A Scene of Devastation

"My goodness, what… what happened here?!" Sheng Jiu stared out the window at Manila below the gunship, his face filled with shock.

Manila, once a bustling city, was now shrouded in the shadow of Honkai. Smoke and rubble filled the streets, buildings were in ruins, and its former glory was nowhere to be seen. The immense destruction wrought by the Honkai was shocking.

A pungent smell filled the air, and smoke billowed, making it difficult to breathe. Trees lining the streets were uprooted and lay scattered across the ground, as if recounting the city's suffering. Broken glass, twisted metal, and scattered bricks were everywhere amidst the ruins, a scene of utter devastation.

The city's central plaza, once a place for people to gather and relax, had now become a desolate wasteland. The ground was covered in deep cracks, like the wounds of the earth, silently displaying the destructive power that had ravaged the land. Dust and debris from the Honkai danced in the air, and sunlight filtered through the gaps, casting mottled rays.

People moved with difficulty through the ruins, their faces etched with exhaustion and despair. They covered their mouths and noses, trying to avoid the pervasive dust, but their eyes still revealed their confusion about the future. The Honkai had not only destroyed the material world but had also deeply affected people's spirits.

For the first time, the group fell into a collective silence. Himeko looked back at everyone, their faces grim, and spoke, "Alright, don't be too upset. The Honkai's outbreak was unavoidable. All we can do is minimize the damage. That's all we can do."

"Honkai… I'll definitely defeat you!" Kiana clenched her small fist indignantly. Sheng Jiu handed her a lollipop, "We will. Trust me."

The gunship soon landed on Manila's pockmarked airport. Himeko led the three of them quickly to the temporary command post, where a second lieutenant greeted them and assigned their mission. "Major Himeko, please look here. This is an aerial view of Manila. European branch troops have already gone to the western district for search and rescue. The southern and northern districts have been assigned to the African branch. Your mission is to conduct search and rescue in the eastern district."

Understood. We'll enter the lockdown zone immediately.

Outside the tent, missile launchers were providing fire support to targets not far away. Missile after missile flew towards the target area, followed by huge explosions and massive mushroom clouds. The sky had already turned blood red; Manila had become a living hell.

The second lieutenant looked at the scene outside, nervously clutching the cross pendant around his neck. "May the Lord protect us…"

"Hey, hurry, hurry! Keep up, you lazy bum, we're out of time!" Kiana, running ahead, turned to look at Sheng Jiu lagging behind, a look of disdain on her face.

"My dear grandmother! You've put all the equipment on me! How can you expect me to run as fast as you?!"

"I don't care, I don't care! You're not allowed to hold me back, we have to save everyone!"

The five soon arrived at the ruins of a small town. Heavy Trooper Bunny quickly dug through a large collapsed wall, revealing a dirty red doll underneath.

Yae Sakura bent down and sadly picked up the doll. "In this situation, even a normal person would…"

"Hey! Is anyone there?!" Himeko shouted into the ruins, but only silence answered her.

"Teacher Himeko, please step aside. Let Bronya take a look." Bronya slowly walked to the center of the ruins and squatted down. Her Heavy Trooper Bunny also produced a detector resembling a stethoscope and began scanning the ground.

"Below ten meters, there's a survivor. Female, between 10 and 20 years old. It seems she's in shock," Bronya said gravely.

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's save her!" Kiana quickly grabbed a shovel and began prying away debris. Yae Sakura and Bronya then picked up tools and joined the effort to clear the rubble.

The noise from digging and shoveling quickly attracted nearby Honkai Beasts. Several Assault-type Honkai Beasts charged towards them. Himeko and Sheng Jiu exchanged a look before drawing their weapons and rushing towards the attacking enemies. "Keep going! We've got this side covered!"

The two groups quickly engaged. Sheng Jiu faced three ferocious Assault-type Honkai Beasts, while Himeko was locked in a fierce battle with several Clawed Soldiers with sharp forelimbs.

The three soon cleared most of the debris pressing down on the injured person. Only one last piece of wall, about the size of a small car, remained. Despite their best efforts, the three couldn't budge it.

"Boom!" Heavy Trooper Bunny extended its giant claw and lifted the wall panel.

A girl covered in dust appeared before them. Her eyes were tightly shut, and a large wound on her face bled, staining her brown short hair.

"First aid, quickly!" Yae Sakura urgently called to Kiana.

Kiana fumbled open the medical kit and slowly wrapped a bandage coated with ointment around the wound.

Sensing the changes around her, the girl slowly opened her eyes. Looking at Kiana, tears welled up. "...Save me... Sister... It hurts so much!"

Kiana hugged the girl tightly, her heart aching. "Don't worry, little sister. You're safe now. We'll protect you."

"Hey! How's it going over there?!" Sheng Jiu asked without looking back, after killing a Sickle Soldier with a single slash.

"The casualty has been successfully rescued. Let's go!"

"Great! I've been waiting for this moment for ages!" Himeko swung her Sunfire Greatsword, smashing a lunging Clawed Soldier, then kicked away another soldier attempting a sneak attack.

"Supernova Slash!" Sheng Jiu switched his blade to the second gear and swung Jueying, unleashing a smaller energy slash. It flew towards the relentless Honkai Beasts, quickly killing several in the front row. While the Honkai Beasts were in disarray, the five, along with the rescued girl, quickly left the dangerous ar