Through extraction, we successfully obtained Labi’s data. I thought everything would end smoothly… but the actual situation is a bit less optimistic.
“Huh? The permissions can’t be used?”
Before I could even breathe a sigh of relief, Nyx delivered the bad news.
[Before falling unconscious, Labi revoked her own permissions as the control tower. In other words, she let go of the leash holding back the hive mind.]
“So the Moon Rabbits are still invading the resort because…”
[To occupy this station, the Moon Rabbits will continue their assault under the command of the hive mind.]
“So it was all for nothing! Those thousands of Moon Rabbits, hundreds of rabbit soldiers… can the nine of us really handle them all?!”
[Nyx attempted to communicate with the hive mind, but it was refused.]
“This can already be seen as a declaration of war.”
The hive mind has also turned traitor.
[No, it probably can’t be called betrayal.]
[The hive mind’s defection was expected. Once Labi, the supreme control tower, lost control, they would still act with the goal of expanding their species… Labi was just a common enemy for both sides.
After dealing with Labi, the hive mind’s intention from the start was to use us to remove the obstacle for their expansion.]
The hive mind has now become Clara’s opposite. However, the group of Moon Rabbits led by Jeanne remains outside the hive’s control.
“We can’t just let them fight their own kin… Better to have them return to the Rabbit hole and wait for now.”
“What are you planning to do?”
Moon Rabbits are a calamity.
Even without Labi, they are still a runaway calamity.
The situation hasn’t improved at all. Who would have thought the main control permissions could be revoked? The unshackled Moon Rabbits have begun acting purely for the purpose of reproduction.
“Didn’t you say they’d stop once they consumed all the resort’s resources?”
[What Nyx said earlier was ‘occupy the resort.’ The hive mind doesn’t intend to destroy the resort, but to use it as a base, a home for the Moon Rabbit species.]
Raising them is impossible. Even if we solve the Fourth Calamity, coexistence with this many Moon Rabbits is not feasible.
Conflict is inevitable…
For the hive mind, this is a battle for survival.
“Fran, I’ve dealt with Labi on my end.”
Clara contacted Doctor Fran Livka inside the resort.
“Mhm, I saw it all through the livestream.”
“How’s the situation at the resort?”
She wanted to hear this doctor’s assessment.
“We’ve been breached over here.”
Over the phone, she could hear the sound of Fran sucking on a lollipop.
She continued, “The security personnel were scattered by swarms of Moon Rabbits and can’t organize an effective counterattack.”
“The resort people are holding a defensive position using the terrain near the mountaintop. We’re currently hiding in a temporary hangar converted from a warehouse. The Sigma Heroes are with us too.”
Scattered, fighting individually… it sounded terrible.
“What about Sista?” Clara asked.
“She’s still outside holding back the Moon Rabbits, but she probably won’t last much longer. If you’re coming back, come back soon. It might buy us a little time.”
Fran’s tone showed no tension at all, and she added:
“By the way, I’m not surprised at all by the hive mind’s defection. I warned you from the start not to trust the Moon Rabbits…”
“Your so-called ‘harmless’ approach is essentially pulling out their fangs. For a species that wants to survive on its own, is that acceptable?”
Faced with reality, Clara was thoroughly lectured.
But she still retorted quietly, “A-at least some rabbits could integrate into society… We need to find a way for more Moon Rabbits to break free from the hive mind…”
“Without the control tower permissions, how are you going to make Moon Rabbits break free from the hive mind? We, who can barely handle our own problems, have no energy to worry about rabbit affairs. Do you think they care about human lives?”
Unable to refute Fran’s words, Clara felt somewhat pessimistic.
She finally dealt with the mastermind, yet she still couldn’t stop the Moon Rabbit advance.
But then Fran spoke up to comfort her, “But don’t panic, it’s about time they arrive.”
“Huh? What’s arriving?”
“Reinforcements.”
The solar storm is still raging. What reinforcements could come in this situation?
Just as Clara thought that, something shrieked through the gaseous dome and embedded itself in the rainforest outside the resort.
“Holy crap!”
The impact kicked up a gust of wind, shaking the entire rainforest. Though it was just a small hole, some air inside the station was rapidly sucked out until the gaseous dome automatically repaired itself.
“…What is that? A spacecraft?”
It looked like some kind of spacecraft shuttle pod. It was hard to see clearly at night, but the outline was vaguely visible.
“Let’s go check it out.”
Clara was about to move when she noticed Labi’s body was gone from the ground.
“Damn, did she escape?”
No, there’s no way Labi could have woken up.
Psycho must have rescued her.
High-energy particles from solar storms are extremely destructive to electronic equipment, so both lunar buses and spacecraft avoid traveling during solar storms.
Conversely, as long as it’s not electronic equipment and can withstand high temperatures, it can travel long distances through a solar storm.
What crashed outside the resort entrance was the “Black Bow” shuttle pod—a new type of vehicle developed by the Nightmare technical department based on this concept.
The narrow, elongated pod was about the size of a truck, with a streamlined design fitting for an aircraft’s basic form.
However, it had no propulsion system and couldn’t even adjust its flight angle, relying solely on the kinetic energy imparted at launch.
Parameters like solar wind speed and landing point were all calculated before launch.
Simply put—it was an extremely long-range artillery shell.
Its advantages were high speed, low cost, and ignoring solar storms.
Its disadvantages were being unable to return, having an unstable landing point, and being extremely unfriendly to passengers.
This time, they were lucky it didn’t crash into the resort. If the angle had been slightly off, exploding in the resort center, the casualties might have been worse than those caused by the Moon Rabbits.
The shuttle pod could carry up to four people.
This time, as reinforcements, only three came.
As the pod cooled, the hatch opened, and a small foot clad in black-and-white striped socks stepped out.
The first to emerge from the shuttle pod was a petite figure—the president of the “Dream Witch Manpower Dispatch Company,” Qiexiya, dressed in black attire.
She looked around, then grinned and turned back:
“Haven’t thrown up yet? Can’t handle a little of this? So weak. Has the retired hero already turned into a weakling?”
“Ah~ Mr. S, you look terrible.”
As a rather crude prototype, this mode of transportation offered almost no guarantee of safety or comfort. It was a life-risking project requiring a signed waiver before launch.
The gentleman in a top hat adjusted his hat brim, hiding his slightly greenish complexion.
“Hmph… Compared to the strain of the old-style Armored Exoskeleton, this level is nothing… Ugh…”
Even as he said that, Producer S looked like he could vomit at any moment.
Besides those two, there was one more person who came—an expert in dealing with the hive mind.
“Mossima, time for you to work.”
“Understood.”
It was a dark, tall, slender, faceless, writhing humanoid shape. From the silhouette, it seemed to have a feminine figure.
“President Qiexiya, Mr. S, please proceed to the resort according to plan.”
As soon as Mossima stepped onto the ground, dark mycelium spread from her feet, rapidly devouring the grass and spreading out a layer of fungal carpet.
The Calvary arrived.