"The Express is in trouble?"
After hearing Stelle and March 7th's explanation, Himeko's expression immediately turned serious. "Hold on, let me try contacting Pom-Pom."
A few seconds later, Himeko's face grew grim as her phone displayed a message: Failed to send. The Express has indeed lost contact with us.
"You two go find Dan Heng and regroup with him. I'll request aid from the Xianzhou to see if we can salvage the situation with the Express," Himeko decided swiftly.
"Got it."
…
Changle Paradise.
For some reason, this place was in complete disarray. Corpses of Abundant creatures littered the area, and injured Cloud Knights were scattered about, as if a massive battle had just taken place.
Something happened here too?
Stelle was stunned. This was a residential district of the Luofu! Why would so many Abundant creatures show up in a place like this? Who was the current General of the Luofu, and how could they let things get this bad?
"Stelle, has Dan Heng replied to you?" March 7th glanced at her phone, her voice carrying a rare trace of anxiety as she asked.
Stelle shook her head. "Not since our last message. But knowing Dan Heng, if a battle broke out here, there's no way he'd just stand by. We just need to ask around."
With that, the two randomly approached a passerby who seemed relatively composed. "Excuse me, have you seen a young man in teal and white clothes with short black hair, around his early twenties?"
Passerby #1 shook their head. "Nope, haven't seen him. I was too busy grabbing valuable stuff and running for my life to notice anyone like that."
"Huh? Was the situation here that bad that you had to grab stuff and run?" Stelle was dumbfounded. If that was the case, this wasn't just a random incident—the Abundant Ebon Deer were staging a full-scale invasion of the Luofu!
Passerby #1 replied, "It wasn't that bad, but who said the stuff I grabbed was mine?"
Stelle: …
The two then approached another rattled passerby. "Excuse me, have you seen a young man with short black hair wearing teal and white clothes, about twenty-something?"
Passerby #2 thought for a moment. "There were a lot of vigilantes helping out just now, but someone matching that description… no. But you, the gray-haired one, you look kinda familiar. Were you fighting out there too?"
Stelle was utterly confused. "What are you talking about? Wait… could you tell us what happened here?"
Passerby #2 began, "Here's how it went…"
About one system hour ago, Changle Paradise had been peaceful and serene. But suddenly, a passerby went berserk and pounced on the nearest unlucky soul like a ravenous ghost, biting and tearing at them.
The onlookers were shocked by the behavior, but unsure if it was some kind of street prank, no one screamed or fled immediately. And because of the classic "if you didn't bite anyone, why call the Cloud Knights?" logic, no one dared summon the Cloud Knights right away either. That's when the tragedy unfolded.
The bitten passerby, under the gaze of the crowd, transformed into a mara-struck being. Along with the initial attacker, they began biting others. Anyone injured by them turned into mindless, biting monsters in a matter of moments…
"Hold on." Stelle raised a hand, interrupting Passerby #2 with a deadpan expression. "I know this movie. But your story has more plot holes than the film does."
Passerby #2 scratched their head awkwardly. "Uh… I only showed up later, so the earlier stuff is just what I heard from others… But you, miss, I swear I saw you in the middle of the chaos. Weren't you the one wielding a flaming lance?"
Stelle: ???
What the heck? Did this guy just cross over from another world or something?!
Where would she even get a lance, let alone a flaming one?
March 7th's first reaction was disbelief, but then she recalled something from yesterday when they'd just arrived at the Xianzhou and entered the Palace of Astrum. A staff member had mentioned:
—"Some person who looked exactly like your gray-haired companion stormed in, demanding we all get extended work hours. We had to carry them out."
Maybe that wasn't just a coincidence… Could there really be someone else?
March 7th was certain that the Stelle standing beside her right now was the real deal. But who was this person the passerby saw earlier?
"…Alright, alright, thank you so much. Bye now."
Stelle pulled March 7th aside, exasperated. "This is so weird, March. I'm right here, aren't I? I didn't go anywhere, so how could someone have seen me here? Seriously…"
"Don't worry."
March 7th tightly gripped Stelle's hand and said softly, "I believe you."
She could tell Stelle's thoughts were in disarray. March didn't care about the reasons—she just wanted the person by her side to stay there. That was enough.
"…Yeah, I get it. I get it."
…
The two asked a few more passersby. While they didn't get any leads on Dan Heng's whereabouts, they gradually pieced together what had happened here.
The real story was somewhat similar to what Passerby #2 had described: initially, it wasn't just one crazed person attacking others—it was a group of them.
After this group of frenzied individuals assaulted several passersby, the Cloud Knights finally arrived. It was at that moment that the attackers succumbed to mara, transforming into mindless, pain-immune monsters.
As for the so-called "contagious attacks," that was nonsense. If it were true, by the time Stelle and March 7th arrived, the entire Changle Paradise would've been locked down by the Cloud Knights, with civilians evacuated and orbital cannons deployed to clean up the mess.
As for the person who looked identical to Stelle—let's call them the "lookalike" for now—they definitely existed.
The only problem was… this "lookalike" seemed to be on the same side as the Abundance. During the recent chaos, they were fighting the Cloud Knights with particular gusto.
If it weren't for the fact that passersby noted the two looked vastly different in demeanor, they probably would've called the Cloud Knights to arrest Stelle already.
"You're saying I look totally different from that person? In what way?" Stelle asked, puzzled.
Passerby #3 sized Stelle up and cautiously said, "Don't get mad if I tell you, okay?"
Stelle found it almost amusing. Mad? Would she get mad? Was she that petty?
"Go ahead and say it. I promise I won't get mad," Stelle said.
"Well… compared to that person, you seem… uh, more innocent, you know? Like a college student vibe."
"You could've just said I seem clueless instead of beating around the bush…"
"And another thing: that person who looked like you was way more ruthless. Crueler, even."
"When they were stabbing people in the butt, they didn't hesitate for a second."