"Mama? Why are you standing outside? Aren't you cold?"
In Veyl's orphanage in the Old District, little Rebecca looked up at Veyl standing on the edge of the rooftop, her face full of confusion. She had been standing there for a long time. The rooftop was cold. If she caught a cold, Mama would feel awful…
"..."
Hearing little Rebecca's concerned words, Veyl slowly closed her eyes. Her blood-red irises returned to their golden hue.
She turned and walked to Rebecca's side, squatting down to gently stroke the little girl's head. Seeing the cat-like expression of enjoyment on Rebecca's face, Veyl's沉寂 heart suddenly felt a little lighter.
"Why aren't you asleep yet? Coming up to the rooftop so late at night, be careful or you won't grow tall…"
Veyl spoke gently to the little Rebecca in her arms, the tenderness in her eyes almost tangible…
"Mmm… then if Mama comes to the rooftop late at night, will you not grow tall too?"
Little Rebecca looked at Veyl with curiosity. She wanted to grow up to be as tall as her mama!
"Of course not. Mama's already a grown-up. Alright, hurry off to bed. If you sleep too late, you won't make it in time for breakfast tomorrow. Then your sweet milk will be stolen by Uncle Jack…"
"Ah! I don't want Uncle Jack to steal my sweet milk! I won't grow tall if I don't drink my sweet milk! Goodnight, Mama!"
"Mm… goodnight…"
Watching little Rebecca quickly run back to her bedroom, the gentleness in Veyl's eyes gradually faded, replaced by a profound gravity.
"I'm telling you, I really wouldn't steal sweet milk from the little ones. You keep using that to scare them. Soon, the kiddos are going to take a detour every time they see me!"
Jack leaned against the rooftop doorway, his face pleading with Veyl. He said he'd been wondering why the little ones kept telling him not to steal their sweet milk. So it turns out, the mastermind was right here! Didn't he have a reputation to maintain?
"Oh? Didn't you complain to me before that the little ones were too clingy? I came up with a new method for you, and you're not even grateful?"
Veyl crossed her arms, a faint, teasing smile on her face as she looked at Jack.
"Er… this…"
Jack scratched his head awkwardly. He… seemed to recall saying that? How could he not remember?
The old gangster, who had just been trying to show off how much the kids liked him, laughed awkwardly along with Veyl.
"Alright, stop fooling around. What's the observation report?"
Veyl sighed in resignation. How on earth did she get roped into being the boss by this guy in the first place?
At the mention of serious business, Jack's expression instantly turned solemn. He handed Veyl the report he had just compiled, his face grim.
"The activity from the Legendary Tower is getting more and more frequent. Our drones originally had the entire urban area covered, but due to another anomaly from the tower, a five-kilometer radius around it has become an un-scannable zone…"
Pulling over a nearby map, Jack drew several lines over the Old District, the New District, the Scrapyard, and Punklorde's central city—the location of the Legendary Tower.
"These are the current defensive lines for the Punklorde military, us, and the people in the Scrapyard…"
As he spoke, Jack drew several X's near the Legendary Tower, in the Scrapyard, and on the New District's defensive line.
"That last wave from the cemetery army caught everyone off guard. Oh, except for the guys in the Scrapyard… their family members weren't buried there. But they had a tough time too and were forced to fall back two defensive lines. I have to say, little Nolan is doing a damn good job. No wonder you were so confident before, Boss… that kid is a real talent!"
Jack sighed with admiration. A child not even ten years old was able to manage those wasteland thugs and make them obey, and could even use the resources of the Scrapyard to hold back the attacks of those monsters… If it weren't for the current upheaval on Punklorde, that kid probably would have earned the title of "Legend," right?
"Nolan is indeed doing well. Hopefully, with his help, the relationship between the Scrapyard and the Neon Metropolis can ease up a bit…"
Shaking her head, Veyl continued to look at the map.
"Continue."
"You got it."
"Our defensive line didn't suffer much loss. The brothers had prepared multiple evacuation points from the start. Although there were some casualties, it's still within an acceptable range. Phantom Light is covering the compensation for the fallen, and now those cops are green with envy."
At this, Jack shook his head proudly. Thanks to the Punklorde crisis, Phantom Light's influence had grown by several orders of magnitude. The entire Old District was now completely under their control. As soon as Boss Veyl gave the order, once the Stellaron crisis was over, they could completely take over Punklorde. Then, Veyl would become the true master of the planet!
But in reality, Punklorde was currently a colossal mess. Those high-level officials who were already preparing to flee to the Corporation were probably looking for someone to take it off their hands. Veyl naturally had no intention of looking for trouble.
"The situation in the New District is worse. Although their equipment is good, it's the most direct point of invasion for the monsters from the Legendary Tower, so their personnel losses are heavy. Some of our spies on the front lines even got caught in the crossfire…"
Finally, Jack gave a simple summary.
"If the people from the Astral Express don't deal with the Stellaron soon, then in less than a week, the New District will be reduced to ruins. Then it will be the Old District, and finally the entire Neon Metropolis. By then, the Scrapyard might be the last habitable place on Punklorde…"
"And if the Scrapyard can't hold on, then Punklorde is truly finished," Veyl said, walking out onto the rooftop, her tone exceptionally calm.
"Boss, are you sure you don't want to rest? Controlling several thousand drones simultaneously, you…"
"No… it's fine. The situation is getting worse. The Astral Express still needs more time. We have to do something now."
Veyl shook her head.
These thousands of drones were the key to the Old District's repeated victories against the monster tides and the risen dead. There were still millions of people in the Old District. If she couldn't guarantee their safety, then Phantom Light's reputation among the populace would plummet.
"Astral Express… just a little faster…"
Veyl murmured, her golden eyes gradually turning a deep scarlet…
---o---
"Abnormal intrusion detected. Directive: Eliminate abnormal lifeforms."
Underground, at the base of the Legendary Tower, two identical figures blocked the group's path, endlessly repeating the mechanical phrase, their voices devoid of any emotion.
"Watch out! They're attacking!"