Miss Witch Doesn't Want to be a Diva

The armored train roared forward through the mountains, and when the searching insect swarm descended from the sky, a dense barrage of gunfire erupted from the train. Firelight covered the train like a spiked armor, pulverizing the approaching insect swarm into fragments.

The remnants of juice and blood fell on the mountain forest foliage as they traveled along, having encountered countless similar attacks, but fortunately, they were never large enough to stop the advance of this armored train.

In the afternoon, the black-grey troops marched across the land, and when they reached the signal's transmission site by evening, they found piles of burnt insect corpses stacked like mountains. The land for kilometers around was blackened by decayed flesh, and the air was thick with the acrid smell of burning.

Walking among these insect corpses and black tar, the foul stench and remnants made it unimaginable what kind of fierce battle had taken place here.

Finally, the team passed through heaps of wreckage and corpse fluids, climbing the inner hill to see the only relatively clean circular ground.

Here, there were many damaged and blackened armored vehicles, with the emblem of the Rescue Association covered in dried blood.

"Did we come too late?" the leading Iron Core Species couldn't help but ask as he looked at the scene.

"No, they should have survived." A tall and thin officer scanned the entire area.

"Although there are many remains here, the central area is almost devoid of them and is even relatively clean. Also, although many armored vehicles are damaged, there shouldn't be only these."

"So how did they ultimately triumph, or hold on?" someone in the team asked.

"I don't know, but we should search around. Perhaps we can find something."

Then, the officer leading the team instructed his subordinates to spread out and look for clues.

About half an hour later, the search members returned and reported to the leaders.

"We found this." A member said, handing over a piece of iron plate.

There was a line of writing burned into the iron plate with fire.

"We suffered heavy losses, but we survived. Thank you for your support. We will be in recovery for a long time and may not be able to contact you in the short term."

After reading this line, the leader handed the iron plate to others, then climbed onto an abandoned armored vehicle, gazing over this land, reflecting on the ruined world.

"They are indeed resilient... No wonder they've survived until now."

"Sir, what now?" a member beside him asked.

"It should be fine, with so many corpses piled here, you see, the insects no longer gather. What does that indicate? It indicates that even such a strong pheromone cannot rally the insects, meaning they can no longer pose a threat to this land."

"Let's record everything, and then we'll head back."

"And the whereabouts of Heshan Rescue Association?"

"That's not within my responsibilities. Leave them a way out." The leader waved his hand.

"They are incredibly weak now, even if we had good relations before, meeting now might only cause worry."

"This world is fraught with crises, leaving a good impression might help us when we face hardships someday."

"Let's go, head back."

Some people in the team still missed the technology inherited by the Heshan Rescue Association, but unsure of their whereabouts and with their own leader not too fixated on the matter, they could only regretfully return the way they came.

On the way, a few leading officers sat in the train discussing.

"After this insect swarm rampage, who knows when the next one will be. With the intensity this time, even if we encountered it, we'd suffer significant losses."

"I heard that over on the main city side, they've already started setting up observation towers along the mountain borders to monitor insect swarm outbreaks in the Eastern Region."

"It's really a pity. The past stronghold of Heshan Rescue Association was so sturdy, with outposts scattered like stars across the eastern mountains, and no one expected it to fall continuously within a few months, destroyed by the insect swarm. If even 10% of them survive this time it would be quite a feat."

"According to the scholars within the Alliance, these insects prefer warmer areas, so they are rarely seen in the north and are not very active in winter. The Heshan Rescue Association managed to migrate successfully thanks to several heavy snowfalls during the winter."

"The Fede Alliance's geographical position is more northern, with mountain ranges as barriers, making it difficult for them to invade. As long as we're cautious, they shouldn't pose a major threat to us."

The train's rumble continued, with many soldiers resting, leaning against the carriage. They had been marching for several days, exhausted, and although they didn't catch the battle, for an ordinary soldier, that might not be a bad thing. Now that the insect swarm had dissipated, they relaxed their guard and could fall asleep on the noisy, swaying train.

The sky darkened once more, and then the train entered the mountains, gradually disappearing into the night.

South of the Wilderness, the ordinarily tranquil valley became quite bustling. The surviving members of the Heshan Rescue Association were camping on the open ground within the valley. At the entrance, armored vehicles formed a temporary wall, safeguarding the interior.

The tall figure of leader Moose walked among the campfires, handing over prepared meals to those members sitting by the fires, treating wounds, and resting. Meanwhile, Mimi of the Cat Tail Species led several companions busy at a makeshift kitchen, skillfully stirring the food in a pot with a ladle and occasionally adding some cut ingredients.

On a platform on the mountain wall, Sura, Flan, and other members of the Heshan Rescue Association were discussing resettlement plans.

"I checked the black oil stored in the cave. If we filter and treat it, we can use it in the armored vehicles, though we'll need to clear soot and repair them at intervals." A member of the Rescue Association said, holding a handwritten board with marked supply quantities.