"March, Stelle! Time to wake up. We'll meet in the hotel restaurant in thirty minutes."
Early the next morning, Dan Heng woke up as usual. He knocked on the others' doors one by one to remind them, then left first.
"Mmm, March, you're squishing me..."
Stelle was curled up on the bed, drool trickling from the corner of her mouth, muttering and giggling in her sleep. "...Hehehe, March, you smell so good."
On the other side, March 7th had already finished washing up and applied light makeup. She looked at Stelle, still sound asleep on the bed, shook her head helplessly, went over, and cupped the other's succubus-like face. "Stelle, wake up."
"...Huh? Mommy Kafka? I miss you so much, let me hug you, hehehe..."
Stelle unconsciously grabbed March 7th's small hand, completely unaware that her expression had instantly turned terrifying.
This Stelle... whose name is she calling?
March 7th let out a light humph, her small hand pinching Stelle's handsome little nose. Soon, the latter, unable to breathe, frowned tightly, as if having a nightmare, and suddenly woke up.
"If you sleep any longer, we won't need to go out."
March 7th said irritably, "Hurry up, wash up, get dressed, and come with me to meet the others!"
Stelle drowsily got up. She felt her heart beating a bit fast; it seemed like she had just had a nightmare where something went wrong while playing with Kafka, and she got strangled to death by spider silk...
Eek—never mind, never mind. One must be dedicated and responsible in life. You can't like every new character that appears in a game; that isn't really like, it's just showing off and craving their body....
...
Dan Heng looked at the two people across the table, hesitating to speak. Actually, when she went to remind Stelle to wake up this morning, she had already discovered that Stelle's room was empty.
So where did Stelle spend the night yesterday? The answer was obvious.
Dan Heng didn't have any other thoughts about it; after all, he also hoped March would have another close friend. It was just that the closeness between Stelle and March stirred some memories in his mind that didn't belong to him.
Over eight hundred years ago, those five people on the Xianzhou seemed to be gradually overlapping with the figures of the current Express crew. Even Dan Heng himself was somewhat surprised by this coincidence of fate.
In the past, during his time traveling with the Express, he hadn't felt this way. But with Stelle's addition, it was like adding the final piece to those fragmented memories, and a sense of familiarity arose spontaneously.
Dan Heng silently drank the tea he had brought, feeling somewhat dazed for a moment.
"Dan Heng, aren't you eating?"
Just as he was lost in thought, Stelle suddenly looked at him strangely and asked with concern.
"Mm, to ensure the journey ahead goes smoothly, I will reduce unnecessary eating to avoid accidents," Dan Heng replied.
Stelle paused, then put down the ham in her hand and scratched her head. "Hahaha, that makes sense. Then I should be more disciplined too."
"What Dan Heng says does make sense. Generally, one shouldn't eat too much before an important operation..." Welt stroked his chin and put down his fork. "I'm also getting older; I should eat even less."
"Everyone, please don't let me delay your normal meals." Dan Heng felt somewhat at a loss for what to do for a moment. "This is just my personal standard; you don't need to impose it on yourselves."
"Whatever we didn't get to eat in the morning, we can make up for it in the evening." March elegantly wiped her mouth. "After this matter is over, let Dan Heng take us to a restaurant to make up for it."
"Sounds good to me," Stelle agreed.
Dan Heng smiled. "Okay..."
Tap tap tap—
Just then, the hotel door was suddenly thrown open. A group of fully armed Silvermane Guards quickly rushed in. Their target was clear, and their division of labor was orderly: shield soldiers were responsible for dividing the area, gunners were responsible for remote support... In just over ten seconds, they had surrounded the entire Express crew.
Stelle: ???
Th-this isn't right? Why have the Silvermane Guards suddenly surrounded us?
Welt and the others clearly hadn't anticipated this scene either. Considering the reason for all this was unknown, everyone did not draw their weapons immediately but instead waited for the other side to provide an explanation.
"Vile commoners from the Underworld, impersonating visitors from beyond the sky to enter Qlipoth Fort, lying in wait to assassinate the Supreme Guardian."
An old man in robes slowly walked out from among the Guards, his eyes indifferent. "Do you plead guilty to this?"
"Assassinate the Supreme Guardian?" Stelle was shocked. "Wrongfully accused! When did we ever assassinate the Supreme Guardian?"
Welt stepped forward, his expression calm. "Sir, could there be some misunderstanding? We are not people from the Underworld, nor do we have any reason to assassinate..."
"Save your words for the arbitration panel," the old man interrupted Welt mercilessly. "The Supreme Guardian's body was discovered in Qlipoth Fort this morning, and the last people to see him yesterday were your group."
These words struck like a bolt from the blue, instantly freezing Stelle in place.
Gepard is dead?
Wait, this isn't right? How could Gepard die? And doesn't he have some kind of resurrection passive... [Got it mixed up, that's his in-game passive.]
No, that's not the point. The point is, how could Gepard possibly be killed? The Supreme Guardian being assassinated? Does that make any sense?
Stelle knew very well that "Supreme Guardian" wasn't just a title; it was a symbol of strength. In Belobog's history, the first Supreme Guardian fought the Legion with a lance and his flesh and blood. And in the game, Cocolia was the pinnacle of combat power in Belobog!
Even if this version of the story is different and Gepard became the Supreme Guardian, with his strength, how could he possibly be assassinated?
Something's wrong. This is absolutely wrong!
"Mr. Yang, what should we do?" March narrowed her beautiful eyes and said in a low voice.
"Let's cooperate with them for now. If we can clear up the misunderstanding, that would naturally be best," Welt said.
Stelle scanned her surroundings warily. Suddenly, she noticed that one Silvermane Guard's expression seemed off. Her intuition told her this Guard was off.
The next second, Stelle saw that Silvermane Guard forcefully pull the trigger. Instinct made her pull out her baseball bat and block in front of her chest!
She could have dodged, but March and the others were still beside her, and they hadn't noticed this yet!
Bang!
Perhaps by heaven's grace, the bullet happened to hit the baseball bat, sparking brilliantly upon impact.
"Stelle!"
Welt's expression changed. The next moment, his cane appeared in his hand. A gravity field turned into a barrier, protecting everyone within.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
That single shot was like sounding the horn for attack. The other Guards joined the battle, unleashing their firepower towards the group.
Stelle shook her somewhat numb wrist. "I'm fine, the bullet didn't hit me. Mr. Yang, we have to run!"
"Run? If they don't give me an explanation, how can I face you all?" Welt's expression was cold. He lightly tapped his cane on the ground, and a terrifying gravity enveloped all the Silvermane Guards around him, pressing them all to the ground. The only one he showed any mercy to was the robed old man who had spoken earlier.