After a sigh, Dan Heng finally stepped forward, interrupting the argument between the two gray-haired newcomers.
The space station was under siege, invaded by the Antimatter Legion. Swarms of Voidrangers ran rampant through the corridors, danger lurking around every corner. Although these were mostly disorganized stragglers, even the lowest-ranking Voidranger could easily take the life of an ordinary station researcher.
However, the clothes these two wore weren't the standard uniforms of the space station staff. Judging by their words and actions, they didn't seem like typical researchers either; it was highly likely they weren't affiliated with the station at all.
Stelle appeared exactly as she presented herself: having lost her memories, like a newborn infant. After a brief conversation with her, Dan Heng was certain of this.
Caelus also claimed to have lost his memory.
—Dan Heng remained skeptical about his claim.
He didn't sense any malice from either of them, but this young man calling himself Caelus had a personality that was somewhat… unpredictable. His intuition told him they probably weren't bad people, but for individuals of unknown origin to appear on the space station at this critical moment… it was possible they were connected to the Legion's attack.
"Huh? You don't know about the Express? The Express visits the space station from time to time!"
While Dan Heng was lost in thought, March 7th was already excitedly gesturing as she introduced the Astral Express to Stelle.
"It's a train that can travel through the sea of stars! It's docked right here in the space station's bay right now. We usually go adventuring on all sorts of different planets… Let me tell you, adventuring is super exciting!"
Whenever adventure was mentioned, March 7th seemed to have endless stories to tell. She chattered away, recounting her experiences, making Stelle's eyes light up with fascination.
As she spoke, March 7th suddenly had a realization. She snapped her fingers and pointed at Stelle and Caelus in delighted surprise.
"Speaking of which, one of you is named Stelle, and the other Caelus. Put together, that's 'Stelle-Caelus'… like 'Star Rail'! It must be fate connecting you to our Express!"
"I'll ask Station Director Asta later. If you two aren't station staff, maybe you'd like to join us?"
The kind-hearted Miss March 7th wasn't one to hold grudges. Hitting Caelus with the baseball bat earlier settled the score for his previous teasing.
"Besides, let me tell you, I'm quite familiar with this whole amnesia thing. To be honest, I've lost my memories too."
Perhaps sensing a good chance that Stelle and Caelus might join the Express, and finding kinship as fellow amnesiacs, March 7th adopted the air of a senior, imparting her wisdom on the matter.
"If you can't remember, don't force yourself. Just take things one step at a time. Don't worry, I'll take care of you both!"
"Okay, okay!" Stelle, captivated by March 7th's thrilling tales of adventure, nodded eagerly. Then, remembering she still had her 'younger brother' with her, she couldn't just leave him behind. She grabbed Caelus's arm. "I accept for him too."
"???" Caelus looked at Stelle, bewildered.
Although he had no intention of refusing, what was with this 'good boy, come with mama' act?
"What are you looking at?" Stelle puffed out her chest, hands on her hips, declaring loudly, "Don't you know the eldest sister is like a mother?"
Miss Stelle had already made up her mind about her relationship with Caelus. Even if he miraculously started making sense, she was the older sister today!
"Mhm!" March 7th nodded in satisfaction at the response and turned to Dan Heng, seeking praise.
"Dan Heng, look! I found two new companions!"
Standing tall with her hands on her hips, she looked immensely proud, practically radiating 'Praise me now!'.
Dan Heng didn't answer immediately, remaining silent for a few moments before letting out a sigh.
"Hey, what's that supposed to mean?" March 7th pouted, puffing her cheeks.
Dan Heng, still expressionless, simply nodded towards Stelle and Caelus. "This isn't a safe place to linger. You should head back with March."
He then turned to March 7th. "Station Director Asta just sent coordinates. Arlan from the Security Department lost contact nearby. I'll find Arlan and then meet you all in the main control section."
"No problem, leave it to me!" March 7th confidently patted her chest, adding a quick reminder to Dan Heng, "Be careful yourself!" Though she wasn't really worried; the reliable Dan Heng rarely ran into trouble he couldn't handle.
"Mn."
With a nod, Dan Heng turned and left the Curio room. As he departed, he gave Caelus one last glance, silently hoping the young man wouldn't cause any more trouble.
Watching Dan Heng's figure disappear from sight, March 7th turned back to Stelle and Caelus standing side-by-side behind her, nodding with satisfaction.
"From now on, we're the Amnesia Trio!"
"Woohoo~!" Stelle cheered, raising her arms, then looked expectantly at Caelus.
Caelus: "..."
March 7th also turned her gaze towards Caelus.
Feeling both pairs of eyes on him, Caelus half-heartedly raised a hand. "Woohoo~~"
His enthusiasm felt as forced as a routine chore after three years of marriage.
"No energy! That won't help you recover your memories," March 7th lectured, adopting the tone of an amnesia veteran.
"What kind of memory recovery method is this?" Caelus wondered aloud.
"Something I figured out myself, of course!" March 7th declared, one hand on her hip, the other making a 'V' sign.
Caelus blinked. Based on the latest game story information reflected in fan creations he'd seen, he hadn't come across any fan works depicting March 7th regaining her memories. That meant, even up to the most recent plot developments, she was still an amnesiac. Besides, this type of character setup was classic; they usually only recovered fragments of memory near the story's grand finale.
"Let's go," March 7th announced, taking on the air of a team leader and waving them forward. However, she stopped after just one step. Tapping a finger against her smooth chin, she mused, "The Legion is running around the station like mad dogs. The way back isn't safe either. You two should probably carry something for self-defense."
March 7th scanned the surroundings and spotted the baseball bat she had dropped earlier. Picking it up, she initially intended to hand it to Caelus, who was closest, but the memory of his 'finder's fee' comment flashed through her mind. Changing direction mid-motion, she turned and offered the bat to Stelle instead.
"Stelle, why don't you take this?"
"Alright!" Stelle accepted the baseball bat.
And thus, the Trailblazer obtained her signature weapon.
Noticing Caelus's expression practically screaming, 'What about me? Where's mine?', March 7th let out a small 'hmph'. Still, she bent down, looking left and right, searching the floor.
Caelus, however, had no intention of fighting Stelle for the bat; he was merely teasing March 7th. His mask was purely functional equipment, offering zero combat capability. Finding a powerful Curio for protection wouldn't be a bad idea, though.
The displays in the Curio room had been overturned by the shockwave from the Star Core's release earlier. The floor was a mess, littered with Curios of various shapes and sizes. Only a few still had readable descriptions.
"ID #3471: The Sound-Rejecting Chalice."
"A miniature orchestral instrument set that performs constantly. It will play barely audible alien tunes when the decibel level is 0. If the decibel level is above 0, it remains silent."
"ID #3472: Darkflame Matchstick."
"In dim light, it appears to be an ordinary matchstick. If placed under bright light, its head reveals swirling, ghostly-green gaseous particles. Colorless, odorless, and harmless to touch. Igniting it dispels light and gathers darkness."
"What on earth are these?" March 7th muttered. "I guess you really can call them Curios… they have the weirdest functions!" she exclaimed. "And I've never seen so many Curios in one place before."
Feeling a bit overwhelmed by the dazzling array of choices, March 7th picked through the scattered treasures and handed one to Caelus.
"Here, Caelus, maybe try this?"
Caelus stared blankly at the object March 7th pushed into his hand, unable to resist complaining, "What the heck is this thing supposed to do!?"
The object was primarily blue and gold, feeling metallic to the touch but lacking the coldness and weight of steel. It had a flat, disc-like structure adorned with simple yet artistic geometric patterns. Staring closely, one could see the patterns subtly shifting, connected by an axle.
It was a highly futuristic-looking yo-yo.
"You could use it to hit people! And it comes right back after you throw it," March 7th suggested tentatively, scratching her head awkwardly, knowing it sounded a bit lame.
"Hit people, huh," Caelus grumbled under his breath. He looped the string around his middle finger and gave it a flick downwards. The yo-yo, as if enchanted, spun rapidly down the string, tracing elegant arcs in the air. Guided by the string, it soared high and dipped low, dancing with Caelus's movements as if it had a life of its own.
"Hey, you know how to use it?" March 7th looked surprised.
"Of course." Caelus had watched plenty of yo-yo cartoons as a kid. He remembered them being incredibly popular in elementary school; almost everyone had one.
Up and down it slides,
In and out it glides.
"Not bad!" March 7th patted Caelus's shoulder, smiling. "It's just a precaution, anyway. Don't worry, I'll protect you both."
"That's right, that's right! Big sister will protect you," Stelle added, swinging the baseball bat in her hand, finding it remarkably comfortable. She casually slung the bat over her shoulder, head held high, looking for all the world like the Great Sage Sun Wukong being told he was assigned to guard the Peaches of Immortality.
"I already told you, I'm your older brother!" Caelus corrected Stelle's address again, retracting the yo-yo and following behind the two girls.
Well, it's free, he thought. Might as well take it. It could be a fun toy, at least! Besides, it wasn't entirely impossible to use it as a weapon. Although he hadn't paid close attention to Honkai Impact 3rd's Part 2, Caelus knew that one of the main characters—often shipped with the protagonist—used a yo-yo.
Having acquired their starter gear from the 'spawn point', March 7th led the duo out of the Curio room. She didn't head straight back, though. There were still two rooms nearby that she and Dan Heng hadn't checked. Since they were heading back anyway, they might as well take a quick look; perhaps some trapped staff members were still inside.
The ruined rooms were empty.
"Looks like any surviving staff have already been rescued!" March 7th observed. "In that case, let's head to the main control section!"
The metallic walls gleamed under the harsh, flashing red emergency lights, sirens wailing faintly in the distance. "Quick, you two stick close to me," March 7th instructed. "The path ahead will be dangerous, so be extra careful…"
As she turned back, her words trailed off. March 7th stared,stunned, at the empty space behind her, blinking.
Where did they go?
Where were her two big recruits?
Lost?
A surge of anxiety filled her, and March 7th immediately started running back the way they came. Thankfully, just through the previous doorway, she spotted the two gray-haired individuals.
"You're not hurt, good, good."
She clutched her chest, about to sigh in relief, when she realized something was off. Both Caelus and Stelle were tense, their faces serious, eyes fixed intently on a particular corner.
March 7th followed their gaze. There was nothing in the dimly lit corner. Or rather, nothing but a pile of scattered documents—nothing that should warrant such focused attention.
What are they looking at?
It couldn't be... something spooky, could it?
The thought of 'ghosts' or 'spirits' made March 7th swallow nervously. She asked cautiously, "What's... wrong with you two?"
"Hm?" Stelle looked at March 7th, a puzzled expression on her face. "March, can't you see it?"
"See... what?"
"The treasure chest! The shiny, sparkling treasure chest!" Stelle's eyes twinkled like little stars.
Caelus, who had been about to step forward, paused, a look of surprise crossing his face. He had just consulted his 'System' – apparently, his 'Honkai Game System' had ambitions to improve! It aimed to incorporate all the optimized features from Star Rail, and treasure chests were one of them, randomly spawning in various locations. What surprised Caelus was that Stelle, who didn't have a System, could also see the chest.
Well, that was something to ponder later. The current priority was...
Opening the treasure chest!
Caelus took a step forward.
A dark boot appeared right next to his foot.
Stunned for a microsecond, Caelus turned his head, meeting Stelle's eyes as she turned towards him at the same moment. They could both see the raw desire for the treasure chest reflected in each other's eyes. Very quickly, that desire transformed into something else.
Their gazes clashed like swords mid-air, sparks flying. The atmosphere in the room instantly grew tense, charged with hostility.
"The chest is mine!"
"The chest is mine!"
Shouting simultaneously, they both lunged forward.
March 7th was left utterly bewildered and confused.
Treasure chest?
What treasure chest?
Where is there a treasure chest?
That's clearly just a pile of discarded files, isn't it?
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