Honkai: Fire Moth Herrschers

"The speed of the transport helicopter is much better than that useless Fire Moth One."

They had arrived at Ponape Island before noon, and just after noon, the Fifth Squad had already reached the Dagon District. Given the traffic congestion in the city, the pilot simply showed off his skills, hovering the helicopter over a building on the west side of the "Abandoned Three Districts."

After disembarking, Himeko casually pointed at a team member, asking him to use the Fire Moth's ID to requisition the rooftop from the building's owner. Simultaneously, she directed several others to set up tents and various investigative equipment.

Elysia, as usual, chose to slack off. Sakura, who had just emerged from the Poison Cocoons, remained uninformed about the situation. Meanwhile, the ever-diligent Michael used a pair of binoculars to scout the desolate districts nearby.

"How is it? Did you find anything unusual?"

Putting down the binoculars, Michael turned around to see Himeko and Elysia standing behind him. Sakura maintained her usual distance, neither too close nor too far, seemingly eavesdropping on their conversation.

"The distribution of the three districts, MLDG185, MLDG186, and MLDG187, is two horizontal and one vertical, forming a perfect square. The southern side borders the sea, while the other three are adjacent to different districts. The periphery is sealed off, and the method is so standard it's flawless—surveillance, laser detection on key roads, and unmanned mechs deployed in hidden areas."

Michael continued, "According to the report, the city hall explained the abandonment of these districts as part of a forced demolition. I wonder if the original residents were compensated."

"No signs of human activity have been found so far. The streets are empty, with no abandoned cars, suggesting the evacuation was orderly. However, there are indications of combat in some locations. It's hard to discern details from this distance, even with binoculars."

"Additionally, there are no traces of Honkai beasts."

The districts in front of him were too normal. If there were people living in them, they would look no different from other districts. But this normality made Michael feel very uncomfortable.

Thinking about it carefully, it was probably because this normality was extremely inconsistent with the strangeness that the municipal official had revealed before.

Himeko crossed her arms, deep in thought. "According to the administrative report submitted by Ruruye, the abandonment of these three districts occurred over a month ago. It even made the news at the time. Perhaps we can locate the original residents to gain some insight into the situation."

Michael added, "The report also mentioned that investigators didn't directly encounter Honkai beasts. Instead, they claimed to hear roars resembling those of Honkai beasts at night while still far from the districts. They retreated immediately. Instrument readings did indicate Honkai energy, but the strength was relatively low—likely pointing to one or two Chariot-Class Honkai beasts, around ten meters in size. It seems they are nocturnal."

Himeko nodded, affirming Michael's assessment. "I'll contact the city hall to see if we can trace the original residents. With tens of thousands of people evacuated, finding some of them shouldn't be too difficult. Also, have Immer use the drones for a more thorough check."

She then turned away, dialing the city hall's communication line, leaving the group momentarily.

...

Half an hour later, Himeko sighed and walked back, her face looking unpleasant.

"The city hall refused to cooperate?" Michael asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Mm... They came up with every excuse imaginable. At first, they claimed the original residents were relocated to other districts or cities and couldn't be contacted. When I pushed further, they said they'd need authorization from the municipal official. Even after half an hour of waiting, there's still no response to their application."

Ellie's eyebrows shot up. "As expected! I could tell at a glance that that municipal official wasn't a good person! Let's just grab him and bring him to the scene. Let's see if he'll cooperate then!"

Michael couldn't help but smirk. "What's this, your hero persona for today?"

Elysia puffed her cheeks and stared off into the sky, pretending not to hear him. She actually had a good grasp of the situation but figured there was no need to join the brainwork when Michael and Himeko were already doing it.

Wasn't creating a lively atmosphere more in line with the identity of a cute girl than racking her brains?

Michael looked at the screen in front of Immer. In half an hour, the drones had already flown over the three districts.

As if sensing Michael's gaze behind him, Immer very simply replied, "Nothing found."

Michael and Himeko both tilted their heads and pondered.

After a long while, Michael said, "How about we ignore all of this for now? I'll take some people and equipment into the districts and investigate all the areas where the instruments show a concentration of Honkai energy. At night, we'll use the drones to observe again. If there's still no problem, we'll just clear out all the Honkai beasts tomorrow… Maybe, it really is just a normal mission?"

"Alright, there's no other way. I'll continue to communicate with the city hall… Which people are you planning to take in with you?"

Himeko thought for a moment. Since there was no better way, she approved Michael's plan.

"Ellie, and Sakura. If the three of us encounter danger inside, we'll be able to protect ourselves."

Michael didn't hesitate to decide on the team members.

"Sakura?" Himeko hadn't expected Michael to take the initiative to bring Sakura with him, but after thinking about it carefully, the reason he gave made sense.

It wouldn't be impossible for just him and Ellie to enter the districts, but a two-person team had a low tolerance for error. If an accident happened, they could easily get separated. With a third person, it would be safer, and Sakura's combat power wouldn't hold them back.

Most importantly, not to mention Michael, both Ellie and Sakura had high Honkai energy adaptability. They could enter the districts in plain clothes for a short investigation. But if it was other team members, or even Himeko herself, they would need to wear hazmat suits – which would be too conspicuous.

But Himeko felt that there seemed to be some story between Michael and Sakura, but it didn't seem like they were particularly close…

"Okay. But I'll say this first, I know that the three of you are strong, but don't be too reckless. As soon as it gets dark, withdraw from the districts immediately. We have plenty of time. There's no need to take risks."

She emphasized the word "reckless," which was a subtle reminder to Michael that there was no need to expose his Herrscher powers in such a mission. After all, no one wanted to waste their trump card on a pair of threes.

Now wasn't the time to search for Vill-V. Back then, the entire team had to be responsible for searching an entire city. They were severely short-handed. Now, there were more than a dozen team members who were free. That was a lot of eyes on them.

Moreover, from a tactical point of view, Immer would be controlling the drones in the sky to guide Michael and the others. Their actions would be in full view of the drone cameras.

Michael nodded to show that he understood. This was also why he had decided to bring Sakura. Anyway, it was impossible to avoid being observed by others, so he might as well bring Sakura with him and take the opportunity to sound her out.

Sakura had been wiping her brand-new katana at her waist. She hadn't expected Michael to call her name, and she couldn't help but show a hint of surprise. But she quickly reacted, sheathed her blade, and looked solemn, showing a maturity that didn't match her age.

"Oh, right," Michael suddenly added, "Since we're so close, there's no need to wear the battle recorders."

Anyway, if they encountered an enemy that he could only match by exposing his Herrscher powers, he would crush the battle recorder immediately.

The most inhumane thing was that Michael would have to pay for the damage himself – which was equivalent to a month's stipend.

Himeko rolled her eyes and agreed to Michael's request.

The three of them changed into plain clothes, carried a small amount of weapons, and walked to the bottom of the building.

For Michael, walking among people seemed to have become something he wasn't used to. Even with the mix of so many people's auras and voices, it was as if he was only surrounded by Ellie and Sakura.

It was as if an invisible barrier was blocking him. The hustle and bustle of the world passed by, but it was diverted in front of him, not letting him be touched by even a trace of it.

But for Sakura, she would still stop from time to time, look at the drivers who had rolled down their windows, their faces red while cursing and honking their horns, and listen to the jazz music playing on the car radios.

She would look at a girl who was being held by her parents with one hand, holding snacks or a balloon in the other, and listen to her whine to her parents.

She would take a deep breath when passing by a bakery, but her eyes couldn't help but glance at the source of the fragrance.

When passing an intersection, she would also subtly tiptoe, looking at the tall Ferris wheel in the distance…

At first, she didn't care about the strange looks that many people gave to the katana in her hand, but after being looked at too much, her face suddenly turned red, and she hugged the sword that was by her side to her chest.

All of this didn't escape Ellie's eyes. She smiled slightly, and she had probably already figured out Sakura's personality.

Sakura seemed to be lost in thought, and she even forgot about her mission. She lowered her head slightly, pondering something.

But the closer they got to the abandoned districts, the fewer people there were. She was still immersed in her thoughts, and she accidentally bumped into Michael's back.

Only then did she realize that the signs of human activity had disappeared without her realizing it.

There were no obvious boundaries such as barbed wire fences between the abandoned districts and the other districts. They had simply put up a yellow road sign and a row of stone piers, dividing the two worlds.

On one side was a sea of cars and a constant flow of people, and on the other side was a place where few people went, silent and still. The only sounds were a few tumbleweeds spinning and rolling across the road.

Michael turned his head and gave Sakura a smile, but he didn't say anything.

He turned into a side alley, opened a trash can, and revealed the machine inside.

He took out the Fire Moth's ID and scanned it, and a green light lit up on the machine.

"Let's go. There's not much time left before dusk. We need to speed up… Sakura, is this your 'first' mission? Are you nervous?"