Dimensional Codex System: I'm really not a cultist!

It turns out that in the face of overwhelming odds, even the protagonist's aura can't hold.

Though Shupard led the soldiers fiercely in battle, the Reaper attack came too swiftly and prepared too thoroughly. Now, Shupard and the others can only hide amidst the city's ruins, using the terrain to fight a defensive battle against the enemy. There's nowhere else they can go.

The sky is filled with those red spherical drones of the Reapers, and the Star Alliance's support can't reach them. Even with all the bravery and fearlessness of Shupard and her soldiers, they can't change the fact that they are running out of ammunition.

"Retreat, retreat!"

Seeing the overwhelming number of Corpse Puppets ahead, Shupard felt a shiver down her spine. She took out the Corpse Puppet charging at her with a burst of fire and helped up a fallen soldier nearby. Then she kept shooting while retreating. Under Shupard's leadership, the crew of the Normandy and the remaining forces began to contract their defenses. To make matters worse, those damned drones were flying around everywhere.

"Commander, we must evacuate!"

"Are you kidding? There are so many civilians behind us!"

Upon hearing Kaiden's suggestion, Shupard shook her head. Along the way, when she gathered the soldiers, they also brought along civilians who hadn't had the chance to escape via the shuttlecraft. Many of these civilians were elderly, sick, or infirm. If they evacuated, what would happen to these civilians?

However, the bullets were running low.

Shupard loaded another magazine and touched her waist—she only had one magazine left. After she used this up, how would she fight?

At this thought, Shupard couldn't help but envy those girls from the Heavenly Dao Palace. At least they didn't seem to have this problem.

For some reason, at that moment, Shupard instinctively turned and glanced toward the garden. To her surprise, she saw the tumor growing larger, reaching almost two stories high!

"Whizz—!!"

At that moment, the tumor seemed to catch the attention of the Reaper drones. / Quickly Shupard saw several drones flying overhead and attacking the tumor.

"Bang bang bang!!"

A series of beams were fired, and the next moment, the tumor shattered upon being hit!

"No, damn it!"

Seeing this, Shupard couldn't help but cry out. She didn't know what Fang Zheng had given her, but it should at least have been able to help her. But now it seems that it hadn't even taken shape before being destroyed?

But soon, Shupard realized she was mistaken.

As the tumor exploded, suddenly Shupard saw a rather strange object emerge—it looked like a structure or the mouth of a huge creature?

"Whirr...…"

At that moment, Shupard saw that "mouth" suddenly open, then made a swallowing motion. The next moment, several figures emerged from inside.

"Whoa...…I definitely don't want to use this goblin gadget a second time...…when we get back, let Mr. Fang Zheng teleport me back...…"

"Agreed, it's really disgusting...…"

"It's you guys?"

Sight of Eiriri and others walking out with sour faces surprised Shupard. When they heard Shupard's voice, they looked over, and Eiriri waved with a smile.

"Ah, Miss Shupard, Mr. Fang Zheng said you seem to be in trouble, so he asked us to come and help...…"

As she spoke, she glanced around.

"It really does look troublesome...…whoa!"

Before Eiriri could finish her sentence, the Reaper drones flew over again, shooting at these suddenly emerged targets. But just in the nick of time, as the Reaper drones attacked, Natsuse, who had been standing quietly nearby, stepped forward and raised her right hand. Her blue radiant Shield appeared instantly, blocking the drones' attack.

Next, Tina raised her sniper rifle, "bang bang" a few shots, and the drones turned into fragments.

"Shupard, what's going on?"

Lieutenant General Anderson hurried over. Upon seeing these oddly dressed girls, he was momentarily stunned.

"Is this the reinforcements you mentioned?"

"Uh...…more or less...…but I can guarantee their strength is absolutely reliable!"

Seeing Anderson's expression, Shupard didn't know what to say for a moment. After all, these girls' appearances were quite misleading.

Therefore, Shupard didn't explain much to Anderson. After all, actions speak louder than words. Her words wouldn't change anything. As such, Shupard quickly stepped forward and gestured welcome to the girls.

"Thank you for coming to help. In fact, our situation is indeed dire right now...…"

"Hold on a moment."

Before Shupard could finish her sentence, one of the girls holding a parasol walked out, interrupting her, and smiled as she gazed at Shupard.

"Commander Shupard, I need to confirm something—are you making this request personally?"

"You are..."

"I am Tilia."

Tilia spoke while lifting her dress, curtsying to Shupard.

"Elder Brother authorized me to handle everything here."

"It's you...…"

Shupard had some impression of Tilia, as she had been by Fang Zheng's side before. Unlike the others, the girl in a pink dress holding a parasol often remained silent and smiled quietly behind Fang Zheng, seldom taking initiative. Thus, Shupard subconsciously ignored her—but wait, is she Fang Zheng's sister?

Anyway, these issues aren't important right now.

"What do you mean?"

"If this is a personal request from you, like needing us to escort you to a certain location, then I can agree. But if you want us, the Heavenly Dao Palace, to engage in battle with the Reapers here, that's a different matter altogether. Do you understand what I mean, Commander Shupard?"

"This...…"

Shupard certainly understood Tilia's meaning, but she couldn't make that decision alone. Hence, she looked uncertainly at Anderson. Noticing Shupard's gaze, Anderson walked over.

"Young lady, do you really have the means to help us?"

"If you are willing to pay adequate compensation, it's not impossible."

Tilia's smile remained unchanged, apparently unaffected by Anderson's words.

"The Heavenly Dao Palace has not formed any alliance with the Star Alliance, so if you wish to hire us, it's not out of the question."

That's simple enough.

Hearing Tilia's response, Anderson breathed a sigh of relief. He feared they might propose political treaties, which would be a headache. Though Anderson serves as a councilor in the Citadel Council, it doesn't mean he enjoys such political maneuvering. Seeing that this young lady's idea was to act as mercenaries, it clarified things. It's straightforward, convenient, and avoids political issues; even if questioned later, it's easier to handle.

"So, how much do you need?"

"We don't want money; the currency of the Star Alliance means nothing to us. We simply want...…"

Tilia rolled her eyes.

"The Element Zero, if you can pay us enough Element Zero as compensation, the Heavenly Dao Palace is willing to assist."

Element Zero?

Anderson was taken aback upon hearing this.

"How much do you need?"

"Five hundred thousand."

While speaking, Tilia gleefully opened her palm.

"If the Star Alliance is willing to pay five hundred thousand tons of Element Zero, the Heavenly Dao Palace is ready to help you recover Earth."

Hearing this, Lieutenant General Anderson immediately jumped.

"That's impossible!"