In any game, when a player gets a handsome and powerful set of equipment, they'll absolutely wear it and fight their way from the east end of the city to the west.
If that game screen turned into reality, even someone as experienced as Pei Guang would go crazy.
To be precise, it doesn't even need to be a full set of cool equipment: even a roadside branch, about a meter long and evenly thick, when discovered, could instantly become a sacred sword that slashes through the surrounding grass.
What more, then, a fully fitted suit of armor?
In fact, Pei Guang had once bought some transformation devices before, even paid high prices for a few armor suits and body sets.
They looked cool, sure, but fighting in them? Yeah, no chance.
But Sam was completely different. Its very creation was meant for battle.
Even if Firefly only simulated Sam's armor using modified data and the Heliobi transformation device, it still gave Pei Guang enough power to fight.
Wearing the armor, Pei Guang and Firefly defeated the gatekeeper, but by this point, Pei Guang had completely forgotten his original purpose.
Before putting it on, his plan had been to continue the main quest, to search the Dewlight Pavilion in pursuit of Something Unto Death, and pave the way for Xipe Cake and the Harmony family.
But after donning the armor and trading blows with the gatekeeper, only one thought filled Pei Guang's mind…
"Battle feels incredible!!!"
To hell with the quest! Today, as a player with armor, he was going to enjoy himself in Penacony.
The game had turned fully immersive: what's wrong with going on a little mecha rampage in a dream?
Pei Guang's sudden outburst stunned Firefly, because the moment he said that, she could feel that his energy had changed.
Firefly: "Uh… Ah Guang? Are you okay?"
Pei Guang didn't answer directly. He was silently feeling the torrent of power coursing through him.
That was an illusion, of course.
The Heliobus device was powerful, sure, but limited. It even restricted many of Pei Guang's own abilities: in truth, it even weakened him.
But for some reason, Pei Guang felt stronger than ever.
He clenched his fist, raised his arm, and the mechanical click-click of the armor followed. Inside, Firefly felt her heart click, too.
Before, she had always been the one fighting. But seeing Pei Guang now, wearing the same armor style as Sam… she had a bad feeling.
"Wait, that doesn't make sense… this device can't control people, and Sam can't control anyone either. So why is Ah Guang acting like this?"
He'd been normal before putting it on, but as soon as he transformed, Firefly could clearly feel him start to cut loose.
Pei Guang struck a pose, lifted his chin in the standard armor stance, and took a deep breath.
"Cutiefly, this is the Dreamscape Squad, right?"
Firefly: "Y… yes…"
Pei Guang: "Good. From now on, I'm not Pei Guang anymore: I'm Stellaron Hunter, Sam!"
Firefly: "????"
Right now Firefly really wanted to ask who she was supposed to be, but before she could open her mouth, Pei Guang assigned her a role.
"From this moment on, you are Stellaron Hunter Silver Wolf!"
Silver Wolf: "???"
Inside the armor, Firefly opened her mouth as if to say something—but Pei Guang's next words shut her up instantly.
"Remember this: we are Stellaron Hunters…"
Firefly: "I… really am a Stellaron Hunter…"
Pei Guang: "I know. Because I'm one too! Now, let's count the sins of the Family!"
Firefly: "You're Sam… then who am I?"
Pei Guang: "Silver Wolf."
Good thing Silver Wolf herself wasn't here: otherwise she'd probably be wondering why Firefly had become her, and if that meant she was supposed to be Kafka now.
Under the armor, Firefly's expression grew complicated.
Looking at Pei Guang standing there, she couldn't help but feel… somehow, Sam suited him better?
After testing it herself, she knew the Heliobi transformation device's capabilities: compared to the real Sam, its power was still far inferior, but, standing here, Pei Guang felt like not even Sam could top him.
Soon she dismissed that thought.
Sam was unique. Pei Guang's strange gear was also unique, made from actual Heliobi: ten Heliobi forming one device.
A transform device made from a Heliobus could channel emotion into energy for the armor.
It's no exaggeration: if a truly despairing girl appeared, that emotion alone could make the Heliobus transform device unleash planet-destroying power.
And right now, after putting on the armor, Pei Guang had entered a state of extreme excitement.
Since this was the dream realm, he knew that aside from certain special methods to unlock new areas, normally "dying" here only meant exiting the dream.
Penacony's dream even had its own repair system: no matter how much destruction there was, the Family could restore it.
So, in that case…
"Let's blow Penacony sky high!!!"
Firefly: "Huh? B-blow it up? Won't we… still be wanted?"
Pei Guang: "We Stellaron Hunters were born to be wanted!"
Firefly: "…"
She took a deep breath.
After all, they'd already made a tornado that destroyed a whole parking lot: blowing up Penacony now wasn't really that big a deal.
If she were alone, she'd never have such a thought—she knew her limits well enough.
But with Pei Guang here, she decided she might as well go along with him and blow Penacony sky high.
Firefly and March 7th were entirely different: if March were here, she'd definitely try to stop Pei Guang. But Firefly only wanted to have as much fun as possible with him!
At this point, she had practically turned into Pei Guang himself.
Just as the two were preparing to unleash chaos, Pei Guang received a message.
He took out his phone, and sure enough, an old acquaintance had texted.
Silver Wolf: "Hey~ having fun in Penacony? I heard you got yourself a set of armor. Just so happens I've got some music that'll fit you perfectly."
With that message came several audio files.
Pei Guang played the first one—and immediately got even more excited.
He felt like he was reaching peak hype, while Firefly, hearing the same thing, curled her armored toes into the ground from sheer embarrassment.
She knew these BGM tracks all too well: they were ones she herself had collected, the ones she sometimes played secretly when she was alone.
And now Silver Wolf had sent them to Pei Guang?
Thankfully, she was wearing armor; otherwise her expression right now would definitely have caught Pei Guang's attention.
Pei Guang, meanwhile, was calm and focused.
He transferred the tracks into his speakers, hung them at his armor's waist, and cranked the volume all the way up.
As the BGM thundered through the air, Pei Guang felt his energy surge again.
Epic buff to Pei Guang, epic debuff to Firefly.
As the rousing music filled the courtyard, people began arriving outside the Dewlight Pavilion again.
They were members of the Family's Bloodhound branch, the same ones Pei Guang had pounded just yesterday, still seething from the humiliation. Now, hearing there was trouble at the theater again, they came ready to show their strength.
The Bloodhound Family's security officer spotted Pei Guang and Firefly and called out, "Who are you people? Why are you causing trouble here?"
Pei Guang: "Stellaron Hunter Sam. Leave now and no one will get hurt. Otherwise—you'll all die."
Before the Bloodhound officer could even reply, Pei Guang made a charging motion, leapt forward, and unleashed a flying kick right at him.
The officer was furious inside: 'Leave now and no one gets hurt,' he'd just said?
And immediately followed it up with a flying kick?!
But to be fair, that kick packed full power.
In an instant, the officer was sent painlessly out of the dream and back to reality.
As the Bloodhound officer's dream self faded, several items dropped to the ground. Pei Guang picked them all up without hesitation, his gaze sweeping over the remaining Bloodhounds.
In the dream, the Bloodhounds feared neither pain nor death. Even after watching their superior die, they still dared to rush forward.
They were about to attack—when Pei Guang suddenly spread his arms wide.
"╰（‵□′）╯ Time! Stop!"