"So… are you saying it was my fault for deploying the stargates too early?"
According to the original plan, the Astral Express was supposed to initiate warp—
Only to have its route disrupted by Belobog's Stellaron.
That would force the crew to stop and resolve the crisis there.
There were plenty of coincidences involved, sure—
But it was still within reason.
Elio could see multiple possible futures—
That's how he arranged the script.
But now, with the Express using the stargate—
They had skipped Jarilo-VI entirely.
Naturally, they reached their destination much faster.
No delays at Belobog.
But the damage was done.
By the time the Express passed through the stargate again and reached Penacony—
It would already be too late.
That was why Kafka had no choice but to come ask Su Ran for help.
"No. It was just bad timing. Your stargates are a good thing for the universe."
Even though using them required a fee—
It was still far more cost-effective than normal warp travel.
Kafka didn't think there was anything wrong with them.
Especially since—
Because the stargates weren't connected directly to the IPC—
Anyone could use them, as long as they paid.
That included the Stellaron Hunters.
Kafka naturally had no complaints.
It was just… unfortunate timing for their plans.
"What do you think about causing a bug infestation on Washworld?"
Su Ran proposed casually.
A bug swarm was no less dangerous than a Stellaron.
Using the swarm to delay the Express was absolutely feasible.
Then, once the Luofu's Stellaron crisis erupted—
He could personally invite the Express over.
Coming from him, that invitation would be far more effective than one from the Stellaron Hunters.
"…Is there a safer option?"
Kafka didn't like the bug swarm idea.
Even if Su Ran could control them—
The Swarm was still more terrifying than the Antimatter Legion.
To this day, the damage caused by the Legion still wasn't even one percent of what the Swarm Disaster had once wrought.
Probably because the IPC had only been founded during the later stages of the Swarm Disaster—
And was nowhere near as powerful back then.
They simply couldn't resist it effectively.
And compared to the Legion—
The Swarm was far harder to eliminate completely.
"Then just throw Jarilo-VI's Stellaron onto Washworld. That'll solve it too."
Kafka: "…"
Both of his solutions made her feel like Su Ran was more suited to being a wanted criminal than she was.
Each plan was more ruthless than the last.
Was he really trying to ruin Washworld?
"You sure you don't want to join the Stellaron Hunters? I think you'd fit right in."
The Stellaron Hunters were already notorious.
But if Su Ran actually did either of the things he suggested—
He wouldn't exactly have a clean reputation either.
A villain joining villains—
Seemed perfect.
Besides, Silver Wolf was interested in him too.
They could all have fun together.
"I'd rather keep myself relatively clean. Being involved with the Stellaron Hunters is fine, but actually joining? No thanks."
The biggest issue was missions.
He hated mandatory work.
Sure enough—
The smaller the organization, the more chores there were.
The Fatui was huge, yet he barely had to do anything.
But if Elio was writing scripts for him every day—
That would be unbearable.
"I'll just send the Express a message. Tell them to stay on Washworld for a few days, then head to the Luofu. I'm a genius, after all. I should have enough face for that."
His status wasn't like the Stellaron Hunters'.
People wouldn't instinctively reject him.
"Then I'll leave it to you."
Su Ran immediately sent a message to every member of the Astral Express.
Himeko was the first to receive it.
As navigator, she was the one who truly made the crew's decisions.
Pom-Pom was the conductor—
But the destination was still chosen by the passengers.
Fresh out of the bath and getting ready for bed—
Himeko read Su Ran's message.
"Support the Xianzhou Luofu… If you refuse, then one day in the future, when facing Destruction, you will lose an important ally…"
Looking at the message, Himeko felt oddly conflicted.
It reminded her of those ridiculous chain messages from school:
Forward this or your whole family dies.
"…I'll gather everyone tomorrow and discuss it."
Still—
She trusted Su Ran.
A genius recognized by the Genius Society—
Someone who had drawn the gaze of Fuli—
Was worth trusting.
And they'd already experienced the stargates.
They really were useful.
He probably wasn't trying to harm the Express.
But the message Walter received—
Made his eyes widen.
Along with the request to aid the Luofu—
There was also a photo of a man.
That single image left him unable to rest.
Now—
No matter what—
He had to go to the Luofu.
Dan Heng had regular habits.
He had already organized the databank, washed up, and gone to sleep—
Where he was now busy having nightmares.
As for March 7th…
"Can the Matrix of Prescience really help me recover my memories?"
For the first time—
She found herself genuinely wanting to go to the Luofu.
Meanwhile, Stelle—
Who was staying up late gaming—
Got a message popup mid-match.
She was instantly combo'd to death.
Furious, she opened the chat window.
She wanted to see which idiot dared interrupt the Galactic Baseballer's ranked grind.
"Don't go to the Luofu and your whole family dies…"
Sender:
Su Ran.
She immediately replied.
Galactic Baseballer:
Does that "whole family" include your mom?
She hadn't forgotten—
Su Ran had said he was connected to Kafka.
Kafka was her mother.
So didn't that make Su Ran family too?
He was part of her family!
Then—
A photo arrived.
In it, Su Ran had his arm around Kafka.
The two were smiling warmly.
It looked absurdly domestic.
Su Ran:
Yes. That includes your mom.
"…So I really was just an accident…"
Her loving parents were off on their honeymoon—
While she was out here drifting through space alone?
I should've been under the train, not on it.
In her extreme fury—
She became extremely furious for a brief moment.
"You think just because you tell me to go, I'll go? Then wouldn't I have no—"
Su Ran:
I'll transfer you some spending money.
(Transfer: 100,000 Credits.)
Stelle:
Yes, Daddy!
It wasn't that she was shameless.
It was just—
He was offering too much.
Back on the Blue Planet—
Herta glanced at her phone.
Then stared at the notification showing another sudden transfer of 100,000 credits out of her account.
—------------------------------
Pat reon Advance Chapters: patreon.com/YonkoSlayer