---o---
The next day.
Fu Zhu woke up bright and early. Yawning, he made his way to the observation car, planning to browse on his phone while waiting for breakfast. As soon as he entered, he saw two people already sitting on the sofa.
"Uncle Yang? Rider? You two didn't sleep all night?"
Fu Zhu walked over to the sofa opposite them with a quizzical look on his face. Seeing the dark circles under their eyes, he knew exactly what was going on.
Welt and Rider looked a little embarrassed and managed to force a smile for Fu Zhu.
At this point, they couldn't possibly admit to a junior that they were too nervous to sleep simply because they were about to depart for Earth, could they?
They sounded exactly like little kids who couldn't sleep the night before a school field trip.
Welt felt the atmosphere was a bit awkward, so he cleared his throat and changed the subject.
"Fu Zhu, are Himeko and the others awake yet?"
Fu Zhu pulled out his phone and checked the time: 06:07.
"It's 6:07 right now. Based on my observations of their habits, Dan Heng and Himeko will probably sleep until 8, and March and Stelle… they'll probably be out until the afternoon."
"Is… that so…"
Welt fell silent again, not knowing what else to talk about.
Seeing Welt looking so tense, Fu Zhu found it inexplicably funny. It was the first time he had ever seen the usually calm Uncle Yang so flustered, which made him consider a certain possibility.
"Uncle Yang, don't tell me there's someone on Earth you're afraid to meet?"
As soon as he said that, Welt's expression stiffened, his smile almost failing him completely.
"Ahem, of course not. Oh, that's right, Rider, have you thought about how you're going to face Kiana and the others? After all, you died once. In their eyes, that's a fact."
Rider, who had been trying to fade into the background by sipping water, nearly spat it all out when Welt suddenly called her name.
"Uh… I hadn't thought about it. But they probably won't be scared, right?"
After all, Kiana and the others could fight those ferocious Honkai Beasts without batting an eye. They shouldn't be too frightened by someone coming back from the dead.
"Hard to say."
Welt figured that if Kiana and the others saw a resurrected Rider, they would probably go "crazy."
Rider chuckled, but truth be told, she had no idea either. Forget Kiana and the others; she herself didn't even know what kind of expression she should wear when they met again.
The three of them chatted for a while longer. Gradually, Himeko and the others began to wake up. When they arrived in the observation car and saw Welt and Rider with dark circles under their eyes, they all couldn't help but laugh.
"Welt, Rider, are you two really that nervous?"
Having already been teased once by Fu Zhu, Welt had built up some resistance. He nodded, admitting that he was, in fact, quite nervous at the moment.
"Do you need me to pour you two a cup of coffee to relieve the stress?"
The moment they heard the word "coffee," Welt and Rider's heads shook frantically like rattle-drums.
"No, no, we've already had plenty."
"Yeah, yeah!"
Seeing their vehement refusal, Himeko rolled her eyes but didn't press the matter. She turned to Fu Zhu and said, "Fu Zhu, come with me to the control room. I need to confirm the coordinates for Earth with you one more time before we depart."
"Okay."
Fu Zhu stood up and followed Himeko out.
Not long after they left, March 7th and Stelle stumbled in, yawning, with Cyrene and the others trailing behind them.
Welt was a little surprised to see March 7th and Stelle up so early.
"You two aren't sleeping in?"
Stelle forced her eyes open and shook her head, her words still a bit slurred. "Not sleeping. Compared to sleep, your hometown is way more interesting, Uncle Yang!"
"Yeah, yeah!" March 7th was a bit more awake now, clenching her fists excitedly as she looked at Welt. "Uncle Yang, I haven't forgotten that you told us you used to be the leader of a huge organization! When we get there, can we ride your coattails and experience it?"
Welt's mouth twitched. He wasn't even sure if Anti-Entropy still existed on Earth anymore. But seeing the two girls so excited, he didn't have the heart to pour cold water on them and could only nod in agreement.
"Mm, if Anti-Entropy is still around…"
---o---
Afterward, everyone gathered for breakfast, then took their respective seats in the observation car to await the train's departure.
Cyrene's group and March 7th and Stelle were the most excited among them. It was the former's first time on the Express, while the latter were eagerly anticipating the sights of Earth.
A short while later, Fu Zhu and Himeko returned.
"Is everyone ready? The coordinates for Earth have been entered into the train's system. We're about to depart."
"Ready!" came the chorus of replies.
Confirming everyone was present, Himeko and Fu Zhu took empty seats. The voice of Pom-Pom, the conductor, then came over the broadcast.
"Dear passengers, the train is about to begin its warp jump. Countdown starting now…"
Hearing the familiar line, March 7th immediately stood up, spread her legs slightly, and struck a pose.
"I definitely won't fall this time!"
Stelle followed suit, standing beside her. "Me neither!"
Himeko and the others just smiled and let them be. With their physiques, it wouldn't matter much even if they did fall.
"The train is about to begin its warp jump. Countdown: 3… 2… 1!"
As the countdown hit zero, a powerful force pushed everyone back into their seats. The Chrysos Heirs, experiencing the jump for the first time, all gripped their armrests tightly. Meanwhile, March 7th and Stelle, who had been attempting the "don't fall over" challenge, predictably lost their balance and started to tip to one side. Fortunately, Fu Zhu had been keeping an eye on them and shot out a hand to steady them, guiding them back to their seats.
"How many times have you two failed at this now?" Fu Zhu teased with a smile. The two girls, now nestled beside him, just pouted and grumbled without a word.
Before long, everyone on the train felt it begin to decelerate until it came to a complete stop. A deep blue planet appeared outside the window, and next to it, a pale white one.
"The Moon, Earth… it checks out."
Fu Zhu, Welt, and Rider were all a little emotional seeing the view outside the window. It was exactly like the Earth they remembered.
But just then, the train's alarm suddenly blared.
[Warning, unidentified unit approaching rapidly!]
Fu Zhu switched modes in an instant and flew out of the train, simultaneously checking his minimap.
[Herrscher of Finality · Kiana Kaslana]
Fu Zhu materialized in Kiana's path, blocking her way forward.
Kiana had been planning to investigate the train that had suddenly appeared, but when Fu Zhu materialized out of thin air, she immediately halted, her eyes fixed warily on the man before her.
"Who are you?"