Honkai: Star Rail — A Nameless Traveler, a New Path Every Day - Chapter 5

First came the tentacles.

The two stiff, antenna-like tentacles trembled slightly, and his six long, spiky legs, which were curled up in front of his chest, twitched and finally tentatively stretched out.

“He moved! He moved!” March 7th wiped his sweat. “Uncle Yang, look! He’s alive again!”

Although he didn’t do anything (actually, he actually made things worse), March 7th still felt a great sense of relief.

“Buzz…help…buzz…give me a hand…”

Dan Heng stepped forward, extended the shaft of his spear, and gently picked up one side of Youyan’s carapace with a gesture as if carrying luggage, then flicked his wrist.

“Splash—”

The giant beetle finally managed to turn over, and its six legs were firmly planted on the floor again.

You Yan was so moved she almost cried.

Thank you, Danheng. I’ll play with you someday when I become an immortal.

You Yan shook his head, and his enormous compound eyes reflected hundreds of tiny squares onto the faces of everyone around him. This visual experience was truly amazing, like watching hundreds of surveillance screens simultaneously, and also seeing the images behind and above him.

The most peculiar feeling is that these elements combine to form a complete picture, and in his view, everything can be sped up or slowed down at will.

“Alright, alright, it’s good that you’re alright!” March 7th clapped her hands, then leaned over and pointed at Youyan’s back, “Hey, look, doesn’t this pattern on his back look a bit like a ghost face?”

“Those are mimicry patterns. Many creatures evolve patterns to scare away predators. Even the products of fate follow basic evolutionary logic.”

His six legs moved with surprising ease, as if he were born knowing how to walk. The sound of his chitinous exoskeleton striking the metal floor was crisp, melodious, and rhythmic.

“Alright, stop studying insect encyclopedias here.” Himeko glanced at the communicator on her wrist, smiling as she interrupted the chatter. “Ms. Black Tower is already waiting for us. And… I think she’ll be very interested in Yuyan’s current state.”

“I have a…buzz…ominous premonition…buzz…”

“Don’t worry.” March 7th patted his hard thigh casually—because he couldn’t reach his shoulder—”Although Ms. Black Tower has a bit of an eccentric temper, she won’t dissect her guests randomly. Probably… just drawing some blood? Or cutting some shell samples?”

“Your attempt at comforting me… *buzz*… is worse than saying nothing at all…”

Now that it has mastered flapping its wings, Youyan can briefly utter a phrase.

“Hey, slow down!” March 7th called out from beside him. “Don’t bump into the door frame! That’s a sensor door, not one you can just smash open!”

“My vision…buzz…it’s a little blurry…buzz…”

The main reason is that the world of compound eyes is just too magical.

“This way.” Dan Heng stopped. “Don’t go that way, that’s the garbage dump.”

“Thanks…buzz…”

The group then walked out of the mooring platform in a grand procession.

As soon as they turned the corner, they ran into a patrol team of space station defense personnel.

The leader was a young man holding a particle gun. When he looked up, he saw a giant beetle with an eerie blue glow charging towards him, baring its fangs and claws.

“The Zerg swarm! The Zerg swarm has invaded!!!”

The once quiet corridor instantly erupted into chaos.

Before the alarm could even sound, the defense officers had already reflexively raised their weapons, their guns all pointed at You Yan’s enormous head.

“Shoot! Shoot now! Don’t let it get any closer!”

“No…buzz! Don’t hit…buzz! Honest bug…buzz! My own bug…buzz!”

The corridor was silent for two seconds.

“He said he was an honest man,” a defense officer whispered.

“I heard him say that he was an insect.”

“So… are we still going to fight?”

“Oh no, we’ve inhaled the hallucinogenic scales of a true stinging insect!”

You Yan stared wide-eyed.

password!

I’ll never be a fan of you!

“Look carefully… Buzz… I am a pure Coleoptera… Buzz… Where did the powder come from! It’s mixed in with… Buzz… Lepidoptera… Buzz… Subspecies True Stinger… Buzz… That’s where the powder comes from… Buzz!”

He said he didn’t have any fans.

“I heard it too. He said he’s a Coleoptera.” His teammate swallowed, his hand still trembling slightly as he gripped his gun. “But… do insects classify themselves? That’s a bit too meticulous, isn’t it?”

“No, don’t true beetles of the order Coleoptera also have powder?”

“Um, I was saying…”

Finally, on March 7th, she couldn’t stand it anymore and poked her head out from behind Youyan’s enormous body to explain.

“Everyone, don’t panic! This isn’t an invasion, it’s… uh, it’s our train’s new passenger! He may look a bit odd, but he’s really a good person! No, a good bug!”

“Miss March?”

The defense officers clearly recognized the lively girl from the train, and their tense nerves relaxed slightly. The leading squad leader frowned, his gaze shifting back and forth between March 7th and the giant insect.

“This is… a new passenger? Has the train’s admission criteria become so… diverse?”

“This is a rather complicated explanation,” Walter stepped forward. “In short, he is currently in a special life form, but his consciousness is human. That’s why we came to see Lady Black Tower.”

“Is that so…?” The squad leader was still somewhat skeptical. “I’m sorry, but the appearance is just too… too much like that.”

Although the defense officers made way, their eyes remained fixed on You Yan, and their hands holding their guns did not completely loosen their grip.

“We are nameless passengers on the Starry Sky Train, and this… well, this rather unusual companion is one of them. We’ve come here to visit Ms. Black Tower and discuss some matters related to her health condition.”

Himeko wore a calm smile.

“If you are still concerned, you can contact the main control section immediately to verify with Ms. Black Tower herself or Station Master Estád. I think they should have received our access request.”

“Alright.” He looked up, his guard still slightly raised, but his tone had softened considerably. “Ms. Black Tower’s office has confirmed your appointment. Sorry, everyone, we overreacted.”

“It’s our duty, we understand.” Walter nodded slightly.

“However…” the squad leader glanced at Youyan’s massive frame, “For the safety of the other researchers on the space station, we need to escort you to the main control module. Is that alright?”

“Of course,” Himeko replied with a smile.

However, this kind of entourage was more like a transport mission than an escort.

Along the way, they attracted the attention of everyone inside the space station.

“What is that? A rare artifact recently brought in by Lady Black Tower?”

Youyan’s compound eyes took in the expressions of everyone around him.

Curious, terrified, eager to get a closer look, and some even already pulling out their notebooks to take notes…

“March…buzz…” His wings fluttered gently. “I…buzz…have become a rare animal…buzz…”