Things went unexpectedly smoothly, but also not.
Clara had joined the group intending to find the Azure Cavalier in the air-raid shelter, but she was led straight out of it by this Rabbit Soldier.
Although knowing the way out was a good thing, she didn’t want to leave just yet.
‘Could she turn back now?’
Probably not; after all, the Rabbit Soldier was still staring at her.
Nothing for it but to follow them.
She didn’t know if this was a job or some kind of mission. What could one Rabbit Soldier and a few Moon Rabbits even do? Go hunting in the rainforest? Or go to the sea to catch fish?
“*Ji jiu?*”
Clara called out, but she couldn’t get any information from a group she couldn’t communicate with.
“*Ji, ji!*”
The leading Rabbit Soldier seemed to be saying something, but she couldn’t understand it at all.
She had to keep following.
At least the destination wasn’t the resort or the hangar; it shouldn’t turn into a situation where she had to fight herself.
They eventually arrived at a beach on the west side. This shaded area wasn’t as tidy or clean as the eastern bay, but the sea was relatively clear. The aquatic life in this area hadn’t been ravaged by the rabbits yet.
“*Jiu~*”
The Rabbit Soldier led the group of Moon Rabbits and dove into the clear water. Clara instinctively held her breath, but after a moment, she realized that Moon Rabbits could actually breathe underwater, just like squids.
**[The original Moon Rabbits operated in the vacuum of the lunar surface, so it is not surprising that the improved species can breathe underwater.]**
‘But the original species would drown instantly if they went into the water.’
‘Wait, they couldn’t be here to catch fish, could they?’
‘What a troublesome job. Maybe I should sneak — ‘
Just as she thought this, the Rabbit Soldier began a deep dive with the other Moon Rabbits.
Even though it was an artificial sea, it was much deeper than it looked. There was even a massive trench. The soil layer beneath the site might have come from the original bottom of a crater, held in place by the gas dome. This seawater didn’t seep down into the moon’s interior.
“*Ji gulu lu —*”
The leading Rabbit Soldier turned back and called out as if urging the Moon Rabbits to keep up, then slipped into a narrow crevice in the trench.
‘Wait, there couldn’t be another Moon Rabbit headquarters in a place like this, could there?’
There really was a natural cave beneath the trench.
It seemed the Rabbit Soldier was also visiting for the first time. It felt its way forward, its red eyes glowing in the pitch-black environment.
A cavity had formed inside the cave, but there were no signs that other Moon Rabbits had been there before.
“*Jiu! Jiu!*”
The Rabbit Soldier pointed at the solid rock wall.
The other Moon Rabbits began to dig toward the location of the main island headquarters.
… **[They are here to open a transport channel from this sea area to the headquarters. That way, they can bring their prey back after fishing.]**
Clara saw it too.
This Moon Rabbit squad was here to “expand the mine.”
‘I thought they were here to fish, but it turns out they’re here for manual labor. Both are a pain, though.’
**[The humanoid body structure of the Rabbit Soldier is not suitable for digging. It is responsible for leading you and ensuring your safety.]**
‘And it’s probably the supervisor too, right?’
It stood behind them with its arms crossed, watching. If Clara’s digging slowed down even a little, it would *ji jiu* at her. Although she was good at making holes, the continuous digging made her little paws tired.
Originally, as a Moon Rabbit, Clara was quite weak. Right now, she clearly couldn’t keep up with the other strong Moon Rabbits.
‘I shouldn’t have come.’
‘If only there were a way for them to understand my thoughts and words.’
**[This is indeed an opportunity.]**
‘You can do that?’
**[It is time for Clara to step in.]**
As long as she extracted the Rabbit Soldier’s data, she could move freely in the air-raid shelter and have a way to approach the Azure Cavalier.
‘I don’t really want to turn into a muscular rabbit, but Nyx’s idea is clearly correct.’
A lone Rabbit Soldier — this was an opportunity.
However, since no one else was suited for underwater activity besides her, Clara had to carry out this mission alone.
Clara, sitting on her squid broom, put on a gas mask and dove headfirst into the western sea. Her ten small tentacles propelled her forward in waves. With her long black hair trailing behind her, she sped toward the trench. She was even faster than the Moon Rabbits.
‘It wouldn’t be normal if a squid couldn’t outswim a rabbit in the ocean.’
Deeper into the trench, the surroundings grew dark, but Nyx’s scan displayed the terrain within Clara’s vision. She could swim at full speed even in the darkness without hitting any rocks.
This was an ability the Moon Rabbit Combat Bodies lacked.
**[Destination reached. Navigation ended.]**
Clara found the cave where the Moon Rabbits were expanding their mine and slowed down.
She planned to take out the Rabbit Soldier in one go with a surprise attack. Without that guy, the remaining Moon Rabbits were just fodder.
Even so, that Rabbit Soldier was only at the level of a low-tier monster.
**[Locking onto target.]**
Although she couldn’t see it directly yet, Nyx had marked the Rabbit Soldier’s position through the scan.
‘If only there were a way to communicate.’
Despite the thought, Clara prioritized her mission. A squid spear lunged out from the water, aiming straight for the Rabbit Soldier’s heart through its back. A large hole was blown through its chest, and it died instantly.
“Phew, at least it was quick, right?”
Clara observed three seconds of silence for the Rabbit Soldier she had just killed.
**[Generating… D·M Extractor… Complete.]**
Before the group of digging Moon Rabbits could react, Clara’s forearm transformed into a syringe. She pressed it against the Rabbit Soldier’s corpse and completed the data extraction.
“*Ji!*”
The digging rabbits screamed and ran over, but they were no match for Clara. A single sweep knocked them all over. However, Clara held back her strength, so they didn’t die easily.
‘Sigh, they don’t know their own limits.’
The Moon Rabbits, who had been friendly toward the Moon Rabbit Combat Body, now bared their teeth and growled at Clara, looking ready to fight to the death.
Clara thought for a moment, deciding to give these dim-witted Moon Rabbits a demonstration.
“*Ji jiu~*”
The Moon Rabbit Combat Body ran up to Clara and rolled onto its back, exposing its belly.
Such behavior was shocking to the not-so-bright Moon Rabbits.
They had thought Clara — as the Moon Rabbit — was about to be killed by this suddenly appearing human hero, but the latter simply knelt down and started rubbing the Moon Rabbit’s belly fur.
She was petting herself.
Perhaps the demonstration worked. The Moon Rabbits, unable to understand the situation, watched from a distance but no longer acted aggressively.
After all, it was also a fact that she had killed the Rabbit Soldier.
“You guys are being used as tools without even knowing it. If this continues, your species will have no way to survive!”
Clara muttered this even though she knew the rabbits couldn’t understand her.
“Nyx.”
**[Understood. Generating Combat Body…]**
The Combat Body reconstructed in a flash of milky-white light. Clara transformed into a white-furred, humanoid, and muscular rabbit. To her eyes, this form was a bit… disgusting?
But she had finally become “male” again after a long time.
**[Negative. Rabbit Soldiers are not necessarily male.]**
‘Even like this, it could be a female?’
**[… Rabbit Soldier… Complete.]**