Page 9
While he was thinking, a drone equipped with a cutter slowly descended from a high altitude, seemingly passing through the elevator shaft of the main control cabin.
"Ah, Sister Himeko's drone! Sister Himeko! We successfully brought Alan back!"
The drone camera that survived the pulse just now seemed to have captured March 7's energetic waving gesture, and flew to the far right of the circular elevator platform, swaying its rotors as a greeting.
"Himeko...?"
After hearing that name again, Kong's right eyelid twitched upwards - he thought he had misheard just now.
"An old acquaintance of yours again?"
Eula and Holhaiya heard the tangled sounds he made in the mental link and became confused again.
"She's an old acquaintance, but she should have already..."
Sora considered the words for a long time: "I saw her leave with my own eyes. She should just be a different person with the same name."
What is going on in this world full of déjà vu?
"Oh, it looks like it's planning to cover us getting to the elevator?" Sora blinked, temporarily putting aside some of his worries.
"March, that's when that card comes in handy."
"Okay, okay, but if we go back like this, how are we going to clean up the empty soldiers running around in the corridors—"
"After escorting Alan back to health, I'll follow the stationmaster's instructions." Dan Heng held his forehead lightly. It seemed that he had been troubled by the lively girl a lot.
"Well, I'll listen to you! Sister Eula also needs to rest!"
"…Um, Miss March Seven, there is something I must explain to you."
Finally, whether it was out of pride that she didn't want to take credit for someone else's work, or simply because she didn't want March Seven to be hung on her all the time, Eula couldn't help but pull March Seven aside as she boarded the elevator and whispered:
"The one who just helped you was actually the silver-haired woman over there."
She raised her chin toward Holhayya.
Holhaiya looked up at March Seven and Eula as if she had realized something. The intimidating pupils of Quetzalcoatl made March Seven tremble. Coupled with the inexplicable "scary smile" of the other party, the little girl's forehead was slightly dark and she was frightened.
"She is also a sister who looks quite courageous!"
“A fair assessment, haha.”
Eula smiled without thinking too much of it. It was hard to say that she had no intention of revenge. "If you really want to repay her, try to get in touch with her more. She is a bit lonely and it will be difficult for her to get around here."
One of the so-called methods of the nobility - shifting conflicts and killing with a borrowed knife. Although she is not yet proficient in its application, it does not mean that Eula, who has learned bad things from Sora, will not use it.
"Is that so? I'll give it a try!"
Pink-haired didn't feel the embarrassment of admitting the wrong savior. She mustered up her courage, clenched her fists in front of her chest, and took a step towards Hol Haiya.
"We're here." Alan's untimely reminder interrupted March 7's opening move.
The poor girl's brave charge towards the fat snake didn't last for more than a few seconds before the elevator reached the main control compartment.
Outside the sealed cabin, a red-haired lady closed the box computer and gave them a smile as gorgeous as fireworks:
"It was still very thrilling this time. But it's good to be back."
"Sister Jizi!" Sanyueqi instantly turned into a bird returning to its nest and pounced towards the red-haired beauty.
It was a little unexpected that San Yueqi acted so coquettishly in front of outsiders. Ji Zi keenly sensed her uneasiness. It seemed that everything she encountered during this commission was far more than just "thrilling".
"Ms. Jizi, we brought Alan back...all thanks to these guys." While Sanyueqi's head turned into a lightning poisonous dragon and drilled into Jizi's chest, Danheng calmly made way and introduced Kong's team.
"Well, the drone has taken all the pictures. Thank you for taking care of little Sanyue - but you are not staff members of the space station, right?" Ji Zi rubbed Sanyue's little head and looked at the three strangers with troubled but happy expression.
"…It's a long story. We've been trapped in the space station for a year."
Sora carried Alan forward, but after he studied Ji Zi's face for a few seconds, the forced smile suddenly disappeared and turned into disbelief.
"This...young man?" Ji Zi didn't know why, but the moment she made eye contact with Kong, she seemed to feel a surge of emotions rushing out of those eyes, almost drowning her.
But as if it was an illusion, the blond boy quickly regained his composure:
"Ms. Himeko... send Section Chief Alan to the emergency room first. As for the matter of our team, I will slowly explain it to the person in charge here."
"Wait a minute, Brother Kong, if you encounter any difficulties, please contact me immediately using the terminal."
Alan and Kong just exchanged contact information using the bracelet they picked up. Due to special circumstances, they had no choice but to not collect the clerk's belongings for the time being.
"Don't force yourself."
The mistake in controlling his facial expression just now might have made the red-haired beauty think of something. So Kong could only turn his head to say goodbye to Alan and recompose himself.
But there was no way, the person in front of him looked almost exactly like the young Ji Zi who had died in his memory.
Kong would not say that it was just a tiny bit of sadness and bitterness in his life as a time traveler. He remembered every parting very clearly, because this way he could reduce the possibility of repeating the same mistakes.
"It's okay. I'll go report the situation to the Miss... the stationmaster first..."
"Brother Alan! Medical department! There are injured people here!"
"I've bandaged it, Park Jack. Have all the staff evacuated to the main control cabin?"
"There are still a few people in the defense section of the support module... but they are all fine."
"It seems that we must organize manpower for another attack..."
Paimon hung on Kong's shoulder, looking at Alan's limping back with some worry: "He looks like he's trying to be brave... Should we go and complain to the 'stationmaster' he mentioned and ask him to stay and rest?"
As Alan walked away, Jizi looked at Kong and the little guy on his shoulder with a slightly frown.
Although Jizi's experience may not be comparable to that of some old monster, she can sense that when Kong looks at her, she feels a strange sense of nostalgia.
Does he think of me as someone he has lost?
This child doesn’t look very old... If he wasn’t from a race with a long lifespan, it would be a bit too pitiful to see him look so haggard.
Ah, that gun, it looks like an antique already—
Jizi didn't even need to look closely to recognize that the buttstock of the weapon in Sora's hand was made of natural wood. That piece of wood alone was a very valuable item.
In addition to the strange weapons and fighting methods, the leader also had a familiar aura, but she was not sure. When she was about to ask, she saw Kong holding out his hand to her:
"My name is Sora, Ms. Himeko, may I ask if we have met somewhere before?"
The blond boy's eyes drooped slightly, making him look as harmless as a golden retriever.
Since the emotions are exposed anyway, you might as well ask clearly in person to win the other person's favor.
"Maybe we have really met somewhere. Haha, I am Ji Zi, the navigator of the Star Train—"
"I'm Paimon!" The little white-haired creature extended his little hand before Ji Zi retracted her hand, playing the role of a socialite.
"Paimon? I remember that. Haha, did Xiao Sanyue cause you any trouble along the way?"
After Eula came over and briefly greeted him, Sanyueqi came out from behind Himeko and said to Sora with ill intent, "Hmm? Think about it before you answer, okay?"
Faced with San Yueqi's eyes that were more funny than threatening, Kong couldn't help laughing, turned his head and looked at Holhaiya. After all, it was she who saved the person. When the latter saw that Kong actually came to ask for her opinion, she just waved her hand and told him to say whatever he wanted.
"I've never seen such a lively girl." Kong turned around and said happily.
"Hey, we are young people, we should be energetic and move forward courageously! He is a man with vision, right, Dan Heng?"
San Yue Qi was so bearish that he patted his shoulders twice in a familiar manner.
"……Yes."
Dan Heng, who originally wanted to remain silent, lowered his guard against Kong again after seeing Kong asking for advice from Holhaiya, and even continued speaking along the lines of March.
Jizi also noticed these details. Not only was she more interested in the relationship between the four-member team, she also appreciated the fact that the boy cared about his companions' thoughts:
"Xiao Sanyue told me that you guys plan to earn bounties at the Black Tower Space Station? Why don't we go as a companion? We can take care of each other and restore the station's functions as soon as possible, so that Estelle can transfer the money to you sooner."
The invitation for short-term cooperation was not only because Jizi was impressed by the fighting ability of Kong and his men, but she also needed to confirm something about the aura of Kong...
"Of course, no problem. I have seen your strength. I will trust you with my back on the battlefield... But... before we continue to hunt down the Void Soldiers, I have a small request."
Sora said seriously, "I hope to meet with the station chief here first, and then make a plan based on her needs in handling station affairs and the priority of combat needs."
"Very reliable. No problem, I'll take you to see Ester, but she's very busy right now, so I'm afraid she won't have time to entertain us."
Jizi raised her hand and made a gesture of invitation, inviting Kong to meet her friend at the star array platform in the center of the long and narrow main control cabin.
……
"Ah, Himeko, thank you so much!"
The girl who was leading the team in front of them turned around immediately after hearing the footsteps behind her, and greeted the visitors with her curved blue eyes:
"Thanks to everyone, the virtual soldiers wandering around the refuge area have been basically cleared out. The guys who fled to the containment cabin are nothing to worry about. The security system will be back online soon."
After Alan had treated his wound, he quickly ran to her to report the situation outside, letting her know that there was a group of bounty hunters willing to help them, and that they had a close relationship with the train crew.
If nothing else, the carefulness with which the hunters treated Alan's wounds showed that they were experienced, otherwise he should have continued lying in the rest area.
With a subtle feeling of gratitude, Esta hoped to rely more on these outsiders. After all, the combat effectiveness of the defense department's staff had been proven to be weak after the previous battle. Only the team led by Alan himself had the ability to delay the weak troops. If the trend continued, she would have to carry the "staff" and go to the battlefield in person.
They are dressed in strange clothes... but they all have unique temperaments. They really look like the kind of fighters who travel the starry sea should look like, especially the blond boy in the front, who is very likable.
"That's great. By the way, have you tried contacting the Black Tower?"
Jizi felt that Ester's attitude towards this group of people was more friendly than that towards the clerks, so she confirmed that Kong's contract had been basically settled, and turned to ask about the whereabouts of the other irresponsible guy.
"...Ms. Jizi knows that the space station is just a warehouse for her to store rare items and staff, and she doesn't care about it at all..."
Esta's expression immediately became somewhat depressed, and even her light pink hair became a little duller:
"However, I just wrote a new letter to her about the people who were imprisoned in the strange objects and the process of your battles. Perhaps she would be interested in this kind of strange phenomenon."
"Gululu."
Sora was observing Esta's every move very carefully, but just as he was about to praise the girl for being responsible and capable of taking on her duties, his stomach made a devastating sound.
"……Excuse me."
Facing the strange looks from Esta and Himeko, Sora smiled shyly, with some bitterness in his face: "Strictly speaking, I haven't eaten for a year..."
10. Look who's coming? (Standing in awe)
"…Wow, is that guy a starving ghost reincarnated?"
"How did he do that? Is there a black hole in his throat?"
The staff members were whispering to each other as they looked in shock at the handsome blond boy at table number three who was shoveling food into his mouth frantically.