I, on the Starry Sky Railway, change everything

Following Hua Yi's orders, the defense staff withdrew from the front line, leaving either the monitoring room, which contained numerous surveillance cameras and offered a panoramic view of the space station's perimeter, or the obstacle interception control console and protective projection control console, and entered the safe zone.

Outside the space station, "fireworks" continuously burst forth, dazzling and more radiant than the starlight scattered by countless systems in the past.

Amidst the alternating light and shadow of flames and lamplight, Emily, a Level II staff member of the Secret Documents Department who is not very talkative, is running in the opposite direction, clutching the [Hua Yi's coin] tightly in her hand.

She wasn't so terrified by the antimatter legion that she got lost in the space station; rather, she happened to find the Black Tower Coins she had been keeping in her pocket while evacuating towards the base module's safe zone.

Not so long ago, before Hua Yi had fully distinguished himself on the space station, he and Emily played a coin game about who would treat whom to dinner.

The clerk guessed three rounds and lost all three. But that's not the point. The point is that she and Hua Yi happened to be in the reception hall that day.

The recent defense project has been personally briefed by Ms. Black Tower, and all departments and staff will attach great importance to it. The 26 emergency response measures for unexpected disasters have also been memorized by everyone, and every member of the space station knows where the safe zone is.

However, there is a group that is not considered part of the space station—visitors who submit access applications through online channels, are approved, and then travel here by interstellar transportation.

Those people were only allowed to stay in the space elevator and reception hall, and had no idea about defense projects, safety zones, or disaster response procedures. When an unimaginable disaster struck, the tourists had no idea which way to escape.

I'm not that kind-hearted to willingly put myself in danger just to guide strangers who don't know the way.

But Hua Yi insists on being a hero, how can I let the epic of a hero saving the world be overshadowed?

Clutching the coin in her palm, and mustering her courage, Emily ran and ran until she reached the reception hall.

The place was completely empty.

As expected, tourists stranded in the reception hall would be guided by the staff to escape to the safe area.

The girl ran towards the outside of the hall. Fortunately, the hatch was not damaged, and after sensing her staff authorization, it was still able to ascend and descend normally.

Then, as expected, Emily spotted the visitors stranded between the space elevator and the reception hall.

This is a viewing corridor with a wide view, offering a panoramic view of part of the main structure of the space station and the vast universe. It has become a well-known attraction that visitors marvel at.

However, as the antimatter legion launched its attack, the observation deck became the most terrifying area. The lucky few who had just come to visit the world-renowned Star Museum and whose applications were approved suddenly became unlucky. In a panic, they hurriedly ran back to the corridor and unexpectedly gained the clearest view, directly seeing the countless dark armies outside the transparent barrier and facing the claws of the legion's inferior demons.

"Monsters, there are so many monsters."

"Aaaaaah, Holy crap, I want to go home! I want to go home!!"

"Waaah... Mom, I miss Mom."

Seeing that these unfortunate souls could still cry out and that the outer walls of the viewing corridor were not damaged, Emily breathed a sigh of relief.

Follow me, I'll take you to the safe zone.

Just as she was about to speak, she suddenly realized that the visitor who had collapsed to the ground might not have the strength to stand up again. It wasn't that she could simply say a few words and lead the way to save the poor soul who had crossed galaxies to visit the Black Tower Space Station, full of anticipation to observe the gathering of wisdom, but had instead been dragged into the horrific disaster of the Legion's attack.

boom!

The explosion overhead made the girl tremble. She could already imagine the scene of the illusory soldiers' sharp blades tearing through the outer wall of the corridor and bursting in to slaughter everyone.

As a mere Level II clerk, he certainly had no ability to fight against the antimatter legion.

Am I going to die?

Just as the thought of despair began to surface, a familiar voice rang in Amelie's ears.

"Don't be afraid, I'm here."

The cries from the viewing corridor ceased at that moment, and everyone looked toward the figure wielding the flaming sword, and behind him, against the backdrop of the vast universe, countless dark monsters were burned like tinder, continuously producing a roaring sea of ​​fire.

Flames… no, it was him, he shone brighter than the ancient, ever-shining stars.

The hatch behind Emily opened once more, the orderly and swift footsteps stopped, and the fully armed defense officers stared blankly at Hua Yi, at this warrior who exuded an unparalleled and powerful aura, like a fiery monarch.

The light in the darkness is always captivating, and the heroes who rise up in times of turmoil always possess extraordinary charm.

They were captivated by it, filled with boundless admiration, their tone revealing an uncontrollable, almost obsessive worship, and a hint of panic.

"Sir, we...we are..."

"No need to explain, I understand that after you withdrew from the forward defensive positions, you remembered that there was still a group of tourists who might be stranded in the viewing corridor, so you rushed here despite the danger—you've come at the right time, let's send them into the safe zone, this is the last group of non-combat personnel stranded outside."

"Yes!"

The defense staff hesitated, wanting to stay and follow the hero, even if it meant facing an endless army of antimatter.

However, hearing the strange sounds of flames burning the illusory soldiers and witnessing the incredible sight of the sea of ​​fire engulfing the Dark Legion without damaging the space station in the slightest, the members of the defense department knew that they could not be of much help.

As the fully armed staff members, having recovered from their fear, and the tourists who had been staring blankly at them, evacuated, Hua Yi approached Amelie and patted her head.

"It's alright, go back now, brave girl."

"……And you?"

"My responsibilities are not over yet."

Knowing she couldn't persuade Hua Yi to change his mind, the clerk stomped her foot and turned to leave.

She understood that any unnecessary affectation was a waste of time.

Soon after, all the survivors who remained in the observation corridor went to the safe zone. There were no more unfortunate souls crying on the ground. Only outside the space station, the long-burning flames of calamity burned the ever-emerging illusory soldiers.

At some point, the space elevator, abandoned during the disaster, suddenly started up, ascending layer by layer, and finally stopped at the base module.

hum.

The elevator doors opened, revealing two people, one tall and one short, inside the car. The one in front wore a pair of asymmetrical black leather boots, the heels clicking softly on the corridor floor.

Chapter 57 Star Core Hunter

Wearing a black coat draped over her shoulders and sunglasses on her head, the purple-haired, pink-eyed beauty, who looked no different from any other ordinary visitor to the space station, was actually the renowned Star Core Hunter, except for her exceptionally beautiful face and mature demeanor.

Kafka raised her eyes and easily took in the entire straight viewing corridor. Through the outer wall, the dark antimatter army and the crimson flames had a color that surpassed the stars, attracting the gaze of any who stepped into it.

"Is this sea of ​​fire in the script? It seems that although the Black Tower space station was attacked, the antimatter legion suffered even greater losses. This corridor doesn't even show any obvious damage."

"It wasn't mentioned, so it can't be considered a mistake in the script."

The girl with silver-gray spiral hair stood next to Kaffa. Even though she was completely outshone by this mature older sister in terms of height and figure, she was still the renowned super hacker Silver Wolf.

"The Legion's attack began before the two systems were connected, and the space station has been cut off from the outside world since then. However, it appears that the local area network here is still functioning normally, and the internal order has not yet collapsed."

There were no injured people on the ground, and not even a trace of blood.

Stepping through the long corridor, Kafka's gaze narrowed slightly as she observed the raging fire in the universe, which seemed to be judging a legion.

Is it because suitable combustion conditions are lacking in a vacuum environment?

Anyone who understands just how terrifying the antimatter legion truly is will realize that the flames that burn the lesser demons are no ordinary thing; they are the power of destiny, not bound by the rules of ordinary physics.

She had thought that this star museum, which gathered so much wisdom, was already in grave danger under the attack of the most vicious creations in the universe.

The anti-gravity protective net, emitting a diffuse blue-purple glow that seemed to radiate across the universe, shattered. The super-alloy cabin walls, strong enough to withstand cosmic radiation, became riddled with holes. The astronauts, long accustomed to space, drifted toward the abyss of cosmic depths with a mixture of unfamiliarity and fear of weightlessness, only to be torn to shreds by a monster halfway there.

Kafka was prepared to fight the Voidlings, expecting to encounter many Legion Imps on her way to her destination via the space elevator, but the space station seemed to be maintaining an unbelievable level of stability.

"Things not mentioned in the script are often unimportant, but I don't think they're enough to stop the legion's advance and turn the tidal wave of destructive attacks into a continuous stream of suicide attacks."

"I'm not a slave to fate, so don't ask me questions."

Silver Wolf chewed on bubble gum and blew a pink bubble.

"What should we do if there are any omissions in the script? The Star Train is coming soon, and with the owner of the Calamity Flame also involved, this time we might really be in trouble."

"The mission remains the same; it's just a matter of adding the target—but where is the target located?"

"Let me look for it."

A virtual touchscreen appeared in front of the girl. Silver Wolf, renowned worldwide for his exceptional hacking skills, operated it with dazzling movements. Unconsciously, she forgot to chew her bubble gum, and her handsome brows gradually furrowed.

"Something's not right. When was the Black Tower Space Station's database firewall strengthened? It's taking me several times longer than I expected to get around it."

"Let's keep looking as we go; at least the target can't be hidden in the viewing corridor."

"Key defense projects, emergency response plans, all Level IV staff members in the department, warriors wielding flaming swords... Where did this guy named Hua Yi come from? The mission has taken an unexpected turn. Why wasn't this mentioned in the script?"

Listening to Silver Wolf's mutterings as he browsed the internal information after hacking into the space station's database, Kafka became increasingly aware of the gravity of the situation.

How long will it take to find the [star core]?

"Pass through the reception hall and continue deeper into the corridor behind the left door. There is a room containing some kind of strange object that can tell us where the star core is."

With his carefree demeanor gone, Silver Wolf's expression turned serious as he began to run.

The tightly closed hatch was forcibly opened by the hacker, and the reception hall was empty. There was no one waiting for them outside the script. The girl, who had always regarded the universe as a large-scale immersive simulation game, breathed a sigh of relief.

Kafka wasted no time either, quickly following Silver Wolf, her pink eyes gazing at the reception desk in the center of the hall, as well as the surrounding benches and holographic projection.

The tabletops did not appear cluttered, and the hall was not the complete mess one might expect, suggesting that people maintained basic order during the evacuation.

This cannot be summarized simply as "the personnel are highly qualified." As one of the three major calamities in the universe, the space station crew could not possibly be unaware of the antimatter legion. The fact that the survival instincts of a large number of individuals did not come at the cost of trampling on order only shows that they still have hope.

Who gave the weak, who lack the ability to fight, the confidence to survive?

Hua Yi...

Chewing on the name Silver Wolf had just mentioned, Kafka carefully observed her surroundings and found no human corpses along the way.

"There's not a single person left. The evacuation was quite thorough. Was it an order from the Black Tower itself?"

“Aside from giving a special commendation to Acting Station Chief Estelle and proposing to launch a defense project, that woman hasn’t issued any other instructions on the space station. Now, due to the radiation pulse created by the Legion, communication with the outside world is cut off, so it’s even less likely that she can direct the evacuation.”

"...Have you discovered the star's core?"

"The script doesn't mention the exact location of the star core, which means we won't find it using physical means. Let's try to locate the star core with a magical artifact."

Two Star Core Hunters entered the now-empty monitoring room and began examining the instruments inside.

"The terminal's storage device is missing."

"The monitoring room, well, it's an industry tradition to delete databases and run away in one go—just kidding. Since the space station hasn't really fallen into chaos, the staff here should have taken all the important stuff with them when they evacuated."

"Rare objects aren't important?"

“It’s important, but ordinary clerks aren’t qualified to know that Black Tower used to place toys here.”

Silver Wolf continued operating the virtual touchscreen, while the monitors covering the wall began to display errors one after another, making the only screen on his desk that didn't show any errors stand out.

"A strange object [blind spot] is a simple deflected light field that makes things in the area less noticeable, but it will be exposed as soon as other things change as a whole."

The entire room was bathed in the glow of flowing data; a hole appeared in the corner, leading directly to the genius's secret chamber.

Chapter 58 The Birth of the Star Core Essence

In the darkness, in the Black Tower's treasure room, Kafka and Silver Wolf stepped inside and saw the figure who had turned the tide in the midst of disaster.

He held a sword in his right hand and manipulated a data object that seemed to be a reflection of the greatsword through the containment chamber with his left.

"Hua Yi? I thought you should be out there fighting the antimatter legion."

"They can't get in."

Hua Yi turned around and sized up the famous Star Core Hunter, his gaze lingering longer on Silver Wolf.

"At my request, the dolls in the Black Tower were set to an emergency response mode, and most of them ran to the safe zone. The Unknown Zone has become a place where the defenses are lax. Naturally, I have to help her keep an eye on this collection of strange artifacts to prevent the collection from being lost or damaged."

Could he also see through fate and have already foreseen that our destination was here?

Although he didn't know why Hua Yi was paying special attention to him, Silver Wolf prepared for battle, his fingers on the virtual control panel, ready to strike.

Kafka, who had remained unmoved even when walking through the observation corridor and taking in the entire antimatter army that obscured the starlight, also showed a slight change in expression, and took out a specially made submachine gun and a long sword.

"So, you're here to stop us from obtaining the star core?"

"The Black Tower has long since stopped its research on the Star Core. She sealed the Cancer of All Worlds deep within the space station, not as a toy to collect, but to keep dangerous items under her control. If you, 677, have a way to properly handle the Star Core, I will not stop you and would be happy to see it happen."

"..."

Upon hearing Hua Yi's statement, Kafka and Silver Wolf's gazes simultaneously fell upon the crimson greatsword in his hand.

A weapon never heard of before, but the blazing flames and destructive intent entwined around its blade foreshadowed danger, as evidenced by the sea of ​​fire still raging outside the space station, which was slaying inferior demons.

This situation is not in the script; the Star Core Hunter needs to improvise.

"I will put the star core into the most suitable container, then leave her behind and leave. Would that be considered a proper disposal?"

"Calculate."

Hua Yi stepped aside to make way for him.