Silver Wolf felt like she'd been played. Doubt crossed her face as she looked at Pei Guang, who turned and asked, "What's up?"
Silver Wolf quickly shook her head: "Nothing! Nothing at all. Anyway, the guide will arrive in about ten minutes, so get ready."
Her words were a reminder to everyone. March 7th headed to her room: "I've got some things to grab."
Stelle: "Me too."
Seele: "I don't have anything to prepare."
Pei Guang, eyeing her gear: "You do. Come on, let's head to your room."
March 7th teased him, smirking: "Oho~ Pei Guang, what are you going to Seele's room for?"
Pei Guang, deadpan: "Of course, I'm helping her get prepped. This mission could be complicated, and I want to make sure everything's ready. By the way, guys, even if it's down to the last few seconds of the day, don't waste a teleport during this mission. It could save your life."
Stelle: "What's the reasoning?"
Pei Guang: "Simple. I'm worried about a last-minute plot twist. Having one last teleport could make a huge difference."
March 7th: "Don't worry, I'll stick by your side. If you say not to use it, I won't."
Stelle: "Same here."
Welt: "I don't have anything else to prepare. When you're ready, just come find me."
Seele led Pei Guang to her room. Once inside with the door closed, he finally spoke: "Seele, I don't want you to follow us when we get off."
Seele looked surprised, not feeling rejected, but sensing that Pei Guang had something important for her to handle.
"What do you need me to do? And were you just dodging the question earlier?"
Pei Guang grinned. "You're sharp. After we get off the train, I want you to use your abilities to turn invisible and scout the areas we've passed. See if you can find anything useful. Also, I need you to keep an eye on Dan Heng."
"Watch Dan Heng? He's pretty reliable. Why should I keep an eye on him?"
While Seele was puzzled, Pei Guang glanced at the door. "March, Stelle, you forgot to turn off your shared location on the mini-map."
Outside, March 7th called out, "Stelle! You idiot, you forgot to turn off the location sharing!"
Stelle replied, "And you didn't forget too?"
Hearing the commotion, Seele blinked and caught on. "You two can come in. Pei Guang was just giving me some tasks. He didn't want to discuss it in front of Dan Heng."
March 7th entered, nodding. "Makes sense."
Stelle added, "Since we're here, we'll head back now."
Pei Guang stopped them. "No need to go. Since you're already here, I might as well tell you both what I was going to say privately."
March 7th, curious, asked, "So, what's the deal with Dan Heng? Do you think something will happen?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "There are a few reasons. One is that I'm concerned Dan Heng might wander off. If he ends up outside our scouting area, and something happens, we wouldn't be able to help him immediately. But if Seele follows him, it's a different story. Another reason is that I want Seele to help with some side quests. We'll definitely be under watch during the main quest, but if Seele can take on side missions at the same time, it'll relieve some of the pressure on us. Our main quest is to resolve the Stellaron crisis in Xianzhou and save as many people as possible. But alongside solving the crisis, there's always a chance to help even more, just like we did at the space station."
Hearing this, Stelle remembered the space station and their first encounter with Pei Guang. Their first "side quest" was saving people. They directly rescued over twenty individuals, but indirectly helped many more.
And now, given that the mission involved saving Xianzhou from the Stellaron crisis—and possibly facing a stronger threat, as Pei Guang suggested—advance preparation was necessary.
Pei Guang continued organizing their shared inventory. "Seele, look at the meds in the shared inventory. Remember, the first layer is all for stopping bleeding, the second is for pain relief, and the third is for curing status effects—poison, dizziness, that sort of thing. The medicines are arranged from weakest to strongest. When you're out on a mission, distribute them based on their effectiveness and the injury severity. Stick to two principles: prioritize survival, and if survival is ensured, support combat-ready individuals with meds."
These medicines were top-tier supplies bought by Asta from the Interastral Peace Corporation internal supplies. In Pei Guang's view, they worked like a charm: instantly stopping bleeding, easing pain, and removing moderate status debuffs.
The only downside was their price. Aside from the cost, they were perfect. Well, that and the fact that they didn't actually restore vitality.
In short, they stopped bleeding and dulled pain but didn't heal wounds. That's why Pei Guang only kept enough for himself and the rest of the crew, with a bit more of the antidote stocked up.
Seele nodded. "Got it. I learned a lot of first aid from Natasha and know how to manage resources during combat. Don't worry, I'll complete your side quests!"
Pei Guang smiled. "Thanks!"
With Seele's tasks assigned, Pei Guang turned to Stelle and March 7th. "Anything you two need to prepare?"
Stelle shook her head. "No, but Pei Guang, is there anything we can do?"
Pei Guang replied, "Nope. We'll focus on the main quest. If we can do a side quest along the way, we will. If not, we'll mark it on the map and leave it for Seele. Helping people… as long as it doesn't interfere with the main quest, we'll do as much as we can. It affects the final rewards, after all."
March 7th nodded with a sly grin. "I get it~ Help people out and then squeeze them for rewards! Even if it's just a lollipop, we gotta take it!"
Pei Guang gave her a thumbs up. "Now you're getting it. We'll aim to collect rewards twice—once when we save them, and again after we finish the main quest."
Stelle smiled brightly. "I know this trick."
Seeing Stelle's happy expression, Pei Guang, March 7th, and Seele all smiled as well.
A few minutes later, Welt saw the group emerge into the lobby. "All set?"
Pei Guang grinned. "Ready as we'll ever be. Lead the way, big boss!"
Welt replied, "I'll be following along, but unless you run into something you can't handle, I won't intervene. So, you'll mostly be on your own this time."
Welt gave Pei Guang a knowing look. He could sense that Pei Guang had untapped power within him. As a senior figure, Welt wanted to help Pei Guang unlock that power—the power of a true "player."
This was the result of his discussion with Himeko. Though Welt would accompany them, both he and Himeko had agreed to let Pei Guang, Stelle, and March 7th lead the way, making their own decisions. Welt would only step in if things got too difficult or if there was trouble with negotiations.
They also discussed Pei Guang's earlier theories, considering the possibility of encountering an Emanator-level enemy. If that were the case, their foes wouldn't be easy. However, with the Arbiter-General Jing Yuan overseeing Xianzhou Luofu, even the Antimatter Legion wouldn't dare to provoke Xianzhou outright.
The group began their mission, leaving Dan Heng aboard the train as expected, though Seele staying behind was a surprise to Himeko.
On Xianzhou, they successfully arrived.
Looking around, March 7th peered into the distance. "Is this even a normal landing spot? Looks more like a cargo dock! Why did Silver Wolf drop us here?"
Pei Guang spread his hands. "Maybe it's fate? Or perhaps this is the easiest spot to hack into. Or... there's some danger here that needs our help?"
March 7th shivered. "Danger? But there's not a soul around. A port this big, and we don't see a single person. It's creepy."
Stelle chimed in, "Wouldn't it be scarier if we saw just shadows of people?"
Pei Guang added, "If it were only shadows, that wouldn't be so bad. The real fear is if the shadows devour our physical existence and replace us, living our lives instead."
March 7th wrapped her arms around herself, now visibly nervous. "Stop it! You're making it even scarier."
In a deliberately eerie tone, Pei Guang continued, "I've seen worse. Once, I was on a ship called the USG Ishimura. Everyone onboard had been killed and assimilated by monsters that could move through the ventilation system. And then..."
As he spoke, Pei Guang leaned closer to March 7th and blew gently into her ear.
"AHHH!!!" March 7th screamed, startled by the sudden gesture.
Watching this unfold, Welt sighed and reminded the group, "Now's not the time for jokes. Stay alert and keep moving."
Pei Guang snapped to attention. "Roger that."
March 7th glanced at him curiously. "You really seem to listen to Uncle Yang, don't you?"
Pei Guang chuckled. "That's experience, my friend. Whether in games or real life, following the advice of someone like Uncle Yang—who's seen it all—is always a good idea. Guys like him are the best allies, watching your back while you level up."
Stelle nodded thoughtfully. "Makes sense! Makes sense!"
As they walked, the group's light-hearted banter faded when they encountered something more serious. Not far ahead, several armored soldiers lay on the ground, breathing heavily but severely injured. Fortunately, none of them seemed to be fatally wounded yet.
"Go... go help... my comrades... up ahead..." one of the injured Cloud Knights muttered weakly, trying to direct Pei Guang's attention away from himself. But Pei Guang wasn't the type to ignore the wounded. Without hesitation, he pulled out the various medical supplies he had prepared in advance.
After administering internal and external treatments, courtesy of Asta's provided medicines, the soldiers' wounds closed rapidly. However, due to their severe blood loss, the knights were still unable to move, despite their injuries being healed.
March 7th, while treating some nearby soldiers, couldn't help but muse aloud. "Something feels off. All these soldiers are gravely injured but not killed. It's almost like whoever did this was holding back..."
Pei Guang pondered her observation. "Wounding but not killing? There are a few possibilities. Maybe the attackers have some emotional attachment to this place and didn't want to go all the way."
Welt, however, quickly dismissed this idea. "That's unlikely. These injuries are so severe that without immediate help, they'd die anyway. The intent wasn't mercy."
After inspecting the wounds himself, Welt agreed with Pei Guang's assessment. The soldiers were hurt too badly to survive without outside aid, especially in a place like Xianzhou, where rescue might take too long.
Pei Guang nodded. "Just like you said, Uncle Yang. It's probably a plan to turn them into monsters or enemies. In most games I've played, leaving someone gravely injured like this usually means the intent is to transform them into creatures—making them fight for their enemies."
March 7th jumped in, eager for action. "Pei Guang! Do you have a plan? Let's ruin their twisted scheme!"
Pei Guang shrugged. "No concrete plan yet. Let's keep moving forward. We need more clues. But I do have one idea. If the enemy's plan is to turn these people into monsters, why don't we heal them and spoil their plan?"
Welt nodded. "That seems like the best option for now. And it's thanks to you. If you hadn't brought these medicines, there's no telling how many of these Cloud Knights would've survived."
Stelle glanced at the unconscious soldiers, curious. "So, Pei Guang, what do we do with these guys? Just leave them here?"
Pei Guang shook his head. "We can't leave them. What if the mastermind is still around? No, we're taking them with us—package them up as evidence. We'll bring them to their leaders and exchange them for some rewards. Plus, if we run into an enemy we can't handle, we can always…"
He trailed off, but his expression said it all: if things got too rough, they could use a quick teleport and bring everyone to safety.
Pulling out a minecart, Pei Guang's plan became clearer. Both March 7th and Stelle stared in disbelief.
March 7th asked incredulously, "Pei Guang? Are we really going to load them up in that?"
Recognizing the cart as one often used in Belobog's Underworld, March 7th watched as Pei Guang expertly modified it to work on the ground.
All eyes were on Pei Guang as he placed trash cans into the cart and began loading the incapacitated Cloud Knights inside. Each cart fit nine cans, with one soldier in each can—neatly packed.
"What? Only nine people fit? No problem, let's add another cart." Pei Guang wasn't fazed. He continued combining carts, preparing to transport the soldiers. There were only a few dozen of them, and he had plenty of trash cans for the job.
The wounded Cloud Knights were left dumbfounded as they watched Pei Guang's actions—saving them only to be stuffed into strange containers. What was he planning?
One of the injured, still conscious, mustered the strength to ask, "What are you... doing?"
But instead of receiving an answer, what greeted him was a bottle of prepared medicine, a cup of coffee, and an empty trash can.
Welt, observing this scene, couldn't help but sink into thought. His concern wasn't so much about their safety but rather the psychological state of these Cloud Knights...