While Dan Heng was holding the line alone under pressure, Stelle, March 7th, and Firefly had already returned to Dreamflux Reef.
Himeko and Welt were handling the procedures for inheriting the shares, while the three little ones—Stelle and company—were tasked with "rescuing" Dan Heng.
"Two illegal intruders detected. Apprehend them!"
The moment the three returned to Dreamflux Reef, a dense swarm of note sprites descended from the sky. Clearly, the strength March 7th had displayed earlier made them realize their own inadequacy, so they had gathered a massive force.
In addition to the hordes of note sprites in the sky, countless Hounds surrounded them, each one acting like a zombie spotting a living person—nearly frenzied.
After all, the bounty for capturing a dangerous individual was several months' worth of their salary!
"You three, I am the supervisor of this area. I fully understand your longing for Dreamflux Reef, but I'm sorry—this is a VIP zone. Ordinary dreamers are not permitted entry."
"Please give up resistance and come with me to pay the fine."
A Hound in a suit, polite and refined, arrogantly issued his persuasion, appearing extremely sincere.
Stelle let out a low chuckle and stepped in front of the two girls: "I originally planned to interact with you all as an ordinary person, but what I got in return was alienation."
"Fine then, I'm done pretending. I am the major shareholder who inherited Chairman Mikhail's shares. I'm laying my cards on the table!"
"Why haven't you all backed down yet?!"
"..."
"Pfft—"
The moment Stelle finished speaking, the air suddenly fell silent. A few seconds later, someone couldn't hold back a laugh, and instantly, the crowd's mockery became uncontainable.
Stelle was like a leaf swaying unsteadily in a storm of ridicule.
"I-I'm serious!" Stelle couldn't help but say. "What are you laughing at?!"
"Hahahahahaha—"
These guys!!
Veins bulged on Stelle's forehead. She rolled up her sleeves, ready to fight these blind fools for three hundred rounds, but at the critical moment, March 7th and Firefly each grabbed one of her arms: "Stelle (Stelle), calm down."
Both girls knew very well that the matter of the Express crew inheriting shares had only just been revealed. It was normal for these low-level employees not to have heard about it yet.
...Shareholder?
The supervising Hound pondered for a moment. He hadn't heard of such a thing before, but years of professional experience told him that in situations like this, it was better to believe than to dismiss outright. He had to proceed with caution.
Chairman Mikhail? Wasn't he a vampire? Would he transfer his shares to someone else? What a joke!
The supervisor's tone became a bit more cautious: "This dreamer, I understand your current panic, but rules are rules. No matter how you resist, we have to follow this procedure. Please cooperate..."
Ring ring ring—
At that moment, the supervisor's phone rang. He stepped aside to answer: "Hello? Oh oh oh! Mm-hmm, yes yes yes, got it got it, yes yes yes, aye aye aye..."
A few seconds later, the supervisor returned, this time with a fawning smile on his face: "Shareholder ma'am, this subordinate was blind not to recognize Mount Tai. Ladies, whatever you want to do, please come right in!"
"Hum hum hum~ What did I tell you?" Stelle said. "Who was it that laughed at me just now? Deduct a day's wages!"
"Yes yes yes, absolutely, we'll deduct it from all of them." The supervisor smiled obsequiously. "Shareholder ma'am, whatever you need, just say the word. I guarantee it'll be handled at the fastest speed."
Stelle said: "I have a friend—strictly speaking, he's also one of your shareholders. He was probably captured by you to sign a contract. I want to find him."
"What?!"
The supervisor was horrified. A shareholder was captured and forced to sign a labor reform contract? Buhao, my salary!
"This subordinate truly had no idea. I'll take you there right now!" The supervisor waved to the Hounds behind him: "Prepare the car! Prepare the car!"
Stelle: "One more thing. I want a luxury motorcade. Otherwise, it won't look like I have the presence of a shareholder. Don't worry, I'll cover the cost of the motorcade."
The supervisor nodded repeatedly: "Yes yes yes."
Stelle: "One more thing. Actually, I prefer the arrogant attitude you had just now. You get it, right?"
The supervisor's expression straightened: "Understood, Shareholder ma'am."
...
On the other side, in the detention center.
Dan Heng was extremely uncomfortable—he could even say he was restless.
Were all these Hounds... into repression kinks?!
Originally, there was only one Hound supervising him to sign the contract, but ever since the Hound said, "I think you look pretty handsome too," four burly men in white socks had silently stood behind him, saying nothing, doing nothing.
Just staring intently.
"What exactly are you trying to do?" Dan Heng finally couldn't hold back and asked.
The Hound opposite him didn't speak, just stared at him with a serious expression. That piercing gaze—if you didn't know better, you'd think he was looking at...
After several seconds, the Hound's brows suddenly relaxed, and he inexplicably said: "Feels better."
Dan Heng: ???
Bro, what were you doing just now? I saw your hand stayed on the table the whole time?!
"Phew... So, what were we doing again?" The Hound looked confused for a moment, then coughed and returned to normal: "Bro, let me tell you, just sign it."
"You know, the universe may seem vast, but in reality, as humans, we can only ever stay in this little world beneath our feet in our lifetime."
"Some people think they belong to the stars, so they act recklessly, but in truth, we can completely use that time to improve ourselves."
"You're still young—what a great opportunity, huh? Working here isn't for anyone else. As long as you put your heart into it, you'll definitely gain something."
"Wouldn't this be a good thing for you, for me, and for the Family?"
Dan Heng: "...How long has it been since you last had a day off?"
The Hound: "Hm... I can't remember. For some reason, my memory's been bad lately. Even though I'm in a dream all day, I still feel like I haven't slept enough. So strange..."
Dan Heng: "Do you also always feel listless?"
The Hound: "How did you know?"
Dan Heng fell silent. He reached out and gripped—an ancient bronze gourd appeared in his hand. He couldn't take it anymore. He was a Nameless of the Astral Express. He could only die in the adventure of Trailblazing—he couldn't suffocate to death in Penacony like the Hound before him.
At this point, he no longer cared about making a scene. His personal safety was already under serious threat. He had to find a way to save himself.
"Cavern of Hidden Moon..."
—"Dan Heng! I'm hewoo to save ya!"
Just as Dan Heng was about to go on a "killing spree," a familiar voice suddenly rang out. Looking toward the sound, he saw Stelle wearing sunglasses, a bat slung over her shoulder, striding in majestically with a large group of people.
"Stelle? You're okay? How did you get here? Could it be that you too..." Dan Heng's expression changed. He was about to say something when he saw the large group of Hounds behind Stelle bow in unison:
"Hello, President Stelle! Hello, President Dan!!"