They hadn't explicitly rejected Luofu as an option earlier.
After all, as part of the Astral Express crew, some things can't be kept hidden.
Of course, they hadn't guided the discussion either. If the final decision wasn't Luofu, they wouldn't mind.
Dan Heng's identity was ultimately too sensitive.
Whenever he's ready to share with them, that would be the time.
"In that case, let's switch back to the original route."
"Everyone buckle up. Three, two, one, launch!"
------------------------------------
Belobog.
Godzilla looked up slightly, watching a bright star fade into the distance.
Its thick tail lifted slightly in a wave.
Wishing them a smooth journey.
If only the Astral Express had more funds—otherwise, it would've loved to dismantle a few things too.
...
After a wave of dizziness, Himeko took a moment to adjust and looked out the window—then froze.
"Eh? What's going on? Didn't we set the coordinates?"
Rubbing her sore forehead from the bump, March 7th didn't notice everyone else's strange expressions and eagerly climbed to the window to look.
"Eh? Is this Penacony?"
Outside was a massive starship emitting a faint blue glow, very similar in color to Godzilla's atomic breath, though slightly different—Godzilla's was a bit darker.
"This isn't Penacony. It's the Xianzhou Luofu."
With a sense of emotion, Dan Heng stood at the window, silently gazing at the overwhelming starship, saying nothing.
"Why are we here? Weren't we not coming?"
Stelle climbed up curiously and asked in amazement.
Even Welt and Himeko couldn't figure it out and turned their attention to Pompom, who was nervously wringing their hands like they'd done something bad.
"Pompom doesn't know why Luofu is so close to us either. Just as we started the jump and passed through this area, Luofu's interception system stopped us. But as long as Pompom talks to them and asks to let us through, it should be fine."
Jump drives are very convenient, but randomly jumping into someone's territory is a provocation.
The universe is full of dangers, and for any civilization, this is a serious risk. To prevent hostile fleets from suddenly appearing, high-alert zones usually have anti-jump defenses.
That said, Pompom still didn't understand—Luofu was too close!
Too close to Jarilo!
Just one jump and they arrived—this distance was too close for comfort for anyone.
Just then, Pompom exclaimed.
"Someone's requesting to connect a call—looks like it's from Luofu!"
"Answer it. They likely mean no harm," Welt said calmly, adjusting his glasses.
Moments later, the call connected.
"This is the Astral Express. We were intercepted by Luofu's anti-jump system. Please lift the block and let us pass."
???
A few noises came from the other end, and they waited patiently.
Moments later, a light and gentle voice came through.
"This is the Xianzhou Luofu. The general once said that if friends from the Astral Express pass by, we should do our best to invite them as guests. Would you be interested? Oh, and access has been granted—you may decide for yourselves."
Hearing that, they all exchanged glances.
"The general—does that mean Luofu's general? How does he know about us?"
"Probably Yukong and Tingyun. They must've reported what happened on Jarilo to Luofu. Not surprising. But… are we really going?"
Stelle sounded a bit worried.
They had just said they wouldn't go—and now they'd literally run into it.
If it weren't for the fact that the other party didn't immediately start getting handsy, she would have really suspected it was intentional.
The target was Dan Heng.
"We're still not sure what their objective is, but with Yukong involved, it's only natural that the Luofu general would know about us. So, shall we go?"
Welt said calmly.
"Uh, they're here to read, so should we go up and take a look?"
"I agree." Stelle raised her hand.
"I'll pass." Dan Heng shook his head.
"Alright then, this time it'll be Stelle, March, and Welt. Be sure to take good care of them, okay?"
...
"Hey Kafka, they're here."
Watching the flashing icon on the screen, Silver Wolf said indifferently.
"But are you sure you want to continue following the previous path? Even Elio doesn't know the script anymore."
Hearing Silver Wolf's doubt, Kafka chuckled lightly: "Although the script has been disrupted, following the original trajectory at least allows us to make some temporary judgments."
She didn't expect the Astral Express to have the same experience in the Luofu as in the script.
But she needed time—time to investigate everything that shouldn't happen, and also to prepare for the unexpected.
...
Meanwhile, in the Interastral Peace Corporation.
After finishing her work, Topaz stretched comfortably and walked into the lounge.
"Ah, this time really wore me out. Feels more exhausting than usual, right, Numby?"
... ...
As she spoke, Topaz suddenly lunged at the poor, helpless Numby and snuggled up hard.
At that moment—
"Little Jelena is back, huh? Seems like you're really worn out this time. I heard you ran into quite a few interesting things on Jarilo."
A seductive voice that could stir the flames in people's hearts came in sync with the rhythmic click of high heels.
Topaz straightened up instantly and looked at the visitor with surprise.
"Ms. Jade."
"Hehe, out of the clinic and back to the battlefield already, huh?"
Jade chuckled softly and then said, "I heard you ran into quite a bit of trouble on that little ice ball, is that true?"
Topaz nodded unconsciously, then quickly added, "But I took care of all of it, and the IPC has also drafted a new collaboration with Jarilo."
"You did very well." Jade smiled. "I've heard all about what happened on Jarilo. There was a... very large beast there? And intelligent too."
Hearing Jade mention Godzilla, Topaz nodded.
"Yes, it was a giant beast called Godzilla, and the people of Jarilo even worship it as a god. It's very prestigious there. If the IPC wants to develop Jarilo with Belobog, we'll need to reach an understanding with it."
"Seems like it has quite the domineering personality."
"Actually, not really. As long as no one provokes him, he's very calm. He even let people groom his tail."
In front of Ms. Jade, Topaz opened up and kept telling her about all sorts of things that happened on Jarilo.
"The polar bears are really cute. It's a pity they're one of Jarilo's symbols, or I would've brought one back for you to see."
"Hehe, Numby is cute too. I'll just look at Numby, right Numby?"
"Yeah~!" Numby nodded vigorously and bumped into Topaz, venting his dissatisfaction at Topaz complimenting other animals.
This adorable action made them both laugh. Then Topaz asked curiously:
"By the way, Ms. Jade, is the IPC planning to build something? I saw quite a few cargo ships on my way back."
"Oh? Haven't heard about that." Hearing Topaz's words, Jade was also a bit confused.
Although she wasn't in charge of that department, if the IPC was really building something, there's no way she wouldn't have heard anything. Suddenly, a thought struck her.
"I did hear that some time ago a hacker breached our system and successively tampered with the control systems of twenty cargo ships. Could it be that what you saw was related to that?"
"Uh, not sure. Maybe."
Hearing Jade say that, Topaz was a bit stunned.
Someone hacked into the Interastral Peace Corporation's system and altered the control of twenty cargo ships? Who could be that bold? She was only away from the IPC for a short time, and the universe already birthed such a...
Wait!
Topaz suddenly thought of someone.
Someone she had met on Jarilo!
"Silver Wolf!"
"Oh? You suspect her? Some others did too, but Silver Wolf's style is usually flamboyant—she tends to leave her signature. But this time, there's nothing. The company is still investigating."
Although Jade said that, Topaz had basically made up her mind.
It couldn't be just a coincidence. Plus, Godzilla...
Thinking of that massive figure, Topaz narrowed her eyes.
She remembered, when Godzilla swung Silver Wolf around, he did say something rather interesting.
Just as she was thinking, Topaz suddenly felt a pressure come over her. Snapping back to reality, she saw Jade leaning over the sofa, eyes blazing— staring at her... chest?
Ah!