"Wow! Is this Third New Moon City? It's so~ amazing!" A blonde girl with an angelic face gazed down at the steel city beneath the Space Elevator's floor-to-ceiling windows, her mouth open in excitement.
Viewed from the rapidly descending Space Elevator, Third New Moon City lay within an enormous crater, like a fiery phoenix radiating light. Countless lights illuminated it as brightly as day, and its steel buildings, shaped with graceful curves, gleamed in breathtaking splendor.
"Yes! This new-era settler city will be the future focus of our Ghost Brigade's operations!" Beside the girl, a dark-haired man pointed at the city below with a spirited smile.
Click! A camera shutter sounded. The fat man beside them flashed a peace sign and grinned as he took a photo with Third New Moon City in the background.
The remaining skinny man sat calmly in his seat, working rapidly on his Terminal with complete concentration.
The three men and one woman in this compartment were Chris, Alice, and their companions, who had already formed a small group.
The Ghost Brigade was a four-person group that had recently been active throughout the Solar System and had gained a measure of fame. Its members included the intelligence specialist Alice, the combat specialist Fatty, technical support Ribs, and their mysterious leader, Hermit.
The group had not only established an Adventurers' Guild in the Virtual Network, but also possessed considerable financial resources. They had purchased a small transport spacecraft from the Atlantis Corporation at a high price, then modified it and equipped it with an Engineering Mecha and an Engineering Robot, giving them some capacity for space exploration.
The Ghost Brigade was also one of the few small groups that currently owned a private spacecraft, placing it among the first civilian organizations operating as Adventuring Groups.
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