Welt and Dan Heng each led a squad out.
As they stepped off the train, a suffocating pressure hit them. Almost immediately, a deafening buzz rose up from the surrounding swarm of bugs.
Just as the bugs began to charge at the group, Pei Guang climbed up onto the train's roof. Donning his Light Cone, he raised both hands and gave the bugs double middle fingers.
"Trash!!!"
That simple word plunged the battlefield into silence. Even March couldn't help but comment, "Looks like the taunt worked!"
Right after March spoke, countless bugs ignored the departing teams and instead charged straight toward the train. At that moment, they had only one thought: kill this taunting human!
And it wasn't just the small fry. Even the giant bug that had swallowed the train was drawn in by the provocation. It let out a furious roar—and that very roar caused its camouflage to fail.
With its disguise broken, the massive True Sting was now visible. Countless nearby civilizations caught sight of the enormous creature, since this was a star-level event hosted by a major interstellar corporation.
A bug this size, capable of eating people, was bound to draw attention.
Wave after wave of bugs surged toward the train. As Pei Guang looked on at the endless swarm, Himeko showed what it meant to be the train's navigator and guardian.
Several drones began to orbit the train. They were the ones she always carried, small but packing tremendous firepower: powerful enough to instantly kill Voidranger: Trampler units.
If measured against a Doomsday Beast, Himeko was confident these drones could stall one on their own.
As the spinning drones tore through the horde, killing bugs in droves, Pei Guang, who had expected an epic battle on the roof, yelled toward the train's interior, where Himeko was calmly sipping coffee.
"Himeko~ your trump card's kinda busted, huh?"
Hearing his voice from outside, Himeko smiled. "As the train's navigator, of course I need a little something to defend the Astral Express. And your power's not bad either~"
She then noticed the flames Pei Guang had thrown around them. As the drones spun rapidly, a ring of fire formed, completely surrounding the Astral Express.
Pei Guang: "That's not all. Let me show you a move I just came up with~"
Standing on the train roof, Pei Guang raised his wooden sword behind him. Flames gathered at the blade. When the heat became almost uncontrollable, Pei Guang swung his weapon—an enormous burst of fire shot out from it.
"Asura: Wicked Light Slash!!"
It wasn't a formal "skill" per se, just a special application of his Savory Truefire. But the visual? It looked just like one of the moves from Asura, the class Pei Guang used to play in Dungeon Fighter Online (aka "Toxic Milk Powder").
In fact, thanks to Savory Truefire, Pei Guang was able to re-create all sorts of familiar skills: Fudo Myoo Formation, Magma Wave Sword, and more.
Now, were they actually useful? Eh... not really. Those flashy game skills didn't translate well into real combat. They burned through way more energy, and the actual damage? Barely better than just raw fire. Worse still, the fixed animations meant a lot of the power was wasted.
But! As a player, Pei Guang wasn't just chasing strength: he was chasing style. He didn't know how others saw it, but since this fight felt just like a stitched-together Anton raid, not busting out some Toxic Milk Powder moves would feel like a betrayal to his old raid leader's guidance.
"Planetary Devastation!" "Ultimate: Ghostblade Arts!" "Psychic Qi: Thunder Dragon Emerges!" "How did that saying go again? Youth wasted if not grinding! Backdash Sword Aura~~"
Before he knew it, Pei Guang was just straight-up having fun. All these were just visual effects mimicked by his Truefire, but for Pei Guang, each one represented his lost youth. He'd spent years protecting that girl alongside other adventurers.
But now, he had someone else worth protecting. Compared to that money-scammer Cenia, March 7th, adorable, huggable, thoughtful,and she even buys him clothes, was way more his type!
Just thinking about Toxic Milk Powder again made Pei Guang want to rant. Back then, he used to play Summoner, play Blind Monk, play Battle Mage, just barely scraping by while guarding the artillery cannon.
And now? Standing on top of the train defending the whole Astral Express?
And then a thought hit him: "Wait a sec… this whole thing is stitched? Am I not fighting a giant True Sting? This is Anton? Starts with the black mist phase, then the Heavenly Pressure phase? No way! I gotta head to the mountain next! I'm typing way too professionally!"
While Pei Guang was ranting about things only Dungeon Fighter players could understand, waves of flame continued to erupt from him. And no, he wasn't bluffing: if this instance really was stitched from Toxic Milk Powder, Pei Guang was pretty sure these bugs couldn't break through his defense line.
Never doubt the power of a Grandy 95 Supreme. And never question his top-tier Cannon C carry gameplay!
More and more "skills" burst from Pei Guang's fire. What he didn't notice was that in the midst of throwing out random attacks, a few had actually been recognized by the system as real abilities.
To a player, what even is a "skill"? You don't need to understand how it works: you just need it to hit harder than a normal attack.
Like stealth or taunt: how do they function, exactly? Who knows!
What, you expect Pei Guang to learn code to play a game?
That was Pei Guang's current state. As he came up with or accepted more and more moves, some of them started activating automatically, no input needed.
Sadly, since this was real life, the strength of the skills was still tied to Pei Guang's own power. They weren't enough to take on truly strong enemies… but for bug-stomping? Totally sufficient.
Most of the bugs were weak. Their only advantage was numbers, but against AoE attackers like Pei Guang and Himeko, that meant nothing. A few tougher ones did try to break through, but Himeko's Satellite Cannon wasn't just for show.
She couldn't keep the Satellite Cannon firing non-stop, but clearing out the clusters threatening the train was no problem.
While the Astral Express crew began their raid on the stitched boss [Giant True Sting] from inside its body, the monster's roar and the fading of its camouflage caught the attention of others.
Xianzhou Luofu, Divine Foresight Division.
Fu Xuan's projection appeared before Jing Yuan.
Fu Xuan: "General, this is bad! A massive unknown creature was spotted outside the Jarilo system. I checked the old records: this thing matches the description of a True Sting. I even drew a divination for the Trailblazers, and the hexagram..."
Long story short: the Trailblazers had landed themselves in a major crisis—and it had everything to do with this True Sting.
As he listened to the officer's report, Jing Yuan smiled.
Jing Yuan: "I'm betting the Trailblazers are already locked in battle with that big guy. Given their current strength, they likely can't handle it alone. If things escalate, they'll definitely need backup. Ah—what a thrill! What a thrill! I never thought I'd get the chance to scrap with a beast like this.
Relay my order: Luofu is to prepare for warp, and all combat units are to be ready for deployment. No matter who is fighting this thing, I, Jing Yuan, am showing up to lend a hand!"
Though the Xianzhou people claim to hunt Abominations of Abundance , truth is, once they accepted Abundance's blessing, they were already walking its path.
Who knows how many planets this monster's swallowed, how many civilizations it's destroyed? Its appearance alone would destabilize the surrounding star systems. Whether to help the Trailblazers or to preserve peace in the region, Jing Yuan was going to show up.
Besides, now that they'd spotted this bug, they couldn't let it escape. Who knows what kind of nightmare the Abundance idiots could create if they got their hands on it?
Elsewhere on Belobog, Topaz, who was just about to leave the planet, received the report.
Topaz: "What? A gigantic True Sting...? Wait a second... this is—!!!"
The Company had extremely detailed records on the True Stings. Even though back when the bugs were ravaging the galaxy the Company was still operating in secret, their intel was second to none.
They never expected to encounter one again, especially not one that seemed to be roaring in pain.
Topaz checked its location, and based on the coordinates, she formed a theory: the creature's exposure and cry were most likely caused by the Astral Express crew.
Why? Simple: a nearby "Washtopia" had recently received a cleaning reservation from the Astral Express.
By now, they should've arrived. But the train hadn't shown up—and couldn't be contacted. Add that to the bug appearing on the same route, and Topaz already had her conclusion.
Topaz: "Heheh~ Looks like I'll be representing the Company for this one. What a golden opportunity~"
In Topaz's eyes, Pei Guang was a high-value investment. If the Trailblazers were fighting the True Sting, even just sending a team to check things out would earn some great PR.
Even if it wasn't the Trailblazers, the Company wouldn't ignore the threat of a True Sting. The last thing they wanted was a repeat of the Intergalactic Swarm Disaster. The only kind of throwback the Company would tolerate was blowing up their own HQ.
When it came to emperors, swarms, legions, and abominations? Yeah, no thanks.
Compared to all the external commotion, the battlefield on Pei Guang's side was lit. With taunts flying, the fight near the Astral Express was reaching its boiling point.