Chapter 346

"This... surely not?" Dan Heng paused for a moment, then pondered and said, "Mr. Ai Yue's memory is probably countless times better than that of an ordinary person; he wouldn't make a mistake on such a small matter."

As they spoke, the two arrived at the blue door, but just as Dan Heng was about to open it, the door opened by itself.

Before March 7th and Dan Heng could react, they saw a head sneakily peeking out from behind the door. She had a pair of cat ears on her head and a French fry in her mouth. Clearly, she was the culprit behind the kitchen theft.

Although Ai Yue's carriage was fully equipped, he did not need to eat, so no food was prepared specifically for him.

March 7th immediately recognized the thief in front of her. "Sister Pardo?!"

While touring the world, March 7th and Pardofelis were inseparable and could be considered the best of friends. They even learned how to address Ai Yue from each other.

Pardofelis was clearly startled by March 7th's voice and instinctively tried to crawl back into the house. But at that moment, the light surrounding March 7th and Dan Heng suddenly contracted and then transformed into a ribbon of light that tightly wrapped around Pardofelis, turning her into a dumpling.

Seeing Pardofelis fall awkwardly to the ground, March 7th couldn't help but take a step back, then looked at the flashlight in his hand. "It actually does have other functions?"

A moment later, inside the observation car.

The trial for the "food thief and illegal immigrant" was held as scheduled. Pardofelis sat cross-legged on the ground, dejected, receiving a direct gaze from Pom-Pom.

Clearly, feeling guilty, she couldn't bring herself to meet the other person's gaze with confidence, so she could only dodge his gaze while signaling with her eyes for Ai Yue to speak up for her.

However, whether intentionally or unintentionally, Ai Yue was currently deep in thought, completely ignoring the distress signal from Pardofelis. Pardofelis was so anxious that she turned to look at March 7th, but seeing Pom-Pom's expression, March 7th didn't dare to offend the train conductor, so she could only return a helpless look and tell Pardofelis to fend for herself.

So the two of them started exchanging glances and winks, and for a moment neither of them spoke, creating a very strange atmosphere.

Finally, Pom-Pom broke the silence, looking at Pardofelis with a puzzled expression. "Miss Pardofelis, how did you get on the bus?"

"Huh?" Pardofelis finally came to her senses. Seeing that Pom-Pom didn't seem angry, she hesitated for a moment before cautiously saying, "Well, you snuck up while Vita and Vill-V were hitchhiking?"

"So those two were covering for you?" Ai Yue finally realized. "No wonder their behavior was so inexplicable..."

"That's impossible!" But Pom-Pom's expression grew increasingly confused. "How could someone sneak onto the train without the conductor's notice? Even if you were hiding in the passenger compartment of Ai Yue's carriage, it wouldn't be possible, Pam!"

This wasn't Pom-Pom bluffing; it was one of his duties as the train conductor. Anyone connected to the train could be considered part of the Stellar Train, and on the Stellar Train, Pom-Pom could detect the presence of outsiders.

This function was clearly designed to prevent malicious individuals from sneaking into the Stellar Train, and it had never failed before. However, it was unexpected that Pardofelis could evade such a detection.

If Pardofelis wasn't lying, then a considerable amount of time had passed since she infiltrated the train, during which time Pom-Pom hadn't noticed anything amiss whatsoever.

If Pardofelis hadn't sneaked into the kitchen and taken a bunch of food, Pom-Pom probably wouldn't even know she existed.

Because they didn't even consider the possibility of illegal immigrants, when Pom-Pom first discovered someone stealing food, she only suspected Ai Yue.

Thinking of this, Pom-Pom couldn't help but feel dejected, and a visible dark cloud even gathered above her head—as the conductor of the Stellar Train, she hadn't even noticed such a huge problem, which was undoubtedly a serious dereliction of duty, and it wasn't hard to imagine how much of a blow this had to Pom-Pom.

"Train conductor, don't be sad," March 7th comforted Pom-Pom. "Sister Pardo is, after all, one of Brother Yue's men. It's normal for her to be a bit more capable. Look, even someone as capable as Brother Yue didn't notice her, did he?"

Pom-Pom blinked, then, as if struck by a sudden thought, a slight smile appeared on her face, "That's true."

In his mind, Ai Yue was a powerful being who could rival Acheron. Even he had failed to discover Pardofelis, who was hiding right under his nose, so there was no need to mention himself.

"But this is really interesting," Himeko said, watching the scene with great interest. "According to Ai Yue, Miss Pardofelis's power should also originate from him, but she can hide her whereabouts right under Ai Yue's nose. It has to be said that it's a... very strange feeling."

"You could just say you've overthrown the Heavenly Gang, you don't need to give me all this face," Ai Yue sighed helplessly, then looked at Pardofelis, "I've been thinking about this too... Pardo, tell me honestly, what really happened?"

Pardofelis glanced at Ai Yue, then muttered and turned away, "I'm not telling you! If I do, you'll kick me off the bus!"

Clearly, the reason Pardofelis was able to do all this, even to the point of deceiving Ai Yue and Pom-Pom, was to stay on the train. To this end, she was even willing to temporarily abandon her free and easy nature and stay curled up in one place for a long time to minimize the chances of being discovered.

If it weren't for being so hungry, Ai Yue probably wouldn't have discovered the other person's presence for a long time.

As long as Ai Yue doesn't expose her secret, even if Ai Yue sends her back to Earth this time, she'll eventually be able to hitch a ride back when others come to the train for exchanges.

"No, I promise you, okay?" Seeing this, Ai Yue couldn't help but smile helplessly. "As long as you promise me you won't run around, I can find a way to keep you on the train, how about it?"

"Really?" Pardofelis turned to look at Ai Yue, her eyes sparkling. "You can't lie to me!"

"How could I possibly lie to you in front of everyone?" Ai Yue said earnestly. "If you're still worried, then I can agree to your conditions first."

He then turned to the others and said, "Gentlemen, I'd like to invite Pardofelis to stay on the train and become one of the nameless passengers. What are your thoughts?"

"I agree!" March 7th was the first to express her welcome. "It would be wonderful if Sister Pardo could stay!"

The girl clearly hadn't thought too much about it; she simply felt that if Pardofelis could stay, she would have another friend.

"I have no objection," Dan Heng nodded in agreement. "Putting everything else aside, Miss Pardofelis's deeds on Earth are sufficient proof of her character."

For Dan Heng, who had previously learned about the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Pardofelis undoubtedly met the requirements of the pioneering spirit.

"Of course I welcome every friend with an adventurous spirit," Himeko nodded with a smile, "However, given how suddenly things happened, I'm afraid your uniform will have to wait a few more days."

"Since no one has any objections, the train conductor won't object either," Pardo nodded seriously after everyone had expressed their opinions. "However, Pardofelis, from now on, you must eat in the dining hall. Even if you're sneaking a bite, you can't take that many Pado's at once!"

"I... I was just too hungry!" Pardofelis muttered in protest, then looked at Ai Yue with expectant eyes, "So, I can stay?"

"Of course, it passed unanimously." Ai Yue smiled, then his expression turned serious. "So, now can you tell me what happened?"

"I... I don't really know what happened. Because you absolutely refused to take me with you, I thought I'd sneak into the car without telling you, and then..." Pardofelis scratched her head, speaking with some hesitation, before finally giving up, "Fine, I'll just show you!"

After saying this, Pardofelis closed her eyes, but the next second, Ai Yue suddenly stood up.

Although he could still observe Pardofelis with his naked eye, he could no longer sense her presence.

Soon enough, even Pardofelis's figure completely disappeared from his sight.

Pardofelis accomplished an extremely thorough "concealment" right under her own nose.

Chapter Twenty: No way!

If Ai Yue hadn't witnessed the whole process firsthand, he probably would never have imagined that Pardofelis could achieve such a degree of "invisibility" right in front of him.

After all, once he learned that Pardofelis could evade his senses, he became extremely vigilant, paying close attention to the entire process of Pardofelis's invisibility. Even so, he still couldn't figure out how she had disappeared so cleanly before his eyes.

If this had happened to any other star god, Ai Yue wouldn't have been so surprised. But although Pardofelis possessed the power of "Qi," what she just used originated from his Power of Light. This meant that the other party had used the power he had given her to deceive his perception, which was simply too outrageous.

Although Ai Yue had previously said that this behavior was extremely contrary to the principles of Heaven, he never expected it to be this extreme.

But even Ai Yue didn't expect things to be even stranger than he thought—just as he was trying to find Pardofelis's whereabouts, he discovered that the gazes of the other people had shifted to behind him, as if they had seen something moving.

The next second, a soft body suddenly hugged Ai Yue from behind, clinging to him. "Brother Yue, how was that? Pretty amazing, right?!"

Pardofelis was very pleased with herself, because she had tested this move before Ai Yue even boarded the Stellar Train, so she was 100% confident that she could evade all of the opponent's senses. The reason she needed to cooperate with Vita was only as a precaution.

After all, while this ability seems impressive, it actually has a serious flaw—

Ai Yue didn't respond to Pardofelis, but instead looked at the other people on the train, a subtle expression on his face. "So, you can actually see her?"

"Well, how should I put it? It's not like you can see it completely, is it?" March 7th and Dan Heng exchanged a glance before cautiously saying, "But when Sister Pardo was acting, you could definitely see a faint shadow."

"The places she stayed would also vaguely reveal an outline," Dan Heng added, "But it was indeed very difficult to detect Miss Pardofelis's presence."

"The train conductor can't sense it either, but he can see Pa!" Pom-Pom's expression as she looked at Pardofelis was strange, as if she had seen a ghost. "It's like seeing a ghost, Pa!"

"It doesn't exist in perception, yet it can be detected by sight; it really does resemble a ghost." Himeko smiled at Ai Yue, a hint of teasing in her expression. "But judging from your reaction, Ai Yue, could it be that you can't see Little Pardo at all?"

"Yes, it's completely invisible. It's like a perfect stealth attack specifically designed for me." Ai Yue sighed, then stood up and gave the group a subtle yet polite smile. "Well then, everyone, please allow us to excuse ourselves for a moment."

After saying this, Ai Yue's figure disappeared into the observation car along with Pardofelis.

"Uh," March 7th blinked, then subconsciously looked towards the last carriage, clasped her hands together, "Sister Pardo, I hope you're not gone..."

Ai Yue was naturally reluctant to hurt Pardofelis, after all, everyone on Earth knew how much he doted on her.

Even so, this incident certainly deserves punishment.

Back in his room, Ai Yue casually pulled Pardofelis off his back and began vigorously rubbing her cheeks. "You little rascal, you used all your dirty tricks on me, didn't you!"

Pardofelis struggled desperately against Ai Yue's grasp, as if she had something to say in her defense. Only after Ai Yue finally let go did Pardofelis give an awkward smile, "Actually, it wasn't directed at you... I've tested it, Brother Yue, no one who uses the Power of Light can detect me!"

Oh, so you're one of our own, huh? You're pretty smug about it, aren't you?

Ai Yue sighed helplessly, then resumed his relentless assault on Pardofelis's small face.

Only after he finally calmed down did he release Pardofelis's cheeks, which were already red and swollen from being rubbed. Although Pardofelis was dizzy from being rubbed, she still clung tightly to Ai Yue's clothes and refused to let go. "Brother Yue, we made a promise... You've already punished me, so you can't kick me off the bus!"

"I never said I was going to kick you off the bus, did I?" Ai Yue sighed helplessly, reaching out to stroke Pardofelis's cheek. "Besides, I'm not really just leaving, why do you have to go to such lengths?"

Although Ai Yue was almost amused by Pardofelis's seemingly useless ability at first, after calming down, he had to admit that Pardofelis must have put in a tremendous amount of effort.

As mentioned before, the Power of Light is like nutrients for a seed to grow; it merely acts as a catalyst. The real transformation that occurs within the Power of Light is actually the user themselves.

In other words, Pardofelis, who obtained this ability from the Power of Light, can be said to have completed the growth process and truly entered the stage of transformation. Although the effect of this ability is somewhat difficult to evaluate, its ability to deceive Ai Yue is enough to prove its power.

From this perspective, Pardofelis may have gone even further on this path than Kevin, because she may be the first person to have a very clear goal for her path and reach the end through her own will.

Because her requirements were simple and clear enough, she was able to complete the transformation in such a short period of time.

The only problem is... her ability, even after the transformation, is practically useless.

Because Pardofelis's goal was to deceive Ai Yue and thus infiltrate his side, this ability developed into such a subtle form.

Among those who wield the Power of Light, Pardofelis is arguably the most terrifying assassin. Given the current prevalence of the Power of Light in Earth's civilization, she could easily kill anyone in broad daylight and walk away without leaving a trace. Even if cameras or other equipment could capture her image, people analyzing the footage would be unable to see her presence.

This power could even deceive Ai in the present day—because Ai, having reached the third technological singularity, is now a special being who has mastered the Power of Light.

However, outside of Earth, in the galaxy where the power of destiny prevails, Pardofelis's ability might not be as effective as her stealth skills. After all, even March 7th could see the shadow she left behind when she moved, so it's not hard to imagine how much the concealment effect of this power would be reduced in the eyes of stronger people.

However, considering that Pom-Pom couldn't sense Pardofelis's presence in the carriage either, perhaps this ability isn't so useless after all?

After considering a certain possibility, Ai Yue fell into deep thought again.

After all, compared to concealing one's form, completely disappearing from the perception of others is a much more difficult task. Pardofelis's current situation is like failing an exam because she answered all the difficult questions correctly but lost points on all the basic questions. Compared to those who couldn't answer the difficult questions, it's actually easier to make up for it.

"Oh, Brother Yue, don't think so much," compared to Ai Yue's racking brains, Pardofelis herself seemed completely unconcerned. She leaned lazily against Ai Yue, her tail wrapped around Ai Yue arm, controlling Ai Yue hand to rest on her stomach. "It's rare to have some time alone, so why don't we..."

"I bet you sneaked onto the train just for this, right?" Ai Yue snapped out of his daze, somewhat speechless as he ruffled Pardofelis's hair. "Did you tell anyone you were getting on the train?"

"Of course I told them, and everyone was very supportive!" Pardofelis said proudly. "Especially Mobius and the others; they helped me a lot in completing the evolution of my abilities."

Um?

Ai Yue frowned, realizing things weren't so simple—would Mobius be so kind as to help Pardofelis do something like this?

He didn't even need to put himself in the other person's shoes to guess that there must be a problem.

While he was thinking, a familiar ringtone came from somewhere—it was Ai Yue's communication ringtone, meaning someone was calling him.

However, since boarding the Stellar Train, Ai Yue has only been able to communicate with Earth in a one-way manner. He can use his own power to make calls to the Solar System, but the Solar System cannot contact him.

So what's going on with this ringtone?

In the end, Pardofelis found the source of the sound, which turned out to be a video on her phone that had been pre-set to play on a timer.

"Great, everything's normal." At the beginning of the video, Mobius seemed to be adjusting something before looking at the camera. "Judging by the time, Pardo, you should have been exposed by now, so Ai Yue should be watching too, right?"

She paused, seemingly giving them time to react, before continuing, "I'm still busy here, so I'll keep it brief—"

"If everything goes smoothly, Pardo should already be a member of the train. In that case, according to the previous conditions, you need to agree to one request."

"Yue, Brother Yue," Pardofelis looked at Ai Yue with a distressed expression, "I have a feeling something bad is about to happen."

Ai Yue sympathetically ruffled Pardofelis's hair. "You were destined for this day when you received Mobius's help."

He knew that Mobius wasn't so kind as to tutor Pardofelis for free—the unfortunate little cat had probably already sold herself off without even realizing it, and then came back thanking him.

"Don't be too nervous, it's not an unreasonable request," Mobius smiled, seemingly anticipating Pardofelis's reaction, his tone tinged with a hint of teasing. "After all, Ai Yue is here too, and he favors you so much, I can't be too unreasonable, right?"

Why am I involved? It makes it seem like I'm really biased...

"Don't try to deny it," Mobius glanced to the side, as if he were really meeting Ai Yue's gaze. "Tell me honestly, if it weren't Pardo in the car right now, if it weren't for her persistent pestering, would you have agreed to let anyone else stay?"

Ai Yue was stunned for a moment, then fell silent.

Mobius's words were indeed not without merit. If it were any of the Thirteen Flame-Chasers, Ai Yue would probably have persuaded the other party to go back. Of course, the main reason for this was that the others were very receptive to advice.

But Pardofelis was different. Her world was so small that even her wishes were so tiny. She simply wanted to stay by Ai Yue's side. Faced with such a wish, Ai Yue found it very difficult to refuse.

Okay, to put it bluntly, this is definitely favoritism.

At this point, Mobius's thoughts were pretty clear. However, Ai Yue had already guessed this from the very beginning of the video's release, as the other party's intentions were far too obvious and made no attempt to conceal them.

Clearly, even after being dissuaded by Ai Yue, she did not give up her plans. Instead, she chose a roundabout approach, starting with Pardofelis to try and break the deadlock.

After all, if Ai Yue were to give in to Pardofelis and allow him to stay on the train because of his own favoritism, it would be difficult for him to be as assertive as before when facing the demands of Mobius and others.

Most importantly, although only Mobius appeared in the video, Ai Yue had every reason to suspect that there was more than one person behind it, such as Aponia, Elysia, and even Vill-V.

Pardofelis realized something too, and looked at Ai Yue, immediately showing an embarrassed expression. "Brother Yue, have I put you in a difficult position?"

"It would have been better if you had realized this before you got on the bus." Ai Yue pinched her cheek in annoyance, then said with a smile, "Oh well, it was bound to happen sooner or later anyway. Those guys aren't so easily persuaded."

Ai Yue had indeed anticipated this day, but he hadn't expected it to come so soon. He had planned to release these guys and leave them in the space station after reaching the Herta Space Station and establishing cooperation with the Black Tower. This way, they would be safe and he wouldn't have to worry about them causing any trouble—after all, compared to the Black Tower, Mobius seemed harmless.

"Alright, stop with the lovey-dovey stuff, making it seem like I'm the bad guy." Mobius, as if he had everything under control, interrupted their conversation at just the right moment. "In short, I won't make any unreasonable demands. After all, it's not appropriate to add too many passengers to the train, right?"

"In that case, let's take turns— Pardofelis, don't even think about eating it all by yourself, understand?"

"No, no!"