Sky Striker Princess, but the swan song of Valkyrie.

Okay, that temporarily clears the road for the next ten kilometers, but we need to speed up now; we don't know how long this trick will last.

Lingyi thought to herself.

All her actions now are based on chaos, and as time goes on, the higher the chances of her being exposed, the more dangerous their situation becomes.

Therefore, adhering to the principle of passing through quickly, the modified vehicles, which had been temporarily stopped due to obstruction, steadily made their way along the highway during the current lull in traffic.

Bladder bladder—

"Is my older sister really okay?"

As the vehicle jolted and the sound of explosions came from outside, the calm girl spoke with a hint of worry.

"Sister Wu Liu must be in a lot of pain. Although she doesn't show it much, she has always liked Aunt Smith and the others."

The timid girl, crouching with her legs drawn up, silently conveyed her thoughts.

"Is there any way to help? If things continue like this, no matter how capable my older sister is, there's bound to be a limit."

A very proactive child said this.

"But there's no other way, is there? Trying not to cause her any trouble is the only thing we can do right now."

The calmer child expressed this view.

"Perhaps, once we reach a safe place, my older sister will return to her former self, the way she used to be..."

The timid girl spoke hesitantly, and as she spoke, she seemed to be thinking of the past, and tears gradually welled up in her eyes.

"Don't always think like this. Think about happy things, like how your older sister will definitely get us to a safe place, and what we should do after she gets out."

The optimistic child expressed this thought, comforting her companion and gradually stopping her crying.

"As for me, I think..."

As the conversation deepened, the atmosphere gradually became more lively, with almost everyone filled with hope and anticipation for the future, and the atmosphere was no longer as heavy as before.

It seems that after having someone to rely on, everything gradually got better.

"...They are very strong."

Xiaoqiege, the musician in the same empty room, couldn't help but think as she looked at the scene before her.

"Because they received a good education, Che-chan, remember that auntie who always taught them the right values? She was truly a good person, but... that ending..."

Tsukuyomi's tone recalls her previous experiences in the courtyard, and her eyes reveal a hint of sadness.

Even though I only saw the other person's figure in my memory, I still felt a lot of affection for them. So when they actually died, I felt a little lost.

"It's more accurate to say that it's precisely because she and they are such good people that they don't live long in a place where people fight each other for strange reasons."

"Also, has that guy experienced something like this before? No wonder she looked like that when we first met..."

As they discussed this topic, Chris was reminded of something that suddenly soured her mood, and she muttered to herself, lost in thought.

ZZZZZZ

A snoring sound interrupted Chris's thoughts. She looked around and found the culprit.

"This idiot, how could he fall asleep on such a bumpy ride?"

Chris couldn't help but complain as she looked at the flaxen ball of fur snoring with its mouth wide open in the swaying car.

"Hibiki is probably just too tired... well, although, Hibiki usually seems to have a very good sleep quality."

Kohinata Mirai offered a helpless explanation.

"Hopefully she can recover soon. If she can recover quickly, we'll have more combat strength."

Chris had hopes, though she knew those hopes were probably not very realistic.

"Hopefully, well, the car has stopped."

As they were talking, the vehicle stopped shaking and came to a complete stop.

"Rest first, take a break, eat something, and then take a nap."

"We still have a long way to go, and we don't have much medicine. We must try our best to avoid getting sick, as slowing down our journey will increase the risk."

Then, the carriage doors opened, and a faint, yellowish light shone in from outside. Sha Yi's voice, accompanied by thoughts, came from outside.

Stepping out of the carriage, one sees an open space. Around the open space, one can still see some tents emitting black smoke, indicating that a place where there had been a battle before is now deserted.

"Have something to eat, and then set up your bed and bedding over there in a sheltered spot. Get some rest as soon as possible, because we need to be ready to leave before six o'clock tomorrow."

"If their arrangements are correct, the person taking over the camp should complete the transfer by 8 a.m., and moving it three hours earlier should avoid contact with them."

With this in mind, Lingyi arranged her schedule here and informed everyone present of some information.

Just as she had arranged, nothing unusual happened, and all the tasks were completed smoothly. They had a simple meal of compressed biscuits and energy bars. As night fell and the moonlight shone on them, everyone prepared to go to sleep after applying the deworming medicine.

At night, the moonlight shines down, and no matter how much suffering this land has endured, the sky remains eternally beautiful... Although, it can't be said to be completely unchanging, at least the moon is still full at this time, unlike now when it's missing a corner.

.............

After making her bed in a sheltered spot, just like the past few days, Kohinata Mirai was about to go to sleep when she noticed Rei working on her tablet beside her.

"Aren't you going to rest, Lingyi?"

Walking over to Lingyi and sitting down, Xiaori asked the future.

"The intelligence we've gathered hasn't been fully processed yet. We need to analyze the movement paths of the surrounding parties to avoid colliding with any of them. We must keep the threats at least one kilometer away. We don't have the resources to confront any party head-on."

As Lingyi responded to the person who came to visit, she watched the flow of information on the screen in front of her.

"Zero Clothes... how long will this state continue?"

Seeing her like this, Kohinata Mirai pondered for a moment and then asked this question.

"I don't know, but it shouldn't last more than a month. The resources we carry can only sustain us for a month at most. After that, we'll have to go searching, and the danger level will increase."

Lingyi casually answered this fact.

"Yeah……"

Having learned this fact, Kohinata Mirai had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

"Go to sleep as soon as possible if you can, conserve your energy, and don't get sick."

After giving a brief answer to the question, Lingyi expressed this wish.

"I'm not very sleepy yet; I slept for a while in the car during the day."

Kohinata Mirai shook her head in response.

"During the day... it's better not to do that next time. Disrupting your biological clock will cause health problems."

Seeing this, Lingyi said no more, but after making the suggestion, she tacitly approved of Kohinata Mirai's behavior.

"oh, I understand now."

Meanwhile, Kohinata Mirai sat quietly to the side, observing Rei's state.

As always, she remained indifferent; the girl's face never showed any emotion, remaining completely devoid of any feeling.

The girl, feeling isolated and aloof, kept her heart hidden from everyone, and from that day on, all those feelings were buried deep inside.

"……This is?"

Something was strange. As Kohinata Mirai observed Rei, she noticed something odd.

In terms of perceived temperature, the temperature here is quite high, and everyone, including her, is basically wearing shorts and shirts, which are convenient and cool for movement.

But in this kind of weather, Lingyi chose to wear long-sleeved clothes for warmth.

Why is this necessary? And why is it necessary in some way?

..........

With a startled guess in her heart, Kohinata Mirai reached out and grasped the wrist of the girl in front of her, quickly pulling it down a little.

"Hinata-chan?"

After only a fleeting glance, the hand that was being held struggled to break free.

But in that instant, Kohinata Mirai saw the shocking bruises and scratches all over her forearms that were different from normal skin.

Chapter Eighteen: Far Away

"What are those... Lingyi? Why do you have those wounds on your body?"

Even though Kohinata Mirai already had the answer in her heart, she couldn't help but express her worry.

"Don't tell anyone, Hinata. If others find out, it might cause them anxiety and fear, and could lead to unforeseen events."

After straightening the cuffs that Kohinata Mirai had messed up, Rei earnestly explained that she shouldn't mention it to anyone else.

"...Zero, I still want to know, are you really okay?"

Taking a deep breath to calm herself down, Kohinata asked Rei with a worried tone.

"Don't worry, I'm fine. This little wound won't affect my work. I'm also careful not to make it too difficult to move around. Everything is under control."

"This is the best course of action right now, Kohinata. Although it will come at a price, as long as we push this body a little harder, we can quickly acquire any kind of talent and power."

"There is nothing else that can help us break through those dense blockade lines."

When asked about Kohinata Mirai's question, Rei gave her opinion in a clear and rational manner.

"I understand……"

Convinced by Rei's reasoning, Kohinata Mirai realized that Rei's theory was indeed reasonable for the current situation.

In this perilous environment, if Lingyi doesn't shoulder this difficult responsibility, there's no way she can accomplish the task of getting everyone out of here.

"I understand. You're tired, Hinata. Go back and rest now... I... I'll rest in a little while."

After this explanation, Lingyi sat back down and continued doing her work.

As for Kohinata Mirai, seeing her like this, she had some things she wanted to say, but thinking that words would be useless here, she ultimately held back for the time being and did not do anything futile.

...............

The moon sets and the sun rises; a new day begins.

After a night of rest, the vehicle continued on its way as before, and nothing unusual happened.

Although the dead bodies lying by the roadside with weapons in their hands, the occasional drones flying overhead, and the distant rumble of artillery reminded everyone that this place was still not safe.

However, the vehicle itself has never encountered a single crisis.

All the dangerous elements seemed to be unrelated to the moving vehicle, like a small boat in a raging storm, seemingly dangerous but actually safe.

However, no one knows, or perhaps Lingyi doesn't want anyone to know, the pressure and doubts she endured amidst all this smooth progress.

No one knows when this taut string will snap, or whether it will lead to another, equally terrible, outcome.

Shudang—Guangdang—

The bumpy vehicle continued its journey, and somehow, after crossing a certain line, the chaotic scenery gradually disappeared, replaced by cities and countryside, and finally by ruins and wilderness.

So, before continuing on, they lit a campfire in an open space, cooked some hot food, and took a proper rest.

"Is it over here?"

Sitting down next to Rei, watching the crackling and flickering flames, Kohinata Mirai asked Rei, who remained vigilant even while resting nearby.

"Not yet, we've just left the combat zone. Although we don't need to be too vigilant anymore, we still need to travel a longer distance to be completely safe."

While munching on an energy bar that quickly replenishes energy, Lingyi looked at the image displayed on the screen in her hand and shook her head.

"You mean, after we walk a little further, we'll be able to settle down?"

Lowering her head and hugging her knees, Koji continued to ask Mirai questions.

"I don't know... There might be new conflicts to resolve there. This continent has never lacked chaos and war. If we want to settle down, we can never let our guard down."

"This so-called relocation is at best a move from one place where the war has started to another place where the war has not yet started; the situation has not fundamentally changed."

Rei rejected Kohinata's idea about the future and briefly explained the current situation they were facing.

In this barren land, there is no shortage of conflicts that can ignite wars; lasting peace has never been something that will come to this place.

"If that's the case, when will you stop, Zero?"

Kohinata Mirai, burying her head between her knees, found it increasingly difficult to bear Zero's statement and continued to question him.

"……I have no idea."