Yanqing, standing nearby, watched the General's series of abnormal actions—first nearly choking, then suddenly straightening his back, showing a strange smile he had never seen before to an unfamiliar grey-haired girl, and finally sinking into deep thought—he was utterly bewildered.
"General... do you... know that person just now?"
Yanqing couldn't help but ask in a low voice, his face full of confusion, "Who is she? Why did you..."
Jing Yuan was pulled back from his thoughts and glanced at Yanqing, realizing the young man had not recognized the identity of the "Marshal."
He took a deep breath, returning to his usual lazy demeanor, though a hint of seriousness lingered in his eyes.
"An... unexpected 'distinguished guest'."
Jing Yuan vaguely explained, lightly patting Yanqing's shoulder, "Do not speak of this matter. Our evening stroll will likely have to end early."
Sleeper Car
Black Herta was still leaning lazily on the sofa, with Cyrene gently held close beside her, immersed in story fragments from another world.
In a corner of Black Herta's vision, the translucent screen that only she could observe clearly displayed the "chance encounter" near the Xianzhou Luofu snack stall—the entire process of Jing Yuan moving from astonishment to composure, and then cleverly "understanding" Fu Hua's nod of greeting.
Watching Jing Yuan's appearance, as if facing a formidable enemy while secretly making conjectures, Black Herta's lips curled into an uncontrolled slight smile, revealing the satisfaction of a successful plan.
(It seems Jing Yuan believed it... and believed it completely.)
She mused inwardly, (Adjusting the data of Fu Hua's simulated body slightly, using the protection of 'Emanator of Elation' to blur perception, and then deploying her to the Xianzhou, an environment where a 'Marshal Hua' counterpart exists... the effect is better than anticipated. This 'misjudgment' is enough to buy us more room for maneuver in the future, making it easier to confuse the public.)
She satisfiedly withdrew some of her attention and sensed the fluctuations within the Astral Express nearby.
The ripple caused by the "gift" had not yet subsided; instead, it seemed more "active" due to the confusion of the parties involved.
(Soul swapping... it actually worked. Although it was just a casual 'trick' with a short duration, I didn't expect it to have such a significant effect on this specific group of targets.)
Black Herta thought with interest, (I wonder how much unexpected 'fun' this timed farce, which I orchestrated, will generate?)
The chaos inside the Party Car had temporarily ceased, but the problem was far from solved.
Welt, sporting the "shut up" robot shell, had a tone mixed with vexation:
"It seems we will have to wait for a while before things return to normal. This time... we truly let our guard down."
His mechanical arm made a gesture similar to rubbing his forehead. "I didn't expect the opponent to use such... unconventional methods. Judging by the prank-like style and the ability to bypass the Astral Express's defenses and directly affect the consciousness level, it must be related to those Masked Fools."
He paused, his tone growing heavier: "Especially this familiar feeling... it makes one suspect that the perpetrators behind the baseless incident involving'Sister Herta' might be the same group."
Danheng stood to the side, arms crossed, and succinctly added: "The opponent deliberately used the 'gift' as bait, carefully disguising the meeting, perhaps aiming for this very moment—to create chaos, observe our reactions, or... simply for amusement."
His gaze swept over his "companions," whose expressions varied, and he frowned slightly.
March 7th, using Himeko's mature body, was currently frustratedly tugging at the overly fitting dress she wore, her voice filled with confusion: "But... why would Sister do this? She was so nice to me... and said she wouldn't blame me..."
Thinking of how that "Sister" gently stroked her hair, and contrasting it with the current situation, March 7th felt both wronged and confused.
Himeko saw this, sighed softly, and using March 7th's clear voice, tried hard to say soothing words: "Little March, don't be too sad. This matter is likely not Miss Long Night Moon's own intention."
She pointed to the empty gift box on the bar counter. "Before she left, she made it very clear that the gift was prepared by 'That Great One.' The true mastermind is 'That Great One,' whom we know nothing about. Miss Long Night Moon might have been compelled, or perhaps... she was also kept in the dark."
This analysis made March 7th feel slightly better, but the confusion and unease were not completely dispelled.
The group had another brief exchange, analyzing the current situation, but aside from waiting for the "48 system hours" to pass, there seemed to be no immediate solution.
Welt suggested that everyone return to their rooms to rest and conserve energy, while also trying to avoid activities outside to prevent more unnecessary trouble or panic.
However, just as they were preparing to disperse, a practical problem arose for Himeko and March 7th.
"So... tonight,"
Himeko looked at her current small hands, then at the mature, elegant "self" across from her who looked like she was about to cry, and asked with some hesitation, "Should we return to our respective rooms, or...?"
March 7th immediately shook her head, making a pitiful expression with Himeko's face: "No! Sister Himeko's room is so big, and everything is so complicated! I, I can't sleep!"
Himeko thought for a moment and agreed: "You're right, but... Stelle is still resting in your room."
"If we rush in using our current appearance and voice, we might scare her, or cause a greater misunderstanding. Especially since her current state doesn't seem stable..."
Thus, the two reached a consensus: Himeko, using March 7th's body, would return to March 7th's room to rest; and March 7th, using Himeko's body, would grit her teeth and adapt to Himeko's room.
Welt and Danheng returned to their respective places (Danheng was relieved he had escaped this ordeal).
Himeko tiptoed to the door of March 7th's room.
She took a deep breath, trying to adjust to the slightly shorter perspective and different sense of balance of this body, then gently turned the doorknob.
The door silently slid open.
The room was unlit, with only the faint light projected from the Star Sea outside the window, outlining the vague contours of the furniture.
Using this dim light, Himeko could see the location of the bed—the quilt seemed to be bunched up.
(Good thing I didn't wake her.)
Himeko felt slightly relieved, and gently closed the door behind her, preventing the corridor light from entering.
Relying on her memory and understanding of the room's layout, she cautiously made her way toward the bed in the darkness.
However, just as she passed by the bed—
A sudden change occurred!
In the darkness, a blurred figure, like a long-lurking cheetah, silently lunged out from the shadow on the other side!
The movement was so fast it left only an afterimage in the air!
"Bang!"
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