Time passes like married life after the wedding.
It always gets faster and faster.
…
Zeig lay face-down on the ground, his face bruised and swollen, several teeth knocked out.
"Silver Wolf, did we go a bit too hard on him?" Kafka's lazy voice came from the front line.
"Hard? Not at all."
Silver Wolf didn't care much, directing her light cannons to clear out the Swarm: "He's not dead, right? As long as it doesn't affect the plan, it's fine."
Kafka nodded, a charming arc forming at the corner of her lips: "True."
Though there's no way to tell day from night in Herta Space Station without a clock, the exhaustion in their bodies made it clear they had been fighting for a very, very long time.
During this period, no one from the Astral Express had come to provide support.
As for Zeig.
He had already lost track of how long he'd been lying there.
"It was just a trip to the bathroom. Was that really necessary?"
Back then, the two women had rushed over and given him a thorough beating.
And the way they hit—sigh.
No holding back at all.
Clutching his already swollen face, Zeig sat up and observed the situation outside.
The Swarm that had once filled the galaxy were now nearly wiped out, with only a few remaining.
It was at that moment that an electronic sound rang in Zeig's mind.
[Congratulations, host. Slacking period completed. Newbie reward now issued.]
"Huh?" It's already done?
With a puzzled murmur, a warm current surged into Zeig's body, flowing through his meridians.
In an instant, a massive amount of martial arts knowledge from Mount Taixu flooded his mind.
"Hiss…"
The sheer volume of information made Zeig's head throb.
The next moment, the Stellaron inside his body began to tremble violently!
"Boom…!!"
In the dim consciousness space, the Stellaron's light suddenly illuminated everything.
Overwhelming power coursed through Zeig's body like a tangible force.
Inside the containment cabin section, Zeig's previously bruised and swollen face healed at a visible speed.
Seeing this, Silver Wolf—who was closest to Zeig—paused in surprise:
"Hm? His swelling's gone down? When did that happen?"
As she voiced her question, Kafka flashed to her side and grasped her wrist.
"That's enough, Silver Wolf. We've cleared most of them. The Astral Express crew is already on their way—we really should go this time."
Her enchanting gaze turned toward Zeig, who was sitting on the ground:
"We'll meet again. Our paths will cross once more."
…
After a long while.
A bell-like voice reached Zeig's ears: "Hehe, wake up quick, or I'll have to give you mouth-to-mouth~"
Zeig: "…"
March 7th blinked. She had clearly seen his eyelids twitch—why wasn't he waking up?
"Dan Heng, what's going on?"
Dan Heng crouched beside March 7th and shook his head: "Not sure. Let's wait a bit."
Zeig: "…"
March 7th and Dan Heng discussed the battle situation for a while, no longer mentioning mouth-to-mouth.
Eventually.
The young man on the ground suddenly opened his eyes, filled with righteous indignation: "Why, why didn't you try that miraculous mouth-to-mouth?"
For a moment, the scene fell silent.
March 7th: "…"
Zeig: "Actually, I think mouth-to-mouth is a very scientifically sound treatment method. It…"
"Smack——!!"
With a crisp slap, Zeig immediately quieted down.
Though his face was now a bit red and swollen.
By the time the three left the containment cabin section and met Himeko, even Teacher Himeko asked in confusion:
"What happened to this gentleman's face? Why is it so flushed?"
March 7th put her hands on her hips and said irritably:
"Heh, probably got licked by the Swarm."
Dan Heng: "…"
Zeig stood silently to the side, staring intently at Himeko.
Himeko noticed Zeig's gaze and gave him a polite smile.
"Hello, I'm Himeko. How should I address you?"
Her gentle voice reached him.
Zeig was momentarily dazed.
That single sentence seemed to take him back to a long, long time ago.
To a warship named Hyperion.
"Hello? Are you feeling unwell somewhere?" Himeko asked with concern.
She noticed that ever since this young man saw her, he had started acting a little strange.
As if… he knew her.
Zeig snapped back to reality and extended his hand to Himeko: "Former captain of the Hyperion—Teacher Himeko, you can call me Zeig. I've long admired your great name."
Himeko paused, then returned a polite smile and gave Zeig a symbolic handshake:
"Hyperion… that's the name of a warship, right? It sounds nice. But where does this admiration come from?"
Today should be their first meeting.
March 7th: "Tch, he just loves making things up. I think there's something wrong with his mental state."
At that moment, Dan Heng walked over and explained to Himeko:
"This Mr. Zeig was in the containment cabin section the whole time. That area endured the most ferocious attacks—perhaps he's suffered some excessive shock."
The assault had lasted a full twenty-four hours. It would be normal to be scared into some issues.
Though he didn't know why the two Stellaron Hunters had protected Zeig, there were clearly some secrets about him.
"I see."
Himeko gazed thoughtfully at Zeig. This man's eyes really seemed as if he had known her for a very long time.
"I'm sorry," Himeko said with slight apology. "There were simply too many researchers in distress at the space station. It took this long to finally reach you."
One had to admit, Himeko was quite experienced.
Though she apologized verbally, there wasn't the slightest ripple in her eyes—it was probably just polite words.
What truly interested her was likely Zeig's identity and his connection to the Stellaron Hunters.
As expected, Himeko asked with a smile:
"I think I saw earlier that two Stellaron Hunters were protecting you the whole time. Are you one of them?"
That sharp gaze made Zeig's heart race a little.
The Stellaron Hunters and the Astral Express were supposed to be on opposite sides, right?
If he really were from the other side, who knows how Himeko would treat him.
Zeig immediately patted his chest:
"I don't even know the Stellaron Hunters, but they shoved something called a Stellaron into me, and then I passed out."
Upon hearing the keyword "Stellaron," March 7th, Dan Heng, and Himeko all froze in place.
Researchers kept passing by around them as Zeig quietly waited for their response.
"So that's how it is."
After a moment, Himeko was the first to react: "I understand."
She restored her kind smile.
March 7th, having snapped out of it, was utterly shocked:
"A Stellaron? They shoved a Stellaron into a living person's body?!"
March 7th started poking and prodding Zeig's body, trying to find anything abnormal.
"Zeig, are you okay? You can still talk? Hurry and describe how you feel right now—are you about to mutate?"
Faced with March 7th's baseless suspicions, Zeig gave her a confident smile:
"Joke's on you—mutate?" Zeig turned his back to everyone, stood on a mechanical-style bench, hands clasped behind his back, and looked up at the galaxy beyond the window:
"A mere Stellaron—how could it possibly dictate my race? As a pillar of humanity, suppressing a tiny little Stellaron is child's play!"
March 7th: "But there seems to be a weird smell coming from you. I noticed it earlier."
"Oh, things were a bit rushed just now—I handled it right there on the cabin floor. My clothes might have gotten a little stained. No big deal—just wipe it off. By the way, does anyone have any tissue?"
Zeig looked down at everyone with a sideways glance.
What he received in return was dead silence.
…