The first warp jump ended. After adjusting its orientation, the train began the second jump. It would stop after traveling about one-third of the distance along the star rail, then use its residual velocity to coast towards the "anomaly" for approximately twelve hours.
The "anomaly" was very close to the star rail, with a shortest distance of only a few thousand miles. Because of this, if the train were to stop its warp jump at the closest point, it wouldn't have time to "brake" and would overshoot the "anomaly" by a large margin. Therefore, the train had to disengage from the star rail early and slightly alter its angle. This would allow it to enter the "anomaly" head-on. This was the so-called "a miss by a hair's breadth is a miss by a thousand miles," except this time, the "hair's breadth" was entirely deliberate.
Wende looked at the group, who were already addicted to the "new game." He particularly noted Welt, who had put on a virtual reality device. His brow was furrowed so tightly it could crush a fly…
It seemed the contents of the game were more or less the same as the world in his memories. And he was even using a VR device… was he trying to examine the details of the game more closely?
"Sigh… it's hard to imagine what will happen in twelve hours when Uncle Yang sees the world from his memories… Will he think he's trapped in Inception?"
First, you're in a game, but then you arrive at the actual place and find it's identical to the game—a world you know, but not a timeline you're familiar with…
Wende was suddenly afraid that Uncle Yang wouldn't be able to handle the shock and would have a mental breakdown on the spot, questioning his own reality…
Alright, with Uncle Yang's steady personality, he probably wouldn't do that. He was a reliable adult, after all. But once they arrived in the Honkai world… he would likely feel a profound sense of helplessness.
"Mmm… my eyes are getting a little sore… Wende I'm hungry"
March 7th pulled the VR device off her head and rubbed her slightly empty tummy, decisively turning to Wende, who was sitting idly by, lost in thought, and began to act cute.
"Okay, what do you want to eat?" Wende replied, nodding at her.
"Hmm… let me think."
March 7th tilted her head back and looked at the ceiling. What should she have…
"This game is certainly interesting. The Himeko in there is a teacher? So that's what I'd be like as a teacher. I feel like in the future, if I stop [Trailblazing]… finding a small planet, or perhaps returning to my hometown to become a teacher, would be a fine choice." Himeko said with a smile, having taken off her own VR device.
"This game is indeed excellent. The Mei inside… her every move seems a bit unrefined, but she already shows the makings of a great master," Jingliu added with a nod.
"…"
Dan Heng removed his VR device with a deadpan expression. That guy… how on earth did he find his friend ID? And the server had just opened, how did he already have an S-rank Valkyrie? It was that Kiana's S-rank battlesuit, Knight Moonbeam, was it?
Getting competitive over a game like this was pointless.
Dan Heng felt that Blade was like a lingering ghost that just wouldn't leave him alone! So, he simply topped up 50,000 credits in Honkai Impact 3rd. At the very least, he had to pull one S-rank Valkyrie first.
"The combat in this game is really exhilarating. And there are so many mini-games, and a very cute dormitory feature… all the girls are so adorable."
Tingyun also quite liked the game. She, who rarely played games, felt this was one she could stick with for a long time.
"Uh…"
Wende looked at the group, who had already started discussing the game amongst themselves, and then at Welt, who had just taken off his VR device with an unsettled expression. He suddenly had a feeling that them getting into this game… might not be a good thing.
As the only two people who knew the upcoming plot, Welt looked at the discussing group with a complicated expression, a feeling he couldn't quite put into words.
Wende felt the same. The more fun and laughter there was now, the greater the emotional damage would be later… When they reached Chapter IX…
Should he prepare some delicious desserts in advance to comfort their wounded hearts?
Forget it, he'd deal with it when they got there. He couldn't help but feel a headache coming on when he thought about how the two groups were about to become each other's electronic pets.
What was this? Conjugate pets?
He pulled up Stelle, who was still engrossed in the game, and had her lend him a hand.
After all, having a good meal before embarking on a new trailblazing journey had seemingly become a tradition on the train. Although it only started after he came aboard, it was a tradition that had been formally established nonetheless.
---o---
After several courses and a few rounds of juice, the crew took a short rest. Finally, the train reached its destination.
"Is this… the 'anomaly point'? It looks really unsettling."
March 7th unconsciously rubbed her arms, which were now covered in goosebumps. She looked extremely uncomfortable.
As the train entered the surrounding star region, the closer it got to the anomaly, the dimmer the light became. The concentration of dark matter in the cosmos quietly increased, and a very faint light appeared directly in front of the train.
"There seems to be something up ahead. Pom-Pom, can you reduce the train's speed? Try to avoid making contact with that thing, and be prepared to accelerate and evacuate at a moment's notice," Himeko instructed Pom-Pom.
"Don't worry, Passenger Himeko! This is a piece of cake for Pom-Pom!"
Pom-Pom puffed out their chest, then trotted out of the observation car.
"All [Nameless], prepare yourselves. What we are about to encounter may be even more unknown than what we faced on Punklorde. After all, an 'anomaly point' is always composed of various factors. We cannot rule out the possibility of needing to engage in combat outside the train."
Himeko addressed the crew with a grave expression. Her orbital cannon was already synchronized with the train's trajectory. If they truly encountered any danger, her cannon would eliminate it in advance.
As the train's speed slowly decreased, the scenery around it changed once again. Streaks of purple light swayed out from ahead, floating in the cosmic space like endless ribbons of silk.
Before them, a massive spherical object came into view. It was as if it contained another universe within it. Beneath its dark exterior, countless points of light, symbolizing the glow of distant stars, flickered…