Act.1 · Stranger in Moscow

Foreword:

For those with ideals, life is always vibrant.

[--Joseph Leo Stalin]

[Prat①·Love and Rock]

Starting from Third Platform of Nine Realms Station, the route passes through 16 major stations and 34 minor stations.

Looking at the route marked on the new page of the passenger log, Jiang Xueming was surprised to find that the train had almost made a large loop through the mine in Golden Township, and then sped northeastward, heading deeper into the mine.

The primary objective of this mission is to help Jason Megan explore the RSH outpost. The secondary objective is to locate Mr. Jason's former waiter, Wendy Mills.

Jiang Xueming brought almost the entire [JoeStar] team with him.

Besides Bu Liuxing, 3301 and 9527 each used their employers' evidence of transformation to complete their leave procedures at the board counter and directly joined the Guangling Zhixi's unofficial task force. Only Tang Ning and Bailu stayed at the station to continue building houses.

Before the harvest season arrives, ordinary trains cannot reach the Albert Research Station.

They transferred at the last transit station, more than 21,000 meters underground near Moscow, and boarded the Northern Territory Express – a cold-weather vehicle belonging to the Guangling Zhixi assault team.

As the environment changed, the group put on thick fur coats. In the cold and dry environment, even the activity of underground creatures became very rare.

Meteor and Xiao Qi began to become restless. Their Madness Index were already very high, making them easily influenced by external factors. The closer they got to Red Star Hill and the Land of the Dead, the more pronounced this inexplicable anxiety became.

With only half an hour's drive left to Albert Research Station, a minor incident occurred.

Meteor began vomiting, exhibiting symptoms of motion sickness. Normally, he would only vomit on minecarts or cars with sharp turns, but under the influence of the abnormal spiritual pressure, he seemed to have become very vulnerable.

After vomiting the filth in his stomach, A Xing's face turned pale, his body became weak and dehydrated, and he slumped by the car window, wanting to breathe some fresh air, but then he smelled the poisonous gas filled with dioxins.

Xue Ming took out an oxygen mask from under the tank seat and put it on Liuxing.

Immediately afterward, Xiao Qi woke up from the nightmare with blood gushing from her mouth and nose, as if she had been attacked by strong evil thoughts in the dream, and her capillaries burst along with her suddenly increased blood pressure.

Teacher San San grabbed a hot towel and cleaned the bloodstains from her old friend.

Jiang Xueming watched this scene with deep concern. These two people with excessively high Madness Index probably shouldn't have come to such a godforsaken place at all.

He could also sense this spiritual pressure, and it was difficult to describe—

--It's as if the air contains not only a trace of toxicity but also dirt like mud. This extremely dense spiritual pressure squeezes the spirits, sticking to people's skin, almost deforming their flesh and blood. It becomes incredibly difficult to control the spirits.

Just then, Su Ling, who had been quiet all along, sent a team invitation to her [JoeStar] friends.

When the golden UI panel appeared in the eyes of the four little ones, an indescribable warmth dispelled all the bone-chilling cold.

Su Ling said, "The fight's about to start! Let's go in first!"

Xue Ming extended his finger and gently tapped "[Agree]".

Everything in my eyes has once again transformed into the game world.

The UI layout proportions he adjusted last time were actually saved, so no further adjustments are needed.

Meteor's eyes widened, and he immediately pulled off his oxygen mask, becoming energetic and lively as he began to study his own stats.

Xiao Qi and 3301 didn't seem to be new to the team—in Xue Ming's eyes, when their chibi avatars appeared in the team list, their health bars seemed to suddenly increase significantly.

It's really too mysterious--

--Xue Ming thought to herself.

Could it be that being influenced by Teacher A Ling's soul power would immediately grant such a boost?

My body felt lighter, and my spirit could naturally break free of my body, no longer trapped by this damned spiritual pressure. I was a little hungry before, but the special effect of restoring health the moment I joined the team seemed to convert the excess healing into physical energy, suppressing the hunger.

So Xue Ming immediately went to find Teacher A Ling.

"What kind of ability is this?"

"[Welcome] ability." Su Ling lit up the orange gem in her hand. "This Canadian Kirin Stone is full of vitality and is a national treasure from Apoda Province. I'm using it to welcome newcomers. Once you join my team, you will immediately recover 33% of your health. Any amount exceeding that will be converted into extra stamina."

"This is what you mean by the doctor's primary duty, Teacher A Ling?" Jiang Xueming asked, finding it unbelievable.

"That's right, but I really can heal. Don't believe me? Let me heal you!" A Ling immediately raised her hand and threw a punch.

Xue Ming barely dodged it, only to see a "[Missing]" message appear above his head.

"Don't be shy! It'll only be a little bit, it won't hurt." Su Ling advanced and chased after Xue Ming, while Xue Ming retreated to Liu Xing's side, grabbed Liu Xing's head and took the punch.

The sharp white crystal emanating pure white light from your slender fingers is the king of energy.

The soul power of the [Phoenix] that it unleashed was transformed into a fierce punch in Su Ling's hands, distorting the face of the big star who was seriously and confidently studying the gameplay.

The kid tilted his head to one side, bumped into the soft seat cushion, and immediately bounced up, becoming incredibly powerful.

Jiang Xueming looked as if he had seen a ghost.

--I don't understand this treatment method at all.

But he could indeed see two numbers popping up above A Xing's head.

It's green [+37] for overdose treatment.

And with the golden [Soul Power] value [+11], this punch almost fully healed A Xing, both his body and soul.

Then I saw the little guy jump up and stand up straight, and suddenly his whole demeanor became strange.

"Ah!--------"

He roared to the sky, his eyes blazing with fire.

"I'm ready! I'm ready! I'm ready!"

Before the words were even finished, Su Ling and Xue Ming felt a gust of wind on their faces. Meteor began to run wildly through the aisle of the armed train, as if to release the excess energy in his body. Everyone saw that A Xing's stamina value in the team list dropped and rose again, dropped and rose again, repeating this more than ten times. Finally, he stopped and began to drink water frantically.

Jiang Xueming was even more confused--

He sat down next to Teacher Su Ling and asked in a low voice.

"What happened? How could the child have become mentally impaired?"

Su Ling patiently explained, "White crystal is the king of energy. I usually use it to heal my teammates, but after my research, I've found that soaking it in water and spraying it at people, or using a hairdryer to blow hot air at them, isn't as effective as just punching them directly. Occasionally, it can even give teammates a buff. Look closely, people with ideals always have a passionate life—"

--The buff above Meteor's head has just disappeared.

In the description of the Soul Phoenix, that state represents [love and rock].

Xue Ming asked in a low voice, "Teacher, you have so many brilliance stones, do they all have different effects?"

"Otherwise what?" Su Ling asked expressionlessly, but with a hint of sarcasm.

Therefore, Xue Ming did not pursue the matter further.

The blue stone in the hand of this amazing VIP flickered, and a mental shield appeared in the [Soul Power] ability slot for everyone in the team.

There are explanatory notes below.

[Rationality Barrier]

[Note: This can protect you from abnormal spiritual pressure and grant you a dreamless sleep. Unless you break through a major defense, this thing can make you stare directly at various writhing lumps of flesh and twisted tentacles—except in NTR scenarios, which would be true damage.]

Aside from Su Ling and Xue Ming, who had gray [Overhealing] icons above their heads, the other companions who didn't have mental shields all received this buff.

The description of the buff has a very Su Ling personal style; it's quite unconventional, as if this VIP wrote it stroke by stroke.

Xiao Qi recited the multiplication tables and was overjoyed to find that she could actually memorize such complex and advanced mathematics.

Xue Ming wanted to uncover more secrets from this VIP—this incredible ability was like a cheat code in a fast-paced online novel.

Although it wasn't the first time I'd seen it, the sight of Ms. A Ling pulling off the health bar and playing with it in her hand was truly breathtaking.

Xue Ming tried it--

He ripped the health bar off his head and realized that it actually had a temperature; it was Su Ling's spirit!

It possesses a partial physical form, like wind and electric fields creating an independent space in the air, with a very small amount of matter, such as dust and carbon, forming the faintly visible bright red health bar.

It can be held in the hand and swung around like a stick.

It is elastic and can be stretched, lengthened, or shortened at will.

Xue Ming immediately understood--

This is not a game UI.

Rather, it is the game's visuals that evolved from Teacher A Ling's powerful mental strength.

This is the world as she sees it, visualized data calculated by her powerful mathematical abilities. Through the creation of the spirit, it transforms into a colorful psychic game in the eyes of others.

If there are other passengers who are skilled at using the Discoloring Stone White Crystal, they should also be able to heal their teammates like Teacher A Ling, but they need to be precise about how much health they can restore, the effectiveness of the healing, and whether it is an over-healing.

These data are difficult to measure intuitively with the naked eye.

But A Ling can do it--

--This is the pinnacle of VIP strength at Nine Realms Station.

"This is really damn mysterious." Xue Ming also started speaking the Qin language, as if he had been infected with a virus.

Su Ling remained as aloof and indifferent as ever, silently returning to her seat, putting her legs up on the table with utterly rude manners, and crossing her arms as if she were above everyone else.

[Part ② Game Guide]

Jiang Xueming began to show concern for this VIP's companion again.

Teacher A Ling was previously a waitress, and according to her, her employer was a member of the Blue Stone School's Senate, who was also the wolf mother's companion.

This powerful ally brought his employer along on this trip to Red Star Hill; the person was so inconspicuous that Xue Ming didn't even notice he was sitting there.

The man sat opposite Teacher A Ling, his face and body wrapped in a thick black leather coat. Next to the luggage rack in the carriage stood two large iron boxes, which contained this VIP's equipment.

The spiritual pressure of these two powerful allies is quite unique, unlike that of Victor and Mr. Wen Bucai, which are aggressive.

When ordinary people or [JoeStar]'s friends interact with them, they don't feel anything unusual; they are as friendly and natural as the girls next door.

Jiang Xueming's attention at that moment was focused on another VIP across the table—

--Through the large hat of the black robe, one could see a pair of bright red eyes.

In the occasional flash of a signal light, he could glimpse the greyish-white wolf ears peeking out from under the brim of the hat—a typical feature of the Bloodstained Lapis Lazuli Guards.

She had a youthful face, an oval shape, and looked like a seventeen or eighteen-year-old girl.

If this is indeed A Ling's employer, she seems far too young and inexperienced at first glance.

Xue Ming shifted his gaze to the two metal boxes next to the luggage rack. He found it hard to imagine what kind of weapons were inside that would require such a petite girl, who was only 165 centimeters tall, to use.

"Please introduce me, Ms. A Ling? What is this distinguished guest's name? Who is he/she?"

Su Ling was about to reach out and pull out the other person's title and citations to recite a long-winded poem.

But the employer seemed shy and immediately grabbed the waiter's hand.

"My name is Xia Xia, you can just call me Xia Xia."

Then he stopped talking.

Xue Ming glanced back and saw that 3301 was staring straight at them, seemingly seeing their idol but too shy to come up and say hello.

Leaving aside these irrelevant details.

Jiang Xueming inquired about other matters.

Why can't I see Teacher Xia Xia in the team list?

Su Ling immediately replied, "Because I didn't recruit her into the team."

Jiang Xueming asked this very question, "Why not recruit her into the team? That way, we can all directly check her profile."

Su Ling: "Because I can only form a group of four people at most."

Xue Ming fell silent.

It seems that even Teacher A Ling's soul power has its limits; her mental strength can only seem to cover a maximum of five units.

But just as Xue Ming was thinking this—

--Su Ling has once again defied his conventional understanding.

Meteor and Xia Xia were repeatedly entering and leaving the team, being kicked out and then rejoining. In Xue Ming's eyes, the UI panel looked like a flashbang, with the two chibi avatars shifting and changing, and a long string of prompts popped up in the team log.

Your teammate Bu Liuxing has been removed from the team.

[Xia Xia joins the team.]

[Your teammate Xia Xia has been removed from the team.]

[Bu Liuxing joins the team.]

Su Ling moved all ten fingers in unison, rapidly changing her finger placement on the unseen keyboard.

"Look, this way we can barely form a group of five."

"Is this even possible?!" Xue Ming's eyes widened.

Su Ling then added, "As long as my mind works fast enough, forming a group of fifteen people isn't difficult."

Xia Xia suddenly blurted out, "A Ling super amazing!"

Having resolved the issue of adapting to the spiritual pressure environment, Su Ling discussed the level of this mission with Xue Ming.

"Before the harvest season arrives, if we encounter a strong enemy, there are only two scattered assault teams from Guangling Zhixi in the Northern Territory who can come to our aid. They are not at full strength; conservatively estimated, there are only a little over 150 men."

Xue Ming: "Hmm."

Su Ling: "Do you know what this means?"

Xue Ming: "Are we all alone?"

Su Ling: "No, we can call on our brothers as soon as we start a team fight!"

Xue Ming: "Huh?"

Su Ling: "Use your brains and quickly come up with an excuse. After we get off the train, I'll make a video call to the Council of Five Kings. You'd better punch yourself twice first, until it hurts enough to make you cry. Then, go to the nice girl on the platform and whine about it. Use your overly handsome face to attack her sympathy. Who knows, our adventurer team might turn into a hundred-man siege of the city and start hacking and slashing."

Xue Ming: "Huh?"

Seeing Xue Ming's honest and bewildered expression, Su Ling immediately changed her tune. "I was just kidding. Everything I said just now was just for fun. They're not that free—I was just telling you that you can do it."

Xue Ming wondered to himself, "Is this how VIPs usually operate?"

Before he could think further, Su Ling continued.

"Although we don't have the ability to directly call for armed support, thanks to your exploration in Fang Feng, as far as I know, two transport teams are heading to the Albert Research Station with the latest Canaan experimental subjects. Perhaps we can hitch a ride on their backs."

Xue Ming asked in confusion, "Fang Feng? Is it related to the Canaanites?"

Su Ling nodded. "Yes, it's Canaanite. Our Research Station is studying Canaanite technology and has decided to use this experimental subject at the Albert Research Station. They're like nanomachines, helping to maintain and care for fragile observation instruments and antimatter listening devices in the cold weather. This train is our second lifeline. Whether it's used to transport troops or to carry us to safety, it's like a godsend."

Speaking of this--

--A bright white light suddenly shone outside the car window.

The train burst through a maze of tunnels and portals, arriving in the mad mountains of the Northern Territory Abyss.

In those unfathomable, deep darkness, one can see many luminous artificial fluorite stones.

They are arranged in a series of huge five-pointed star patterns, as if the light source was specially created for the road by the construction team many years ago using the natural environment.

The deeper you go into the mountains, the thicker and colder the permafrost becomes.

Generally speaking, geothermal features in nature are hotter the deeper you go, but here, the opposite is true.

It was as if some enormous and incredible life form was lurking in the abyss, frantically absorbing the heat energy from the outside world.

The condensed water, created by the clash of hot and cold in the underground cavity, slowly falls down. Just four hundred meters above Xue Ming's head, it turns into crystal-clear ice flowers. In the eerie blue glow of the mountain stream, it is swept up by the gale and transformed into sharp blades.

They seeped into the car windows and, when they hit the sofa, created terrifying, three-centimeter-long cracks.

Then the train conductor roared angrily into the passenger compartment.

"Close the windows! Damn it! Don't cause trouble on my beloved train! You cold-blooded ghosts!"

Xue Ming wanted to open the window--

--Then a deep, heavy sound was heard.

Su Ling simply lifted her leg and stomped it down again.

The train shook along with all twelve windows in the carriage.

They obediently closed the door.

No matter how many times she watched it, Xue Ming thought that this control over power was simply a miracle.

Su Ling said to the children of [JoeStar].

"Relax, I've got you covered."