Kiana and the Captain's Bizarre Adventure

Inside the Black Tower space station, an elevator was slowly ascending, carrying a purple-haired woman in a black trench coat and a ponytail. The woman was intently playing the violin, her left hand on a harp and her right hand holding a bow. However, she didn't actually have a violin to play; it was merely a pastime while waiting.

A sudden explosion interrupted her enjoyment, but the elevator had just arrived at her designated location. However, that was all; perhaps due to the explosion, the elevator malfunctioned, and the doors could not open automatically.

"It seems I've come at the wrong time."

The purple-haired woman stopped what she was doing and slowly opened her lifeless eyes to look at the elevator entrance. The next second, a virtual screen appeared in front of her.

"No, I think you've come at just the right time."

A slightly immature voice came from the screen, and an icon featuring a wolf was displayed in the center of the screen.

"System time 23:47:15. You are very punctual, Kafka."

“The future that Elio sees is never wrong. What was that explosion all about? Was that also in his ‘script’?”

Clearly, this explosion was not part of the "script" that the woman known as Kafka knew, but the person on the other side of the screen quickly answered her question.

"At 23:44:59 system time, the pulse generated by the explosion caused a large-scale paralysis of the main control system."

"You did it?"

"It was the Antimatter Legion that did it; they completely invaded the space station before both systems were even fully operational."

Kafka whistled lightly: "Do we need to fight the Legion?"

"I don't know. Since Elio didn't say, it's not important."

"Okay, I understand. From now on, I'll take over the operation."

"Got it. Can you let me have some fun this time? The previous operations were so boring."

"Sorry, today's task is very boring; it's just a matter of 'putting' the target in. But I won't stop you from having any fun you want."

At this moment, with the recovery of the main control system, the elevator door finally returned to normal operation. As the elevator door opened, the people around the elevator, or rather the humanoid monsters, noticed the suddenly opened door.

Kafka, who came out of the door, naturally became the target of these monsters. Kafka calmly drew two submachine guns from her waist, and her tone gradually became excited.

"After all, anything not written in Elio's script is irrelevant!"

Meanwhile, inside the main control module of the space station, a pink-haired girl was anxiously directing everyone. Her name was Estelle, the acting stationmaster and the largest investor in the space station. It could be said that the space station's construction was largely thanks to her funding, which is why she was taken in as a student by the Black Tower. But rather than a student, she was more like a steward hired by the Black Tower to manage the entire space station's operations.

She is currently overwhelmed by the invasion of the antimatter legion, but during the evacuation, Alan, as the head of the security department, chose to cover the retreat of the researchers. Now, Alan has not been able to contact the main control module for a long time.

Alan had grown up with Estelle since childhood and was one of the few people Estelle could completely trust. If she had known it would turn out this way, she shouldn't have agreed to let Alan lead the team to find the lone clerk.

A hint of worry flashed in Estella's azure eyes, but she quickly masked it. Without being able to contact Miss Black Tower, she absolutely could not panic, otherwise she would only make the already panicked staff even more panicked.

Seemingly sensing the immense pressure Estella was under, a burgundy-haired woman with a black trench coat draped over her shoulders and wearing a white evening gown underneath offered her comfort.

"Don't worry, March and Danheng are on their way to provide support. I believe they will soon find the remaining staff members who haven't escaped safely, as well as Alan, who is currently out of contact."

"Yes, I have great confidence in the abilities of everyone on the Starry Sky Train. It's just that Alan's situation makes me uneasy. In our last contact, he said he would stay in the control room of the containment module. Although he spoke to me in a very calm tone throughout, I could still vaguely sense that he had suffered a considerable injury. But thank you for your comfort, Miss Himeko."

"You're welcome," Himeko said with a smile. "But haven't you been able to contact Miss Black Tower yet? The area affected by that explosion just now seemed quite large."

"Yes, the explosion just now caused some damage to the main control system. Fortunately, the communication system was not affected, but we still haven't been able to contact Miss Black Tower."

Just as Himeko was about to say something, a communication request from an unknown source interrupted their conversation.

After much deliberation, Estelle finally accepted the call. The next moment, a green-haired girl with red pupils and a bun hairstyle appeared on the screen.

"Hello, can you hear me?"

For some reason, Himeko felt like she had heard this girl's voice somewhere before, while Estella was already prepared to respond.

"The signal is very clear. May I ask who you are?"

"Let me introduce myself. I am Ai-i Hyperion, the shipborne artificial intelligence of the Hyperion, a vessel under the Earth Destiny Organization."

“Miss Ai? Hyperion, is that right? I am Estella, the acting stationmaster of this Black Tower space station. Although I have many questions I would like to discuss with you, the situation is critical, so I will keep it brief. I hope your ship can leave this airspace immediately. This space station is currently under attack by the antimatter legion, and I do not want any innocent bystanders to be caught up in it.”

"Black Tower Space Station, that sounds like someone's personal space station. And what's this Antimatter Legion?"

"Yes, this space station belongs to the 83rd member of the Genius Club, Ms. Black Tower, and is specifically used to store Ms. Black Tower's collection and to receive her followers."

"As for the Antimatter Legion, it is the army under the command of the Destroyer Star God Nanuk. They take it upon themselves to destroy civilizations and launch wars at will. They are one of the most notorious forces in the entire universe."

"Genius Club...Destroyer Star God...I feel like more and more impressive-sounding terms are suddenly appearing. Never mind those for now. I came here mainly because I noticed your space station was under attack when I passed by, so I came to ask if there's anything we can do to help, and also to inquire about the Star Train."

Inquiring about the Star Train? Estella glanced at Himeko in the distance without making it obvious, and began to recall recent events related to the Star Train.

"Inquiring about the Star Train? Are you looking for the Star Train?"

"Well, you could say we do, but we need to find the Star Train first. But don't worry, we're not enemies of the Star Train. It's okay if you don't know anything about the Star Train. Right now, the most important thing is to help you get through this crisis."

"I'm sorry, but I'll say it again: I don't want any innocent bystanders to get involved in this crisis. Please leave as soon as possible. However, I do know people from the Starry Sky Train and have their contact information. I will truthfully convey your request to their navigator, Ms. Himeko. As for how to meet, please wait for the Starry Sky Train at this coordinate in three days."

After sending the coordinates, Estella ended the call. Himeko, who was not far away, saw that Estella had ended the call and then brought the group that had successfully reunited to Estella.

"Himeko, you're back? Where's Alan?"

"Alan was slightly injured, just as you guessed, and is currently getting his wound bandaged. He'll be back in a bit," Himeko reported truthfully. "By the way, March and Danheng found a survivor in the containment module. Her name is Hoshi. She said she has lost her memories. I think it's safest to bring her to you, since you're the only one in the entire Black Tower space station who knows all the members."

Himeko then brought Hoshi to Estella, who carefully examined the girl named Hoshi.

She had short, gray hair that reached past her shoulders; a light gray inner layer casually tucked into her waistband beneath a black trench coat; and a blue leg ring that was faintly visible through the seam of her black skirt. Her overall look was simple yet vibrant, as if she were about to embark on a trip. Perhaps because she had been observed for a while, Xing revealed a shy expression, instantly transforming her originally aloof demeanor into that of a friendly girl next door.

"I'm sorry, she is not a member of the Black Tower space station, and her name is not on the visitor list."

"That's strange. I clearly found Xing in the containment module with Danheng. If she's not a member of your space station, and her name isn't on the visitor list, could Xing have just appeared out of thin air?"

The person they ended up talking to was the same person Himeko had mentioned earlier, named March 7th. She was a vibrant girl with light pink short hair and blue-pink eyes.

"Speaking of which, I just saw Miss Estádio talking to someone. Was it Miss Black Tower?"

"Unfortunately, that's not the case. Himeko knows Miss Black Tower's personality. She usually only contacts people about things that interest her. All the dozen or so letters I sent before disappeared without a trace. In the end, this space station was just a containment facility for Miss Black Tower to store the strange objects she collected and her followers."

"As for the communication just now, it was from someone who called himself Ai-Hyperion. He claimed that he could help us get through the current crisis and also inquire about your Star Train."

"Inquiring about the Star Train?" Himeko pondered. "Did she specify what it was about?"

"No, she even said that the specifics would only be known after they met."

"Hey! If you ask me, it's because she heard about the glorious deeds of our Starry Sky Train, felt a longing for it, and came here specifically to join us!"

“Unlikely.” Dan Heng, who had been standing silently to the side for a long time, retorted, “Although the Star Train’s reputation is indeed renowned throughout the world, I must remind you, March, that this reputation was accumulated by the pioneers and predecessors. As for our generation, March, do I need to help you recall the ‘earth-shattering’ things you did in your previous pioneering journeys?”

"Oh... I think I'll pass."

"Moreover, based on Estádio's description, I am more inclined to believe that she has an employer who commissioned her to find traces of the Star Train."

"Danheng thinks the same way I do, but let me and your Uncle Yang decide this matter. Before that, I need you to go and calm down the staff."

Himeko continued making arrangements.

"The Antimatter Legion's attack won't end anytime soon, but many staff members have started to panic because of this incident. In addition, Estella hasn't been able to contact the Black Tower staff members, so they've been without a sense of direction. March, with your optimistic nature, you'll definitely be more effective at comforting those staff members than Estella and I. It's also a good opportunity for you to take Xingduo to get familiar with this place."

"As for contacting Miss Black Tower," Himeko turned to Estella and said, "besides routine resupply, we also accepted a commission from Black Tower for this train's visit to the Black Tower space station. Estella, could you please send another email to Black Tower? Just say that the artifact she commissioned the Starry Sky Train to collect has been delivered. I think that would increase the chances of her replying."

"I understand. Thanks to your help this time, otherwise the losses would probably have been much greater."

As she spoke, Estella's expression became somewhat dejected.

"In the end, it's because we don't have enough ways to deal with this kind of emergency. The Black Tower Space Station was originally a group of people who admired Miss Black Tower. We originally thought that under normal circumstances, no one would attack the space station because of Miss Black Tower's name. After all, it's not a good thing for any force to make enemies with members of the Genius Club."