Just as Pei Guang was wondering whether this bug was edible, the voice of the company employee Velite interrupted his thoughts.
"Waaah! Are the bugs really breeding on the train? They didn't get into my shoes, right?"
The employee's voice carried despair. He felt like this was the worst day ever. He was supposed to go to Belobog for work, and instead ran into all this mess halfway through.
Seeing how nervous Velite was, Pom-Pom, who had been trying to comfort him, was now anxiously thinking, "Sounds like we need to find a more efficient method. Let Pom-Pom think… yes, we've got to contribute too, Velite!"
Hearing Pom-Pom's voice, Velite jumped. "Huh? Who am I? Where am I? What am I supposed to do?"
Watching the panicking Velite, Pei Guang walked over. "You're a company employee. You're on the Astral Express. And you're going to join us in fighting the swarm."
"No way! Absolutely not. I'm just a company employee. How could someone like me handle a bug that can swallow an entire train?" Velite shook his head hard, unable to believe he could deal with something that huge.
Pei Guang: "Who says you can't?"
Pei Guang seriously patted Velite's shoulder. "If you're a company employee, that already proves you're useful. You know, even a company employee can become a legend. Brother, I think you've got potential. Don't you want to be a legend?"
Velite shook his head hard. "No way! Absolutely not. In a game, I'd just be an NPC in the background. How could I become a legend?"
Pei Guang: "Who says it's impossible? You've got to believe in yourself~"
"I…"
Velite fell silent. Since he started working, this was the first time he'd heard someone sincerely praise him.
As a company employee, he dealt with a lot of people and could naturally see what kind of person someone was. In Pei Guang's eyes, there were no ulterior motives: only genuine praise and recognition.
That recognition quieted him, but also made him waver…
Pei Guang: "You must be feeling lost. How about this? Let me share something with you. Would you rather be a nobody, running scared every time danger appears, spending your whole life safe and sound, only to die in bed with a catheter, full of regret? Or give it your all—do what you can, do what you want, and become your own kind of legend?"
"I…"
Velite paused. Then Pei Guang said something that struck right into his heart.
"You're someone with dreams. Reality may have kept you from achieving them, but once you abandon your dreams, no amount of money can buy them back."
At the mention of dreams, Velite's expression calmed. He thought of the dreams he had as a child. "Can I really? I'm just an employee who works overtime every day and still can't make enough money…"
Pei Guang: "Of course you can. Take your time and think about it here. Believe me: if you believe you can do it, you will do it. As an NPC, you might not be able to do the grand things only protagonists can, but there are things that only you can accomplish."
Pei Guang had high hopes for Velite. Even though he looked like just a random background NPC, and even seemed a little panicky and excitable, Pei Guang knew: in many game plots, these seemingly minor characters always ended up playing a big role.
They might even sacrifice themselves at a critical moment? On the other side of the screen, he could never stop it—but here, as long as they weren't flying off the train in a spaceship, Pei Guang was confident he could keep everyone on the train alive.
While Pei Guang was happily thinking about how to avoid the story killing anyone off, March 7th suddenly remembered something and said to him, "Ah Guang! That knight named Argenti hasn't moved in a while. Did he run into a tough enemy?"
Pei Guang: "Thanks for the reminder. I see he's not in combat mode, but he hasn't moved either? Let's go check it out. Pom-Pom~ I'll leave the train to you, if you find any insect eggs, let us know~"
Pom-Pom: "No problem! I'll use this portable train cleaning bot to search for them~ I was originally going to use it for the train's big cleanup, it's meant to wipe the roof. It has a detection camera with a huge field of view. Once I remote it into the air, I can survey the whole area—and the best part is, it can peek into all the little corners too!"
Pom-Pom proudly brought out the machine. "Pom-Pom can clean along the way too~"
Pom-Pom puffed up with pride. In this time of crisis, working together with everyone to come up with strategies and act on them: this process made Pom-Pom very happy.
Pei Guang: "Alrighty~ I'm counting on you then~ holler if you find anything~"
Sure enough, Pom-Pom quickly made a surprise discovery. "Passenger Pei Guang, I found insect eggs here!"
Pom-Pom had found several insect eggs inside a flowerpot. Each egg was about the size of a fist, freshly laid by the look of them, still camouflaged in the same color as the potting soil.
Pei Guang walked up to the flowerpot, snapped his fingers, and fire engulfed the eggs. He picked up the now-roasted egg, ready to put it into his backpack—when he suddenly saw that a label had appeared on it.
[Roasted True Sting Egg: Carefully cooked using secret techniques, this egg has three randomly generated delicious flavors. Though not of much practical use, the first egg consumed each day permanently increases Max HP by 1.]
[It's not a Senzu Bean, but eating one roasted egg can provide a normal person with all the energy they need for a day and greatly enhances the feeling of fullness.]
Looking at the egg, Pei Guang nearly shouted "Huh?" out loud.
After reading the attributes of the roasted egg, he took out the previously packed roasted True Sting again.
[Roasted True Sting: Has little nutritional value, somewhat tough to chew. Provides enough energy for six hours, slightly boosts fullness.]
Pei Guang couldn't figure out how this stat system worked: when the bug grows up and is roasted, it doesn't add any stats, but its egg does? Could it be that the grown-up bug has already used up all the nutrients, so it doesn't grant any bonuses anymore?
Stelle, noticing Pei Guang deep in thought, curiously leaned over. "Ah Guang, did you find something fun?"
Pei Guang replied, "Not something fun—something tasty. If you eat one of these every day, it permanently increases your max HP by 1."
Stelle was shocked. "This thing is edible? I remember the Simulated Universe said eating it would contaminate the eater or something? Wait—did you roast this with your Truefire? Ah, then it should be fine. But still, just 1 HP a day? That's way too little."
Stelle had given up trying to make sense of the things Pei Guang produced. Roasting even Antimatter Legion Voidrangers was already old news: grilling bug eggs was hardly a surprise at this point.
What disappointed her a little was that the thing only gave 1 HP: eating one a day for a year would only give 365 HP.
That was way too little. Just way too little…