"Attention all passengers, attention all passengers—"
"The warp is about to begin. Please prepare yourselves, sit tight, and hold on!"
"5, 4, 3..."
Inside the Parlor Car, everyone sat down one after another, except for March 7th, who stood straight in the middle of the carriage, repeatedly muttering the same phrase.
Qi Zhimu's ears were sharp; when he heard the specifics, he looked puzzled.
"Won't fall?"
Was she doing some kind of lower-body stability training?
But the Astral Express was a creation of an Aeon. Its warp speed was claimed to be the second fastest in the universe, and no one dared claim the first spot.
Correspondingly, no matter how strong the centrifugal force cancellation system was, it shouldn't be able to avoid the effects of inertia entirely.
"2, 1!"
As soon as Pom-Pom finished speaking, the world was instantly stretched into lines of light as the Astral Express vanished into the void.
Feeling that slight centrifugal force that was almost negligible, Qi Zhimu marveled inwardly.
As expected of an Aeon's creation. With this level of comfort, standing really was... well.
Before he could finish his thought, he saw March 7th stumble, looking like she was about to have an intimate encounter with the floor.
Just as Qi Zhimu was about to help, the girl's fingertips moved slightly. Six-Phased Ice condensed out of thin air, steadily supporting her.
Never mind then.
Those who could board this Astral Express truly all possessed extraordinary skills.
By the Reignbow Arbiter, I'm still too weak. The only unique skill I can show off after a hundred years in the sea of stars is my control over the flow of time.
As the name suggests, it changes the rate at which time flows for an individual's actions.
After he hacked the guy who killed his old man into pieces as a child, the Aeon of The Hunt had inexplicably cast a glance at him.
Then, he somehow became able to use the power of the Path of The Hunt, though it wasn't an Emanator's blessing, and he could only change his own flow of time.
For instance, if he prepared to elbow an enemy, no matter if the opponent could block it, as long as they weren't a complete fool, they would likely react under normal circumstances.
But if he sped up the process of his elbow strike by tenfold, it would be a different story.
Correspondingly, he could also slow down the flow of time, but he hadn't found a use case for that yet.
While he was thinking, the Astral Express burst out of the space-time wormhole and docked smoothly at the platform.
Looking out through the window, a grand space station came into view, with a blue planet situated beneath it.
Qi Zhimu had seen similar sights hundreds, if not thousands, of times. He took a quick glance and then looked away.
"Himeko, you take Dan Heng. I'll stay. If Mr. Zhimu is interested, he can let little March show him around," Welt said.
Just as Qi Zhimu was about to respond, another private phone in his pocket suddenly vibrated violently.
He stood up apologetically and walked toward the exit of the carriage.
"Sorry, I have a sudden urgent matter. You guys go ahead, don't mind me."
"You can contact me anytime once you're done." March 7th didn't think much of it and followed Himeko and Dan Heng off the Astral Express.
...
Avoiding Welt and Pom-Pom, Qi Zhimu answered the call.
As soon as it connected, a burst of wild laughter exploded from the receiver.
"Hahaha, that was so fudging exhilarating! Lord Zhimu, do you know? I just blew up the IPC branch on Planet Galileo! The whole screen was filled with flames, it felt amazing."
"You don't need to be so loud, I can hear you." Qi Zhimu held the phone at least fifty centimeters away from his ear.
"Hey! I blew up those IPC dogs' nest, how can we not have a few drinks to celebrate? Meet at the old place?"
"Drink the most expensive wine and put the bill on my tab...?" Qi Zhimu said dryly, "Boothill, you brat, this is the fifth time."
"Sigh, didn't I just black out? You can wait for me to sober up to pay the bill."
"Alright, put the small talk aside. Let's talk business."
Qi Zhimu was only teasing him; he didn't care about the bill, nor did he care if Boothill was truly drunk.
Unless there was something urgent, Galaxy Rangers rarely contacted each other online; they usually went to certain secret offline locations.
Boothill: "Can't hide anything from you. Phoenix received an invitation on our behalf. Guess who sent it?"
"Not guessing."
"Fine. Keywords: The Family, Penacony, Charmony Festival."
"That's strange. Although The Family has had dealings with the Boss before, sending an invitation to the Galaxy Rangers..."
Qi Zhimu fell into deep thought.
"As far as I know, The Family usually doesn't invite outside factions to the Charmony Festival, and Galaxy Rangers aren't used to showing their faces at such grand events."
"Who knows? We can't count on the Boss right now, no one is calling the shots," Boothill said.
"Then why are you looking for me? I can't make decisions either, and I don't want to represent the Galaxy Rangers. If really no one is going, just reject it."
"Go to your Wubbaboo! You can go toe-to-toe with that ridiculously strong freak Rappa, how are you not qualified to represent the Galaxy Rangers?"
"Correction, I can't beat her in pure strength. That girl's muscle density simply isn't what a carbon-based organism should have."
"You said in all martial arts, speed is king. Her speed isn't as good as yours; no matter how much strength she has, she's just hitting air."
Boothill wasn't buying it. He suddenly chuckled.
"To be honest, the reason I want you to go is because The Family also invited another faction. You'll definitely be interested."
"Unlikely. I haven't offended any faction, unlike you, who's permanently on the IPC's wanted list." Qi Zhimu curled his lip.
"You haven't offended any factions, but that son of a nice little faction has offended you."
"Fudge! You mean Destruction?!"
Qi Zhimu caught on, his eyes widening as he blurted out a crude curse.
"Exactly. Although there are plenty of Galaxy Rangers with a grudge against Destruction, who has chased and beaten people from the Destruction faction harder than you?"
Boothill was very satisfied with Qi Zhimu's reaction.
Qi Zhimu suppressed the hostility in his heart, his tone becoming complicated.
"Is The Family possessed or just crazy? A grand festival held once an Amber Era, and even the Destruction faction is on the guest list. Don't you think this whole thing reeks of something sinister?"
"I don't understand those twists and turns. You'll have to ask your superstar wife. Just tell me if you're going or not. If you are, I'll tell Phoenix to keep the invitation for you."
"I'm going. I have to go. And let me reiterate, I don't have a wife. Don't ruin the girl's reputation."
"You've already slept in each other's arms, and she's still not your wife? Fine, I'm heading to the old place... I love that son of a nice! The IPC dogs are catching up. See ya!"
The communication ended abruptly.
Qi Zhimu put away his phone, not taking it too seriously.
Just as he had a grudge against Destruction, Boothill had an irreconcilable feud with the IPC. Such days were commonplace.
Returning to the Parlor Car, Welt and Pom-Pom were both gone.
After a moment of silence, he sent a message to March 7th, preparing to enter the space station. He glanced casually out the window.
To his absolute surprise, countless black fissures appeared, and swarms of Void Rangers emerged like locusts.
"They actually dare to deliver themselves to my door!"
Qi Zhimu laughed out of anger. With a flick of his wrist, he swung the a type of chinese lute he had used for playing music earlier and rushed off the Astral Express without a word, smashing any Void Ranger he saw.
Every time an afterimage, hard to see with the naked eye, flashed, it was accompanied by signs of annihilation as the Void Rangers were destroyed.
Welt got off to check the situation, his brow furrowed.
"Mr. Zhimu, return to the Astral Express first. It's no longer safe here. We're going to another platform."
"Don't worry about me. You go ahead. Once I've killed all these runts here, I'll go into the space station and keep killing!"
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