Inside the storage room, Stelle poked her head out of the golden trash can, a few glittering ribbons still caught in her hair. She stared at Huo Linfei's hand hovering on the lid, blinked once, and tilted her head.
"So… you're the one who brought these trash cans in here?" Huo Linfei asked, awkwardly withdrawing his hand.
"These cans weren't placed by me." Stelle climbed out. She wasn't dusty at all, but she still patted her skirt out of habit. Then, looking dead serious, she pointed at the lineup of golden trash cans. "When I came here to rummage through things, they were already in this room."
"Come on—nobody on the Express has a weird kink like this, right?" Huo Linfei muttered. "Whose prank is this supposed to be?"
"Don't know." Stelle shook her head, her eyes filled with pure curiosity. "Who put them here doesn't matter. But for some reason… they give off this strange pull."
Huo Linfei narrowed his eyes and examined them more carefully. The metal surface caught the light in flowing ripples; the lines were clean, almost elegant; and yes—objectively speaking, they were still just trash cans.
And yet… they made you want to get closer.
To lift the lid.
To confirm whether the ultimate truth of the universe was hiding inside.
"Odd," he said, stroking his chin. "Now that you say it… I kind of want to—"
They looked at each other.
Without a word, a certain mutual understanding snapped into place.
The next second, Huo Linfei and Stelle each claimed one golden trash can. With practiced, professional movements, they flipped open the lids and dove inside, swift and smooth like veteran operators.
The lids shut.
The storage room was left with only two silent golden trash cans, glowing serenely and mysteriously amid the piles of junk.
In the observation car, soft music drifted through the air.
Black Swan sat gracefully on the sofa, tapping the tabletop lightly as she listened to the broadcast of interstellar news.
"…The Xianzhou Luofu's Stellaron crisis has been preliminarily contained. Reconstruction efforts are proceeding in an orderly fashion. General Jing Yuan stated…"
"…Genius Society #64, Dr. Primitive, has been sighted again in a remote sector. No confirmed observation reports have been recorded for more than three Amber Eras…"
"…Breaking: In the 'Cradle' sector tens of thousands of light-years away, a newborn star vanished without cause within three system-hours. No conventional collapse or explosion signatures were detected. Suspected involvement of the Self-Annihilator faction. The Interastral Peace Corporation has issued a navigation warning…"
"…Penacony's 'Charmony Festival' preparations have entered the final stage. However, the 'Annihilation Gang' has circulated multiple crime notices, claiming they will make the gala resound with a 'Symphony of Destruction.' The local Family—Hound lineage—has announced heightened security…"
"…Jarilo-VI has successfully restored interstellar communications and established preliminary contact with the IPC's Market Development Department. It is reported that IPC representatives have arrived in the planet's capital to negotiate postwar reconstruction investment and cooperation in geomarrow development…"
A man's and a woman's voices alternated across the broadcast—each item carrying the kind of undercurrent that could rattle the entire star sea.
Black Swan lifted her teacup, an unreadable smile resting at the corner of her lips, as though she were savoring the opening act of a grand drama.
Soft footsteps approached.
Himeko arrived carrying two freshly brewed coffees, placing one in front of Black Swan.
"Miss Black Swan," Himeko's voice was as gentle as ever, but her blue eyes were sharp. "Thank you for your assistance on the Luofu. However, as the one responsible for the Express's security, I need to make one thing clear—"
She looked straight into the Memokeeper's eyes.
"Please do not regard the crew—especially Huo Linfei—as prey for your 'memory hunting.'"
Black Swan laughed softly, taking the coffee without surprise. She sipped with impeccable elegance, then raised her gaze.
"Rest assured, dear Miss Himeko. My purpose is not to harm that interesting gentleman. On the contrary… I'm here at someone's request. In a certain sense, I'm 'protecting' him from more… greedy eyes."
She set the cup down. A faint thread of Memory-light curled around her fingertip, and her expression turned a shade more serious.
"But your concern is not unfounded. Precisely because I am 'protecting' him, I understand better than anyone else—Huo Linfei carries something that certain radical factions within the Garden of Recollection crave more than anything."
Her gaze drifted deeper into the carriage, as if her sight could pierce walls—straight to the figure currently contemplating life inside a trash can.
"Not merely memories. But something more essential. Traces."
"For some Memokeepers who pursue the ultimate form of Memory… he is an irreplaceable, living treasure. They would pay any price to obtain him—strip his memories away, dissect his existence, and decode what he is. The consequences…" Black Swan shook her head lightly. "Are beyond what you can imagine. And far beyond what he would ever wish to endure."
She turned back to Himeko, her smile taking on a meaningful edge.
"So rather than worry about me… you should keep an eye on those 'colleagues' hiding in the shadows of Memory. Their methods won't be as… civilized as mine."
Himeko's brow furrowed. Her grip tightened around her coffee cup.
The music in the observation car remained soft and soothing—
And yet, somewhere inside it, an almost imperceptible tension had begun to weave itself in.
Inside the golden trash can, it was unexpectedly comfortable.
The inner walls weren't hard metal at all—they were soft, warm, and springy, giving off a strangely reassuring metallic scent.
Curled up inside, Huo Linfei felt the exhaustion from last night surge back like a tide. His eyelids sank shut, and his consciousness dropped swiftly into sleep.
He found himself standing on a hazy coastline. Sky and sea blended into a deep, tonal blue—impossible to tell whether dawn was coming or dusk was fading.
A massive, retro-style cruise ship lay silently at anchor offshore. Its lights blazed bright, and faint laughter and music drifted from within.
As if possessed, he boarded.
On the deck were crowds of people—elegantly dressed, paired off in twos, as though attending a banquet that would never end. Huo Linfei moved among them alone, feeling out of place in a way that was almost dreamlike.
Then he reached the rail—
And saw a familiar figure.
"March 7th" stood there holding a black parasol, her back to him, gazing toward the horizon.
As if she sensed him, she slowly turned around. Her smile was gentler than usual… and somehow blurred, like mist over water.
She extended a hand toward him. Her voice was as light as sea wind.
"Why do you look so tired? Do you get sleepy even in dreams?"
Huo Linfei drifted closer, dazed, reaching out to take her hand—
And at the moment their fingertips were about to touch—
WHAM—!!!
On the distant horizon, that indistinct sun suddenly erupted into a blaze too bright to look at—like a supernova detonating—instantly swallowing the entire dream world.
Huo Linfei snapped his eyes open, jolted, instinctively raising an arm to block the stabbing light.
…Wait. Light?
Where was this light coming from?
He blinked, adjusted, and then froze.
Everything had changed.
He was no longer in the dim, cluttered storage room—he was in the spacious, brightly lit observation car, huge viewing windows stretching wide.
And he was still sitting inside the golden trash can.
What made his scalp go cold was the next thing he saw:
Almost the entire Express crew was gathered around him—
Staring—
Each with a different, complicated expression.
Join here to read ahead.
In Star Rail, Ultra-Beast Armored — Have I Caught "Equilibrium"? l (Chapter 80)
Uma Musume, But I Only Have Five Years Left to Live (Chapter 120)
Zenless Zone Zero: I'm a Doctor, Not a Bangboo (Chapter 100)
Ben Tennyson Wants to Join the Justice League (Chapter 100)
TYPE-MOON: Redemption Beginning with the Holy Grail War (Chapter89)
Yu-Gi-Oh! — Transmigrated into the White Dragon Girl (Chapter86)
"Is this chat group even serious?" (Chapter63)
I, Lord Ravager, Utterly Loyal! (Chapter75)
Can Playing Games Save the World? 53
Crossover Anime Multiverse: The Demon Hunter of an Unnatural World 57
From Junkman to Wasteland 35
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