Honkai: Star Rail – From the Moment Tom The Cat Became My Passenger

Seeing the patient awaken, Tom gave a satisfied nod.

Even if the defibrillator hadn't been used, startling someone awake still counted as a form of treatment—right?

Tom elegantly tidied up the defibrillator, packed it neatly, then placed it back into the floating dialogue box. At that moment, March 7th was cautiously poking the box with her finger. Her eyes, radiant like prismatic gemstones, sparkled with a mix of shock and curiosity. She even stuck out her pink tongue and gave the thing a quick lick.

Watching this, Tom furrowed his small black brows, lifted March 7th with both hands, and gently set her down somewhere else. Then, from behind his back, he pulled out a cleaning cloth and thoroughly wiped the surface of the dialogue box.

He wrung out the cloth—just a bit of water dripped out—tossed it into the box, then flailed his arms at the interface. With that, the box shattered into particles and vanished without a trace.

March 7th's face scrunched up like an elderly subway commuter. She still couldn't wrap her head around what she'd just seen. The box had clearly felt real—soft, like cotton candy—but had no taste at all.

She turned toward Yevenko and Dan Heng, lips slightly pursed.

"Did—didn't you guys see what Tom just did with that dialogue box?! How are you not shocked?!"

Dan Heng calmly turned to look at her.

"If you still don't understand Tom after watching him pop a Fragmentum soldier like a balloon and stitch his own body back together… then allow me to remind you of what Yevenko said:"

"Tom is—"

"A magical cat," March 7th finished, albeit with some lingering disbelief.

"But… I still don't get it!"

She could maybe accept the idea of some kind of super-regeneration or physical resilience. As for the balloon incident, perhaps it was a unique ability?

Unlike Dan Heng, who had carefully studied the Fragmentum creature, March hadn't examined the aftermath up close—so she dismissed it.

But the dialogue box?

That was something straight out of a manga! Did things like that really exist in the real world?

"…Whatever. I give up."

"Because…"

"Tom is a magical cat!"

March 7th gave up thinking far more easily than Dan Heng.

Meanwhile, Stelle looked around in confusion, scratching her head and slowly standing up.

"Um… where am I? And who are all of you?"

March 7th, ever the friendly and energetic girl, immediately began explaining everything to her in great detail.

Still, Stelle seemed shrouded in mystery. In the end, the group decided to take her to see Asta and Himeko for now.

They encountered many skirmishes along the way.

But this time, with their strengthened lineup, Yevenko and Tom barely had to lift a finger. March 7th, Dan Heng, and even the newly-awakened Stelle mowed through enemies effortlessly.

Yevenko was more than happy to let them take the lead, occasionally offering milk when the others looked tired.

Soon, they reunited with Himeko and headed to the main control section.

Asta was there, commanding the station's defense with sharp, concise orders and steady morale.

"Projection radar is stable. Frequency on remote signals is too high—keep it within normal range!"

"According to projections, we're looking at over ten waves of continuous assaults. Hold the line!"

As the group approached, March 7th called out first:

"Station Master Asta! We're back!"

Seeing that the Antimatter Legion's assault on the monitors was being successfully repelled and the station regaining ground, Asta finally exhaled with relief and turned around.

Her gaze briefly paused on Stelle, someone unfamiliar, before she smiled at the group.

"Thank you, everyone from the Astral Express. If Mr. Yevenko hadn't warned us early on, the casualties among our researchers could've been catastrophic. And to Himeko, March 7th, Dan Heng—your efforts made it possible to stop the Legion's internal incursion."

March 7th waved her hand, laughing lightly. "Ahh, it's nothing!"

Yevenko chimed in, "What's the current situation?"

Even though fatigue lined her face, Asta's cerulean eyes gleamed with optimism.

"Things are stable for now. The Antimatter Legion's momentum has been halted. The system suffered minimal interference. The invaders only altered a few minor datasets, so recovery should be quick."

"At this rate, we'll be able to drive them out completely before long."

The space station was safe. That meant she wouldn't have to go home and inherit the family business—a double blessing.

As the remaining Fragmentum forces dwindled, Yevenko felt a thought stir in his chest.

What about the Doomsday Beast?

Had his appearance caused a butterfly effect, preventing it from showing up this time?

While Yevenko was pondering that, Himeko walked over and gave his shoulder a gentle pat.

"Little Yevenko—may I call you that?"

Yevenko nodded. After everything they'd been through, a more casual address didn't bother him.

Seeing his approval, Himeko smiled warmly.

"I can tell you're not used to combat. You've done well today."

"You must be tired. Why don't you return to the Astral Express and rest? Leave the rest to us."

Since there was no sign of the Doomsday Beast, Yevenko figured things had more or less settled. Plus, he'd racked up a ton of exploration value and was looking forward to a gacha spree.

He agreed without hesitation.

Just to be safe, Himeko called March and Stelle over.

"March, Stelle—you two head back to the Express with Yevenko for now."

And so, the four of them set out for the platform.

Himeko suspected something about Stelle and wanted to temporarily remove her from the scene while they figured things out.

Meanwhile, Himeko, Asta, and Dan Heng remained in the control center, keeping an eye on the monitors as they spoke.

Himeko asked gently, "Dan Heng, what did you find from your earlier observations?"

Dan Heng's cool cyan eyes shimmered with thought. After a brief pause to organize his words, he said:

"Tom's power doesn't seem overwhelming… but it's unusual. Hard to describe. You'll understand once you see it for yourself."

In other words: those who get it, get it. Those who don't—well, explaining wouldn't help.

"As for Yevenko—aside from his predictive ability, he doesn't seem capable of combat. If we're to travel with him in the future, we'll need to look out for him."

"That said, just his foresight alone could help us avoid many future dangers during Trailblazing."

Himeko nodded slightly at Dan Heng's detailed analysis.

If Yevenko could join them on their journey, it would be ideal. She recalled the records in the data banks—of the original Astral Express fleet. What a sight that must've been.

Now, while they couldn't replicate a full fleet, if Yevenko agreed, at least they'd go from one Express… to two.

More importantly, while their team lacked no combat strength, they did lack that rare ability to see what was yet to come—a priceless advantage on the road ahead.

After a moment's reflection, Himeko softly murmured:

"Still, we can't force it. Every Nameless has their own path to blaze."

Just then—

BEEEEEEEP—————!!!!!!

A harsh alarm blared across the entire control room, and countless red warning markers lit up on the holographic displays before Asta.

Himeko and Dan Heng immediately turned to the screens.

Asta quickly pulled up the source of the alert.

The display flickered—and then appeared.

A massive, grotesque creature with a draconic head and terrifying presence emerged, its enormous claws savagely tearing through the station's shield barriers.

In a flash, the entire barrier system collapsed.

The beast's immense wings unfurled, propelling it toward a specific sector—clearly drawn by something.

"That's the support module sector?!"

That's where the Astral Express was docked.

Combined with the missing Stellaron core and the strange aura around Stelle, Himeko had a gut feeling—something was drawing that thing in.

She immediately shouted,

"This is bad—Dan Heng, with me!"