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Kiana, as if she had exhausted all her strength, placed her right hand on the already motionless corpse of the Shadow Valkyrie, knelt down, and began to breathe heavily.

Her tight-fitting combat suit, resembling a nun's habit, along with the motionless Shadow Valkyrie, slowly shattered into countless specks of light, disappearing into the air like a legendary ascension, revealing the tattered [White Silk] suit she had originally worn.

Kiana didn't care about any of that, nor did she have time to think about why her previous injuries and physical abilities had recovered in an instant. At that moment, she only had one thought in her mind.

Mei and Bronya, they're still waiting for me.

Almost without stopping, Kiana, exhausted, staggered to her feet and slowly moved back the way she came. Her pace gradually changed from a slow, meandering motion to a normal walking speed, and then from walking to a light jog.

The eternal sunset in the desolate ruins imprinted her lonely figure deeply into the shadow behind her.

Keng Huo was filled with despair and regret. He never imagined that the deadly symptoms of overwork would erupt at this critical moment. He was sweating profusely from angina and headaches, feeling as if he was about to collapse. He could only let out weak gasps from his dry throat.

But after the excruciating pain subsided, he managed to prop himself up with his limp hands.

Whatever the final outcome, he will see it, accept it, and analyze it.

This is what a commander should really be doing.

The people who have experienced the most deaths are not the battle-hardened veterans, but the commanders sitting in the command room.

They have experienced so much death that even the most tender-hearted person would become numb.

Keng Huo shook his head violently, feeling that the pain in his heart seemed to have disappeared, but he dared not look up at the battle screen in front of him.

He was afraid of the despair he would feel when he saw the three lifelines that had all gone out.

"Commander! What should we do next!" Suddenly, Kiana's weary yet hopeful voice came from beside him.

Keng Huo looked up in shock and saw the three lifelines still flashing on the battle map.

Everyone...survived? Keng Huo could hardly believe his eyes.

The sudden and overwhelming surprise made him almost unable to believe his eyes, and he even began to doubt whether he had really died from overwork, and was now playing out his visions of his final moments in his mind.

"Say something!" Kiana's voice seemed to carry both joy and fear. "Are you still over there?"

"You won't abandon us... right?"

Keng Huo closed his eyes, unable to wipe away his tears through the thick helmet.

Where is the enemy?

"He's dead...."

"Go to Mei and Bronya... the Mulgate is heading here." Keng Huo quickly glanced at the battle map in front of him and found that the Mulgate's autopilot program, which he had activated before he fell, had accurately carried out its mission and was rushing towards the center of this mining area at full speed.

"How much longer?" Kiana's voice was filled with excitement.

"Ten minutes, and it will take at least an hour and a half to deploy a secure portal."

The air seemed to freeze at freezing point.

"..."

With Mei and Bronya's anti-Honkai energy radiation suits having a damage rate of over 30%, will they be able to survive the remaining hour or so?

Let alone 30%, even a 10% damage rate is enough for Honkai energy radiation to erode the Valkyrie's body without restraint. As long as there is a breakthrough, this highly aggressive energy will burrow into your body like leeches and wreak havoc.

"Well, I have a solution, you know?" Kiana chuckled wearily. "Why don't you have the mutine deploy the teleportation device right there on the spot?"

"No! Your current physical condition..."

"I have my own way." Kiana's tone was light, as if she were talking about something trivial.

"But……"

"Trust me... have the mule start preparing to deploy the portal." Kiana's weary body ran through the ruins. "Since we trust you... please trust us too..."

Keng Huo gritted his teeth. He was well aware of Kiana's plan. She intended to have the MULE start the portal deployment process on the spot, and then transport Bronya and Mei there herself to save the MULE's travel time. It has to be said that this method could indeed save the most time in the current race against time. However, the biggest problem was that after eighteen hours of high-intensity combat and almost single-handedly defeating the Shadow Valkyrie, did Kiana still have enough stamina to cross the vast wilderness and send Mei and Bronya there?

"Don't force yourself." Keng Huo finally sighed and said this in the public channel.

"Ah."

———————————————————————————————————

Kiana finally saw the two sitting side by side, as quiet as when she left. She couldn't help but quicken her pace and run towards Mei and Bronya, even stumbling and almost falling in front of Mei on the way.

Only then did she have time to carefully examine Mei's condition. To her surprise, although Mei's exoskeleton armor and anti-collapse suit were extensively damaged, her physical condition was not at the point where she could die at any moment. In fact, she was completely out of danger, which had nothing to do with the damaged combat suit.

What kind of attack could damage the armor but not the person inside? Unless... she healed herself.

However, Kiana didn't think that much about it; she was more concerned about the current state of the two of them.

【Crimson】's exoskeleton transmission system is practically unusable, and Mei's close-fitting anti-Honkai suit is also damaged by more than 30%. Even though she is out of danger, the dense Honkai energy and radiation around her are still causing continuous damage to Mei's body through the large hole in the anti-Honkai suit.

Bronya's situation is somewhat different from Mei's; she is more seriously injured and is currently hovering on the brink of death. However, given the corrosive effect of Honkai energy, this temporary balance probably won't last long. Fortunately, her Honkai suit isn't too badly damaged.

Kiana gently held Mei in her arms, tenderly smoothing the sweat-dampened hair on Mei's forehead as she breathed evenly but remained unconscious, and wiping away the tears from the corners of her eyes.

"Let's go home," Kiana said softly, as if singing a lullaby.

Chapter 71 The Black Flame Dragon is sealed within my body!

Kiana quickly removed Mei's armor, but before she could finish, she suddenly barked out a murderous glare in the public chat: "You idiot?"

"Oh, I understand..." Keng Huo hurriedly turned off the dandelion's surveillance camera. "I promise I won't watch it, but you need dandelion to keep watch around."

Kiana nodded silently, glanced up at the drone hovering in the air, and a hint of hesitation flashed in her eyes.

"There's no time to hesitate!" Kiana gritted her teeth and took Keng Huo's words as true. She quickly took off Mei's exoskeleton armor, revealing a one-piece anti-Honkai radiation suit with a large hole torn in almost the entire chest and abdomen.

Kiana carefully examined Mei's anti-Honkai suit, and after a moment's thought, placed her hand on the [Prototype Anti-Honkai Weapon Manifestation Device] on her belt, activating the armor's recovery system.

The [White Ribbon] armor on her body seemed to disintegrate, gradually transforming into fragments that shimmered with white light and disappeared into the air, revealing the flesh-colored, tight-fitting anti-Honkai energy radiation suit that wrapped around her exquisite curves.

Kiana unabashedly took off her bodysuit and stepped barefoot onto the dusty ground.

She didn't make any excessive movements, nor did she seem to care about the burning sensation from the Honkai energy directly contacting her skin, which felt like being scalded by hot water. She simply struggled to put her tight-fitting anti-Honkai radiation suit on Mei's body, and then carefully put [Crimson] back on piece by piece, as if she were making a Russian nesting doll.

However, Mei's figure was obviously taller, which made it very difficult for Kiana to put the anti-collapse suit on her.

After carefully dressing Mei in the anti-Honkai radiation suit, Kiana reactivated her [Prototype Anti-Honkai Weapon Manifestation Device] and put on the [White Comet] armor. Although its ability to block Honkai radiation was much lower than that of a dedicated anti-Honkai radiation suit, it could still provide some protection for her, who was currently completely naked.

Kiana, feeling the burning sensation on her body lessen slightly, struggled to her feet, wrapped Mei's arm around the back of her neck and placed it on one side of her, then reached her left hand under Mei's ribs to hold her; Bronya on the other side was also supported in the same way.

"Let's go... let's go home..." Kiana felt as if there was a thousand pounds of weight on her shoulders, making it almost impossible to move. Every step required a huge amount of physical strength. After all, supporting a conscious person and supporting an unconscious person are two completely different things.

After trekking through the wilderness for an unknown amount of time, Kiana finally spotted the conspicuous red and white paint job that looked like a target.

"We're almost there... just hold on a little longer... soon... that bastard will bring us back..." Kiana pursed her dry lips.

At this moment, Kiana finally understood the significance of the eye-catching paint job. She excitedly wanted to quicken her pace, but she could only speed up in her mind, as her body had completely exhausted all its energy.

"After we get back..." Kiana forced a smile, her heavy breathing drawing out warm air from her lungs, "let's have a good victory celebration..."

But no one responded to her.

"That jerk... we absolutely have to treat him this time... he's... the officer..."

Kiana didn't really need anyone to respond to her; she just wanted to make some noise to ease the unease of the empty, deserted space.

Finally, Kiana painstakingly carried the two of them to the side of the mining mule, supporting the mule's steel body as she gasped for breath.

But she didn't rest much. Instead, dragging her tired body, she opened the hatch of the repair pod and exhausted herself, stuffing Bronya inside.

The surface coating of the mutt contains some anti-Honkai energy metal. Placing Bronya, who is wearing a damaged anti-Honkai energy radiation suit, in the repair pod can effectively reduce the damage she suffers. Mei, on the other hand, is in much better condition than Bronya because she is wearing Kiana's own anti-Honkai energy radiation suit.

Kiana groped around on the back armor plating of the mule, seemingly searching for something: "Where was it again... I think Bronya was around here..."

“Found it…” Kiana finally touched the hidden box and, with trembling hands, managed to pry open the cover of the main control panel after several twists and turns.

Before they could even operate the repair chamber's program, several rod-like objects tumbled out from the gap between the cover and the main control panel and rolled onto the ground.

Kiana crouched down, picked up a bar at random, and suddenly realized that it was the braised pork flavored energy bar she had been craving.

As if remembering something, Kiana seemed to recall something she had overheard at the dinner table a few days ago.

"Kiana! Stop eating only meat! Seriously, there are so many carrots left... I have to teach you a lesson for always eating only meat!"

"Bronya will definitely help Mei-neechan."

……

"Because Bronya ate all the braised pork flavored energy bars."

Kiana seemed to be touched by something, and her eyes suddenly began to redden. She covered her mouth with one hand, trying hard not to let her sobs spread.

But she still failed. These energy bars were just a fuse. Kiana grabbed one end and inevitably pulled out all the memories at once.

The person I stayed up all night playing games with.

The person who tutors you.

He's always the one who quietly stays in the rear, providing fire support for himself and Mei in the front.

She was lying in the recovery pod, and she didn't know if she could get through the next hour.

"Seriously... if you don't know how to play pranks, then don't always make jokes like this..." Kiana leaned her upper body gently against the control panel, remembering Bronya, who had recently been grumbling and whining with her on the Mule over braised pork-flavored energy bars. Tears streamed down her face onto the crystal panel. "You always do this... making me... feel like an idiot..."

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"Where are the people from the medical center? Haven't they arrived yet?"

"Clear the main passage! Let the medical center staff bring in the portable life support devices! Once the transfer is complete, immediately send them to the emergency center!"

"How long until the mining mule's recycling module is fully deployed?"

"Give me the raw data and video recording of the battle just now!"

"Has the combat data been uploaded, Kanno Hana? Where are you?"

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