"See, I told you—it definitely had to be a Stellaron Hunter!!"
The caravan leader immediately puffed out his chest, smug and triumphant: "Captain Gepard, please protect us well!"
"Don't worry—we came here this time precisely with the mission of safeguarding your safety!"
After comforting the caravan leader, Gepard immediately ran to the nearby officer and asked:
"What exactly is a Stellaron Hunter? Are they very strong? I don't usually play on my phone much."
The officer scratched his helmet and replied:
"Actually… I don't really know either. How many of us Silvermane Guards keep up with trends? Surfing the web? But Mr. Dan Heng is here too, and his expression looks extremely grave."
"Dan Heng? He came personally?"
"Yes, he's in the formation right now."
Soon, the officer led Gepard to him.
Just as the officer had said, Dan Heng's face was deathly serious. Even upon seeing Gepard, he continued urging the Silvermane Guards here to leave.
"Mr. Dan Heng, you really came."
Gepard stepped forward to greet him.
But Dan Heng's expression remained grave. Even after spotting Gepard, he still tried to persuade him:
"Captain Gepard, your timing is perfect. Lead the Silvermane Guards now and escort the caravan back. The enemy is very likely lurking nearby!"
"Huh? Returning is no problem, but… Mr. Dan Heng, the way you're acting doesn't look like you're planning to come back with us."
At this moment, Dan Heng's aura was fierce, gripping his spear tightly—he clearly intended to stay and fight.
He simply said in a low voice:
"He might be coming for me. I don't want to drag you all down."
Hearing this, Gepard raised his head:
"That's not acceptable. You're a benefactor of Belobog—how could we possibly let you face danger alone?"
He looked around at the dense crowd of Silvermane Guards:
"Belobog is absolutely not an ungrateful place! When a benefactor is in trouble, we must do everything in our power to help!"
Dan Heng shook his head, his face grim:
"No, it's useless. Numbers mean nothing to him. It would only cause many unnecessary sacrifices."
Gepard was genuinely stunned.
If even Dan Heng said this, just how terrifying was the opponent's strength?
The highest combat power Gepard had personally witnessed was Zeig, followed by that vagrant who had fused with the Stellaron.
Although Gepard hadn't been in the Overworld to see it firsthand back then, according to Pela, that guy had been particularly troublesome and could even transform humans into Rift creatures.
Oh wait—no, if you counted that way.
The woman who had punched that guy to pieces would actually rank higher.
"Mr. Dan Heng, it seems the situation is already extremely serious." Gepard's expression gradually darkened as well.
"In that case, why don't we contact the Executive Officer? I believe with his help, we can definitely get through this crisis!"
"No."
Dan Heng still shook his head.
"I want to face him alone. You could say… this is my personal vendetta."
"This…"
Dan Heng's words immediately put Gepard in a difficult position.
He wanted to duel that Stellaron Hunter one-on-one.
Speaking of which, Stellaron Hunters were from other planets, right?
If they had truly chased Dan Heng all the way to Jarilo-VI, just how deep must this grudge be?
"Hey, Dan Heng." Nearby, Seele walked over carrying her scythe, face cold.
She said gravely:
"I remember you said before that you're a member of the Astral Express, right?"
Dan Heng silently nodded.
Seele continued:
"If that's the case, it's fine if you don't want our help—but Zeig and March 7th are your companions. When necessary, borrowing their strength is what teamwork means, isn't it?"
Gepard suddenly saw the light and quickly agreed:
"Exactly, Mr. Dan Heng. Shouldering everything alone is precisely what means not treating friends as friends."
But Dan Heng still shook his head:
"Precisely because they are friends and companions, I don't want to put them in danger."
"Huh? You can't even tell them?"
Suddenly, Kiana—who had been squatting on the ground—raised her hand awkwardly while hugging her phone:
"But… I already told him everything just now."
Dan Heng: "…"
"Alright." Seele walked to Dan Heng's side and patted his shoulder:
"Now everyone knows. Stop trying to shoulder it alone. What if after we withdraw, you stay here and he just bypasses you to come pick us off one by one?"
"Exactly." Gepard stepped forward two paces and said seriously:
"If it's the enemy, then the only option is battle! How about this—let the Executive Officer open a door to send the caravan and Silvermane Guards back. Just leave a few of us to face him alone. That way we can minimize unnecessary sacrifices."
As soon as Gepard spoke, everyone except Dan Heng thought it was a great idea.
But Kiana once again raised her hand nervously:
"Um… the Captain said today isn't his shift. He's slacking off and won't waste that much energy opening a large-scale teleportation gate. At most he'll open a small door and let everyone line up one by one."
These words immediately sparked widespread discussion.
"It's already this critical and the Executive Officer is still thinking about slacking?! Does he have some system where slacking makes him stronger?"
"Exactly! Too much—Dan Heng is facing such a huge problem. As teammates, shouldn't they help?"
"Is it possible… this isn't actually a problem? After all, we haven't even seen a trace of the Stellaron Hunter yet."
"Bullshit! The caravan said there is one, the white-haired girl said there is one, Mr. Dan Heng said there is one—isn't that enough proof?!"
Kiana pursed her lips and quickly squatted down to type: "I-I also think this isn't right. If he's slacking, I won't be able to contribute much either. I need to talk to him."
While everyone waited anxiously.
Kiana's slender fingers flew across the screen, typing at lightning speed.
Finally, joy appeared on her face:
"Great! The Captain said he's willing to help—but he requires Mr. Dan Heng to withdraw from the museum share competition and evenly distribute his dividend portion."
Dan Heng pursed his lips, suddenly speechless.
"I understand. Afterward, I'll voluntarily withdraw."
"No—he and the other girl demand you sign and stamp it, and swear an oath to the heavens." Kiana stared at her phone screen and read aloud.
These words immediately caused another uproar.
"What exactly is going on? Is there some inside story to the museum management issue?"
"Haven't you heard? Mr. Dan Heng doesn't want a single credit—he just wants to occupy a position to cut into the Executive Officer and Miss March's dividends."
"Huh? Isn't that blatantly sabotaging them?"
"Exactly!"
"What a birth—didn't expect Mr. Dan Heng to do something so born."
"As the rumors say, all three from the Express crew are total births. Mr. Dan Heng usually looks so serious and unsmiling—turns out he's this secretly flirty."
Dan Heng: "…"
…