After some commotion, Shu prepared a simple breakfast for everyone. Seeing Kiana and Theresa finish off most of the food, Shu became more and more aware of what pressure he was under.
Keep on eating. Who could eat more than you guys? You don't know the price of rice and cooking oil until you're the one cooking.
Shu rolled his eyes and silently took the stack of empty bowls away from a content Kiana.
After breakfast, they discussed their next steps. Obviously, both sides' goals were to find Mei and Bronya and then go to the military base.
How should they find them? Go to the military base.
After some rounding, they decided to rest for a day and observe Fu Hua and Himeko's injuries.
Shu thought that Fu Hua's injury shouldn't be a big problem. He didn't know much about Himeko's injuries, but judging by her lively appearance, and the attitude of Theresa and the others, it probably wasn't too serious.
So, Theresa's reaction before was probably out of panic. After she calmed down, she wasn't as worried about it… Other than not letting Himeko touch even a drop of alcohol.
After finalizing their goal, their conversation inevitably turned to the Honkai Beasts. They all became silent when they talked about those monsters.
"I've… never seen a monster like that before." Theresa lowered her head, looking dejected.
"A shell that is as hard as a turtle shell, speed on par with a car, and multiple flexible joints that made it incredibly agile…" Himeko leaned against the sofa, lightly touching the bandage on her stomach, "It really seemed like a machine created by some evil god solely for destroying humans."
"Thankfully, there aren't too many of those monsters. If there were as many as those walking corpses on the streets, then we should find a good burial ground."
Shu frowned. To be honest, although the Honkai Beast's appearance was exactly the same as those in his memories, it was only their appearance that was similar…
The Chariot-class was taller than a three-story building, able to leap to a seven or eight story roof, able to bounce off the cement ground like it was a trampoline… Was this the same Honkai Beast in the game that was powerless and could only make "choo choo" sounds?
According to Himeko, the Honkai beast they encountered was probably a Temple-class Honkai beast. It could easily tear through steel and cement like tofu with its spear.
A close-range shotgun blast only managed to make a small chip on its armor, and the ricocheting bullets injured Himeko instead.
It's a miracle that they got away…
Two "common" Honkai beasts were already that powerful. How much more ridiculous would the "uncommon" ones be? The Honkai Emperors, Emperor-class, Judgement-class… and the Herrschers…
Shu suddenly felt that his future was bleak.
"Ahh! I don't want to stay in this broken world for a single second longer! Hurry up, let's destroy it!"
Shu thought about ways to escape their current situation until late into the night, and his conclusion was: There was no future in staying in one place.
Shu didn't think that the military base could withstand an attack from an Emperor-class or higher Honkai beast.
Others might not know, but Shu knew the Honkai Beast's logic. When there were no leaders, they would destroy humans. When they had a leader, they would destroy humans for that leader…
If they stayed in one place, the Honkai Beasts would sniff them out. The train station was quite a distance from the academy, yet the Honkai Beasts came the next day.
…
Shu's eyelids twitched. He started to think clearly.
Something isn't right… Where did those Honkai Beasts go? Did they follow the refugees to the military base? Or did they lose their target and just start wandering around?
Himeko said that a Honkai Beast's speed was comparable to that of a car, and with its explosive power and jumping ability, nothing could have stopped it…
So it was almost certain that the Honkai Beasts had caught up to one or two groups, and might even be heading to the military base…
Then is it even necessary to go to that military base?
Shu was shocked, and any sign of sleepiness vanished. He sat up on the couch, covering half of his face while he thought.
Yes, we still need to check it out, at the very least, to assess the situation there. When those people started to flee, they were told to split into smaller groups to disperse the targets.
So the Honkai Beasts probably wouldn't be able to find everyone, but the main road to the military base is a straight path… Why would anyone go off-road if they didn't have to? And they are not generals who can only travel on foot!
Or maybe…
Did the Honkai Beasts not follow them?
Wouldn't it be better to pursue the living people closer to them? Why would they go further away for a more difficult target? Do the Honkai Beasts know that they need to kill the ones that can run away?
Shu felt that the Honkai Beasts didn't have that much intelligence.
"BOOM—" A massive rumble sounded, as if a major earthquake had suddenly broken out. Shu instinctively looked up and saw shattered glass everywhere.
And in the fragments that were reflecting the light of the stars, was that chilling single red eye.
Hahaha! I was right! But why am I not happy about it?
Shu let out a high-pitched scream and then immediately stood up and rushed towards another window. The glass was already shattered. Shu jumped through the window frame.
Damn it, why must we jump out of this damn window every time we leave the convenience store?!
In mid-air, Shu turned his head and saw Kiana, who was holding Fu Hua in her arms. They had also jumped out. They exchanged a surprised glance. A little bit further, Theresa was also jumping out of a window with Himeko.
Shu: "...Hi?"
Kiana and Fu Hua, who was held in a bridal carry: "…?"
Theresa and Himeko, who was held on Theresa's shoulders: "Haha! What a coincidence!"
"BOOM!!"
The convenience store behind them was instantly destroyed. The five landed, rolled on the ground, and then started running.
"Why is that monster coming back in the middle of the night?!" Kiana said in a frustrated shout. She knew all too well how it felt to be chased like this! She had just experienced it yesterday!
Looking back, oh my god! Even the Honkai Beast chasing them was the same one!
Shu didn't want to talk. He just rolled his eyes at Kiana.
The street wasn't wide. When the Honkai Beast's large body moved, it would graze the surrounding buildings. That gave the group a bit of time to catch their breaths.
In the middle of the night, a bizarre scene appeared in Nagazora City. The group ran while the monster chased them.
At the corner of the street, a golden-haired man in a suit held a pocket watch. He watched as time ticked by, one second at a time.
As he listened to the commotion getting closer, he sighed, and then got into a truck nearby. He turned the engine in less than a second.
"Ah, it seems that you guys aren't having a good time."