Chapter 602

Passing through layers of underground structures and venturing deep into the unexplored depths, the tremors from the distant ground around the Svarog estate can still be clearly heard.

The Stellar Core power covers the entire planet; how could a mere underground space possibly avoid such a massive tremor?

Fortunately, there was a thick layer of earth between them. Although there was tremor, only a few stones were shaken off and there were not many collapses.

"I, Bronya Rand, in the name of the current Great Guardian, command you to activate program 173**#@#***!"

The ancient, obscure code, mixed with some script from interstellar civilizations that left traces on Yalilo-VI, signifies the antiquity of this instruction.

Meanwhile, the red mechanical eye atop Svarog's head emitted an extremely intense light.

"Command accepted. Confirm again. Start program 173**#@#***?"

"I confirm startup!"

Bronya raised the medal, expressing her unwavering stance.

Then the lower area shook again, this time from the foundation beneath the Svarog mansion, with a certain regularity, as if some enormous thing was moving beneath their feet.

"What? What is this?"

On March 7th, he swayed left and right amidst the tremors until he grabbed onto a star that stood firmly in place like a pillar, which helped him regain his balance.

Why don't you wobble?

"Hmph! Of course it's because I put glue on the soles of my feet!"

"Where did the glue come from?"

"This is the gift from the King of Trash!"

Xing crossed her arms, gave a haughty sneer, and remained as confident and neurotic as ever.

As always, March 7th couldn't keep up with the pace, and could only twitch her lips; her lively and cheerful personality was forced into silence.

Unaffected by these things, Bronya looked at Apricot as the ground shook.

"And then, what else does Mother want me to do?"

Xing tilted her head back, seemingly gazing at something above the thick earth, lost in thought.

Upon hearing Bronya's question, a look of confusion and helplessness appeared on her delicate face for the first time, and she said:

"That's it. Mother Cocolia said this was my final task, and after I finished it, I would receive what I deserved... the glory of City Builder..."

"The glory of the City Builder?"

Bronya was taken aback, then her gaze softened.

Although it's still unclear which death row inmate is Xing's illegitimate father, the child does seem to be her sister.

She grew up in the shadow of the City Builder, never lacking food or clothing, and was highly respected. However, Annie had been secretly working for her mother all along, never enjoying the treatment she deserved in the sunlight, and even Bronya only learned of her existence in the last two days.

Therefore, it is Bronya's responsibility to take good care of this sister from now on.

"What kind of look is that?"

"It's nothing. Let's get to know each other again. I'm Bronya Rand. You can call me Sister Bronya from now on."

"Ha?"

Xing looked bewildered, then saw a hint of tenderness appear on Bronya's face. This silly child seemed to have inexplicably taken on some kind of responsibility, the responsibility of being the eldest sister.

Of course, Xing, sticking to her persona, wouldn't give in so easily. Instead, she sneered disdainfully and said:

"Why are you the older sister?"

"Hmm... I'm not actually sure about my birth date, so I might not be able to sort them exactly by age. But in terms of psychological maturity, I should be more suited to be the older sister!"

Bronya suddenly felt confident, with a touch of excitement.

Which girl can resist the temptation of being the older sister?

Bronya, who had always been an only child, couldn't resist.

"Tch! That's absurd, and I don't care about the honor of City Builder at all!"

"Hey! You're right! Come join me, I can make an exception and let you join the Earth Fire! The conditions here might be a bit tough, but we're all very friendly!"

Seele suddenly became happy, ran over and put her arm around Xing's shoulder, while pointing and whispering towards the "heartless" Bronya.

Bronya's heart skipped a beat. She had just been daydreaming about bringing Xing home, giving her little sister a bath, blow-drying her hair, dressing her in a pretty little dress, feeding her herself, and then hearing Xing sweetly say, "I love Sister Bronya the most."

How could such a dream, such a dreamlike happiness, be taken away by a petty thug from the lower class?

Bronya's eyes flashed with murderous intent:

"Seele, are you trying to take her from me?"

"What do you mean by 'stealing'? Xing already said she doesn't care about your so-called honor of City Builder!"

"Xing is Mother's daughter, so naturally she's my sister. You'd better know your place."

"I'm not going to play dumb, what can you do to me? Let's fight if you dare, and whoever wins, Xing will be with them!"

The two ignored Xing's displeased opinion and started arguing amongst themselves, as if they had already agreed that if they won, they could take Xing home.

The two girls from the Trail Blazers next to them had already started sharing the few remaining snacks.

"Another fight is about to break out."

"This is youth!"

"They have such a good relationship."

"Who can argue with that?"

Bronya & Seele: "Who's getting along with her!?"

Fortunately, the intensifying shaking reminded them that now was not the time to fool around.

"Hey! Mr. Svarog!"

"Clara, watch out."

The sturdy, reliable steel body gently supported the unsteady white-haired little girl, dispelling her panic with a cold, mechanical voice.

The robot and the little girl have a family relationship.

This is quite unusual, even for the well-informed Anqi Faction.

[The idea of machines generating themselves is rare, even in the worlds we've experienced. However, Gepard, the emperor of mechanical life, might find it very interesting.]

Should we do Gepard a favor?

Let's wait a while. Our power control is theoretically perfect, but Gepard's level is an unknown quantity.

To lay the groundwork, they tampered with Svarog's body before discovering Svarog peculiarities.

Those actions were harmless to Svarog and the traces were quickly erased after the data was added; however, as always—caution is advised. So let's leave it for a while, allowing Svarog's own programs to continue running and completely overwrite the original records.

"Boom!"

With a final tremor, some underground device seemed to stop operating, or perhaps it had completed its activation process.

Then, a burst of fire shot into the sky.

It was a black mech that bore a striking resemblance to Svarog, but was much larger than Svarog himself, and scorching flames spewed from the gaps in its chest armor and arm armor. It was imposing and exuded an aura of steely power.

Then came the booming sounds of rockets being fired, and hundreds and thousands of red lights rose up one after another.

"Apricot!?"×2.

Bronya and Seele suddenly exclaimed in surprise, because Xing suddenly climbed to the highest point without saying a word, then leaped into the air and grabbed the foot of a flying, burning mech. It looked like she was about to be carried away by the mech.

"Chase!" ×2.

The two exchanged a quick glance, not having time to think further, and followed Xing's example, jumping up to grab the mecha.

Then the two Trail Blazers players chased after them without saying a word and caught the last bus.

"Clara, goodbye~"

"I'll come visit you again next time!"

Xing and March 7th, clinging to the same mecha, waved goodbye to Clara below without any sense of danger.

They were even a little excited, after all, using such a cool mecha as a means of transportation was a novel experience.

As for where these mechs will go, it goes without saying; anyone with a brain would already know.

The group rode their mechs upwards.

"Why did you two follow us? Are you tagalongs?"

"You can't say that. We followed you instinctively because we were worried about you. And you need to be mindful of your manners, don't be like Seele, understand, Annie?"

"Exactly, exactly, why do you always call people 'trolls'... wait, what do you mean 'can't imitate me'? What's wrong with me? Are you picking a fight?"

The three of them started another long, drawn-out verbal battle.

On the mecha next to them, Xing and March 7th looked at each other with regret.

"The snacks are all gone."

"There's nothing we can do. They do it so frequently, no amount of delicious food can possibly be enough."

Amidst the continuous arguing, the Burning Legion swiftly reached the upper zone and then flew towards the sealing platform.

Bronya saw the quiet of the inner city and the absence of crowds fleeing in all directions because of the earthquake, and immediately breathed a sigh of relief.

"As expected, Mother had made arrangements in advance. It seems that all we need to do is focus on the decisive battle at the front."

"Hey! Although I didn't quite understand what you were saying before, does that mean if we follow these things to the battlefield and defeat that thing called the 'core,' both the lower and upper zones will be safe?"

"Theoretically, that's correct."

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's get there quickly, my scythe is itching for a fight!"

Seele was blindly optimistic, her big eyes sparkling with a clear and excited light.

Xing snorted disdainfully.

Bronya, however, secretly tensed up.

"Everyone must be careful. The Great Guardian of all generations have been fighting against this, and even Mother has been secretly preparing for so long. That enemy must be incredibly strong, so we must not let our guard down."

Xing snorted disdainfully again, and Seele followed suit.

The former is confident and prepared.

The latter isn't simply a matter of ignorance and fearlessness. If she could exchange a battle for the safety of those she cares about in the lower districts... Seele would truly fight to the death.

Soon, they passed the front line where monsters swarmed like waves.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

"Ammunition exhausted on the left flank, replacements to take over!"

"Yes!!!"

Bronya remained silent, but did not lower herself to join them. She simply looked ahead with even greater determination, for she knew that the final destination of these mechs was the true battlefield that would determine the future.

Seele also fell silent—if the upper districts have always been fighting against monster tides of this scale, then the neglect of the lower districts is somewhat understandable.

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