Chapter 637: Balance (Vol. 2 End)

Professor Zhao Zhihong was explaining knowledge about binary stars to Li Banfeng. During the explanation, he blew over a dozen balloons, each in a different shape. Li Banfeng found his obsession with balloons somewhat perplexing, yet Professor Zhao was undeniably a person of true talent and knowledge.

However, when discussing certain concepts, the professor became somewhat evasive. Li Banfeng asked, "What kind of interactions have occurred between the binary star's planets and Earth?"

Zhao Zhihong's eyes flickered, and he shook his head slightly, saying, "That falls outside the scope of my research..."

Judging by his expression, Zhao Zhihong had researched such questions before, but he simply didn't want to tell Li Banfeng.

Li Banfeng decided to be more direct: "Do you know about Proxima?"

Zhao Zhihong was taken aback and asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm a student from the Faculty of Science," Li Banfeng replied.

"Do you have a student ID?"

Li Banfeng pulled out his student ID. He had never turned it in; instead, his wife had used some methods to change the name to Li Qi. However, his wife had forgotten to change the student ID number.

Zhao Zhihong took a closer look: "Your year doesn't match; you graduated a long time ago!"

Li Banfeng gestured for Zhao Zhihong to calm down, then showed him his Dark Star Bureau work ID.

Zhao Zhihong became even more agitated: "Let me tell you, I, I, I only conduct legitimate research! I, I, I'm not like Yu Yaoming and them..."

Li Banfeng pressed his palm down, signaling Zhao Zhihong to calm down: "We've been talking for quite some time now; you should be able to tell I'm a good person. I'm not here to harm you; I'm here to learn from you."

Zhao Zhihong didn't believe Li Banfeng: "I can't even see what you look like; your hat brim is pulled down so low."

"But I'm wearing a suit!" Li Banfeng exclaimed. "I'm dressed very formally! A person dressed very formally must be an upright person!"

Li Banfeng spent five minutes elaborating on the relationship between formal wear, formality, and integrity to Zhao Zhihong.

Professor Zhao Zhihong blew a balloon and calmed down somewhat. He thought Li Banfeng made a lot of sense; this indeed seemed like an upright person.

"I know some rumors about Proxima, but..." Professor Zhao looked around. He was hesitant to speak. Although no one else was currently in the office, it wasn't his private office; he didn't even have one. People could enter and exit at any time. Professor Zhao Zhihong had always suspected surveillance and listening devices in his office, and this was confirmed by the projector.

"Seventh Guide, they have become my friends."

The projector took control of the surveillance and listening devices, simultaneously creating an audiovisual illusion so that anyone entering the office couldn't see Professor Zhao or Li Banfeng, nor hear their voices. Of course, this was a last line of defense; Li Banfeng still hoped that no one would enter the office.

Dream Virtue transformed into a calendar poster and hung on the door. If anyone tried to enter the office, they would feel a severe moral condemnation. The Music Box stood guard at the door. If anyone, undeterred by condemnation, insisted on forcing their way in, she would make them feel drowsy, causing them to abandon the idea of entering the office and instead quickly find a place to sleep. If someone wanted to sleep in the office, Dream Virtue would use dreams to make them sleepwalk to another location after they fell asleep.

With everything prepared, Professor Zhao finally agreed to speak.

Holding a balloon, he first stated his position: "We, as researchers, are not fond of money."

"One moment!" Li Banfeng left the office, returned to his portable residence, took out 100,000 in cash, put it in his backpack, and gave it to Professor Zhao.

Was all that money worth it? The ensuing conversation made Li Banfeng realize the value of those 100,000 yuan.

The professor had never been to Proxima, but in a sense, he knew more about it than Li Banfeng did.

"Actually, the binary star's subordinate planets had interactions with Earth many years ago. Because the era is so distant, much of the evidence is fragmented, so I can't pinpoint the exact time. The way the binary star's planets communicated with Earth was through wormholes, and the environment inside some of these wormholes met the conditions for life."

Li Banfeng listened very intently: "Could you elaborate on that part?"

Zhao Zhihong blew a long, thin balloon: "Life forms from the binary star's planets possessed an advanced civilization. They could control wormholes to extend in a specific direction, just like this long balloon. The more you blow, the bigger and longer it gets, stretching from their planet all the way to Earth. What technology they used to control wormholes, I don't know. Comparatively, Yu Yaoming's research in this area is much more in-depth."

Li Banfeng had a question: "If the binary star's planet you're referring to is Inner State, as far as I know, their civilization has remained in the Steam Age. How could a Steam Age civilization control wormholes?"

Holding a balloon, Professor Zhao seriously told Li Banfeng, "You have a flawed understanding of civilization; you're treating steam civilization as backward."

Li Banfeng was stunned: "What's wrong with that? Compared to electrical civilization, steam civilization is indeed backward."

Zhao Zhihong shook his head: "That's a typical cognitive fallacy. The type of civilization and its level of advancement are two different concepts. Earth chose electrical civilization because electrical civilization is more suited to Earth's environment. In the binary star system, their environment might be more suitable for the development of steam civilization, so they developed steam civilization to its extreme."

Li Banfeng fully agreed that Inner State had indeed developed steam civilization to its extreme. As for which was more advanced, steam or electrical civilization, Li Banfeng found it difficult to immediately shift his perspective, but this didn't hinder their conversation.

Zhao Zhihong continued: "When the binary star civilization opened a passage to Earth, Earth's civilization would have been in its nascent stages. If life forms from the binary star had successfully emerged from the wormhole, it would have inflicted devastating damage on Earth's civilization, because at that time, the two civilizations were not on the same dimension at all. However, perhaps due to technical limitations at the time, or a change in the wormhole's properties, what was initially designed as a one-way expulsion exit became a one-way accretion. Do you understand the concepts of accretion and expulsion?"

Li Banfeng shook his head; he didn't quite understand.

Zhao Zhihong picked up a balloon again: "Take this long balloon, for example. If it has a hole, theoretically, the air inside should expel. But for some reason, the balloon's properties changed, causing it not to expel air, but instead to continuously suck it in. This passage connecting Earth and the binary star's planet continuously absorbed matter from Earth. This isn't just my wild claim; it's the collective research of many scientists, including the contributions of many historians. Many ancient texts contain records of great whirlpools. Our own texts mention 'Turbid Rifts,' and folk legends speak of 'Dragon Gates.' In Western Homeric epics, there's mention of the monster Charybdis, and the Kingdom of Norway has records of the Maelstrom. The whirlpools described in these texts share many identical or similar descriptions. In reality, they recorded what were then wormhole exits. Of course, they were called exits because the binary star people originally intended them as such, but in actuality, these exits became one-way entrances."

Li Banfeng caught on to something: "Professor Zhao, how do you know the intentions of the binary star people? Is this just your inference?"

Zhao Zhihong shook his head: "This isn't an inference. The binary star people once had deep contact with Earthlings; we call it the 'honeymoon period.' The binary star people lived peacefully on Earth for a period. They left behind a considerable amount of documentation, but most of it has been lost, and a small portion is under strict control."

"When was this 'honeymoon period'?"

Professor Zhao said, "Pinpointing the exact era is complex, but it should have been before the First Steam Revolution. During this phase, after long years of accretion, the wormhole's interior had accumulated many life forms from Earth. These life forms merged with the indigenous life within the wormhole, forming a unique civilization: the wormhole civilization."

Li Banfeng understood: "You could just call it the Proxima civilization."

Professor Zhao shook his head again: "That's not accurate."

Li Banfeng, being highly educated and having biological common sense, questioned, "Indigenous life in a wormhole? Life could evolve in a wormhole within a few thousand years? Isn't that too short a time?"

Professor Zhao shook his head: "Your thinking is confined to Earth. Earth's rate of life evolution depends on Earth's environment, but the environment inside a wormhole is far more extreme, and the rate of life evolution is much faster. I once had contact with some Proxima people through special channels. Under the influence of the wormhole environment, their temperaments became very extreme, and their bodily tissues showed varying degrees of mutation."

On this matter, Li Banfeng definitely had something to say. He was very familiar with the Proxima people and had never found them to be extreme in any way.

"What do you mean by 'extreme'?"

"You're from the Dark Star Bureau; you must know something about them."

Li Banfeng smiled: "I really don't."

Zhao Zhihong explained: "If they love food, they'll eat frantically. If they love to travel, they'll wander wildly. If they want to drink, they'll consume alcohol far beyond their body's tolerance. These extreme behaviors grant them abilities that defy macroscopic physics rules. This is the result of the special environment's influence, leading to their compulsions."

Li Banfeng's cheek twitched. He retorted, "Is someone who loves balloons and can't put them down considered compulsive?"

Zhao Zhihong, holding a balloon, seriously replied, "Balloons are different. Balloons bring joy. People who love balloons are people who love life. How can loving life be considered compulsive?"

Li Banfeng looked at the documents Zhao Zhihong provided. His theory indeed had substantial empirical support, with traces of wormhole exits found all over the world.

Wait, all over the world!

Li Banfeng looked at Zhao Zhihong: "How many wormholes are there exactly, from the binary star's planet to Earth?"

"There's only one wormhole, but it has many exits."

"How does that work?"

Zhao Zhihong picked up an octopus-shaped balloon. Seeing him blow the balloon, Li Banfeng was speechless.

Once the octopus balloon was inflated, Zhao Zhihong pinched the octopus's head and said, "This is the wormhole." He then squeezed an octopus leg: "And this is an exit."

Li Banfeng understood his meaning: "There's more than one exit."

"And there's more than one civilization," Professor Zhao said, pinching each octopus leg in turn. "Each exit's characteristics are different, and they've undergone various changes over time. Some exits still allow only entry, not exit. The situation there is impossible to investigate. According to the records left by the binary star people, the inhabitants there have been completely enslaved by them, becoming lower life forms under the binary star. Other exits permit a small amount of matter to leave the wormhole. With both entry and exit, some Earthlings voluntarily ventured into the wormhole. Through years of infiltration, Earthlings reached a certain balance with the binary star people, and they jointly manage the local wormhole inhabitants."

"In other words, shared enslavement," Li Banfeng stated.

Professor Zhao thought for a moment: "You could say that. A typical example is the Land of Slumber in the Kingdom of Lavsha."

At this point, Professor Zhao firmly squeezed one octopus leg: "There's one exit that's extremely special. This exit underwent a profound change. It no longer actively accretes, and under certain conditions, it allows a large amount of matter to leave the wormhole. In other words, it's a true entrance and exit. This exit is Three-Way Fork, and this octopus leg is Proxima. Logically, this leg would be an excellent path for the binary star people to reach Earth, but this path is blocked. This is because the wormhole inhabitants within this leg refused the Inner State's enslavement. They resisted repeatedly and created their own unique civilization, which is what you call the Proxima civilization."

Li Banfeng remained stunned for a long time, then slowly began to organize his thoughts.

Professor Zhao said, "I can give you a copy of the data. That's all I can tell you."

"Don't rush, there's still the 'honeymoon period' matter."

Professor Zhao waved his hands repeatedly: "Don't ask me about the 'honeymoon period'! You shouldn't be asking me about these things! You're from the Dark Star Bureau; you already know more than I do. Are you intentionally trying to trick information out of me? Yu Yaoming and I are genuinely not on the same side. I haven't killed anyone, and I haven't broken any laws..."

The effect of the Dullness Technique was perhaps too strong.

Li Banfeng persuaded him: "I'm just doing academic research with you. Everything we discussed was academic content, and no one else knows about it between us. Just give me a copy of the data, and we'll end our discussion for today."

Li Banfeng was sitting in the Dark Star Bureau office, reviewing case records. Some of Zhao Zhihong's media accounts had indeed been dealt with. His academic findings seemed a bit absurd, but there were far more absurd marketing accounts out there. Why were his accounts consistently under special scrutiny? It turned out the Dark Star Bureau had noticed Zhao Zhihong a long time ago, and there were many records about him.

Chen Changrui knocked and entered the office: "Director Li, I finally found you! The superiors have been calling like crazy. Now, they want to prevent the Demon Lord from starting a war through communication and negotiation with Inner State..."

Li Banfeng interrupted Chen Changrui: "Slow down, I don't understand. Why would communicating with Inner State prevent the war started by the Demon Lord? Aren't Inner State and the Demon Lord the same thing?"

Chen Changrui pursed his lips and said, "Principally speaking, they are indeed not the same thing."

Li Banfeng invited Chen Changrui to sit down and patiently asked, "Then tell me the difference."

"They belong to different factions and organizations, meaning they have different..."

Chen Changrui was evasive, finding it very difficult to explain.

Li Banfeng helped him: "Just tell me directly, are they on the same planet?"

With the question put so plainly, Chen Changrui didn't know how to evade anymore, so he simply fell silent.

Li Banfeng frowned: "Sometimes I really don't understand why these things are hidden from me. Is it just because I'm from Proxima?"

Chen Changrui looked around. Li Banfeng said, "Don't worry, I've turned off all surveillance equipment."

Chen Changrui used his 'Peeking Skill' to confirm, and indeed, no surveillance devices were operating. He lowered his voice: "Actually, I know you're not from Proxima at all. You're Li Banfeng, the Li Banfeng who graduated from Yuezhou University."

Li Banfeng didn't deny it: "And? Since I'm from an outside state, and I'm also the head of the Dark Star Bureau, why are some things still being hidden from me?"

"That's because some things, I don't know, Director Shen doesn't know, no one knows the complete picture. This has been the Dark Star Bureau's long-standing rule for years."

"I think this rule needs to change," Li Banfeng said, offering Old Chen a cigarette. "Tell me what you know first, otherwise I can't help mediate."

Chen Changrui took a deep drag: "I've been in this line of work since graduating from university. Back then, college students were quite rare. I've worked at the Extraterrestrial Research Institute, the Border Defense Department, and the Dark Star Bureau for many years. I do know more than others. You just asked about planets, so you must already know some things. The Dark Star is actually the sun's binary companion; you should know that."

Li Banfeng nodded.

Chen Changrui continued: "Under the Dark Star, there are a total of eleven planets. Five are terrestrial planets, similar to Earth, primarily composed of rock. Six are gas giants, similar to Jupiter, primarily composed of gas. All eleven of these planets have life. The Inner State we refer to is the Grand Shang Kingdom, located on the third planet."

"Grand Shang Kingdom?" Li Banfeng was shocked. "Is there a connection with our historical Shang Dynasty..."

"There are intricate connections between them, which I can't fully explain. But on the third planet, there isn't just one Grand Shang Kingdom. There are also the Demon Lord's Kingdom and the White Falcon Alliance, both comparable in strength to the Grand Shang Dynasty, along with dozens of other smaller and larger factions. The Grand Shang Dynasty was once the strongest power on the third planet, but now, due to its internal strife and continuous conflicts with Proxima, its influence has waned, allowing other factions to gradually gain the upper hand. If we can reach an agreement on objectives with Inner State, that is, with the Grand Shang Dynasty, we can prevent this war by balancing each other's interests."

Li Banfeng understood: "So, all that roundabout talk means you want the Grand Shang Dynasty to act, to contain the Demon Lord and prevent him from attacking the outer states."

Chen Changrui nodded: "This would also benefit Proxima. If the Demon Lord breaks through Three-Way Fork, it would devastate Proxima. This is mutually beneficial for all three parties, so..."

Li Banfeng put down the file he was holding and stared at Chen Changrui for a long time: "I'm genuinely asking you, so please answer honestly: if it's beneficial for all three parties, why don't you just negotiate directly with Inner State?"

"That's because Inner State never..."

"Don't tell me about traditions. Just tell me the reason directly." Li Banfeng's tone was amiable, but Chen Changrui could sense that if he didn't tell the truth, or if he continued to prevaricate with Li Banfeng, the consequences could be quite severe.

"It's related to a period in history."

"Are you referring to the 'honeymoon period' between Earth and the binary star people?"

Chen Changrui recalled the history he knew. Some parts were very fragmented, and he needed a moment to connect his memories: "To be precise, it wasn't the 'honeymoon period' between the binary star people and Earth; it was the 'honeymoon period' between the Grand Shang Empire and Earth. The Grand Shang Empire established a passage to Earth, but for some reason, the passage didn't function as intended. Based on this, the Grand Shang Empire changed its strategy. They decided to cooperate with Earthlings, aiming to achieve a certain balance by enhancing Earth's overall strength."

Li Banfeng pondered for a moment and shook his head slightly: "Be more straightforward."

Chen Changrui felt conflicted. Being more straightforward would make things awkward: "Taking Proxima as an example, a series of plans by the Grand Shang Empire at the time were resisted and sabotaged by Proxima. The Grand Shang Empire wanted to establish a deeper connection with Earth to jointly restrict Proxima. However, Earth hadn't yet experienced its First Steam Revolution. Given Earth's strength, it simply didn't have the means to contend with Proxima. So, the Grand Shang Empire sent envoys to Earth through various channels, helping Earth develop its steam civilization. Earth's civilization indeed developed well, and once it reached a certain level, it genuinely gained the ability to intervene in the affairs of places like Proxima, the Land of Slumber, and Inner Amikan. But Earthlings gradually discovered that many of the Grand Shang Empire's practices conflicted with Earth's interests. Yet, every time Earthlings tried to assert their own interests, they would be technologically bottlenecked. When I worked at the Extraterrestrial Research Institute, the data wasn't as strictly controlled. I saw some historical records. According to them, even a minor conflict could lead to the shutdown of industrial production in an entire region, or even a country. Besides controlling industrial lifelines, the Grand Shang Empire also used similar methods to infiltrate outer states with their life forms. Many factory workshops were actually Inner State life forms."

Li Banfeng nodded: "Like the centipede factory at Ruirong Textile Mill."

Chen Changrui nodded: "Ruirong Textile Mill is a typical example. We gained advanced technology from Inner State, but this advanced technology itself was a reproducible life form. It not only reproduced within the textile mill but also opened an exit to the wormhole there. Such examples were countless at the time. To counter this situation, Earthlings adopted a strategy to temporarily balance the relationship between the two parties."

"How did they balance it?" Li Banfeng was curious about the methods used.

"Earth and the Demon Lord engaged in a series of collaborations, the specifics of which are unknown. However, this cooperation severely weakened the Grand Shang Empire's power, causing them to lose control over many passages leading to Earth, such as the Land of Slumber. The Grand Shang Empire considered this a shameless and unforgivable act of betrayal. Since then, they refused all forms of communication with Earthlings. They cut off technological assistance to Earth. Earth then received some assistance from the Demon Lord. In subsequent collaborations, the Demon Lord also exhibited the same problems as the Grand Shang Empire: whenever conflicts of interest arose, the Demon Lord would use technology to threaten Earth's security. Fortunately, the Second Technological Revolution soon arrived. Earthlings began to shift towards electrical civilization, gradually breaking free from the technological constraints imposed by the third planet. A new balance of interests was achieved among all parties."

"This is your 'balance'?" Li Banfeng chuckled. "It's nothing more than backstabbing. The methods might be effective, but they sound truly shabby."

This comment annoyed Chen Changrui slightly: "When I was as young as you, I also thought it was dishonorable. But Earth's civilization and the binary star civilization are vastly different. To this day, the power imbalance between them remains enormous. I just got news from Gao Yina that the electromagnetic pulse weapon that appeared this time is incredibly powerful. This isn't like the electromagnetic interference battles you read about in military magazines. This weapon is so strong it can disable all electrical components. According to the soldiers on the warship, the lights didn't even turn on, and not even a loudspeaker could be heard. Meanwhile, all defensive facilities at the enemy's sea base were steam-powered, and all steam equipment operated normally. It's easy to imagine how difficult that battle was. This is the technology the Demon Lord taught them. Just because they don't want to develop in the direction of electrical civilization doesn't mean they can't. Facing such an opponent, isn't it a bit unrealistic to still want to confront them head-on?"

Li Banfeng stated with a serious expression, "But someone *has* confronted them."

"Who?" Chen Changrui was startled. "Are you talking about the Proxima people? They..."

"Aren't they Earthlings?"

Chen Changrui sighed lightly: "Their situation is even more peculiar..."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "Constantly balancing, robbing Peter to pay Paul... is this truly the right way?"

Chen Changrui mused for a moment: "I think it is right, because we need time, more time, to improve our technological capabilities!"

"I think you have a point," Li Banfeng said, picking up the file. "This professor has achieved many research breakthroughs in the binary star field. Why is he being restricted?"

Chen Changrui recognized Zhao Zhihong: "Some of his research touched upon classified matters."

"Then let him research classified matters!"

"Some things aren't that simple..."

"Isn't letting professionals do professional work key to improving technological capabilities?"

Chen Changrui said nothing more.

Li Banfeng stood up, put on his suit, and donned his fedora.

"Director Li, regarding the communication with Inner State..."

Li Banfeng nodded in agreement: "Book me a train ticket. I'll leave tomorrow."

"I'll arrange a special train for you!"

"No need, not a special train," Li Banfeng waved his hand. "Just one ticket will do, for a single compartment."

Chen Changrui said, "I'll notify the Border Defense Department to cooperate fully."

Li Banfeng shook his head: "They don't need to cooperate. We'll talk again if there's any progress."

Chen Changrui felt something was off. He asked, "What else do you need me to do?"

Li Banfeng turned back, lifted his hat brim, and looked at Chen Changrui: "I know that in this world, 'sincerity' has always been a luxury. But I hope that from now on, you'll reserve a little sincerity for your colleagues at the Dark Star Bureau. You're a man of integrity, and some things require circumvention, which is out of necessity for you. But good is good, and bad is bad. There's no need to mince words. It's okay to take a detour for a while, but don't let yourself get lost in it for a lifetime."

Li Banfeng turned to leave.

Chen Changrui chased after him and asked, "Director Li, are you coming back?"

"Yes," Li Banfeng nodded slightly. "Keep my office for me, and my residence too. Tell the new director to adopt a proper attitude and report to me regularly. Don't wait for me to come back and find him."

Leaving the Dark Star Bureau, Li Banfeng went to the hospital. The family of Chuunibyo was inquiring about his condition, and Song Qianhun was giving a serious, albeit feigned, explanation.

"Qin Minghui's condition cannot be simply summarized in a sentence or two. I am not someone who craves fame, so I cannot make further promises at this time..."

When he saw Li Banfeng, Song Qianhun felt a bit awkward. He sounded convincing, but in reality, he knew nothing about medicine.

Li Banfeng came to Chuunibyo's bedside. Mijiàn said, "Director Li, he can move all ten fingers now."

"Really?" Li Banfeng leaned close to Chuunibyo's ear and whispered, "When you recover, I'll take you to Proxima!"

Chuunibyo's right hand clenched into a fist, and Li Banfeng smiled. He took out a bank card and handed it to Mijiàn: "You've worked hard. Buy him some good food, and treat yourself too."

"It's not hard, not at all." Mijiàn clasped Chuunibyo's hand, caressing it firmly for a long time.

That evening, Li Banfeng went to the Cultural Palace to watch a movie, and then took a stroll through the black market, buying some souvenirs. Madam Yin Si avoided Li Banfeng whenever she saw him. Since meeting him, she had found herself in danger multiple times, and her friend Jin Shunying had gone missing. Li Banfeng instructed Tang Changfa to look after Madam Yin Si more, as she was capable and well-connected.

There was also a group of ghost servants at his residence who had done many things for Li Banfeng. He handed them all over to Tang Changfa, giving him a few more helpers: "Don't worry about profits or losses in business. If you need money, tell me. If you sense trouble, quickly return to Proxima to find me. No business, no matter how grand, is worth risking your lives for. Do you understand?"

Tang Changfa nodded: "Boss, rest assured."

Yan Cuier said with red eyes, "Boss, you're leaving? You've only been here for such a short time."

Yan Hong'er glared at Yan Cuier: "Why are you crying? The boss isn't saying he won't come back."

Just as Li Banfeng was about to leave the black market, the black market boss, Lin Fojiao, was waiting in the adjoining private room. He brewed a pot of tea and asked Li Banfeng, "Seventh Master, would you like a cup of tea?"

Li Banfeng sat opposite him, and they touched cups.

Lin Fojiao said, "Drink this tea, and we are friends."

Li Banfeng nodded: "Friends."

"Good." Lin Fojiao lowered his head and closed his eyes. He fell asleep. How sincere he was – when he said 'a cup of tea,' it was just a cup of tea, nothing more.

Early the next morning, Li Banfeng went to the train station. Chen Changrui went to see him off but couldn't find him. Li Banfeng had used his 'House Repair' talent to evade him; he detested farewells.

The train arrived at Three-Way Fork. He had previously led tens of thousands of people away from here, yet as the train passed the station, many more were still begging. This time, Li Banfeng was prepared. He took out a lot of food from his portable residence and continuously threw it out the window. The conductor was angry, but Li Banfeng had only ignored the suggestion not to open the window; he hadn't violated any other regulations. The conductor had no recourse and could only watch him with a cold stare from the doorway.

The situation at Three-Way Fork was very complex. Li Banfeng had only visited Elbow Mountain once and knew too little about the area. To rescue all these people, he still had a long way to go. He needed to find an opportunity to stay in Three-Way Fork for a few days to thoroughly understand the situation there.

The train left Three-Way Fork station. Not long after, there was a knock at the door: "Sir, your luggage."

"What luggage?" Li Banfeng was momentarily puzzled; he hadn't arranged for any luggage transport. The voice sounded quite familiar.

He opened the compartment door to see a man, wearing a white shirt, a plaid vest, and a flat cap, dragging a large suitcase as he entered the compartment. He knew this person, but what was the meaning of this?

Li Banfeng lowered his voice: "Lightbulb, what are you doing?"

Lightbulb took off his flat cap, tidied his hair, and smiled: "It's me, Seventh Master."

"I just called you Lightbulb, didn't I?" Li Banfeng angrily asked. "I'm asking what you're here for!"

"We'll follow you from now on, and venture into Proxima with you!"

"You all?" Li Banfeng looked at the suitcase.

Lightbulb opened the suitcase, and Tangyuan squeezed out from inside. She also tidied her hair: "Seventh Master, it's me!"

"You too..."

"I'm also following you, Seventh Master!" Tangyuan's eyes were red with excitement.

Before Li Banfeng could speak, the conductor heard the commotion and pushed the door open: "Do you have tickets?"

Li Banfeng looked at Lightbulb and Tangyuan: "Do either of you have tickets?"

Lightbulb shook his head: "We're following you, we didn't plan on coming back."

Tangyuan puffed out her chest: "We don't have tickets!"

Li Banfeng explained to the conductor: "We're from the Dark Star Bureau, and we're on official business in Proxima. They came in a hurry, so he didn't buy a ticket..."

*Thud!*

Tangyuan and Lightbulb were jointly shoved off the train by several conductors. Lightbulb slid along the ground but was unharmed. Tangyuan tore her clothes and scraped her skin.

*Thump!*

Li Banfeng fought a few conductors, but he was outnumbered. He jumped off the train, holding a pole he had snatched from one of the conductors.

Lightbulb asked, "Seventh Master, what are you doing with that?"

Li Banfeng grinned at the two of them: "Both of you run. The one who runs slower gets beaten to death on the spot."

"Seventh Master, listen to me..." Tangyuan pleaded sincerely.

"Seventh Master, watch me run!" Lightbulb took off.

Volume Two: Dark Star Mysteries, End!