Chapter 74: See you again if you have a chance

It’s a bit ironic, but face recognition was far more effective than any convoluted identity verification.
After seeing Chriss, the city guards let our group pass without a word—even me, an obvious non-military “adventurer,” didn’t get a single question.

If I was with Chriss, there shouldn’t be any big issues.
Thanks to Chriss’s popularity among Blackshine City’s guards, we entered the core military zone of the south gate with minimal hassle.

Looking at the bustling south gate area, with soldiers and officers rushing about, I felt a bit disoriented—who am I, where am I, how do I get out of the city?
Watching the endless stream of people, then glancing at Chriss, who could finally sit and rest, I decided it was best to wait a bit.

“…I’ll rest for a moment. About fifteen minutes from now, I’ll help you get out of the city, Su Mengmeng.”

Seeming to sense my unease, Chriss, supported by Nosen as she sat, glanced at me and spoke.
“…Thanks for the help.”

I nodded, feeling more at ease, and sat nearby to wait for Chriss to recover and take me out.
“Well, we’re off to receive new orders. See you around.”

Carter looked at Chriss and me, his task seemingly complete, and prepared to lead his team to contact their superiors.
“Hey, catch you later!”

“…Yeah, see you.”

Nico and Katherine, noticing their leader’s brisk departure, gave Chriss and me a light smile.
As fellow women, they seemed eager to chat more, but the timing wasn’t right.
Leaving a quick farewell, they followed the three male noble squad members.

Phew… I’d love to build a rapport with these noble squad folks, but it looks like there’s no chance now.

I thought to myself, then turned to gaze at the distant Blackshine City.
The sounds of battle still echoed through the city, with the alien races continuing their destruction—though much less intense than before.
Clearly, Blackshine City’s guards weren’t useless; their efforts to suppress the invaders were methodical.

The distant thousand-millimeter heavy cannons had fired for a while but then fell silent.
I had no idea what happened.

Ideally, those cannons fired a few rounds and repelled the alien assault.
The worst case? The four cannons were destroyed by infiltrating alien forces after just a few shots.

That latter scenario would be utterly disastrous.
I didn’t want to believe it was possible, but given the aliens’ bold move, it seemed they aimed to strike at Blackshine City’s doorstep.

But… why so sudden?
The human empire’s legions on the Blackshine City frontlines had dealt with aliens for years, holding the line steady.
How did it collapse in a single day?

Did the empire’s forces suddenly turn incompetent, letting multiple lines fall at once?
What the h*ll happened?

For a moment, I couldn’t help but feel anxious—not out of loyalty to the empire, but because I was in the thick of danger and had to think ahead.
But then, after a short while, I saw Carter returning with his noble squad, his face grim.

“?”

I glanced at the approaching noble squad, a sense of unease creeping in.