Chapter Sixty-Eight: The Final Sprint to the Limit

The fierce headwind did nothing to hinder Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s advance. Holding Zhuang Xiaosi in her arms, she steadily widened the gap between herself and the machine girls behind her. Though most of their energy reserves were severely depleted, these machine girls were assault types specially enhanced for high-speed movement. Yet Zhuang Xiaoyuan was still outpacing them—in all likelihood, her speed performance surpassed even theirs.

At the limits of velocity, the group streaked across the path carved by the electromagnetic railgun. Pushing their acceleration to the utmost, a journey that should have taken over ten minutes was traversed in just ten seconds. Now, they faced the final hurdle.

Despite careful calibration to avoid friendly fire, there had been a deviation. At the end of the railgun’s path, several tank-class fiends and a considerable number of lieutenant- and soldier-class fiends remained. The crystalline cores emerging from their bodies were proof they had been damaged by the previous shot, though not fatally. Now, they were rapidly regenerating.

“What do we do now…” Zhuang Xiaoyuan gazed at the fiends blocking the last stretch of their path, feeling utterly powerless. She could already see friendly machine girls rushing toward them from the other side, but she and her group, having devoted all their remaining energy to movement, had no attack capability left.

A trace of unwillingness, regret, and disappointment rose in her heart—not because the trial might fail, but for the sake of Zhuang Xiaosi in her arms and the young machine girls behind her. If she failed, perhaps there would be another chance for her, or at worst, it would merely delay her own growth. But if these machine girls lost this opportunity, they might never again awaken to emotion or experience what it feels like. Losing this chance, they might never open their eyes to witness the changing world.

Just as despair of destruction began to well up inside her, something strange occurred. From the point where Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s skin touched Zhuang Xiaosi’s, energy began to emanate, as if conjured out of thin air. This energy was peculiar, at once resembling the divine power cultivated in Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s world and the special energy used by the machine girls. It was as if the two forces had fused.

This energy, born from nothing, gradually spread and swirled around Zhuang Xiaoyuan and Zhuang Xiaosi. With Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s rapid advance, the energy’s rotation quickened, eventually forming a massive, spiral drill-like protective shield around them—encompassing even the machine girls trailing some distance behind.

Though she had no idea where this energy came from, Zhuang Xiaoyuan had no trouble understanding the purpose of this strange shield. With its appearance, the speed of their group—herself and the machine girls—suddenly increased another notch. At that point, even the naked eye or high-speed cameras could no longer track their accelerating forms.

Shielded by the spiral drill, they charged headlong into the final barrier formed by the fiends.

There was no sound, no resistance. Maintaining their speed, Zhuang Xiaoyuan and her group passed easily through the wall of flesh. Every fiend blocking their way, upon contact with the spiral shield, seemed to be caught in a field of violent distortion: their bodies twisted and collapsed at extraordinary speed, ultimately reduced to ash and nothingness.

The spiral drill, brimming with unstoppable momentum, pierced through the last obstacle. Carried by its force, with Zhuang Xiaosi in her arms, Zhuang Xiaoyuan burst through the fiends’ final blockade. The instant she glimpsed the defensive lines of the machine girls ahead, a weight lifted from her heart.

But in the moment she relaxed, everything went black, and she began plummeting toward the ground. At some point, all the energy she thought she’d reserved had been utterly depleted—even the emergency reserves were gone.

“…Familiar ceiling—no, parchment…” Awakening from unconsciousness, the first thing Zhuang Xiaoyuan saw hanging before her eyes was a sheet of parchment, displaying the completion of their mission.

“What parchment?” came a familiar, textured voice from nearby. She followed the sound and, sure enough, it was Zhuang Xiaosi. At the moment, she was seated on something resembling the chair of a flying craft, her calm eyes gazing in this direction.

Only then did Zhuang Xiaoyuan notice that, just like Zhuang Xiaosi, she too was seated in a similar flight-chair, positioned directly across from her. No wonder, shifting her gaze from the parchment, she immediately saw Zhuang Xiaosi.

“What is this thing?” Without explaining the parchment she’d just mentioned, Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s curiosity turned to the seat beneath Zhuang Xiaosi. She asked, changing the subject.

“Energy replenishment device—high-capacity, rapid recharge model.” Apparently, Zhuang Xiaosi had no intention of probing into the parchment Zhuang Xiaoyuan had mentioned. She answered directly, with a brief supplement.

“Rapid, high-capacity… No wonder it’s different from before. By the way, why are we here?” Withdawing her gaze from the flight-mode energy replenisher, Zhuang Xiaoyuan continued her questions.

“Severe energy overdraft, requiring repair.” In their final sprint, the spiral drill had not only drained Zhuang Xiaoyuan completely, but also consumed the last of Zhuang Xiaosi’s energy.

“So this thing also has a repair function. How long will it take?” Slightly surprised, Zhuang Xiaoyuan glanced around the plain white metal walls, finding herself unable to move freely with all the data cables attached, and asked, somewhat bored.

“…Estimated to complete charging in twenty-six hours, nineteen minutes, and forty-eight seconds.” Green data flickered in Zhuang Xiaosi’s eyes as she accurately reported the required duration.

“…Twenty-six hours? Isn’t this a high-capacity model? Why so long?” Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s eyes widened at the reply—did she really have to sit here idle for over twenty hours?

“Because of severe energy overdraft, repairs are necessary.” With remarkable humanity, Zhuang Xiaosi rolled her eyes and turned away, refusing to look at Zhuang Xiaoyuan.

“You… you… Zhuang Xiaosi actually rolled her eyes.” Zhuang Xiaoyuan’s eyes grew even wider. Zhuang Xiaosi had rolled her eyes—what was going on? Was the world ending? What happened to the stoic, emotionless machine girls who supposedly couldn’t express their feelings?

“Is there a problem?” Zhuang Xiaosi’s face returned to its usual expressionless calm as she turned back.

Zhuang Xiaoyuan rubbed her eyes, but still, all she saw was Zhuang Xiaosi’s tranquil expression. Had she just imagined it?