Chapter 4: I Retained a Bit of the System

"To thank anyone, you should mostly thank your station manager. She was the one who sent us to support you first thing," Dan Heng responded to Gu Tang's gratitude.

March 7 laughed and said, "Your station manager's exact words were, 'Even though he's an annoying guy, I don't want him dying in the space station...' She actually cares about you a lot; she just has trouble expressing it."

"So, it's Asta... I'll make sure to thank her once this situation is resolved." Gu Tang continued to speak to them, "I've heard from her that today is the day the Astral Express is visiting. You must be the crew of the train."

Dan Heng nodded, "Yes, the train has some connections with Miss Herta, so we occasionally stop by here."

March 7 clenched her small fists with determination, "And we won't stand by in the face of such a big incident. The righteous train crew can't just sit idle!"

[Ding! Mission "Increase March 7's Favorability" initiated]

[Mission Objective: Increase March 7's favorability]

[Reward: For each stage of favorability gained, obtain a random skill. The higher the favorability, the higher the skill level.]

"A favorability mission... Just as well, making new friends naturally requires increasing favorability," Gu Tang muttered to himself.

Then he asked, "Where is Asta now?"

Dan Heng: "In the main control cabin. Station manager Asta and the researchers who evacuated in time are there."

March 7: "The Astral Express is also parked nearby! So, no need to worry about monster attacks. We'll protect you!"

"You're truly dependable, as expected of pioneers traversing the stars. However, there are still many enemies around here. Let's leave first," Gu Tang looked around at the wreckage and said.

He felt the furniture stuffed with Fragmentum creatures' remains was about to give way.

It was like a drunk person feeling the urge to vomit, already at the brink of bursting.

"A reasonable judgment, I'll lead the way." Dan Heng, holding a long spear, took the lead out of the door.

Gu Tang followed closely.

"Hey, hey, you weak scientist, don't rush ahead like that," March 7 hurried to catch up.

At this moment, a creaking sound came from inside the room.

"Huh? What's that noise?" March 7 turned her head to look.

"March 7!" Gu Tang suddenly called out, extending his hands to hold March 7's face, stopping her from turning back.

"Wha... What's the matter?" March 7 blinked her beautiful eyes, feeling the warmth of his palms, making her blush slightly.

"I... really like your name; it's a wonderful name," Gu Tang said earnestly, looking at her.

Those amber eyes, beautiful like shining stars, reminded March 7 of the first time she saw the starry sky on the train.

"Really? Thank you. This name holds special meaning to me." March 7's mouth curved into a smile. At this distance, Gu Tang could see her white teeth.

Although her face, being held, made her smile look a bit silly.

"Uh... we're in a hurry..." Dan Heng reminded from the front.

"Yes, coming." Gu Tang let go of his hands and turned to leave.

March 7 gently patted her chest, exhaling.

Then she placed the back of her hand against her cheek, trying to cool down the warmth.

"Uh, a bit hot... Hey! You guys wait for me!" Seeing Dan Heng and Gu Tang almost running off, she quickly chased after them.

After March 7 left, the wardrobe finally gave way.

Crack!

The latch snapped, and the wardrobe door flew open, spilling the packed Fragmentum creatures' remains like a flood onto the floor.

If March 7 had checked just now, she would have been buried.

Though Gu Tang aimed to maintain his weak scientist persona, his appreciation for March 7's name was genuine.

Because Gu Tang could only count to 8.

Because Gu Tang only knew characters with fewer than six strokes.

[Ding! March 7 Favorability +15]

...

...

"Wait, stop."

Shortly after they started moving, Gu Tang suddenly halted.

Dan Heng and March 7 looked at him in confusion.

"There's a distress signal nearby," he told them.

"Lead the way," Dan Heng responded decisively.

"This way, follow me." Gu Tang turned in another direction, heading towards the space station's storage area.

...

...

Along the way, March 7 and Dan Heng took down many Fragmentum creatures.

Gu Tang was protected in the rear.

This was normal; how could a researcher be on the front lines?

"The signal source is here." The three entered a room.

There was nothing much inside, making it easy to spot a gray-haired girl lying on the floor, clearly unconscious.

Dan Heng crouched down to check her pulse: "...Her heartbeat and pulse are very weak. March, prepare to do CPR."

"Huh?! I... I'm not very experienced! Dan Heng, you do it!" March 7 said shyly.

"No need for such primitive methods. Don't forget, you're accompanied by a top-tier scientist." Gu Tang pulled out a vial of medicine from his waist pouch, "This is a potion I developed; it can heal any injury instantly."

March 7 patted his shoulder excitedly, "That's awesome, having a great inventor around is really convenient."

Dan Heng: "Wait, she's regaining consciousness."

The gray-haired girl on the floor slowly opened her eyes, revealing golden pupils.

Gu Tang regretfully put the potion away.

[Name: Happy Recovery Potion]

[Type: Recovery Item]

[Level: 4]

[Effect: Continuously restores health and stamina. Side effect: Sensitivity increases by 3000 times. Both effects last for an hour.]

[Evaluation: Honestly, the price is a bit steep]

The girl held her head, standing up.

She had gray, shoulder-length hair and wore a black and yellow coat.

Under her short skirt were long legs, with a blue garter on her left thigh, highlighting her fair and delicate skin.

Her golden eyes now showed confusion and helplessness.

"You seem confused. How are you feeling? Can you tell us your name?" Gu Tang asked, approaching her.

He realized she was quite tall, much taller than March 7, almost as tall as Dan Heng.

The girl shook her head, "I... I don't remember anything."

"Amnesia from shock and concussion... No, it doesn't quite seem like that..." Dan Heng muttered.

"This is troublesome. Can you recall your name?" Gu Tang continued to ask.

"Star... My name is Star; that's all I remember," Star said, rubbing her forehead and pulling the name from the chaotic mess in her mind.

March 7 asked Gu Tang, "Aren't you a big shot in the space station? Don't you know her?"

Gu Tang shook his head, "Because of work, I'm often not in the space station. It's normal for there to be staff I don't know."

Dan Heng: "Let's explain the situation to her first."

The three explained the situation to Star, giving her a rough overview.

"Fragmentum creatures? Astral Express?" Star frowned.

The barrage of terms overwhelmed her.

"We'll explain it all later. Just follow us; we'll take you to a safe place." March 7 smiled warmly.

"Can... I trust you?" Star hesitantly looked at the three of them.

March 7 winked and gave a thumbs-up, "Don't worry, we clearly look like good people. How could someone as cute as me be a bad person?"

Star looked at March 7's smiling face.

Then she looked at Gu Tang's expressionless face.

She nodded at Gu Tang, "Hmm... I'll go with you."

"Why! We're both pretty girls, why doesn't she trust me!" March 7 looked at Star standing beside Gu Tang in disbelief.

It was clear that Star felt closer to Gu Tang.

Dan Heng crossed his arms and shrugged, "It's simple. Gu Tang's words and demeanor show more concern for someone who has lost their memory. March, maybe you should reflect on yourself."

"You cruel guy." March 7 pouted.

Of course, although Dan Heng said that, Gu Tang hadn't thought of anything at all.

Star felt close to him for a simple reason.

Because Gu Tang's intelligence was too low, just like Star now, he didn't fully understand what was happening.

And Star instinctively sensed this.

Ordinarily, people couldn't do this, but Gu Tang could.