"Everyone! Get the wounded—time to return to the academy!"
"Roger!" the trainees responded in unison.
"Bronya, stop spacing out! Let's go!" Chen Tiannuo called out to her, noticing she was still standing in front of a storefront.
"Bronya understands." She turned reluctantly and began walking down.
Chen Tiannuo glanced inside the shop and immediately understood—plush Homu dolls were lined up on the shelves.
"If you want one, just take one. Call it payment for clearing this place," Chen Tiannuo said helplessly, noticing her wistful gaze.
"Alright." Bronya didn't take many—just two Homu dolls.
Chen Tiannuo clapped his hands to get everyone's attention. "The transport ship will arrive soon. Board it first. If I'm not back by then, just head out without me."
"Huh? You're not coming with us?" Kiana asked curiously.
"Nothing major. Just going to gather some special materials," Chen Tiannuo replied, not going into detail.
"Okay... But don't be late! You still owe us that meal!"
"Yeah yeah, always thinking about food. Don't worry, I won't forget."
He turned to Mei and said, "Mei, you and Class President handle the team temporarily. I'll be back if things go smoothly—the transport will arrive using the coordinates."
"Got it. Don't worry, we've got this." Mei and Fu Hua both nodded.
Without further instructions, Chen Tiannuo left the group and headed for the city center.
"Class Prez, how many zombies did you take out? I bet I got more than you!" Kiana said, eager to compare.
"Not many. A little over fifty," Fu Hua replied nonchalantly.
"Hmph! I got over sixty!" Kiana said smugly, arms crossed.
"..."
...
On his way to the city center, Chen Tiannuo used his few remaining scanners to analyze mutated Honkai beasts and zombies, hoping to find usable materials. Breeding materials is so inefficient—if I can find something compatible, I'll save tons of time.
Beep beep beep. The scanner suddenly lit up. Chen Tiannuo looked at the creature being scanned. "A Mech-Zombie? This thing can substitute for neural components?!"
The scanner displayed [Material Match Confirmed], and Chen Tiannuo scratched his head. Slinging the Mech-Zombie's body over his back, he dashed toward the mall—he should still be able to make it in time, avoiding the need for pickup.
...
Just as the trainees boarded the transport and prepared for departure, Chen Tiannuo's voice came through the comms: "Hold up—I'm right below the ship."
Carrying the Mech-Zombie like a trophy, he sprinted and blinked forward repeatedly, arriving just in time.
"Pilot, just open the hatch—I'll jump in. No need to descend," he said over comms.
"…Understood." With a slow creak, the hatch opened.
With a spinning leap and one more dash upward, Chen Tiannuo grabbed the edge of the hatch, hoisted himself up, and flipped into the cabin.
"Pilot, I'm aboard. You can close the hatch." Chen Tiannuo ended the comm call.
He tossed the Mech-Zombie's body into the cargo bay—he'd throw it into the Foundry later to extract the needed materials.
He de-linked from Excalibur, stored it in the cargo bay, and made his way to the lounge.
Finding a seat, he sat down and began reflecting on his melee stance. He'd been fighting purely on instinct without a formal stance. It worked, but lacked style.
Sinking his consciousness into the system's virtual space, he entered the training room.
The training layout could be customized freely and even simulate enemies the scanner had logged—perfect for testing.
He waved his hand and summoned a Honkai beast as a dummy.
'Woodpecker,' 'Burst Cleave,' 'Swallow Dance'—he tested various combos and rotated through enemies to assess effectiveness.
When the last dummy vanished, Chen Tiannuo sighed. "Sword weapons really don't do much to armored targets..."
"Only blunt force is really effective against mechs. Ugh... I need more Archon Shards..."
"Captain Tenno?" Mei's voice came softly.
Chen Tiannuo instantly exited the training field. "What is it?"
"We've arrived," Mei said.
"Huh? Oh, right." He checked the location data and thought for a second, then turned to her. "Mei, come to the training room later. Let's spar a bit."
"Eh?! You want to spar with me?"
"Yeah. Why not?"
"It's just... surprising," Mei said shyly.
"Why? I don't have a bad temper, do I?"
"No, not that. I just don't know why you'd want to spar with me..." Mei shook her head.
"I want to compare my self-taught style to your formally trained swordsmanship," Chen Tiannuo said with a smile.
"Alright, I understand."
...
Chen Tiannuo disembarked and returned to the Arsenal, placing the Mech-Zombie into the Foundry input.
[Material Recovered: Neural Component x1]
He uploaded the blueprint for Taxon and began crafting it.
"Perfect. Just one day and Taxon will be ready. A 'Guardian' that restores shields—hopefully, I'll never need to use it."
Glancing at the time, he made his way to the training room. Mei was likely already there.
...
Upon entering the training room, Chen Tiannuo saw Mei in the middle of her drills.
He waited as she completed a Level 4 intensity session.
When she finished, Mei noticed him standing by the door. "Sorry to keep you waiting, Tiannuo."
"It's fine. I wasn't in a rush." He waved it off. "Rest a bit first—recover from training."
"Alright..." Mei sat to the side and rested briefly.
Looking around, Chen Tiannuo didn't see Kiana and asked, "Where's Kiana? She's usually stuck to you like glue."
"Probably out buying snacks. I saw her here earlier, though..." Mei replied, a little confused herself.
"Yeah... that does sound like her." Chen Tiannuo chuckled, then suddenly asked, "By the way—how many students were injured? I didn't check."
"Don't worry, no serious injuries. There were quite a few light ones, though. The city's terrain is complex, and zombies and Honkai beasts were everywhere," Mei explained with a smile.
"Alright. Not bad for a stand-in captain, huh~?" Chen Tiannuo laughed.
"Alright then, Mei. You ready? Let's start sparring!" Chen Tiannuo moved to the right side of the training floor and called out.