The trio from the Express exchanged glances before decisively taking action.
After a brilliantly choreographed one-take sequence, only a few Cloud Knights were knocked unconscious, while the others remained in a probing phase. Kafka lacked the ruthless efficiency she displayed against the Voidrangers, and Welt Yang didn't push his abilities to their limits.
As for Caelus and March 7th, they hardly engaged Kafka at all instead, they went all out against the Cloud Knights.
Seeing that the lackeys she had controlled were now all incapacitated, Kafka raised her hands in a seemingly resigned gesture, as if preparing to surrender.
"Finally, you're here."
Kafka fired a shot into the air.
The scene then transitioned back to the PV footage, where Fu Xuan descended like a celestial maiden.
The bullets moved in slow motion in her eyes. With a mere touch of her finger, their trajectories were altered.
Fu Xuan's grand entrance was nothing short of majestic—though by now, the meme about her height had long since overshadowed her imposing debut.
The barrage of comments took an immediate detour:
[Do you think Fu Xuan swipes a student card when taking the bus?]
[Probably rides for free, right?]
[If there are no seats left, can she even reach the handrails?]
[Hey, Fu Xuan's making such a cool entrance, and you're all fixated on her height? Though I heard she's only 1.1 meters tall, with all her shoes stuffed with insoles.]
[This is legit the first time I've seen a character become meme material the second they appear.]
—
Fu Xuan landed gracefully.
"Petty tricks. Your every move has long been foreseen."
"Fu Xuan of the Divination Commission."
"The prisoner is now under my jurisdiction."
Kafka sighed, dropping her twin pistols with an air of resignation.
A group of Cloud Knights cautiously surrounded her but didn't dare approach.
"Rest assured, Cloud Knights. You may take her away now. Nothing will go wrong."
Under Caelus' watchful gaze, Kafka's hands were bound behind her back—yet she maintained her smile, eventually nodding subtly at him.
"Is she telling me not to worry?" Caelus frowned.
Fu Xuan's arrival interrupted his thoughts.
"Members of the Express, though this is our first meeting, I have already foreseen our encounter. I am Fu Xuan, one of the Six Charioteers of the Xianzhou and Master Diviner of the Divination Commission."
"Guests from afar deserve a grand welcome, but as the heavens, earth, and man are misaligned, such courtesies must wait. Let us first attend to pressing matters."
March 7th whispered, "Do you understand what she's saying?"
"Even the interastral translator can't make sense of it…"
Fu Xuan's sharp ears caught their words, and the atmosphere grew awkward.
"Ahem! If you take issue with my manner of speech, you may say so directly."
Thankfully, the ever-diplomatic Welt Yang stepped in.
"We were entrusted by General Jing Yuan to apprehend the Stellaron Hunter. We appreciate your assistance, Master Diviner, but the prisoner must be delivered to the General."
Fu Xuan produced a document and handed it to Welt, explaining that Kafka would be interrogated at the Divination Commission—the only place equipped to extract the truth from her. Once preparations were complete, the Express crew would be summoned to observe.
Without further ado, the group set off.
—
The scene shifted to a new location.
Due to the Star Core crisis disrupting navigation systems, they were forced to land in "The Exalting Sanctum" instead of the Divination Commission. The rest of the journey would have to be made on foot.
"Hmph." Fu Xuan sighed, murmuring to herself, "The hexagrams shift between Dui and Kan. The boat stalls; the feet sink in mud…"
She seemed poised to divine the outcome of their impending trek.
March 7th watched her fingers dance and quipped, "I heard the Xianzhou has some amazing 'divination' arts, but this just looks like counting on her fingers. Like how I do math."
Caelus seized the opportunity. "You still use your fingers to count?"
"What? It's efficient! No point wasting ten perfectly good fingers!"
[Respect!]
[I'm saving this clip to replay a hundred times.]
[Hahaha, March is so adorable. But why can I picture her counting on her fingers so clearly?]
[Can't deny it—March's endearing idiocy is legendary at this point.]
—
After completing her divination and confirming the path ahead, Fu Xuan relaxed slightly. She then announced she would go ahead to prepare for the interrogation.
Caelus voiced his concern. "What about Kafka?"
Fu Xuan smiled. "The prisoner remains by my side at all times. Those are Jing Yuan's orders."
March 7th suddenly interjected, "This might sound rude, but—your General promised we'd be present for Kafka's interrogation, right?"
Fu Xuan clicked her tongue, her tone sharpening. "You doubt my word? I keep my promises!
"To make this criminal talk, the Divination Commission must employ… unorthodox methods. These are classified. I apologize, but I swear: even once preparations are complete, the interrogation will not begin without you."
To reassure them, she added, "I've assigned a disciple to wait for you at 'The Exalting Sanctum' plaza. Once arrangements are finalized, they will escort you to the Divination Commission. Please remain patient until then."
With that, she strode off.
March 7th scratched her head as she watched Fu Xuan leave. "...Did I make her mad again?"
Caelus deadpanned, "You even need to ask?"
"Oh, shut up!"
Welt Yang stepped in to mediate. "Don't worry, March. I think Lady Fu Xuan is quite understanding. She won't hold it against you."
"Really? She seemed pretty cold to me…"
Caelus crossed his arms. "The cold demeanor is just her shield."
"And I suppose silence is your shield, huh?"
"And idiocy is yours?"
"You—!"
"Alright, enough bickering," Welt cut in. "The Divination Commission will need time to prepare. Let's explore the area for now. Free time."
"Yay!" March cheered, darting toward the nearest crowd.
Caelus sighed as he watched her go, then turned to Welt. "Mister Yang, something feels off."
"Indeed. When we confronted Kafka, she seemed to know Fu Xuan would intervene…"
"I've heard others mention the Stellaron Hunters' 'script.' What's that about?"
"Elio—the leader of the Stellaron Hunters. No one knows who he is or what he looks like. The Interastral Peace Corporation calls him the 'Slave of Fate.'
"Rumors say he possesses the power to foresee 'possibilities.' Herta claims the IPC believes Elio can observe infinite branching timelines—an ability bordering on precognition, if not surpassing it.
"If true, then every seemingly random action the Stellaron Hunters take is actually a calculated choice among 'possibilities.'
"Including what they did to you. You're no exception."
Caelus looked up at the sky. "I'm different. I have free will."
Welt smiled approvingly before elaborating further on the Stellaron Hunters and Elio's role.
Eventually, he suggested they head to the plaza to find March.
"That crowd over there must be the plaza. Isn't that March?"
Caelus spotted her pink hair instantly and strode forward—only for a Cloud Knight on a stretcher to suddenly succumb to Mara-struck transformation.
"Everyone, fall back!"
A young Vidyadhara girl rushed over—and promptly knocked out the Mara-struck soldier with a swing of her tail.
She pulled out a gourd bottle. "Quick, make him drink this medicine so he stays down!"
Then, more Mara-struck soldiers emerged, surrounding her.
"I—I meant… make them stay down!"