"What!?"
"This game starts with the Antimatter Legion attacking the Space Station? The plot is exactly the same as what we just went through!?"
"What!?"
"The Express Crew, Kafka, and Silver Wolf are all playable characters? They even have exclusive Ultimate close-ups?"
"What!?"
"Our Trailblaze Journey on Jarilo-VI was turned into a Trailblaze Mission? You guys followed the whole thing to the end? There are even people livestreaming it online!?"
After listening to Himeko and Welt's explanation, March 7th plopped right down onto the floor of the carriage.
She looked as if she had lost her soul.
Who am I? Where am I? What have I done?
The sheer volume of information was so overwhelming that her mental circuits were practically fried.
Stelle wasn't faring much better.
The journey had been going quite smoothly, and the ending could even be described as a successshe had even managed to swipe the weapon of the Supreme Guardian.
But the sudden appearance of this game had completely washed away the joy of victory, leaving nothing but an endless sea of question marks in its wake.
"What on earth happened to the universe while I was out there trailblazing!?"
"Who made this godforsaken mobile game!?"
"Even the part where I hid in a hotel closet to scare people was exposed!"
"How am I, the Galactic Batter, supposed to keep my reputation in the universe after this?"
When she finally tracked down this developer, she promised herself she'd use her newly acquired lance to charge right at him!
Compared to the two girls' complete loss of composure, Dan Heng appeared much more composed.
As expected of the Cold Dragon Young, a man who had weathered many great storms.
He sat silently in the corner of the carriage, scrolling through his phone to read content related to Honkai: Star Rail. Occasionally, his brow would furrow, and his gaze would darken.
Being suddenly exposed to the gaze of the entire universe meant even his heart couldn't remain entirely tranquil. Whether he was famous or not didn't matter to him.
What mattered was...
He carried a heavy debt of vengeance.
If that person saw this, even if Dan Heng had changed his appearance, he would be recognized at a glance.
And that person would surely hunt him to the ends of the earth.
Not even the Astral Express could provide sanctuary from such a pursuit.
Dan Heng didn't want to drag his companions on the train into his personal troubles. A decision began to take root in his heart.
Perhaps... it is time to get off the train.
Just then, the broadcast within the train chimed.
"Testing, testingthis is your Conductor speaking."
"Will all passengers please gather in the Parlor Car immediately for an emergency meeting!"
"Repeat, please gather in the Parlor Car for an emergency meeting!"
When they reached the Parlor Car, everyone else was already there. March 7th and Stelle were clutching their heads, still looking like they hadn't quite processed the information. However, they looked much better than when they were first struck by the news.
Once everyone was present, Pom-Pom cleared their throat and began to speak. "Himeko and Welt have already told me about the game Honkai: Star Rail."
"This game was developed with our Astral Express as its theme, exposing many of the train's unknown secrets."
"And every passenger here, including this Conductor, has been made into a character in the gamewithout exception!"
"While the developer did a good job, pom..."
"Performing such actions without consulting us first is a serious violation of the Express's and our individual privacy rights!"
"This Conductor believes we must resist this game to the very end!"
Pom-Pom spoke with a voice full of conviction.
Normally, March 7th would have cheered and joined in with a shout of "Yeah! To the end!" But now, she didn't take Pom-Pom's words to heart at all.
Instead, she leaned in and whispered to Stelle, "You said you wanted to pull for Himeko?"
"What a coincidence, I'm going to pull for her too!"
"Then we'll get Uncle Yang, and with you and me, we'll have an invincible Express Crew lineup..."
Pom-Pom stood in front of March 7th with hands on hips, demanding sternly, "Passenger March 7th and the passenger next to you... what are you two doing!?"
March 7th lowered her head guiltily, looking like a student caught whispering by a teacher.
Pom-Pom clearly wasn't going to let her off that easily and looked ready to launch into a long lecture.
At that moment, Himeko suddenly spoke up. "Little March, Stelle... if you hadn't returned to the train early, where would you be on Jarilo-VI right now?"
"Eh?"
March 7th blinked, caught off guard by the question.
Stelle instinctively replied, "Probably... probably at Bronya's succession ceremony?"
"Oh right, Bronya specifically sent us an invitation. We haven't even had the chance to reply yet."
Hearing this, Himeko's expression turned solemn. She projected a screen in front of everyone.
"In that case, take a look at this."
The screen was currently showing a livestream of Honkai: Star Rail.
Even after the battle had ended, the plot continued.
What was being played right now...
Was the story of Stelle, March 7th, and Dan Heng attending Bronya's succession ceremony in the plaza!
The carriage fell into an instant silence!
The air seemed to freeze!
After a long while, Dan Heng broke the dead silence with his low voice.
"The developer... predicted our actions?"
Uncle Yang pushed up his glasses, his expression equally grave. "I don't think... it was a prediction."
"If nothing unexpected had happened, this plot is exactly what you were supposed to experience."
"This is the trajectory of the future."
As soon as those words were uttered, the atmosphere became even more rigid!
March 7th asked in an uncertain tone, "You mean to say that from this moment on, the game has surpassed our Trailblaze Journey and is showing us the future?"
"I'm afraid so."
"This... this is just too ridiculous!?"
"I'd rather believe we've just seen a ghost!"
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