---o---
"Iron Golem, stop."
Dan Heng watched the Iron Golem step toward Boothill, whose head was still embedded in the ceiling. Fearing it would strike a killing blow without any sense of restraint, he quickly called out to stop it.
The Iron Golem, upon receiving the command, silently lowered its raised right arm. However, still worried that this uninvited guest might harm Dan Heng and Pom-Pom, it simply walked over and stood in front of them, using its massive body as a shield.
After a good while, Boothill, with half his head stuck in the ceiling, finally came to his senses. He pressed his hands firmly against the ceiling and, with a grunt, wrenched his head free, dropping back to the floor.
"Hiss... Son of a gun, which big baby ambushed me!"
Boothill shook the metal debris from his hair, then looked up at the Iron Golem, which was so tall its head nearly scraped the ceiling. The Golem's intimidating size made Boothill jump back instinctively. He whipped out his revolver and aimed it, pulling the trigger almost as a reflex, without even giving Dan Heng a moment to speak.
The moment the shot rang out, Dan Heng temporarily gave up on the idea of communicating with Boothill and swiftly retreated behind the Iron Golem. Pom-Pom, on the other hand, had been hiding behind the Golem from the very beginning.
A blazing tongue of fire erupted from the revolver's muzzle, and several bullets instantly struck the Iron Golem's head and chest.
Boothill regretted firing the moment he pulled the trigger. Putting aside the fact that he was here to ask the Astral Express for help, firing a gun in such a confined space, especially when his opponent was clearly a mechanical lifeform, meant the bullets could easily ricochet off its sturdy shell. If a stray bullet were to injure Dan Heng or Pom-Pom, he'd have a hard time explaining himself.
But in the next second, Boothill discovered to his astonishment that the bullets that hit the Iron Golem not only failed to ricochet but also left not a single scratch on its surface! It was as if the bullets had mysteriously vanished.
"What in the blazes are you, partner?"
The Iron Golem, which had been obediently acting as a shield under Dan Heng's command, turned hostile the moment it was damaged. Its eyes glowed red, and it immediately swung another punch at Boothill. In the cramped space, Boothill had no room to dodge and could only cross his metal arms in front of him, hoping to block the blow.
But he had underestimated the Iron Golem's strength. The moment the massive metal fist made contact with his arms, Boothill felt an irresistible force slam into him, followed by a familiar impact against his head.
Once again, half of Boothill's head was embedded in the train car's ceiling.
Pom-Pom, hiding behind the Iron Golem, couldn't help but cover its face with its paws, letting out a sharp squeal.
"Big guy! You made another hole! Can't you use something other than an uppercut, pom!"
The Iron Golem looked down at Pom-Pom with a wronged expression. Although Pom-Pom couldn't read any emotion on its face, when the Iron Golem reached out and offered it a poppy, Pom-Pom knew it was apologizing.
Helplessly, Pom-Pom took the poppy from the Iron Golem's hand and gently patted its arm. "Alright, alright, the Conductor got too excited, pom. It's all that passenger Fu Zhu's fault for only setting you up with an uppercut, pom! When he gets back, he's definitely fixing the train, pom!"
Dan Heng stood to the side, not participating in their conversation. His eyes were fixed on Boothill, who was once again pulling his head out of the ceiling. This time, to prevent the Iron Golem from inflicting further damage on the train, he stepped forward and summoned Cloud-Piercer, aiming its tip at Boothill's head.
"The hell..."
Boothill had just dropped back to the ground and muttered a curse when he noticed Cloud-Piercer pointed at him. This time, he wisely raised his hands. Although he was a cyborg, with most of his body replaced by metal, the Iron Golem's two punches still had his head ringing.
"Partner, there's no need for us to be so hostile, is there?"
Boothill offered a dry laugh, but in the next second, the tip of Cloud-Piercer moved even closer. He swallowed hard and finally gave in.
"Fine, fine, I lose. Even though, by God, I was careless, a loss is a loss. Ask whatever you want."
Dan Heng, holding Cloud-Piercer, uttered two cold words: "Identity."
"Galaxy Ranger, Boothill."
"Purpose."
"I want the Astral Express to help me get into the dream world. I can't get in without an invitation."
"Reason."
"In Penacony, there's a damn impostor runnin' around pretendin' to be one of us Galaxy Rangers. This might come as a shock to you, but she's an Emanator of Nihility who shouldn't even exist. I don't know what in the blazes she's doin' impersonatin' us, but the Galaxy Rangers will not stand by and let an impostor run rampant under our name."
Dan Heng stared intently at Boothill's face. Seeing that the rage in his expression did not seem feigned, he finally lowered his spear. More importantly, the information Boothill provided had genuinely startled him.
An Emanator of Nihility who was impersonating a Galaxy Ranger and had infiltrated Penacony... this could very well pose a danger to his companions there.