"But, I don't know how to put it, it's just... he seems to be able to create things that can't be explained, things that might even violate the laws of thermodynamics." Himeko shook her head. "Welt, he's not quite like you."
"Indeed, I don't have his exuberant desire for invention and his unconstrained creativity."
Dan Heng looked at the newly renovated Party Car. "Where are the boundaries of his abilities?"
"I don't know," Himeko said. "But one thing is certain—his creativity far exceeds my expectations."
"Just... like that?" March 7th gestured with her hands. "A little melting, a little grinding, a little mixing, and new furniture just appears?"
"The process is obviously more complex than that." Himeko walked to the bar, her fingers lightly brushing over the countertop. "He said the Express is like a watch, and then he started taking it apart. He wasn't just dismantling it randomly; he was truly trying to understand the train's construction."
"It sounds pretty impressive..." March 7th scratched her head. "But what's the difference between that and Mr. Yang's power? The result is still making new things."
"The difference is that there are some things I cannot do..."
As they spoke, the automatic door connecting the Party Car to the Parlor Car gave a soft 'beep' and slid open slowly.
"Everyone, sorry to keep you waiting."
Aidan stood at the door. Most of the dust on him had been brushed off, though his cuffs were still stained with a bit of engine oil. He made a welcoming gesture, a confident and rational smile on his face.
"Astral Express Parlor Car Version 2.0. Welcome to the experience."
"This is..." Welt walked to the table and reached out, his hand passing through the illusory planet. "A real-time star map?"
"It's connected to the train's navigation system, and I've optimized the data processing algorithms," Aidan explained as he walked over to him. "The previous star map had a delay of about 0.5 seconds; it's now compressed to 0.01 seconds. Plus, I've added a gravitational wave detection module, which can provide early warnings for anomalies on the route..."
Then, Aidan began counting down as if a bomb were about to explode.
"Ten, nine, eight..."
"Hey! What's wrong with you?!" March 7th was startled and hurriedly leaned in.
Aidan's voice grew softer and softer.
"Aidan? What are you counting?"
"Five, four, three..."
"Hey!"
"Two, one."
Aidan collapsed on cue.
"He's still breathing, he's still breathing! Scared the life out of me!"
"It should be physical exhaustion." Welt also knelt down and checked Aidan's pupils. "He's still conscious, but his body just couldn't hold out. It seems his current constitution is indeed quite poor."
"Then what do we do? Should we call a doctor? Is it too late to go back to the Space Station?"
"No need. Just let him lie down for a while. Once the excitement from earlier passed, his body naturally gave out."
March 7th reached out and poked Aidan's face.
"Still alive?"
"...I'm still alive." Aidan's eyes opened a crack, his voice as weak as a mosquito's buzz. "It's just... I can't move... let me lie here for a bit..."
"You scared me to death!" March 7th poked him again, pouting. "You were so energetic just now, how can you just collapse like that?"
"Stamina bar... hit zero... it's normal..." Aidan explained feebly. "I counted down... in advance... so you'd be mentally prepared..."
"You call that a countdown? You call that terrifying!"
"Move him back to his room," Himeko said. "Dan Heng, if you would."
"Mm."
———
Aidan had a dream.
In the dream was a boundless white wasteland. There was no sky, no earth, only pure white. He walked barefoot on the wasteland, and with every step, ripples spread out beneath his feet, as if he were stepping on water, yet there was no sensation of wetness.
In the distance, a tall tower was faintly visible, piercing the clouds, its peak flickering with a faint light.
Where was that?
He didn't know, but he instinctively wanted to get closer to it.
"If you cannot understand..."
A voice suddenly rang in his ear, ethereal and distant, yet as clear as a whisper right beside him.
"...then feel."
"Who's there?"
Aidan whipped his head around, but there was no one behind him, only that endless white wasteland.
"If you cannot..."
The voice rang out again, this time from his left, but it was somewhat misty.
"...then let the galaxy burn."
———
"...Wake up... Aidan... wake up..."
A blurred voice pierced through layers of mist and reached his ears.
"Whew..." He let out a long breath and leaned weakly against the pillow. "How long... did I sleep?"
"A full ten hours!" March 7th held up two fingers to gesture. "You've been sleeping from noon until now! It's already past ten at night!"
"Ten hours?" Aidan was a bit surprised. "I slept that long?"
"What do you think?"
"It's mainly because my head was full of ideas at the time; I couldn't stop at all, and I didn't notice my body had reached its limit." Aidan recovered a bit and then stood up. "Do you want to see the mature and steady Mr. Yang make a very unsteady expression?"
"What are you going to do? What dangerous invention are you up to now?"
March 7th's alertness radar pinged, a pink strand of hair on her head swaying back and forth.
"Not dangerous, not dangerous." Aidan waved his hand. "You should know Mr. Yang's hobbies, right?"
"Big robots, obviously."
"Guess what I found while I was tidying up the storage room."
Aidan pulled a dust-covered plastic box from under the bed.
"What's this? It's not something dangerous, is it?"
"Dangerous? No, no, no." Aidan shook his head, the smile on his face growing more radiant. "This is good stuff that can instantly turn Mr. Yang into a hot-blooded youth."
"Huh?" March 7th was a bit confused.
Aidan wiped the box.
"Here, take a picture of this and see."
March 7th took out her device and scanned it.
"...A discontinued, limited edition of 1,000 super-articulated models released several amber eras ago? You're giving Mr. Yang this? —Wait, this doesn't belong to some passenger on the Express, does it?"
"I asked Pom-Pom, and Pom-Pom said it was a toy abandoned by someone. Don't you think it would be interesting to see Mr. Yang make that kind of expression?"
"What kind of expression?"
"You know, the kind—" Aidan gestured. "'Ah! This is!' 'Impossible!' 'How can this be!' And then he's so excited he can't speak."
March 7th imagined the scene, and the corners of her mouth began to curl up uncontrollably.
"Let's go!"
The two of them crept sneakily into the Parlor Car.
Welt was sitting on the sofa, holding a book in his hands.
"Mr. Yang is indeed here," March 7th whispered. "He reads here every night, without fail."
"What are you doing?"
Dan Heng's voice suddenly rang out from behind them.
"Whoa!" March 7th almost jumped. "Dan Heng! How do you walk without making a sound!"
"There is a sound," Dan Heng said flatly. "You just didn't hear it. What are you doing?"