When Dan Heng woke again, he found himself in an environment both unfamiliar and oddly familiar. Staring at the towering stacks of containers before him, he felt a moment of disorientation—was he dreaming?
What about the events on the train? Were those a dream too?
After a brief moment of reflection, Dan Heng gradually pieced his thoughts together: everything that had happened on the train was likely not real.
The situation back then had been so urgent that he hadn't had time to calm down and think. With the Conductor present, how could Blade have slipped onto the train unnoticed? With Mr. Welt there, how could Blade have had the chance to wreak havoc? Dan Heng recalled that roughly half a month ago, at the Herta Space Station, Mr. Welt had nearly taken Blade down on the spot.
These two points alone, combined with his inexplicable arrival in this place, convinced Dan Heng that the earlier nightmare must have been deliberately induced by someone.
"…The Conductor?"
Dan Heng suddenly recalled that before the nightmare began, the voice outside his door had consistently been Pom-Pom's. Realization dawned, and his brows furrowed slightly. Why would the Conductor do this?
Was this the Luofu? Did the Conductor send him here?
———
Yesterday, at the Palace of Astrum.
Ten minutes remained until the end of the workday.
After handling the final pending matter, Huohuo let out a long sigh of relief, slumping back in her swivel chair. "…Phew, these days are exhausting. Every little thing has to go through me. They might as well make me the General!"
"Hohoho, Big Sis Huohuo's right! They should make you the General—no, the Marshal!" Tail chimed in, seizing the moment to flatter her.
"Right, my foot! Being a General would be even more tiring, okay?" Huohuo slipped off her small leather shoes, propping her white-socked feet on the desk. "If I hadn't been so bold back then, I wouldn't have run off to some desolate mountain in the middle of the night, I met you, gotten spotted by the Ten-Lords Commission's judge, joined the ranks, and ended up slaving away in a place like this…"
"I feel like I've aged. Ugh, I just want to play a round of Empyreal Jade…"
Tail echoed her sentiments. "The new General is so unreliable. Always looking busy but no one knows what he's actually doing. It's why so much paperwork still needs Big Sis Huohuo's personal review. Bad rating! I'm giving him a scathing review!"
Ding-a-ling—
In the final minute before the workday ended, the desk phone rang, freezing Huohuo's expression instantly.
"Ugh! Aaargh!"
Huohuo clutched her head in frustration, her hair practically standing on end. "Why does this always happen? What's wrong with these people calling me? Over and over, never early, never late, always right at the end of the day… I've already stayed two hours late today!"
Tail instantly understood the situation. It answered the phone, mimicking its voice perfectly: "Sorry, your phone is out of credit. Sorry, your phone is out of credit. Sorry, your…"
—"By the order of the Ten-Lords, I am here to inform you: multiple locations across the Xianzhou have reported suspected heliobus activity. We request Helm Master Huohuo's assistance in eliminating these threats to the Xianzhou."
Tail froze for a moment before darting behind Huohuo. "Big Sis, it's the Ten-Lords Commission!"
"Tch." Huohuo took the phone with clear displeasure. "Can't this be assigned to another judge? I'm the Helm Master of the Skysplitter now, swamped with work. Where do I find the time to deal with some heliobus nonsense?"
"My apologies, Helm Master Huohuo. The reason is that the heliobus threat level is expected to be high, and the available judges lack the strength to handle it. We had no choice but to call upon you," the voice on the other end explained.
Huohuo's lips curled into a slight smirk. "And what about all the work I have on hand?"
"Please rest assured, we will coordinate with the Luofu General and transfer the corresponding duties to the Seat of Divine Foresight."
Huohuo's smile widened. "And how long is the deadline for this task?"
"As soon as possible, but considering the danger of this mission, you have forty-two days of discretionary time. Please arrange it reasonably."
"Deal. Send me the detailed intelligence for the task, and I'll keep an eye on it."
"Understood."
"…"
After hanging up, Huohuo's mood visibly brightened. "Tail, did you hear that? A whopping forty-two days of vacation!"
"Huh?" Tail looked bewildered. "But… don't we have to do the mission?"
Huohuo laughed. "Tail, you need to understand—sitting here all day buried in paperwork is like being a caged bird, unable to return to the sky…"
"But don't forget why I ended up meeting you in the first place. Danger? That's exactly what I'm looking for!"
"Ohhh! Big Sis Huohuo's fired up! I'll follow you forever!"
"Let me check the intel… Alright, first stop tomorrow: Cloudford!"
———
Back to the present.
"With all the Skysplitter's tasks off my shoulders, I feel like I've grown taller."
In Cloudford, Huohuo wore casual clothing. Ever since the Abundance-related monster attack, the Cloud Knights had completely sealed off the area. What should have been a bustling key cargo hub was now desolate, not a single soul—or even a ghost—in sight.
"Big Sis Huohuo, this place is huge. What do we do?" Tail asked.
"You're a heliobus, and you're asking me?" Huohuo poked the cyan flame beside her. "Go on, sniff out any heliobus aura and follow the trail."
"Ohhh, I get it! Big Sis Huohuo's so smart!"
"Hmph, enough with the flattery. That kind of childish praise won't cut it."
The human-heliobus duo ventured deeper into Cloudford. Due to the lockdown, containers were piled higher and higher, the terrain rising and falling like a mountain range. After about ten minutes of progress, Huohuo's ears suddenly twitched, catching a faint sound.
"Oh? Someone's fighting here?"
Tail noticed it too, turning to Huohuo. "Big Sis, my heliobus instincts are telling me something's off."
"Hmm, my instincts are saying the same," Huohuo said, narrowing her eyes. "Tail, let's check it out. Cloudford's under lockdown, so who could sneak in here and even start a fight?"
———
Is this really the Luofu? Why are there so many Abundance monsters?
Dan Heng nimbly darted between containers, occasionally unleashing a jet of water from his bronze gourd to knock back an approaching Abundance monster.
These creatures had incredible regenerative abilities, while he lacked the burst damage to finish them off. Without even a proper weapon, he couldn't land a killing blow. Their numbers were overwhelming—at least a hundred—putting Dan Heng in a bitter struggle.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Dan Heng caught sight of a petite figure swiftly approaching. Her movements were agile, effortlessly dodging the swarm of Abundance monsters' attacks as she slipped through the encirclement with ease, standing in front of him.
"I am Helm Master Huohuo of the Skysplitter. Young man, I'll ensure your safety."