[1] The Calm After the Sky
The outer projection barrier beyond the Severance Cliff had been cut—
but that was only the shell.
The inner layer of the real wall still hung above them like a cold, steel sky, sealing off the entirety of Waste Zone 13.
The Roaring Wings folded in. R-01 landed beside an abandoned defense tower.
Lin Yeheng jumped down from the cockpit, pulling off his helmet.
The heat marks from high-altitude gliding still burned faintly across his face and neck.
Baita dropped her tool bag onto the ground and let out a long breath.
> "Next time you're going to pull a stunt like that, can you warn me first?"
Lin Yeheng didn't answer. He only looked up at the inner barrier still shimmering high above.
That wall had not a single crack—
as if it existed solely to crush hope.
---
[2] Hermes' Map
Inside the cockpit, Hermes' projection screen lit up.
A three-dimensional map slowly rotated, showing the wasteland terrain and the Empire's defense zones.
At the deepest point of the map lay a strangely colored region, marked by Hermes as—
> [Crystal Scar Zone]
Lin Yeheng's brow furrowed as he stared at it.
Hermes spoke in a low voice:
> [This area was an Old-Era experimental battlefield. The surface structure has been long destabilized by repeated infected strikes and high-energy reactions.]
Baita looked up at the screen, her expression turning serious for the first time.
Hermes continued:
> [Thermal imaging analysis—]
The display flickered, colors twisting sharply.
On thermal view, the Crystal Scar Zone looked like a seared, festering wound—
light points crawling densely, like countless tiny hearts beating in unison.
Lin Yeheng tapped his fingers lightly on the console.
> "So… we have to go through it?"
Hermes' tone was unnervingly calm:
> [Yes. The last signal from the Hermes Mother Core is located there.]
---
[3] A Brief Rest
On the second floor of the abandoned defense tower, Solderburn and a few scavengers carried in whatever supplies could still be used.
Baita spread her tools out on a steel plate, fixing the special alloy ingot they'd collected earlier and beginning to grind it down.
Lin Yeheng crouched beside her, watching the metal slowly take the shape of a short blade.
Without looking up, Baita spoke:
> "When we reach the core of the Crystal Scar, this thing might be faster than R-01's fists."
The light point on Hermes' interface pulsed:
> [Recommendation: synchronize adjustments to R-01's close-combat mount system to ensure compatibility with the short blade's thermal pulse.]
Lin Yeheng gave a low "mm" in response, reaching over to help steady the hilt.
There were no wasted words between them—
only the fine sparks flying from metal grinding against the wheel.
---
[4] Closing Hook · Heaven's Halberd Descends
High above, the Imperial elite unit Heaven's Halberd hovered silently at the outer rim of the Severance Cliff's projection.
Its frame looked as if carved from cold light, black armor inlaid with sharp white etchings.
The halberd blade stretched eight meters long, the energy gathering at its tip pulsing with a deep, rhythmic thunder—like distant storms rolling across an iron wall.
It was neither a patrol craft nor a standard enforcement model—
this was an Imperial high-altitude execution mech, belonging to the Severance Division.
Every sortie was for one target, and one target only.
Inside the cockpit, the cold-faced pilot murmured the order:
> "Target: R-01. Mark complete… Execute 'Groundfall Judgment.'"
The etched patterns along the halberd blade flared to life, energy racing along its streamlined body, forming a long-range lock-on pulse aimed silently toward a coordinate deep in the wasteland.
The air at ground level gave a faint shudder—
as if an invisible hand had just closed around its prey's throat.
The next moment, from deep within the wind, came a low, metallic resonance so deep it seemed to shake the heart.