Chapter 70 - 69: Reaching the End with Your own Will

It was a strange-looking little robot, working hard with the parts it had scavenged to repair a piece of machinery in front of a restaurant. This was its final task for the day. Once it completed the repairs, it started logging its tasks manually due to damage to its memory logs. Today: Repair. Collect parts. Tasks completed. Circuit: Maintenance completed. Lights: Still on. Safety: Yes. The small robot hadn't noticed the trash cans behind it yet. But as it finished logging, it heard sounds from behind. When it turned around, it saw three trash cans and emitted a sound: "Survivors detected. Survivors detected." The robot's words made Pei Guang cringe in embarrassment. March 7th whispered, "How did it find us?" Pei Guang: "It probably has some kind of AI. Hiding in trash cans only works on machines that follow orders strictly. But don't worry, Stelle! Go for it!" Stelle: "Rules..." Pei Guang: "Whoa, whoa, stop! We're not here to destroy it, we're taking it with us." Stelle: "Got it! But what's the use of this thing?" Stelle put away her bat and, instead, grabbed a nearby trash can and covered the robot with it. Then, with a solid kick, the robot was trapped inside. Pei Guang quickly sealed it with a lid. Looking at the trash can with the robot inside, Pei Guang grinned. "Don't you think that a little robot, holding on in a deserted town like this, has the potential to be a real tragedy?" March 7th: "Tragedy?" Pei Guang nodded. "Yeah, you know, something that's going to be heartbreaking in the future. Whether it's people barely surviving nearby or a robot maintaining equipment in an abandoned town—I can guarantee there's a sad story coming." Pei Guang patted the trash can as the robot inside struggled. But Pei Guang remained unfazed, saying, "Stories always have their happy and sad moments. Comedy is often rooted in tragedy, and tragedy is what causes the most pain. When you witness a tragedy firsthand, that pain you feel—that's what we call a 'knife' to the heart. But in a world this free, given the choice, I'd rather avoid such a tragic ending." He smiled. "No matter what others think, as long as I don't see it as a tragedy, that's what matters." March 7th whispered, "So, what kind of tragedy do you think this little robot might have?" Pei Guang speculated. "Hard to say. But look at its logs." March 7th picked up the robot's log. At first, the records seemed normal, but later, it started noting things like the lack of survivors in the city, maintaining equipment, wanting to read books, and enjoying the light. Seeing this, March 7th went silent, and even Stelle, who had been cheerful all day, didn't know what to say. Pei Guang patted the trash can again. "See? Isn't it moving? Even a robot, in this kind of post-apocalyptic world, clings to its duty. I can understand the despair of seeing the end of the world, but..." Pei Guang stopped himself, choosing not to voice his opinion. From his perspective, if the Supreme Guardian was truly in despair, she should go find a quiet place to die alone. If she wanted to drag down those still fighting for hope, Pei Guang would have no problem firing a shot at her. Without the smallest-caliber side cannon of a starship blasting her, he wouldn't feel satisfied. Justice? No, no, no! Don't misunderstand. Pei Guang was just a player, doing what he wanted to do. Listening to Pei Guang's words, March 7th hesitantly asked, "Have you gone through a lot of situations like this?" Pei Guang responded casually, "A lot! Zhao Ling'er, Lin Yueru, Rainy Season, the little girl in Bloodborne, the Fire Keeper, BT, Ethan... so many, really. From single-player to online games, there have been way too many. Oh, and don't forget that one time with Cenia, who scammed me out of 80k, and Blizzard with their you-know-what! Screw them, give me my money back!" Seeing March 7th's concerned expression, Pei Guang smiled. "I'm a gamer, after all! Exploring the unknown, discovering new things. Sure, I can't always change the plot, but I can still strive to reach the end with my own will. The joy of a game isn't just about the moment you beat it: it's about enjoying the journey to get there." Pei Guang's words made Stelle pause. "Reaching the end with your own will..." She turned to Pei Guang. "What... does that mean?" Pei Guang mused, "It's simple, really! No matter what the future holds, whether it's destruction or a life of happiness, whether you live to 80 as a nobody with a catheter or only make it to 30, famous across the world—the future's entire story is your own choice." "Exploring one map after another with companions you like, opening one treasure chest after another, never wasting a single item or tool inside, discovering unknown places, and finally living happily ever after—the perfect ending. Though, if I could reload, I'd definitely run the bad ending route and play through the world destruction path at least once..." Stelle nodded, "I see..." March 7th chuckled, "Seriously~ Sometimes you're completely crazy, but other times you're so full of wisdom. I never know which is the real you. As for the bad ending, try playing it, and I'll drop your affection points~" Pei Guang grinned, "I'm both. In games, I can be a saint with infinite morality, or I can be the disaster that destroys countless star systems—I can do it all! As for dropping affection points? In a world where you don't exist, how could you threaten me with that? Heh, heh, heh~" March 7th poked Pei Guang playfully, "Alright, alright, you win! You're the greatest~ But what are we going to do with this little guy?" As March 7th spoke, the small robot in the trash can began to struggle. "Warning! Warning!!" The robot's alarm echoed from inside the can, but Pei Guang wasn't about to show mercy. He grabbed a rope and tied the trash can tightly. "Alright! Let's turn in this batch of loot and find someone who knows more about this thing." Stelle asked, "Who would know about stuff like this?" March 7th replied, "Duh, it's that big shot, Svarog, we met last night... uh, was it last night?" Living underground and without checking the time, March 7th wasn't really sure what time it was. Pei Guang waved it off, "Doesn't matter. Since it was something we did before bed, let's just call it last night! Off we go! Big haul today." Stelle pointed at the struggling trash can, "Can I carry it?" "Sure!" Pei Guang handed over the trash can, and Stelle excitedly lifted it high, running ahead, "Big haul! Big haul!" For Stelle, today's treasure wasn't a light cone or even some rare loot—it was getting to journey with her companions, choosing what she wanted to see through her own will. As they made their way back, Seele came running toward them in a hurry, "Guys! Can you stop for a bit? We've gathered too much stuff, and we're swamped right now." Pei Guang's team had worked incredibly fast. Any room with Fragmentum creations was cleared in a minute, and the ones without them were stripped bare in 30 seconds. Loot it, dismantle it, and leave nothing behind—a scene straight out of "Li Sangguang's Village Massacre", only in Belobog. In this case, "Li Sangguang" referred to a reference from Grid Crisis—and just like in that game, Pei Guang and his companions were pulling off a similar feat here in Rivet Town. The town's outskirts had been stripped clean of resources, and even a few barely-surviving inhabitants from the edge of town had been rounded up. Supplies had to be allocated, people needed to be registered and treated, and order had to be maintained for the newly-rescued wanderers. Now, even with the help of the Wildfire, they were short on manpower. Even the miners weren't enough, and the Underworld remaining population wasn't able to keep up. That's why Seele came to ask Pei Guang and the others to take a break. The main supplies needed recording, and personal items that belonged to the upper-city folks who had relatives in Rivet Town also needed documentation. Plus, the newly-motivated vagrants had to be managed, and they simply didn't have enough hands on deck to handle it all. Seeing Seele's anxious expression, Pei Guang pointed at the trash can Stelle was holding high. "Good timing, we've got some other business to take care of. We'll pick up the supply runs later. Don't worry, we're professionals when it comes to scavenging because we are...!" Stelle exclaimed, "The Trailblazer Squad!" March 7th chimed in, "The Trailblazer Squad! Oh, wait... did we forget about Dan Heng?" Pei Guang casually responded, "Not at all. To me, Dan Heng is the real big shot in our trio's Trailblazer Squad. The three-person team is always going to have a fourth member—it's like how the Four Heavenly Kings always have five members. That hidden one is our true core boss!" Stelle agreed, "That's true. With Dan Heng around, I always feel like no matter how reckless we are, someone's got our back." Pei Guang laughed, "Exactly! He's our hidden ace. Who knows, maybe he has a second or even third form that'll save us during a future crisis. I wouldn't even be surprised if he turned into a dragon to help us wipe out enemies." March 7th nodded, "Hmm... you know, you're right! It always feels like Dan Heng knows everything, and since he's the one organizing the knowledge base, you could say he's the most important person on the Astral Express!" Pei Guang concluded, "When we face something we just can't solve, we'll ask our brilliant Mr. Dan Heng!" Stelle cheered, "Oh!!" Meanwhile, over at a restaurant in the underground, Dan Heng suddenly had a bad feeling. It was the strange sensation of being targeted again. However, as he listened to the noise outside and looked around at the state of the underground, he decided to remain calm and keep eating. After all, as long as he stayed in Jarilo-VI, he didn't have to worry about those three destroying everything. What could they possibly do? He had already survived the chaos when March 7th's antics had them on wanted lists everywhere, and now that Pei Guang had joined them, he actually felt more relaxed. At least he didn't have to think as much. Thinking too much was what gave him headaches, but not being around them was a relief. Besides, the location of the Stellaron had already been confirmed, so finding it wouldn't be that hard. For now, Dan Heng would just sit back and watch what kind of mess those three would get into. It's not like they could dismantle the whole planet, right? "Ahh..." Dan Heng sighed contentedly as he took a sip of water, feeling completely at peace amidst the chaos outside.