Not Long After
"...okay, what?"
Zhi Jiang honestly wonders how it happened. He did promise the scientist that he'll help his colleague, but what are the chances of finding every one of his colleagues being completely defenseless, no guards dealing against the Voidrangers, and all of them brought their kids to the space station!!?
"Is something wrong?" The first scientist he rescued asks in confusion.
"...just wondering why there are so many kids in the space station? Is there some sort of 'Bring Your Kids to Work Day' or something?" Zhi Jiang sarcastically asks the second question, and to his surprise, they all nod. "...okay, so this must be bad luck."
"Indeed," The scientist says grimly. "To make things worse, the Stellaron Hunters had infiltrated the Space Station as well."
"...judging from how you speak, these 'Stellaron Hunters' must be bad news?" Zhi Jiang asks.
"You...don't know the Stellaron Hunters? They're a group of notorious criminals known around the cosmos." One of the scientists says in disbelief.
"...to be fair, my home planet was left out of the loop when it comes to cosmic-related news." Zhi Jiang says with a shrug. He wasn't exactly lying about that part.
"I...see..." The scientist nods in understanding. From his tone, Zhi Jiang concludes it's not uncommon for some planets not to know much about things outside their solar system.
"Let's hurry up, before those lifeless monsters start crowding us again," Zhi Jiang says as they all nod. "...so, which direction are we going again?"
The scientists can't help but sweatdrop before remembering what he said earlier, and the first scientist decided to guide him again.
...he really should have asked them for their names, but right now, he needs to focus on getting these scientists and their children to safety.
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With March and Dan Heng
"Geez, there's a lot of Voidrangers attacking this space station," March says as she shoots down one of the floating Voidrangers.
"Focus on beating down the enemies, March," Dan Heng says as he blocks an incoming strike from the Voidranger with a pair of blades for hands, before knocking them back and stabbing right at its chest, killing the creature.
"Geez, I was just saying," March pouts a bit before summoning three ice arrows and shooting at the Gatling guns wielded by a group of Voidrangers. The attack froze the gun, causing the Voidrangers to get distracted as March launches three more arrows and hits right at their head.
"So, is it strange how the Antimatter Legion attacked this space station out of nowhere?" March asks as Dan Heng took down a suspicious-looking orb covered with shards, as some sort of energy was absorbed into his spear.
"These creatures are under the command of the Aeon of Destruction, forged to destroy any type of civilization and life, so I doubt they care too much what kind of life or civilization they're attacking." Dan Heng says.
"Yeah, but why does it feel like there's someone else involved with the Antimatter Legion?" March asks as Dan Heng furrows his brow. Before he could respond, a scientist can be seen walking out from his hiding place and approaching the duo.
"Thank you," Dan Heng and March are startled by the scientist approaching them suddenly. "You two must be from the Astral Express, correct?"
"Um, yeah..." March says with a nod, trying to hide the fact that she was startled by this harmless-looking scientist.
"I am glad you are safe," Dan Heng says earnestly. "But, perhaps you should evacuate to the safe zone. This place is not safe."
"O-of course..." The scientist nods. "B-but before you leave, I should tell you this. The Stellaron Hunters were here."
"What!?!" Dan Heng and March exclaim in shock.
"Are you sure?" Dan Heng asks as the scientist nods.
"I...I just happened to see them when I tried to evacuate and went into hiding. When they left, the Antimatter Legion was roaming around. I didn't get the chance to evacuate until you two arrived, so thank you..." The scientist bows down.
"U-um, no worries," March says. "Do you know where they are?"
"Y-yeah, they went that way!" Dan Heng and March look at each other before nodding.
"Okay, you should go and evacuate to safety. And be careful," With that, Dan Heng and March run off, with Dan Heng attempting to communicate while March clears the path. If they had glanced back, they would have noticed the researcher's eyes glow purple for a moment before he blinked in confusion.
Coincidentally, Zhi Jiang happens to pass by after clearing the Antimatter Legion in the area while looking exhausted, and he feels his legs trembling. He curses himself for being reckless, choosing to do something like this despite knowing that his condition isn't the best.
"A-ah, Thawne!" The first researcher he rescue calls out to the other researcher from a distance, getting his attention.
"Lucas? W-what's going on?" The researcher, named Thomas, asks in confusion and a hint of fear in his voice.
"Did you lock yourself in your living quarters again? The Antimatter Legion had launched their attack!" Lucas explains. "Now, come on! We need to evacuate! We were lucky a Nameless has come to our aid!"
"Nameless...?" Thawne glances at Zhi Jiang, who honestly looks like he is wearing a sleep attire, and no sign of an Astral Express Ticket on any of his clothes.
"...I'm new," Zhi Jiang notices his look of skepticism and responds dryly. Thawne merely nods as he doesn't question further, especially with how the kids stare at the young man with a starstruck expression.
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With Himeko
"What? The Stellaron Hunters are here!?" Himeko asks in surprise as she watches the camera footage through the monitor while her drones shoot down the Voidrangers one by one.
"Yeah, one of the researchers mentioned how he saw them passing by whilehiding," Dan Heng reports. "Unfortunately, we had no idea what their targets were."
"...the Stellaron..." Himeko mutters.
"Stellaron? In this Space Station!?" Dan Heng can't help but exclaim in shock.
"Madam Herta had gotten her hands on a Stellaron to research it, but it seems the Stellaron Hunters managed to gain the intel and decided to intrude," Himeko explains.
"Or perhaps the script from the Destiny's Slave himself," Dan Heng says as Himeko nods grimly.
"Great, the Antimatter Legion isn't enough, now we have to deal with a group of dangerous criminals," March grumbles. "I can hear Aha laughing at us right now."
"Please don't tempt our fate, March," Dan Heng says in exasperation.
"I'll contact Welt to assist you, kids. So, don't try to confront them before-!" Himeko's words were cut off as she received a call from Pom-Pom. "Hold on, the conductor's contacting us. Hello, Pom-Pom?"
"Passenger Himeko! Pom-Pom is glad Pom-Pom could reach you!" Pom-Pom exclaims in relief.
"Is something wrong, Pom-Pom?" Himeko asks in concern.
"Passenger Zhi Jiang has left the Express to help the people on the Space Station," Pom-Pom exclaims as Himeko pauses a bit.
"...do you know where he went?" Himeko asks, a hint of concern in her voice.
"Not sure. Pom-Pom could only see him getting dragged by kids, possibly one of the researchers," Pom-Pom explains.
"Thanks for informing us, Pom-Pom," Himeko says as Pom-Pom sighs in exasperation.
"This is another time Pom-Pom receives another reckless passenger. Please make sure he's fine..." Pom-Pom requests.
"We will, don't worry, Pom-Pom," Himeko says before Pom-Pom hangs up the call. "Kids."
"We heard you, Miss Himeko," March says.
"So, we got to look for Zhi Jiang as well?" Dan Heng sighs in exasperation. Before Himeko could respond, she saw something in the camera footage, and in it, she saw Zhi Jiang taking care of a horde of Voidrangers while protecting a group of scientists on his back. She was honestly surprised at how good his aim is, and in her opinion, much better than March's.
Another thing that surprises her is how deadly his attacks were. The energy bow he uses creates an energy arrow based on the user's strength, and each shot creates a hole in the Voidrangers, which are known for having quite a tough hide. So, seeing him taking care of them despite being clueless about a lot of things is impressive. But she notices how exhausted he is, showing he hasn't fully recovered, which makes his feat even more impressive.
"Kids," Himeko calls. "I found him, he's dealing with the horde of Voidrangers, and it seems he's rescuing the lead researcher, Asta."
"He's dealing on his own!? Please tell me he hashelp!" March exclaims in concern.
"He has taken care of the horde and is now talking with Ms. Asta," Himeko says as she hears March sigh in relief, which makes her smile a bit. "I'll contact Welt and meet up with Zhi Jiang; you kids continue your mission."
"Got it!"
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With Zhi Jiang
"Thank you for your help, Nameless of the Astral Express," The young woman with pink hair and light blue eyes, holding some sort of a staff, bows slightly at Zhi Jiang. "And for saving my fellow researchers."
"It's no problem..." Zhi Jiang says, trying to hide his exhaustion in front of everyone. With how chaotic the space station is, showing exhaustion will only drop the morale of the researchers and possibly lead to panic. But the woman in front of him seems to notice and display a concerned look.
"Are you okay?" Zhi Jiang tries to respond that he's fine, but his legs give in, and he collapses to the ground, causing the researchers to panic, and the kids can't help but scream in panic.
"Zhi Jiang," Zhi Jiang glances and sees a floating drone approaching him. He didn't know if he was hallucinating or not, but he can hear Himeko's voice from the drone. "You should have stayed on the train. You have not fully recovered yet."
"S-sorry, Miss Himeko..." Zhi Jiang groans as the young woman helps him to get up, while he ignores the murmur from the crowd. "I-I don't think I could sleep at night knowing how many kids might have died if I didn't intervene."
"I understand, but right now, you need rest," Himeko says sternly. "Now, go with Miss Asta and the researcher to the safe zone. And Miss Asta, I wish we could talk in better circumstances."
"I understand," The pink-haired woman, named Asta, nods. "And we truly owe you for your assistance, Miss Himeko. And Mr. Zhi Jiang, right?"
"Just call me Zhi Jiang, miss," Zhi Jiang says as some of the researchers help carry the young man.
"Thank you," Asta says earnestly, and Zhi Jiang merely nods before they all rush off to evacuate.
"Mister..." Zhi Jiang looks at the two kids he rescued earlier, and they have a regretful expression. "W-we're sorry...you were hurt and...."
"Don't apologize, kids," Zhi Jiang says with a small smile. "I...just did what I had to do..." The kids didn't say a word, tears escaping their eyes. "A-ah, d-don't cry. I'm fine! I'm not hurt!"
The scene made Asta and her fellow researchers chuckle a bit, especially when Zhi Jiang tries to get up on his own to prove that he's fine but collapse once more before getting caught by the researchers, and the scene made the kids cry even more.
To be Continued