In the guest room carriage, hearing the sounds of fighting inside the Data Bank, Dan Heng and March 7th rushed over, but found no trace of the True Sting.
"Teacher Dan Heng, you're a little late."
Xing swung his baseball bat, never expecting that this thing could directly destroy True Sting, leaving not even a trace. It was truly a treasure for fighting insects.
"I am so sorry... such a beautiful creature was an illusion; its deception and threat are far more... [ugly] than its appearance."
"You just said that [hibernating insects] have become, in your eyes, beautiful things that have been mentioned by stars but which you have never personally encountered."
"That's right, some of the things Xing mentioned that I wanted to see with my own eyes." Argenti said sincerely.
"Is that so... Combining what I saw before March 7th about 'knowing your past self'... I suspect that the hallucinations produced by the wing powder must rely on the individual's subjective experience and long-term feelings in order for something resembling 'personal desires' to appear in their eyes."
"Uh, so in Argenti's eyes, Wubbaboo is also the embodiment of beauty... But compared to that, the illusion I'm seeing is finding my past?"
March 7th was still a little disappointed. "It seems like I lack ambition... I actually have many more ideas..."
"No, March 7th, this is a very pure wish, something extremely precious."
"Given the vile threat of the Zerg, I wonder if their dying words are worth considering, after all, 'A dying Zergman's words are often kind'..."
Xing blinked. She had underestimated the Knight of Beauty; she was actually fluent in the Zerg language.
"You mean, the insect conveyed a message to you before it died?"
"That's right, I will relay its last words—[Celebrate your superficial victories to your heart's content, for you will never truly perceive the existence of a hegemon.]"
"Leaving aside the question of why you can understand the [insect] language, this sentence itself... wait, I think I've got a new clue."
Dan Heng opened the Data Bank and began to look up information about the Swarm.
"While browsing through the ' Notes on the Insecta of the Cosmos ' in the Data Bank, I came across a description of an insect—due to a lack of actual research samples, the author tentatively named it ' Giant True Sting '."
"This insect can grow to an enormous size... large enough to swallow an entire Star Destroyer whole."
Dan Heng frowned slightly. He had reason to suspect that the "overlord" Argenti had heard referred to this giant insect, and that they...
"I think I understand now, we... we're very likely already in its stomach."
"No way? It swallowed the entire train?" Xing was surprised by this; she had to admit, this bug had a huge appetite.
"Huh? If it's really like Dan Heng said, this guy would swallow the train whole without a second thought, he wouldn't even care about being picky!"
Argenti then understood, "I see. This explains what happened to Botenis earlier."
"... What do you mean? What have you discovered this time?" March 7th hadn't quite caught on yet.
"Did Botenis mention to you that when we first met, he was in a dark, enormous cave, fighting against Swarm?"
"Thinking back, I can recall hearing swallowing and wriggling sounds coming from inside the cave at that time."
"Hmm, it just so happens that your flight path intersects with the train's star trail. Perhaps we've encountered the same [ Giant True Sting ]. Next, we'll have to prove this hypothesis..."
Boom!
A sudden, viscous wriggling sound came from outside the carriage, startling March 7th.
"Ah! What's that noise?!"
"It seems we don't need to gather any more evidence. Let's go back to the Parlor Car and discuss our strategy."
Back in the Parlor Car, a moment of silence fell. March 7th asked timidly, "It's so quiet... can't you say something?"
"To have met you all here, I, Argenti, have no regrets even in death."
"... Never mind, it's better to keep quiet."
Seeing the Knight of Beauty become so pessimistic, March 7th gave up the struggle.
"I see. If the train has indeed been swallowed... perhaps we could try temporarily overloading the train engine to impact the insect's stomach, causing it to burst out of the [ Giant True Sting ]'s body at supersonic speed."
"The preparations required for the jump are numerous, and there's no guarantee that the process won't attract the attention of the Swarm."
"This method does come with risks; the engine could spontaneously combust... However, there's no better way."
Xing was also in a dilemma. Even with multiple Path and the protection of rare treasures, she had no experience in dealing with super-large creatures... Phantylia was one of them, but she fought Huanlong in the Scalegorge Waterscape Cave Heaven, and Huanlong was just standing still and getting beaten by her.
Ordinary True Sting are disgusting enough; they won't even suck up an hourglass necklace, let alone super-large ones.
Is it possible that we... might fail?
"Frankly, it's possible. The train's exterior... might be melting in stomach acid."
"It seems the most heinous villain... is outside the train!"
March 7th panicked, "How terrifying! Will my teddy bear and rabbit in my room be melted by stomach acid? They've been with me for so long, I have to rescue them..."
"I think everyone doesn't need to worry. I just need some time to check the engine with Himeko. Everyone can calm down."
Welt, as the senior member of the Astral Express Crew, calmed March 7th's emotions.
"Ah! At this point, it seems the only thing we can count on is the Church's soap, but Botenis brought bath soap instead!"
Himeko calmly sipped her coffee.
"Trains always encounter various difficulties during their Trailblaze... not just this time, but in the foreseeable future... I have no doubt that many similar things will happen, but we will not stop our Trailblaze."
"This is also the meaning of [ Trailblaze ]... We must all face challenges, and it is in this process that everyone gains experience and grows."
"We need to get out of the True Sting's stomach quickly Pom-Pom, Pam! Pom-Pom doesn't want the train to get hurt at all..." Pom-Pom looked worriedly at the crimson starry sky outside the train.
"Please do not worry, everyone. I am bidding my final farewell to the bonsai; just as with our meeting, having made friends with so many lives on this train and discussed the path of ' Beauty ' with you all, I have no regrets even in death!"
Argenti made a certain decision, holding the potted plant in her hand, and dried up all the negative emotions of March 7th.
"This guy has been hugging the potted plant the whole time... He's developed a deep bond with it in such a short time? Although I'm also worried about the toys in the room..."
"The train is everyone's home; we face everything together! Wow, thankfully the star passengers are back too... although, although it was a bit unfortunate."
"Oh, it's such a pity that passenger Ye Yan isn't here..."
Party Car, large storage room
Fully armed, Botenis resolutely charged toward Fulisina was not far away.
"Hey! Where did this worm come from, daring to impersonate that lord? Take this!"
Fulisina:?