On the steam train, as the crisis was resolved, the stopped train began to move again.
The clanking of the train against the tracks, mixed with the sound of waves splashing against the rail line, instantly softened the tense atmosphere in the carriage.
Paired with the intentionally soft color grading used by the production team.
The current scene was clearly a warm picture of rest and recuperation after a great battle.
In fact, if not for Tendo's timely 'scene-stealing,' the crisis would have ended with Bai Kong (the stand-in) coming online and defeating the Overlord-class Tiger Whale in the sea.
And Liu Ma and the others would have mistakenly believed Chen Kong had perished in the ocean because they couldn't see the situation below—until Chen Kong appeared riding the Tiger Whale, resolving the misunderstanding in a very melodramatic way.
"Mister, who was that person just now? He was so amazing."
In the carriage, Ying Qianhuan twirled her pink ponytail, pretending to look curiously in the direction Tendo had left, asking the question.
When Tendo was mentioned, Liu Ma instantly perked up.
"You mean Tendo? He's the most outrageous monster in our group!"
"Your group?"
Ying Qianhuan tilted her head, her hair brushing her shoulder, and played dumb: "Mister, are you part of a very powerful organization?"
"Uh."
Liu Ma scratched his head, then deliberately changed the subject.
"Let's not talk about that for now. How do you rate my strength?"
Ying Qianhuan immediately gave him a thumbs-up.
"Mister, among the Star Envoys I've met, you are absolutely one of the top figures in your age group! You fight super cool!"
"Naturally!"
Liu Ma first puffed out his chest proudly, then, as if thinking of something, he instantly deflated.
"It's a shame, though. If it weren't for Tendo and those other monsters, I could at least be called a 'genius' by people."
"But what's the reality? There are thirty-four others like me, and even stronger."
"Thirty-four?"
Ying Qianhuan covered her mouth and chuckled, a hint of shrewdness flashing in her eyes.
Everyone thought she didn't believe Liu Ma, but in reality, her thoughts were far more complex.
After all, wasn't she one of the thirty-four people Liu Ma was talking about?
To play her role as an innocent high school girl well, Ying Qianhuan deliberately widened her eyes and asked, "Seriously?"
Liu Ma sighed: "Otherwise, why do you think I'm so 'mature and steady'? I was forced into it by those monsters!"
Chen Kong, listening nearby, couldn't help but interject: "Come on, Liu Ma, it's not 34, it's 35! You didn't beat me before."
Liu Ma might let other things slide with Chen Kong.
But when it came to the Stars Rankings, Liu Ma would rather die than admit he was NO. 36!
"Bullshit! I wasn't even serious then!"
"Not serious, my foot! You were clearly out of options, which is why you were forced to call a truce."
"Come on, Chen Kong, get up. If I don't give you a good beating, you'll really think you can challenge your superiors!"
"Bring it on! Who's scared of who?"
Seeing the two start their usual bickering, Vivian shook her head helplessly, pulled energy bars from her bag, and handed them over.
"Eat something to shut up. Don't embarrass yourselves."
Hearing Vivian, Chen Kong and Liu Ma snorted at each other, then each found a seat.
Watching the two who nearly came to blows, Isabelle and Ying Qianhuan both chuckled.
They were all aware of the existence of the 'Stars Project' and knew what the 'Stars Ranking' meant to these Sons of the Stars.
It was their 'dignity'!
While the group was chatting, the conductor and a flight attendant approached, holding several black-gold cards with beaming smiles.
"Distinguished Star Envoys, thank you very much for your help just now!"
"These are our company's 'Eternal Passes.' They grant free travel on any of our steam trains in the future. Consider it a small token of our appreciation."
The conductor knew that the people present probably didn't need the train card.
But whether they needed it or not was one thing; showing gratitude was another.
Furthermore, giving these train passes to the people present was beneficial to the train company.
If these individuals chose to travel by steam train more often, it would implicitly increase the steam train's safety rating.
The attendant handed over the cards. The metal cards were engraved with a relief of the steam train, their edges gleaming finely.
Liu Ma weighed the card in his hand and whistled.
"This card is quite heavy. Can it be used as a weapon?"
The conductor laughed: "Mr. Liu Ma, you're quite the joker."
Just as the conductor was about to leave, Isabelle suddenly spoke: "Conductor, you said Tendo and the others took this train about a month ago, right?"
The conductor paused: "Yes, Miss Isabelle, why do you ask?"
"Nothing."
Isabelle waved her hand. "I just wanted to check the train's travel records from a month ago. I'm quite curious about what Tendo and the others did back then."
"Ah."
Hearing this, the conductor suddenly wore a peculiar expression, as if recalling something amusing. He scratched his head and said, "That's quite a coincidence, because Mr. Tendo told me a month ago: 'If a lady named Isabelle wants to see the travel records later, just let her see them. It's fine.'"
At this, the carriage immediately fell silent.
The energy bar in Chen Kong's hand nearly dropped to the floor, Liu Ma's mouth hung open, and even Ying Qianhuan dropped her playful expression.
So... Tendo had 'seen' everything happening now, an entire month ago???
They knew Tendo was powerful, and they knew his 'Stellar Eclipse Eye' had an ability similar to 'seeing the future.'
But they always assumed that Tendo's so-called 'seeing' wouldn't be too exaggerated—more like a kind of 'future hint' effect.
But now, it seemed that as Tendo's strength continued to increase.
The effect of his Stellar Eclipse Eye had become increasingly monstrous.
So monstrous that he could already know a month in advance what would happen a month later...
While they didn't know the limits of this ability or the exact details of the precognition, the feeling of having every action precisely anticipated by someone else was terrifying.
"Want to go see it?"
Vivian looked at the others, curiosity hidden in her eyes.
"Of course!"
Liu Ma was the first to stand up.
"I have to see how exaggerated those monsters were back then!"
With someone taking the lead, the group immediately followed the conductor to the steam train's control room.
As the conductor pulled up the steam train's travel record from a month ago, the movie screen switched to the feats Tendo and the others accomplished there a month prior...
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