"Wait, Asta, did you get this wrong? You couldn't come up with one million, but you could come up with a billion?"
Asta folded her arms and shook her head.
"One million, I really couldn't afford."
Then she directly took out a phone from her pocket and handed it to Yan Huan.
"I'll help you open an Interastral Peace Corporation account and transfer the Credits directly to you. This phone isn't worth much either, so you can have it too."
Yan Huan accepted it as if it were only natural, examining the phone over and over.
"How much is this phone worth, exactly? Don't tell me nine hundred million of that billion is being counted as the price of this phone."
Before Asta could react to Yan Huan's suspicion, March 7th widened her eyes.
"Bro, they already agreed to give you money. Why are you still being picky?"
Yan Huan froze, his eyes shining.
"March, are you saying it's wrong to take all money, and that I should ask for some items too?"
March 7th froze, then jumped up in outrage.
"When did I say that?! You've been twisting my words this whole time! I'm telling you to rein it in!"
Ignoring March 7th, Yan Huan looked at Asta again.
"Asta, I think March is right. Does your Space Station have anything good? Just giving money is too shallow."
Asta furrowed her brows slightly.
She seemed somewhat troubled.
"Gulp." Seeing Asta's expression, March 7th immediately swallowed.
She was probably angry.
The deep friendship between the Express Crew and Herta Space Station was about to be ruined by this idiot Yan Huan!
"Shut up already!!" March 7th raised her camera, as if she were about to smash it into Yan Huan's face.
She had to make her stance clear now. She was on Asta's side.
No, she had to represent the entire Star Rail Express in standing on Asta's side. Yan Huan's outrageous demands were his personal actions and had nothing to do with the train!
Asta raised her head. "I understand. March is right. I didn't think this through. I shouldn't have paid only in Credits."
March 7th stood there completely dumbfounded.
"What did I even say? I really didn't tell him to ask for things! Don't slander me!!"
Then, to March 7th's shock, Asta led Yan Huan to the storage room with an apologetic expression.
Yan Huan followed Asta as he looked over the weapons around them, unable to help frowning.
"Is this all? They're just ordinary firearms."
He turned and seriously asked March 7th for her opinion.
"March, what do you think?"
March 7th pursed her lips, utterly speechless.
How had it turned out like this was really her idea?
"Since they mean well, just take a few things and make do," she said perfunctorily.
Yan Huan said solemnly, "I understand."
Then he said to Asta ahead of him, "These weapons are too ordinary. March doesn't like them."
March 7th: "..."
Asta's eyes widened. "This batch is already the finest on the Space Station. March, these still won't do?"
March 7th: "..."
Asta sighed. "Sigh, I didn't expect your standards to be so high. It seems the Express Crew doesn't care for ordinary things."
So, under March 7th's speechless gaze, Asta looked around. After confirming that no one else was nearby, she began untying the straps of her clothes.
"Hey, hey, hey, Asta, what are you doing?!" March 7th hurriedly rushed over and stopped her.
"No matter what, you need to respect yourself! Yan Huan has something wrong with his head. You don't need to treat yourself like this."
Asta shook her head.
"No. Yan Huan is a hero of the Space Station, after all. I can't be stingy either."
She moved March 7th's hand away and untied the strap.
"Ahhh! You beast, don't look!" March 7th shouted furiously and turned to kick Yan Huan.
"Huh?"
Yan Huan reacted a beat too slowly and was kicked straight to the ground by March 7th, rolling several times before he finally stopped.
March 7th's chest heaved constantly, her face red with fury. Her pink-and-blue eyes were wide as she gritted her teeth. "You beast! Stop coveting other people's things!"
Yan Huan patted the dust off himself, looking utterly confused. "I... what did I do? March, why did you hit me? Did I do something wrong?"
"You're wrong as hell!" March 7th fiercely kicked him again, then pulled him around so his back faced Asta, not letting him look around.
At that moment, Asta's puzzled voice came from behind them.
"What are you two doing?"
March 7th turned around and saw that Asta was holding that strap in her hand.
Her clothes were completely intact.
"Huh? You... weren't you just...?"
She clearly remembered Asta about to take off her clothes.
"What?" Asta looked puzzled. "Oh, right, do you want this rope? It contains the power of space, so it can hold a lot of things. You just need to wear it on your body. This one is my spare."
March 7th froze.
"A spare? Then why were you wearing your spare?"
Asta gave her an innocent look. "Wasn't today the battle against the Doomsday Beast? I brought it with me too. If the Space Station got destroyed, I could still take some equipment with me in time."
She held out the white knotted cord. A faint fragrance wafted from it.
March 7th reached out and accepted it. It still carried Asta's warmth.
"Can this really hold things? It looks way too small," March 7th asked doubtfully.
This white knotted cord looked as thin as a shoelace.
Yan Huan said, "March, since it's their kind gesture, let's not be picky anymore."
March 7th: "..."
Yan Huan said, "Look, we've been making a fuss for so long. A token gesture is enough, really. Don't hurt the relationship between our Express Crew and the Space Station."
March 7th: "..."
Asta sighed repeatedly as well.
"Exactly, exactly. This is very rare; you can't even buy it on the market. March, if you're still not satisfied, we can look at something else."
March 7th said, "Why are you making it seem like I'm really the one being unreasonable here?!"
She had merely been curious about the knotted cord. These two really seized every possible opening.
Helplessly, March 7th could only watch through tears as Yan Huan accepted the strap, as well as an unreleased phone, while his account gained another billion.
And even then—
"Rat-a-tat-tat-tat-tat—!!"
Yan Huan held an AK-47 and sprayed wildly into the pitch-black universe from the platform, having the time of his life.
"I'm familiar with this gun. So this is what it feels like to use it. Damn, it's exhilarating," Yan Huan said with a sigh.
March 7th: "..."
"Bang bang bang bang—!!"
Then Yan Huan pulled out the Desert Eagle at his waist and fired several rounds.
"This one's not bad either. Give me ten of each of these weapons. Oh, and ten crates of ammunition too!"
March 7th: "..."
Asta, standing behind him, nodded as well.
"Sure. I didn't expect you to like such retro weapons. That's quite rare."
March 7th said helplessly, "Hey, aren't you absurdly powerful? Why do you even want these firearms?"
Yan Huan said, "Actually, I've had a dream of becoming a gun god since I was little. Enough talk. It's time to go check on the train cars."
Watching Yan Huan leave loaded down with loot, along with March 7th complaining beside him, Asta couldn't help curling her lips into a smile.
She seemed to be in a good mood.
Only then did Arlan, who had been hiding in the shadows all along, slowly step out.
"Miss."
"Mm." Asta smiled. "I never expected that I could befriend Emanator-level combat power with so little money. What a bargain."
"Miss March 7th suffered for it, though," Arlan said. "She really was embarrassed."
Asta waved her hand.
"It's fine. March and Yan Huan are both very interesting people."
There was a trace of reassurance in her eyes.
"Mr. Welt said that if Yan Huan accepted my money, it meant he was willing to continue helping Herta Space Station. If anything happens here in the future, he'll definitely come back."
Arlan nodded.
Although they had not spent much time together, he trusted his lady's judgment.
As Yan Huan and March 7th disappeared into the distance, the Space Station returned to the silence it should have had after the disaster.
Before you continue