The Gamer who traveled to Honkai: Star Rail

On Pei Guang's side, Veritas had also been released.

"Now do you believe it? We might be capable of using force, but we weren't the ones who did it."

Stelle chimed in from the side, "Exactly! And besides, I'm still on the mission to find Curios. Even if I were going to do something, now wouldn't be the time."

Asta exclaimed in shock, "So you have thought about doing something to everyone…"

Pei Guang immediately changed the subject: "No big deal! At most it was just a passing thought. After all, both you and Herta are here—just for your sake I wouldn't lay a finger on anyone! But anyway, where was I just now?"

Stelle: "You were saying you wouldn't lay a finger on anyone."

Pei Guang: "Oh! Right, I remember now. I've got a rough idea of what we're up against: probably a Heliobus, or rather, a Duke from the Annihilation Gang."

Stelle turned to Pei Guang, "Is it possible… that we have to face both of them?"

Pei Guang turned back to her, "Can't you think of something more positive? Facing two enemies every time is a pain! Even in Musou mode I can only mow down small fry. When it comes to elite mobs I actually need to take it seriously, and we're running low on consumables!"

That last line made Stelle's expression grow serious. "We're low? I thought we had a ton?"

Pei Guang: "Not really! We're down to just under a hundred of each consumable."

That startled Stelle. "What happened? How did they run out so fast?"

Pei Guang: "You really have the nerve to ask me? We fought that True Sting boss twice. We popped every full-recovery item we could get our hands on! And against that giant True Sting bug, we all chugged like crazy."

To make sure that giant True Sting couldn't escape, both Dan Heng and Welt went all out, even using their charged-up attacks. Pei Guang didn't fare much better: his Savory Truefire could be maintained in small areas, but for large-scale attacks, he had to rely on constant item use.

On top of that, during the fight with the Propagation Emanator, they had already consumed most of the supplies they looted from Phantylia, although there were still some chunks of meat they could cook into more consumables, Pei Guang was reluctant. 

Many of the parts had unique features that made them too valuable to waste: excellent for display!

Pei Guang's words made Stelle gasp. 

After several days of heavy item use, she'd come to appreciate the joy of having consumables. Now hearing they were nearly out, she started to feel reluctant, too.

"In that case, never mind. Let's just take on one enemy. The fewer items we use, the better…"

Pei Guang: "But when we need them, we have to use them! Damn it, why couldn't Phantylia have lived just a bit longer? If she had, maybe I could've harvested more supplies."

Stelle: "How about we bring Phantylia back out and beat her up again?"

Pei Guang looked at her. "Promise me, don't do anything stupid."

Stelle: "But what if she escapes on her own? What then?"

Pei Guang: "Can you shut your sweet little mouth already?"

As the two of them were bantering, Pei Guang's phone suddenly pinged. He picked it up and saw a message forwarded by Asta.

It was a video. 

Pei Guang opened it and watched the content closely: it was a news report, the footage showing a Herta puppet. 

Pei Guang couldn't tell what kind of twisted humor led someone to slap a black censor bar over the puppet's eyes.

"Miss Herta Solo Scoop, Good evening to all Herta 'Heritors'! We interrupt this program with breaking news."

At present, the great Genius Society #83, Miss Herta, has gone missing after an attack at the space station. So far, no organization has claimed responsibility for the incident."

The screen then shifted. 

As the person on-screen made a certain hand gesture, Pei Guang felt a strong sense of déjà vu—but couldn't immediately recall where he'd seen it before.

Pei Guang: "Seriously? Herta's fans are called 'Heritors'? Have they all been stanning her for two and a half years or something? And it's just a puppet that went missing, but they're acting like Herta herself got attacked. My review: classic journalism student behavior."

While Pei Guang was busy snarking, Asta muttered quietly beside him, "Looks like a lot of staff are starting to get upset… But we still haven't found out who the culprit is…"

Pei Guang: "Let me ask, this news, is it legit? You sure it wasn't just your staff messing around?"

Asta replied with certainty, "The content might not be accurate, but it is from an official Interastral Peace Corporation channel… But how did they find out so quickly? And make it into news this fast…"

Pei Guang: "Must be an inside leak. You'll see—, it won't be long before someone claims responsibility. But before that…"

Pei Guang glanced around. The fact that he received this news meant the entire space station had as well. The surrounding staff all looked toward him with mixed expressions after seeing it.

Those who had been helped by the Trailblazers still had some trust in Pei Guang and the others, but…

Pei Guang: "Looks like this isn't the place to talk. Let's move somewhere else to discuss—besides, we need to think about our opponent's next move."

Stelle: "Well, I'll leave it to you! I believe in you, Ah Guang, you've got this. I'll keep working on Herta's mission. That Curio is actually pretty troublesome… According to Herta, it's a Heliobus, right? Sounds kinda interesting."

Pei Guang waved a hand. "Go on, go on! Let me try to wring out a few ideas with my not-so-bright brain~"

Hearing that, Veritas asked, "Oh? You have any useful ideas?"

Pei Guang: "Let me try analyzing based on experience. Sure, relying on intuition isn't always wise, but when you've got no leads, personal experience might just be the best way to break a deadlock."

Pei Guang thought over the situation carefully. 

No matter how he looked at it, this seemed targeted: either at him, or at the space station itself. 

Were there any similar game plotlines?

Actually, yes. People vanishing one after another: this kind of thing wasn't just in games, but in tons of mystery novels and anime. 

And following the conventions of those stories, when there are no obvious clues, the most important lead, or the person who knows the truth, is usually right nearby.

Stelle? She didn't know a damn thing. 

Right now, she just wanted to finish Herta's mission as fast as possible. She'd been working on that one task for nearly two days straight.

Asta?

Pei Guang looked over at Asta. 

Sensing his gaze, Asta blinked curiously. "What's wrong? Is there something you need me to do?"

Pei Guang asked, "You really don't know anything?"

At that, Asta crossed her arms and muttered discontentedly, "I may hide things when stuff happens, but I don't lie, okay? Especially not to you, Ah Guang. Just like how you trust me, I trust you the same."

Pei Guang: "Then it's him."

Pei Guang turned his gaze to Veritas, who had gone quiet ever since being subdued. 

Veritas looked back at Pei Guang with interest. From Pei Guang's eyes, he could tell that Pei Guang was already suspicious of him.

But unlike his own vague doubts, Pei Guang's suspicion carried a kind of certainty, as if backed by solid proof, full of confidence.

Yet Pei Guang's next words made Veritas fall silent once more.

"Just one question. Are you the enemy?"

Veritas fell into thought. He understood immediately what Pei Guang meant: Pei Guang had realized that he knew something, and even suspected he was somewhat involved in the recent disappearances on the space station.

Did Pei Guang know exactly what was going on? Clearly not. Everything he said came from speculation and deduction, conclusions drawn from limited clues.

However...

Veritas looked at Pei Guang and responded, unusually calm, "No."

There was no need for lengthy explanations. A simple word clearly conveyed his stance.

Pei Guang: "No, huh? Then it's fine. Let's just wait. Wait for more people to go missing, and wait for the one behind all this to make their next move."

Asta: "Did you figure something out?"

Pei Guang: "Nope. No leads, not even a target. Just wait. Sooner or later, someone will let us know what happens next."

And so began a long wait. 

Asta and Veritas stayed in the room with Pei Guang. The wait was boring and while Veritas sat in a corner, Asta scooted over to Pei Guang's side.

"Nyaa~"

Pei Guang: "Nyaa nyaa nyaa~"

Asta: "Pfft~"

Seeing Pei Guang's reaction, Asta smiled. Then she whispered, "Say… the one behind all this… do you think they'll target me?"

Pei Guang spread his hands. "No idea. But going after you would actually be a good move. I mean, you're the station lead, but you look so weak~"

Asta glared at Pei Guang, arms akimbo in protest, but then softened her tone. "I'm so weak, yet I hold such a high position here… Do you think I'll be the last one to go missing? If I disappear, or even die… would you be sad?"

There was a complicated look in Asta's eyes. If all of Pei Guang's speculation and analysis was true, then both she and Pei Guang could be potential targets. 

Compared to Pei Guang, she was just a wealthy person: she didn't have his kind of power. If the enemy really targeted her, she'd probably be doomed.

The thought of death stirred fear in her heart. And with Pei Guang being the only familiar face around, she could only quietly talk to him to ease her nerves.

At that moment, Pei Guang was just as taken aback. He'd been carefully avoiding setting off any death flags this whole time, and now Asta just slapped one straight on his face? 

A point-blank ultimate? Not only did she underestimate him, now she was trying to stab him in the heart?

Even Stelle might have tolerated that, but Pei Guang couldn't. He sat on a stool, resting his chin on one hand and thought seriously, "If something happened to you, I'd be very, very sad. Especially if it happened right in front of me. That'd be one of the biggest regrets and pains of my life."

That was Pei Guang's truest thought. If something happened to Asta, it would be devastating. 

Friends made in a game were still friends. Watching a high-affection NPC die in a game could hurt, let alone in the real world.

Maybe it wouldn't be a world-shattering pain like if March 7th or Stelle died, but it would definitely cut deep.

Hearing this, Asta murmured with mixed emotions, "I see…"

For some reason, she felt something she couldn't describe. Pei Guang was one of the few rare friends she had made.

Determined to prevent any accidents, Pei Guang pushed his alertness to the max. "Don't be afraid. If you're scared, just sit a bit closer~ Don't feel awkward, this is for your protection."

Asta: "Mm~"

Asta moved to sit beside Pei Guang, but he hadn't invited her over to get closer: it was because the moment she raised a death flag, he realized this wasn't good. 

Setting a flag in a mission, especially so suddenly, was bound to cause trouble sooner or later.

Letting her stay nearby, while keeping his full attention on their surroundings, was the best way to protect her. Pei Guang did like Asta: after all, if a harem route ever opened up, she'd absolutely be a must-have early-game target.