Chat Group: Starting by Swapping Bodies with Elysia?

The prelude to the Third Eruption began as Jiang Qiao pressed the trigger.

Because the citizens of Nagazora City had been evacuated in advance, the number of Honkai zombies generated within the city was extremely small.

Of course, the emergence of Honkai beasts wouldn't be affected by this.

—At a temporary camp not far from Nagazora City, Dr. MEI was in charge of dispatching Fire Moth personnel.

"I didn't expect the Third Eruption to come so soon."

"But the scale of this eruption is quite small compared to the previous one."

A hearty and mature voice echoed in the camp. Dr. MEI looked towards the source of the sound and saw a red-haired woman in a special Honkai-resistant combat suit.

The captain of Fire Moth's Fifth Squad—HIMEKO/Himeko.

She and her Fifth Squad were mainly stationed at Fire Moth's Fifth Base in the Japan.

MEI had already investigated her information in advance.

Kind and easy to get along with, but with a fondness for alcohol.

"Isn't it better for the scale to be smaller?"

A lively and sweet voice echoed in the camp, attracting the attention of many Fire Moth warriors.

The pink-haired girl in high heels walked to MEI's side, revealing the "fairy smile" widely known within Fire Moth.

"Hmm~ Hello, I'm Elysia, as you can see, a girl as splendid as flying flowers."

The current "Elysia" didn't know Himeko yet. After all, Elysia hadn't been in the organization for long, and she was at Fire Moth's headquarters, quite a distance from the Fifth Squad stationed in the Japan.

During the previous Second Eruption, because they were attacking in different directions, and the Fifth Squad entered the scene late, they didn't meet.

This was their first encounter.

Himeko shook Jiang Qiao's outstretched hand:

"Himeko, captain of the Fifth Squad."

"Although I've heard that Elysia, who defeated the Second Herrscher last time, is a very beautiful girl, I didn't expect her to be so cute."

After letting go, she looked at Elysia's face and couldn't help but sigh.

Elysia hummed and replied with a smile:

"Hmm~ You're also a very beautiful girl."

"Haha, you're so sweet. After this battle is over, we should have a drink together sometime."

Just like the later Himeko, Murata Himeko had a straightforward personality, and at this time, she was more like the younger Himeko. After being complimented, she didn't hide her happy expression and actively invited Elysia for a drink.

Seeing that the two were about to start chatting right in front of her, MEI felt speechless and had to interrupt:

"Alright, you can chat later. If you keep talking, you'll never finish."

"That's true, let's talk later. Let's get down to business now."

Himeko, with her strong military discipline, nodded with a smile after being reminded, then became serious.

MEI also spoke:

"Currently, the higher-ups have appointed me as the main commander for this Eruption."

Originally, the ideal candidate should have been Mobius, but unfortunately, the higher-ups didn't have a good impression of her.

Coincidentally, MEI had demonstrated amazing aptitude in both the previous meeting and the mobilization before the eruption, so she naturally became the commander of this Third Eruption.

"I've already made arrangements. Captain Himeko, your Fifth Squad needs to advance from the north of Nagazora City and clear out the Honkai beasts on the periphery."

"Understood."

After Himeko and her Fifth Squad prepared their equipment, they immediately left the camp.

Only MEI and Jiang Qiao remained.

The former said: "Elysia, the headquarters… requested that you not enter the battlefield before receiving orders."

When she said this, MEI's tone was filled with helplessness and resentment. Of course, these weren't directed at Jiang Qiao, but at the Fire Moth higher-ups.

—As the primary hero who defeated the Second Herrscher, Elysia had a very high reputation within Fire Moth.

Her outstanding abilities, strong social skills, and reputation made this hero of the Second Eruption a troublesome existence in the eyes of the higher-ups.

Perhaps letting her participate would indeed resolve the Nagazora Eruption as quickly as possible.

But to suppress Elysia's reputation, the higher-ups would rather let the soldiers below shed more blood than let Elysia appear on the battlefield again.

They would even be happy to see more bloodshed in this process.

This way, while the Fire Moth warriors were fighting bloody battles outside, the hero of the last Eruption wouldn't participate in the fight.

Even if Elysia later explained that she was following the higher-ups' orders, Fire Moth could use other excuses to appease the dissatisfied warriors below.

And Elysia, even if she wasn't labeled as cowardly, her reputation gained from the Second Eruption would plummet, and the interpersonal relationships she had cultivated, which gave the higher-ups headaches, might also suffer.

When it came to suppressing their own people, the Fire Moth higher-ups were masters of calculation.

Soldiers were like sharp knives.

And if the knife's reputation was too great, using and handling it would become extremely difficult, and it might even hurt oneself.

To better control Elysia, this knife, and make her the puppet they envisioned, they made this decision.

MEI sighed: "By the way, I heard that Dr. Mobius stormed out of the meeting when she learned about this decision."

Such disrespectful behavior in a high-level meeting, she estimated that Mobius's lab would probably be punished with budget cuts again.

The girl smiled knowingly and covered her mouth:

"That's indeed something Dr. Mobius would do. I can almost imagine her angry little expression when she returns to the lab."

"But those people above are really troublesome."

Sighing, although the pink-haired girl's words didn't reveal any negative emotions like anger, mostly helplessness and speechlessness, MEI could hear the dissatisfaction in her words.

She also sighed:

"We have to find a way to solve this problem later. Suffering such 'friendly fire' is too much."

MEI, who was just an innocent young girl not long ago, couldn't help but feel overwhelmed after experiencing the heavy-handedness of the Fire Moth higher-ups.

Working with these insects was truly unbearable.

Even the extremely rational MEI had to admit the necessity of the measures Jiang Qiao mentioned to deal with these troublemakers later.

"Forget it, I don't want to think about those annoying things. MEI, smile more, be happy. Getting angry is bad for your skin."

"…In this situation, how can you expect me to smile?"

MEI glanced at her and sighed.

Although they had done their best to control the situation, this Third Eruption had just begun.

"Alright, alright~ I sense a strong Honkai energy reaction in the center of Nagazora City~ I'll go check it out."

The girl chuckled, a smile playing on her lips.

—He wasn't Elysia.