Shu: I Suspect You're Guilt-Tripping Me

The elevator stopped at basement level 8. Shu, holding a cup of coffee he'd snagged from Otto's lab, walked into the former Heliopolis Life Sciences underground arsenal.

It should be called the Fire Moth Combat Readiness Department now.

If it weren't for this place within Heliopolis, no one would really guess it was a military base.

"Mr. Shu, good morning." As soon as he entered, a Titan mech bowed towards Shu with its rather stout frame.

"Morning, Quinn." Shu raised the cup in his hand towards the Titan mech, acknowledging the greeting.

This was the Titan mech that had successfully awakened its own consciousness but chose to remain and protect humanity.

"Humans created me, and I shall give my all for humanity's survival." These were the original words of the Titan mech named Quinn, and currently, besides Shu, it represented the strongest combat force available.

Kallen and Kiana couldn't actually beat Quinn unless they wore their universal combat armor. As for wearing the armor…

Well, then Quinn would have to mount those terrifying-looking mech accessories onto itself.

Things like laser swords thicker than Shu's thigh, twelve-shot fixed missile launchers…

Shu felt even he might stumble against that…

Quinn's personality was that of a standard old-era knight, embodying the most glorious knightly virtues.

He set very high standards for himself, standards that even Shu found somewhat harsh.

But Quinn never violated them. Shu felt these rules had almost become Quinn's core programming.

The Titan mech unit led by Himeko was trained jointly by Quinn and Himeko. In two months, only these four individuals were selected from hundreds.

After greeting Quinn, Shu saw Himeko and her four team members.

Excluding Himeko, the four members were exactly two men and two women.

"Oh? Morning. Are you heading out with us this time too?" Himeko, already changed into a form-fitting combat suit, was warming up with the other four.

Compared to the others, Himeko's curves were a bit... explosive. Shu lowered his gaze, resisting the urge to yawn.

There are other people here…

"No, I'll leave it to you guys this time. I still need to test the second rated power output of the Key of Evolution," Shu found a place to sit down, somewhat unnerved by the glowing eyes the others turned on him.

"Is that so? You trust us that much, huh…" Himeko raised an eyebrow, asking while twisting her waist.

"You've already proven your strength to me with your track record of eliminating Chariot-class beasts. This time it's just one Knight-class…" Shu sighed, tilting his head back to look at the Heavenly Father mech embedded in the wall.

Ethics and the other sentient machines had left. Besides the other awakened machines, they hadn't taken anything, including the parts here.

So the Heavenly Father mech before him could actually be completed… though Shu didn't hold out much hope.

"Alright then…" Himeko finished her last warm-up movement. She picked up her armor helmet from the side, tucked it under her arm, and walked over to Shu. "We're heading to basement level 11 for sparring practice now. What about you?"

Shu looked up, confused. "Me?"

"Yeah, be our opponent. How about it?" Himeko glanced at the others behind her, and Shu immediately saw their excited gazes.

"That's probably not a good idea…" Shu shook his head, wanting to refuse Himeko's suggestion.

"You're worried about hurting us, aren't you…"

"Captain Shu is so gentle…"

"Ah… I thought I'd get another chance to be close to Captain Shu…"

The moment Shu expressed refusal, the people behind Himeko immediately made dejected noises, making Shu's eyelids twitch.

Shu looked up speechlessly at Himeko, only to see her smiling at him. "Well? Want to give it a try?"

"Alright…" Shu felt like he might have just been guilt-tripped.

"Yay!!" Two people immediately jumped up behind Himeko, while the other two rubbed their hands together, eager to give Shu a surprise.

"You all saw that! If you don't want to disappoint the Captain, give it 120%!" Himeko, holding her helmet, turned and shouted at the people behind her.

The aura of the Valkyrie of the Battlefield instantly flared up.

Crap, it wasn't just guilt-tripping, it was premeditated.

Shu sullenly finished the last sip of coffee, watching the four people solemnly stand at attention and report, then rush into a passage behind them holding their helmets.

That passage contained the dedicated launch shaft for sending Titan mechs to the surface, and it could also transport these mechs to any floor.

The wreckage of the [Champion] there had already been cleared. Otto had repurposed that entire large level into a training ground and experimental site. Both the Key of Evolution tests and the training for these Titan mech pilots were conducted there.

The deformed creatures on basement levels 9 and 10 had also been cleared by the Titan mechs using these passages.

"They've been wanting to spar with you for a long time…" Himeko said with a smile, watching the others leave.

Shu put down his cup and stood up with a sigh. "Couldn't we do it some other way… Why does it have to be fighting?"

"Their idea is to prove themselves," Himeko put on her helmet. "Besides, you need to start warming up too, right?"

Shu didn't reply.

Indeed, after recovering for a full two months, he needed to start warming up.

The Honkai Beasts outside weren't his responsibility, so sparring with these newcomers became the best way for him to practice.

He just needed to limit the output of [Hope] and [Wish].

As for why he needed to start warming up…

This was the mission of Shu's Pioneer Squad.

Shu was still the captain, with Kiana, Bronya, and Mei as permanent members. Others might join later, but for now, the Pioneer Squad consisted of just these few.

Why call it the Pioneer Squad?

Because their primary mission was to reopen the railway network connecting various cities.

As mentioned before, the railway system in this world was exceptionally developed, reaching almost every city and settlement on the planet.

Many people still survived, scattered across the world. As long as Shu reopened these tracks, Otto could gather these people, concentrating them and incorporating them all into the Fire Moth.

In this Honkai-ravaged world, they needed unity.

As for whether various problems would arise once the population grew…

Otto had countless ways to silence dissenters, while simultaneously ensuring their friends became even more devoted to the Fire Moth.