Chapter 94: Xing: Anyone Else?
“Stellar Train Meng Huaifeng, pleased to meet you.” Meng Huaifeng lightly gripped Hong Kou’s fingertips, then let go.
“Galaxy Bat Man.” Xing tilted her face up proudly and said.
Hong Kou was slightly stunned.
“Ignore her, she’s not right in the head. She’s called Xing, and I’m March 7th.” March 7th covered for Xing, her practiced words heartbreaking.
“Zhu Zhuqing.”
“It looks like your Stellar Train, that’s the name, has already achieved self-sufficiency in materials? So no need to collect materials from outside, not even knowing this.” Hong Kou said enviously.
“Our Stellar Train only has a handful of people, unlike your Beacon, which has tens of thousands to feed.” Meng Huaifeng skirted the main point.
“Yeah, more people means more pressure. But the more people, the more hope for the future. Worst case, work harder, make a few more trips to the ground.” Hong Kou said with a light laugh, completely unconcerned about how dangerous the ground was.
But pre-cataclysm materials were limited after all, and would eventually run out. Meng Huaifeng thought, but didn’t say such mood-killing words.
“Sister Hong Kou is really nice.” March 7th said sincerely.
“The scavenging operations led by Captain Hong Kou have always had the lowest casualty rates, whether Upper Citizens or Dust Citizens.” Jing Nan added, her eyes on Hong Kou faintly showing adoration.
“This is the responsibility I should bear. Since I take them out, I should bring them back safely.” Hong Kou’s expression fell: “Unfortunately, no matter how careful, some casualties are unavoidable.”
“Next time take me along, I guarantee zero casualties.” Xing patted her chest and promised.
“Oh? Little sister that good? Come on, go to the Training Room and spar with big sister?” Hong Kou said, somewhat interested.
“Captain Hong Kou, I suggest you don’t do that.” Jing Nan hurriedly stopped her.
“Ah, right, after all they’re guests from the Beacon, hurting them wouldn’t be good. Sorry, I didn’t think it through.” Hong Kou realized.
“No, I mean, you might not be able to beat her.” Jing Nan mentally crossed out the word “might.”
Hong Kou suspiciously sized up the four people. Fair skin, slender builds, smooth skin, not a single callus on their hands— they didn’t look trained at all.
“Forgive my bluntness, everyone here is trash.” Xing said with hands on hips, eyes disdainful.
“Don’t say such offensive things!” Meng Huaifeng and March 7th were shocked. Hadn’t A Xing already learned some human decency? How did she suddenly turn on her own people?
Xing’s arrogant words instantly drew the attention of all the scavengers in the allocation room.
“Young girl, I can’t just let that slide. Come on, let’s spar?” A scavenger stood up and said.
“Jian Hua, it’s just a young girl talking casually, why take it seriously?” Po Xiao smoothed things over, the scar on his right eye not detracting from his looks but adding masculine charm, making him even handsomer.
“Don’t worry, Vice Captain, I won’t go hard, just teach her that there are people beyond people and skies beyond skies.” The scavenger called Jian Hua laughed.
“Exactly, such arrogance, let’s see what she’s got.” The others jeered, wanting to see.
“Come on, one-on-one or gang-up. One-on-one is me against all of you, gang-up is all of you against me.” Xing, somewhat stirred by the crowd, walked to the center of the scavengers and declared domineeringly.
The scavengers immediately erupted in uproar.
“No way, that’s too arrogant. Who is she?”
“Doesn’t matter who, can’t let this slide, gotta teach her a lesson.”
“Even if you’re a girl, don’t blame me for hitting.”
“Hey, let her see what real danger is.”
……
Hong Kou sidled up to the only one of the four who seemed reliable, Meng Huaifeng, and asked: “Hey, really no problem? Want me to call it off?”
“No need, really no problem.” Meng Huaifeng replied.
Hong Kou still didn’t quite believe it, after all, without seeing it herself, she didn’t know they were all superhuman.
One-on-one Hong Kou wouldn’t say anything, but now one against a group— her team members were battle-hardened with great teamwork; no way anyone could pull it off.
Seeing this, Meng Huaifeng reached out and gestured to her.
Hong Kou got it and reached out too; the two arm-wrestled without support.
No matter how hard Hong Kou tried, Meng Huaifeng’s hand didn’t budge.
“I’m going to use force now.” Meng Huaifeng warned.
Hong Kou immediately held her breath and focused, ready.
But an irresistible force like a tidal wave pressed down; Hong Kou felt herself helplessly overpowered, her wrist bent.
“How’s that? Xing’s even stronger than me.” Meng Huaifeng asked with a smile in his eyes.
Hong Kou put away her incredulous expression and looked gloatingly at her team members.
“These guys always stir up trouble, showing others real danger. Now it’s their turn to see what real danger is.”
Just as the atmosphere was intensely heated, a materials allocation room staff member walked over.
“What are you doing? What are you doing? This isn’t the place for fighting, take it outside if you want to fight.”
“Young girl, to the Training Room, dare you?” Jian Hua shouted.
“Going, whoever doesn’t is a puppy.” Xing immediately responded.
The group marched grandly toward the Training Room.
Po Xiao came indignantly to Hong Kou and complained: “These guys are getting more useless, wanting to bully a young girl, not ashamed?”
Hong Kou gently took Po Xiao’s hand and laughed: “Don’t be mad, this time they’re really going to lose face.”
Po Xiao didn’t fully get Hong Kou’s meaning and said to Meng Huaifeng: “That young girl is your teammate, right? Sorry about this, but rest assured, my team members know restraint in a fight, won’t hurt her.”
“I believe they won’t hurt her, but we should be the ones apologizing.” Meng Huaifeng said somewhat helplessly.
With Xing’s strength, bullying a bunch of ordinary people, not ashamed.
Fine, Xing had done plenty of shameful things, one more didn’t matter.
Meng Huaifeng and the others didn’t delay and hurried after Xing to the Beacon’s Armament Preparation Room.
The Training Room was part of the Armament Preparation Room, with all sorts of fitness equipment for building physique, and only so-called Upper Citizens could train there.
Experienced instructors led them in combat training, killing techniques, and there were several arenas for real combat to gain experience.
“Huff, huff.”
“That’s it? Buck up and do another set!”
“With that build you want to join the scavengers? Can you even lift a gun?”
“Continue! Punches need power, fast! Accurate! Ruthless!”
……
Training sounds and instructors’ scoldings rose and fell.
The arrival of the large group of scavengers drew everyone’s eyes in the Training Room.
“Those are scavengers, right? Why are they all here?”
“Heard someone’s getting on the arena to spar.”
“Wow, gotta watch closely, scavengers are the strongest in the Beacon.”
Xing jumped onto the arena first and beckoned to the scavengers.
“All of you come at once.”
“Hey, young girl, protective gear.” An instructor held up protective gear and waved it at Xing.
“No need.” Xing waved it off confidently, refusing.
Bullying a young girl was embarrassing enough, all at once? No way.
“I’ll go first!” Jian Hua was the first to step up and challenge A Xing.
“Go easy.”
“If you lose we’ll mock you forever.”
Jian Hua ignored his unhelpful friends below the arena, clenched his fists, bones cracking audibly, hair-raising.
“Young girl, ready?” Jian Hua said.
“Ready, come on.” Xing said.
“You strike first, forfeit if you can’t take it later.” Jian Hua said like a grandmaster.
“You strike first.”
“No, you first.”
“You first.”
“You first.”
“Fine.”
Jian Hua refused to strike first; Xing could only helplessly walk over slowly and throw a light punch at Jian Hua.
“That punch looks soft, I’ll block with one hand and… Pfft!”
Jian Hua blocked with one hand in front; before he finished, a massive force smashed through his hand into his gut, sending him flying into the arena ropes, then bouncing back to kneel on the ground clutching his stomach.
All the cheers, applause, and chatter below instantly vanished.
“Jian Hua, you okay? What happened?”
“No way, you were going easy on the young girl, right? Such a soft slow punch did that? Too fake.”
Moments later, Jian Hua’s teammates gathered around him, speaking up.
“I… I was careless, didn’t dodge.” Jian Hua shakily stood, pretending nothing happened: “My stomach’s off, you guys go.”
“No way, you’re really that weak?” His teammates scorned.
Jian Hua stayed silent; you guys have no idea what I faced!
“I’m next!” Xue Feng got on the arena.
“Bang!”
Not three seconds later, Xue Feng knelt where Jian Hua had.
The scavengers exchanged looks; something was off.
“We’ll go!” Haji and Kun Jie climbed up together.
“Bang! Bang!”
Almost simultaneously, Haji and Kun Jie knelt beside Xue Feng.
“Anyone else!”
Xing glared at the remaining scavengers.
The scavengers all stepped back together.
“Disperse, disperse, one-sided fights are no fun.”
“I remember my flowers need watering.”
“I was injured earlier, off to the medical room.”
……
“Wow, she’s so awesome. If she taught me, I’d definitely become the boss of the scavengers!” A flat-headed little boy about ten looked up adoringly at Xing on the arena.
Seeing no one dared fight, Xing boredly stepped down from the arena.
Same apocalypse, but this world was ridiculously low-level compared to Belobog.
“Big sister, please teach me how to become stronger!” The little boy rushed to Xing’s side, eyes shining.
Xing blinked; how to become stronger? Seemed like just playing around everywhere did it.
But saying that might sound lame? Xing pondered, let me think how to phrase it.
“Little Mark, what are you doing?” Hong Kou and Meng Huaifeng’s group walked to Xing’s side and asked.
“Hong Kou, this big sister is so strong. If she’d teach me, I could beat you soon and become the boss of the scavengers.” Little Mark said.
“Who is this boastful brat?” March 7th asked Hong Kou.
“My former little brother.” Hong Kou looked around and quietly explained.
“Former little brother?” March 7th was puzzled; not anymore?
“Beacon’s three survival laws abolish family ties.” Meng Huaifeng reminded.
“What kind of stupid law.” March 7th muttered.
Hong Kou’s eyes lit up; they thought this survival law unreasonable too.
“Please, big sister, teach me.” Little Mark took two more steps forward.
Xing finally had it and said solemnly: “Just do 100 push-ups, 100 sit-ups, 100 squats, plus a 10 km run every day. Don’t skip, persist at least three years, and you’ll become stronger. Of course, still not as good as me.”
“Huh? That simple?” Little Mark suspected the big sister was tricking him.
Meng Huaifeng suddenly covered his nose, frowning: “What smell? So stinky?”
Little Mark’s face flushed red, quietly stepping back a few paces.
“That’s because Little Mark insisted on challenging this instructor this morning, so I beat the shit out of him, then beat him into the shit, and finally beat him with his own shit, hence the stench.” An old but vigorous voice rang out from nearby.
Everyone including Hong Kou instantly distanced themselves from Little Mark.
Meng Huaifeng looked toward the voice and saw a burly elderly man with slightly graying hair striding over tigerishly, with Welt following behind him.
Little Mark’s eyes reddened in urgency: “Damn it! Don’t say that stuff out loud, and I already took a bath!”
“Probably marinated in it.” Meng Huaifeng could imagine the Beacon didn’t lack water but rationed it; bathing like in peaceful modern times was impossible.
“I… I’ll go wash again!” Little Mark couldn’t save face and hurriedly ran off.
“Uncle Yang, why are you here? Talks done? And Sister Himeko?” Meng Huaifeng asked.
“Instructor Elon and I came to the Training Room to check these people’s physiques, see what cultivation methods suit them. As for Himeko, she’s helping at the research department.” Welt said.
“What did you discuss?” Meng Huaifeng asked curiously.
“After you left, City Lord Morgan told us about the Beacon’s plight: how scarce energy and food are, how hard to feed so many.” Welt shrugged helplessly.
“That’s sob-storying.” Meng Huaifeng saw through it instantly.
“We know, but while the Beacon isn’t at the end of the road, it’s not great either. So Himeko and I decided to help optimize their power and energy systems, teach them a suitable cultivation method. This has nothing to do with what Morgan said or did; it’s just to help the Beacon’s people live better.” Welt said.
Though the Honkai: Star Rail Universe centered on Pathfinders, many civilizations had their own cultivation methods like gene enhancement, sword intent, internal energy, ninjutsu, magic, oh and the newly added Martial Spirit System.
Just that their ceilings were all limited, not very high; ultimately one had to walk the path of destiny.
But for this world’s people, it was plenty.
“Thank you, sir. On behalf of the Beacon’s over ten thousand survivors, and Lady Himeko.” Hong Kou, Po Xiao, Jing Nan, and Instructor Elon solemnly bowed to Welt.
Welt didn’t stop them, calmly accepting their thanks.
“So what reward did City Lord Morgan offer?” Meng Huaifeng said.
Nameless were glad to help but usually took some reward unless special circumstances.
Even if the reward was far from matching the Nameless’s aid.
After all, Nameless needed to live too, right?
“Seems like nothing on the Beacon is really useful to us.” March 7th recalled what Jing Nan had shown them.
March 7th’s offhand remark shamed the four from the Beacon.
“Not even anything fun to look at or play with.” March 7th continued.
The Beacon four hung their heads deeply; so the Beacon looked that poor in their eyes?
“Don’t guess, let Uncle Yang say.” Meng Huaifeng hurriedly cut off March 7th’s more words.
“The Beacon has three types of Gravity Bodies; City Lord Morgan gave us one of each type. You can play with them.” Welt said like coaxing kids.
Gravity Bodies were cutting-edge tech in this world; the Beacon relied on them to fight Devouring Beasts.
But in Welt’s eyes, they were hopelessly backward, worthless, though fine for the kids to play with.
If he modified them, they might match Company standard mecha, somewhat useful.
Though worthless to Welt, City Lord Morgan still ached painfully giving them up.
But compared to the aid from Welt and Himeko, three Gravity Bodies were nothing.
