Chapter 105: Caring Only for Senior Suzuna

In the dim yellow light, Suzuna Tsukimiya hurriedly approached from behind and stood beside Chen Zi'ang. The Mandala magic sword remained lodged in Miho Nishikawa’s chest, but no more blood flowed from the wound; her corpse was beginning to decay visibly by the minute.

The surrounding yellowish glow grew denser, as if someone were continuously splattering color onto a canvas.

Soon after, Qingyu Xia emerged from the yellow mist, followed by three field agents: Yunfeng Lu, Heigo Okita, and Akira Fujihara.

Counting heads, aside from the dismissed section chief Kinsuke Takahashi and the reassigned deputy chief Ken Saki, the entire former Sixth Countermeasures Section was now present.

This was hardly surprising, for Chen Zi'ang had long informed Qingyu Xia that the killing of the witch's physical form was merely the prelude; the real challenge awaited in the unfolding Divine Realm ahead.

“Everyone, check your gear,” Qingyu Xia commanded coldly. “Report any issues immediately.”

Previously, her second sentence would have been some nonsense like, “Even apes know how to pick a good banana,” or “If you can’t check your gear, go off and kill yourself.” But whether due to a recent fight with Suzuna Tsukimiya or the immense pressure ahead, this time Qingyu Xia’s tone was merely curt—no blanket insults nor pointed barbs—so everyone promptly began their equipment checks.

The gear they carried this time was far more advanced than before, including:

- Full-coverage information goggles equipped with cameras, featuring built-in automatic mapping software.

- Noise-cancelling ear mics adjustable to block high-frequency screams of ghouls.

- A lip-reading device that synthesized speech electronically without actual vocalization, merely by mimicking mouth movements.

- Tactical jackets with compartments for glow sticks, emergency medication, and various tools.

- Spirit pressure meters, pistols, and exorcism bullets were of course indispensable. Additionally, each was issued a “Secret Steel Type III” compact submachine gun, along with special suppression rounds, tracer bullets, and explosive shells.

It was a complete upgrade—fully armed and ready.

After finishing their checks, the team stood still, awaiting Qingyu Xia’s further orders.

About half an hour later, the black mist finally dissipated entirely, and the surrounding yellow light solidified into tangible forms—a vast expanse of yellow sand and earthen brick buildings. The group now found themselves inside an ancient city.

Beneath their feet lay neatly cut stone slabs, with fine gravel filling the cracks, suggesting the city was built amidst a desert landscape.

The surrounding buildings were mostly constructed from sand-colored bricks, devoid of any steel or concrete reinforcements.

The whitewashed walls stood about three meters high, with small arched doorways and windows—designs clearly intended to withstand scorching sunlight and sandstorms. To be honest, these buildings somewhat resembled...

“Dwarven style,” Suzuna Tsukimiya whispered.

Within the explored regions of the galaxy, there were four recognized intelligent races: humans, elves, dwarves, and orcs.

Dwarves primarily inhabited the Constellation of the Ruler’s Arm—a region near the galactic center—where stars tended to be younger and brighter. Their colonies were often hot and arid, reflected architecturally by “high walls, small windows,” and muted color schemes.

Chen Zi'ang glanced toward the small, nailed-shut windows and faintly saw shadowy eyes peering out from behind them, at about just over a meter above ground level.

“Is this a dwarven settlement?” Yunfeng Lu asked over the channel.

“Doesn’t matter,” Qingyu Xia replied coldly. “From now on, follow my orders. Spread out and scout.”

“Chen, twelve o’clock; Fujihara, three o’clock; Lu, six o’clock; Okita, nine o’clock. Keep channels open and report promptly.”

“Yes, understood,” they all responded.

Since everyone was unfamiliar with this Divine Realm, Qingyu Xia intended to first survey the surrounding terrain.

Their information goggles, equipped with external cameras, could automatically scan and render the terrain into three-dimensional maps, transmitting the data back to the command center—Qingyu Xia herself.

Such high-tech equipment was obviously not produced in the Takamagahara Sector but rather standard issue for the Empire’s planetary assault squads, designed specifically for urban close-quarter combat. It was impressive that she had managed to procure and bring them in from outside the sector.

Yet Suzuna Tsukimiya still looked on her with disdain and found fault:

“Splitting up to scout? Aren’t you afraid of being surrounded and wiped out? Do you think the Divine Realm is some safe haven?”

Qingyu Xia’s reply was brief: “You don’t know anything.”

“I admit I don’t,” Suzuna Tsukimiya sneered. “I’m going to find the senior officer. You just stay put and pray you don’t get discovered.”

“No,” Qingyu Xia said coldly. “You’re staying with me.”

“Why?” Suzuna raised an eyebrow.

“The enemy hasn’t attacked us,” Qingyu Xia said matter-of-factly. “They’re waiting for reinforcements or setting an ambush.”

“Whatever the case, we have a precious window of time at the start to prepare. So the most important thing now is to quickly gather intelligence on the nearby terrain. Missing this window would be extremely detrimental to us.”

“They’re out scouting and mapping, and might encounter interceptions or attacks. You’re the sharpest blade in the team. I’ll send you out to support any members under attack, when necessary.”

“Oh, I’m the sharpest blade?” Suzuna Tsukimiya said sarcastically. “And what are you? The smartest brain?”

“I think the answer is obvious,” Qingyu Xia replied arrogantly.

“Fine, I get it,” Suzuna said impatiently. “I’m off to find the senior officer. Let the smartest brain figure out the blade problem on its own.”

Without hesitation, she ran off, her shadow stretching from her feet, rapidly searching ahead in Chen Zi'ang’s direction.

Qingyu Xia made no move to stop her, only revealing a contemptuous smirk once Suzuna’s figure completely vanished.

A person lacking critical thinking only knows how to run around.

Then, she pressed the communication button on her full-coverage goggles, switching to a private channel with Chen Zi'ang.

———

Entering this utterly unfamiliar Divine Realm, one would expect to be on edge, cautious, and anxious.

But Chen Zi'ang was no stranger to plunging into the abyss. Having visited many dream worlds and wandered the ancient city of Enrank as familiarly as his own home, he treated Nicco like family. Thus, he felt little tension now, only vigilance toward every movement around him.

Most buildings concealed inhabitants—likely the dwarven residents. Many lower races preferred symbiosis with intelligent species, such as nightmares that fed in dreams, or ghouls that consumed corpses.

Chen Zi'ang had no intention of disturbing these dwarves, for he knew his mission clearly:

To explore as much as possible and provide Qingyu Xia with sufficient intelligence.

“Chen Zi'ang, follow my orders closely,” Qingyu Xia’s voice suddenly came through the earpiece.

“Received.”

“Now, run as fast as you can. Don’t worry about exposing yourself. Dash straight to the end of this road, then turn left.”

“Understood.” Chen Zi'ang stopped proceeding cautiously and sprinted forward at full speed.

(End of chapter)