Ding ding ding...
In the Astral Express's observation car, a planet that was once connected by the Star Rail suddenly dimmed. The rail leading to this dim planet collapsed along with it, and the entire planet vanished from the star chart. A dark, empty patch now marred the previously illuminated region.
---o---
Xianzhou Luofu
"It's starting..."
Kafka sat on a sofa, looking at the Interastral Peace Corporation's shopping website on her phone, a faint smile playing on her lips.
"What is it? Smiling so cheerfully. Did you go take secret pictures of someone again?"
Silver Wolf casually rested her head on Kafka's lap. She continued to play the intense game in her hands while roasting Kafka.
"Hehe, Little Wolfie, there you go again."
Looking at the game Silver Wolf was playing, a mischievous smile touched Kafka's red lips.
"What? What did I start? Wasn't it you who... Wait! Why is it lagging!"
Silver Wolf, who had been about to launch into a full-on verbal assault against Kafka, was thrown into a panic when the game in her hands suddenly froze.
"This shouldn't be happening. I specifically boosted the network here. How could there be latency! My loot that just dropped!!!"
"Hehehe..."
Gently stroking the head of the tearful, tantrum-throwing Silver Wolf on her lap, Kafka already knew everything.
The game Silver Wolf was playing was, after all, produced by the Corporation...
"Ah! Why can't I log in anymore! Useless IPC trash! What the hell did you do!"
Realizing something was seriously wrong, Silver Wolf clenched her small fists.
"Come now~"
Kafka gently wiped Silver Wolf's face, which looked like that of a crying kitten.
"Ngh... Hmph! How dare they screw me over! I'm going to directly hack into the Corporation and see what they're up to!"
Her face slightly flushed, Silver Wolf stubbornly tilted her chin up and began to reverse-hack the Corporation through the game... only to find nothing.
"Huh? Don't tell me they shut down the main server? Why can't I connect?"
Continuously searching for a connection pathway, Silver Wolf stared at the interface before her in confusion. This shouldn't be happening.
"Little Wolfie, have I ever told you that the script has changed?"
Kafka rested her chin on her hand, a faint smile on her face as she looked at the bewildered Silver Wolf.
"Yeah, you did, but what does that have to... Wait, you mean..."
Silver Wolf shot a horrified glance at Kafka, then her little hands began flying across her console, Prometheus.
"This game's parent company is the Corporation, but its subsidiary is a gaming company on Punklorde..."
Gritting her teeth, Silver Wolf's expression soured as she looked at the "Access Denied" message.
"Access denied... still access denied..."
Her hands flew as she searched for anything and everything related to Punklorde, but every result came back as "Access Denied"...
"The location for the newest script... is Punklorde?"
Silver Wolf looked at Kafka in disbelief, a hint of shock in her gray eyes.
"Mhm, you guessed it."
Closing her eyes, Kafka gave a slight nod.
"But... but I just got back from there last week! How could it be so fast... And, why Punklorde?"
Silver Wolf was a little flustered. Although in her mind, Punklorde was just another dungeon she had already cleared in the game of her life, but...
"So, is this why you asked me to change the Astral Express's route earlier?"
Lifting her head, Silver Wolf looked directly into Kafka's vacant eyes.
"...That's right. But by now, the Express should have already received the Corporation's request. After all, for those people, inviting the Express to rebuild a Star Rail is the most economical solution."
"Kafka..."
"Hm?"
"You villain! Why didn't you tell me sooner!"
"Hmph hmph~"
---o---
"I see... I understand. Thank you, Asta."
Himeko put down her phone. Gazing out at the Xianzhou, she let out a quiet sigh.
"Big Sis Himeko? What happened?"
Seeing Himeko's worried expression, March 7th couldn't help but ask with concern.
"Little March... Never mind. I'll send a message to the group chat in a moment. We may need to convene a train meeting."
Himeko's expression was extremely serious as she spoke to March.
"Passenger Tingyun, does this really make the drink taste better?"
Pom-Pom watched Tingyun add a "secret ingredient" at the drink counter. The conductor rubbed their round head, looking very confused.
"Hehe~ Of course it does. Would the cute Conductor like to try some?"
Tingyun squatted down and handed the milkshake in her hand to the eagerly awaiting Pom-Pom.
"Oh!"
Taking the milkshake, Pom-Pom first carefully examined its color, then bit down on the straw, closed their eyes, tilted their head back slightly, and took a small sip.
"Mmm! This is delicious, Pom!"
A sparkle instantly appeared in Pom-Pom's eyes!
If I can get my paws on this 'secret ingredient,' Passenger March will definitely stop being a picky eater in the future!
"Apologies for the interruption."
Before Tingyun could reveal the secret of her ingredient, she was interrupted by Himeko, who had just entered the kitchen.
"Pom-Pom, there is something I need you to see. Miss Tingyun, I'm sorry to disturb you, but as you are now a member of the train, your presence is required at the upcoming meeting."
Seeing Himeko's grave expression, Tingyun also realized the severity of the situation. She nodded lightly and followed Himeko toward the observation car.
Jingliu and Wende were already sitting on the sofa in the observation car, though Wende looked thoroughly disgusted, while Jingliu appeared unconcerned, sitting there quietly, having already forced Wende into a corner.
"Sigh..."
Seeing this, Himeko sighed and shook her head, rubbing her forehead. The train was certainly getting livelier. But perhaps this was a good thing...
Maybe, under her generation of [Nameless], they could re-establish the glory the Express had once achieved.
"Stelle and Dan Heng will need some more time to get back. I heard it's another internal affair of the Xianzhou, and it's related to the Dragon-kind."
Welt, who had just rushed back from the Artisanship Commission, reported to Himeko.
"I understand. The upcoming meeting requires all the Nameless to be present. We will wait for them to return."
Tingyun very naturally sat down to Wende's right, forming a "balance of power" with Jingliu, much to his exasperated expression.
---o---
"What on earth happened? This is the first time I've ever seen Himeko in such a hurry."
Putting down his phone, Dan Heng's face was grim.
"Um... Big Brother, why don't you two head back first? I'll find a way to handle the rest of this."
Bailu seemed to have noticed their predicament and thoughtfully suggested.
"No, our matter is not yet that urgent. Miss Himeko has already told us to prioritize finishing up here."
Looking at the sensible Bailu, a flicker of emotion crossed Dan Heng's cold expression.
"Okay then. By the way, Big Sister, do you know what was up with that General who came to help us just now? He clearly wasn't sick, but he acted like he was..."
"Er... maybe he's sick in the head."
Dan Heng glanced at Jing Yuan, who was still by the railing of the Alchemy Commission waving at the crowd, and decided to leave him with some face.
"In reality, he's probably just slacking off and pushing all his work onto Master Diviner Fu Xuan..."
Stelle crossed her arms, squinting as she roasted Jing Yuan from afar.
"Let's go. Stelle and I will escort you back to the Exalting Sanctum. The Seat of Divine Foresight will help resolve the remaining issues."
"Okay! Thank you, Big Brother Dan Heng and Big Sister Stelle!"
Bailu's little face was flushed red, looking utterly adorable!
"..."
Stelle awkwardly touched the back of her head. Looking at Bailu's cute and charming appearance, why did she feel a strange sense of crisis? How odd...
---o---
"Dan Heng and the others said they can escort the little doctor back to safety soon. They told us to wait for a bit," March reported to Himeko after hanging up her phone.
"Mm, that's good. I hope Asta's side isn't in too much of a hurry..."
Looking at Asta's final message of thanks on her phone, Himeko thought with a heavy heart.
---o---
"What the f*ck! What the hell are these monsters! What's happening!"
The once-bustling Neon City of Punklorde was now plunged into chaos. Countless people, corroded by an unknown power, began to uncontrollably attack those around them. Some hackers discovered this and tried to report the situation to the Corporation, requesting rescue teams for reinforcement, but the messages they sent out vanished without a trace...
All of Punklorde's communications were being blocked from leaving the planet by an invisible force. Soon, even the planet's internal communications were gradually being jammed.
BOOM!!!
Hovercars began to lose control and plummet to the ground like meteorites, snuffing out the lives of the people fleeing in panic below.
The once-brilliant and prosperous Neon City had now become a giant meat grinder for monsters. The city's security personnel and military tried to advance toward the city's core to investigate, but they were firmly held back by hordes of half-human, half-machine abominations that could no longer be called "people."
These things...
"Hold the line! Where are the hackers? Why aren't they doing anything!"
The security captain, his laser rifle continuously pouring fire into the oncoming monsters, yelled at his second-in-command.
Where were those hackers who were usually so eager to show off their skills?! Where were they in this time of crisis?!
"Sir! It's no use! All communications are down! Our team's hackers can't even connect to the squad next to us!" the adjutant yelled back, his face grim, his own weapon never ceasing its fire.
"Dammit! All units! Hold your ground! There's a large group of civilians that still needs to evacuate! We absolutely cannot let these things cross the bridge!"
"Sir, yes, sir!!"
---o---
"Mama? What's happening?"
A small girl hugged the leg of the person behind her. The sounds outside were so loud... so scary...
"Don't worry. I'm here. Nothing will happen."
The woman with short, dark red hair gently stroked the little girl's cheek. Gazing at the continuous flashes of fire outside the window, her expression was incredibly grim.
"Mm... if Mama says it's okay, then it's okay."
The little girl nodded forcefully, unconsciously rubbing her warm cheek against the cold, hard arm of the woman behind her.
"Good girl. Go back to sleep now. Your brothers and sisters are scared too. Go and comfort them."
The woman with dark red hair spoke softly.
"Then... what about you, Mama?"
The little girl turned her head, her eyes looking blankly at the person behind her.
"Of course, Mama is going to protect you all..." the woman said softly.
"Okay. Then Mama has to be safe."
The little girl gave the squatting woman a light kiss, then fumbled in the darkness, heading back toward her room.
Feeling the moist sensation on her cheek, a faint smile appeared on Veyl's face.
She didn't wipe the kiss away. Instead, she straightened the suit she was wearing and rolled up her sleeves.
Quietly stepping out of the orphanage's main door, Veyl looked at the gate and sighed softly.
"What on earth are those people up to? Causing such a huge commotion..."
Her willow-leaf brows furrowed slightly. Veyl turned to look at the mechanical monsters that were already eyeing the orphanage from beyond the fence and gave a derisive smile.
"Heh... all kinds of stinking fish and rotten shrimp dare to cause trouble at my doorstep."
A charging sound emanated from her bionic mechanical arms, and a flash of fire glinted in Veyl's eyes.
"ROAR!!!!"
The mechanical monsters leaped over the fence, roaring as they lunged at Veyl.
Veyl took a step forward. The outline of her long, slender legs was still visible beneath her suit trousers. Facing the swarm of mechanical monsters, she was completely fearless.
---o---
"Himeko, we're back. Sorry..."
Dan Heng and Stelle entered the train. Looking at the waiting group, they apologized to Himeko.
"No, we haven't been waiting long. Now that you're back, our meeting can begin."
Looking at the two who had just taken their seats, Himeko took a deep breath, her expression grave as she addressed the group.
"One system hour ago, I received a call from Asta. She told me..."
"Five system hours ago... a Stellaron erupted on a world along the Star Rail..."