Ido scratched her head. "Oh, the motorcycle? No strange functions... it's just... broken."
"Broken?" Pardo blinked in confusion. "Boss might be a little weird, but the quality of her creations should still be guaranteed, right?"
Recalling her ride, Ido looked oddly satisfied. "It was too exhilarating. I got carried away and rode it a bit too hard. Scrapped it."
The others fell silent.
Pardo, however, looked delighted. "Hehe, that's great! I heard those aircraft cost a lot to build. At least I won't be the only one getting lectured by Sister Zofia. Ever since she found out I 'restocked' from the base, she's like a different person—nagging me about this and that. My ears are practically worn out."
As if remembering something terrifying, Pardo shook her head quickly to end the thought.
"Sister Ido, follow me."
"Running away is one of my specialties."
She waved her hand and led the way.
Kevin whispered to Ido, "Are we really okay following that little girl? She doesn't seem reliable."
"Don't underestimate Pardo," Ido replied. "She may be young, but I've seen her pathfinding skills. You can trust her."
Pardo, oblivious to their whispers, explained as she walked, "Without aircraft or cars, it's hard to leave Nagazora City quickly. And planes or cable cars will get attacked by those flying monsters."
"Luckily, we still have the subway."
"The subway? Didn't that stop operating years ago?" Kevin asked.
In this era of advanced technology, with underground urban space heavily utilized to prevent subsidence and other issues, subways were no longer expanded. They had been replaced by aerial cable systems and hyperloop trains between buildings.
Mei explained, "Actually, the lines connecting to other cities weren't fully shut down because they're still used to transport goods to Shenzhou. Hyperloop trains are fast, but as a type of maglev, building them across seas prone to typhoons and tsunamis is too costly."
Reaching a location marked with a painted cat symbol, Pardo lifted a manhole cover and gestured for everyone to climb down.
This was not a sewage shaft, but a maintenance access point. There was no foul smell or wastewater. It led directly to the subway tracks.
Below, the passageway was far wider than expected. Spare parts and miscellaneous equipment were stacked nearby. The dim, aging lights made the place feel like stepping into a faded photograph.
A wooden crate nearby suddenly trembled ominously.
"Pardo, watch out!"
Ido leapt forward, spear thrusting in the same motion. It pierced the air and impaled the undead that had been about to ambush from behind the crate.
"That was close—thanks, Sister Ido!" Pardo patted her chest, exhaling in relief. Then she muttered softly, "When we get back, I'm definitely asking Sister Vill-V for a raise."
As they proceeded, the number of smaller Honkai Beasts and undead increased. Fortunately, the narrow tunnel prevented larger Honkai Beasts from entering. Soon, they reached an old subway train.
"Hey, girl, I've been meaning to ask—can you even drive a subway?" Mike asked cautiously, no longer daring to judge someone by age after being humbled by Ido.
Pardo used the emergency switch to open the front carriage and grinned.
"Hehe... of course... not."
Mike stared at her innocent smile, thinking he had misheard. "You can't, and you still brought us here?!"
"Don't subways move on their own? Just say hi and it'll take us along, like a kitty."
Clearly, having grown up on Dusk Street, Pardo had little understanding of what a subway truly was. She had only recently learned about it while scouting escape routes.
"Girl, are you messing with us?" Mike shouted angrily, stepping forward—only to be blocked by Ido's spear.
Flames seemed to burn in Ido's eyes. Among the Mad Hatter Party, no one was more protective of Pardo than she was.
"Don't make Ido act," she warned coldly.
Pardo seemed oblivious to the powder keg about to ignite. She simply beckoned Kevin and Mei to board.
Inside, the carriage was cluttered with various odds and ends. Kevin and Mei did not question it. They found empty seats and sat down.
Pardo placed a conductor's cap from the wall onto her head and called out theatrically, "Everyone seated? Alright—Subway, let's slip away!"
Wooo—
The sound of wheels grinding against rails echoed.
Under everyone's incredulous gaze, the scenery outside began to drift backward slowly.
Kevin turned blankly to Mei. "Are subways... voice-controlled? I thought even the latest smart rail systems required pressing buttons."
Mei frowned. "No. As far as I know, although subways retain automatic driving systems, they still require operator input. Even with voice control, it wouldn't recognize something like 'slip away' as a command."
"It's more likely someone remotely activated the automatic driving system."
The subway gradually accelerated. Occasional impacts sounded ahead, but nothing slowed its progress. The steady clatter of wheels against track eased their taut nerves.
If all went well, once they disembarked, they would be five hundred kilometers away from Nagazora City—at Aurora City on the Shenzhou mainland.
They would finally be safe.
Mike apologized to Pardo. Kevin and Mei, having survived the ordeal, found themselves with much more to say to each other. Ido rested with her spear in hand, eyes closed.
"After we get off, we'll probably go our separate ways," Kevin suddenly said, drawing everyone's attention. "Thank you for saving Mei and me. We hardly did anything."
"Just doing our job for the pay," Mike replied kindly. "You should worry about yourselves instead. Think about why our mission was to protect you."
Mei shifted her gaze to the silent Ido.
"Miss Ido, you seem to know more. After all, you were the one who told us about the Honkai. Even Pardo, who's with you, doesn't seem to understand it fully."
Ido nodded.
"That's right. I do know a lot. But soon enough, you'll learn everything from MOTH."
"MOTH?" The term was unfamiliar to the others.
"Very soon, MOTH will approach Mei. My mission is to ensure that Mei makes safe contact with MOTH."