At dawn, as the morning sun rose, scattered strands of gold spilled across the horizon.
Two elongated shadows crossed the deserted Great Creek Valley and walked along the long interstate highway. After half an hour of trekking, they finally reached the edge of the city.
Where had those things that fell from the sky gone?
Mashu, sitting on a roadside bench, scratched her head in frustration, unable to figure it out no matter how hard she thought.
"Here, have some water first."
A gentle voice came from Samael, who stood before a vending machine. He took out a can of soda from the dispensing slot and tossed it to the dazed junior.
Mashu snapped back to her senses and hurriedly caught it with both hands. She opened the can, took a sip to moisten her dry throat, then looked up and asked with a frown.
"Senior, we haven't found anything here either. What should we do next?"
"No rush. Once you've recovered your energy, we'll go into the city and take a look."
Samael took a gulp of ice-cold Happy Water for Otaku. His gaze swept over Snowfield City's outline beneath the rising sun before he turned and smiled faintly.
"The files say there are eight hundred thousand permanent residents here. What if those aliens have blended into the crowd and deliberately hidden themselves? What if we can't find them?"
Two consecutive fruitless searches had left Mashu deeply worried.
"If we search without any direction, with so many interfering factors, it'll be like looking for a needle in a haystack."
Samael first nodded in acknowledgment of Mashu's concern. Then he looked up at the sky, which was gradually turning azure, his gaze thoughtful.
"But don't you think it's too much of a coincidence that they happened to descend upon Snowfield