Onboard the Astral Express, Hiko was currently sitting on the sofa in the observation car, sipping her coffee and looking over the daily progress report sent back by Welt.
She had to admit, Welt's punctuality in reporting back was a great reassurance to her. Even though the reports ntioned they had encountered one major incident after another, the fact that he was still able to report back on ti every day ant that the problems the Trailblaze team had encountered were still within a manageable range.
It was unlike their previous trip to Jarilo-VI, when she had lost all contact with Dan Heng and the others, causing her a great deal of worry. Fortunately, Fu Zhu had later co up with so new gadget that had sohow broken through the Stellaron's signal blockade.
"Hiko, what are you looking at?"
Just then, Dan Heng erged from the passenger car. His usual calm deanor was replaced by a furrowed brow, worried about his companions on the Luofu. The mont he ca out, he saw Hiko on the sofa looking at her phone and asked subconsciously.
"Oh, you an this?" Hiko smiled and turned, waving the phone in her hand at Dan Heng. "It's the daily report from Welt. You should have received it too, right?"
Dan Heng nodded, then imdiately shook his head.
"I only received Mr. Welt's report from yesterday. It seems today's hasn't arrived yet."
The mont Dan Heng finished speaking, his phone chid. He took it out and saw that it was indeed a ssage from Welt.
"Then have a seat and take a look. Their Trailblaze journey this ti has been quite exciting."
Dan Heng nodded, sat down in the empty seat opposite Hiko, and began to read Welt's report word by word on his phone. He hadn't been reading for long before his expression changed, and he shot up from the sofa.
His eyes were fixed on one of the pictures Welt had sent. It was a picture of Blade being apprehended. Even while being arrested by the Cloud Knights, he still wore a crazed grin for the cara.
"Dan Heng?" Hiko was startled by Dan Heng's sudden movent, wondering what on his phone could have provoked such a reaction from the usually composed man.
Dan Heng's brow was knitted tightly, his jaw clenched as he stared at the Blade in the photo. "The man in this picture… that's Blade, from the Stellaron Hunters. He's very dangerous!"
Hearing this, Hiko breathed a sigh of relief and said reassuringly, "Don't worry. Fu Zhu and the others captured him not long after they arrived on the Luofu. According to Welt, it seems a chanical life form Fu Zhu created back on Jarilo-VI was teleported over by Nous, and it single-handedly subdued this Stellaron Hunter."
"Ah?" Even Dan Heng was a bit dumbfounded by Hiko's explanation.
When did Fu Zhu create a chanical life form on Jarilo-VI? And how did it get connected to Nous?
But soon enough, he recalled the ti Fu Zhu had suddenly vanished. It was obvious now that he must have been summoned by Nous then. As for the chanical life form, he had no idea.
Just as Dan Heng breathed a sigh of relief, Hiko swiped through her phone and ntioned sothing else.
"Speaking of their experiences on the Luofu, they've been truly tumultuous. On the first day, they caught a Stellaron Hunter, and then by evening, they went undercover to get close to an organization called the Disciples of the dicine King, successfully learning about the Stellaron from them."
"What's a little worrying, though, is that the entity behind the Stellaron disaster on the Luofu isn't a Stellaron Hunter, but one of the Lords of Annihilation, Phantylia…"
"What?!"
Before Dan Heng could even sit back down, he was jolted by this news. A look of panic, visible to the naked eye, appeared on his usually calm face.
"I have to go help them." Dan Heng made his decision the mont he heard a Lord of Annihilation was on the Luofu.
Hiko looked at Dan Heng with so surprise. She never thought the usually calm Dan Heng would beco like a different person when it ca to matters involving Fu Zhu and the others.
What gratified Hiko was that she was happy to see Dan Heng care so much for his companions. This ant that even Fu Zhu and Xing, who had only recently joined the Astral Express, were considered family by Dan Heng.
But at the sa ti, it also worried her. In this state, Dan Heng was prone to acting rashly.
However, compared to Dan Heng's personal issues, the problem of Phantylia was clearly more severe.
Hiko couldn't help but frown, pinching her chin in thought. "Although there is a Lord of Annihilation on the Luofu, the Luofu also has one of the Seven Arbiter-Generals. In terms of power, they are evenly matched. You don't need to be so anxious, Dan Heng."
Dan Heng was puzzled and retorted with a frown, "Hiko, are you saying you don't support going to the Luofu to help them?"
"Of course that's not what I an." Hiko shook her head and gave Dan Heng a serious, appraising look.
"Although you've never been willing to say it, we can all vaguely guess that you have so history with the Luofu, which is why you were so unwilling to go there in the beginning."
"Dan Heng, I'm very happy to see you care so much for Fu Zhu and the others, but they care about you just the sa. They certainly wouldn't want you to disregard your own past and rush over to the Luofu in a panic. What if sothing were to happen…"
Before Hiko could finish, Dan Heng shook his head and interrupted her.
"This is different. Before, I was running away, but that only concerned . But now, it concerns companions that I may never et again in my entire life. Hiko, I request permission to go to the Luofu."
Hearing this, a gentle smile touched Hiko's lips.
"Now that you've put it that way, how could I refuse? Dan Heng, I'll leave the support mission to you. I'll look after the Express."
"Mm!" Dan Heng gave a firm nod and turned towards the exit, preparing to disembark on the Luofu to aid his friends.
However, just as he reached the Express door, Hiko suddenly called out to him again.
"Dan Heng, co back with them. Fu Zhu and the others will surely want to continue traveling with you."
Dan Heng stopped, turned his head, and his face was filled with an unprecedented earnestness.
"I will."
"Xing, Uncle Yang, what do we do now?"
Back at the entrance to the Sky-Faring Commission, March 7th and the others were still rooted to the spot. With both Fu Xuan and "Tingyun" having left one after another, she had no idea how they were supposed to proceed.
"Don't panic." Welt took out a small item sealed in a transparent bag from his pocket and handed it to Xing, who was busy training her new dog.
"General Jing Yuan already thought of this, which is why he specially gave this. He said we can let the Diting have a sniff, and it will help us track Kafka's whereabouts."
"Huh?" Xing and March 7th were both baffled. They were the ones who had captured Blade, and Kafka had yet to show herself at all. How could Jing Yuan have sothing related to Kafka?
Welt guessed their confusion and explained with a thoughtful hand on his chin, "This is what puzzles as well. Apparently, this was found in Blade's pocket. Logically speaking, he has no reason to carry sothing that would expose his teammate's location. I have a strange feeling about this. In any case, let's be careful. It's up to you now, Xing."
"Okay."
Xing took the item and held it out for the Diting to sniff.
The Diting sniffed it, then imdiately took off on its short legs in one direction. It didn't get far before it turned its head and yapped twice at Welt and the others, as if urging them to follow.
"It really works! Your nose is so good, little guy!" March 7th clapped her hands in delight and urged Welt and the others on.
"Let's go, we need to hurry and catch up!"
anwhile, in a certain assembly area on the Luofu, Kafka used her Art of Command to control the Cloud Knights who had accidentally discovered her, a faint smile on her lips as she watched them.
"Mm, so far, including these Cloud Knights, everything is proceeding according to the script. It's just… Blade…"
Blade being captured by accident was making Kafka feel that things were starting to go wrong.
According to the script, Blade was supposed to be "accidentally" captured today. But he had been captured a day early. It was clear the script was already being changed.
"I hope the script doesn't deviate too much…"
Kafka was already beginning to worry that after the script was broken, the fate of the Luofu and the Astral Express would beco completely different. The more she thought about it, the more she couldn't let go of that man nad Fu Zhu.
If not for Elio's repeated warnings before she set out that Fu Zhu was already an unkillable existence by the ti she arrived on the Luofu, she might have actually tried to assassinate this script-breaker.
"Sigh… one step at a ti."
Kafka holstered her submachine gun and prepared to head to the next location to await the script's progression.
However, before she had gone far, she suddenly heard several yaps from nearby. This made Kafka turn her head in surprise, only to see Xing, March 7th, and Welt erging from around the corner with the Diting.
Why are they here at this ti? The script has been advanced this much?!
"Ah! Found her! It's Kafka!" The mont she rounded the corner, March 7th spotted Kafka standing among the Cloud Knights.
Welt acted decisively. He raised the cane in his hand and slamd it on the ground. A large, dark purple gravity well imdiately appeared under Kafka's feet, trying to swallow her.
Kafka reacted quickly, stepping on a nearby Cloud Knight to use him as a springboard out of the gravity well, then retaliated by pulling out her submachine gun and opening fire on Xing and the others.
"Hmph."
Welt let out a light snort. He simply pushed up the glasses on his nose, and the bullets flying towards them suddenly stopped in their tracks before falling to the ground.
"Surrender, Kafka. Otherwise, be prepared to be torn apart by gravity."
Kafka didn't answer. Seeing her guns were ineffective against him, she expressionlessly tossed a few grenades at them, then turned to flee.
"Careful."
Welt imdiately projected a car in front of his group, absorbing the explosive impact of the grenades for them.
However, in that brief delay, Kafka had already run around a corner and disappeared from their sight.
Welt dismissed the projected car and looked in the direction Kafka had fled.
"March, you stay here and look after these Cloud Knights. Xing, you're with ."
Xing, however, shook her head. "Uncle Yang, the terrain here is too complex. Chasing her like this won't work. I have an idea!"
"Oh?"
"We'll do a two-pronged pincer movent… with cheese!"
March 7th retorted almost instinctively, "It's a two-pronged pincer movent, not cheese. You're making hungry."
"But this is the fastest way!"
Welt shook his head with so resignation and urged them on. "Alright, we'll do as Xing says. No more delays. Let's go."
"Yes."
Welt imdiately chased after Kafka in the direction she had disappeared, while Xing followed the Diting down another path. March 7th stayed behind to look after the Cloud Knights controlled by Kafka and call for reinforcents.
As for Kafka, who was fleeing for her life, she couldn't help but pull out her phone and speak to Silver Wolf on the other end.
"Silver Wolf, I need backup. The script has changed. Xing and the others are already hunting ."
"Got it. I'll notify Blade now."
At the sa ti, within the Alchemy Commission.
Dan Shu was busy with the commission's routine work, maintaining her disguise while waiting for news from either Fu Zhu or Phantylia.
But just then, a man dressed as an alchemist rushed in, shouting frantically.
"Mistress, this is bad!"
Dan Shu frowned and turned her head towards the sound. "What's the ergency?"
"Reporting, Mistress, it's the Ambrosial Arbor! The Arbor has been set on fire!"
"What?!" Hearing this news, Dan Shu shot to her feet.
The Ambrosial Arbor was their hope!
Although she didn't understand why the Arbor, a being blessed by [Abundance], could be burned by fire, if the Arbor was destroyed, then the long-cherished dream of the Disciples of the dicine King would be completely shattered!
"Mistress, what should we do?" the Disciple of the dicine King asked Dan Shu anxiously.
Dan Shu bit her fingernails, thinking furiously for a mont. Then, with a flash of ruthlessness, she slamd her hand on the table and made a decision.
"Although I don't know who dares to destroy our Arbor, we can't delay any longer! If we wait any longer, the Arbor will be gone! We'll proceed with the original plan imdiately! Make everyone around the Alchemy Commission fall into the Mara-Struck state and complete our deal with Phantylia! Plunge the Luofu into chaos! That will buy our plan so ti!"
"The Ambrosial Arbor is on fire. With Lady Phantylia's power, she will surely know. We will imdiately proceed to the roots of the Arbor and rendezvous with Lady Phantylia!"
"Yes!"
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