Honkai, Survive

Dan Heng couldn't stand it anymore, stepping forward and poking Gale with precise hits, eliciting continuous screams.

"We're family, don't hit, we're family, ah—!"

The sound was stirring, melodious, and lingering.

After venting like this, March 7th looked mercilessly at Sampo, who was on all fours with his rear end up, her eyes twitching. She stood with her hands on her hips at the highest vantage point and reprimanded, "How did you, a wanted criminal, end up here?"

It couldn't be that he was forced into a corner by the changing situation.

Hahahaha...

March 7th suddenly didn't feel like laughing.

"I just wanted to say."

Sampo sighed, full of resentment:

"Sampo will never let friends who helped us suffer a loss. As soon as I heard you guys had a little trouble and were harmed by villains, I immediately rushed over to help with a warm heart~"

"Tell the truth, or I'll have Star continue beating you."

Not only March 7th had her hands on her hips, but the Stellaron Spirit beside her also held a baseball bat high, repeating mercilessly:

"Beat you."

"Eh, eh, eh, eh, don't hit, don't hit, I'm telling the truth: I have a route here, the risk is a bit high, but the profit is very high. As the saying goes, fortune favors the bold. Who am I, old Sampo, I'm not afraid of anything, I'm full of courage. After this is done, it's three for you and seven for the Underworld Fire in the Underworld. Three is a small number, seven is the big number. My principle in life is to share the food..."

March 7th listened to Sampo's incoherent ramblings, what three, what seven, what was he implying? Star, beat him!

Receiving the look, the Stellaron Spirit also prepared to attack mercilessly.

This is what a cool, beautiful girl combo is like.

Fortunately—

"Underworld?"

Dan Heng's gaze sharpened. Wasn't it too much of a coincidence? Just as they were having trouble in Belobog's Overworld and were advised to avoid it and go to the Underworld, Sampo...

It was too coincidental before.

"What's your relationship with Fang Jie?"

Gale cast a shadow, his face looking down also filled with shadowy lines, exuding an imposing aura.

"Who?"

Sampo's voice abruptly stopped, and Gale had already aimed at his... backside.

"No, no, no, no, don't be so tense, friend. Old Sampo can't handle this. You definitely won't hold back this time, I'll confess, I'll confess everything..."

He panicked, his voice trembling with a hint of tears.

"Last time, state your identity and your intentions."

Dan Heng was extremely cold.

"My name is Sampo, Sampo Koski. I introduced myself before. As for my identity... well, actually, I used to be a Masked Fool."

Sampo said shyly, as if embarrassed.

"..."

This time, not only was Dan Heng silenced, but March 7th also dropped the bow in her hand.

She suddenly realized, "So that's how it is! You're actually a Masked Fool, that explains everything, that explains everything!"

I'll kill you!

—Yee!

She picked up the bow and used the bowstring to strangle Sampo's neck, putting all her strength into it, making Sampo open his mouth, close his eyes, stick out his tongue...

He's dead.

The Stellaron Spirit was greatly shocked. March 7th was so cool, so cold, so awesome. So this is the kind of beautiful girl you are, a one-person cool combo.

Gepard looked expressionless. He was no longer a Guard, just watching.

Dan Heng felt very tired and explained, "There's a reason for this. Masked Fools are some, some... followers of Nihility, fanatical worshippers of the Aeon Aha, who pursue extreme pleasure and will go to any lengths to achieve it."

Because of this, it's completely understandable that these guys have a strange fascination with the Astral Express.

After all, why Aha of the Elation didn't hide the fact that He secretly transformed into a mortal, boarded the Astral Express, and lurked for a full year before seizing the opportunity to blow up half the train, and is still known as the worst Nameless on the train according to Pom-Pom.

"In short, they're a bunch of weirdos... The Train Conductor has always reminded us to be careful. When you meet them, poking their butts with whatever you have on hand is always correct."

March 7th loudly lectured Star, not bothering to correct her about not kicking people's butts. It was correct to use this move on Masked Fools.

"I'll remember!"

Star's eyes sparkled, making Sampo's scalp tingle:

"Don't, at least spare me. Old Sampo is already a pitiful person whose mask was stolen, and can only be a shoddy merchant, living out his retirement on this planet. You guys go find another Fool."

Dan Heng was indifferent, only continuing to press, "You still haven't told me everything about Fang Jie. Say it, and I'll give you a quick end."

"I can't, family. I'm really here to help you. Don't you want to go to the Underworld? I can completely lead you there, a path that guarantees safety, a path old Sampo has traveled many times."

"Enough nonsense! Tell me—is Fang Jie also a Masked Fool?"

"But I really don't know... Who is Fang Jie?"

Sampo looked like he was about to cry. The downfall of a Masked Fool at the hands of the Nameless was something anyone would enjoy witnessing.

If it were true, that is.

Dan Heng remained vigilant, especially wary of Masked Fools!

March 7th also helped with the interrogation: "Are you going to talk or not, talk or not, talk or not?!"

"Ah, cough, cough, cough, cough, cough..."

You're choking me, I can't breathe...

Sampo struggled to fend off the bat, sticking out his tongue, and finally spoke with effort: "He's not, he's definitely not a Masked Fool? If he told you that, then he must be impersonating one!"

"That's not it, Fang Jie just said he wanted to be a Nameless."

March 7th was tired, she let go and motioned for the Stellaron Spirit to continue.

Xing put down the bat and picked up the bow...

So this is how you use a bow.

See if I choke you.

"Urgh—"

Her strength was far greater than March 7th's.

Sampo slammed his hand on the ground, begging for mercy: "Stop, stop... Anyone can want to be a Nameless, old Sampo wants to be one too, that's... no problem."

"You'd better not think about it. Tell me, what's the problem?"

Dan Heng remained indifferent, as did Gepard.

He just found out that this great thief and wanted criminal of Belobog was actually an outsider, a Masked Fool.

He didn't need to know exactly what a Masked Fool was, but he knew Sampo was even more suspicious.

"How do you think I know... Alright, I actually do know, I just didn't think you'd believe me if I told you."

Sampo said with a look of misfortune and bad luck:

"That guy calls himself [Fang Jie], right? And he told you he wants to become a Nameless, that's great, really, anyone can want to be a Nameless, but by chance, during one of my casual shopping trips, a miracle so rare in the galaxy that even old Sampo had never witnessed it, I saw the way that kid crawled out. Oh, by Aha, he might be a... [Nihility] Bloodsin Spirit."

Looking like he was about to be choked to death by Xing, Sampo was straightforward and said something that silenced Dan Heng again.

Xing continued to choke him; the child didn't understand.

It had to be March 7th: "Huh? You Masked Fool, you still want to trick the smart and cute little March? The Train Conductor was right, we definitely need to show you Masked Fools a thing or two."

"Spare me!!—"

Dan Heng fell into a long silence.

"Ah-choo—"

Fang Jie, who wasn't in a hurry to go to the Underworld, inexplicably felt his nose itch and sneezed.

"Who's talking about me? It must be them again, I'll remember this grudge."

He was still in the Goethe Hotel, reading a book—"Belobog Martial Arts."

It wasn't a meme-filled read from a game, at least not entirely. Besides recording the secrets of up, down, left, right, it also detailed how to use power and cultivate martial arts.

Just as Belobog's Automaton could be traced back to the mining technology of the Company's City Builders from the Old Civilizations era, this martial art could be traced back to the genetic martial arts of the Xianzhou.

Its level was high enough to be displayed at the Xianzhou's Interastral Peace Championship, competing on the same stage as Jing Yuan.

Of course, that participant had already modified his body beyond recognition, implanting and strengthening himself with various dangerous cybernetics from the Company. Even so, it was still almost impossible for him to win the championship in the end.

Overall, Fang Jie gained a lot. How could he get stronger without learning?

Alright, perhaps not necessarily.

Rin was also in the room, lurking ominously in the corner, exuding an aura of 'I'm going to scare you to death' as she glared fiercely at Fang Jie.

"Don't keep staring at me like that. I bought Sun Ribbons, do you want to try them? They're very sweet."

"I tasted it, don't you have a sense of taste? This is 'very sweet'?"

Rin glared fiercely.

Fine, this thing was a bit too sweet. As the signature snack of the Paskonja Festival, everyone in Belobog knew how to make Sun Ribbons. Even March 7th found the sweetness hard to accept.

"Then I'll eat it, don't waste it."

Fang Jie thought it was alright, so he took Rin's portion as well and wolfed it down, continuing to read his book.

"Belobog Martial Arts" seriously explained a viewpoint: the most basic operating mechanism of the human body could actually generate energy out of thin air, an endless, infinite supply of energy.

The human body was truly marvelous.

However, Fang Jie believed that given the book's dilapidated state, most people likely wouldn't, but he did.

After all, the people of Xianzhou...

His viewpoint also included a follow-up, which was that this energy was a fixed amount per unit of time. In most cases, it could only satisfy a lifeform's low-level activities and couldn't support prolonged, intense exertion.

Simultaneously, lifeforms grow, and their energy needs will always exceed what they receive. They will then seek energy externally, thereby increasing their own energy levels.

The essence of training is the expansion of life, the act of seeking from the outside world.

Once this "principle" was understood, the rest of the book was all about techniques: left hooks, right hooks, how to adapt to certain models of cybernetic augmentation, how to identify and consume materials related to Paths, such as ores and metals.

"It's quite interesting, and rather suited for me. Cybernetic implants... I'll just consider this part of my body that's been changed as an implant."

In the galaxy, Pathstriders are ultimately a minority. Or rather, the vast majority of people don't realize they are walking a Path; they act blindly, passively, following their instincts.

For example, the three great calamities of the universe: the Swarm, the Legion, and the Abundance denizens.

Do they count as walking a Path?

Of course, they do.

But are they considered Pathstriders?

It's hard to say.

Fang Jie abandoned the idea of delving deeper into such philosophical contemplation of the "Dao." There was no urgency for it now. What he needed at the moment was an abundance of "techniques."

Thanks to Jizo Mitama, his efficiency in enriching himself had been extremely high.

From the many fragments on the table, Fang Jie picked up a piece. It was a part from an Automaton—a monomolecular saw blade.

He couldn't recall how the Stellaron Spirit had knocked it off, but he had casually kept it. Now, he examined it closely, comparing it.

"It's a bit stronger than my blade, but not by much."

He was referring to his Composite Blade: Willow Leaf.

Purely based on the processed material itself, a monomolecular blade could easily slice into the gaps between molecules. However, materials reinforced with Honkai energy were not far behind. Both involved the construction of a "field" to constrain particles, leading to weapons like high-frequency blades, chainsword-like weapons, and particle beam weaponry.