"Cough, cough, Asta, don't... don't touch me in public."
Lin Nai cleared his throat.
Asta came back to her senses and immediately withdrew her hand, smiling awkwardly.
When she noticed Kizuna's smile...
How should she put it...
Asta felt even more embarrassed.
Her ears, hidden beneath her pink hair, had already turned redder than Kizuna's hair.
Still, Asta forced herself to remain composed and said calmly,
"Thank you to everyone aboard the Stellar Express for bringing this troublesome guy back."
"Still, every one of you on the Stellar Express really does have hidden talents..."
Indeed, every member of the Express crew had their own unique skills, and their fighting spirit and endurance were downright astonishing!
The only drawback might have been...
They probably all needed a hit to the chest?
Stelle got hit in the chest and changed Paths.
Dan Heng got hit in the chest and became the High Elder.
March... well, who knew? That part of the story had not come out yet.
"Um... by the way, is this girl also a member of the Stellar Express?"
Asta pointed at Stelle, who was poking at this and touching that like a curious child.
"Lin Nai said it was an accident," Dan Heng said.
Asta looked at Lin Nai. "Then this child is..."
"She's a Stellaron that gained sentience."
"Huh?" *3
Lin Nai's words left everyone stunned.
Stelle blinked, wanting to say something, but after thinking it over...
She realized she did not know what to say either.
Then she might as well keep quiet and listen to Lin Nai. There was nothing wrong with that.
Kizuna, on the other hand, showed no particular expression, as though she had noticed long ago.
She simply smiled.
"I'll tell Herta about this later. Let's talk about something else first," Lin Nai said, breaking the slightly stifling silence.
"Oh, all right."
Asta nodded and looked at the holographic screen behind her, sighing soundlessly.
"Since the last incident involving the Elation, the Space Station's security personnel and defensive measures have been comprehensively upgraded."
"But I never expected that we would still have so few contingency plans for an unexpected situation like this..."
"That's normal. Who could have expected the Anti-Matter Legion to come here?" Lin Nai comforted Asta. "The best outcome is that no one was hurt."
"You're right, Lin Nai."
No one getting hurt was the best outcome.
The Space Station only needed to spend a little money to fully repair itself.
So there was no problem!
It was only a tiny bit of pocket money! She could even give the Herta Space Station a complete upgrade afterward.
Including the equipment and everything else.
That way, neither Lin Nai nor Arlan would have any reason to criticize her!!
Thinking of that, Asta felt a little better.
"How is the Space Station doing now?"
Asta answered Kizuna's question. "The researchers trust Madam Herta very much. They never imagined the Space Station could be breached."
"Actually, not just them—even I never expected the Anti-Matter Legion to target the Space Station."
"Compared to physical problems, the researchers' mental state may be more worrying."
"Leave that to me." Lin Nai volunteered. "I'm more familiar with handling this sort of thing."
He had done plenty of it in the medical bay.
"Very well, then I'll leave it to you, Lin Nai."
Asta earnestly reminded him, "But you need to make sure you rest too."
"It's fine. My mana bar is pretty long."
"By the way, Asta, have you tried contacting Herta?" Kizuna asked.
Asta rubbed her temples. "I sent many messages, but every one of them vanished without a trace."
"Miss Kizuna knows her. The Space Station is basically just a warehouse where she keeps her followers and curios. She hardly takes it to hea—"
"Ah, Herta says she's on her way back."
Asta and Kizuna abruptly turned to look at Lin Nai, who was typing on his phone.
Noticing their stares, Lin Nai looked up with a puzzled expression. "What's wrong?"
"No... it seems Herta does care about it to some extent," Kizuna said.
Asta unconsciously puffed out her cheeks, though her thoughts quickly returned to normal.
It was not the first or second time Madam Herta had shown concern for Lin Nai.
But...
The scene from her dream had just flashed through her mind without warning.
That was far too strange.
But how could that be possible...
Madam Herta probably treated Lin Nai like a son, right?
But was that really it?
Asta fell into deep thought.
Nebast Light Ray!
Comforting the researchers and the like...
Was indeed easy for Lin Nai.
Nearly half the researchers on the Space Station had witnessed Lin Nai's absurd combat strength.
And they had also received news that Madam Herta would arrive at the Space Station soon.
So their emotions quickly settled.
They all threw themselves into repairing the Space Station as well.
However.
Just as Lin Nai was preparing to return to Asta and report to her, he sensed a trace of danger.
He looked up.
A vague figure was growing larger.
Lin Nai narrowed his eyes.
A dragon?
No, it was the Doomsday Beast!!
"Ah... that Silver Wolf. I'll have to teach her a harsh lesson later."
Lin Nai muttered to himself.
Damn you, Silver Wolf!
I'll pin her to the bed and give her a proper lesson!
Hmm?
How would he teach her?
Of course, he would make her some stir-fried bamboo shoots with pork. What else could it be?
Random Passive: Absorption Ability (can absorb energy) Note: Tiga once used this move to absorb the power of the three-member Camilla group.
"It came at just the right time, but are you kidding me? You want me to tank that thing with my body?"
Lin Nai rubbed his head in annoyance, then turned and shot away with Gauss Acceleration.
He was going to leave through the platform.
He could move through outer space just fine, and right now, he was the only one who could stop the Doomsday Beast.
Ah.
If he reported it to Asta, she would probably stop him.
Better not.
At the same time.
After touring the Master Control Zone, Stelle wandered aimlessly back to the control center.
"Kizuna... sis?"
Stelle walked up to the red-haired beauty and uncertainly addressed her.
"What is it, Stelle?"
"I want to... hmm?"
Hearing a commotion, Stelle turned toward Asta in the distance.
A huge number of red warnings had appeared on the screen!
Kizuna frowned slightly, her smile fading as she stepped forward. "Asta, what happened?"
Asta pulled up the surveillance feed. "It's the Doomsday Beast. It's breaking through the Space Station's protective barrier!"
Bang!!!
Outside, the Doomsday Beast viciously slammed a claw against the Herta Space Station's barrier.
"Kizuna, you should leave on the train... I'll stay behind," Asta said gravely.
"Wait, what's that?" Stelle raised her hand and pointed at a streak of crimson radiance on the screen.
Boom!!!
The crimson radiance struck the Doomsday Beast and sent it flying.
"It's Lin Nai!"
As the glow faded, March Seven spotted the person who had appeared on the screen and cried out in surprise.
Asta clenched her fist slightly. He had gone out without saying a word...
Before you continue