Theresa's Squad

"Himeko told us to stay away from Changkong City Girls' High School. What do we do?" Han Jiang looked toward Changkong City Girls' High School, feeling somewhat irritated.

Mei packed up her things and said to the others, "There seem to be a lot of Honkai Beasts over there. Let's go somewhere else."

"But I want to go," Kiana said glumly.

Mei smiled. "Don't let this affect our final evaluation. There will be plenty of chances to fight."

Not long after Mei finished speaking, all four of their communicators began beeping at once.

"Mei, lead your team and coordinate with Fu Hua to rescue Theresa's Squad," Himeko said through the communicator.

"The Valkyries at the camp all have their own missions and can't easily disengage. Hold on for a while. The principal and I are on our way to Changkong City Girls' High School."

Kiana could not help jumping up excitedly. With her hands on her hips, she shouted, "Our squad is so strong! How could we ignore our classmates when they're in danger? Let's go, let's go!"

"Don't get carried away, Kiana. The Honkai Energy concentration near Changkong City Girls' High School is extremely high, and the Honkai Beasts that have appeared are highly unusual," Himeko warned coldly through the communicator.

"Your squad and Fu Hua's Squad are the combat squads closest to B-rank Valkyries. This is a rare rescue mission, but your primary objective remains preserving yourselves."

"During combat, all of you will follow the captain's orders. If you dare disobey, you know the consequences."

Himeko's words dampened much of Kiana's excitement, but she was still very happy to receive a temporary combat mission.

The four got into the vehicle, and Bronya summoned Heavy Cannon Rabbit to crawl onto the roof and handle reconnaissance.

Driving while controlling Heavy Cannon Rabbit posed no difficulty at all for Bronya.

"Fasten your seat belts. Prepare to depart. Destination: Theresa's Squad!" Mei had already begun issuing orders.

Having learned his lesson that morning, Han Jiang gripped his seat belt tightly and waited for departure.

"Beep... beep!"

While the car was moving, Han Jiang received a text message from Himeko.

"Mei knows Bronya and Kiana better. Having her command the team will allow for more effective combat capability. I know boys tend to be competitive, but this is a special situation. I hope you won't mind not being captain. —Himeko"

Seeing the message, Han Jiang felt that Himeko was being far too considerate of his feelings.

An ordinary boy might have fought over who got to be captain, but Han Jiang did not care about such things.

Changkong City's complicated terrain, along with the Honkai Beasts appearing due to this special incident, could not stump Bronya's driving skills.

The four members of Theresa's Squad had already been surrounded by several Honkai Beasts. Bronya controlled Heavy Cannon Rabbit to smash apart the Honkai Beasts blocking the way, and the off-road vehicle came to a steady stop beside Theresa's Squad's vehicle.

"We're here!" As soon as the off-road vehicle stopped, Kiana threw open the door, pulled out her gun, and began firing.

"Start clearing the Honkai Beasts and wait for Fu Hua's Squad to arrive." Mei shot Kiana a reproachful look.

Ordinary Honkai Beasts had large patches of white skin with pink lines, while the newly emerged Honkai Beasts had broad patterns like red flames across their bodies.

"Everyone, be careful! When these special Honkai Beasts are killed, they leave behind something like flames. It can penetrate armor and directly damage the body!" shouted a girl lying on the roof of the off-road vehicle with a sniper rifle in her arms.

This girl was Triss, one of the top ten fighters in the class and a sniper specialist.

"Got it!" Kiana replied. She kicked the Chariot-class Honkai Beast in front of her, then backflipped away to create some distance.

The ammunition Han Jiang's group had brought that morning had already been used up, so Bronya walked over to Triss to ask whether they had enough ammunition.

Han Jiang drew his twin blades and went to support one of the girls from Theresa's Squad.

Mei and Bronya were asking Triss about her squad's situation. If Heavy Cannon Rabbit had not helped clear a path when they arrived, they might not even have been able to charge in.

Triss put away her sniper rifle and jumped down from the roof. "Two of our team members killed Honkai Beasts and were burned by the residual flames. The Honkai Energy in their bodies has become unstable. Did you bring any anti-Honkai serum?"

Mei nodded, found the serum in her vehicle, and asked, "They can't fight for a while after receiving the injection. Someone will need to look after them."

Triss nodded. "The flames left by these Honkai Beasts directly burn the Honkai Energy inside the body. The better someone's compatibility, the more painful it is."

"We never expected something like this to happen. We only brought one dose of anti-Honkai serum," Triss said guiltily.

The two injured students lay inside the vehicle. One girl, who had already been injected with serum, was deathly pale. The other gripped the seat tightly with both hands, looking to be in extreme pain.

Mei quickly opened the serum and began administering it. As the serum entered her body, the student weakly said, "Thank you for getting here in time. Be extremely careful around these Honkai Beasts."

Among the twenty-four students in the class, aside from Fu Hua, who had been hiding her strength, only every member of Han Jiang's squad had barely reached B-rank strength.

The other squad captains were generally rated C+, still some distance from B-rank. Most squad members were C-rank, and there were even some C- support personnel.

"Are you all right?" Han Jiang struck with both blades at once, cutting down the Honkai Beast before him, then turned to look at the petite girl beside him.

"Watch out!" The girl grabbed Han Jiang's arm and swiftly pulled him backward.

The Honkai Beast Han Jiang had just killed underwent a mutation, and faint flames began burning across the ground and surrounding area.

"This is the kind of flame that caused two members of our squad to lose their combat capability. The flames do not last long; they dissipate after around thirty seconds. It'll be safe to approach after that," the girl explained to Han Jiang, still shaken.

Han Jiang nodded solemnly and asked, "If I remember correctly, you're Rikka Ruri, right? You specialize in the Tachi and are an heir of the Mirror Heart Wisdom Style."

Rikka Ruri slashed apart an approaching Deadwalker and said to Han Jiang, "I didn't expect the famous God of War in our class to remember my name. What an honor."

After briefly exchanging a few words, the two began working together to kill Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts.

Not all the Honkai Beasts nearby were special ones. The main reason Theresa's Squad had been unable to leave was simply the overwhelming number of enemies.

Boom!

The sound of artillery fire began ringing out around them. Bronya unleashed her power again, and for the moment, no one needed to worry about their safety.

Unfortunately, they were too close to the mutation point. Deadwalkers and Honkai Beasts continuously surrounded them from every direction.

"Is there something here attracting them? Why are there more and more of them?" Han Jiang complained after cutting down a Deadwalker.

Rikka Ruri shook her head. "I don't know. The Honkai Beasts were wandering around before. They only started gathering with a clear target after you arrived. Could it be because there are too many of us?"

"Ding. Herrscher Benevolent Face has begun absorbing special Honkai Energy. Incubation will begin in ten minutes!"

"I think I know what's attracting them..." Han Jiang's heart jolted at the sound of the system notification.

Today's thanks go to [Sky of Loneliness], [Names Can Go Die], and [Strategy] for their 100 rewards each!!!