Arriving at the port.
A beautiful foxian girl was gazing into the distance. The three could only see her back.
After Welt, Zeig, and March 7th approached, Tingyun heard the footsteps behind her and turned around with a gentle smile:
"Sigh~ Master Yukong assigned the task of receiving you all to me again. It seems this little lady's fate with her benefactors runs deep."
Zeig examined Tingyun's appearance and asked suspiciously:
"Is it possible that you're a nepotism hire?"
"What do you mean by that?"
"Yukong is a fox, you're also a fox, so you have strong backing and always get the rare jobs?!"
"Haha… That does seem somewhat reasonable. However, my professional abilities are also quite good."
Welt pushed up his glasses and stated the goal of this trip decisively:
"Since General Jing Yuan has entrusted us with finding the Stellaron Hunters, there must be some clues already, right?"
Tingyun smiled and nodded:
"Benefactor is perceptive. Those suspects are extremely cunning, and the timing of their communications was perfectly calculated, making precise location impossible. However, the Divination Commission still found a few traces."
She lightly snapped her fingers, and Kafka's projection appeared once again.
It then began replaying her conversation on the Astral Express.
Kafka projection:
'The coordinates are here. Everything is left for you to decide.'
'Although our pursued goals are completely different, the orbits of the stars will eventually intersect. Farewell.'
This familiar scene reminded Zeig of Leonard at the space station.
That guy had chased after Silver Wolf's projection before and ended up being played in the end.
Now they were going to chase Kafka's projection again…
"Wait a moment, absolutely not! I suspect this thing is a trap!" Zeig shouted emotionally.
"Oh? Why does Benefactor say that?" Three black question marks appeared above Tingyun's head.
They hadn't even started talking about the traces yet, and it was already judged as a trap?
"Ahem." Zeig coughed lightly twice:
"The Stellaron Hunters were able to invade your Yuque Gate without anyone noticing. Would the footage they left behind be so easily captured as a clue?!"
"If there is one, it means they deliberately left it behind! Any clues found from this projection could be a trap!"
These words made both March 7th and Welt feel there was some sense to it.
If the Stellaron Hunters were really that easy to catch, with such high bounties from the IPC, wouldn't someone have been tempted?
Since they were still at large, it meant their counter-tracking technology was extremely strong. How could flaws be found so easily!
"Hehe, could it be that Benefactor is overestimating those few suspects too much?"
"It's not a matter of overestimating or not."
"How so?"
"They're all five-stars, while you and Yukong are four-stars…"
"Get lost."
"…"
"In short, let us first understand the clue we found." Tingyun looked at Kafka's projection beside her and smiled:
"You all probably just heard it as well. Behind the suspect's voice is the sound of some kind of device operating."
March 7th scratched her head, not quite understanding:
"What kind of clue is that? The Xianzhou is a starship. Mechanical devices are everywhere. I've been hearing strange sounds ever since I arrived here."
"Miss March, to most people, such sounds may be indistinguishable. But to the Artisanship Commission responsible for maintaining facilities, the operation of each type of mechanical device… is like the melody of a tune, each with its own highs and lows."
Tingyun continued explaining to the three:
"The General summoned craftsmen. After comparison and listening, they determined that the background sound in Kafka's recording comes from the shipbuilding facilities at Stargazer Navalia."
"So detailed. Could that craftsman from your Artisanship Commission be a spy?!" Zeig raised another question.
"…"
Facing Zeig and March 7th's repeated interruptions, Tingyun smiled on the surface but not in her eyes and said:
"In short, this is the only clue. If the three of you have other clues, feel free to share them as well."
The two who were born not to stay quiet fell silent for a long time.
In the end, Welt spoke up in a calm tone:
"Miss Tingyun, regarding tracking Kafka, let us prepare first."
"Oh? So Mr. Welt is agreeing to go to Stargazer Navalia?"
"Mm. After all, there are no other clues right now."
Although Welt also felt this was most likely a trap, and even if it wasn't, the chances of Kafka still being at Stargazer Navalia were slim.
But there were no other clues.
"Good. If the benefactors are ready, just come here to find this little lady."
Welt nodded and led Zeig and March 7th away from Tingyun.
After arriving at a quiet place, he said to the two:
"Tracking the Stellaron Hunter Kafka will definitely be a tough battle."
"Uncle Yang… I suddenly miss your previous self."
"Why?"
"If it was the old you, you would have charged straight to Stargazer Navalia already. Trap or not, just do it."
"…"
"Exactly." Zeig took out the can of Wangzai super candy from his bosom:
"Alliance Leader, hurry and awaken your sleeping spirit!"
Welt pursed his lips and politely refused.
"Tch, Uncle Yang is so cowardly!" March 7th put her hands on her hips and looked at Zeig:
"Right, Zeig, let's report back to the Express that we're safe, yeah? Especially Dan Heng. Hehe, ask him what he's doing and tell him Uncle Yang has been really wild here!"
Welt: "…"
Zeig: "You're right!"
Immediately, he put the Wangzai super candy away and took out his phone.
After finding Dan Heng's chat, he quickly sent a message.
'Hey! Come see Uncle Yang's badass battle record!'
'(Image sent)'
'(Message failed to send)'
"?"
…
At this very moment.
On the Astral Express.
"Miss Himeko, you've been standing here for a long time. Still can't let go of them? It's fine… Mr. Welt is there too."
Himeko shook her head with a complicated expression:
"Didn't you see how Welt seemed like a different person when he left?"
Dan Heng: "Uh… Then, there's still…"
Himeko: "Zeig is a psychopath, and you know what March's brain is like…"
Dan Heng: "…"
Himeko glanced at Dan Heng:
"How about… I go down and take a look too. I'll leave the Express to you and Pom-Pom."
"Huh? How can that be?! I should go down instead… After all, there's someone on the Xianzhou I'm very concerned about."
"Hm? You mean that… Zeig mentioned the one who knows embroidery? I knew there was something off about the way you looked at him back then."
"Yes. Back on Jarilo-VI, he once appeared…"
"What did he do?"
"He chopped off the head of my ice sculpture."
"…"
"He didn't appear again afterward. Maybe that was a kind of warning. I actually have some personal grudge with him…"
Dan Heng silently raised his head:
"I'm afraid that if I don't go this time… the burden will catch up and drag everyone else into it."
"You're afraid he'll also chop the ice sculptures of Zeig and March?"
"No."
"I'm afraid he'll come onto the Express to steal something."
"…"
"…"