Collapse, survive

Who hit? Who hit whom? Who hit whom?

Whatever, a fight broke out anyway.

Fang Jie: This shouldn't be my fault, right? I've been keeping quiet here; it was all the work of the Masked Fool.

'Walter: Pictures, Pictures, Pictures'

Wow, Seele looks so cool waving her red cape, leading everyone towards Crepper Castle like a flag. But... wait, it's you?

The war has begun.

Oh well, it's fine too.

Fang Jie is on his way.

.

P.S.: Seventh update!

Chapter 42 Star Train: We must strike hard.

It's raining in Belloberg.

"This is……"

Bronya stared at the sky in astonishment, unable to comprehend this scene she had never witnessed before.

Is this a sign that Belloberg is about to be destroyed?

A sense of confusion and bewilderment welled up within her, for the truth, for the past, for everything she had seen and heard along the way…

But Seele didn't care, even though she didn't know what rain was.

Breaking out of the furnace was easy, and breaking through the Silver Mane Iron Guards' blockade was also easy. She arrived in the world on earth again, but it was different from before, and different from when she was a child.

When she was a child, Seele actually went to the Upper District once.

That was after she met Oleg, who at the time was the Silvermane Iron Guard Captain in charge of security in the lower district. To let Seele see the city she had longed for, Oleg hid her in his supply bag and returned to the upper level via the cable car.

Seele followed Oleg to all the famous sights of Beloborg, ate delicious food she had never tasted before, and wore beautiful clothes that were beyond her imagination.

In the warm city, she scared away a group of children with her rough miners' slang, making Oleg burst into laughter.

Two days, a full two days.

In just two short days, they were immersed in laughter and joy every minute of every day.

Until the evening she decided to leave, the two sat on a bench in the administrative square, watching the lives of the people there intently. Oleg asked her:

"Was the upper area fun, Seele? Would you like to come again?"

"Uncle, I have a question."

"What's wrong? Go ahead and ask."

“I saw those people in the upper districts only eat half of their food before throwing it away.”

"..."

"Do they know that some people underground are starving?"

"..."

Oleg didn't know what to say to answer Seele's question. He was just a low-ranking Silvermane Iron Guard captain, and even if he wanted to bring people up, he could only do so secretly.

At that time, the upper and lower levels were not yet sealed off.

"Let's go back, uncle. I don't want to come back."

The girl abandoned her hopes and dreams, abandoning her vague and distant ideals.

After that, the upper and lower levels were completely sealed off, and the children no longer had anything to look forward to.

There is no sky in the world, only rooftops.

Rifts will continue to emerge, and people will always return to a dull and miserable life after being rescued.

Sometimes, Seele would have the illusion that time in the entire Lower District had stopped... as if all her and "Earthfire's" efforts had been in vain.

“Something more important than the miracle itself, Seele,”

Natasha told her this, gently placing her palm on her forehead, conveying her heart:

"It is to protect people's expectations of it."

Protection and being protected, oppression and being oppressed—this is the truth the world shows to Seele; it is black and white, and there is nothing more.

At this moment, in this rain, she looked around, the Star Core Spirit tilted her head back and looked up at the sky, opening her mouth wide to catch the rain.

March 7th was stunned and immediately looked up and opened his mouth.

Xier really didn't understand. Before she could learn, Danheng shook his head, his eyes full of pleading as he looked at her.

Please don't learn this!

"Ha ha ha ha."

That face was really funny. Seele laughed heartily, tilting her head back under Danheng's pained gaze, letting the rain wash over her face.

"Looking at it this way, there's not much difference between the sky and the roof. It's all dark and leaky, and the air above is also damp, even though there's no slag or furnace ash."

She was the fastest to walk. Behind Seele, besides the pioneering team, many more people appeared. These old, weak, sick, and disabled prisoners even struggled to climb up.

Natasha originally wanted to stop the fire from rushing out of the furnace core and maintain order... In the end, freedom was just ahead, and under the leadership of the core member "Butterfly", the fire members who came after hearing the news could not resist the temptation to climb up.

The longer you stay in this vast underground space, the harder it becomes to distinguish between the cold, rugged rock formations and the sky.

It's time to get back to the ground.

Look, it's completely different now; the whole city looks like it's crying.

Natasha followed, as it would be even more difficult to maintain 'order' without her.

The rest is up to Schwarzro, and above...

"Everyone, you haven't had a break in a long time, have you? I heard that ever since you came back from Rivet Town, you've been running around trying to see Schwarzro, without a moment's rest. Health is the foundation of everything, you can't afford to fall apart like this."

Natasha looked at Seele, not wanting her to continue her impulsive actions; such weak earth fire, such a weak lower level…

"Nata".

Seele's face was wet with tears as she looked at the 'mother' she had always respected. She always found it hard to refuse her arrangements; it was a rare act of kindness from the lower classes.

She also respects herself and never sees herself as a child, making it even harder for her to refuse.

Natasha is truly powerful.

"If luck is on our side, let's stay in the world above from now on."

Seele wished she would continue as if she had no choice but to follow.

"Xie'er!"

Natasha didn't want to, really didn't want to, and dared not think about what would happen if things continued:

“Seele, listen to me, things haven’t gotten to the worst point yet, there’s no need to do this. Remember Rivettown? When the Rift started to erode that town, we were all unarmed and had no means to defend our homes.”

“After escaping to Rocky Town, I made up my mind: the same tragedy must not be repeated. That’s why I gathered Oleg and the others and created the first [Earthfire].

"Later, the scale of the Earthfire grew larger and larger, until now, it has maintained a certain order. It was difficult, filled with injuries and sacrifices... To be honest, I never thought that there would be such a day, that I could come here and see all of this. Seele, you have done what I could not do. Seele, you have surpassed me, surpassed everyone in the Earthfire. This is our luck, but we have never been lucky."

“Look at everyone, look at us. Do you really think that Earthfire can defeat the Silvermane Iron Guards and those monsters, instead of making things worse? Stop, please, let's wait and negotiate with the higher-ups… Don't escalate the bloodshed any further. The rift is still spreading, and the cold world has only been warm for a few days. We just defeated Schwarzro, gained so much, and overcame so many difficulties… We can continue to prepare, save more people, or we might fall into an abyss.”

“I understand, Nata. We’ve never been very lucky. Even if we’re alive, we’re just existing. We can’t see the end of our struggle. Many people have given up and just keep living.”

Seele stopped looking at her and looked again at the rain, at the sky, and... beyond Belberg.

The world she longed for was never here, this city, this cage!

She wanted to know: "But Nata, if the kind of fate you tell your children really exists, what did we do to be treated so harshly?"

Having finally broken free of that cage and reached the top, walking the path that everyone should walk with dignity—the first person from the lower class to achieve this after the blockade—what surged within Seele at this moment: the thrill of victory? Or the joy of surviving a catastrophe?

Perhaps there are, there are, but there are many more...

It is sadness.

“You’re right, Nata. We are still weak, we are the future, we still have tomorrow, we can defend our homeland… Nata, you’ve always been right.”

Sambo stood behind the fire, looking completely unremarkable. Despite being such a flamboyant guy, no one knew he was also an extraterrestrial. He watched this scene with a strange, slightly smiling expression.

The lower level broke through the blockade, and the morale of the Silvermane Iron Guards guarding the area was low, their numbers scattered, and they were easily breached—Seele had led Bronya and Jepard in the charge.

The emperor knocking on the door is a sign of something.

Even if they fight head-on, there's still the Trailblazing Squad. How could a mere Silvermane Iron Guard possibly stop them?

So what's next?

Oleg couldn't keep up at all. His old face trembled. He dared not think about it and chose to stay below with Swallow to maintain order. In the end, Natasha, who had caught up, was too beautiful and too gentle. She was indeed no match for him and couldn't keep order.

It's not that old Oleg is bad—he's very good at handling dirty and tiring work. Nor is it that Natasha is incompetent; the old Earthfire really needed a shrewd and calculating mastermind like Natasha—cough, boss, hehe.

"I didn't come here to protect anyone, no! I came here with a blade! I'm here to use my own strength to create the path I want to take!"

Without looking back, Seele rushed alone into the rain, the scarf on her arm trailing and fluttering in a vibrant red.

She might never come home again, and that sadness outweighs everything else.

Even so, she did not turn back.

Human confusion, worries, and weaknesses are ever-present entanglements. People always make unwarranted expectations for the future, only to be disappointed, in a never-ending cycle—so wouldn't it be better to have no expectations at all?

But people always have to move towards the future, and they must understand that there are both beautiful flowers and ugly flowers in the world.

"Xie'er."

Natasha gazed sadly at the girl who had already rushed out of the rain, as if... she were seeing herself.

When did I raise this child to be so outstanding? She's even braver than me.

Beside her were the Earthfires who had rushed to the ground but were still hiding in the cave-like structure. They watched this scene quietly, giving the Silvermane Iron Guards on the ground a kick, tearing off their canned food, confiscating their weapons, and putting on their own.

This could be very useful for protecting our homes.

Jepard couldn't stop it all; he only saved people and prevented the situation from escalating further...

Suddenly, someone else also rushed across that line, that line that everyone had always believed in, that had always existed invisibly to protect the lower classes, the line where Natasha was located.

She shouldn't have wavered, even though she knew perfectly well that once a person crosses the line, they can never be restrained again.

She was clearly losing control of herself.

A blind riot without any plan, or rather, an opportunistic act.

……

……

Actions are taken first, opportunities arise later.

Temporary Coordination Group for the Pioneer Team:

...'Star' invited 'File Transfer Assistant' to join the group chat...

Danheng: Everyone's here, right? This group was established to coordinate responses to various unforeseen circumstances during the future exploration trip and to discuss specific action plans.

Danheng: The current situation is complex and involves the star core. The pioneering team will inevitably be involved. Please share your findings with me as soon as possible so that we can confirm the situation.

Xing: I am Xing (feeling ashamed)

March 7th: I am Little March (ashamed)

Danheng: Prompt feedback is not a sign of shame.

star:!

March 7: ...

Danheng: Business is important. Struggle between the lower and upper levels is inevitable. Xing, you shouldn't have been so impulsive; and you, March.

Star: I don't know, I just went for Seele's attack and it went smoothly, didn't it?

March 7th: Exactly! We've broken through the blockade! Those Iron Guards are utterly humiliated! They didn't even dare use their automatons, fearing they'd be hacked!

Danheng: This is indeed an opportunity, but it's too impulsive. As anonymous individuals, we should have our own stance and act cautiously. I don't know if it's just my imagination, but I always feel like someone is watching us.