Compared to Pei Guang's battle vehicle, Stelle's build was simple and direct.
She got the largest-caliber can, added wheels on it, though not actual wheels, just ones meant to help the can move.
Around the body, she densely attached small trash cans, each stuffed full of all sorts of garbage. And in the very center of the trash can, she stuffed in the largest piece of trash.
The small-caliber trash cans were aimed backward. These were the propulsion devices Stelle designed. She named them: "Antimatter Engines."
Just like Pei Guang's "Nitro Boost," they had nothing to do with actual antimatter, not even a speck of it, but they could activate, and could launch the trash cannon all over the place.
And that's all that matters.
Also influenced by the same kind of thinking as Pei Guang, the maximum speed of her trash cannon was just the standard cargo Starskiff speed. There was no way to accelerate—but damn, it could fire.
That's right, what Stelle made was a simple and brutal trash cannon. The barrel over one meter in diameter showed the world the terror of trash cans.
Around the trash cannon floated fragments of trash cans arranged by Stelle. These fragments had once belonged to a complete trash can, but that trash can had been shattered in war, and the trash it contained was scattered across the world.
Yet as a trash can, it held such noble will that even in pieces, it would fight until the last moment to contain garbage.
These fragments became floating shards for the trash cannon. According to Stelle's concept, the fragments could block attacks from garbage and even clean up all trash within a certain range.
They could instantly assemble into a complete trash can to block enemy fire, or use the fragments to turn enemies into hazardous waste for better containment.
Even though it looked simple and crude, Pei Guang was deeply impressed by this level of imagination. It's not that the more complex, the better: it's the more practical, the better.
Pei Guang saw the practicality of Stelle's trash cannon.
Feeling Pei Guang's shocked gaze, Stelle proudly puffed out her chest. "Hmph! Mine can transform too. Trash cannon! Transform!!"
With Stelle's loud shout, the trash cannon let out creaking noises, and as those sounds echoed, the cannon began to transform. The floating fragments split and reassembled, some into massive thrusters, others into a gun.
At the same time as the trash cannon's crude transformation, Stelle stashed all the garbage inside and climbed in herself. A long spear made from trash can fragments appeared in her hand, and the trash can lid was placed over her head.
She went entirely inside the trash can, ready to fight.
Her transformation wasn't into a mecha, but into a faster and more lethal floating trash can spear. In Stelle's concept, the giant thrusters would give the Starskiff extreme speed, and she would charge mindlessly into enemies with the spear.
Just imagining herself piloting this trash cannon, dashing into enemies and reaping them, made Stelle tremble with joy.
Pei Guang: "Not bad! Simple and brutal, but it looks super practical!"
It was sincere praise.
As a player, one never considered complexity as beauty. On the contrary, if something simple and crude worked better than something others spent hours building, everyone would prefer the simple and crude version.
Stelle shook her head. "No no no! Yours still looks stronger and more imaginative, Ah Guang."
Pei Guang also shook his head. "Imagination isn't something that can be compared. As long as we use our imagination, that's enough. But right now, I want to sing a song to express my emotions."
Stelle: "No problem! I love it when you sing, Ah Guang!"
She gave Pei Guang a thumbs-up. Although Pei Guang's singing was deadly, she had a long enough life to survive it.
Seeing her so supportive, Pei Guang was moved to tears. "You're too kind. Don't worry, I'm making progress. I used to be deadly when I sang! Now I'm… even deadlier!"
Pei Guang pulled out a speaker, and as stirring music played, he seemed to return to that era of piloting mechas into epic battles.
Even though the trash can war god armor he wore wasn't cool, maybe not even practical, when you're not on the main story path, who needs combat effectiveness?
As long as it's fun.
When Stelle heard the passionate music, she got hyped too.
She knew Pei Guang loved to sing for no reason, but usually, with March 7th around, it was too deadly to risk, and there were too many outsiders. Pei Guang had to hold back.
After all, you couldn't just sing your teammates to death. But now, there were no outsiders, and she had the powers of Preservation and Destruction.
What's a little deadly singing?
"On this stormy battlefield, the storm boy takes the stage~"
Pei Guang was singing Reverse War, the song that once swept through student circles before Lonely Warrior took over. It was practically etched into Pei Guang's DNA.
Wearing armor and pioneering through the universe for peace: how could he not sing Reverse War? Something would feel missing otherwise.
As the song echoed, Pei Guang's body moved with the Trash Can War God Unit.
Even though his singing was awful, it was filled with emotion. The trash cans didn't care whether human voices sounded good or not—they only felt Pei Guang's burning passion, the feeling that he was going to lead them in conquering every trash heap in the universe.
At this moment, the broken trash cans were heated. Trash drills spun, nitro boosters spat blue flames.
The combination of trash cans and Pei Guang was now completely hyped.
And not just the trash cans, Stelle felt hyped too! That was the power of Pei Guang's singing.
It was also the reason why March 7th and everyone else always tried to stop him from singing in front of outsiders.
Being deadly at singing was one thing, he'd improved with practice, and it wasn't quite as fatal anymore. He wasn't a musical genius, but with effort, he could reach average levels.
What made it truly dangerous was the emotion behind his voice. That emotion, as if blessed by Harmony itself, unknowingly affected those who heard it.
Outside, March 7th would instinctively try to stop Pei Guang, using "it's bad" as the excuse: because she couldn't really explain the urge to stop him otherwise.
Pei Guang didn't mind. He knew his singing wasn't good.
When there were outsiders around, he was more than willing to listen to everyone. But when it was just friends, whether March, Stelle, or anyone, they never actually disliked his singing.
And right now was just such a moment.
Moved by the emotions in his voice, Stelle started singing along. Especially when the song reached the chorus, she, who normally could keep rhythm, got completely thrown off by Pei Guang.
"Charge wild! Counterattack! The counterattack has arrived! Our ace fights wild, blazing through the stars to bring balance and fix the world!
With their ghostly howls and the roaring of trash cans, the whole train took notice.
March 7th's room: "Stelle! Ah Guang! What are you two doing again?!"