The Astral Express crew, who were evacuating, stopped in the passage leading to the support sector.
Just now, their communication with Asta had suddenly been cut off.
Everyone fell silent.
"Should we go back?" Dan Heng asked. "Reminder, the Doomsday Beast is the Anti-Matter Legion's planetary weapon."
"This space station was built by Herta. As long as the Emanator of Destruction, the Lord Ravager, doesn't make a move, nothing too serious will happen here," Himeko said.
"But… but we can't just run like this, right?" March spread her hands, her eyes showing a bit of guilt. "And Nero still hasn't been found!"
"The Doomsday Beast can tear open the shield with ease. With Herta not here, the defense system here is far too fragile against the Anti-Matter Legion."
At this point, Dan Heng paused, lowered his eyes slightly, and continued, "As for Nero… as long as the Lord Ravager doesn't take action, with his strength he shouldn't die in this crisis. He should be able to find a way out on his own.
"But the Legion has come prepared with the blessing of the Destruction Aeon Nanook. The space station alone cannot possibly hold."
"That's why we must leave." Himeko turned to look at the Trailblazer. "And we need to take her with us."
"I see… she's key, the one who breaks the deadlock…" Dan Heng fell silent for a moment.
"It's also possible I'm mistaken," Himeko said, but her intuition was steady and calm.
"In that case… fine. What should we do next?" Dan Heng asked.
Dan Heng began discussing a strategy with Himeko, but before they could lay out a plan, a loud crash sounded beside them.
BOOM!
Arlan's purple greatsword pierced straight through the large door nearby, then he forcibly tore the entire alloy door down.
A small figure in blue clothes and white hair stood behind the door, looking like he had just finished heavy labor, jamming the greatsword into the ground.
Nero had accidentally gotten lost inside the space station, there wasn't even a proper map here.
Once he heard the alarm, he immediately realized the Doomsday Beast had appeared and began searching for the Express crew at full speed.
And thinking that the space station was already broken because of him anyway, he figured he might as well damage it a bit more, an "it's ruined already so who cares" mentality, so Nero launched a violent maze-breaking operation.
Which resulted in what they had just seen.
And the only thing he had torn apart wasn't just doors, several walls had also been smashed through, leaving large holes.
At this moment, Nero raised his head. Seeing the Express crew staring blankly at him, a gleam lit up in his gray eyes.
"I finally found you! The Doomsday Beast is outside, let's hurry and run!"
However, no one responded to Nero's words.
The Express crew stared at him, seemingly unsure what expression they should be making. Even their facial muscles twitched slightly.
"What's wrong? Why aren't you talking to me?"
Dan Heng lifted a hand to his forehead and sighed deeply.
March and the Trailblazer blinked their eyes, still shocked.
Himeko also froze for a moment, but quickly snapped back to herself.
"This is the support sector where the maintenance staff work. It's closest to the platform, and since Nero has already opened up a path, let's leave from here and meet up with Welt at the platform."
The situation was urgent, so no one wasted time speaking nonsense. They followed Himeko and rapidly retreated toward the platform.
Although the Trailblazer, who had just woken up not long ago, didn't understand this world well yet, all her questions would have to wait until they were safe.
Under Himeko's lead, the group sprinted through the support sector, running through dark corridors, operating mechanisms to open the repulsion bridges. Occasionally they encountered Anti-Matter Legion troops, but with the Express crew's strength, they easily dealt with these small fry.
And as they ran, everyone witnessed Nero's handiwork.
Along the way, they saw multiple walls with large holes smashed straight through them, holes exactly the same size and level of destruction as the one Nero had made when breaking the door down.
Even thinking with one's toes would be enough to know who did it.
"Nero! Are you crazy?!" March stared wide-eyed at the holes he made. "How are you worse than the Anti-Matter Legion?! You smashed the space station into this state, Herta definitely won't forgive you!"
"She wasn't going to forgive me anyway." Nero spread his hands with a "whatever" expression. "What do you think Asta kept me behind for?
"She said Herta already knows I crashed into the space station… since I've already caused that much damage, a little more won't make a difference… besides, once I saw the Doomsday Beast, I got anxious and rushed to find you guys!"
"You were that worried about us? You're unexpectedly so sweet!"
"People of the Xianzhou are like this. Warmhearted and straightforward."
They didn't encounter any staff along the way. While March and Nero were bickering, the group finally passed through the labyrinth-like corridors of the support sector, crossed an empty office, used the keycard permission Asta gave them to unlock the door, and ran downhill onto the space station's bridge.
The bridge floated in space. Its framework, made of alloy and steel, extended to connect various areas of the space station. Barriers made of unknown material stood on either side, and looking outward, they could see the vast sea of stars.
Behind the bridge was a sealed warehouse door. Ahead was the moon bridge leading to the platform. A massive, beautiful blue planet floated on the other side, reflecting dazzling light and atmospheric structures. The starry sky outside was peaceful, so far, there was no sign of the Astral Express.
"We're here!" March 7th was the first to cheer.
"...The train isn't here yet," Dan Heng said cautiously.
"My eyesight's good! I'll go check up front! It might be nearby!" March ran toward the platform.
Himeko silently followed the group. Nero and the Trailblazer remained where they were for a moment.
Although Nero had already seen this once when the system first sent him to the space station, he had never observed space at such close distance in his previous life. The scenery deeply captivated him, the endless starlight, the magnificent planets, the vast universe stretching forever. He was so small, and the drifting, shimmering star particles dazzled his eyes.
The Trailblazer felt about the same. She had long since forgotten everything, and so within this vast field of view and the limits of her sight, she felt the enormity and beauty of the universe. The rising star river looked like a slowly opened curtain, and a splendid galactic drama was about to begin before her eyes.
"It's beautiful, isn't it?"
The boy's voice sounded beside her. The Trailblazer nodded.
She turned her head and saw the white-haired boy's eyes glowing brightly, his gray irises reflecting endless starlight.
Even if the universe was silent and cold, even if the end of the cosmos was wordless stillness, even if the truth of the universe was dull and cruel… in this moment, in the boy's eyes… it all seemed infinitely meaningful. In that instant, everything transformed into eternity within those eyes.
The Trailblazer was also enchanted by this breathtaking scene.
She spoke softly, "Yeah… it's beautiful…"
Both of them unconsciously took a moment to appreciate the kaleidoscopic splendor of the universe. Only when March's voice called out from ahead did they snap back to reality and follow the others.