Fenris had been traveling for three hours when Aina’s communication request came through.

  Fenris accepted the call.

  “What are you doing? You’re deviating from the work area,” Aina demanded, appearing on the screen.

  Fenris hesitated, unsure how to answer.

  “It felt like the climate was… unusual.”

  He opted for a vague response. Aina didn’t scold him, but instinctively checked the scanner readings. He was indeed outside the normal parameters, but the scanner hadn't issued a warning.

  Aina frowned, however. Her extensive experience led her to check the readings from an hour prior, her expression uncertain.

  “Stop deviating. Find immediate cover.” After giving the instruction, Aina abruptly ended the communication. She tried contacting the Fishing Net.

  She found communication severed; she couldn't connect.

  This wasn't unexpected; they’d anticipated this, but it was still unnerving when it actually happened.

  Jones contacted Aina. “What’s wrong?”

  “Nothing, I may be overthinking, but the atmospheric pressure seems erratic.”

  “I'll check… Yes, the deviation is significant, though still within warning parameters. What do you think? Can you contact the Fishing Net? They’d have a better view from above.”

  “Find immediate cover, wait it out, and consider it an early rest if nothing happens,” Aina decided a second later.

  “Okay, we’ll do that.”

  After the conversation, Aina checked Fenris’s location. The guy was still deviating.

  Aina didn't correct him; she'd warned him once. If he insisted on deviating, she had no further obligation.

  Fenris found himself puzzled by Echo's choice of location.

  Upon reaching the coordinates, he was stunned. It was a massive crater, likely formed by a meteorite impact.

  It was an excellent shelter. The impact had created extremely stable geology, making it a safe haven.

  Fenris flew over, found a suitable spot, and activated the anchoring system.

  A large aperture opened in the Scavenger's lower abdomen, deploying a stabilizing arm tipped with a drill. It burrowed into the solid surface. Once sufficiently embedded, the head extended claw-like anchors in all directions.

  “Anchoring…”

  “Anchoring sequence complete.”

  Fenris stretched. The scanner then issued a shrill warning.

  “Unusual airflow detected!”

  Fenris deactivated the warning with a few keystrokes; Echo’s assessment was correct.

  Meanwhile, aboard the Fishing Net in the control room, Quark sat at the console, scratching his head. This was surreal; the scanners showed nothing, and communication channels were unexpectedly down.

  “Patience, young man. You must have patience,” said the white-haired captain in his naval uniform. He was the captain of the Fishing Net.

  The Fishing Net had four officers: one captain and three first officers; Quark was the youngest and a prime candidate for promotion.

  “I sense the atmospheric interference is intensifying. Could we be entering some kind of severe weather pattern?” Quark asked.

  “You said that was impossible. All we can do now is trust them,” the old captain replied calmly.

  A video feed then appeared.

  “Captain Deutmé, what’s your situation?”

  The image was Corazon, captain of the Mushroom, a middle-aged woman with dark brown hair, grey eyes, and a full figure that exuded mature femininity.

  Quark visibly cringed at Corazon's appearance, seemingly intimidated by her.

  Corazon noticed Quark's reaction, but she ignored him; she had bigger problems.

  “Lost contact. No response. Based on the plan, they should all be working.”

  “Three hours ago, sensors detected unusual atmospheric fluctuations. I’ve lost contact with the Scavengers; even communication with the escort mechs is down. For safety, I launched the exploration probes, Ash and Spore.”

  “What were the results?” Deutmé inquired.

  “Disastrous. Spore lost contact shortly after entering the atmosphere. The final transmission was heavily garbled. Another storm.”

  At Corazon's words, everyone fell silent.

  “Halt operations?” Deutmé asked.

  “We can't, and we won't. This has been reported to higher command. The response is to trust them and continue operations.”

  Deutmé fell silent. “Wish them luck.”

  Fenris began to suspect this wasn't a simple storm. According to Echo, a vortex was forming; the storm hadn't fully developed yet.

  Even so, he already felt the storm's power.

  The massive Scavenger was now swaying violently; the system was issuing constant warnings.

  Communication with Aina had been lost a short time ago.

  “Activate optical imaging system.” Fenris issued the command.

  The external view appeared, and Fenris froze. On the distant horizon, colossal, sky-piercing storms were forming. Debris swirled, thunder roared, and the world instantly dimmed, like the apocalypse.

  If the Scavenger was caught, survival was unlikely.

  “Echo, how common is this kind of weather?”

  “Each planet is different, with varied hazards. This isn't uncommon, though the intensity varies.” Echo responded.

  Fenris took a deep breath, forcing himself to remain calm.

  The storm began to hit. The Scavenger’s body swayed violently.

  Fenris stared at the screen readings. They were terrible; the most immediate sensations were the violent shaking and the rapidly dropping temperature.

  “Recommend increasing life support system power.” Echo advised.

  Fenris shuddered uncontrollably; it was brutally cold. Even his exceptional cold resistance was failing him. He increased the life support system power, but it only offered marginal improvement.

  The cockpit was issuing a series of warnings.

  “External chassis components beginning to freeze.”

  “There shouldn’t be much moisture in the air here. Why is it freezing?” Fenris found this unusual.

  “It’s the storm’s effect,” Echo explained.

  “Are we at the storm’s center?” Fenris asked.

  “No, we’re at the periphery. According to calculations, the storm's main force isn't directly passing over us.” Echo replied.

  Fenris began to worry about Aina and Jones, though their operational area should be safer.

  He suddenly understood why the Fishing Net hadn't followed immediately; it was for safety reasons.

  Time slowly passed, the storm raging relentlessly.

  Fenris rotated his wrists; they were stiff.

  ...

  After two hours, the storm began to subside—or rather, it passed them by.

  Various readings slowly returned to normal.

  “Disengaging anchoring sequence.”

  With a series of clicks, the stabilizing arms retracted.

  Fenris attempted to move the Scavenger, but it immediately lost balance, its massive body crashing to the ground.

  A violent jolt rocked Fenris; he was momentarily disoriented.

  Echo’s voice sounded.

  “Scanning for bodily damage.”

  “Scavenger, model KC-745, exhibiting critical freezing of actuators, hydraulic system lubricant frozen. System in stage three paralysis.”

  A model of the Scavenger appeared in Fenris’s viewscreen, highlighting six yellow areas and one red area of the body.

  The Scavenger's operating system displayed a power system malfunction.

  Fenris opened the emergency repair manual, seeking solutions.

  With Echo providing specific data, finding solutions was easy. Two methods were presented: wait for time; the freezing would naturally thaw. Avoid forcing the system to start; there was minimal risk of damage.

  The second method involved manually injecting a thawing agent into the hydraulic system.

  As for the other frozen components, simply running the Scavenger at high power for a while would resolve the issue.

  “Recommendation: Option one.”

  Fenris considered for a moment. “Option two. We can’t afford to be immobile; a stationary target is easy prey.”

  He didn't like leaving everything to chance.

  Fenris pressed a button on his chest, activating his environmental suit. It inflated and powered up; he then donned his helmet.

  Scavenger suits had a minimum of level-two protection, relatively high, due to their frequent entry into hostile environments. Naturally, suits had limited power; a standard suit lasted about 24 hours and could be manually activated or deactivated.

  Fenris pressed a few buttons, opening a compartment in the Scavenger’s lower back where his tools were stored.

  Then, Fenris opened the cockpit hatch and climbed out.

  As he descended and stood on the ground, the surroundings assaulted his senses.

  Fenris was utterly shocked by the desolate, lifeless world; the feeling could not be conveyed through images.

  After a while, he regained his composure. He began to climb onto the rear storage compartment, utilizing recesses designed for this purpose on the mech. It wasn't easy, but manageable.

  Reaching the storage container, Fenris located the thawing agent—two 100-pound containers, which he lifted and carried.

  He searched for the right tools, recalling the repair manual’s recommendations. He began searching through his tool box.

  This was a relatively simple repair, but even so, Fenris found it incredibly laborious, mainly due to his lack of experience.

  After nearly an hour, Fenris finally finished injecting the thawing agent.

  Once done, Fenris returned to the cockpit, closed the hatch, and restarted the Scavenger, setting the power to maximum.

  The Scavenger sprang back to life.

  After fifteen minutes, Fenris piloted the Scavenger towards the designated coordinates.

  He tried several times to contact Aina before succeeding.

  “How’s it going on your end?”

  Aina responded calmly. “Nothing major, but the situation isn't good. I contacted the Fishing Net; they reported that three teams have lost contact in the storm. A rescue team has been dispatched, but the chances of survival are slim. If they're lost, a significant portion of their workload will fall on us, making our schedule even tighter.”

  Fenris remained silent for a moment. “Understood.”

  Aina hesitated before adding, “This is normal. Focus on the job; dwelling on it is pointless.”

  “Right.”

  The communication ended. Fenris resumed his work, beginning to accept the harsh reality.

  As time passed, the temperature rapidly increased, becoming intensely hot; it felt like entering a furnace.

  Fenris removed his environmental suit; his arms were bare. The suit, in its inactive state, was too airtight and suffocating.

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  Fenris grabbed a bottle of purified water and drank it in one gulp. One of the perks of the job was the ample water supply.

  By the way, water on the Heber was costly; bathing was a luxury, usually replaced by wiping down.

  Fenris checked his mission progress: 78% complete. He expected to finish before nightfall.

  With that in mind, he increased his speed.

  Once the last waste canister was deposited in its designated location, his screen displayed “Mission Complete.”

  Fenris began his return journey.

  Echo issued a warning. “Suggest activating waste disposal. The storm may affect the forward waste disposal units.”

  Fenris hesitated. “But I don’t have the authorization.”

  “I can override it, but I don’t recommend it. You can return via the original route for verification.”

  “Alright, let's do that,” Fenris replied. The Scavenger still had plenty of spare canisters.

  Due to the verification, Fenris was delayed. By the time he reached the rendezvous point, Aina and Jones were already there.

  Aina addressed Fenris and Jones. “All containers secured?”

  “All clear.”

  “All clear.”

  After receiving their confirmation, Aina attempted to contact the Fishing Net.

  The connection was unstable; Aina tried repeatedly before establishing contact.

  Quark’s image appeared on Aina’s screen.

  “Miss Aina, your team finished?”

  “Finished,” Aina replied.

  “Activate waste disposal. Good luck.”

  Aina's screen showed a progress bar; all the waste canisters began connecting to Aina's Scavenger. She also mirrored the feed to Fenris and Jones's screens.

  “1%, 2%, 3%… 82%.” The progress bar abruptly stopped.

  Aina didn't dwell on it; some canisters were undoubtedly malfunctioning or damaged.

  “Commencing data retrieval. Transmitting…”

  The Fishing Net began receiving the transmitted data.

  The process was quick; the Fishing Net successfully received and began analyzing the data.

  Quark’s expression brightened.

  “Looks like you’ve had some good luck. Your area contains a rare mineral the Hydonia has been searching for: Thae Canite.”

  “According to regulations, your team will receive a 2000-point bonus, distributed based on individual completion rates.”

  “Based on activation rates: Aina, your total activation rate was 80%. Jones, yours was 75%. Fenris, yours was 97%.”

  Quark stared, astonished. What was this, luck? The rookie had performed exceptionally well.

  Aina and Jones were equally surprised.

  Quark cleared his throat. “Bonus points distribution: Fenris receives 1000 points, Aina 600, and Quark 400. All teams will proceed to similar areas for resource extraction. The Fishing Net will remain on standby for four hours, deploying to coordinates 451, 726.”

  Aina replied calmly, “Understood.”

  A thousand points seemed like a lot, but Fenris knew it was just a few extra meals.

  After the communication ended, Aina said,

  “Prepare for operation. Follow me.”

  Aina led the way, the three Scavengers moving towards their destination.

  Based on atmospheric readings, the Thae Canite deposit was within Fenris's survey area.

  Reaching the designated zone, the three Scavengers stood by.

  Other Scavengers arrived from different directions.

  “Well, well, if it isn’t Aina. You’re lucky ducks.”

  A passing Scavenger team teased.

  Aina ignored them. Fenris noticed an undercurrent of tension between the teams—it wasn’t as harmonious as he’d imagined.

  “Ignored.”

  Other Scavengers in the team laughed.

  “Shut up,” Jones said.

  “What’s it to you?”

  “Looking for trouble?” Jones didn’t back down.

  “Oh, playing hero? The Fishing Net isn't here yet. Got the guts for a one-on-one?” The lead Scavenger challenged tauntingly.

  “Gai, if you want a fight, come get it,” Jones responded defiantly.

  Aina spoke, “Jones, stand down.”

  Jones stepped forward; the other two Scavengers retreated.

  “If you’re scared, you can leave.”

  Jones growled, moving his Scavenger forward.

  Fenris was confused. They could fight like this? He recalled the third day of training, where the rules were clearly stated: fighting was strictly forbidden, with severe consequences. Damage to a Scavenger resulted in crippling repair costs, and imprisonment wasn't uncommon.

  Aina positioned her Scavenger between Jones and the others.

  “Enough.”

  Seeing Aina’s anger, Jones fell silent.

  Aina turned to the others. “If you continue to cause trouble, I will report you.”

  Gai chuckled sarcastically. “We were just joking.”

  The tense situation diffused.

  More Scavengers appeared in the distance, completing the assembly.

  After a while, a deafening roar filled the air. The Fishing Net appeared overhead.

  “Prepare to deploy mining equipment.”

  All received the message from the Fishing Net.

  The Fishing Net’s lower bay opened, dropping large metal containers.

  They impacted the designated location like bombs.

  “Mission objective two: Within three days, construct three rudimentary mining shafts at the designated coordinates.”

  Excluding the three lost teams, five teams had assembled. Aina's team was assigned on-site installation; the other four teams, paired up, proceeded to two nearby coordinates.

  Aina’s team’s task seemed arduous, but it was actually a favor. The share of the profits would at least double—an unspoken rule, but no one dared mention it openly. Everyone knew Quark and Aina's team were close.

  After receiving their instructions, the other teams moved off.

  Aina maneuvered her Scavenger, opened the dropped container—containing supplies and equipment components—and began unloading half the equipment assembly kit.

  Fenris and Jones quickly helped.

  Assembly was tedious and complex. Fenris still didn't fully grasp the process, but Aina provided clear instructions, and Echo assisted, making the work go smoothly.

  The three worked diligently through the night; sleep deprivation was inevitable. No one knew if another storm was coming; another one would surely damage the equipment.

  Three days passed; apart from brief rests, the trio didn't stop.

  Jones looked at Fenris. “Kid, you're pretty good. Rarely see rookies this capable.”

  “Thanks,” Fenris replied, unsure what else to say.

  “But you’re too rigid,” Jones added.

  Aina spoke flatly, “Enough chatting. Get back to work.”

  Jones shook his head. “Aina, you’re such a bore.”

  “How many Scavengers do you think get pampered like you?” Aina retorted pointedly.

  “Fine, fine. No more chatting,” Jones sighed.

  The shaft construction progressed smoothly; a large bore was completed.

  Jones stepped forward, punching a button on the control panel.

  “Manual override?” Fenris was surprised.

  The massive probe began to rotate, slowly descending into the ground.

  “Can we extract it like this?” Fenris asked, uncertain.

  Echo responded, “Technically, this is only a preliminary rough extraction.”

  “Preliminary extraction?” Fenris mused.

  “Kid, don't space out. Think you’re done?” Jones called out.

  Fenris turned to Jones.

  Jones was pushing forward the previously dropped equipment container; a nozzle opened at the end of the probe, releasing irregular powder and fragments.

  “Is that Thae Canite?” Fenris asked.

  Jones yawned wearily. “Yeah. We’re mining in a high-concentration area. In about three days, we’ll move this rig to another hole. It’s wasteful, but it's the most efficient method.”

  “Is it that valuable?”

  “Extremely,” Jones replied.

  “So our percentage share will be quite high,” Fenris said, pleased.

  “You’re overthinking it, rookie. One percent commission. You'll need to pay for medical insurance, Scavenger maintenance fees, and so on. What reaches your pocket won’t be as much as you imagine.”

  Fenris was stunned. “Is that considered fraud?”

  Aina approached. “It's not fraud. Cost and reward are always proportional. On the Hydonia, you'd handle even more dangerous jobs for less pay. We enjoy many free public resources. The world isn’t built on absolute fairness.”

  Jones chuckled. “You're mentoring the rookie? Rare.”

  Aina turned her Scavenger. “Instead of overthinking, work faster. Endure for three years, save your points, and you’ll have enough to live comfortably for life.”

  Fenris said nothing, looking up as a guard mech flew overhead—a routine patrol.

  The Fishing Net didn't have many guards, but that's what happens when you cut costs. It's not that the Hydonia lacked guards; they just reduced personnel to minimize expenses.

  ...

  The first operation went smoothly; each container of Thae Canite was carefully sealed. The Fishing Net would retrieve everything later.

  The mining equipment would be partially disassembled and brought back to the Fishing Net.

  By now, Fenris was exhausted; even Jones lacked the energy to tease.

  From above, the area looked like a landscape of deep holes.

  This was the twentieth day of operation, yielding over a hundred containers of Thae Canite. Barring unforeseen circumstances, the work was nearly finished.

  The Fishing Net slowly descended, stopping 50 meters above the ground.

  The rear cargo bay opened; Aina’s team began loading the containers.

  After three hours of work, the resources and equipment were collected; Aina’s team boarded the Fishing Net. In a sense, their first mission was complete.

  The Fishing Net flew towards the other two collection points.

  Disembarking from the Scavenger, Fenris glanced at Aina, who was operating a holographic display. The latest images showed the other teams’ mining sites; their yield seemed lower.

  Echo provided the precise figures: 82 containers.

  It seemed they’d struck it rich. Fenris did some quick calculations.

  “Warning! Pollock bio-signature detected (Note: a unique energy signature of the Swarm).” Echo issued a shrill warning.

  Fenris had just reacted when he saw something below waving at the Fishing Net near the Scavenger. Then, large chunks of earth began to collapse.

  In the Fishing Net’s control room, Deutmé rose from his seat.

  A roar followed.

  “Team 3 and Team 5, retreat immediately!”

  “Guards, provide immediate support!”

  The Scavengers, who had been waving, reacted instantly upon hearing Deutmé’s voice.

  They activated their thrusters and took off.

  A violent tremor shook the ground. Two Scavengers were ensnared by long, metallic tails; their desperate acceleration attempts were futile.

  One of the fleeing Scavengers turned, firing its cannon at the metallic tail.

  “Cease fire! What are you doing? Return immediately! That’s an order!” Deutmé yelled, a mixture of fear and anger in his voice.

  A worried voice responded. “I can’t abandon them.”

  Before the words were finished, another metallic tail erupted from the ground, ensnaring the Scavenger before it could escape.

  Three guard mechs descended from the sky, attacking the suddenly appearing creature.

  Laser beams struck the metallic tail, sparking bright flashes.

  “Ineffective?” Deutmé’s face darkened.

  Seeing the lasers were useless, one of the guard mechs retrieved a heavy-caliber cannon from its back and prepared to fire.

  “Piercing shot.”

  A cylindrical projectile fired downwards.

  With a deafening boom, the ground caved in, forming a deep crater.

  The metallic tail released its grip on one of the trapped Scavengers, which immediately fled, leaving its two comrades behind, seemingly terrified.

  “Don’t worry, we’ll get you out soon,” the guards attempted to reassure the remaining Scavengers.

  The three guard mechs formed a triangle formation and cautiously approached.

  Even watching the feed, Fenris felt a surge of urgency.

  “Matching data…”

  “Type II Elite-Class Gae Hokthan Vee (the Swarm).”

  “Killed?”

  “Pollock bio-signature still detected. Target not deceased.”

  Sure enough, as the guards drew closer, five metallic tails erupted from the ground, striking at the three mechs.

  The three guards were startled, quickly rising to evade.

  The lead mech was too slow; its left leg was ensnared by a metallic tail.

  “Damn it, I’m caught!”

  The other two mechs frantically dodged the metallic tails, unable to escape.

  “No!” A terrified scream suddenly echoed.

  The voice came from a Scavenger, its pilot apparently bound. The transmission seemed connected to the Fishing Net.

  “Help me! I don’t want to die!”

  Then, a loud crash and shuddering.

  A metal appendage, piercing the Scavenger’s thick cockpit plating, began to ram into its chest.

  The chest armor buckled inward.

  “No!” The pilot’s voice grew increasingly frantic, his mental state clearly unstable.

  “Open the cockpit! Open it! Why won’t it open?!”

  Finally, the pilot's voice nearly died out as he frantically hammered at the controls.

  The sharp metal appendage slowly retracted, then rapidly pierced the buckled metal.

  “Aaaaagh!”

  A desperate scream, chillingly clear.

  The crew of the Fishing Net lowered their heads; then, a scraping sound echoed through the ship.

  Though the visual feed was cut by Deutmé, the audio remained.

  Several female crew members covered their mouths, turning away.

  Then, another voice was heard.

  “Captain Deutmé, I’ll leave this to you.”

  The words were barely out before the speaker was abruptly yanked down into the crater, disappearing from view.

  Elsewhere, two guards exchanged glances. Seeing that the Scavenger was destroyed, they began firing indiscriminately.

  Explosions continued relentlessly. The bound guards managed to struggle free of the golden appendage.

  “Retreat,” one guard ordered.

  Deutmé took a deep breath. “Fishing Net, ascend. Increase altitude.”

  “Aye.”

  “Retrieve the surviving Scavengers,” Deutmé ordered.

  Quark spoke up. “Two teams haven’t returned. What do we do?”

  Deutmé considered for a moment. “They’re too close. Order them to abandon resource extraction and return to the departure point immediately.”

  “Captain, are you sure?”

  The bridge crew hesitated. If they did that, the losses would be substantial.

  “Execute the captain’s orders,” Quark reiterated.

  “Aye.”

  Soon, the remaining Scavengers returned to the Fishing Net.

  Gai and another team disembarked from their mechs. Gai’s face was pale. He glared at Aina, his eyes filled with resentment. The Fishing Net’s first priority was Aina, a fact that clearly bothered him. Nearly a month’s work was wasted.

  Normally, Jones would have made sarcastic remarks, but he had no interest.

  Of the 24 Scavengers deployed, only 13 returned. The casualty rate was nearly 50%. While three other teams were missing, the lack of communication suggested they were likely dead.

  ...

  The Fishing Net continued its ascent. A communication request came in.

  Deutmé answered; Zyra’s image appeared.

  “I apologize,” Deutmé said, unsure how Zyra had learned about the situation so quickly, but it reflected his current mood.

  Zyra's expression was grim. She was surprised by Deutmé’s words, but quickly recovered.

  “Your casualties were heavy?”

  “Thirteen Scavengers returned,” Deutmé replied.

  Zyra paused. “There’s a problem with the water resource extraction. We need to redeploy Scavengers.”

  “Serious?” Deutmé sensed something amiss.

  “Extremely dangerous, and urgent. But there’s no choice. High command has ordered a forced redeployment. Any Scavenger participating will receive triple mission points.” Zyra stated gravely.

  Deutmé’s expression shifted slightly. “Understood.”

  In the hangar bay, Jones clapped Fenris on the shoulder. “Go get some rest. Don't overthink it. Making it back alive is the most important thing.”

  Fenris nodded, but before he’d taken a few steps with Jones, a broadcast announcement cut through the air.

  “Emergency announcement: Due to unforeseen circumstances at the water resource extraction site, the Fishing Net will alter course to provide assistance. All Scavengers prepare for standby. Mechanics, inspect and repair all Scavengers.”

  Jones stopped, his face a mask of shock.

  “What?” Fenris asked.

  Jones glanced at Fenris. “I don’t know whether to say you’re lucky or unlucky to be involved in this.”

  Fenris understood. “There’s nothing we can do about it.”

  Aina, standing nearby, also looked grim, clearly aware of the situation.

  “Go rest. Try to get your mind right.”

  Fenris looked at the other Scavengers; their faces were grim.

  Silently, everyone dispersed; they had no choice but to accept their fate.

  High above, the Fishing Net flew toward its new objective.

  The temperature steadily dropped; various electronic warnings blared.

  In the cockpit, Quark stared at the news feed, his brow furrowed. A fierce battle raged at the ice crystal site. The Heberni reinforcements consisted of over 800 guards, 50 medium cruisers, and 100 light cruisers.

  The area was a meat grinder of a battlefield. No one had expected a Swarm hive to be there.

  The reason for the Scavenger deployment was simple: problems arose during the extraction of the final massive ice crystal. Several dozen alloy chains securing the crystal to the extraction vessels had been severed.

  This caused the three large extraction vessels lifting the ice crystal to become unstable.

  They tipped, causing the three large extraction vessels to be pulled down.

  Fortunately, Scavengers bravely rushed to reinforce the anchors, stabilizing the situation.

  Although the situation was currently stable, the number of insects emerging from the hive was increasing. Collapse was inevitable.

  Only two options remained: abandon the ice crystal or send Scavengers to reattach the alloy chains.

  The Heberni commander clearly chose the second option.

  “How far are we from the target?” Deutmé asked hoarsely, approaching Quark.

  Quark looked up. He could see the bloodshot eyes of the clearly exhausted Deutmé.

  “We should reach the designated coordinates in approximately three hours. After that, it depends on them.”

  “Understood.”

  “Is this resource extraction really that crucial?” Quark hesitantly asked.

  “Water is the most heavily consumed resource. We need a major resupply. This operation is vital; otherwise, we'll be severely hampered.”

  “Doesn’t the Hydonia have reserve supplies?”

  “Those are for emergencies only,” Deutmé explained.

  “All right. Let’s just hope they’re lucky,” Quark sighed.

  Meanwhile, the Mushroom’s captain received the latest update: other extraction vessels were en route.

  “Instruct their Scavengers to join via the designated route. Dedicated guards will ensure their safety.”

  “I’ve informed them, but…”

  “But what?”

  “The Scavengers arriving to assist… there are less than a hundred left.”

  “What happened?”

  “They’ve encountered various problems. Considering this, the final results will likely be even worse,” Corazon replied gravely. “Nevertheless, this mission must be completed.”

  Fenris had already boarded his Scavenger. The Fishing Net had reached its designated orbit, some distance from the battlefield. Approaching closer would be too dangerous, so the Fishing Net wouldn't advance further; the Scavengers would have to travel the remaining distance themselves.

  The Scavengers were fully fueled and equipped. One by one, they detached from the Fishing Net, heading towards their assigned route.

  They hadn't traveled far when they encountered fifteen guard mechs.

  These were here to escort them.

  Seeing these guards, the Scavenger pilots felt slightly relieved.

  Echo issued a warning.

  “Large swarm detected ahead. Extreme danger level.”

  “I know.”

  “Evacuation recommended.”

  “Some things can’t be avoided,” Fenris explained.

  “Incomprehensible,” Echo responded, questioning the logic.

  “You still have much to learn,” Fenris replied.

  A communication from the guards came through.

  “Approaching the battlefield. Stay close behind us at all times. Even if you encounter monsters, do not flee. We will ensure your safety.”

  “Understood,” Fenris replied.

  As they approached the battlefield, numerous insects with thin, curved bodies and delicate wings appeared—the Soft-Winged Stingflies. Three meters long, with incredibly tough tentacles capable of secreting a highly corrosive fluid, they were numerous.

  “Form a wedge formation, with me in the lead. Push through!” the lead guard mech commanded.

  “Yes, Captain.”

  “All Scavengers maintain formation. Do not fall behind.”

  The lead guard mech initiated a forceful assault, unleashing a barrage of explosive rounds.

  BOOM… BOOM…

  Insects rained down like hail.

  Even so, the advance was arduous.

  Echo projected a detailed enemy disposition map into Fenris’s mind. Fenris’s scalp tingled.

  “You need to focus on immediate threats and make predictions, like this,” Echo warned.

  A targeting line suddenly appeared in his mind, leading from an insect to a Scavenger.

  Before Fenris could react, chaos erupted.

  “Help!”

  A Soft-Winged Stingfly had breached the defenses, impaling a Scavenger.

  “No! Help me!”

  “Don’t panic! Stabilize your mech!”

  The Soft-Winged Stingfly repeatedly lashed its tentacles against the Scavenger, occasionally dissolving sections of the armor plating with its corrosive fluid, a grating sound echoing. The Scavenger's armor was exceptionally thick; not even the metal mace of Gae Hokthan Vee could easily breach it.

  However, the Scavenger pilot made a fatal mistake.