Ultimately, Jing Yuan led his "All-Star Troublemaker Team" (Jingliu, Dan Feng, and Yingxing) into the complex structure of the shipping containers at the pier, blending into the shadows silently and disappearing in the blink of an eye.
Bai Heng, however, was left behind, and she was currently following closely beside March 7th, feeling both a bit nervous and subtly excited about the prospect of "startling" her old friend (?).
"Let's go."
Welt steadied himself, temporarily pushing the mental shock brought by "Kaslana" to the back of his mind, and pointed his cane toward the only passage deep within the freight terminal that appeared to lead to the outside.
At the very least, he had to figure out what was happening on this Xianzhou.
The group (Welt, Dan Heng, March 7th, Stelle, Stella, as well as Phainon, Bailu, and Bai Heng) explored forward along a wide but somewhat cluttered passage with flickering lighting.
The scent of machine oil mixed with cargo in the air gradually faded, replaced by a faint smell of blood and something burnt.
They didn't have to go far before the sight ahead made everyone stop in their tracks.
At a wider junction in the passage, more than a dozen Cloud Knights wearing silver and indigo armor lay sprawled about.
Some were slumped against the walls, while others lay directly on the cold floor; their armor was damaged and stained with blood, and the sounds of moaning and heavy breathing filled the air.
Broken weapons and some ominous black residue, resembling withered leaves and branches, were scattered on the ground.
"It's the Cloud Knights! They're injured!"
March 7th exclaimed.
"There are casualties! Leave it to me!"
Almost simultaneously, Bailu's small figure rushed over like a whirlwind.
The dragon tail behind her swished anxiously, and her small hands nimbly pulled the stopper from the medicine gourd she never left behind.
"Let me see... Hmm! Still salvageable! Everyone gets some! Don't rush, don't rush!"
Bailu had completely entered "Little Divine Healer" mode, her round little face full of seriousness.
She squatted beside the first fallen Cloud Knight, completely ignoring the blood-stained armor and the somewhat dazed look in his eyes; with one hand, she pried open his mouth, and with the other, she skillfully aimed the mouth of the medicine gourd—
"Glug, glug, glug, glug, glug—!"
A clear liquid with a strange, medicinal fragrance was poured in.
The Cloud Knight soldier's eyes rolled back, nearly choking, but immediately, a gentle yet powerful warm current rapidly spread from his stomach to his limbs; the stinging pain in his wounds significantly subsided, and some of his lost strength returned.
Bailu moved with lightning speed, finishing one and immediately moving to the next, repeating the operation: "Come on! Open up! Ah—glug, glug, glug!"
Her efficiency was astonishing, like an expert on an assembly line for medicine administration.
The first Cloud Knight soldier who had been dosed struggled to sit up, clutching his still-bloated stomach, his eyes darting with suspicion and uncertainty at the busy little figure, and the dragon tail behind her that symbolized her Vidyadhara lineage.
"Is she... Lady Bailu, the Dragon Lady?"
The soldier muttered to himself, his face full of confusion.
"But... why would the Dragon Lady appear at this freight terminal?"
Welt stepped forward, signaling that the soldier didn't need to salute.
"How are you feeling? Is your injury stable?"
He asked, his tone steady.
"I... I'll live..."
The soldier caught his breath, his gaze sweeping over Welt's group, his vigilance not entirely gone.
"Who... are you people?"
"We are the Trailblazers of the Astral Express, here by invitation."
Welt said concisely.
"What happened at this pier? Why are you injured like this?"
Mentioning this, the soldier's expression instantly became heavy and pained; he looked around at his fallen comrades, his voice hoarse: "It's... the Mara-Struck."
These three words seemed to carry a cold chill, causing the Xianzhou-born individuals present (Dan Heng and Bai Heng) to change color slightly.
"I don't know how it happened, no warning at all... Our squad was patrolling here, and suddenly, a few of them... they fell to the Mara-Struck!"
The soldier's voice carried fear and confusion.
"They became crazy, extremely aggressive... We were caught off guard and fought to the death to subdue them... but we ourselves also..."
He looked at his own burst wounds and his equally disheveled companions, the unsaid words obvious:
Not only were they injured, but in the intense battle, witnessing their comrades' transformation and experiencing life-and-death struggle, their own minds had also suffered a severe shock, teetering on the edge of the Mara-Struck.
"Mara-Struck? What's that? It sounds really scary."
March 7th asked, curious yet slightly afraid, hiding behind Stelle and peeking out.
Dan Heng was silent for a moment, not directly explaining the nightmare of the long-lived species or the horror of flesh distortion, but only saying in a low voice: "...It's nothing good. It's best if you never see it with your own eyes."
Just then, Bailu wiped the non-existent sweat from her forehead and let out a long sigh of relief: "Whew—! Done! All dosed... ah no, all treated! Rest well for a few days, don't do strenuous exercise, take your medicine on time... Hmm, I don't think I wrote a prescription? Oh well, my medicine gourd essence is enough to last a few days!"
Although the treated Cloud Knights still had slightly bloated stomachs (from being dosed too forcefully), their injuries had indeed stabilized at an astonishing speed, and their spirits had calmed down a lot.
They struggled to express their gratitude: "Th-thank you, Lady Dragon Lady, for saving our lives..."
"Ah—!!!"
A shrill scream suddenly came from a deeper, darker corner of the passage, piercing the temporary silence!
Immediately followed by the clash of weapons and more chaotic shouting!
"What?! There are more comrades over there!"
The Cloud Knight captain who had just spoken (who appeared to be the highest-ranking) turned pale, suddenly trying to prop himself up, grabbing his broadsword from the side, intending to rush over.
But his injuries hadn't healed, and just taking one step caused him to stumble; he only managed not to fall again by leaning on his broadsword, cold sweat instantly breaking out on his forehead.
"Hey! You're seriously injured! I just smoothed out the Qi and blood in your internal organs! Don't move around! If you rip them open again, I'll have to dose you again!"
Bailu jumped up and down in anxiety, her small hands on her hips, trying to threaten these disobedient patients with "dosing them again."
"Leave the rest to us!"
March 7th stepped forward, manifesting a crystalline ice bow in her hands, her pink-blue eyes shining with a sense of mission that "it's time for us, the Trailblazers, to make our entrance."
"Stelle! Teacher Dan Heng! And... uh, Phainon! Let's go!"
As if to confirm her call, several swaying, twisted figures had already "emerged" from the dim corner.
They could no longer be called "people."
Their skin had an ominous, grayish, wood-like texture; some limbs had mutated into sharp branches or tentacles, their eye sockets burned with chaotic dark red light, and they emitted meaningless, wheezing sounds from their mouths.
They moved, exuding an aura of decay and madness—they were the very horrors they had just heard about: Mara-Struck soldiers!
"!"
Phainon's eyes, which had been calm and ripple-free, narrowed slightly the moment he saw these twisted beings.
He did not say a word, nor did he even look at Welt or the others; his figure suddenly rushed forward, so fast that it left a faint afterimage in place.
The longsword named "Dawnmaker" was already unsheathed, bringing with it an arc of light containing an aura of annihilation, slashing toward the Mara-Struck in front.
Where the sword light passed, the air seemed to freeze and then instantly tear apart; the Mara-Struck's body, hard as wood and stone, was easily sliced through like a hot knife through butter—