---o---
Mikhail? The Nameless senior that the Conductor mentioned, the one named Mikhail?
Fu Zhu hesitated for a moment, then cautiously asked Misha in a low voice, "Senior Mikhail?"
Hearing this name from Fu Zhu's lips, Misha was momentarily stunned. A trace of reminiscence flickered in his clear eyes, followed by a look of pleasant surprise as he turned to Fu Zhu. "You know Mikhail too, guest?"
Misha's reaction made Fu Zhu frown. Could it be that this "Mikhail" was a surname?
But that didn't make any sense. If it were a surname, the minimap wouldn't display it that way. Besides, the Clockwork Boy was related to Trailblaze, so it was highly likely that Misha, who was acquainted with it, was also related to Trailblaze.
"Mr. Fu Zhu."
Black Swan, who was standing to the side, suddenly called out to him softly. When he turned to look at her, she continued, "Although I cannot see those two 'friends' of yours, I must remind you of something. Your two friends are not real beings, but rather existences similar to memetic lifeforms. This type of lifeform is quite miraculous; it's possible they were unexpectedly born from the abundance of Memoria in Penacony. It wouldn't be unusual for them to have lost some of their memories."
Although Black Swan couldn't see Misha and the Clockwork Boy, from Fu Zhu's words and subsequent expression, she could roughly deduce that the "friend" in front of him was likely someone he knew, but that person had denied it.
With Black Swan's reminder, Fu Zhu instantly understood. To confirm if Misha was indeed his senior, the simplest way was to find Gallagher and have him verify it. He was the one who knew Mikhail best.
Having made up his mind, Fu Zhu turned to Misha and said, "Can you come with me to see someone? A person who might be a friend of yours."
Misha agreed without the slightest hesitation, a smile on his face.
"Of course, guest. It is my duty to serve guests. Besides, there is something about you that makes me feel a sense of closeness."
Fu Zhu nodded, then glanced at Black Swan. With great tact, she waved her hand.
"This is a private matter for you, Mr. Fu Zhu. I won't interfere. As it happens, I have some other business to attend to, so I'll be taking my leave."
"Alright."
After nodding to Fu Zhu, Black Swan turned and left. Fu Zhu wasted no time, taking out his phone to call Gallagher.
A moment later, the call connected, and Gallagher's somewhat lazy voice came through.
"What's up?"
"Where are you? Let's meet. I've run into someone who might be Mikhail, and I need you to help confirm it."
Gallagher's tone suddenly became agitated.
"That old man? Are you kidding me? He's already dead... Forget it. Give me an address, I'll have Meme come and get you."
With that, Gallagher hung up. Fu Zhu led Misha and the Clockwork Boy into a nearby alley and then sent Gallagher the location.
The three of them waited in the alley for a moment. Suddenly, Fu Zhu noticed a new marker appear on his minimap, its location right next to the wall Misha was leaning against.
Fu Zhu looked closely and saw the tip of a tail stinger quietly emerge from the wall, poised to strike Misha. Fu Zhu immediately stepped forward, grabbed the stinger, and with a powerful tug, pulled a massive monster straight out of the wall.
[Memetic Entity of the Memoria: Something Unto Death (Meme)]
"So you're the one called Meme?!"
Fu Zhu glanced speechlessly at the hideous monster before him. This was the same creature that had "killed" Firefly with a single stab. He never would have thought Gallagher would give it such an adorable-sounding name.
Suddenly yanked out, Meme let out a couple of aggrieved whimpers at Fu Zhu, then raised its tail stinger and gestured a few times at him.
"You're saying you wanted to stab us with this thing?"
Meme nodded vigorously, then made a motion as if to stab the space behind Fu Zhu, but he once again grabbed its stinger. He looked at Meme, his face a mask of exasperation.
"Why do you like stabbing people from behind so much? Even though a blade is the only thing that can stab a man from behind, it still feels weird. Could you please just do it from the front? Right, can you sense these two by my side?"
Meme followed the direction Fu Zhu was pointing but saw nothing else. However, as a Memetic Entity of the Memoria, it could faintly sense the presence of a "similar kind" nearby. It hesitated for a moment, then lifted its tail stinger and slashed at the wall, creating a deep purple rift.
Meme let out a few whimpers at Fu Zhu, then dove straight in.
Seeing this, Fu Zhu couldn't help but sigh and rub his forehead. "Seriously... since you can open a portal, why do you still like stabbing people so much? That pet of Gallagher's has some serious issues."
---o---
After a brief explanation, Fu Zhu led Misha and the Clockwork Boy into the rift. His vision was immediately filled with a scene reminiscent of traveling through a Nether portal. When his sight cleared, the three of them had arrived in another location, where Gallagher, Meme, and the rest of the Astral Express crew were standing before them.
"Fu Zhu!"
March 7th called out happily upon seeing him, then she glanced at Misha and the Clockwork Boy standing beside him, her expression a little strange.
"How come you always bring back new friends every time you return? Though, at least it's not another beautiful woman this time..."
March 7th muttered the last part under her breath. Fu Zhu didn't quite catch it, assuming she was just grumbling to herself.
Gallagher, however, crossed his arms and looked at the Express crew with a puzzled expression, asking, "New friends? Isn't it just Fu Zhu alone?"
Gallagher's words made the Express crew pause. They all simultaneously raised their hands to rub their eyes and looked again at Fu Zhu's side. Misha and the Clockwork Boy were still there, which meant what they were seeing was no illusion.
Welt frowned and asked Fu Zhu, "What's going on here?"
Seeing that Gallagher couldn't see Misha either, Fu Zhu was even more certain that Misha and the Clockwork Boy were special memetic lifeforms that only Nameless could see. The only thing he couldn't confirm was whether Misha was truly Mikhail.
After explaining the situation to the group, everyone turned their gazes in unison toward Misha.
Fu Zhu then turned to Gallagher and began to describe Misha's specific physical features. Among those present, only Gallagher knew what Senior Mikhail looked like.
After listening carefully to Fu Zhu's description, Gallagher's normally lazy eyes widened abruptly. He stared at the empty space by Fu Zhu's side and couldn't help but murmur.
"Old friend... is that really you?"