Danheng: "..."
Danheng looked at Xing's golden eyes, which were hazy from exhaustion yet unnaturally persistent, and felt a wave of deep helplessness and a headache.
He pressed his temples, trying to speak in the calmest tone possible: "There is no second Danheng. You are just too tired, Xing. The intensity of the simulated universe test... clearly exceeded what you can handle."
"No... that's not right..."
Xing shook her head, stubbornly pointing a finger at the carriage door. "There's a 'Xing' inside, and I'm outside... Th-Then why can't there be a second Danheng? The logic... the logic holds up!"
She tried to bypass Danheng to continue her great endeavor of "finding the second Danheng," but her steps were so light they felt like she was walking on cotton.
Danheng sighed, saying no more. The other party was already incoherent. There were only two people inside; where did 'Xing' come from?
He knew well that reasoning was impossible given her current mental state.
He half-supported, half-firmly led Xing away from the entrance of the Party Car and escorted her all the way to March 7th's room—since Xing's own room wasn't fully organized yet, she was temporarily staying with March 7th.
"Get some good rest."
Danheng opened the door, gently pushed Xing, who was still muttering about "asymmetry" and "wrong flavor," inside, and decisively closed the door.
He could still hear Xing's muffled complaints through the door.
Danheng leaned his back against the cold metal door panel and let out a long sigh of relief.
The continuous anomalies aboard the Astral Express caused his unease to spread like vines in his heart.
Perspective shift, Elysian Realm.
The atmosphere in the main hall was so heavy it could almost drip water.
The news Kosma brought back—Griseo's studio was empty, leaving behind only her most beloved paintbrush—was like a boulder thrown into an already turbulent lake, creating massive ripples.
"Griseo, too..."
Yae Sakura's voice carried a hint of solemnity.
Klein, the puppet who always handled everything efficiently and without expression, reported an even worse situation in her calm tone: "Confirmed. All data links between the Paradise and the outside world have been severed. We are isolated. This is not an internal authorization lock, but interference from an external force."
A dead silence fell.
To make Elysia vanish without a sound, then take Griseo, and completely seal off the Paradise... this could no longer be explained as a simple "disappearance" or internal malfunction.
"the corruption..."
Kevin uttered the word in a low voice, his ice-blue eyes filled with chilling coldness.
This was the conjecture they least wanted to face, yet the one that best fit the current situation.
Only an existence capable of infiltrating data itself could achieve such a feat.
Mobius rarely didn't smile. She rubbed her brow, a flicker of exhaustion crossing her green snake eyes: "Heh... right now, I truly wish this was just a slightly large-scale... prank orchestrated by Elysia and Griseo."
But this hope was as faint as a bubble.
"No matter what it is, we cannot sit here and wait for death."
Kevin surveyed the Flame-Chasers present—Kalpas's surrounding temperature was rising, Su closed his eyes and concentrated, trying to sense the anomaly, and Aponia prayed silently.
"We need to formulate a strategy."
Su spoke, "If it is 'the corruption,' scattered action and emotional decisions carry extremely high risks."
They quickly consulted past experience in dealing with similar crises (though the memories were unpleasant) and, combined with the current isolation of the Paradise, tentatively drafted a plan:
Su and Aponia would take the lead, attempting to use their senses to search for any residual traces of anomalous data.
Simultaneously, the Paradise would be divided into zones, with security perimeters established to prevent solo actions and stop "the corruption" from spreading further or launching surprise attacks.
Mobius and Vill-V, along with Klein, would immediately begin a deep scan of the Paradise's underlying data structure and firewalls.
They needed to find the weakness in that external "barrier" or a back door left by the intruder.
As for Kevin and Kalpas, they would serve as the primary combat forces, ready to deploy at any moment.
Once the enemy's whereabouts were discovered, they would strike with the fastest speed possible.
Yae Sakura, utilizing her extreme speed, would be responsible for rapid reconnaissance and information relay within the safe zones... as well as the non-traditional "surprise force": Kevin's gaze fell upon Pardo Felis, who was trying to minimize her presence in the corner. "Pardo."
"Y-Yes! Present!" Pardo jolted, her cat Tail puffing up.
"Your luck and intuition might be more useful than pure strength at a time like this," Kevin said calmly.
Pardo made a face but still nodded: "I-I'll try my best... Boss Kevin, please don't get your hopes up too high..."
Kosma tightly gripped the blue paintbrush, standing silently to the side, his gaze resolute.
He didn't need a specific assignment; his goal was clear—find Griseo and bring her back.
Xianzhou Luofu.
The afternoon sunlight filtered through the glazed dome, scattering dappled light spots on the ground.
Baiheng wore a pair of round black sunglasses that covered almost half her face. Her snow-white long hair was simply tied back, with a few playful strands hanging by her cheeks.
The ordinary Luofu attire made her look like a fashionable itinerant merchant girl.
She was lowering her head, tidying a necklace embedded with purple crystals, muttering to herself: "These 'Herta merchandise' given by that woman... sigh, I hope they don't cause trouble."
"This ornament is good."
A cold, emotionless female voice rang out in front of the stall.
"Naturally!"
Baiheng instinctively put on her professional smile, didn't lift her head, and smoothly replied, "This Guest has excellent taste! This is a limited edition, utilizing the Interstellar Peace Corporation's latest..."
Her words came to an abrupt halt.
This voice... was too familiar.
So familiar it seemed to cross hundreds of years of time, directly striking her heartstrings.
Baiheng forcibly suppressed her suddenly accelerating heartbeat, compelling herself to look up.
What met her eyes was a face like ice and sculpted snow, a black eye patch, a high snow-white ponytail, and attire carrying a chilling sword intent.
Jingliu!
How are you still alive?!
Baiheng felt as if her blood instantly chilled by half.
Her brain frantically sounded the alarm: Hide identity! Cannot acknowledge her! It will bring trouble! I am a "dead person" now!
The smile on her face froze for a moment, then, like adjusting focus, quickly switched to the enthusiasm of facing a stranger: "If the Guest likes it, I can offer you a five percent discount, okay?"
As she spoke, she couldn't help but wildly complain internally: 'How did she even see that my necklace was good while wearing an eye patch?! By sheer willpower?!'
Jingliu did not respond immediately, merely "looking" quietly at Baiheng.
That gaze, even through the eye patch, seemed to carry a tangible weight, making Baiheng feel an invisible pressure.
The air seemed to solidify slightly, and the surrounding noise felt cut off.
"Do you know... Baiheng?"
Jingliu's voice remained calm, without any hint of probing, as if she were asking about the weather.
Baiheng's heart instantly constricted, and a mental storm equivalent to a Category 12 typhoon erupted:'She knows it's me? No, impossible! I have white hair now, I'm wearing sunglasses, and I've slightly adjusted my voice... She's testing me! Calm down, Baiheng, you are just an ordinary Foxian merchant now!'
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