Inside the Goethe Grand Hotel in Boulder Town, Dan Heng calmly sipped water, enjoying the rare tranquility.
He glanced at the time. Pei Guang and the others had been gone for nearly two days, and in that time, he had heard the roars of Fragmentum creatures from Rivet Town and the sounds of massive explosions.
Yet, Dan Heng hadn't stepped outside the hotel doors. He knew that, in the Underworld, nothing could possibly handle those three.
And with Pei Guang there, at least March 7th wouldn't end up destroying the entire lower city. So, no big concerns.
Every now and then, March 7th would share updates in the group chat—stories about receiving handmade dolls as gifts, taking photos with a giant robot, or capturing Pei Guang's dramatic moments with self-destructing robots.
"Hmm… interesting."
Dan Heng hadn't been idling the whole time, though. He had made a bit of progress. He'd been in contact with Oleg and Natasha, discussing the next steps and suggesting a few highly feasible plans. He also noted the various strange abilities Pei Guang displayed and recorded what the Underworld people thought of him.
Since he didn't need to follow them closely, Dan Heng had enjoyed this rare time of not cleaning up after others or being chased around the world.
"Timing's about right. They should be back soon."
Just as Dan Heng predicted, Pei Guang, March 7th, and Stelle finally returned to the hotel.
March 7th excitedly shouted, "Dan Heng, Dan Heng! We're back! We're going up to the surface!"
Even though Dan Heng knew everything that had happened, seeing the trio so happy made him smile. "Oh? What happened? Tell me all about it."
March 7th enthusiastically replied, "I'll tell you, I'll tell you!"
If it were any other time, Dan Heng would be wary of March 7th starting to talk, knowing that her stories could go on endlessly. But today, everything was so relaxed, he figured he might as well enjoy one of her tales.
So, March 7th began recounting their adventures. Essentially, they had upset every Fragmentum creature in Rivet Town. The creatures, however, seemed thrilled about it, leaving this world with five-star ratings reviews after their defeat. As for any future Fragmentum creatures? Well, that would be a problem for another day.
They also helped Seele and Bronya scavenge the orphanage, where they found some childhood keepsakes from Bronya's past and rekindled memories for Seele and the other children who grew up there.
They looted Rivet Town clean, helping the vagrants and people from the Robot Settlement recover important belongings that had been lost.
Additionally, they assisted the people from the Overworld by delivering unclaimed letters to the rightful homes and taking away items of sentimental value from those residences.
In the process, Pei Guang also learned how to build and fix robots, as well as craft and maintain weapons. For him, learning these skills was like when he first learned to repair mining carts—once he got the hang of it, it all came together with a snap.
If there was any disappointment, Pei Guang felt it while repairing machines and tools. Unlike in games, where you could just use a wrench to fix things instantly, here he actually had to learn how to do it. It was a bit of a bummer, realizing that true freedom didn't come without some effort.
However, Pei Guang also discovered that he learned things incredibly fast, almost like photographic memory. He chalked it up to his "gamer traits"—after all, it's common knowledge that players master things in no time, right?
Over the past two days, their experiences hadn't been particularly thrilling. Most of it involved scavenging and fighting. But March 7th seemed unusually excited and Dan Heng didn't quite get why.
The joy was simple: scavenging meant continuously accumulating resources. As they raided more and more homes, the stockpile of resources grew larger and larger. It didn't matter what they were collecting: watching it go from nothing to something, then from something to a lot—only those who had experienced it would truly understand that joy.
Of course, many of the items they scavenged were useless, so Pei Guang and the others planned to leave them behind for the people in the Underworld as goodwill gifts.
Some of the more valuable items were kept by Pei Guang, as Stelle and March 7th didn't have much storage space. For now, essential supplies were prioritized for Pei Guang to carry.
Dan Heng nodded, "Not bad… you've done well."
Though this was Stelle and Pei Guang's first time on a mission, Dan Heng had high praise for their work. Technically, as Trailblazers, they didn't need to get involved in local affairs—they only needed to complete their mission.
Discovering the unknown, exploring it, using their will to help, and doing their best to aid the people of this world while minimizing the crises that might occur after they leave—Dan Heng thought they had done an excellent job.
March 7th chimed in, "Hehe, I think so too! But we owe a lot to Pei Guang. Without him, a lot of stuff would've been super annoying to deal with. Oh, right! Dan Heng, get your stuff ready—we're heading back up!"
Dan Heng replied, "I'm already packed."
Pei Guang laughed, "I bet Dan Heng's been doing some pretty important stuff these past two days, even though he wasn't with us. Thanks, Dan Heng!"
Dan Heng smiled, "No problem. After all, we're a team."
Stelle added, "Exactly, we're a gang!"
March 7th beamed, "Alright then, let's go! Time to take down the Supreme Guardian controlled by the Stellaron!"
March 7th had completely forgotten their original mission and now seemed entirely focused on taking down the corrupted Supreme Guardian as their next goal.
Dan Heng asked, "So, how are we getting back up?"
Pei Guang explained, "The cable train we came down on is still operational. The plan is for us, along with Seele, Bronya, Clara & Svarog and a few of Oleg's Wildfire members to head up together. With Bronya there, it won't turn into a fight."
Dan Heng nodded, "True. As the successor to the Supreme Guardian, her presence should prevent any conflict."
Pei Guang grinned, "Alright! Let's go!"
In the Underworld, after two days of information spreading and resource gathering by Pei Guang and the others, emotions were running high. When people learned that the Supreme Guardian had been controlled—possibly even replaced—years of pent-up anger suddenly had a target. Many wanted to go up and join Bronya in defeating the Supreme Guardian… or rather, the corrupted Supreme Guardian.
However, because emotions were so intense, Natasha and some others stayed behind to calm people down, while Oleg led a group up.
Fight? Not really. As a peacekeeping organization, Wildfire's main goal was to ensure the Underworld's survival. Oleg's role was more about using his retired Silvermane Guard status to help them negotiate and support Bronya.
At the Overworld platform, a full squad of Silvermane Guards was stationed on duty. According to Pela, "This is to prevent any remnants of the assassins from escaping through the platform, so we've bolstered the guard."
This was the official line given to Cocolia, but in reality, the guards were handpicked individuals. After a conversation between Pela and Serval, they anticipated that Pei Guang and the others might try to come up via the cable train. The guards on duty were all trusted individuals, and Pela hadn't mentioned the vehicle in her report—she was keeping that information to herself.
Cocolia didn't press for details either. She simply ordered that Pei Guang and his group must be captured and that Bronya must be rescued.
As things stood, the train was stationed in the Underworld, ready for Pei Guang's group to come up, and when they did, Cocolia wouldn't have any way of knowing.
The Silvermane Guards on duty were as vigilant as ever. But when they heard the sound of the locomotive approaching, they all tensed up.
One middle-aged guard nervously asked, "Captain, what do we do?"
The captain barked, "Focus on your duties! No slacking!"
All the guards responded in unison, "Yes, sir!"
At that moment, every guard was on high alert, staring intently at the platform as the train approached: the sound of it made their hearts race. They had received special orders from Pela and guidance from the Landau family—no matter what, the platform's secret was not to be revealed.
As the cable train slowly pulled into the station, the guards' eyes widened in shock. They could clearly see Bronya and Pei Guang inside. Some of the guards recognized Pei Guang, and everyone recognized Bronya.
Everyone there knew Pei Guang's appearance, and seeing him coming up from the Underworld in the cable car with Cocolia's heir in tow left no doubt in their minds. They immediately knew what had to be done.
As the locomotive filled with people arrived, the Silvermane Guard captain didn't hesitate for a second, preparing for battle—then suddenly clutched his chest. "Assassins! Argh! My old injury… it's acting up… the machine shop! We can't let the assassins know… the mechanical workshop!!!"
Not just the captain—all the other Guards began acting, too. Having recognized the passengers, they threw themselves into a dramatic performance. These Guards had been through professional training. Some banged their heads against the wall, others started foaming at the mouth, and some flailed around, flipping over and twitching on the ground.
"The mechanical workshop…"
"The mechanical workshop…"
"Argh, the… mechanical… workshop…"
At this moment, Bronya's expression froze on the train. She had prepared numerous explanations, even intending to use her status as the heir to the Supreme Guardian and the commander of the Silvermane Guards to ensure that their movements remained undiscovered.
But watching the Silvermane Guards, who had been standing watch so seriously a second ago, suddenly collapse to the ground while shouting "mechanical workshop" in the next moment, left her utterly speechless.
Beside her, Seele stifled a laugh after seeing this scene. "Ahem, don't get the wrong idea. These Silvermane Guards… could they be our allies?"
March 7th, on the other hand, took on the role of explaining: "Just like how the people in the Underworld are, they've also had their favorability with Pei Guang maxed out. Ahem… maxing out favorability is surprisingly useful…"
By the time the train had come to a complete stop, all the Silvermane Guards had collapsed onto the ground, but they still muttered the words "mechanical workshop" under their breath.
This wasn't just a subtle hint — it was an obvious signal!
Seeing this, Bronya became even more resolute in her beliefs. If the Stellaron could drive the once-fearless Silvermane Guards to this point, it was clear just how excessive the influence of the Stellaron had become.
The Stellaron! It must be destroyed.