[Woo woo woo woo——]
The sound of the train's departure whistle once again echoed in people's ears as the pitch-black 'Steel Fortress' slowly rolled out of the open city gate with a clattering noise.
On both sides of the tracks, a large number of civilians continued to cheer and bid farewell to the Hunter Group and Amatori Biba.
Everyone had witnessed yesterday's battle, and those who hadn't seen it firsthand had heard about it from many others. When the Hunter Group truly lived up to the rumors, engaging in direct combat with the Kabane in the wild and returning victorious, their already worshipful admiration grew even stronger.
"Ara, are you two from Europa? It's really rare to see you here."
In the last carriage of the white 'Iron Fortress,' passengers from Shitori Station curiously observed the man and woman who, despite wearing coarse kimonos, had distinctly different facial features and hair colors from those of Easterners.
"Yes, we're heading to Diamond Citadel to visit relatives and decided to take this train. Mainly because having the Hunter Group escorting us makes us feel safe."
The beautiful woman with flowing golden hair spoke while showing the most appropriate expression of admiration, which earned the agreement of everyone else in the carriage.
"That's right, that's right! Who would have thought that Lord Biba would be willing to escort us? Truly worthy of being the General's son, so kind-hearted!"
"Exactly, exactly! I already feel like we've arrived at Diamond Citadel—the sense of security is overwhelming!"
With just a single sentence praising the Hunter Group, Marta and Laskey, the two stowaways, easily gained the acceptance of the entire carriage and blended in seamlessly.
In truth, they hadn't expected things to turn out this way—the Hunter Group's 'Steel Fortress' had actually connected to the 'Iron Fortress' and was leading it forward.
But no matter what, this was indeed a great opportunity for the two of them. Now, all their key targets were on the same train.
The most crucial point was that the 'Iron Fortress' wasn't as strictly militarized as the 'Steel Fortress.' It carried a large number of ordinary civilians, which gave the two a chance to sneak aboard.
They had fabricated identities as residents of Shitori Station and descendants of Europa. After most people had boarded the train, they quietly slipped past the soldiers' inspections and entered the carriage.
As for the ordinary civilians, as long as someone appeared in the carriage, they must have been checked, so no one doubted the two.
Once the train started moving, even if soldiers came to inspect later, they would assume the two had been checked by someone else. There was no way they would stop the train mid-journey to kick them off.
Thus, Laskey and Marta finally had a comfortable place to rest. Moreover, since their carriage was at the end, it was convenient for them to move around in secret.
The only downside was that the beds were made of iron, cold and uncomfortable to sit on.
Given the crowded and noisy environment, the two didn't discuss anything serious. They simply stayed quietly on their bunks—Laskey lying there with his eyes closed, resting, while Marta chatted and laughed with the people around her.
"So everyone is from Shitori Station? I've heard it's a beautiful place. It's such a shame it fell into ruin."
"That pretty girl in the pink dress is your leader? Oh~ her name is Yomogawa Ayame? From what you all say, she seems like a really good person."
"Is Yomogawa Ayame the only one left from the Yomogawa family?"
"So, there's an uncle named Muye Daoyuan in Diamond Citadel? Isn't that a high-ranking official?"
Indeed, perhaps skilled at gathering information through conversation, Marta had managed to uncover some useful details in just a few hours of interaction.
For instance, there were two individuals on the train who, despite having Kabane hearts, possessed normal rationality—a boy and a girl who called themselves Kabaneri.
When mentioning them, the passengers, regardless of age or gender, showed a hint of disgust, or rather, fear in their eyes.
But who could argue when Yomogawa Ayame-sama had allowed them to board the Iron Fortress?
"So, those with Kabane-like traits are called Kabaneri?" Laskey thought to himself, still with his eyes closed.
"Half-human, half-Kabane beings... Hmph, seems unimpressive."
In comparison, he was more intrigued by the two peculiar long swords he had seen in the wilderness near Shitori Station. Apart from the golden-haired woman, Amatori Biba also wielded one.
The blades bore patterns resembling Kabane blood vessels. When first drawn from their sheaths, the luster was somewhat dim, but upon contact with blood, they emitted a fiery red glow and could easily pierce through the Kabane's Heart Membrane.
"Using the Kabane's Heart Membrane to counter the Kabane's Heart Membrane... This needs to be reported to the base. But once we reach Iwahato Station and regroup with the other teams, new orders will surely come down. We'll discuss it then."
Night fell.
Laskey and Marta did not take any action, instead opting to rest peacefully. They had already gathered all the necessary intelligence from the Hunter Group's Steel Fortress, and there was nothing on the Iron Fortress worth staying up for.
However, this meant they missed the 'conflict scene' that unfolded on the front rooftop of the Steel Fortress among the 'main characters.'
Meanwhile, at the Star Gate Base on the Oshika Peninsula, Senior Manager Addison was in his office, reviewing a document just received from the homeland.
The document contained instructions from the higher-ups regarding Amatori Biba, the Shogunate, and the Bio-Research Institute's important matters concerning Kabaneri, representing the World Government's significant stance on this world.
"Based on the comprehensive analysis of known intelligence, Amatori Biba seeks revenge against his father, Amatori Kokyo. He has captured a large number of Kabane and imprisoned them in the Steel Fortress, likely intending to destroy the Shogunate's capital, Diamond Citadel. He is also suspected to possess a 'Black Smoke Core.'"
"And the higher-ups' stance is to stop him!"
Senior Manager Addison was not surprised by this order. From the World Government's perspective, an intact capital holds far greater value than a fallen one.
As for whether Amatori Kokyo would remain the Shogunate's General in the future, that could be addressed later.
This was no issue. He had already notified the other CP9 teams to head to Iwahato Station to regroup with Laskey and his team, where they would first take down the Hunter Group and the Steel Fortress.
Additionally, to collect combat data.
Former CP7 member, now a newly promoted CP9 member, the Bio-Research Institute's first Kabaneri warrior, Steve Gus, had also set out with Team Leader Ron and six CP8 members.
They wanted to see the difference between their own Kabaneri and the native Kabaneri of this world. Originally, Dr. Fritz had planned to go personally, but due to numerous obstacles, he was ultimately unable to fulfill his wish.
"With this, the time for a complete showdown with the Shogunate of this country is just around the corner. Crocodile should also be nearing Yatsushiro Station by now."
Continuing to read further, the higher-ups suggested that the mass production of Kabaneri should be put on hold for now, to observe Steve Gus's subsequent performance.
For example, whether there are any side effects—these things still require time to verify. At the same time, they need to understand the Kabaneri manufacturing techniques of this world to see if there is anything worth adopting.
Not to mention, only those with sufficiently strong Haki or mastery of Life Return can potentially adapt to the Kabane Virus, which sets the bar quite high.
While this kind of combat power cannot be considered extremely rare, it is still not something to be wasted carelessly.
Therefore, they will discuss expanding the scale once the time is ripe!
Overall, the World Government still harbors some doubts about the reliability of Kabaneri, and Senior Manager Addison agrees with this sentiment.
After all, it is a power derived from a supernatural artificial biochemical virus, so caution is indeed warranted.