Chapter 160

Her mother, Penya Sergeevna, was one of Belobog's most famous snow explorers.

In a work-related accident, the mother, on her deathbed, entrusted a terminal she had left for her daughter to her colleague, saying it contained a "treasure" she had left for Pela. She said that Pela came of age. Unfortunately, the colleague was attacked by Fragmentum creatures on his way back to Belobog, and the terminal was lost in the process.

It could be described as a twist of fate, or perhaps a woman's intuition, but Pela somehow felt that the thing the Warp Trotter carrying in its mouth was her mother's lost keepsake.

Driven by a sudden, insane impulse, Pela temporarily abandoned her work and ran after the Warp Trotter piggy bank.

Pela wasn't an adventurer skilled in wilderness survival or dealing with Fragmentum creatures, so naturally, she underestimated how troublesome the Warp Trotter, adept at escaping, was. Before she knew it, she had followed the Warp Trotter into this completely unfamiliar area.

According to Pela's rough estimate, this place is about fifteen kilometers away from Belobog, which is completely outside her work area.

It wasn't until an explosion, like a meteorite falling, rang out from the nearby snow-capped peaks, accompanied by a terrifying sonic boom, that Pela, who had been startled, came to her senses and realized just how foolish she had been.

There was no chance for Pela to make amends; the explosion triggered a massive avalanche.

Thanks to the intelligence officer's expertise and quick thinking, Pela narrowly escaped being swallowed by the avalanche, but worse was yet to come—an avalanche and storm, which for some unknown reason, disrupted the stability of the area, causing all the Fragmentum creatures in the region to become restless.

Pela unfortunately encountered a wave composed of beings from the Fragmentum.

The behavior of the Fragmentum creatures in this mountain seems to defy the usual norms found in textbook studies. The unbelievably large army of monsters appears to be under the coercion of some force; their fearful posture seems more like... they are fleeing from something than attacking.

Reality didn't give Pela time to think; she was already exhausting all her energy just trying to escape.

Alone and helpless.

Compared to Lynx Serval and the others, Pela has dealt with Fragmentum creatures alone far too few times and is unable to escape this predicament.

If she were lucky enough to encounter Silvermane Guards on patrol, she might have a sliver of hope. But the current situation is far too dire. Even if she were to meet Lynx's brother, the renowned Captain Gepard from the Landau Family, she probably wouldn't be able to break through the encirclement of the Fragmentum Monster.

In other words, we are now at a dead end, no matter how you look at it, we are at a dead end.

This is the consequence of making terrible mistakes and indulging in foolish and superficial fantasies.

She was incredibly stupid to think that the Trotter in her body was the terminal left behind by her mother. From the moment she lost her way while chasing that Fragmentum creature, she was beyond saving.

Returning to reality, Pela looked at the grotesque, foul-smelling creatures of the Fragmentum. For the first time, she clearly realized that she would die, and that her body would likely be lost, leaving no trace of her.

I am about to die, and I will leave nothing behind.

She was terrified, so terrified. Her teeth chattered uncontrollably, and tears streamed down her face. Pela clenched the snow in her hand tightly and, yelling, threw it at the group of Fragmentum creatures.

I haven't achieved any goals yet, but I do have dreams I want to fulfill.

Yes, her dream was to become a teacher or an excellent tour guide. She loved children, and although she often complained that the little ones were a handful, it was only when she was with them that she felt genuinely fulfilled and felt from the bottom of her heart that she had truly made a contribution to the world.

She also longs to experience the feeling of being in love. Just like the shoujo manga she keeps hidden on her bookshelf, she dreams of meeting her own "prince charming"—a tall, handsome, and powerful man with a gentle, innocent smile. She wants to fall in love, go on dates, naturally spend a romantic night together, and then smoothly get married, have adorable children, preferably two daughters—who would surely be the cutest creatures in the world!

"Ha..."

Pela couldn't help but laugh at herself; in this certain death situation, she could still come up with those unrealistic dreams.

I'm sorry, Lynx, I'm afraid I won't be able to go camping with you.

I'm sorry, Serval, but I really love your music and admire you as a person.

In her final moments, Pela thought of these two people, then simply closed her eyes, desperately awaiting that moment.

However, no matter how long she waited, the final moment never came.

Has he already died instantly? Is he actually dead now?

No, no, Pela frantically denied this idea in her mind. She didn't want to die, nor did she want to admit that she was dead. She opened her eyes tremblingly, but the world that appeared before her was completely different from what she had imagined.

It was a world engulfed in flames.

Both the thick snow and the previously overwhelming army of monsters had vanished.

This is an unchanging, eternal frozen land; so many monsters were here just now; such fierce and raging flames... why is she feeling an unprecedented warmth?

If she were to describe it, it would probably be like the howling wind and snow outside the window, the crackling firewood in the stove, her nestled in her mother's arms, listening to her humming an unknown lullaby. Even though she had never experienced it, she described it this way based on her instinctive feelings.

"... How are you?"

Against a backdrop of countless swirling flames, a young man walks across the melting, exposed soil.

Hearing his cool yet concerned voice, Pela's breath caught in her throat.

The other person possessed beautiful silver hair as fine as snow, and it was no exaggeration to say that in the entire city of Belobog, there was no one more handsome than him. He was tall and slender, but his exposed forearms revealed a very strong physique, and most importantly...

The moment Pela heart began to pound more violently than ever before.

Blood began to rush to her head, Pela felt her cheeks burning.

After carefully confirming that all the monsters around had been eliminated, Bai Jun showed a visibly relieved expression. Looking down, he saw the girl lying on the ground with a blush on her fair skin, staring blankly up at him.

Her straight, smooth black hair and lake-blue eyes clearly showed her girlish features. At the prime of her life, her appearance was becoming more and more mature. While she had the innocent look in her eyes, her tear-streaked face looked exceptionally cool and delicate. It was obvious that she was very popular with the opposite sex.

If she greeted you with a smile, countless people would surely fall at her feet.

The reason Bai Jun was here was simple: he underestimated the extent to which the planet was affected by the snowstorm, and the situation was far worse than Bai Jun had imagined. Due to the snowstorm, the spaceship was unable to pass through the atmosphere at all.

So Bai Jun had to choose other methods, and in the end he chose the simplest and most direct method, which was to force a breakthrough.

The price of forcibly breaking through the obstruction is --

As a result, like a fool whose wax wings melt in the Sun, he was forced to fall continuously from a height of ten thousand meters.

In fact, Bai Jun originally intended to use the Sacred Judgment of Heavenly Fire to create a heat wave in the air to slow down the opponent. However, due to concerns about making too much noise and considering that his physical condition seemed to be indifferent to such a high impact, he simply opted for a free fall.

In the end, he landed safely on a snow-covered mountain peak—a so-called snow mountain—causing a loud impact. Because he underestimated the force of his fall, Bai Jun panicked and looked around to see if there were any humans nearby after realizing he had caused an avalanche, so as not to cause any injury.

The good news is that there are no inhabited villages nearby, and no one died.

The bad news is that the commotion he caused resulted in a young girl being chased and killed by a monster that had been alerted in the mountains.

Bai Jun quickly jumped down from the mountain and followed the footprints to the girl. He rescued her at just the right moment, and she was unharmed.

However, a problem soon followed: after Bai Jun inquired about the girl's situation, she remained silent, simply staring blankly at him. Being treated with that look, Bai Jun suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, as if he had seen her somewhere before... That's right, it must be Huo Huo; that child always looked at him with that same gaze.

No, the focus should be on whether the other party can understand Bai Jun's language. He remembered that this planet had long lost contact with the Interstellar Peace Company, which might mean that the latest Synesthesia Beacon could not match the other party's language.

That would be terrible.

To confirm this idea, Bai Jun waved curiously again. "Are you feeling alright? Are you hurt?"

"..."

The girl remained silent, her fogged-up round-framed glasses fixed on him as if she were bewitched.

This is really bad. We need to think of other ways to communicate with them. Bai Jun racked his brains and finally chose another form of body language that doesn't require verbal communication—the universal human smile.

Pela now feeling extremely confused.

She couldn't understand why her body temperature kept rising.

And to put it bluntly, although she wasn't even aware of it herself, her "predilection" for men was someone with similarly bright blue eyes and a gentle personality. Bai Jun perfectly matched every aspect of her preferences; the only slight pity was that he didn't have the kind of innocent smile she liked most...

Just as she was thinking this...

Bai Jun slightly raised the corners of his mouth, a cheerful smile appearing on his handsome face.

Boom--!

The overwhelming destructive power hit the bullseye! Her cheeks flushed slightly, her moist eyes reflecting only the other's figure, and a tender... no, an unprecedentedly intense emotion blossomed within Pela Sergeyevna's soft heart!

At that moment, her heart felt as if it had been completely stolen away.

Chapter 197 Serval: Am I a spinster now?

Silence, deathly silence, stillness; only the lingering echo of a breeze remained.

Bai Jun's faint smile faded as Pela remained silent, replaced by obvious awkwardness and a headache. If even gestures couldn't communicate, then the conversation simply couldn't continue. Just as Bai Jun was pondering how to communicate with her...

"I'm sorry! I understand what you're saying!"

Once she came to her senses, Pela realized the extent of the misunderstanding her rudeness had caused. She finally regained the courage to speak, proving that she could understand him. At the same time, Bai Jun learned her real name from the girl.

"I... I am Pela Sergeevna, an intelligence officer for the Belobog Silvermane Guards. Thanks to you for saving my life when I was in danger... I... thank you so much."

"It's alright, please don't worry about it, um, really, you don't need to worry about it..."

Faced with the girl who kept bowing and thanking him, Bai Jun's gaze couldn't help but drift away guiltily.

After all, he was inextricably linked to the disaster that Pela suffered; it wouldn't be an exaggeration to say he bore 90% of the blame. Yet, he had accepted the other's most sincere thanks, and guilt almost overwhelmed Bai Jun.

"Miss Pela Sergeevna, if you really want to thank me, could you please show me the way to the city of Belobog?"

As Bai Jun introduced himself, he reached out to Pela, who was kneeling in the snow, and frankly expressed his thoughts.

Pela looked at the hand Bai Jun offered, her face growing even redder. She mustered her courage, gently took Bai Jun's hand, stood up, and was startled when she heard his name.

"Mr. Bai Jun, please don't be so formal. Just call me Pela. I apologize if my next question is particularly rude, but may I ask where you are from? And why are you in a place like this? And you actually want to go to Belobog..."

Based on the group of outsiders who had appeared in the city some time ago, Pela quickly guessed Bai Jun's identity.

"Could it be that you are also an interstellar traveler?"

"Interstellar traveler? It should be similar, right? I did come from another planet, but I'm not a traveler... Hmm, your expression is strange. Are interstellar travelers not received by Belobog?"

Bai Jun noticed that after he admitted to being an outsider, Pela's expression became extremely conflicted, accompanied by hesitation and struggle.

She first shook her head, then nodded.

"It's a long story. It's said that long ago, extraterrestrial travelers often came here, but after the 'Eternal Freeze,' no one has crossed the snow curtain to reach Belobog anymore... Some time ago, a group of interstellar travelers claiming to be Nameless came here. I met them once and initially thought they were a nice bunch, but the next day I heard they harbored ill intentions. The Supreme Guardian ordered their arrest, and they escaped to the lower levels in the chaos. Now, the Supreme Guardian's successor— Lady Bronya— is personally searching for them."

However, things took an unexpected turn here.

"While ordering the arrest of those Nameless guests, the Supreme Guardian also issued a decree banning all outsiders from entering Belobog to prevent the emergence of other villains. Frankly, I think the Supreme Guardian's order was somewhat arbitrary, and I also believe Mr. Bai Jun is a very good person, but... but..."

It's clear that Pela genuinely wants to help Bai Jun, but this affection clashes sharply with her practical responsibilities.

Bai Jun roughly understood what Pela meant. As for the group of Nameless she mentioned, the only people Bai Jun could think of were the Astral Express crew.

But now they're wanted by the authorities. Based on Bai Jun's understanding of those people, they must have gone directly to the Supreme Guardian of Belobog and explained the train's intention to obtain the Stellaron. As a result, they touched upon the other party's interests and suffered this undeserved disaster.

In other words, there is some kind of interest between the Stellaron and the current de facto rulers of Belobog, so it seems that obtaining the Stellaron is not as simple as imagined.

Although for Bai Jun at this point, ignoring the so-called regime and army and directly waging a large-scale battle to seize the Stellaron might be a viable option, a battle at the Emanator level would be too brutal, and the resulting impact would inevitably extend to the city's population, causing a large number of casualties.

Bai Jun's soul seemed to be subtly resisting this ruthless and cruel plan. If possible, he still wanted to avoid fighting and causing innocent casualties. Considering other factors, Bai Jun finally said that he had come to Belobog to find the descendants of an acquaintance and invited them to his country to participate in the ceremony.

"Is that so...? So Mr. Bai Jun just wanted to find an acquaintance..."

Hearing Bai Jun's pure and simple thoughts, Pela's guilt intensified.

Mr. Bai Jun's thoughts were so simple, Mr. Bai Jun was such a good person, and I was an intelligence officer for the Silvermane Guards... yet I couldn't help Mr. Bai Jun! I could only advise him to leave!

"It's alright, Miss Pela, there's no need to worry. I know you have your own reasons..."

Bai Jun didn't want to make things too difficult for this kind-hearted girl, so he planned to coax her away first, then secretly follow her to find the location of Belobog, and then try to sneak into the city of Belobog.

Suddenly, Bai Jun noticed that Pela was covered in sores from her escape. Her uniform was torn in many places and had lost its ability to protect her from the biting cold wind. Her petite shoulders were trembling, and her thin and slender body was swaying precariously in the gale.

Bai Jun took off his large coat, being careful not to startle the other person, and quickly draped the coat over the injured girl's shoulders. He then used the Abundance emerald flames to heal her external injuries. Afterward, he forced her to put his coat on him, claiming that "I don't feel cold."

(So gentle!!)

Thump, thump! Pela's heart pounded, and feeling the coat draped over her shoulders, Pela face flushed even more.

She tried to keep a straight face, like before, not letting herself show too much emotion, but a smile still couldn't help but bloom on her delicate face, like a pure white flower. If her Silvermane Guards colleagues, who usually pestered Pela, saw her like this, they would all be captivated.

Feeling as if she were being targeted by Cupid's arrow, with no way out and no control over her own destiny, Pela's initially panicked and painful heart gradually calmed down. She gripped the loose coat that Bai Jun had draped over her with her slender hands, pressed it against her burning cheeks, and her gaze couldn't help but sway from side to side.

After countless internal struggles and compromises, she slowly made up her mind.

Her gaze darted around for a while, then she secretly glanced at Bai Jun's profile and asked:

"Then please allow me to be your temporary guide on your 'Belobog History Tour'!"

"Huh? But didn't you just say that the Supreme Guardian doesn't allow outsiders to enter Belobog?"

"Well, well... because I trust your character! Anyway, you don't need to worry about anything else for now! Remember to follow me, and I'll take you into Belobog!"

In the end, emotion triumphed over reason. Pela suppressed her shyness and, under Bai Jun's bewildered and surprised gaze, blushed as she spoke these words. Then, she gently tugged at Bai Jun's sleeve, signaling him to follow her.

Just like that, Bai Jun followed Pela's figure while dealing with the nearby Fragmentum Monster. After a while...

Seemingly in an attempt to ease the tense atmosphere, Pela took the initiative to strike up a conversation with Bai Jun.

"Um, Mr. Bai Jun, what's the name of the person you're looking for? I... I think I can help you!"

Finding a single person in a city as large as Belobog is like finding a needle in a haystack, not to mention the current lockdown between the upper and lower levels. If the person Bai Jun is looking for is in the lower level, he absolutely cannot find them on his own without someone telling him!

Pela believed that with her professional skills as an intelligence officer, she was undoubtedly capable of helping Bai Jun find the other party.

"That man's name is Igor Haftar. If I remember correctly, he's quite famous in Belobog, isn't he?"