! The frequency of red sparks is dropping sharply! It's like something is siphoning off the energy! They're up to something!

The red spark zone was vanishing. That was not good news—it meant the overload that blocked enemy ships' entry was gone, and now larger forces could pour in.

Our own options would grow, too, but compared overall, it was hardly enough. The gap in firepower was still vast.

Nadia and I exchanged glances. We understood each other perfectly—without words, we had the same thought. It was a little early, but now was the time.

Nadia drew a deep breath. Then, she called out our biggest reinforcement.

"Carry━━!"

Her shout echoed, and almost simultaneously, a metal container was launched from the aft storage bay of Albatross. Using an improvised catapult, the container soared through the air, threading between the withering curtain of fire with directional thrusters.

Accelerating, it dropped straight toward us. For a second it looked like it would crash and be smashed to pieces, but then, it split open mid-air.

The container opened wide. Inside—no, perfectly reinforced for this last time—stood Carry, the power loader and Nadia's indispensable friend.

Power loader roaring to life, Carry sprang from the container. The empty container absorbed some of the attacks meant for Carry, then was destroyed in a burst of shrapnel.

Carry, using attitude thrusters, killed its descent and landed in a sturdy crouch. The impact sent snow and dust billowing, momentarily blocking our view.

As the cloud cleared, Nadia grinned from ear to ear at the sight of the power loader. Her tail wagged madly as she raced to the cockpit.

With agile hops, she sprang up, sliding into the cockpit with practiced ease. Carry's support arm waved from the ceiling, welcoming her.

"Carry, sorry to ask right after you show up, but are you ready?"

「(ദ്ദി⩌𖥦⩌)」

Carry gave a thumbs up—no problem at all.

"Great! First, let's swat those bastards down!"

Nadia worked the controls. The grenade cannons mounted on Carry's shoulders deployed and locked in with heavy thunks. The target was the oncoming swarm of armed shuttles.

KA-AANG—!

The recoil shook the frame, the shock rumbling through the ground and even up to us. With a thunderous report, the lead armed shuttle exploded spectacularly.

RelatedRelatedRelated