As they prepared to leave, Himeko approached Silver Wolf. She was, by then, a renowned Stellaron Hunter with a bounty so large it was almost a joke. However, Himeko found that after getting to know her, Silver Wolf seemed more like a big kid than anything else. Under Pei Guang's influence, she'd even taken an interest in the Trailblazers' adventure.
Noticing Himeko nearby, Silver Wolf, chewing her bubblegum, asked, "What's up? Need my help with something?"
Himeko smiled, "Not necessarily, but with Seele and Dan Heng off exploring, don't you want to go, too?"
Silver Wolf replied, "Me? Nah, I prefer gaming to all this exploring."
Himeko teased her, "Are you sure?"
Though her in-game character had just died, Silver Wolf was undeterred. "Yep, I don't like those back-and-forth fetch quests."
"Oh, then never mind." Himeko gave a knowing smile, "Pei Guang just messaged me, though—he said there are treasure vases hidden on Xianzhou. They've opened quite a few, and Seele and Dan Heng are bound to snag the rest. If you don't join them, you might miss out!"
Silver Wolf hesitated, "No way, I'm a Stellaron Hunter. I can't just…"
Himeko smiled, "Oh? Still using the 'fate' excuse? But hey, maybe meeting Pei Guang was also fate, wasn't it? He left you a teleportation charge to let you experience the thrill of being a Trailblazer. And you're not impacting the main story—just tagging along for some side quests, right?"
Seeing Himeko's gentle expression, Silver Wolf took a deep breath. "Thank you…"
Himeko reassured her, "No need for thanks. You can always reach out if you need anything. While hacking isn't my specialty, I've got plenty of life experience to share. Go on, then. Don't let yourself have any regrets."
Silver Wolf got up, prepared to follow Seele and Dan Heng. As Himeko watched the three set off, a smile played on her lips. Silver Wolf might not officially be a Trailblazer, but Himeko wanted her to be happy all the same.
And so, the second team left the Astral Express for the Xianzhou Luofu.
Of course, Silver Wolf, not wanting to be recognized, had donned oversized glasses to cover her face.
Seeing her, Seele chuckled, "That look… it's a bit much."
Silver Wolf glanced over at Dan Heng, who was carrying his spear and a Herta puppet. "If I look weird, then what about him?"
Seele took a serious look at Dan Heng, holding his Pink Bunny weapon, and decided, "You're right: he does look a bit strange. But hey, his weapon's got a special effect. If the enemy underestimates him, it'll be a real surprise."
Dan Heng didn't have much to say; he'd already steeled himself for this journey. He could have teleported directly to Pei Guang, but recalling Pei Guang's actions in Belobog, he spoke up. "Let's focus on our ultimate goal for this trip."
Dan Heng was no longer focused on explaining things; this port felt all too familiar to him. Checking the messages Pei Guang had sent, he realized that smashing the decorative vases could yield treasure. Since March 7th had already found a golden item, as a member of the Belobog exploration crew, he was the only one without a golden item. He couldn't stand to be the odd one out.
While Dan Heng was lost in thought, Seele whistled to get his attention.
"Over here! I found something valuable!"
Following Seele's voice, Dan Heng saw a girl wielding a sword standing defensively in front of a blond man with a coffin. Several mara-struck soldiers stood before them.
Upon seeing the enemies, Silver Wolf's eyes sparkled. "According to Pei Guang's data, these are mara-struck Cloud Knights. If we use coffee, it'll put them to sleep. They're known to drop weapon effects, even if just the basic ones. These might sell well or trade for precious resources down the line."
Seele vanished, saying, "Stealth attacks? That's my specialty. I'll handle one of them."
Dan Heng replied, "Alright, I'll take care of another."
In the meantime, the girl, Sushang, and the blond man, Luocha, were facing off with several mara-struck soldiers. When Sushang saw someone approaching, she wanted to speak, but her expression froze.
Since Seele was cloaked, Sushang and Luocha could only see Dan Heng, crouching with the Pink Bunny in hand, stealthily approaching the mara-struck soldiers from behind.
Closer… getting closer, Dan Heng swung his spear, pinning the mara-struck soldier in place. The enemy thrashed, but under Dan Heng's spear, it was futile—at least from Dan Heng's perspective.
From the viewpoint of everyone else, however, Dan Heng crept up with his Pink Bunny, pinning the mara-struck soldier. The enemy struggled, but the louder it struggled, the louder the bunny's… meows grew.
Dan Heng's Pink Bunny weapon continued meowing atop the mara-struck soldier pinned beneath it, leaving everyone—including even Seele—wide-eyed with shock. None of them had seen Dan Heng's combat style in action until now, and the bizarre blend of a struggling enemy, the squeaky meows, and the ridiculous pink rabbit weapon created an oddly captivating scene.
But for Sushang, her reaction went a step further; her mouth fell open as a terrifying thought crossed her mind. Imagining Dan Heng turning that bunny weapon on her, making her meow pitifully, was a horrifying blow to her pride as a warrior. She quickly resolved to keep a safe distance from him—at all costs.
Seele and Silver Wolf took a few instinctive steps back, similarly rattled. This movement gave the mara-struck soldier that Seele had been targeting a window to lunge at Dan Heng. But Dan Heng, unfazed, quickly took out a bottle of coffee and gave the mara-struck soldier in his grasp a hefty dose. Just as the enemy slipped into a drowsy state, he summoned his full strength.
"The truth of life and death, revealed in an instant!" he declared confidently, lifting the Pink Bunny high. This display prompted the others to retreat further, and even the mara-struck soldier froze, shivering.
"This sanctuary is but a vision... Break!" Dan Heng's power surged forth, swirling with energies of yin and yang that momentarily transformed the surroundings. With precise aim, he thrust his weapon toward the enemy, ensuring the mara-struck soldier fell unconscious.
However, what others saw was a bit…different. With Pei Guang's pink bunny appearance and sound effect on the weapon, the surroundings became tinged with pink light, and as Dan Heng's spearhead—shaped like the bunny's head—pierced the enemy, a loud, pitiful meow echoed through the air.
Sushang's jaw dropped; she couldn't believe her years of training in Cloud Knight spear techniques had led to this—to watch someone fight with a squeaky pink bunny weapon. The very idea of such a weapon poking her was almost unbearable.
Luocha, too, shuddered at the thought; though he could treat physical wounds, he doubted he could heal from this level of psychological scarring.
Meanwhile, Silver Wolf, understanding just how strange and jarring this scene was, felt her admiration for Dan Heng's commitment to the role grow. As a fellow gamer, she knew well the shock factor of facing off against ridiculous items like this. But as her mind wandered, a thought hit her: Blade had a vendetta against Dan Heng and was actively hunting him. Imagining Blade getting speared by the Pink Bunny, she quickly took out her phone to send him a single message: Run!!!