Stelle: You are the woman who touched the butt!

Mount No. 1 didn't seem happy at all.

But, following Lin Shuang's orders, it squatted down, allowing Arlan to sit on its back.

Lin Shuang and Dan Heng walked beside them, heading toward the central elevator.

The circular walkway had no obstructions at its edges, offering a clear view of the distance as they exited the monitoring room.

Lin Shuang immediately spotted March 7th approaching the central elevator, with Stelle, who had just woken up, holding a baseball bat.

Lin Shuang remembered that baseball bat—it had caught her attention when she was looking for a split-second gun.

Now, seeing Stelle holding it, she recalled that this was actually Stelle's weapon.

"That person over there is my companion."

Before Lin Shuang or Arlan could speak, Dan Heng, ever taciturn, was the first to explain.

Mount No. 1 took the lead.

With flames swirling around it, it stepped into the air, landing behind March 7th and Stelle.

The heat waves surged as its hooves hit the ground, making March 7th alert and on edge.

"Careful!"

March 7th bent her bow, drawing an arrow. Stelle, already holding her bat, stood ready to charge at a moment's notice.

But Stelle noticed Arlan sitting on the monster's back.

The flames were so high and Mount No. 1 was so large that at first, March 7th hadn't realized someone was sitting on it.

"Wait, is someone sitting on that thing?"

Stelle raised her left hand, pointing at the monster's back.

"Ah? This thing's on fire. If you sit on it, your butt will be burned..."

March 7th looked at Stelle, puzzled, then turned to glare at Mount No. 1.

Mount No. 1 crossed its arms, seeming completely uninterested in March 7th's warning. For a brief moment, March 7th even felt mocked.

"Hey, is this guy looking down on me?!"

"March..."

"Hey, Dan Heng! What's the deal with this big guy? Is it a hidden species on the station?"

When March 7th saw Dan Heng emerge from behind the monster unbothered, her expression changed, and she happily waved at him.

"Oh, right! Come take a look! This elevator isn't moving. Did the antimatter legion break it? Can you fix it?"

"I can't."

Lin Shuang was speechless at March 7th's chatter.

She leaned back against Mount No. 1, uninterested in interrupting.

But as March 7th came over and was about to ask Arlan, she suddenly noticed a white-haired woman half-buried in the flames on the beast's back.

She froze in shock.

"Wow—why is there another person here?!"

"…"

Lin Shuang stared at March 7th with a mix of amusement and disbelief.

She then locked eyes with March 7th and grinned.

"Hey, hey, hey, you're not dressed like someone from the station. Did you lose your memory too?"

"No, my name's Lin Shuang. Stationmaster Asta invited me here."

"My name's March 7th, and this is Stelle. We're in the same group as Dan Heng. Stationmaster Asta also sent us to find someone."

March 7th confidently introduced herself before glancing at Arlan.

"By the way, Arlan, do you know what happened to the elevator?"

"The elevator's locked to prevent the antimatter legion from attacking the main control room. If you were sent by the stationmaster, you should have a secret keycard to decrypt it, right?"

"Uh… yeah, I think I was given a card..."

March 7th's face fell into a guilty expression.

She hadn't really paid attention when she got the card and had completely forgotten its purpose. She didn't even remember where she put it...

"But I forgot where I put it..."

"…March."

Dan Heng had lost count of how many times he had been speechless.

Stelle beside him also smiled bitterly, glancing between Dan Heng and March 7th, thinking March 7th was kind of cute.

Just as March 7th started rummaging for the card, Stelle somehow found herself in front of Mount No. 1.

She stared up at its face, obscured by flames, and even raised the bat to test the fire's heat.

As she was about to speak, Stelle suddenly looked at Lin Shuang, a memory flickering in her eyes, and then said:

"I remember you! You're the woman who touched someone's butt!"

"Pfft, what is that?!"

March 7th, who had just found the card, almost choked on her own laughter at Stelle's comment.

Dan Heng and Arlan, in perfect synchrony, wisely chose to pretend not to hear.

"I remember—woooooooo!!!"

Stelle turned, trying to explain to March 7th, but then made the mistake of raising her finger to gesture.

In the blink of an eye, a large hand snapped, grabbing Stelle's cheek.

Lin Shuang's fingers pinched Stelle's soft face, squishing it as Stelle's lips puffed out.

With a sweet but chilling smile, Lin Shuang closed the distance and her invisible aura made both Stelle and March 7th break out in a cold sweat.

Especially Stelle, whose face was caught in Lin Shuang's grip, trembling as cold sweat broke out.

Lin Shuang applied more pressure, and Stelle quickly raised her hands in surrender.

"It hurts, it hurts—I was wrong, I was wrong!"

Lin Shuang narrowed her eyes, the smile never leaving her lips as she tightened her grip.

"You'd better know you're wrong."

"Wooo…"

Stelle raised her hands to cover her red face, looking at Lin Shuang with pitiful eyes and nodding in silent agreement.

Though Stelle was tall and had a handsome, older-sister vibe, she seemed much more innocent now under Lin Shuang's imposing gaze.

March 7th, feeling awkward, quickly turned her attention back to the secret keycard she was holding, raising it up to cover her face.

"Um... I found the key."

At that moment,

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

A burst of transmission noise echoed as more than a dozen antimatter legion virtual soldiers materialized directly in front of everyone.

Their numbers were still growing, surrounding everyone from all directions.

"Hey, hey, hey—this isn't fair, right? A majority bullying a minority?"

March 7th quickly drew her bow and arrow, leaning against the elevator, ready for action.

Dan Heng and Stelle also readied their weapons, on guard against the ever-growing number of virtual soldiers.

Mount No. 1 raised its massive arms, drawing its enormous bow. An arrow made of fire, crackling with terrifying energy, was aimed at the enemies.

Seeing this, Lin Shuang slightly raised her left hand, using a silk thread to gently pull Arlan, who was unsteady, off Mount No. 1's back and into Dan Heng's arms.

"Deal with them."

"Roar!!"