Still in Changkong City—large cities were becoming increasingly rare due to the Honkai.
"Tiannuo, where are we going? Are we heading out to fight Honkai beasts?" Kiana asked excitedly.
"Yeah, we're going to sweep the city for Honkai beasts. The number of them there isn't as high as before, but there are still scattered beasts roaming the streets. Good live targets for your training." Chen Tiannuo replied kindly.
"What about Instructor Himeko? Why are you leading this mission?" Kiana looked around but didn't see Himeko anywhere.
"She didn't tell you?"
"Nope. Instructor Himeko only said someone would be leading us today and that it would be a surprise." Kiana pouted. "Didn't think it'd be you—but I guess that is a surprise."
"Aww come on, just because I recruited Yae Sakura into the academy and put her in your class doesn't mean you have to make that face." Chen Tiannuo had learned later that the three of them had fought Yae Sakura back in Changkong City.
"Besides, aren't you all getting along now?"
"Hmph."
"Tonight—food street," Chen Tiannuo raised a finger and sighed. "My treat."
"Deal!" Kiana lit up immediately.
"I knew it." Chen Tiannuo smiled. He was clearly being baited, but he didn't mind. Kiana just wanted to hang out. After all the fighting, a bit of fun sounded good.
"Ehehe~" Kiana scratched her head and laughed.
"It's not like I don't let you go out. Do you really have to act like this every time? I can see right through you." Chen Tiannuo gently tapped her head with a helpless look.
"Kiana." Mei walked up beside her.
"Hm? What is it, Mei?" Kiana turned and hugged her.
"I'm a little worried about Instructor Himeko's health."
"You don't need to worry about Himeko. She's just using Stigmata like she used to. With her body, she can hold out for five or six more years—and besides, she's got me helping her." Chen Tiannuo said with full confidence—the pride of a Tenno warrior. He had already mastered death; to him, it was nothing.
"Really?" Mei asked uncertainly.
"Why would I lie?" Chen Tiannuo looked serious as the aircraft approached. "Alright, enough talk. Time to move."
"Yes, captain." Kiana and the others responded.
Chen Tiannuo's body dissolved into a stream of blue light, disappearing into the aircraft's cabin—he had linked his consciousness to his Warframe.
Inside the transport, Kiana, Mei, and Bronya double-checked their gear and sat, awaiting deployment.
"Prepare for landing."
...
Back here again. Chen Tiannuo looked at the familiar streets, remembering how weak his Warframe had been last time. Even then, he had easily taken down a pseudo-Herrscher. Now that his Warframe was fully maxed, there weren't many enemies—outside of actual Herrscher-level threats—that could give him trouble.
Kiana and the others stared at the changed Changkong City in surprise. Back when they'd escaped the city, it was crawling with zombies. Even though they didn't run into many Honkai beasts back then, escaping had still been a struggle—saved only by Himeko's team.
Chen Tiannuo sent a tactical map to everyone.
"Bronya, you'll lead the team to Area One."
"Bronya understands."
"Kiana, you take Area Two. That area likely has more zombies, so be careful."
"Yes!"
"Mei, you'll lead the team to Area Three. That area has more Honkai beasts. Be careful, and don't get hurt."
"Understood."
"If you encounter danger, press the emergency beacon—I'll come immediately. I've double-checked your equipment. I'll be clearing Area Four. If you want to regroup, wait until your teams are together."
"Once the mission is complete, we'll meet back here. Move out!"
...
Area One
Bronya, wearing her Battlesuit, operated Project Bunny 19C and wiped out all Honkai beasts roaming the area.
She double-checked the zone to make sure there were no remaining beasts or zombies.
...
Area Two
Kiana, clad in White Comet, defeated the zombies ahead.
"This is easy! I thought it'd be harder."
"Guess I'll go find Mei afterward." Kiana sheathed her weapon confidently.
...
Area Three
Mei dodged the Honkai beasts' attacks, rolled forward, and struck with her sword, finishing the last beast.
"Phew~ All clear. Time to head to the meeting point and rest."
...
Chen Tiannuo had long since finished clearing his area and was now sweeping the battlefield.
He collected Honkai beast corpses, curious if he could use them as biomass substitutes for Warframe components—since they were abundant and easy to obtain.
He kept collecting anything that seemed usable. Different worlds meant different material data, after all.
Looking at the data from his scanner, Chen Tiannuo almost lost it. "Damn it! What the hell can I use to replace Neural Sensors for Nyx Prime?!"
He continued scanning the brain structures of various Honkai beasts. Surely they had neurons—if so, they could be substituted.
"Ugh~ whatever. I'll ask Bronya later if she knows of any viable materials."
He stopped scanning for now. Honkai beasts all scanned similarly, and his scanner was running low—he'd have to fabricate more later.
Heading to the rendezvous point, he was surprised to see everyone already there.
"Wait... how are they all here already? I was the fastest!" Then he realized—he must've lost too much time scanning for materials.
"You guys already finished?" Chen Tiannuo exited Excalibur and asked Mei.
"Yes. We've checked every zone—no remaining Honkai beasts or zombies." Mei replied.
"Hehe~ we're awesome, huh?" Kiana leaned in proudly.
"Yes, yes, you're the best," Chen Tiannuo rolled his eyes and played along.
"Why were you so late? Did you run into something tough?" Mei asked with concern.
"Uh, not really. I was just gathering some materials. Took longer than I thought." Chen Tiannuo shook his head, then turned to Bronya. "Bronya, don't Honkai beasts have neurons?"
"Bronya has not seen any records of neurons in Honkai beasts in the database," she replied, searching her display via Project Bunny 19C.
"Figures~" Chen Tiannuo smacked his lips, giving up on the idea of replacing Nyx Prime's Neural Sensors with beast brains.
"Why do you ask?" Bronya tilted her head.
"I need neurons to craft certain Warframe parts. Normal neurons won't do. I figured if Honkai beasts had any, I could use those instead."
"You need high-integrity neurons, correct?" Bronya confirmed.
"Right. Do you have any ideas?" Chen Tiannuo asked, intrigued.
"Yes. I might have a lead." Bronya pointed to something on her display...