The doors of the Astral Express had just slid open.
March 7th and Dan Heng had already taken their weapons and gone ahead to clear out the remaining Void Rangers in the Herta Space Station, leaving only Himeko to walk toward the cabin alone, carrying her toolbox.
Her skirt swayed gently in the breeze, looking like a patch of golden sunset light that had been burned to perfection.
Himeko Kazuki appeared as calm as an old dog, his fingertips not trembling in the slightest.
Only the system panel popping up before his eyes refreshed silently: [High-value extractable target detected: Himeko] [Current distance: 12 meters] [Status: Not in optimal extraction range] He didn’t rush to meet her.
Instead, he turned to help with the injured who had just been carried in, steadily guiding the stretcher to the ground.
He then handed two rolls of bandages and three bottles of drinking water to the flustered medical staff, his movements as practiced as if he had worked in logistics for three years.
Then, he turned and sidled up to the defense department guy at the door, lowering his voice with a serious expression: “Brother, the medical staff just said the communication system still hasn’t been fixed, and there’s been no response from the Master Control Zone.
More and more injured are being brought in, and we can’t even report the emergency supply inventory.” The defense department guy’s tense face instantly crumpled, and he spat fiercely: “Damn it, that last shockwave fried the motherboard.
Us rough guys only know how to carry guns; how would we know how to fix this!” As soon as he finished speaking, Himeko happened to walk to the cabin entrance.
Kazuki calculated the timing perfectly, turning to meet her and standing steadily at a safe distance of two meters.
He bowed slightly, his tone carrying just the right amount of urgency, yet he remained completely calm and composed: “Hello, Ms.
Himeko.
Sorry to bother you.
I’m a survivor of this attack.
I know you must have important matters to attend to, and I really shouldn’t take up your time, but there is one thing I have to trouble you with.” As soon as he finished, the defense department guy behind him rolled his eyes and immediately chimed in, his voice loud and clear: “That’s right!
Ms.
Himeko, the emergency communication in this cabin has been broken for nearly half an hour.
We can’t reach the Master Control Zone, we can’t report the status of the injured, and we can’t request emergency supplies.
We’re all laymen here; we’re really at our wit’s end!” Himeko raised an eyebrow, switched the toolbox to her other hand, and curved her lips into a gentle smile: “It’s no problem.
It’s a small effort; let me go take a look.” Kazuki secretly made a ‘V’ sign in his heart, though his face remained impassive.
He turned to lead Himeko toward the communication equipment, maintaining a distance of half a step the entire time, his tone very steady: “Watch your step, Ms.
Himeko.
There are shattered glass shards and fallen parts on the floor; don’t trip.” It looked like a polite warning, but in reality, he was precisely maintaining the distance, locking the gap between him and Himeko firmly at 0.8 meters—the optimal extraction range marked by the system, accurate to the millimeter.
The panel before his eyes refreshed instantly: [Entered optimal extraction range.
Extract Destiny Cards of target Himeko?] Kazuki recited silently in his heart: I want to verify the card, extract.
The panel scrolled without a ripple: [Extracting…
100%] [Extraction complete] [Obtained Card: Interstellar Navigation Propulsion Student] [Card Owner: Himeko] [Card Wishes: 1.
A sense of living.
2.
Drink a glass of wine in peace without trivial matters bothering me.
3.
Gaze at the starry sky.] [Difficulty: Easy] [Card Status: Transformable, Unfulfilled Wishes, Can be stored in card slot] Interstellar Navigation Propulsion Student Outwardly, Kazuki was handing over a clean towel with both hands, saying, “Please wipe your hands; the equipment is covered in dust and debris, don’t get your hands dirty.” Inwardly, he was screaming to the heavens, almost losing his composure on the spot.
There’s a problem with the card!
Where the hell did this send me!?
This must be referring to the young Himeko from Honkai Impact 3rd, right?
Himeko’s hands were fast.
She opened the toolbox, dismantled the equipment casing, and in a few quick moves, replaced the scorched motherboard.
She tapped the keys a few times, and with a “crackling” sound, the communicator instantly connected.
Asta’s boisterous voice immediately came through: “Hello, hello, hello?!
Can you hear me?!
Support Zone, Safety Cabin 3?!
How is the situation over there?!
Is everyone safe?!” The defense department guy immediately leaned in, his voice booming: “Report, Station Master!
Everyone here is safe!
The injured have been settled!
The communication was broken just now; thanks to Ms.
Himeko from the Astral Express for fixing it!
There’s also a gentleman who has been busy helping us guide the injured and lending a hand; he’s very reliable!” Asta let out a “Wow” on the other end, her tone joyful: “Really?!
Thank you so much!
Ms.
Himeko!
And that gentleman!
Once I finish this rush, I will definitely come over in person to thank you both properly!” Kazuki’s tone was humble, but he broke into a cold sweat inwardly: “It’s only right, it’s only right.
Everyone is fleeing from the disaster together; helping each other is our duty.” Himeko packed up her toolbox, brushed the dust off her hands, and looked at Kazuki with a smile: “Alright, the communication is restored.
If there are any further problems, you can come to the platform to find us at any time.
The train won’t be leaving for a while.” Kazuki immediately bowed slightly to thank her, then turned to pull out two packs of unopened energy bars he had just received from the medical staff, along with a bottle of purified water, from his pocket.
He handed them over with both hands, his movements open and honest, without a hint of sycophancy: “Ms.
Himeko, you’ve been busy for half the day; you must be tired.
Please have something to eat.
We have enough supplies here; I hope you don’t mind.” The smile in Himeko’s eyes deepened.
She accepted the items and thanked him, then took the opportunity to suggest: “It’s fine.
Actually, I also want to understand the situation of the attacks in other cabins of the space station.” After Himeko left, Kazuki leaned against the wall and let out a long sigh of relief.
The string he had kept taut for so long finally slackened.
He subconsciously touched his waist—when the Void Rangers were roaring outside earlier, his kidney had felt a faint phantom pain.
He opened one of the energy bars he hadn’t given away and took a big bite.
He tapped on the [Interstellar Navigation Propulsion Student] card before his eyes, looked at the wishes, and suddenly his eyes lit up, and he slapped his thigh hard.
The last two wishes were simple enough, but what was going on with the first one?
What does “a sense of living” mean?