Chapter 2596

What will happen next... it's really hard to guess.

Chapter 2596

The interior of the ninth carriage was quite spacious, and Chen Li's room was located some distance away.

At first, Pearl thought the ice-blue color on Chen Li's door was just decoration. Pearl even smiled indulgently at the childlike decor.

But when Pearl walked to Chen Li's door and gently touched the icy blue surface with her finger, Pearl smile vanished.

The sensation transmitted through the fingertips was not a smooth decorative film, but a rough, real, and chilling ice crystal.

The chill spread up her fingertips, and upon contact, a thin layer of white frost appeared on Pearl's fingertips.

Pearl withdrew her fingers, and the frost on her fingertips slowly melted away after a few seconds.

The chill wasn't biting, but the ice it formed was indestructible... This was the conclusion Pearl reached after their brief encounter with the frozen door.

Pearl was a woman who had seen the world. As one of the Ten Stonehearts under Diamond's command, the Preservation Emanator, she understood the meaning of Preservation even better.

To be fair, the solid ice in front of us is at least as strong as the Cornerstone that the Pearl rests on.

Pearl frowned slightly. Her first thought was... Did Chen Li know she was going to Night Raid?

However, Pearl quickly shook her head, dismissing the idea.

Because the texture of the ice layer on this door is completely different from the decoration style of the rest of the carriage, it is obviously not Chen Li's work.

The next moment, a bad thought popped into Pearl's mind... someone had beaten her to it.

Moreover, this restrained chill... Pearl almost instantly thought of the swordsman, Jingliu, who had ravaged Shuhu and Manyuan atop the Haiyuan TV Tower alongside her and the other Cloudy Five Warriors!

Considering the master-disciple relationship between Jingliu and Chen Li, Jingliu's words in the Parlor Car, "I'll go back to the Astral Express with you," and his unusual decision to stay in Baiheng's room...

All the clues have come together!

Thinking of this, Pearl gritted her teeth.

Pearl originally thought that only someone like herself, who was immediately awestruck by Chen Li's appearance upon their first meeting, would go out of her way to comfort him out of concern that Chen Li have trouble sleeping at night...

I never expected that someone with thick eyebrows and big eyes like Jingliu would do something like this!

And aren't you Chen Li's master? How could you be so cruel to your own disciple?

Where is conscience? Where is morality? Where is the right approach?!

As for whether Jingliu might have left after freezing the door, simply wanting his disciple to get a good night's sleep? Or perhaps he entered Chen Li's room, told Chen Li a bedtime story, and then left?

Pearl, anyway, didn't believe it.

Put yourself in their shoes. If you were to leave Pearl and Chen Li alone in a room with the door frozen shut, and you were to ask Pearl to just tell a lullaby... Pearl couldn't do that, so Jingliu couldn't either.

We're all smart people, so let's stop deceiving ourselves.

Pearl's fingers landed on the frozen surface again, scraping the ice hard without leaving a trace.

Pearl instantly realized that this was not a defense she could break through.

Now, Pearl only has one option left—to leave.

What else could we do? Stay at the door, listening intently to the battle between Chen Li and the other's master?

But as Pearl took a step back, just as she was about to walk towards the door of the ninth carriage, Pearl suddenly stopped.

Wait a minute!

If Pearl remembers correctly, Pearl just... sealed off her own escape route.

If they want to advance, they need to break through this frozen door. But the Pearl doesn't have that kind of power.

If you want to move backward, you need to go around the camera's field of view. Pearl couldn't do that either.

A single-minded approach has become a double-edged sword.

Using Miraculous Items? Let's not even talk about whether Pearl has any way to obtain Miraculous Items... Pearl just saw the notice Chen Li posted in the eighth carriage, which said that teleportation and the use of Miraculous Items are prohibited in the ninth carriage.

This is actually one of the reasons why Pearl dared to take action... As long as the camera is placed in a position that can capture the entire eighth carriage, others will have to detour because they cannot damage March 7th's camera.

This camera is, after all, a Miracle Card derivative. Without the corresponding Miraculous Item, the only way to forcibly shut it down is by destroying it.

Of course, there are other ways to enter the ninth carriage, such as climbing over the outer wall of the Astral Express to the rear.

However, the use of Miraculous Item is prohibited in the ninth carriage, and even those with strong abilities have no good way to force their way in; they can only do so by force, but doing so will create a huge commotion.

After all, the Astral Express is a creation of the Aeon, not a leaky hole like District 13.

But the reason why Night Raid is called Night Raid is because the emphasis is on the "raid" itself; stealth is the essence of Night Raid.

If they really make a big commotion to attack Chen Li and wake him up, then... their death is imminent.

Stuck in this stalemate, Pearl was completely speechless... Was she really going to have to stand outside all night this time?

Pearl said she would stand guard in front of Chen Li's door to ensure his safety throughout the night, and it was just talk. Why did you actually take it seriously?

In fact, Pearl's current situation is not without a way out. All that is needed is for someone to forcefully break down the frozen door, whether it is to join or to provide protection under the guise of catching a thief. In short, the dilemma will be resolved.

This is not a difficult request. Although the ice sealed by Jingliu is strong, its strength is only at the Emanator level. Breaking through this Emanator- level ice wall using one's own methods is not a problem for most people in the Friends Circle.

But it won't work if only Pearl is present, because it's simply impossible.

It's fair to say that the predicament Pearl faced could have been easily solved by anyone else.

So... where are these people who can easily solve this problem?

The sound of high heels clicking on the carpet came from the seventh carriage. The footsteps were light and rhythmic, accompanied by the humming of an unknown tune.

Vita, dressed in black stockings and high heels, stepped onto the soft carpet of the carriage, each step exuding a feline languor and elegance, and she seemed to be in a very good mood.

"Although I didn't manage to get Chen Li's sleeping face photo album from Xing, I unexpectedly received the good news that Chen Li has settled in on the Astral Express. This time, the advantage is on my side." Vita slightly curled the corners of her mouth and muttered to herself.

After hearing this news from Xing, Vita felt that she would be letting her parents down if she didn't seize this opportunity to do something.

So Vita secretly slipped New Penacony and onto the Astral Express late at night.

But just as Vita was about to open the hatch from the seventh to the eighth carriage, she saw a notice posted next to it.

Vita took a closer look and discovered that it read, "Safety precautions have been installed. Please do not disturb Chen Li's sleep."

Vita gave a soft snort, casually tore the notice down, crumpled it into a ball, and threw it on the ground.

Are you kidding me? You think something like this can stop my determination to launch a Night Raid?

I, Vita, am not easily intimidated.

But the smile on Vita's face froze the moment she pressed the button to open the Astral Express's hatch.

No, it wasn't just his smile that froze; his entire being froze.

A sudden feeling of suffocation surged into my heart, as if someone had grabbed my neck, and I couldn't move my whole body. One foot had just stepped into the eighth carriage, while the other foot was still in the seventh carriage, and I was frozen in place in that position, stuck on the threshold.

Vita paused for a moment before realizing what was happening. She slightly moved her only movable eye and saw March 7th's camera placed above the hatch connecting the eighth and ninth carriages.

And next to it was the text. "[This camera is the personal property of Ms. March 7th. Please do not damage it. Anyone who damages it will bear the consequences.]"

Who came up with this idea? It's absolutely despicable!

Vita clenched her teeth but couldn't open her mouth, and could only harbor resentment in her heart.

Fortunately, although the body was restrained, the mind remained active.

'Help me, Sparkle. Summon me to your side,' Vita thought to herself.

After sending out this message for help, Vita vanished from her spot in an instant.

The 9th carriage cannot use the Miraculous Item, but the 8th carriage can...

Two minutes later, Vita stood in front of the door of the eighth carriage again, followed by a blank-faced Sparkle and a frowning Sparkle.

"Honestly, that Yao Guang is unreliable too. After watching a series of funny videos about Pearl, Sparkle has only collected 666 smiley faces. She's still 333 short of reaching 999 and being able to exit 'Sage Mode'," Sparkle muttered with a worried look on her face.

If Sparkle can't break free of her Sage Mode, I won't agree to go with her to defeat the Servants and have some big fun.

If she cannot defeat the three Servants with the help of Sparkle, then Sparkle's soul will belong to her Servants!

But thankfully, Vita's failed Night Raid and subsequent capture on camera, turning her into a statue, is a source of amusement in itself, isn't it?

So when Sparkle heard about Vita's situation, she volunteered to bring Sparkle over.

Vita stopped before the hatch.

"Why did you stop? Didn't you say the danger was in the eighth carriage?" Sparkle, who was deep in thought about how to make Sparkle laugh, bumped into Vita's back, then looked up and complained.

"The camera is indeed in the eighth carriage, but as soon as we open the door, we'll be captured by the camera lens and become immobilized." Vita crossed her arms and glared at Sparkle in annoyance.

"I see. So what do you plan to do?" Sparkle tilted her head and asked curiously.

"Don't worry, I already know who set up this device." Vita confidently raised her chin.

"Who is it?" Sparkle was taken aback.

"After questioning March 7th, I learned that the last person to take the camera from her was Pearl. And after chatting with Feiying for a while, I got her contact number." Vita said, taking out her Friends Circle Terminal and calling Pearl.

Inside the ninth carriage, Pearl stared blankly at the call request that suddenly lit up on her phone for a moment before answering it.

The next moment, three holographic projections appeared in front of Pearl: Vita, Sparkle, and Sparkle.

"Oh, so this is carriage number nine. You were here after all." Vita looked around the carriage's interior through the holographic projection and said without any surprise.

"You are... Vita?" Pearl frowned slightly upon seeing the person who had arrived.

Pearl was no stranger to Vita, after all, Vita had appeared at Origami University's anniversary celebration, but she did not know why Vita had come here.

"You set up those cameras outside, didn't you?" Vita asked Pearl bluntly.

"That's right. As a strategist, my duty is to protect our lord's safety." Pearl nodded, not denying it.

"Come on. Do you think I don't know what you're thinking?" Vita pouted.

"Why do you say that?" Pearl's brows furrowed even more.

"Because... we're thinking the same thing," Vita said with a smile.

Pearl paused for a moment, then looked at Vita's holographic projection with some wariness.

"No need to be so possessive of your food. We're not competitors; we can definitely cooperate." Vita even chuckled at Pearl's possessive behavior, but then quickly expressed her friendliness.

"Cooperation? I don't understand what you're talking about." Pearl's tone became more wary.

"If I'm not mistaken, you haven't appeared in Chen Li's room yet, but are staying in the corridor of the ninth carriage. Is that why?" Vita pointed to the door behind Pearl that was sealed with ice.

Vita noticed this most conspicuous thing when she appeared in the ninth carriage as a holographic projection.

Of course, Vita hadn't foreseen that Pearl would be turned away; she had only made the call on a whim, and unexpectedly, Pearl really was in trouble. And it was a particularly awkward predicament...

The strategist devised a Heavenly Garment plan, but ended up trapping himself in it.

"What exactly are you trying to say?" Pearl's voice turned serious as she looked at Vita, who had a mysterious smile on her face.

"As I just said, we can cooperate. You can't break this ice wall, but I can. Look at the marks on this ice wall; if I'm not mistaken, the person who did this is Jingliu, right?"

"If we don't hurry in, poor Chen Li will be devoured by that terrifying Jingliu. Let me tell you, the way Jingliu looked at Chen Li before was very dangerous," Vita warned quietly.

"This... isn't that a bit inappropriate?" Pearl said hesitantly in response to Vita's suggestion.

"What's wrong with that? Remember, you're not trying to disturb your lord's good time, but rather to protect his safety. What if someone as dangerous as Jingliu takes advantage of Chen Li? As the strategist, isn't your job to eliminate all dangers that come near our lord? That's called... sacrificing oneself for righteousness, right?" Vita raised a finger and said seriously.

"What do you need me to do?" Pearl hesitated for a moment, but was eventually persuaded by Vita and agreed to Vita's invitation to cooperate.

"You don't need to do anything. See Sparkle? She has a Miraculous Item called [I am Joy], which can teleport her to her friends. Don't move around here, I'll use her Miraculous Item to teleport to you right away." Vita patted Sparkle's shoulder affectionately and said to Pearl.

"If it's about using Miraculous Items, there's no need for that." Pearl lowered her eyes slightly and shook her head with some regret.

Pearl had initially thought Vita had some clever plan, but it turned out she was just using Miraculous Item.

"What's wrong? Do you want to eat alone?" Vita paused, looking at Pearl with some surprise.

Your Intelligent Machines may not have big breasts, but it certainly has a big appetite.

"No. Because teleportation and the use of Miraculous Item are prohibited in the ninth carriage. Although I haven't tried it, I think it should be true," Pearl explained after shaking her head.

"It's alright." Vita paused for a moment upon hearing Pearl's words, then laughed.

"Oh? You have other ideas? Are you planning to just destroy Miss March 7th's camera?" Pearl asked, somewhat surprised.

"How could that be? Have you ever seen the 'LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY LONELY' video?" Vita shook her head and asked Pearl in return.