In the midst of constant battle, Pei Guang's mind was also racing: this was a truly free world.
The system—be it the one that sent him here or the one given to him by his fellow netizen—had always encouraged players to explore freely.
So this kind of simple, stationary damage-dealing clearly didn't align with Pei Guang's ideals. As a player, how could he just stand in place and mechanically release skills?
With that in mind, Pei Guang continued fighting while collecting roasted insect eggs and pieces of the True Sting, all while thinking. When he saw the drones orbiting the train, controlled by Himeko, a sudden idea struck him.
At that moment, music echoed in his head. Images of planets, galaxies, and countless mathematical formulas flashed across his mind.
Pei Guang stopped his relentless assault and returned to the train, where he found Pom-Pom, who was currently trembling and hiding behind Himeko. The overwhelming swarm of bugs had brought back some terrifying memories.
Seeing Pei Guang return, Pom-Pom quickly looked up at him. "Passenger Pei Guang, what's wrong? Is there anything Pom-Pom can help with?"
Pei Guang nodded. "Yes! And it seems like only Pom-Pom can do this. Pom-Pom, I have a bold idea, see if it's doable."
Pei Guang then laid out his bold plan.
Himeko, who had been calmly sipping coffee, choked upon hearing his proposal. "Cough, cough, cough!"
Pom-Pom was stunned at first, but after thinking it over carefully, realized it might actually work.
Pom-Pom said, "No problem! The train has the most advanced technology: no matter how intense the turbulence, nothing will go flying inside. However, maintaining that state consumes a lot of energy... but now's not the time to worry about that.
I'll adjust the train's trajectory. The train will start moving again shortly. This time the startup may cause strong dizziness: Passenger Pei Guang, please prepare yourself."
Pei Guang replied, "No problem. I'm already prepared—besides, I won't be inside the train."
Pom-Pom: "You're not inside the train?"
Pei Guang: "That's right! Let me form the head!"
Pei Guang stepped out of the train, stuck himself onto the front, then drew his wooden sword. Using his own crafted sword as a medium, he compressed the Savory Truefire into the blade.
Seeing that Pei Guang was fully prepared, Pom-Pom didn't say much and started up the train.
This time, the train's motion wasn't simply moving forward. Thanks to Pom-Pom's adjustments, it initially moved in a circular path. After traveling a short distance, the engine, combined with the conductor's control, caused the train to start spinning.
Normally, anyone on a spinning train would be flung off. But for a player? Who cares how the vehicle moves? If I decide to stand, no one can make me fall off.
Thus, Pei Guang stood as if embedded into the train's front end, spinning along with it. First, the train advanced normally as Pei Guang rotated with it. As the spinning intensified, the train's movement took on an elliptical rotation.
As the train began spinning, Pei Guang's battle BGM started playing.
At first, Pei Guang wondered what the BGM would be this time. But when he heard it, his expression gradually turned serious—because in some ways, it really fit the moment.
With a passionate BGM and a pounding beat, the train spun faster and faster. Under Pom-Pom's control, it could even move forward, backward, and turn while spinning.
As the music surged, Pei Guang entered a moment of reflection. After thinking it through, he understood: if this BGM was already playing, he had to rise to the occasion. Not doing so would feel like letting it down.
So, Pei Guang raised his weapon and, with the spinning train, jumped. With knees slightly bent, his left hand placed on his thigh, his right hand pointed the flaming wooden sword upward.
At the same time, the train's spinning reached its peak. As it did, the BGM's lyrics echoed across the universe—so loudly that even people on nearby planetary systems could hear the song:
"Carried, carried, carried my backpack, the moment I left home."
"I know that real life has too many kinds of 'special.'"
"If you see me, please don't be too cold."
"I'm sentimental, but also passionate and free."
…
As the song played and the lyrics rang out, the train spun at high speed, glowing a bright blue, while Pei Guang's fire surrounded the train as if it were reborn in flames.
Though Himeko's drones couldn't keep up with the speed, she had a clever workaround: she stuck them directly onto the train. At the same time, the train's cannon mode shifted from bombardment to beam mode, with satellite rays enveloping the train alongside the flames.
Everyone was stunned: not just the swarm of bugs, but even the onlookers watching from afar.
The Aeon of Remembrance was so shocked by the sight that They worked overtime to record the entire spectacle. The Aeon of Elation burst out laughing with joy: just imagining what Akivili would say if They were still alive…
No matter what words were used, Aha would surely embrace Akivili and say:
"Isn't this also a form of trailblazing?"
Everyone who had been watching this unique existence known as the player fell silent at that moment.
As for what Akivili would have thought if They had witnessed this scene while still alive?
Who knows? After all, Akivili is no longer part of this world!
Of course, the rotation of the train wasn't the main point. The key was that during the high-speed spin, a person was standing on the front of the train dancing. The dance moves were incredibly simple—waving arms, spinning in place, kicking legs—but as Pei Guang danced, he began to do something only a player could pull off: sprinting wildly around the rotating train.
The bugs were stunned. Even though their brains were basically nonfunctional, the scene still filled them with fear.
As the train spun, the situation flipped. Previously, the train had been the prey and the bugs the hunters. Now, the bugs had become the prey, and the train was the hunter.
Under Pom-Pom's control, the train spun closer and closer to massive swarms of bugs. Countless insects were instantly sliced in half or roasted by Pei Guang's flames and collected into his storage space.
Even Himeko, who had been calmly sipping coffee on the sofa, went silent watching this unfold. Thinking back on all the years the Astral Express had traveled, it had never felt so free. But still, this train...
She considered the possible consequences of the high-speed rotation, then thought about how eliminating this massive swarm of bugs could bring peace to countless planets.
With that in mind, she didn't feel so bad anymore.
"It's quite the experience~"
Sitting steadily inside the Express, she enjoyed the rotation and the sight of the bug massacre outside.
Despite the high-speed spinning, the train's internal gravity systems were fully operational. As the rotational speed stabilized, energy consumption inside the train decreased significantly, allowing the rotation to last even longer.
Maybe it was Pei Guang's sheer level of taunt, or maybe it was the immense aggro value of the rotating Express, but every insect inside the giant True Sting was focused entirely on the train. None of them paid any attention to the rest of the battlefield, giving the other teams a clean path to move.
The fastest-moving group was the trio of Welt, March 7th, and Seele. Thanks to their good luck, they were the first to find the connection point.
This connection looked like a continent in size, and destroying it was no easier than wiping out an entire continent. For most people, that would be a daunting task.
Welt directly summoned several Selene using his own power. He had also brought along a large supply of Pei Guang's all-attribute recovery consumables, allowing him to expend his energy without holding back.
Selene bombarded the giant True Sting's connection point. This strike damaged the creature's left-side connection, disabling its ability to travel in a straight line through space.
While the attack successfully crippled one side of the monster's mobility, it also caused it immense pain. The beast let out a pained roar, which immediately alerted many nearby bugs.
Meanwhile, March 7th was using Six-Phased ice to intercept the berserk bugs: "Uncle Yang!!!"
Welt: "We did it! That strike successfully severed the connection. I also left a little surprise there..."
Welt didn't fully trust a simple strike to hold, so he had planted something else at the connection point just in case the giant True Sting had powerful regeneration capabilities.
That "little something" would help prevent it from healing.
After completing the task, Welt began preparing to retreat. Using the power of the Herrscher core, he constructed a small spaceship. The group boarded it and flew back toward the Express.
They could have teleported directly back, as there were no limitations on teleportation, however, everyone had agreed to save that trump card for a critical moment. After all, no one could predict what might go wrong during the fight with the giant bug, and conserving resources was the smart move.