Chapter 817: Zhao Lin, whom I haven't seen in a long time / The strange Creepy Beast

No survivors.

But that didn't matter either.

These trolls clearly didn't look like the type to hold a conversation.

Time was plentiful, but Ye Qiyan didn't intend to waste too much of it on these trolls.

He simply dispatched the Goshawk to scout ahead in the direction the trolls had come from.

Given the Goshawk's current level,

while its combat power was only in the second tier, when it came to speed, in its Extreme Flash mode, it was only slightly slower than Eve and the Hunt.

"Go, be careful. Once you've had enough Swipes, head to that tower. I'll know."

"Screech!"

The Goshawk flapped its wings, soared into the clouds, and vanished as a brilliant golden bolt of lightning.

With that arrangement made,

Ye Qiyan summoned the White Bear as well.

Driving the all-terrain vehicle Road Tyrant after combining with it, he sped at full throttle across the wasteland outside the RUN Company headquarters.

The mountain may be in sight, but the horse runs itself to death.

The White Bear summoned an ice path, and the Road Tyrant racing along it reached a top speed of 700 kilometers per hour, considerably faster than Ye Qiyan's train in its normal state.

But even so, traveling in a straight line, it still took him over ten minutes to finally arrive beneath this colossal structure called a company, but which was more like a nation.

At the base of the towering, cloud-piercing skyscraper, numerous villages had gathered.

All the people living in these villages had been relocated here by RUN Company from low-level station worlds that were facing destruction or whose world settings were utterly hopeless.

They formed villages of varying sizes.

Surrounding the feet of RUN Company.

This practice seemed to have started as far back as the previous Boss.

It had continued for over a hundred years now.

Over this span of time, which for ordinary people counted as two or even three generations,

whether children or adults,

they all aspired to become members of RUN Company.

One could say that, unlike some cities that suffered from a lack of manpower and had to purchase populations from other major cities, or simply resort to native slaves,

RUN Company never lacked for willing hands.

As for their numbers, even Russell himself, as the Boss, probably couldn't say exactly how many there were.

Ye Qiyan didn't immediately enter the company.

Instead, he came to a village that looked very much like the Wild West.

Every man in the village wore a cowboy hat and carried a firearm at his waist.

Seeing an outsider like Ye Qiyan enter the village, they appeared quite wary.

Ye Qiyan had activated Arrogance at its lowest state.

These people could notice him only because the Road Tyrant, which followed him automatically without needing to be touched, was far too conspicuous.

Of course, that was also because he had no intention of truly concealing himself.

Altos.

That was the identity Russell knew.

Not long ago, he'd made a bit of a name for himself in the Lunar Heart Arena.

Ye Qiyan occasionally dropped by the public chat room.

Even the people in this sector of theirs had all learned of the existence of the top figure of the Lunar Heart Arena, the Lord of Calamity, the Blasphemer, Ye Qiyan.

Although the vast majority of people had no idea what those titles actually meant,

they sounded impressive, and that was enough.

Of course, some also remembered that there was someone called Ye Qiyan in the E-3 sector itself.

But no one would ever connect the two as the same person.

After all, that answer was far too absurd.

Ye Qiyan entered a tavern.

He let the White Bear Road Tyrant stay outside the establishment.

By now, he had also dressed himself up as a cowboy.

With Black Ebony and White Night holstered at his waist, he sat at the bar counter and ordered a glass of the local specialty brew.

The people around him watched him with dangerous looks, and the entire tavern was filled only with the relaxed sound of Ye Qiyan drinking.

"Glug, glug, glug..."

"Ha, not bad at all, ma'am. How many bottles of this do you have left? I'll take them all."

The high-proof alcohol couldn't affect Ye Qiyan's Spirit, but he still deliberately put on a slightly drunken act, revealing the two pistols at his waist, one black and one white, like exquisite works of art.

His presence teased at the nerves of these Wild West cowboys.

Silent whispers echoed through the space.

No sound, yet in everyone's heart, it seemed a faceless, formless, voiceless demon was bewitching them to snatch and grab.

Finally, someone couldn't hold back and made a move.

But just then,

Jingle!

The tavern door was pushed open.

A youthful, radiant girl walked in happily.

"Brother Qiyan, I'm here!"

Zhao Lin.

The girl woven with both luck and misfortune.

Apart from Ye Qiyan, she had the highest train level in the current E-3 sector.

Excluding individuals with special powers like Mo Shi, she should also be the strongest among this batch of Train Conductors.

Zhao Lin was cradling that little black beast with the big ears in her arms.

The Calamity Moon Beast.

The moment this little creature entered the tavern, it immediately abandoned its master, trotted over, and leaped directly in front of Ye Qiyan.

It looked up at him with big, watery eyes, putting on an adorable act.

It seemed to be seeking something.

Luck?

Or...

the Moon...

"Xiao E! You're never like this! Get back here!"

Zhao Lin's face flushed red, both embarrassed and annoyed as she ran over to Ye Qiyan's side and scooped the Calamity Moon Beast back into her arms.

The Calamity Moon Beast was displeased with Zhao Lin's embrace, kicking her chest out of shape while still trying to act cute for Ye Qiyan.

It even flashed its claws, struggling and grabbing hold of the black stockings Zhao Lin was wearing.

"Br-Brother Qiyan, it's never been like this before... wuu..."

Ye Qiyan couldn't help but laugh.

He remembered that when this little beast first appeared, it had been quite aloof.

If it was acting like this now, it was probably because of that Five Moon that WALL-E had snatched away right under Eris's nose at the last station.

"You're quite different from before this time."

He sized up Zhao Lin's current appearance.

Compared to last time when she'd worn that oversized mage robe that made anyone instantly recognize her as a magic user, she now looked more like a JK girl.

"Hehe, my old equipment was outdated. Thanks to that forbidden spell you sold me, Brother Qiyan. Without it, I would have died at Misfortune Station several times over."

Zhao Lin stuck out her tongue and calmed the Calamity Moon Beast in her arms.

She glanced around at the native humans around her, all with hands on their waists ready to draw their guns, and blinked.

"Brother Qiyan, am I... interrupting something?"

"What do you think?"

"I'm sorry!"

Ye Qiyan casually waved his hand.

He hadn't really done anything.

He'd merely accidentally let out a trace of Bewitchment's aura.

"Heh, no worries. Just remember to pay for my drinks later."

Click.

A snap of the fingers.

All the gunmen scrambled to flee outside.

Leaving only the tavern owner, who had already hidden beneath the counter, curled up and trembling.

"Oh, and these too. Pay for them as well."