If the NPC World was a perfect replica of the Real World, then why were only Himeko and March 7th on the Astral Express in the NPC World?
Pom-Pom, Old Yang, Dan Heng—these familiar characters to Lin Li hadn’t been replicated!
Was it targeting male characters?
Or perhaps…
the Real World Asta inhabited wasn’t completely identical to what he knew.
Maybe in the Real World, Old Yang and the others weren’t on the train either.
“Miss Asta, how much do you know about the Astral Express?” “The Astral Express?
I know a little about it.”
“The Astral Express was once the vehicle of the Aeon of Trailblaze, Akivili.
After Akivili’s demise, it was inherited by his followers, the Nameless, who carry on the will of Trailblaze.
The Astral Express is now operated by the Nameless.”
“The current navigator of the train is a red-haired girl named Himeko, and there’s also a passenger named March 7th on board.”
Asta truly lived up to being the stationmaster trusted by Lady Herta, with all sorts of secrets and information at her fingertips.
“No other members?” Lin Li raised an eyebrow.
“I don’t think so.
The train occasionally docks at the space station for supplies, and I’ve only ever seen those two.” “No passengers named Welt Yang or Dan Heng?”
“Those names sound somewhat familiar, but they shouldn’t be on the train.
I’ll look into it for you later.” So it really was different from what he knew!
Moreover, judging from Asta’s reaction, the Stellaron Hunters and the Antimatter Legion likely hadn’t appeared at the space station in the Real World yet.
But the Astral Express and the Stellaron Hunters had already appeared at the space station in the NPC World.
Perhaps this was an early sign, indicating they would soon arrive in the Real World.
It seemed time was running short.
He needed to speed up his actions, verify some things first, and gain Asta’s trust.
Lin Li could do as he pleased in this world, but the connections between the two worlds and certain rules still needed to be explored and mastered gradually.
Asta would be his guinea pig for uncovering these rules.
Lin Li pulled Asta up and headed toward the room: “Let’s go, back to the room.
It’s time to test my hypothesis.”
“Oh…
what?” Asta was a bit confused, asking while subtly withdrawing her tightly held hand.
“To see if you can return to the Real World by falling asleep, of course,” Lin Li shrugged.
“Alright!” Hearing she could finally return, Asta no longer resisted and her mood lightened.
However, fearing her happy expression might anger Lin Li, she carefully smoothed her curved lips back down, looking indescribably adorable.
Lin Li certainly noticed her cautious demeanor.
He was actually quite pleased with Asta’s genuine emotional display, and his own mood improved significantly.
Lin Li wasn’t worried about letting Asta return to the Real World and her never coming back.
Could she possibly never sleep again?
Without further conversation, the two returned to Asta’s bedroom, where poor Kafka remained rigidly controlled on the bed by the Interaction, maintaining her motionless posture.
Lin Li stepped forward, released her from the [Interaction] state, and patted her pert bottom.
“Alright, go on with your work.” Under Asta’s gaze, Kafka continuously mimed playing the violin and elegantly left the room.
Except her hands were completely empty, making the whole scene even more bizarre!
“Lin Li, who is this woman?
She shouldn’t be a space station employee, right?
If this world is a complete replica of the space station, does that mean she has secretly infiltrated the station in the real world?” Asta was no mere pretty face; her mind was sharp as well.
“Heh, Miss Asta, you’re quite clever, but it’s not exactly as you think.
Regarding her identity, I’ll tell you next time you visit.
Come, lie down and have a good sleep.
Return to your own world!” Lin Li pointed to the spot where Kafka had just been lying.
Asta complied and lay down.
Just as she was about to close her eyes, Lin Li suddenly clapped his hands.
“Ah, right!
There’s one more important thing!”
He turned and grabbed a marker from the table, approaching the bewildered girl.
“What—” Before she could finish, she found herself immobilized again, unable to speak.
“I’ll need Miss Asta to cooperate with an experiment to see if changes in this NPC World affect the real world.
So—
Remember to observe carefully and keep records when you return, Miss Asta!”
Lin Li brought the marker close to Asta’s face and, under her furious and humiliated gaze, lifted the hem of her clothes…
This bastard!
I shouldn’t have felt sorry for him earlier!
Real World, Herta Space Station, Asta’s Office.
“Mmm~” Asta, resting on the small bed, groggily opened her eyes as her consciousness gradually cleared.
Was it all a dream?
She instinctively checked her phone for the time—she had slept for nearly two hours.
Her spirits had recovered well; her headache was gone, though she’d had a strange dream…
Recalling the incredibly realistic sensations and experiences from the dream, Asta’s cheeks flushed slightly.
Thankfully, it was just a dream…
Wait, was it really just a dream?!
Asta finally snapped fully awake.
She bolted upright and rushed into the private bathroom in her office.
Bang!
After locking the door, Asta slowly lowered her head and lifted the hem of her shirt—her lovely, delicate face instantly froze in shock!
Her figure was actually quite impressive, with perky breasts around a C-cup, full and fair, pink and tender like strawberry-topped cream cakes.
Yet, on these adorable mounds, two bold, flamboyant characters were now written in black marker—Lin Li!
One character on each side.
The handwriting was quite elegant, but etched against the girl’s fair, smooth skin, it was undeniably jarring.
These two characters were the marks Lin Li had left on Asta before she fell asleep.
She still vividly remembered the mix of shame and helplessness she felt the moment Lin Li lifted her clothes.
And now, these shocking characters on her chest confirmed it was all real, not a dream!
She turned on the faucet, trying to wash the characters off her chest.
But no matter how hard she scrubbed, even turning her skin bright red, the ink showed no sign of fading!
It wouldn’t come off at all!
What should I do?
The girl was momentarily plunged into confusion.
++++
In the NPC World, Lin Li gazed at Asta lying on the bed.
Seeing her suddenly open her eyes, the spark of life within them already gone, he knew she had left.
Yet he wasn’t disheartened; instead, he felt a surge of motivation.
Since change had already occurred, the future was full of hope.
He took out his phone, intending to write today’s diary, but then his eyebrows raised in surprise.
This phone, which he used as a diary, had also changed!