Sylvia had no choice but to head deeper into the passageway.
Fortunately, the station's power supply was still intact, and the lighting and gravity systems in this corridor remained fully operational.
The passage was relatively narrow, though—her greatsword, over a meter long, would have been nearly impossible to wield freely here.
So Sylvia walked in empty-handed.
But the long, cramped corridor held neither people nor Antimatter Legion's Voidrangers.
Instead, Sylvia encountered a small robot hovering mid-air.
Using both the little bot and her access pass, she managed to ask for directions to the elevator leading to the station's upper levels.
Meeting no Voidrangers along the way, she smoothly arrived at the elevator.
Stepping inside, Sylvia glanced at the display—at least the elevator was still running and could access other sections.
Before she could even operate the panel, however, the station's announcement echoed through the cabin:
"Hello, and welcome to Herta Space Station, Ms. Sylvia. Under Lead Researcher Asta's directive, your destination is the Master Control Zone. You will now proceed to the Base Zone."
After a slight tremor, the elevator began ascending.
Just then, Sylvia's phone chimed with a few notifications.
Opening it, she saw messages from Silver Wolf.
[Silver Wolf: You're already at the station?]
[Silver Wolf: Did the Voidrangers just invade?]
[Silver Wolf: Want me to send you a map of the Herta puppet locations?]
Sylvia blinked, then replied:
[Sylvia: How'd you know I just got here?]
[Silver Wolf: What do you think?]
[Silver Wolf: The thing in your pocket was made by me, remember?]
[Sylvia: Then yes, send me the map!]
[Silver Wolf: Fine, but you'll have to wait until Kafka and I reach the station.]
[Sylvia: …Ugh, forget it!]
[Silver Wolf: (? v ?) Just kidding~]
[Silver Wolf: Call me 'daddy' and I'll help you out.]
Silver Wolf really didn't want to get involved in Sylvia's sneaky little schemes—especially not such a tacky one.
That said, if Sylvia begged her sincerely enough, she might reluctantly lend a hand.
But Sylvia just snorted coldly at the messages.
'Hah, still trying to claim the "dad" title, are you? Just as I thought.'
[Sylvia: I knew you hadn't given up! Just watch me handle this myself!]
Just as Sylvia tucked her phone away—
A warning window suddenly popped up on the elevator display, accompanied by a violent shudder.
The ascent slowed until it came to a complete stop.
"Warning: Elevator permissions locked. Operation suspended."
"…Huh?"
A question mark slowly formed above Sylvia's head.
Permissions locked?
She was still inside—how could they lock it now?
Sylvia felt utterly exasperated.
She hadn't been stopped by Voidrangers, only to be trapped by a measly elevator.
Staring at the stalled cabin, she swiped her access pass over the screen once more.
"Detecting personnel remaining inside elevator—"
But the system's announcement never finished.
BOOM—
A fierce tremor shook the entire elevator as the lights abruptly dimmed, replaced by flashing red emergency lights.
The station broadcast fell completely silent.
"Seriously…"
Sighing in resignation, Sylvia pressed her hand against the elevator door.
Heliobus flames seeped into the seams and, under her control, transformed into pure force—shattering the mechanical locks and forcing the doors apart with a harsh scraping sound.
Thankfully, the elevator hadn't stalled due to a power loss.
What lay before Sylvia wasn't a solid wall, but another passage leading into the unknown.
Letting out a long sigh at her luck, Sylvia had no choice but to step out and continue her exploration on foot.
--+--
Meanwhile, in the Master Control Zone.
Asta was directing staff to safety while coordinating the Security Department's counterattack against the Antimatter Legion.
"Reporting, Stationmaster! All personnel have been evacuated. All elevators to the Master Control Zone have been suspended, but… Captain Arlan is trapped below deck…"
"…Understood."
Asta nodded calmly, dismissing the reporting Security Department member.
She took a deep breath, steadying herself.
Then, a sudden thought struck her.
"Wait… What time is it now? When was Ms. Sylvia supposed to arrive?"
Caught up in the chaos of the Antimatter Legion's assault, Asta had nearly forgotten her guest.
Hurriedly checking the system clock, her heart sank.
According to the schedule, Sylvia should already be on the station!
With that realization, Asta immediately pulled up the comms system and dialed Sylvia's number.
--+--
Not long after stepping out of the passage, Sylvia—feeling little sense of urgency—strolled around as if on a casual tour, peeking here and there.
She checked every room with an open door or one her clearance allowed access to.
Those she couldn't enter, she simply bypassed.
As for the Antimatter Legion creatures she encountered along the way… they all met their end beneath Sylvia's fists.
Right then—
Her phone rang. Pulling it out, she saw it was a call from Asta.
Answering, she heard Asta's slightly hurried voice:
"Ms. Sylvia, may I ask where you are now? Have you already boarded the station?"
"Ah, yes, I'm already inside. Saw the Antimatter Legion invading on my way in—surprised the docking ports were still running smoothly."
"…"
Sylvia's relaxed tone left Asta momentarily speechless.
She made it sound like a leisurely stroll through the station.
But then again, considering Sylvia's combat prowess, Asta supposed it made sense.
"Could you tell me which specific section you're in? I'll send someone to escort you."
Just as Asta spoke, Sylvia pushed open a cabin door—
And came face-to-face with a four-legged, centaur-like monster.
ROAR—!!!
The creature shrieked, rearing up on its hind legs before slamming its forelegs down toward Sylvia.
On the other end of the call, Asta heard the roar and instinctively held her breath.
But then, through the receiver erupted a cacophony of harsh, screeching noise, followed by the dull thud of something heavy crashing down and the roar of an explosion.
Amid the chaos, Asta could faintly make out what sounded like the monster's dying wail.
A few seconds later—
The noise abruptly cut off, and Sylvia's voice returned, calm as ever:
"Stationmaster Asta? I think you should hold off on sending anyone. This area is crawling with Voidrangers."
"…"
Only when Sylvia spoke again did Asta realize she'd been holding her breath.
She let out a long exhale, trying to calm her racing heart.
--+--
T/N: I have a Patreon! While it may seem empty as of now, webnovel will get 3 Chapters Every Day, and advanced chapters will be uploaded on Patreon.
It may not seem worth it now, but maybe in the future. Who knows!
[email protected]/AspenTL
If you guys wanna check it out.