Dan Heng walked to the train's door, where Pom-Pom had already been waiting for some time.
"Passenger Dan Heng, have you changed your mind and decided to disembark?"
Dan Heng nodded silently.
"Hmm… Pom-Pom understands. Some things can't be expressed through words alone.
Wishing you a smooth journey. After disembarking, please make sure to return before departure time. It'd be even better if you could bring back some local specialties, Pom."
At this, Dan Heng finally managed a faint smile. "Alright."
Dan Heng had once thought he would never again lay eyes on the sight of the Luofu's "Jade Gate."
Yet here he was. For the sake of his companions, he resolved to defy the ban and set foot on the Luofu once more.
Then, he pushed open the door.
A blinding white light surged forth, flooding the entire screen.
When the light faded, Dan Heng found himself alone at the Cloudford.
He immediately sent a message to the group chat: "Caelus, March, where are you? I'm coming to meet up with you."
But the only reply he received was: "Message failed to send."
"Can't get through… Network restrictions? Some functions still work normally?
Just like when I left—almost nothing has changed…
The Luofu in my memory, aside from the darkness, is only this place."
Dan Heng didn't dwell on it further. He put away his phone and pressed forward.
But before he could take more than a few steps, he spotted a young girl and a long-haired blond man surrounded by monsters.
They were none other than Luocha and Sushang from the PV.
Without hesitation, Dan Heng summoned his spear, Cloud-Piercer, and charged into battle.
However—
The monster in the frame was no ordinary foe. It was a "Shape-Shifter Elixir Master" from the Denizens of Abundance—a towering figure wielding a spear in its right hand and a shield in its left.
Moreover, the Shape-Shifter was accompanied by numerous Mara-Struck soldiers. Upon closer inspection, there seemed to be some kind of connection between each soldier and the Shape-Shifter.
No matter how much damage Dan Heng and Sushang dealt, the Shape-Shifter healed almost instantly.
Gradually, the two began to tire.
Just then—
Luocha, standing to the side, raised a pendant. Instantly, Dan Heng and Sushang felt refreshed, their fatigue melting away.
"What's this?" Sushang flexed her arm. "All the exhaustion is gone!"
"You two fought to protect me. How could I stand by and do nothing?" Luocha replied.
"Alright!" Sushang raised her greatsword, ready to charge again, but Dan Heng held her back.
"Wait. There's something off about this monster. If we don't find its weakness, even with healing, we're just wasting effort." As Dan Heng mentioned "healing," he glanced at Luocha.
"So, what do we do?"
"During the fight, the soldiers weren't attacked, yet they collapsed. Combined with that faint connection, we should take out the surrounding soldiers first, then deal with the big one."
Though Sushang didn't fully grasp the reasoning, she was thoroughly impressed.
With their coordinated efforts—and Luocha's healing—they quickly dispatched the surrounding soldiers.
The Shape-Shifter was soon on its last legs.
Before long, it crumbled into dust, vanishing into the air.
"Whew!" Sushang wiped the sweat from her brow. "Are you two alright?"
Dan Heng and Luocha exchanged a glance, then nodded.
"Glad to hear it! I'm Sushang of the Cloud Knights, recently transferred here from the Yaoqing! I told you not to get involved—blades and spears have no eyes. What if you got hurt?"
"If I hadn't stepped in, you would've been the one injured."
Sushang thought for a few seconds. That did make sense. "This whole area's under lockdown. I'm evacuating civilians—come with me, I'll take you somewhere safe."
She turned to Dan Heng. "Not bad with that spear! Which unit are you with?"
Dan Heng simply shook his head, saying nothing.
"Oh, okay. Well, you're a civilian too, so follow me. Uh… 'Mr. Silent'? What's your name? I need to log this—can't just leave it blank."
Dan Heng remained poker-faced.
"My name is Dan Heng. I'm traveling and was supposed to meet up with friends. No need to trouble yourself—I'll find my own way out of the port."
Sushang completely ignored this and insisted they stick with her to ensure their safety.
Not wanting to cause further trouble, Dan Heng and Luocha followed.
Suddenly, Sushang remembered something. "Oh, right! Later, you two can sign for me… I don't know that many characters, so I might write them wrong…"
[Hahaha, Sushang seems a bit… not the brightest, huh?]
[Gives off March 7th vibes—both big brains, eh?]
[Focus on the 'doesn't know many characters' part—what is this, a scholar-meets-soldier plot?]
[Dan Heng's the 'silent type'? Fits. Might as well call him 'Mute Bottle.']
[You'd better be talking about Star Rail.]
——
Meanwhile,
the perspective shifted to Caelus, who was showing off his phone. Aside from being unable to make calls or send messages,
gaming, browsing, and watching videos all worked fine.
After some discussion, the trio concluded that Silver Wolf was likely behind this.
Since they couldn't reach anyone, they refused to sit idle and decided to rendezvous with Tingyun.
"My, you've arrived." Tingyun habitually donned a practiced smile.
"Kinda feels like you're disappointed."
"Benefactor, you jest. This humble one was merely hoping to join you in capturing a Stellaron Hunter and claim a grand merit~"
Tingyun then explained that this mission would be fraught with challenges, requiring utmost caution.
March 7th couldn't help but grumble, "No allies, no backup, gotta fight a horde of monsters, and capture a Stellaron Hunter with a bounty big enough to buy a planet?"
Hearing this, Caelus lowered his head. "Isn't that just our usual routine?"
"Hah—so bitter."
Tingyun chuckled lightly. "Hehe, to say there are no allies isn't entirely accurate.
By the way, Benefactor~ shall we depart now?"
"Let's move."
With spirits high, the trio took their first step forward—
"Benefactors, a moment, if you please." Tingyun tsk-ed twice, and from beside her feet emerged a miniature lion dance figure.
"This… so cute!!!"
Caelus shot March 7th a look, and she quickly reined it in.
"Ahem, what's this little treasure? What's it do—leap up and chomp on Kafka's leg?"
Tingyun explained that to make their search more efficient, she had specially borrowed this treasure—
a mechanical hound named "Di Ting," capable of tracking people and objects.
To test Di Ting's abilities, the group ran a small trial.
The main takeaway? March 7th could communicate with Di Ting without any barriers.
...
After a segment packed with meme-worthy moments, the scene transitioned to the Stargazer Navalia.
Seeing the halted production lines, Tingyun couldn't help but sigh.
"The Luofu's internal and external navigation relies entirely on star skiffs. With the Stargazer Navalia's production lines down, interstellar routes will likely be suspended for some time.
Ah well. At least I won't have to accompany any diplomatic missions for a while."
March 7th rested her chin on her hand.
"Miss Tingyun, you don't seem all that concerned about the Luofu's plight, huh?"