Ironclad Group Chat: Red and Black Lists Engraved with Heroic Epics

"Ora~~!"

"Little Grey Hair, you... Ugh!!!" The pain came suddenly, and Hanabi's body tensed up instantly. She arched her upper body backward as hard as she could, and her small mouth cried out silently. Her eyes, which had been pretending to cry, widened suddenly, her eyebrows trembled, and her pupils contracted and expanded.

But more importantly, the sensation didn't stop; it continued to grind gently: "Mmm..."

Hot sweat, along with the flushed redness from surging blood, filled his cheeks, and steam rose wildly from his head.

What is this guy doing?!

Just before the hit, Xing had already held back. At this moment, she was resting her chin on her other hand, solemnly watching and feeling the bat with the serious scientific attitude of a scientist discovering a new law.

That's strange. Hanabi's physique is so thin it's almost pitiful, yet the moment the bat hits, it... bounces back?

This feels much more intense than hitting a sandbag. In the local dialect of Teacher Danheng's hometown, this feeling is probably called "muscular" or "gritty"?

"Wow, your meat is really that good! It's even better than freshly slaughtered pigs!"

"..." Hanabi was stunned with anger, her face still flushed, and her rebuke was spoken in a low voice as if...

"What kind of outrageous analogy is that?"

This is an insult, an utter disgrace!

[Sambo: Yeah, Blazers girl, this thing's on your lap and all you're thinking about is eating it?]

[Star: Yeah, what are we eating... Fireworks, ever heard of handmade beef balls?]

"..." Hanabi's face froze, a bad premonition rising in her heart.

But before she could speak again...

"Click!" The sound of a camera came from March 7th.

Hanabi's eyes twitched slightly, and all the color drained from her face, turning it deathly pale.

Oh no! If Hanabi-sama's photos like this get posted online... they'll go viral! I don't want to become famous because of this!

But there wasn't even time to think about it.

Hoshino, almost addicted, said, "As the price for giving up the Flame Spear, Hanabi, watch my super combo, Ora la la la~!!!"

The baseball bats rained down like a storm.

Xing transformed into a taiko drummer, vigorously clapping along to the melody in his mind, mimicking the sounds with his mouth, completely immersed in his own world.

"Ah no... Ha~ Ha~... No..." The attack wasn't very damaging, but the huge and frequent impacts made Hanabi almost breathless, her eyes glazed over, and her back arched high.

Even she, who was used to having fun, felt an extremely strong sense of shame, and as the touch became more and more intense, the feeling of "an insurmountable hurdle in life" continued to rise.

"Beep~~!"

As the last blow landed, Xing, like a superstar who had just hit a high note at a concert and finished with a perfect ending, casually tossed her hair and exhaled a breath of refreshing water.

"Phew~ That felt good! Hanabi, are you... um? Why are you blushing?"

"Ha~ha~~ha~~~" Hanabi lay motionless on her lap like a soft lump of mud, panting heavily, her whole body soaked in sweat, not a single part of her clothes dry.

Is it finally... over? When has Hanabi-sama ever been treated like this?

Her face flushed, and she looked like she was about to cry: "Little Grey, it hurts so much when you hit me..."

I will definitely get my revenge.

"Does it hurt?" Xing pinched her chin, staring intently at the spot where she had just been struck.

"She seems to have gotten a bit...fuller?"

"You still dare to talk!" Hanabi's face suddenly darkened, and she hurriedly said, "By the way, Little Gray. This absolutely, absolutely, absolutely must not be told to anyone!"

"Don't worry," Xing waved her hand, "I have no interest in going around asking people to talk nonsense."

Hanabi lowered her head, her heart finally at ease.

Xing then said, "That's too tiring. Why not just Photoshop it and put it online?"

"!" Hanabi's little head snapped up, as if she were seeing her for the first time: "You...you win."

Don't let Hanabi-sama catch you doing anything wrong!!!

"Hmm~?" Xing raised an eyebrow.

"Ugh, ugh~~" Hanabi lowered her head, looking embarrassed.

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. Their people are everywhere here.

Despite feeling a little weak in the legs, she managed to get up and walk to the next carriage.

"Where are you going?"

"It's none of your business what happens to the restroom!"

Not long after, the light screen lit up again.

—[Next up: "A Thousand Bells at Dawn"]

With God's Sunday victory secured and negotiations with the company successfully concluded amidst the power struggle, Pinocchio entered a new chapter.

On the open-air stage of the floating starship, the Huechang Stone.

The robin gave a speech at this final banquet. She praised every pioneer who contributed to Pinocchio, especially the watchmaker, Mikhail.

"It can be said that Pinocchio's brilliant achievements today are inseparable from the pioneering spirit that is deeply rooted in our hearts as watchmakers. Only by keeping this pioneering spirit in mind can we live up to our mission and bring harmony to more people."

Cheers and applause erupted, and March 7th, listening from below the stage, nodded repeatedly: "Hehe...that sounds really good. That's just like us!"

Xing stretched out his arms and shouted, "I, [Pioneer], am invincible!"

March 7th nodded proudly: "Exactly, absolutely, invincible~~"

Seeing her so engrossed, Xing jokingly remarked from the side, "Without you, this train crew would fall apart."

"Of course!" March 7th blurted out, then hesitated slightly, "Hmm, why does this feel a bit ominous..."

[Saifei: Isn't that unlucky? It's come true again.]

[Star: It's okay, I'm invincible! I can handle anything!]

[March 7th: Looks like this is going to be a victory celebration, right? At least there won't be any more tragedies to watch now, right?]

[Star: March, you just appeared before my eyes once, and now you're setting another flag...]

The robin showered the train with praise: "And the fact that this beautiful dream was able to get back on track wouldn't have been possible without the help of [Pioneer]. Without everyone on the Starry Sky Train, this Harmonious Festival wouldn't have been able to take place smoothly—"

Xing and March 7th stood tall and proud, and under everyone's gaze, nodded without hesitation.

The robin said, "Therefore, with the unanimous agreement of the five major families, the Pinocchio branch will present a gift to all the nameless guests on behalf of all family members in the galaxy—"

"Oh, oh, oh..." March 7th exclaimed excitedly, "Is the big one coming?"

[March 7th: Are you going to give me a lifetime unlimited Pinocchio ice cream card?!]

[Star: Is it a lifetime pass or an annual pass? I think... it's up to the trash can to decide!]

[Dan Heng: ...If the five major families knew this was the case, they would probably feel they had suffered a huge loss.]

This is too easy to dismiss. What powerful organization would send something like this? What's the difference between this level of neglect and insult? But these two oddballs just fall for it. It's truly speechless.

On the light screen, the robin cleared its throat and then announced loudly: "We are willing to transfer ownership of the [Huichangshi] to the Starry Sky Train! We hope you will accept this humble offer."