The group reached the elevator without further hindrance.
Every Voidranger blocking their path was easily neutralized by Su Yan—not a single one could break free from the Fusion Gun’s beam, and the Tramplers were no exception.
Thanks to Su Yan’s efforts, the space station now boasted a few more Voidranger-themed bonsai and novelty walls.
The others never even had a chance to draw their weapons.
They spent the entire walk watching Su Yan work.
Arlan went from sheer shock to quietly worrying about how the station would eventually clean up all these fused Voidranger fixtures.
March 7th’s initial astonishment had morphed into pure curiosity: if she fused two delicious cakes together, would the result taste twice as good?
Once that idea took root, it refused to leave.
She resolved to ask Su Yan for help as soon as this crisis blew over.
Dan Heng was equally intrigued, wondering whether the Voidrangers and plants were forcibly mashed together at a cellular level or thoroughly fused into entirely new matter.
Lost in their respective thoughts, the group filed into the elevator.
A moment later, the doors opened onto the Master Control Zone, and everyone stepped out.
“Everyone, I must take my leave first…”
Anxious to reseal the elevator’s security permissions, Arlan thanked the group, said his goodbyes, and hurried off.
“Dan Heng, I’m taking Stelle to see a doctor!
I’ll leave reporting in to Himeko to you~”
Dragging a bewildered Stelle behind her, March 7th rushed toward the temporary medical bay to find a doctor who could look at Stelle’s amnesia.
It almost felt as if March 7th cared more about the issue than Stelle did.
Dan Heng turned a calm, questioning gaze toward Su Yan, silently asking if he intended to leave.
Su Yan answered, “I’d like to meet the Astral Express’s Navigator.”
“Follow me.” Dan Heng did not refuse.
He took the lead, and Su Yan followed close behind.
As the two walked along the central concourse, they passed one staff member after another…
[Affection unlocked: Wen Shiqi, Affection: 0]
[Affection unlocked: Wen Shiling, Affection: 0]
[Affection unlocked: Leonard, Affection: 0]
System notifications pinged one after another, and his “friends” list swelled rapidly.
Listening to the mechanical chime of the system, Su Yan felt as if he were listening to an AI chanting sutras.
At the same time, he was rather surprised.
He had assumed only main playable characters would qualify for the system’s registry, but judging by the current situation…
[Affection unlocked: Peppy, Affection: 0]
Staring at the newest notification, Su Yan fell silent for a second.
The system’s entry barrier was truly on the floor.
Perhaps the mere capacity to communicate with humans was the system’s sole requirement.
[Affection unlocked: Himeko, Affection: 5]
[Affection unlocked: Asta, Affection: 16]
Upon arriving at the central monitoring hub, two more notifications popped up the moment he caught sight of Asta and Himeko.
*…Affection higher than zero?
Do they already know me?*
With that thought, Su Yan glanced at the floating holo-screens displaying feeds mostly from the station’s perimeter, along with a few interior corridors.
*…Did they see me on the surveillance cameras?*
Noticing their approach, Asta and Himeko paused their conversation and turned.
“Dan Heng, where’s March?”
Seeing that part of the group was missing, Himeko asked, her gaze drifting toward Su Yan on Dan Heng’s left—a stranger carrying a rather peculiar Curio.
“March took Stelle to see the medical staff.
Stelle is someone we found in the Storage Zone; she has amnesia…” Dan Heng turned to Asta.
“Is Stelle a researcher here on the Herta Space Station?”
“No.” Asta had already run a search and found no matching records in the personnel database.
Dan Heng was not surprised.
During their brief interaction, he had already noticed several oddities and deduced that Stelle was an outsider.
Asta’s answer merely confirmed his theory.
He then gestured to Su Yan.
“This is Su Yan, a traveler who wound up stranded on the Herta Space Station by accident.”
“Hello, everyone,” Su Yan offered a timely greeting.
“Hello!
Su Yan, I’m Asta!” Asta replied warmly.
“Thank you for lending us a hand.
I’ve already prepared a gift of gratitude for you, and I hope you’ll accept it.”
A favor deserved a return.
Since he had helped the space station, she naturally intended to compensate him properly.
It would reflect poorly on the Herta Space Station if they offered nothing in return.
Su Yan did not refuse.
Penniless as he was, he genuinely needed funds.
Whether for everyday expenses or raising affection, money was indispensable.
Once Asta finished speaking, Himeko seamlessly took over.
“Hello, I’m Himeko, the Navigator of the Astral Express.”
Without hesitation, Su Yan voiced his request directly.
“Himeko, what are the requirements to join the Astral Express?”
“You want to join the Astral Express?” Himeko asked.
“Yes.
I’m a traveler, and my current goal is to journey across the cosmos.
But traveling alone gets lonely, so I’m looking for companions.”
Just “lonely”…
Himeko grew thoughtful.
From what she had observed, Su Yan possessed remarkable strength.
She smiled and answered, “A fine goal.
The Astral Express welcomes you.”
“No trial or test?” Su Yan asked, surprised.
In a game, the lack of a vetting process made sense for entertainment’s sake, but in reality?
What if they took in someone with malicious intentions?
“There is a test, but you have already passed,” Himeko answered with a gentle smile, offering no further elaboration.
Seeing that she did not explain, Su Yan chose not to pry.
As long as he was accepted, the rest did not matter.
He turned toward Dan Heng.
“Please look after me from now on!”
“Likewise,” Dan Heng replied.
*Boom—!*
Suddenly, a dull, thunderous crash reverberated from outside.
Flashing crimson warning windows flooded every screen in the Master Control Zone, blaring alerts of an imminent threat.
At the same time, a surveillance monitor showed the Doomsday Beast tearing savagely at the space station’s defensive barrier.
The abrupt intrusion drew the attention of everyone present.
“The Doomsday Beast…” Dan Heng stared at the screen, his expression hardening.
“…Do you need a hand?” Su Yan asked.
Taking in the panicked atmosphere around him—terrified researchers, a monstrous calamity—he realized this was a textbook scenario for playing the hero.
Defeating the Doomsday Beast would surely yield a massive wave of affection points.
Given his earlier observations, affection earned before a person was registered into the system would carry over upon registration rather than starting from zero.
With that rule confirmed, he could do good deeds without worry.
He just had to make sure his name was attached to the deed.
The other three turned to him.
As the station’s acting lead, Asta said, “The Doomsday Beast is extremely dangerous.
It’s an anti-matter planet-destroying weapon.”
“I know.
I have plenty of experience dealing with Doomsday Beasts—it’s nothing this can’t handle!”
Su Yan brandished his Fusion Gun, lying with a straight face to improve the odds of Asta agreeing.
“Even the Doomsday Beast can be affected?!”
Having watched the surveillance footage, Asta knew the Curio’s power, but she was still shocked.
Curios with bizarre effects were rare; those with bizarre effects and immense power were rarer still.
Dan Heng and Himeko were equally startled, yet relieved.
Defeating a Doomsday Beast was not impossible for the current Express crew, but a pitched battle always carried risks.
If there was an easier solution, taking it was best.
“Of course it can,” Su Yan replied with complete confidence.
His Fusion Gun was based on fan-parody logic—it could fuse even Aeons if needed.
Seeing his confidence, Asta stopped hesitating.
“In that case, we leave it to you!”
“Leave it to me!” Su Yan turned to head out.
Just as he took his first step, Dan Heng and Himeko fell into step beside him.
“We’re coming with you.”
“Sounds good!” Su Yan agreed, and the three set off toward the platform.
They hurried along and arrived at the platform in no time.
The Doomsday Beast circled nearby, seemingly searching for a weak point in the station’s energy shield, paying no mind to the humans standing within arm’s reach.
The beast’s indifference worked in Su Yan’s favor, giving him ample time to prepare.
In one hand, Su Yan held the Fusion Gun; in the other, a peculiar card.
During the sprint over, Su Yan had not been idle.
Using his remaining system currency, he had crafted a special mechanism called the “Special Armor Fabrication Device.” In appearance, it was an ordinary matte-black cube capable of manufacturing all sorts of specialized armor up to the Emanator level, costing him a total of ten colorless prisms.
The card came from the very first set of armor produced by the device and served as its core component.
Under the watchful eyes of Dan Heng and Himeko, Su Yan threw the card toward the Doomsday Beast and pulled the Fusion Gun’s trigger, firing a beam of light.
In the next instant, the colossal Doomsday Beast and the floating card dissolved into brilliant light, merging into one before condensing into a single new card that drifted gently downward…
Dan Heng and Himeko stood frozen.
“…”
*This is completely ridiculous!*
The same thought crossed the minds of everyone monitoring the battlefield.
A Doomsday Beast of that scale had actually been turned into a playing card!
[Affection +30] [Affection +36] [Affection +45]…
Listening to the system notifications chime in his ears, Su Yan caught the drifting card, then turned back to Dan Heng and Himeko.
“The Doomsday Beast is dealt with.
Shall we head back to the Master Control Zone?”
After a brief pause, Himeko nodded.
“Back to the Master Control Zone!”
The three retraced their steps.
Before they even stepped off the skybridge, system notifications for affection gains began flooding Su Yan’s interface like rolling text…
News of him handling the Doomsday Beast was already spreading across the station.
Watching the affection numbers skyrocket, Su Yan came to a realization.
There were definitely far more efficient ways to farm affection!