Bai Tang: Transmigrated to the Astral Express, but Without a System!

Today, the Astral Express was traveling through the universe. A pink-haired girl leaned on a window ledge, holding up a blue camera to capture the beauty of the starry sky.

The first photo of the stars was beautiful. It captured countless twinkling stars in the night sky, from dense clusters to solitary bright stars, creating a striking visual contrast. Against a black backdrop, they formed a breathtaking portrait of the cosmos.

The second was a photo of a planet. Little March's skills were beyond question, and it was gorgeous too. The details of the planet's surface were clear, its colors vibrant and layered. Both its textures and the halo around it created a dreamlike effect.

The third was a portrait, and it was beautiful too. Fluffy ears, a big fluffy tail, and a body curled up tight, as if trying to shut itself off from the outside world entirely. Blood and darkness blended together, conveying an overwhelming sense of loneliness.

Little March happily admired the photos she'd taken. She swiped to the next one, and her hand froze.

Wait?

A portrait!

March 7th let out a shrill scream:

"Himeko! Uncle Yang! There's someone covered in blood floating in outer space!"

One photo and one bloodied person brought Pom-Pom to an emergency stop. Himeko hurried over to March 7th and soon spotted the girl curled up in a ball, floating in space:

"Dan Heng, sorry for the trouble."

"Mm."

Dan Heng noticed the person, who might or might not have been dead. Once he'd confirmed her position, he immediately left the train to retrieve her.

Welt brought plenty of medicine and bandages to the sofa and checked whether anything was missing. Himeko kept watch around them, making sure nothing approached the Astral Express.

They had stopped partway through their journey, not at a platform built for the train. While it was stationary, certain Pathstriders could easily attack it, though attacks were possible even while it was moving.

By then, Bai Tang had woken up. She found that she couldn't breathe at all, and through a gap, she saw that she seemed to be floating in space, surrounded by planets she didn't know were inhabited or not.

Bai Tang: "..."

Whether she could breathe wasn't even the issue anymore. She was in outer space and still fine. You could say her physical body had already attained sainthood.

Wait, what was that?

Why was there a train in space? Why had it stopped beside her?

Huh, someone had come out. Those familiar clothes, that familiar face, and that familiar touch of red at the corner of his eye. It was him! Little Azure Dragon, good buddy of Dan Dan the Delivery Man, who would become Little Golden Dragon in the future!

Right. What other train could appear in space besides the Astral Express?

She didn't know what to say. She might as well start by congratulating herself on arriving in the world of Honkai: Star Rail, where people were born casually and died at random.

At peace.

As Dan Heng approached Bai Tang, he found that she was alive and already awake. The eyes fixed on him held a hint of desolation, their blood-red hyacinths like the last spark of life blooming in the void.

She was a Foxian.

Xianzhou natives had to report their travels, or they'd find themselves with a wanted notice after leaving. But there didn't seem to have been any recent reports of a missing Foxian, nor were there any wanted notices matching the Foxian before him.

So why was a Foxian floating in space?

Dan Heng gestured for her to follow him, only to find that the Foxian didn't move. She remained curled up, hugging her thighs, and buried her face again, leaving herself to drift there alone.

With no other choice, he grabbed her by the back of her collar and carried her back to the train. He put her on the sofa, and everyone gathered around, except Pom-Pom, who was starting the train and heading toward the Herta Space Station.

"Hiss—"

March 7th stared at Bai Tang's wounds and drew a sharp breath.

The moment no one was holding her, the Foxian curled up again, her knees almost pressed to her chest. She wrapped her arms around herself and buried her head deep in them, leaving only her fluffy ears visible.

The wounds on her body were plain to see. Blood had congealed in clumps in her fur, and her somewhat limp right hand was charred black, with golden patterns visible through the breaks. Her left hand was flawless and exquisitely delicate. The wounds on her exposed body were even more shocking, all of them fatal. She was still alive only thanks to that trace of life.

"Her condition is fairly stable."

Dan Heng knew a little medicine. After a brief examination, shock appeared on his face.

Had she gone to the Aeons to stock up?

There was enough Path energy in her to throw a party. "Destruction" was constantly wrecking her body, while "Nihility" kept eroding her. "The Hunt" was targeting the one damaging her body, successfully turning it into a battlefield and destroying it even faster.

"Abundance" was working nonstop to repair her body, "Preservation" was blocking some of the damage from the Paths, and "Elation" was darting around, seemingly stirring things up.

All of them were suppressed by an indistinguishable Path energy. That one energy was what kept her alive. On closer count, there were actually at least four more Paths hidden behind the more unruly ones.

Dan Heng wasn't surprised that Bai Tang walked different Paths. Some people could not only survive betraying their own Path, but could still use the abilities of the Path they'd betrayed. Some played both sides and could use both.

For example, he belonged to The Permanence but walked the path of Trailblaze. March 7th had abilities from different Paths in her body but also walked the path of Trailblaze. Sometimes Paths didn't conflict and could overlap.

What surprised him was that Bai Tang had so many kinds of Paths within her. Whether through betrayal or walking them simultaneously, surely she couldn't walk so many conflicting Paths. And how had she obtained the abilities of so many different Paths, let alone survived obtaining them?

It was nothing short of a miracle!

"That's good. She scared me to death. She's so quiet. Is she hungry?"

March 7th breathed a sigh of relief. As long as she was okay. But seeing that she wasn't moving, March began to think it over seriously and reached a conclusion: Bai Tang was hungry.

"I'll go get something tasty!"

March 7th vanished on the spot.

While waiting for March 7th to bring food, they would first apply medicine and bandage her wounds. Apart from the exposed parts, the rest would have to be left to Himeko.

Dan Heng picked up the ointment and bandages and placed his other hand on Bai Tang's arm, intending to lift it. But when he pulled, it didn't budge.

Bai Tang was holding herself a little too tightly. She looked utterly depressed, her body trembling slightly as if she were afraid. He couldn't force her, so for the moment, he really didn't know what to do with her.

What exactly had she been through? She looked even worse off than he had in the Prison of Deep Seclusion.

Judging by how concentrated "The Hunt" was, it had clearly been bestowed by the Reignbow Arbiter himself. There was no way the Xianzhou would abandon her, and he didn't know what the story behind this was.

Meanwhile, Bai Tang was calling for her system in her heart.

System, system, are you there?

Is there really no system? Really?

There really isn't one! No, wait a little longer.

After she was brought onto the train:

System, I'm on the train now. Are you there?

Huh, there really isn't one.

Looks like not every transmigration comes with a system.

This is great, ultimate freedom!

No system, no missions, no headaches. I can follow my own will. This is amazing!

Bai Tang trembled all over with extreme happiness. All that was missing was for her to run out and set off fireworks in celebration.

The next second, she caught a delicious scent. It was food!

The ears that had flattened out of wariness suddenly perked up. She raised her head slightly and stared fixedly at the door the smell was coming from.

Dan Heng noticed Bai Tang's reaction and seemed to understand something. March 7th opened the door, carrying the food. It sat securely on the tray, and not a drop of the warm yogurt had spilled.

"Ta-da! This is the afternoon tea Pom-Pom made for you with love!"

March 7th set the food in front of Bai Tang and pushed it toward her. "Go on, eat. You must be hungry."

The food really did smell wonderful. Bai Tang uncurled and sat up, then picked up the yogurt first and began drinking it slowly.

"You should recognize this. It's Floating Lamb Stomach Soup from the Xianzhou. It's sure to suit your taste."

Since the person they'd rescued was a Foxian, Pom-Pom had specially prepared Xianzhou food, worried she wouldn't be used to anything else.

"This and this are from the Xianzhou too. Only Pom-Pom's Fried Poultry is a specialty of the train. Other people don't get to eat it."

"Huh? Dan Heng, what's wrong?"