EP.7 · [Embrace]

Foreword:

Indifference and callousness are the paralysis of the soul, a premature death.

[--Anton Pavlovich Chekhov]

[Part 1: Times Have Changed]

After reuniting with David Victor, it took almost six months for them to return to the Nine Realms Station.

Yes--

--You heard me right, it's half a year, six months, a full one hundred and eighty days.

From the moment they defeated [Thunder] and returned to Red Star Hill, it took them more than two months to recover from their injuries. By the time they returned to Golden Township, it was already midsummer. They then headed to Huge Mountain Station, more than 600 kilometers away, to walk back along the railway with scavengers and itinerant market vendors.

In early May, Xue Ming and Liuxing were finally able to walk with difficulty, and their spinal nerve pain was relieved. However, maintaining a long-term combat readiness was wishful thinking.

In the past few months, A Xing and Xue Ming have suffered severe muscle loss.

Xue Ming lost a full sixteen pounds, and A Xing went from ninety kilograms back to eighty kilograms.

This is the aftereffect of the VIP trial mission: exploring unknown territory. It's a miracle that you survived; the damage to your spiritual essence caused by spiritual pressure will take a long time to repair and heal.

The two little ones had no opportunity to practice, lost sunlight, and suffered from calcium loss in their muscles and bones. No matter how much they trained, they only got more injured.

If Ming De's harvest season could be delayed by a few months, and the train could quickly bring them back to the surface, they wouldn't have lost so much elemental essence.

But there's nothing we can do; that's the rule of the underworld.

--Rules are rules, just like a train ticket during the Spring Festival travel rush. Even if a passenger is only a minute late, the train won't wait for anyone.

Golden Township has abundant non-ferrous metal mines, and the mining company and mining engineering department also have many railway-standard minecarts. However, the team leaders, led by Victor and Su Ling, do not support taking the minecarts home.

Starting from the Nordic underground world-

--The shortest route is to arrive at Huge Mountain Station, then return to the surface and take a flight back to Hong Kong.

If you want to take a shortcut and risk your life on the tracks during harvest season, you might face something even more complex and deadly than the railway network of Red Star Hill, with railway derailments and zombie trains.

Every harvest season, the zombie train of the Madness Butterfly Sect begins a frenzy. These cultists decorate their train with lanterns and colorful decorations, almost to the point of madness, in celebration of Ming De's death and rebirth.

These parasites living inside the healthy cat's body are both hopeful and fearful, and they want to use a celebration to alleviate their inner fear.

This expectation stems from the "unity" inherent in the Madness Butterfly.

If Ming De were to die completely, it would be a huge boost for the Madness Butterfly. However, with the railway system paralyzed, Zero Platform would also perish in chaos and darkness—after all, in the eyes of the Madness Butterfly Sect, passengers and ordinary people are food. If all the creatures at the bottom of the food chain were to die, they would not be far from "returning to oneness".

If Ming De were to continue living, it would be a tremendous boost for the Madness Butterfly. However, the continued existence of the railway system, and Zero Platform's ability to continue surviving within this blissful dreamcatcher—in Sun Yifeng's words, all of this is a good thing.

Almost every branch of the cult must, at this crucial juncture, send out clan elders or new members to witness the carnival ceremony, according to the opinion of the Cult Leader or head.

This is a great honor, after all, the harvest season only comes once every few decades. For the underworld, the diverse and eccentric followers of the Madness Butterfly Sect probably won't live more than a few years before their inevitable demise.

The zombie train carries respected elders from various religious sects, as well as promising newcomers, who use all sorts of means to approach major stations and go to great lengths to preach and proselytize in the surrounding cities.

When the Ming De was weak, many passengers and underground residents also wavered in their faith, surrendered to material temptations and spiritual control, stripped their essence from the railway system, and turned to the embrace of the Madness Butterfly.

So--

Neither of the VIPs recommended using public transportation to get home.

If you were to encounter a zombie train on the railway and get crushed by these crazy people celebrating the holidays, that would be such an unjust death.

Another possibility is that, during the harvest season, no vehicle other than railway inspectors and signal engineers will be allowed to occupy the public railway. Their minecarts might be mistaken for zombie trains by the Lapis Lazuli Guards or the Guangling Zhixi, and before the two sides can even make contact, the good brothers will greet them with cannon fire.

It's not shameful for the heroes who went to Red Star Hill to expand the territory to die at the hands of the enemy. But if they had died at the hands of these cops, it would have been an extremely difficult academic problem for the proofreaders and editors-in-chief of the secret archives who were compiling history books.

Not to mention, their team also includes Maddes Bruno, the Cinderella King.

To the members of the Madness Butterfly Sect, this guy was like a mobile billboard. With such a figure arriving during the Carnival, they were eager to use him as a headlight on their sightseeing bus, illuminating wherever he went—the cult's propaganda slogan could simply be changed to "Do you believe in the light of the Madness Butterfly?"

So for safety reasons, they spent a full six months, almost entirely on foot, returning to the Huge Mountain Station.

In the past six months, Xue Ming has created all sorts of strange and wonderful means of transportation.

For example, simple exoskeleton assistive devices, canes, or more labor-saving baskets.

Brother William carried the two little ones on his back the whole way without feeling it was a burden.

In the end, Xue Ming chose the wheelchair. It has no motor drive and relies entirely on her hands for power, which can at least activate her upper arm muscles and prevent her metabolism from dropping too drastically.

Starting from Golden Township, the route passes through twenty-three small post stations and two large trading posts. Along the way, there are also processions of thousands of people in the itinerant markets, which people find very strange.

Xue Ming and Liuxing, in wheelchairs, sped along the narrow, single-lane road under maintenance, looking like two children who never grew up.

David Victor followed closely behind; many people recognized this author and had seen his picture in The Sun.

--When Teacher Victor sat in his wheelchair, it was as if he had found a part of his lost soul. With skillful hands and exquisite techniques, he raced against his two students with almost ruthless acceleration through the corners.

The slick tires softened rapidly in the geothermal environment, gripping the metal road tightly, and the speeding two-wheeled vehicles stirred up a gust of wind.

Perhaps having seen this scene many times before, when the workers at the mobile market were packing up their stalls, they saw the snow-white disposable bowls and chopsticks being tossed aside by these strange wheelchair riders, and their expressions immediately changed, looking indignant.

"Boss! These guys are so rude!"

The owner hurriedly packed up his stall, gathering the food cart and kitchen utensils together, afraid of blocking these strange travelers.

"No, no, no, that's David Victor."

"Isn't he a VIP? What's he doing here?"

"Perhaps they snuck out."

"Ah?"

"Look at the way he's turning the wheelchair; he must have had his leg broken and is rushing back to Huge Mountain Station to be by the BOSS's side. He looks extremely anxious."

"What about the others?"

Before the words had even finished --

More wheelchairs whizzed past the vendors.

Almost everyone in [JoeStar] has become a wheelchair-bound warrior.

Only Maddes Bruno, his face wrapped in bandages and bound tightly, hung on William's back as William drove his vehicle—rumbling past like a chariot.

The laborer covered his hat and pointed into the distance.

Where are these guys?

The boss thought for a moment.

"They must be pursuers from the Madness Butterfly Sect!"

"But they look so happy!"

"The people of the Madness Butterfly Sect are always happy, and they are even happier during harvest season."

"Are all these people missing legs?"

"I've heard of many Blood Butterfly cults, and many strange things have been associated with them—so what we're seeing is very likely the [Knee Harvester]."

"Ah?"

"Just like the initiation ceremony where one must offer one's knees to conquer the earth, thereby stepping onto steel, leaving the ground, and gaining such incredible speed."

"It seems that's the case!"

In this context, which borders on urban legend and misinformation.

Almost everyone at the mobile market encountered this line of wheelchairs.

[Part ②: For Our Individual Missions!]

Only Jason Megan was unhappy.

"--Because it's too idiotic."

Katusha and Wendy followed closely behind their employer.

The little girl said, "I think it's very interesting, employer!"

The young woman said, "I just changed the chain and solid lubricant on the powertrain at the last stop! Watch out, Iason! You're no match for me now! -- Watch my cornering skills! Can you keep up with my Spide?!"

Jason covered his face. "That's really idiotic."

At that moment, he only felt his Madness Index rising rapidly.

He firmly believed that any passenger or resident along the way who witnessed [JoeStar]'s actions would think that these people must be seriously mentally ill.

When Victor saw Xue Ming making the wheelchair, Jason was speechless at the ease with which he drove it. Perhaps this VIP had already mastered the use of this vehicle, having had his legs broken so many times that he couldn't even remember them all.

Meanwhile, another VIP, Su Ling, joined in, grumbling and cursing. She was outwardly cold but outwardly enthusiastic, and within a few short hours, she rapidly learned and evolved, joining the top tier of wheelchair racing.

However, Meteor at the front of the pack was quite mischievous. He tried to turn the fruit he bought at the previous stop into weapons to add some fun to this arduous journey and turn the simple race into an item race.

"That's so idiotic."

As Jason described it, he couldn't control his hands at all.

At first, he was a little clumsy in maneuvering his wheelchair, but with Xue Ming's hands-on guidance, he was able to handle some complex or narrow roads. When he was turning corners, he felt as happy as if a hot knife was slicing through butter.

Every time I hear the screeching sound of the slick tires gripping the metal plate, and the sudden drop of the vehicle body, accompanied by the reassuring howl of the wind, it's simpler and more exhilarating than driving any other vehicle. The fully open driver's cab gives the operator unparalleled freedom of vision.

Every piece of feedback. Every bump in the road.

Every grain of dirt and sand on the road could be clearly felt on my buttocks.

Therefore, when people see these wheelchair warriors, they inevitably associate them with the followers of the Madness Butterfly Sect. They laugh innocently, almost like children who have received a trendy new toy.

Just hearing the shouts of the top-tier team is enough to make one's SAN value plummet.

"Hehehehehe! My little sweetheart! Let's have a race! If I catch up with you, you'll be the one wearing the wedding dress at our wedding! I'll make sure you experience the happiness of being a bride! Hehehehehe!"

--This is Xiao Qi, whose Madness Index has exceeded the limit.

"Ming Ge! Catch!"

--This is a meteor that just launched the durian Stink Bomb, a specialty of Golden Township.

"Jiang Xueming! 9527 is launching a loving duel against you! It's a unique kind of embrace! You must respond; indifference and ruthlessness are the paralysis of the soul, the premature death!"

--This is Victor, who loves to watch the drama unfold.

"Next up is a zigzag hairpin bend in the railway track. My differential and valve pedals will definitely leave you in the dust on this stretch! Get ready! This is my original lightning-fast running technique!"

--This is Jiang Xueming, whose Madness Index has slightly increased under the torment of spiritual pressure in Niflheim.

"Wonderful!"

--This needs no further explanation.

The journey was tough.

But we can find joy even in hardship.

As the active volcano of Reykjavik draws ever closer, more and more villages and towns are being built along the railway line.

The 160-day journey has finally come to an end.

People were diverted from the maintenance road for electrical pipelines and then reunited at the sturdy igneous rock quarantine checkpoint exit under the platform.

Xue Ming first got a COVID-19 nucleic acid test, then Madness Index test, and finally a Vita Imprint test. He was immediately invited by the manager of Huge Mountain Station to a private seat in the council hall.

When the people gathered again, Su Ling and Xia Xia were nowhere to be found.

This VIP had experienced several outbreaks of Vita Imprint in her body and needed to be prioritized for disinfection at the VIP tea room. Her employer, Xia Xia, accompanied her, not daring to neglect her duties.

Teacher Victor ordered two jugs of Iron Knight whiskey at the bar, left them on the table, grabbed Lord Cinder by the back of his collar and dragged him out, intending to take Lord Cinder to catch a plane and return to the Nine Realms ahead of time to transfer to the Qingjin in Balason.

The teacher simply waved his hand without turning around, making a sword-like gesture as if pointing outwards.

"Adios! (Goodbye!)"

This time, A Xing didn't let the opportunity slip by.

He finally caught up with Victor and won the race in this absurd and comical wheelchair contest.

He stood up unsteadily, his legs still a little clumsy, and then hugged the teacher's seemingly frail but actually strong body. This hug was like a contagious disease, and it immediately turned into a celebration.

Xue Ming hugged Jason, and then went to hug Katusha and Wendy.

Xiao Qi hugged everyone one by one.

330 pulled the meteor from Victor's arms and hugged and kissed his employer.

Finally, only Maddes Bruno remained silent, gazing at the two-colored stone building outside the council chamber.

The slightly darker parts are the foundation piles that he crashed with his plane back then, while the slightly lighter parts are the stones used for later filling and reconstruction.

In the brief moment of his melancholy silence, a large body embraced him.

William's massive muscles almost crushed Maddes.

"--Damn it! Let me go! Let me go!"

Grand William lost control and pulled the prisoner from his arms, leaving the King of Cinder breathless.

William immediately said, "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have hugged you."

Maddes shouted angrily, "Are you all fucking insane?! More insane than me?!"

William: "I see everyone has found someone to hug, and they couldn't help themselves for a moment. Please understand."

Maddes was about to utter more profanities when the golden seal on his spine, like a devil's command, immediately silenced him.

Victor finally left with the Lord of Cinder.

Xiao Qi raised her glass first and made a video call to Teacher A Ling, who was receiving treatment in a ward.

"We're going home, teacher!"

Meteor: "Homage to the future! Homage to the present! Homage to the past!"

3301: "A toast to friendship and love!"

Katusha stood up hesitantly, seemingly unaccustomed to the enthusiastic atmosphere.

"To my employer! Jason Megan!"

Wendy didn't say anything, she just clinked glasses lightly.

The golden liquid swirled in the glass.

As the head of [JoeStar], Xue Ming had Xiao Qi help him to his feet so he could invite Brother William in as well.

"I have a club, William —your fighting skills are better than Meteor's. If you have nowhere to go, come here."

William showed no sign of embarrassment.

"A salute to you and me! And to my father!"

Xue Ming clinked glasses with his friends.

"Respect, Ming De."

During the video call--

--Su Ling had just finished drinking the nuptial wine with Xia Xia and downed half a cup of White Lady's milk tea. She let out a milky burp, showing she had absolutely no concern for her image.

"For our respective missions!"