"Pfft—"
Old Bear nearly spat a mouthful of strong tea onto the monitor.
"MiHoYo, that's enough already!"
"Don't tell me Leon's about to chime in—"
Before the word "chime" could fully leave his mouth, as Stelle shattered two Rift creatures with a single swing, Leon's voice boomed like thunder in their ears.
No way, bro, are you actually syncing up?!
"Storm Nebula Rift."
Countless three-clawed wind blades materialized out of thin air, instantly tearing apart the encirclement of Rift creatures.
Stelle darted in like a bolt of lightning, grabbing the trapped children—one in each hand—and brought them back to Leon's side.
"Nice timing! We're a killer combo—er, I mean, a lifesaving duo?"
Setting the two kids down, Stelle's left and right brain hemispheres sparred for a moment before she flashed a smile brimming with wisdom.
A bit goofy, yet undeniably cute.
"Next up, you and Gepard will have to take over the killing spree. That last support move drained most of my strength."
Leon's smile didn't waver.
Seeing that he wasn't showing any grim expression, the players collectively sighed in relief, gradually snapping back to reality.
[What a hilariously chuuni skill name. If I hadn't just been gut-punched by the story, I'd genuinely believe this game was a space comedy.]
[Not chuuni at all, I think it's got some serious flair. Super cool.]
[MiHoYo, please, no more memes. I got the reference instantly and now my age is fully exposed—though the last two comments already outed themselves too.]
[Some younger folks today won't get it, totally normal.]
[This… this isn't right, is it? A tornado teaming up with a tiger king?]
[Lmao.]
A CG sequence played.
Stelle, alongside the Landau siblings, swiftly cleared out the remaining monsters weakened by Leon's attack.
In less than thirty seconds, Stelle yanked her blazing spear from the ground, extinguishing its flames.
"Clocking out."
In the background, Leon carefully checked the two children, his heart settling with relief.
Just some minor scrapes.
Confirming all enemies were eradicated, Gepard's tension eased slightly, and he strode quickly to the children's side.
"This place is dangerous. Hurry to the mining district bridge—Silvermane Guards and Groundfire members are there to escort you back to town."
"Okay, okay! Thank you, thank you all!"
The taller girl looked at the four of them with immense gratitude, gripping the boy's hand tightly.
"Zino, hold my hand—we're getting out of here!"
As they watched the children leave, Gepard's gaze shifted toward the depths of the mining district.
"The monsters seem to have gotten tougher. The ones we've faced before were never this resilient."
"It's like… that day during the Forbidden Zone Catastrophe!"
Recalling that day, Serval steadied her breathing with lingering unease.
"Good thing Leon stepped in just in time. Any later, and who knows what would've happened to those siblings."
Gepard: "That little girl… she's brave. She shielded her brother, just like you did back then."
"Huh?"
Serval froze, realizing what he was hinting at, and burst into a mix of laughter and tears.
"Come on, it's not like that. Dad was always strict, sure, but he's not on the level of Rift creatures, is he?"
"Besides, my issue with him wasn't just his strictness."
"I just couldn't believe it—Dad actually carried out Cocolia's lockdown order without a second thought."
"One day he's swearing to protect people, and the next, they're left to fend for themselves overnight. What a joke of a family code."
Gepard sighed helplessly: "Dad was a soldier. Soldiers don't overthink orders…"
Serval: "Oh, please. Your stubborn streak is exactly like his."
"You used to follow Cocolia's orders to the letter, and what did it get you? Deception and manipulation."
"…"
Gepard's expression grew uneasy.
"I… ugh, fine. At least… at least I now have a chance to do the right thing."
He couldn't find any excuse.
Following orders was a soldier's duty, but he now deeply understood that not every order should be obeyed blindly.
Some orders, especially those touching moral lines, deserved questioning—why must they be followed?
"Alright, I'm not trying to lecture you."
Serval's tone shifted back to the matter at hand.
"Have your troops been spread out?"
"Yeah, I've handed command to my adjutant for now. The objectives are clear, and the terrain isn't too complex, so no worries about the chain of command faltering."
"No wonder you, the great commander, are charging the front lines solo."
"We're short on hands due to the sudden situation. I promised Mr. Oleg I'd do everything to save every resident's life, and I intend to keep that promise."
At this point, Serval had little more to say.
"Then let's keep looking around. There might be others trapped nearby."
Instinctively, Stelle glanced at Leon.
His gaze was unfocused, as if sensing something, but soon the familiar spark returned to his eyes.
"Leon, find anything?"
"Yeah, you all feel that? The temperature's dropping."
Gepard nodded gravely: "The temperature around here is noticeably falling, and it's not stopping. That's definitely abnormal."
"Where there's something strange, there's bound to be trouble. Stay sharp and head north."
Leon: "Hold on, let me pinpoint the source."
Seeing this, the Landau siblings held their tongues patiently.
They'd witnessed Leon's capabilities before and had no doubts about him.
Soon, a glint of realization flashed in Leon's eyes.
"I think I've found the anomaly's source. Follow me."
Trailing behind Leon, the trio realized they were heading toward the deepest part of the mining district.
"Gotta hand it to the old man—still reliable even when injured!"
[Old Bear, switch to Fire Trailblazer for a special story buff!]
"What buff?"
Curious but compliant, Old Bear followed the bolded comment's suggestion.
[Use Fire Trailblazer to engage enemies, and you'll see. Only Fire Trailblazer works.]
As they ventured deeper into the mining district, they encountered no fleeing miners—evacuation must've been complete.
As for the monsters in their way, they were no match for Stelle.
Her blazing spear plunged into the ground, flames spreading outward, reducing the obstructing creatures to ash before any close combat could ensue.
From the players' perspective, it was much the same.
"Holy crab, one spear per monster, no need for combat—awesome!"
Only then did Old Bear notice a flame-colored icon beneath the protagonist's health bar on the right side of the screen.
Curious, he pressed U to check, and his eyes widened.
[Special Mechanic]
Piercing Ice's Blazing Radiance (Story)
Attacking normal enemies instantly eliminates them without entering combat.
"Holy—MiHoYo, I need this!"
"With this buff, farming would be a breeze!"
"Is this the Preservation's power? I'm in love."
[Too bad it's just a trial card. Once this story segment ends, the buff's gone.]
[They threw in this instakill buff just to streamline the experience. Probably the devs worried frequent combat would disrupt the story's flow.]
[I think it also hints that the Trailblazer's getting stronger—at least in-game, not in our hands.]
[Be grateful we get this much. Unlike that other game where the Traveler forgets how to use elemental powers the more they travel.]