My Name is Dan Heng (Dan Heng's Narration)

I am Dan Heng.

I am a guard of the Star Rail.

And also the librarian.

This time, my mission is to team up with the Trailblazer, forming a ground activity squad of the two of us.

We'll be the first to enter Omphalos for 'exploration'.

Due to various reasons, the way we're entering this new world is different from the past. Head of the Express, Pom-Pom, and Navigator Himeko, have specially approved a carriage for us.

This carriage is equipped with boosters, so in a sense, the Trailblazer and I are experiencing something akin to riding a rocket.

Moreover, the carriage can also be used as a safe house.

Being new to Omphalos, a completely unfamiliar place, having a place to settle down is indeed reassuring.

As Pom-Pom's countdown ended, the carriage was launched.

The boosters were at full power, and the carriage was moving forward rapidly and steadily.

The galaxy outside the window receded at the speed of light, and we were getting closer and closer to Omphalos.

I was secretly observing the Trailblazer's reaction.

After all, this is my first time exploring with the Trailblazer alone.

Omphalos is a celestial body with no external signal, which means that once we set foot on Omphalos, we may never have the opportunity to contact the Express Crew again.

In other words, on this journey, Stelle and I are dependent on each other.

We only have each other.

As the destination drew closer, a hint of excitement appeared on the Trailblazer's face.

Why?

I wondered.

Is it because she's happy to be arriving at Omphalos and starting a new chapter of exploration; or is it because she's thrilled to be in this new world 'only' with me?

But soon, her expression suddenly changed.

A deep sense of despair devoured all the expressions on the Trailblazer's face.

She jumped up from the sofa in a panic, her terrified gaze quickly scanning over.

I met her eyes, and a strong sense of unease swept over me.

"What's wrong, Stelle?!"

I wanted to ask her that.

Just as I was about to speak, an accident occurred.

All the lights in the carriage suddenly went out, and darkness instantly enveloped this enclosed space.

"Don't be afraid."

I wanted to comfort the Trailblazer like that, but before I could speak, the carriage suddenly began to shake violently.

Things happened in an instant, but in my eyes, it seemed as if it had been slowed down.

A spear, appearing from who knows where, flew over at the speed of light with unstoppable force, piercing through the entire train.

"Careful!"

I shouted, and the safety warning sounded in the carriage, noisy and incessant. I don't know if my words were clearly conveyed to the Trailblazer's ears.

In the bumpy carriage, I lunged forward, grabbed the Trailblazer, and held her tightly in my arms.

"Don't be afraid, it's okay, I'm here."

The carriage was completely out of control, the boosters had lost their function, and the strong sense of weightlessness told me that the train was crashing.

What can I do?

In this situation, I can only instinctively hold the Trailblazer tightly in my arms.

I am the guard of the Express.

If something happens, it should happen to me first.

Stelle, you won't be hurt.

The bumpy train lost its destination and crashed helplessly into the unknown.

With a loud crash, my back slammed against a hard corner of the ground.

Then, I passed out.

When I woke up, the feeling of weightlessness had disappeared, and the crackling sound of flames was faintly audible in my ears.

It seems that the train has stopped, although it is not safe, but it seems that we have now arrived at Omphalos?

I don't know where the train crashed.

My vision was blurred by the blood flowing down my forehead.

I struggled to get up, the intense pain all over my body reminding me that this Trailblazing journey was incredibly difficult from the start.

Casually wiping the blood from my forehead, my gaze fell on the person in my arms, whom I had been protecting.

My eyes widened involuntarily, pupils trembling as I looked at the Trailblazer, her fate uncertain.

Her injuries were clearly more severe than mine, covered in wounds, bleeding just as much as I was.

The blood I had just wiped away, I didn't know if it was mine or hers.

"Stelle, Stelle!"

I called her name.

But the voice that came out was incredibly hoarse.

If the Trailblazer was conscious, she would definitely have cheerfully taken out a mint from her backpack, telling me to soothe my throat.

But she didn't.

The girl's face was pale, her eyes tightly closed.

I shook her body, but she didn't respond.

She seemed to have lost more than just consciousness.

I couldn't see her chest rising and falling with breath.

How could this be...?

How could this happen!

Now is not the time to think about this.

I tried my best to shake all the absurd thoughts out of my head, painfully stood up, and used all my strength to carry the Trailblazer in my arms.

I staggered towards the exit, the car being consumed by raging flames.

The inside of the car is not safe, let's get out first.

When I picked Stelle up, I realized something was wrong.

She had already lost her body temperature, her whole body was icy cold, as if she had been dead for a long time.

What a joke!

Stelle is a member of the Express Crew, a Nameless One that I, as her guard, must protect, my important family, someone I absolutely cannot lose!

Just a short while ago, when we first boarded the Star Rail, she had smiled and tilted her head to look at me, saying that she had planned what kind of local specialties to buy in Omphalos to take back and give to her friends.

How could she just... die like this?

I put the Trailblazer on the ground.

No, no.

I'm still alive, Stelle will definitely be okay.

But, why?

Why am I okay?

Why is it me who's okay?!

Why isn't it me who's lying here, fate unknown, icy cold?!

Now is not the time to think about this.

I shook my head.

I used the fastest time to sort out my chaotic emotions and understand the current situation.

If the person who died was me.

The Trailblazer, alone in a strange land, opening her eyes to see the body of her dead companion, she would definitely be panicked and at a loss.

She shouldn't have to taste this despair.

I should be the one suffering.

Don't panic, Dan Heng.

The Trailblazer will definitely be okay, she will be fine.

I kept telling myself this in my heart.

At the same time, I knelt down beside the Trailblazer and performed first aid on her.

CPR, artificial respiration.

This is the first aid knowledge that Pom-Pom on the Star Rail trains us on every month.

I always thought that I would never use these skills, but now they are all being used on my partner.

Stelle, you must wake up.

But no matter how I pressed, how I gave Stelle air.

They all lay lifeless on the ground, utterly still.

I desperately tried to revive the Trailblazer, again and again.

My palms pressed hard against her ribs.

My lips met hers, cold and unyielding, as I breathed air into her lungs. A liquid trickled down my cheek.

Was it blood...?

Or something else entirely?