"That's not really it..."
Fu Zhu looked awkwardly at the unhappy Xing. They had barely known each other for an hour, how had this girl already decided he was really her brother?
Himeko noticed the relationship between Fu Zhu and Xing seemed a bit delicate, so she smiled and spoke up to help Fu Zhu out.
"It's nice to meet you both, but I'm afraid now isn't the best time for chatting. The Anti-Matter Legion's invasion isn't over yet, and their target for invading the space station is likely the Stellaron."
"Stellaron?"
Confusion showed on both Fu Zhu's and Xing's faces. Seeing their expressions didn't seem fake, Himeko continued explaining.
"The Stellaron is also known as the Cancer of All Worlds. Wherever it appears, it triggers various disasters. Our Astral Express specializes in dealing with such calamities."
After hearing the explanation, Fu Zhu and Xing both nodded in understanding. Then they couldn't help but ask Himeko, "Then where is the Stellaron? Since the Anti-Matter Legion is after it, shouldn't people be sent to protect it?"
"Well..."
Himeko's gaze lingered subtly on Fu Zhu and Xing. She said nothing, yet it felt like she had said everything.
Fu Zhu's eyes gradually widened as he thought of a certain possibility.
He had transmigrated here; the Stellaron shouldn't have anything to do with him. That left only one possibility...
Xing seemed to figure it out too. Her expression suddenly turned serious, and she carefully tugged Fu Zhu's sleeve.
"Bro, don't tell me we're some kind of master thieves? That Stellaron sounds really powerful. I bet we stole it together, but something went wrong with it midway, which is why we were unconscious. My amnesia is probably because of that too!"
No, even if someone stole the Stellaron, it would just be you! Don't drag me into this!
Fu Zhu sighed, met Himeko's gaze again, and asked directly, "Is the Stellaron related to the two of us?"
Himeko nodded with a smile. "Yes. According to the space station's records, after the Stellaron Hunters stole the Stellaron, they placed it inside one of you two. As for who exactly, I'm not sure. We'll probably need someone to help identify it."
As she spoke, Himeko looked back at a red-haired girl approaching with a tablet. The girl walked over, nodded to Himeko first, then smiled and waved at Fu Zhu and Xing. "Hello, I'm Asta, the Lead Researcher of the Herta Space Station. Himeko, I just confirmed via tracking that the Stellaron is inside this young lady named Xing."
Hearing this, Xing's eyes widened as she looked at Fu Zhu. "Bro, you stuffed the Stellaron into me?"
Fu Zhu facepalmed, speechless, finally unable to resist retorting, "She just said it was the Stellaron Hunters who took the Stellaron! I'm not a Stellaron Hunter! Besides, why does it have to be me stuffing it? Couldn't you have just gotten greedy and eaten it yourself?"
"Makes sense." Xing rubbed her little tummy worriedly. "Will I get indigestion then?"
Himeko, Fu Zhu, and the others looked at Xing, completely speechless. They truly didn't know how her mind worked.
Just then, alarms blared throughout the command room. An image automatically popped up on the large screen at the front.
The image showed the space station's main bridge. A massive dragon-like creature was using its claws, attempting to break through the station's protective shield.
Recognizing the creature's full appearance, Himeko and Asta were aghast, exclaiming in unison, "The Doomsday Beast?! It arrived so quickly..."
After a brief moment of shock, Himeko immediately made a decision.
"The Doomsday Beast is definitely after the Stellaron. Asta, please buy us some time. We'll return to the Astral Express and lure it away."
"Okay!"
Asta immediately turned to direct the space station's technical staff in defensive operations.
Himeko, on the other hand, turned directly, grabbed Xing's hand, and started running out, not forgetting to call out to Fu Zhu, March 7th, and Dan Heng.
"Follow me back to the Express."
While leading everyone towards the platform, Himeko didn't forget to reassure Xing, who still hadn't grasped the situation.
"Don't worry. Once we're on the Express, the Doomsday Beast won't be able to touch us. The Express is very fast; shaking it off won't be a problem."
"Oh." Xing nodded, only half-understanding.
March 7th, following alongside, couldn't help but ask, "Big Sis Himeko, what if the Doomsday Beast ambushes us at the platform?"
"It probably won't... Asta's team is holding it back."
Listening to their conversation, Fu Zhu felt a bad premonition for some reason. So, he began casually dismantling any nearby objects he could break barehanded, converting them into various MC blocks and partial blocks – mostly decorative types like fences.
Without blocks readily available, it was hard for him to exert Steve's full power. Besides, being in a space station, everything in sight was metal; he couldn't see any dirt, wood, or stone. He could only temporarily make do with blocks gathered on the fly.
Otherwise, the few metal fragments collected earlier wouldn't be nearly enough. Moreover, metal fragments could only be converted into iron doors, useless for tasks like creating platforms or scaffolding.
Fu Zhu had just finished gathering a decent amount of blocks when he suddenly felt a tremor. Looking up, he saw the Doomsday Beast had actually followed them directly here.
And just ahead of them was the Astral Express, docked at the platform.
Himeko immediately stopped, warily watching the Doomsday Beast hovering menacingly above.
"Everyone, prepare for battle! Fu Zhu, Xing, stay behind us."
Xing, however, shook her head. "We'll help too!"
"Thank you, then."
Fu Zhu gripped his Godfall Sword and mentally commanded it to display hitboxes.
Instantly, numerous white frames appeared around the Doomsday Beast flying above.
The next second, the Doomsday Beast dived straight towards the group on the ground. Fu Zhu, quick-eyed and swift-handed, flung a metal fragment towards its head.
Convert!
An iron door materialized out of thin air in the Doomsday Beast's path. The beast scoffed disdainfully.
It could tear apart the space station's shields; why would it fear a mere iron door?
Although the door was just hovering in mid-air with no sign of falling, that didn't stop the beast from looking down on it.
Thinking this, the Doomsday Beast accelerated, preparing to smash right through it. However, the next second, its head slammed hard against the iron door with a loud thud. The impact left it dizzy and stunned, barely managing to shatter the door as it tumbled to the ground.
Seeing this, Himeko, March 7th, and Dan Heng couldn't help but turn their heads to look at Fu Zhu with surprise.
Fu Zhu wasn't in the mood for explanations or showing off right now. He simply reminded them.
"It's on the ground now. Our turn to attack."