Chapter 5: The Reassuring Galactic Bat

"By the way, let me give you a weapon for self-defense. The space station is quite dangerous right now." Gu Tang reached into the pouch on his back again.

March 7th bent down curiously, closely inspecting the small pouch. "How can you fit so many things in this little bag?"

"Because it's my invention. The space inside is as large as several football fields," Gu Tang explained.

"Wow! Amazing! If I had this, imagine how much juice I could store..." March 7th lifted her head, fantasizing about swimming in an ocean of juice, and couldn't help but drool a bit.

[Name: Heavyweight Storage Pouch]

[Type: Backpack-Type Item]

[Level: 5]

[Effect: The internal space is enormous, measuring 2km x 2km x 2.5km. The downside is that the user must endure 100 tons of gravitational force.]

[Evaluation: It's just gravitational force, not that the thing actually weighs 100 tons. So don't worry, it won't collapse the floor.]

Of course, this amount of gravity was like a few specks of dust to Gu Tang. However, March 7th probably couldn't use it.

That's the unique trait of Gu Tang's creations; they always have some mysterious drawback or side effect.

"Here, take this." Gu Tang pulled out a baseball bat and handed it to Xing. "This is also my invention. I call it the 'Galactic Bat.' It's perfect for newcomers."

March 7th tilted her head. "A baseball bat? Not bad... but you're a super amazing scientist, so I thought you'd pull out something more extravagant."

"You think this is just an ordinary baseball bat? Tsk tsk tsk..." Gu Tang wagged his finger in front of her. "This is my invention. It can eliminate anxiety and fear from the user's brain. For someone like Xing, who just lost her memory, it's perfect."

Xing took the baseball bat and swung it a few times, amazed. "Really... I do feel a lot calmer."

March 7th: "Is it really that amazing? Just a stick?"

Dan Heng: "This is the Herta Space Station, where the smartest people in the universe gather. It's not surprising to see inventions like this."

[Galactic Bat]

[Type: Equipment - Melee Weapon]

[Level: 3]

[Effect: Strength +20, Constitution +20, Critical Rate +7.5%, Critical Damage +11%, Intelligence -3.]

[Evaluation: It's a great weapon for beginners. As for the reduced intelligence... it's not necessarily a bad thing.]

"Great, we've successfully rescued two people. We should head back to the main control compartment." March 7th, full of energy, put her hands on her hips.

"No, it's three people." Dan Heng turned off his communicator. "Asta just contacted me. Alan from the defense department lost contact near here. I need to bring him back. You three go ahead."

Gu Tang looked at Dan Heng. "Alan, huh... I know him well. I'll go with you. The space station is chaotic right now, and you need someone familiar with the routes."

Dan Heng pondered for a moment and nodded. "Alright, then I'll rely on you. March, you take Xing to a safe place first. We'll meet up later."

"Okay, but you two be careful," March 7th responded.

Xing reached out, clutching Gu Tang's sleeve, seemingly not wanting him to leave.

Gu Tang patted her head. "You go with March 7th first. Don't worry, we'll catch up."

"...Okay. Be careful. If there's danger, use Dan Heng as a shield," Xing said slowly.

Dan Heng: "?"

"Ha, Dan Heng, your initial favorability isn't as high as mine," March 7th laughed, covering her mouth.

And so, the four split into two teams.

[Ding! Mission "Hurricane Rescue" activated]

[Mission Objective: Escort Xing and Alan to safety]

[Reward: Skill 'Extract']

"The truth of life and death, revealed in an instant!"

Dan Heng thrust his spear forward.

In a flurry of maple leaves and lake reflections, the spear pierced through the enemy's body effortlessly.

After ensuring the surrounding enemies were defeated, Dan Heng relaxed his stance and asked Gu Tang behind him, "Which way would be quicker?"

Gu Tang lowered his head, thinking.

On the outside, he seemed calm and collected, but inside, he was panicking.

Externally, he resembled Rodin's "The Thinker," but internally, he felt like Munch's "The Scream."

Because he realized he didn't recognize the route.

Just moments ago, he claimed to be familiar with the space station's routes. This wouldn't do...

So, he decisively asked Dan Heng, "Which direction is Alan in?"

Dan Heng paused, checked the map, and pointed. "According to the coordinates sent by Asta... this way."

Gu Tang pulled out a half-person-high ring from his pouch.

"Time is of the essence. Let's go through the wall; it will save us a lot of time," he suggested to Dan Heng.

Dan Heng rubbed his chin, looking at the ring.

Could it be that the space inside the ring connects both sides of the wall, allowing people to pass through directly?

It's just like a portal ring. Unexpectedly, Mr. Gu Tang could invent something like this.

Dan Heng admired Gu Tang inwardly.

[Name: Penetration Ring]

[Type: Special Item]

[Level: 4]

[Effect: 50% chance to penetrate walls, 50% chance to explode]

[Evaluation: Feels... less reliable than a certain cat-type nanny robot]

Gu Tang placed the penetration ring on the wall.

Then, unsurprisingly, it exploded.

Boom——!

The blast wave knocked him over, and he rolled on the ground a few times.

The wall was blown open, creating a hole big enough for one person to pass through.

Gu Tang stood up, dusted himself off, and looked at the hole in the wall, then at Dan Heng.

"You can say we went through, right?" he said to Dan Heng.

In the monitoring room, Alan, who had sustained several injuries, was sitting on the floor against the wall.

The door opened, and Gu Tang and Dan Heng walked in.

Alan looked at Gu Tang, surprised. "Mr. Gu Tang, you haven't evacuated yet? I'll escort you... Ugh! Damn..."

He struggled to stand up, but the pain made his movements stiff.

"Don't push yourself, Alan. You look pretty hurt," Gu Tang said, checking his injuries.

"Sorry to make you see me like this. This gentleman... you're from the Astral Express, right?" Alan smiled wryly, turning to Dan Heng.

Dan Heng nodded. "Herta commissioned the train to retrieve the relic. We were returning to deliver it... and stumbled upon the attack."

"Thank you for your help... Miss Asta organized the evacuation quickly. I was supposed to cover everyone's retreat, but... I was careless in the end," Alan said, gritting his teeth in regret.

Gu Tang shook his head. "No need to blame yourself. You've done your best. Staying here and avoiding direct confrontation with the Legion was the right choice after getting injured."

"Speaking of Asta, she asked us to find you. Let's evacuate together," Dan Heng said to Alan.

"No, I can't move well... I'd only slow you down. Don't worry about me. The priority is to escort Mr. Gu Tang out," Alan refused Dan Heng's suggestion.

Dan Heng frowned.

He could tell Alan was a dedicated guardian and a stubborn one.

Convincing him to leave would be difficult.

While Dan Heng was still thinking of what to say, Gu Tang swung a punch.

Thud!

His fist hit Alan's jaw, knocking him out instantly.

"Heave-ho..." Gu Tang hoisted Alan's frail body over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes, turned to Dan Heng, and said, "Alright, let's go meet up with March 7th and Xing."

"...Decisive," Dan Heng remarked.

He found this decisiveness quite to his liking.

[Ding! Dan Heng's favorability +5]

[Ding! Mission "Dan Heng Favorability" activated]

[Mission Objective: Increase Dan Heng's favorability]

[Reward: For each level of favorability increase, receive a random damage-type item. The higher the favorability, the higher the item level.]

Gu Tang heard the mission notification.

He patted Dan Heng on the shoulder. "From today, we're best buds."

Dan Heng: "?"

Dan Heng suspected that, fundamentally, Gu Tang and March 7th were the same kind of people.