THE FALL OF SHANGHAI, circa 2019

A woman in a long coat approached the pale shipgirl standing on the balcony of the Sky Lobby of the Shanghai Tower.

"So, this is where I find you~."

The shipgirl didn't turn at first, simply swirled the bourbon in her glass, watching the storm-darkened city below. "Just getting one last look at the sheep before the slaughter."

"Oho~? I'm looking forward to what you and your compatriots can do!" The shorter woman's tone was playful, but her eyes glimmered with something more. "How soon should I get the popcorn ready? Oh! Oooooh, maybe we can make it a date~!"

The battleship rolled her eyes. "I decline. No matter how weak these humans are, I shall not make the mistake of overestimating. Your… date—" she spat the word as if it were poison, "—won't be happening."

The other woman's grin widened as lightning flashed across the stormy sky. "Too bad~."

The shipgirl closed her eyes and downed the last of her drink before placing a stack of human currency on the table—more than enough, but she didn't care. "If I thought you were in danger, I'd advise you to leave. But I know better." She turned, fixing the other woman with a cold stare. "Just keep yourself entertained. And don't get in our way."

The shorter woman giggled. "Teehee~! I wouldn't dream of it, scary lady~!" With a wink, she flickered out of sight, but not before pilfering a bottle of liquor from an unsuspecting waitress, her gaze lingering a little too long.

Mere hours later, well into the night, the storm grew into an unnatural typhoon. It moved too fast, swallowed the city too quickly. Despite the NSFC's warnings, the evacuation order came too late. Towering waves crashed over the harbor barriers and into the city, devouring entire districts in minutes. Streets became rivers. Thousands drowned before they could even scream. The flood surged inland, reaching the southern PLAN airbase.

High above it all, from the eye of the storm, the pale woman watched, her smirk growing as the destruction unfolded. And then—when the military finally mobilized—when the sirens blared and the survivors tried to regroup—the mist crept in.

The offensive had begun.

A light cruiser pushed through the current at flank speed, the floodwater lapping against her hull. The initial wave had passed, but the city was still drowning.

"Ning Hai, are you still with me?!"

The smaller girl nodded, blinking rain and debris from her eyes. "I-I'm still here! But I d-don't see any survivors so far!"

Yat Sen shook her head. "No, the only survivors would be the ones on dry ground, in the buildings. Let's get to the harbor. We need to check if the Yangtze floodgates were disabled!"

Ning Hai shivered, completely drenched, but forced enthusiasm into her voice. "Right!"

They pressed on. Neither of them knew just how much worse it would get.

At Ningbo Zhangqiao Airbase, south of Shanghai, a frantic officer burst into the command center. "SIR! Communications with—"

"I know," Admiral Liu Yi cut him off. "Dachang isn't responding. Communications failure. We'll get it back soon."

"No, sir. It's not that." The officer swallowed. "We just lost our forward observers on Zhoushan."

Liu Yi frowned. "What do you mean? Was there a second wave?"

"N-no, sir. They were under attack for a minute, but now they won't respond!"

The admiral stood abruptly, his chair scraping against the floor. "Pull yourself together. That's ridiculous. Attacked? In this storm? By who, Captain?"

The officer hesitated. "I... I'm looking through our remote systems, but I can't see anything through the mist!"

The vice admiral slammed his fist onto the table. "The weather is too poor to send aircraft, and we don't know if another wave will hit. We need eyes seaward." He turned toward the briefing room. "Commander Qi Lao, assemble your amphibious APC units. I'll grant you hovercraft support. The 3rd Armored Regiment will be on standby."

Commander Qi Lao stood and saluted. "Understood, Admiral. How long do I have?"

"I'll give you thirty minutes. Get me intel."

Qi Lao nodded and left.

Twenty-five minutes later, the company stood at attention in the rain. Vehicles revved to life, hovercraft loaded, tanks prepared to roll. The only reason they had finished on time was their rigorous training—and fear of what lay beyond the mist.

Qi Lao surveyed them. "Our homeland is under attack. The enemy—" his voice tightened with disgust, "—the Americans and their worthless allies—have used this storm to land on our shores. Our lookouts at Zhoushan have fallen silent. We believe the enemy has taken their positions."

He let that sink in before continuing. "Your orders are simple. Retake the island. Destroy the enemy. Protect our homeland. Now move out!"

"SIR, YES SIR!"

With that, the marines boarded their transports. Two minutes later, the formation disappeared into the mist.

In an abandoned high-rise, Observer hummed along to the song in her headphones, blocking out the chorus of screams, gunfire, and monstrous roars outside.

"Don't worry, be happy~."

She sighed dramatically. "Tch. Guess I can't get room service right now. Hmph. No way in hell am I giving a five-star review, not with what I paid for this room."

She glanced at her "guest."

"Well, it's a good thing I have company~." She grinned at the bound and gagged prisoner.

Light Cruiser Yat Sen glared back, her muffled words lost beneath the rag stuffed into her mouth.

Observer feigned a gasp. "Oh, how hurtful! Here I thought you were a prim and proper lady. I show you such hospitality, and this is how you repay me?" Her grin widened, fangs barely visible. "Or maybe… this is one of those human fantasies I hear so much about. I do have the tentacles for it~."

A single tentacle curled beneath Yat Sen's chin.

The Taiwanese cruiser stiffened, refusing to flinch, but Observer caught the flicker of fear in her eyes.

"No response? Feh. How boring." Observer sighed, stretching as if this were all so tiresome. "I thought I caught a shipgirl who knew who she was dealing with. But maybe you were just lost. Wrong place, wrong time, hm?"

She tilted her head, listening.

"Ah~. That's my cue."

She stood, looming over Yat Sen. "Well, no point in keeping you around any longer. Zàijiàn~!"

Yat Sen jerked against the restraints, eyes widening.

The tentacle struck.

Blood splattered across the floor.

With a flick of her wrist, Observer hurled the dying shipgirl from the balcony.

Fifty stories down.

She barely heard the impact over the storm.

Observer leaned against the railing, watching as the Abyssals corralled the last human survivors like cattle.

"Making your food run before you eat it? How original~."

Then—she felt it.

Her gaze shifted to the horizon, toward the sea.

Her smirk returned.

"Oh~? Well, I did promise to keep little birdies away."

Without hesitation, she stepped off the ledge—onto her rigging, now fully visible. The storm bent around her, rain sizzling against the construct's glowing frame.

She accelerated toward the ocean, a shadow in the mist.

"Let's see if she can keep up this time~."