Transforming Into Kanna on Terra

Walking to the door, Kanna heard intermittent sounds coming from inside: "Catastrophe... aid... protect..."

Opening the door, she quietly slipped inside.

Kal'tsit inside seemed to sense something, her eyes flicking slightly towards the entrance, and she saw the Little Dragon Person sneaking in.

Upon seeing Kanna, she knew this little one had likely overheard something. After all, unless she sought them out herself, the child would never willingly appear within her sight.

The fact that the child had followed them stealthily meant the news had probably leaked.

"Alright, ACE's squad just returned from a mission not long ago. Their team specializes in guarding and defense missions, and they are very experienced in both survival and combat. I'll have their squad accompany you to the area where the Catastrophe is occurring for the rescue mission."

After a brief moment of thought, Kal'tsit agreed to Provence's request and dispatched the experienced ACE to lead the team.

Hearing Kal'tsit's words, Amiya, standing nearby, was a little surprised. Based on her understanding of Kal'tsit, while people would indeed be assigned to assist with such a mission, ACE wouldn't be deployed.

Just as Amiya was pondering Kal'tsit's arrangements, a familiar voice came from behind, "Can I go too?"

"Kanna?" Amiya stood up and looked towards the doorway. Hearing her words, Provence also turned around.

Seeing that it was a little girl, Provence frowned. After all, she had come to request Rhodes Island to arrange a team of Operators to help evacuate a small village a hundred kilometers away that was experiencing a Catastrophe. Bringing a child seemed like nothing but a burden.

Seeing the expectant look on Kanna's face, Kal'tsit sighed. "If I don't let you go, will you go secretly?"

"Of course," Kanna said proudly, lifting her head.

"Then it's settled. I can allow you to go, but you must obey ACE. " Kal'tsit had developed a way to handle Kanna.

For a child with such powerful strength and intense curiosity, it was troublesome to try and stop her once she had decided on something. It was better to let experienced Operators accompany her, which would not only maximize Kanna's effectiveness but also avoid provoking her.

"But, Miss Kanna, we are going to rescue villagers from a village under the Catastrophe. Bringing a child might not be suitable," Provence said, questioning Kal'tsit's arrangement without knowing Kanna's strength. She felt that bringing a child on such an urgent mission was disrespectful.

"Don't worry, Operator Provence. Kanna is an elite Operator of Rhodes Island, and her strength is more than sufficient. It's just that she's young, so her experience might not be as rich. We've also arranged for Rhodes Island's most experienced Operator, ACE, to go with you, so it won't affect your rescue plan."

Seeing Provence's concerns, Amiya spoke up to vouch for Kanna. Although she was also surprised by Kal'tsit's order to let Kanna go, she trusted Kal'tsit's decision and didn't intend to object.

Hearing Amiya's words, Provence's eyes showed disbelief. As a Catastrophe Messenger with close ties to Rhodes Island, and an Operator of Rhodes Island herself, Provence naturally knew the importance of elite Operators to Rhodes Island.

She could say that every elite Operator she had ever met was a top-tier talent capable of influencing the course of a battle.

Now, she was being told that this Vayvan, who looked less than ten years old, was an elite Operator. If she didn't know Kal'tsit's character, she would have thought that Rhodes Island's management had taken too much Originium and lost their minds.

"Isn't the rescue work under the Catastrophe very urgent? Sister, instead of debating whether I'm suitable to go, you should make a decision faster." Seeing Provence still hesitating, Kanna spoke up.

Hearing Kanna's words, Provence made up her mind. Just as the child said, instead of debating whether she was suitable to participate in the rescue work at her age, it was better to follow Kal'tsit's advice. Arriving at the destination even a second earlier could save more civilians.

By the time Kanna and Provence arrived at the lower-level garage with the deployment orders issued by Amiya, ACE had already led his squad, ready to depart.

Before leaving, Kanna took out her communicator and called Rosemary, telling her that she was going out with ACE on an urgent mission and would be back soon.

Rosemary, on the other end of the communicator, was silent for a moment before telling Kanna to be careful and that she would work hard on her treatment and catch up with Kanna.

Soon, the group left Rhodes Island in several vehicles.

As they departed, Amiya and Kal'tsit stood by a window on an upper floor, watching the departing vehicles. Amiya asked in confusion, "Isn't it a bit too early for Kanna to undertake such a mission? Even if she were to be dispatched, shouldn't it start with simple security tasks?"

Kal'tsit nodded and then shook her head. "Although you've been close to Kanna recently, you don't seem to understand her, or..." she paused here, "I'll explain Kanna's situation to you later. For now, you just need to know that Kanna is far more powerful than you imagine. Or rather, if they truly encounter danger, Kanna is the hope for this team to make a comeback."

Chapter 64: The Rain Keeps Falling

On the way, Provence briefed ACE on the situation of the Catastrophe.

"This Catastrophe is codenamed 'Cuckoo.' It's a highly concentrated storm of wind and rain. The place we're heading to is a small village south of 'Cuckoo.' Originally, according to predictions, 'Cuckoo' was not supposed to pass through that village, so evacuation wasn't arranged in time. Unexpectedly, 'Cuckoo' changed course midway, bringing the village within the scope of the Catastrophe.

According to the news we received, the village chief has already led some residents to evacuate in advance, but another group of residents could not evacuate in time. On my way to Rhodes Island, I met another Catastrophe Messenger. After hearing about it, he has already set off towards that direction with his guards. However, there are only two of them, making it difficult to take the remaining people away, which is why I came to Rhodes Island to request support."

"Hmph, so what you're saying is that the village chief, upon discovering the Catastrophe, ran off with his cronies, leaving the rest of the villagers to die? And we're here to rescue those who were left behind!" Even though Provence had explained it very tactfully, Kanna immediately grasped the meaning of her words.

Provence nodded sadly. "Although I don't want to admit it, Kanna-chan, you're right. That damned official, when he received the news, worried that he would be a burden if he ran with others, so he didn't pass on the information we discovered and notified in advance to the villagers. Instead, after receiving the news, he fled early with his close associates. By the time the villagers realized something was wrong, the Catastrophe was already upon them. Without anyone to help them, these ordinary villagers had no ability to escape from the Catastrophe."

ACE adjusted his glasses. "I understand the general reason. So, where is this small village located? How do you plan to get us in, and how will we get out?"

Hearing ACE's question, Provence opened her notebook and pointed to a miniature map. "This is our current location, and this is the location of the small village. Based on my communication with the other Catastrophe Messenger, I can confirm that the route of this Catastrophe is from south to northeast. Although the Catastrophe will pass through the village, fortunately, the village is located on the outer edge of the Catastrophe. This is what gives us a chance to rush in. After all, if the Catastrophe passed through the center, unless it was a sturdy landship, it would be impossible to rescue people from within the Catastrophe.

My plan is to follow this mountain ridge through this mountain range and reach the village as quickly as possible. After picking up the people, we will leave the same way. This mountain range is mostly rocky, so even under heavy rain, there won't be too much muddy ground. Compared to the foothills, which are more dangerous and prone to landslides or floods, or this flat road where swamps can easily form, going this way should be the safest."

ACE reached out and took Provence's notebook, studying the map carefully.

"Although there is indeed some risk, it is still within acceptable limits. So, Miss Provence, the task of leading the way will be yours."

Soon, ACE handed the notebook back to Provence and confirmed her plan.

The convoy soon arrived at the edge of the Catastrophe.

Looking at the scenery ahead, which was as if it had been painted black with ink, connecting the sky and the earth into one, even the seasoned ACE gasped.

It looked like this from the outside, so one could imagine how poor the visibility would be inside. Coupled with the "Originium dust" that increased in concentration with the Catastrophe, ordinary people without proper protection would undoubtedly become Infected, even if they didn't die in the Catastrophe.

"Everyone, prepare your protective measures. The convoy is about to enter the Catastrophe zone. Remember, the convoy will use the lead vehicle as a marker, and the remaining vehicles will follow in a snake formation. If you lose sight of the vehicle in front, immediately report it via communicator and sound the vehicle's alarm." After speaking, the vehicle carrying ACE, Provence, and Kanna accelerated to the front of the convoy. ACE took a flashing red light from the trunk and mounted it on the roof of the car. He then gave the driver a thumbs-up, and the vehicle charged into the Catastrophe.

Once inside the rain curtain, the vehicle's visibility dropped sharply. Even for the top-tier off-road vehicles from Thor Industries, with their headlights on, the visibility was less than five meters.

In such an environment, if it weren't for the rescue mission, ACE would have chosen to turn back without hesitation.

But this time, they were fortunate to have Kanna with them.

Even though Kanna's vision was severely reduced in the heavy rain, she could still see things within a hundred meters when she concentrated, far exceeding the visibility of others.

She continuously pointed out dangers on the path. The driver at first was dismissive, as Kanna was pointing out dangers tens of meters away despite the poor visibility, which he found hard to believe.

But upon getting closer, they discovered several locations were exactly as Kanna had described.

This greatly surprised everyone in the vehicle.

Provence immediately moved Kanna to the co-pilot seat, having her stand there to utilize her extraordinary vision to support the convoy's advance.

Initially, seeing the heavy rain, Provence had felt a sense of despair. The rain was too heavy, and with limited visibility, the vehicles wouldn't be much faster than walking.

At this speed, by the time they reached the village, it would likely already be in ruins.

But with Kanna's help, the convoy's speed increased severalfold.

At this moment, besides Kanna, who was constantly observing and reporting the situation ahead, the others were all very quiet.

In Provence's opinion, navigation was a task that required immense concentration and mental energy. An adult would be completely drained after doing it for so long, let alone this seemingly small child.

Meanwhile, Ace felt a surge of emotion. He had previously heard that Scout thought highly of Kanna and had even gone to Kal'tsit to specifically request that Kanna learn sniping techniques from him, calling Kanna a once-in-a-millennium sniper talent. He had even laughed at Scout for it then.

But today, he had to admit, calling her a talent was an understatement. With such eyesight that could pierce through a torrential downpour, Scout's assessment had been far too cautious.

Four hours later, the convoy successfully passed through the mountain range. The village was now in sight. Ace finally carried Kanna to the back to let her rest.

Kanna nodded in response. Although her body wouldn't tire thanks to the internal power supply, her mind was still somewhat fatigued after such a long period. They had now reached the plains, and the village was less than two kilometers away. She wouldn't need to report on the rest of the journey.

Chapter 70, Chapter 65: Mudfish in the Muddy Field

Soon, the convoy stopped at the village entrance. The flickering lights from within the village indicated that quite a few people were still left inside.

Under Ace's arrangements, the Operators donned their protective gear and grabbed their rescue equipment before heading towards the village.

Under the onslaught of the Catastrophe, the villagers had been huddled in their homes, trembling, praying their houses wouldn't collapse, and despairingly cursing the village chief who had abandoned them and left alone.

Suddenly, the sound of knocking echoed, causing a wave of panic among many. Upon realizing it was the rescue team, most villagers couldn't help but burst into tears.

Fortunately, because Catastrophes were frequent on Terra, everyone's priority in such situations was rescue. There were no unreasonable villagers demanding the rescuers take their "sheep, cattle, or pigs" or their belongings.

Soon, the arriving vehicles were packed full.

It was fortunate that Provence, with the help of her colleagues, had previously obtained the number of remaining villagers. The number of vehicles brought was sufficient, so there was no situation where people had to be left behind due to lack of space.

Just as the vehicles were preparing to depart, Kanna, who had been resting with her eyes closed, suddenly opened them and looked outside.

"What is it?" Ace's heart tightened upon seeing Kanna's movement.

"There are many Giant Mudfish. They must be hungry and hunting nearby. They're probably attracted by the lights." Using the village lights and the vehicle's headlights, Kanna could see further than before. She saw many mudfish-like creatures swarming towards the convoy. These mudfish were two to three meters long, and their sharp teeth made it clear they weren't herbivores.

"Many?"

"I can see sixty to seventy of them, and each one is about as long as a car. They're approaching the convoy," Kanna said after looking around.

Ace immediately issued a warning to the other vehicles: "All vehicles, prepare to depart immediately. Remember, do not open your car windows under any circumstances." He then instructed the drivers to prepare for withdrawal.

Kanna looked back the way they came. A number of "mudfish" had also appeared in the middle of the road there.

Although the convoy could push through, if any vehicle lost control, they could easily be surrounded by these mudfish.

Under Ace's astonished gaze, Kanna opened the car door and darted out.

"The path ahead is also blocked. I'll clear the road. Uncle, lead the convoy and hurry up."

Before Ace could reach out to grab Kanna, a purple light flashed, and Kanna vanished before their eyes.

"What do we do?" Provence, standing beside him, prepared to open the door to look for Kanna but was pulled back by Ace. "Kanna is still outside. How can you let a child face the Catastrophe alone without any protection?"

"Kanna is an elite Operator of Rhodes Island. I trust her judgment and her abilities. Going out there now would only get you killed. Everyone, prepare to return the way we came!" Looking at the Lightning Wedge next to the rear door, Ace gritted his teeth at Kanna's unauthorized action, but he knew Kanna's character.

Although she looked very young and could be a bit mischievous at times, Kanna had never been a liability in critical situations. On the contrary, like their journey here, without Kanna's help, the convoy would have taken several times longer to arrive and could have encountered problems along the way.

At this moment, Kanna's voice came through Ace's communicator: "The road ahead has been cleared. The convoy can proceed."

He looked up and saw a purple figure not far away, flickering in and out of sight in the heavy rain.

Under Ace's command, the convoy quickly retreated towards the edge of the Catastrophe along the path they had come.

Meanwhile, Kanna felt extremely uncomfortable after rushing out of the car. The rain above felt less like rain and more like someone pouring an infinitely large basin of water directly onto her head.

Stepping into a puddle, faint lightning flickered around Kanna. The falling water evaporated the instant it touched her.

Accompanied by a massive cloud of steam, Kanna, like a fully-loaded truck at full speed, crashed into the area where the mudfish blocking the road were gathered.

These mudfish never imagined that they had come out for a meal, only to be steamed alive by the sudden high-intensity electric current and superheated steam.

Kanna charged into the mudfish, wielding her ten-centimeter thick, five-meter long "Palm Thunder" in her left hand like a massive lightsaber, cooking them thoroughly on contact.

In her right hand, she threw two Lightning Wedges, and wherever they landed, a series of thunderstorms accompanied by plasma scattered, instantly turning that spot into a teppanyaki grill.

"Kanna, what's the situation outside?" Ace's voice came through as Kanna cleared the road and the convoy proceeded smoothly.

Kanna cautiously looked at the communicator. Thankfully, it wasn't broken! It was also fortunate that Kal'tsit had foreseen this. Kanna's abilities could easily damage electronic communicators, so she had been given a special communicator made entirely of Originium with Originium functions.

"I feel the congregation of these creatures is a bit strange. They should have a leader, but I haven't found one. Uncle, you all be careful."

After observing, Kanna found it strange that the surrounding mudfish, instead of fleeing after the ones on the road were cleared, continued to surround them. This was unscientific. Normally, if there was a sudden attack and death among their kind, the surrounding creatures would scatter, and only after a period of vigilance and realizing the danger had passed would they regroup.

"Understood. I'll be careful, and you come back quickly too." Ace's voice was calm and steady.

Kanna, still uneasy, ran around the convoy twice more. Finding no suspicious targets, she finally breathed a slight sigh of relief, wondering if she was being overly suspicious.

With a light leap, Kanna instantly moved from the rear of the convoy to the top of the lead vehicle where Ace was.

Hearing the footsteps overhead, ACE knew Kanna had returned and breathed a sigh of relief. Despite how confident he had appeared in front of Provence earlier, his heart had been in his throat the entire time.

After all, he hadn't personally experienced Kanna's combat effectiveness, only witnessing it twice during tests. Thus, he couldn't guarantee Kanna could complete the mission with ease.

Kanna, up on the roof, was preparing to transfer back into the vehicle using a Lightning Wedge. Just then, a bolt of lightning split the sky, illuminating the land beneath the torrential rain for a moment.

And in that brief flash, lasting about a second, Kanna's pupils suddenly constricted.

The convoy had just driven back onto the ridge, preparing to leave the way they came. Rushing water on the mountain, carrying mud and sand, flowed into the river below. In that split second of light, Kanna saw a massive figure in the river, along with a pair of eyes belonging solely to a predator.

Chapter 71, Chapter 66: As Everyone Knows, Water Conducts Electricity

"Tsk!" Kanna looked at the pitch-black valley floor, dark as an abyss, after the lightning strike.

"What's wrong?" ACE felt a bad premonition when he noticed Kanna hadn't gotten into the vehicle.

"Nothing. There's a Giant Mudfish nearby, so I won't come in for now. More mudfish are pursuing from behind. The convoy should continue moving; absolutely do not stop." Kanna tossed a Lightning Wedge towards the tail of the convoy and then used the explosion's light to see countless Giant Mudfish following behind.

ACE instinctively felt that Kanna's "Giant Mudfish" wasn't what he was thinking of. However, in this heavy rain, he didn't dare leave the moving vehicle.

Suddenly, Kanna sensed a chilling aura appear to her front right. The next second, two Lightning Wedges flew from her hands, targeting the source of the aura.

Accompanied by a massive thunderclap, the Lightning Wedges detonated at their predetermined locations. Amidst the lightning, Kanna saw the colossal figure from the valley had silently approached the convoy.

Fortunately, she had sensed the danger and used the lightning storm generated by the wedges to scare it away.

However, before the lightning faded, Kanna saw the creature shifting towards the rear of the convoy and guessed it wouldn't stop its hunt. After being thwarted at the front, the massive creature had set its sights on the latter half of the convoy.

With only three Lightning Wedges left, Kanna felt overwhelmed. The convoy was long, and she couldn't protect both ends simultaneously.

It was like Kanna was playing "tag" with a monster. The "eagle" in this game was exceptionally agile, and with the torrential rain providing cover, it was difficult for Kanna to pinpoint its location while also protecting the convoy.

"What's the situation outside?" ACE's voice crackled intermittently through the communicator due to the heavy rain, but it also helped calm Kanna, who hadn't had a chance to catch the creature.