Chapter 20: Encounter

"Icarus, can you contact Kiana now?"

"My Lord, I couldn't find any information about Miss Kiana within the interference range of my signals."

"Tsk! How much longer until we reach Uluru Town?"

"At the current speed, it is estimated to take another twelve minutes."

"Secondary self-check of the weapon system to ensure it functions properly."

"Yes, My Lord."

In the howling cold wind, Sigurd, wearing narrow blue lenses, shifted gears again. The electric thrusters propelled the tires with even greater efficiency, and the sci-fi-inspired motorcycle, longer than the average private car, raced under the morning sun.

"My Lord, your speed is too fast, increasing the risk of steering and braking. I suggest reducing speed as soon as possible and driving safely."

"No need, I know what I'm doing."

Sigurd replied coldly.

If he hadn't considered the possibility of returning amidst the pursuit of Honkai beasts, he would have even disregarded the damage to the vehicle and pushed the speed to its limit.

Unable to persuade his master, Icarus silently checked the full set of weapon systems, including the twelve floating electromagnetic cannons soaring in the air behind the vehicle.

...

On the other side, Kiana had lost count of how many times she had entered and exited the herd of beasts to save people.

Not every rescue mission was successful.

There had already been seViral instances where the rescued individuals died midway.

At the same time, her clothes were in tatters, wrapped haphazardly with makeshift bandages, and her movements were no longer as smooth and agile as before.

Let me reiterate, the current Kiana is only twelve or thirteen years old. How much capability could she have?

Even so, she continued to save people without stopping.

Bang!

Crack!

A single shot took down a flying Honkai beast, but at the same time, the gun in Kiana's hand shattered into pieces with a metallic cry, turning into scattered metal fragments on the ground.

"Damn it, since the bullets are this powerful, can't they make the gun more sturdy to handle the recoil better?"

Kiana complained, but she also knew that it was not easy to have bullets like these, let alone create a gun that could withstand the impact of Honkai energy.

While grumbling, Kiana didn't hesitate in her actions. She directly reached out and caught the fangs of a two-meter-tall Honkai beast.

"Ah!!!"

Under the impact of the Honkai beast, Kiana roared in defiance, but her body couldn't control being pushed backward. Her feet plowed two tracks on the ground, and the bandages wrapped around her arms oozed red blood.

Finally, the impact force of the Honkai beast was completely exhausted. Kiana forcefully slammed her forehead forward, causing the huge Honkai beast to stumble, and then she swiftly lifted it up.

Boom!

She flipped the Honkai beast behind her, its four legs kicking violently, trying to flip itself back over.

But would Kiana give it a chance?

Aiming at the head of the colossal beast, which was harder than steel, Kiana raised her hands and her small fists, soaked in blood, relentlessly hammered down.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

It wasn't until the head of the Honkai beast sank into the ground, and its massive body became motionless, that Kiana finally stopped, gasping for breath.

She looked up, wiping her eyes that were dampened by either blood or sweat, and shouted at the rescued person who was standing still:

"What are you standing there for? Hurry and keep running!"

"Yes!"

Three minutes later, after watching the rescued person move away to a safe place, Kiana leaned against the wall and sat down weakly.

With trembling and bloodied hands, she struggled to take out the last handgun and the last regular magazine from her backpack. She wiped her nose and muttered to herself:

"It's... at the limit. It should be enough now. It shouldn't be a problem to go back and deliver the message, right? Dad, I hope... I didn't embarrass the Kaslana name, did I?"

Some liquid trickled down her cheeks, and Kiana didn't even have the strength to determine if it was sweat or her own blood dripping from her forehead.

"Ah!"

At that moment, another cry for help reached her ears.

Kiana jolted, immediately wanting to stand up, but her legs, already pushed to their limits, couldn't support her. She fell flat on the ground, biting into a mouthful of soil.

"Damn it!"

Kiana propped herself up against the wall, looked outside, and saw two little girls surrounded by a group of small Honkai beasts, on the verge of losing their lives.

Kiana wanted to rush over and save them, but her body was no longer capable of reaching them in time.

Then, a black test tube appeared in her hand.

To inject or not to inject?

Sigurd's warning echoed faintly in her ears.

Kiana hesitated for less than a second and decisively injected the contents of the syringe into her neck.

"Ah!!!"

Intense pain surged through her body as if every muscle and bone were being burned by fire and then shattered by an iron hammer.

The next moment, an unprecedented power surged through her limbs and every fiber of her being.

"Wait! I'm coming to save you!"

Kiana shouted, like an arrow released from a bow, and in an unbelievable speed, she arrived within the midst of the encirclement.

Kicks, punches, crushing skulls with the butt of her gun.

A series of fluid and powerful movements unfolded seamlessly. The speed and strength were unparalleled.

Kiana quickly cleared the encirclement in the blink of an eye.

"Miss, you have two minutes and fifty seconds left. Please inject the counteragent as soon as possible."

"You can keep track of time? Alright, remind me when the time comes."

After a brief conversation with Icarus, Kiana remained silent. With one hand holding a little girl, she swiftly dashed out before more Honkai beasts could surround them.

"Two minutes and thirty seconds."

Kiana ran far, but she was still within the range of the rampant Honkai beasts.

"Exactly two minutes."

Kiana reached a safe zone and set the two individuals down.

"Run! Keep running towards a safe place!"

Then, she turned back, without any hesitation, and continued running into the midst of the beast horde.

"I can save one more person, and then... then I'll run as far as I can towards the city!"

Kiana didn't want to waste precious enhancement time. She swiftly searched and ran within the beast horde.

"One minute and thirty seconds."

Kiana carried a child on her back.

"One minute and twenty seconds."

She added another woman in her arms.

"Exactly one minute."

Kiana sprinted at full speed towards the direction of the city with the three individuals.

"Thirty seconds."

The weight exceeded expectations, and most importantly, carrying people hindered her agility. Kiana hadn't yet escaped the range of the beast horde.

"Twenty seconds."

Just a bit more.

"Ten seconds."

She made it out, but it was still far from being safe.

"Five seconds!"

"Will it be alright if I exceed the time by a little bit!?"

"Please inject the counteragent as soon as possible... Three... Two... One. Warning! Warning! Please inject the counteragent immediately! Please inject the counteragent immediately!"

With a glance behind her, Kiana gritted her teeth and continued running forward.

Her heartbeat thundered in her ears, and she felt an unusual burning sensation and piercing pain in her eyes. Kiana even sensed that her nose was bleeding uncontrollably.

But she couldn't stop.

If she stopped now, the survivors she had worked so hard to rescue would be swallowed by the horde again in the blink of an eye.

"I can still do it! It'll be fine. I'm Kiana Kaslana, after all! I'll inject later!"

Kiana suppressed her anxiety, disregarding Icarus' warnings, and focused on rushing forward.

Until her consciousness gradually blurred, darkness enveloped her vision, and the buzzing in her ears seemed to suddenly quiet down, no longer hearing any extraneous sounds.

But she kept running, ensuring that not a single survivor would fall from her body.

"Just a little faster..."

"Just a little further..."

"Hang in there, it'll be over soon..."

But how long is "soon"? Kiana's fading consciousness could no longer provide an answer. She ran forward numbly, her speed fluctuating, not knowing how much time had passed.

...

Then, at a certain moment, the girl finally let the people on her body fall, stumbling and collapsing forward.

Just then, the piercing sound of tires gripping the ground and the roar of engines awakened her from her daze.

Kiana felt a hand wrap around her waist, lifting her up.

When she focused her gaze, she saw the familiar profile of a boy.

He wore distinctive blue-tinted glasses, pursed his lips, and had a cold and gloomy expression on his face.

But at this moment, Kiana felt a sense of unprecedented reassurance.

"Pfft!"

The counteragent was injected into the back of her neck, and Kiana didn't feel any pain. The sense of emptiness in her body seemed to slightly lessen, giving her the strength to speak with a hoarse voice that startled even herself.

"Sigurd, you're here."

"Shut up. I'll deal with you later."

"Be careful, there are Honkai Beasts ahead..."

"I'm more aware than you."

"I feel so tired..."

"Then take a nap for a while. I brought cake and ice cream. Which one do you want to eat first?"

"Let's have them together..."

Kiana murmured, closing her eyes and drifting off to sleep.

And then, beams of dazzling laser cannons pierced through the raging horde of Honkai Beasts.

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