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

"Aha… Aha… Aha…"

March 7th's face was flushed, breath coming in ragged gasps.

"Why… why is it turning out like this…?"

"We literally just agreed with the Supreme Guardian to deal with the Stellaron and the Swarm together. She even put us up in the nicest hotel, but now we're wanted criminals, running for our lives!"

March 7th let out a roar like a tiger, the scene pulling out wide:

She, Dan Heng, and Stelle were sprinting full-speed ahead—while behind them, it was hard to say whether Yevenko was riding on Tom's neck or Tom was riding on Yevenko's. Either way, both were running.

Hot on their heels, Bronya and Pela led a squad of Silvermane Guards in relentless pursuit.

Dan Heng heard March 7th's complaints and spoke up,

"There's no doubt—this is a clear betrayal. Even though everything seemed fine yesterday, the Supreme Guardian's heart clearly wasn't in it."

March 7th pouted, her lips pink with frustration.

"This is so unfair! I really thought we'd finally get through a world without that classic 'wrongly imprisoned' plot. It happens every three worlds, and here we go again."

"Can't Bronya at least explain for us? She seemed so reasonable yesterday…"

Yevenko, riding on Tom's neck, overheard her and spread his arms, shaking his cat head.

"No way around it. When someone's in charge, their word is law. Cocolia sits at the very top of Belobog's power—and she's Bronya's mother, so there's no way Bronya could talk her down."

"All right, Tom. Switch."

In the next instant, Tom leapt—and the two cats swapped places midair, now with Tom riding on Yevenko's shoulders.

Some things never change. Cocolia was still Cocolia.

Yevenko had thought that with the dual crisis of the Stellaron and the Swarm, maybe Cocolia would be more pragmatic, gathering every ounce of available strength to fight off these disasters.

Or maybe, he thought, the Swarm hadn't truly arrived—just sent a vanguard, and Cocolia didn't see them as a real threat? Or maybe she was already completely under the Stellaron's influence?

Either way, it left Yevenko frustrated at being forced to run, unable to fight back.

But attacking the Silvermane Guards wouldn't solve anything. The root of the problem was that woman. Unless Cocolia was dealt with, trouble would just keep coming.

And really, speculating wildly with only a handful of clues was pointless. Rather than overthinking, why not go and give Cocolia a lesson face to face?

The idea made Yevenko's cat face twitch upward into a devilish grin.

"March, Tom and I have something to take care of. We'll meet up later."

March 7th blinked in surprise, then instinctively warned,

"All right, you two be careful…"

But on second thought—what would they even need to be careful about? If anything, it was their enemies who should be worried about Tom and Yevenko. Injuries were minor—what really scared people was the risk of severe psychic trauma, or having their entire worldview shattered.

At the same moment, Dan Heng cut in,

"There's Fragmentum up ahead. Let's take cover in there for now."

Dan Heng, March 7th, and Stelle sprinted toward the Fragmentum zone, while Yevenko—with Tom on his back—darted off down a different route.

Seeing this, Bronya frowned. Tom and Yevenko's antics from yesterday had left a deep impression on her.

She quickly made a decision.

"You take the rest of the Silvermane Guards and chase after those three. Pela, you and four others, come with me."

The Silvermane Guards split into two squads.

Yevenko, with Tom on his back, rounded a corner and quickly paused. Tom, on the same wavelength, immediately tossed a pile of rakes, hoes, and other tools haphazardly across the ground at the corner.

Hearing the Guards' footsteps catching up, Yevenko dashed off again.

Bronya arrived at the corner and stepped forward—

Thunk!

Her foot landed squarely on the end of a rake, which snapped up and smacked her right on the forehead. A wave of dizziness hit her.

The two Silvermane Guards right behind her hit the corner too—both stepping right onto the rakes, and getting smacked by the handles. Dazed, they staggered backward a few steps.

Then they stepped on hoes, which smacked them for a second round of concussive force.

Helmets or not, the blows weren't heavy—but the indescribable sense of dizziness left them sprawled helplessly on the ground.

The remaining two Guards exchanged glances, staring at the five ordinary farming tools scattered on the ground, a strange feeling rising in their chests.

If there had been more tools, they thought, they might all be lying there by now.

Bronya had the same thought flash through her mind, and she quickly shook it off, lips tightening in resolve.

"Keep going!"

With that, they chased after Yevenko and Tom.

They rounded the next corner, only to see a dead end—just as the Guards were starting to feel triumphant—

The next moment:

They watched in disbelief as two cats approached a pipe no wider than a cup. With a single leap, both dove inside.

The pipe's diameter stretched and expanded to accommodate their bodies, then, as soon as they were through, shrank back to its original size—leaving no trace.

It was so utterly bizarre that the Guards could only stare.

Bronya led her squad to the pipe. She reached out and touched its hard metal surface, confirming it wasn't some flexible material.

Behind her, Pela's calm, clear voice spoke up.

"Lady Bronya, should we keep chasing?"

Bronya turned to ask Pela how exactly they were supposed to do that—only to see Pela's glasses hiding a blank, soulless blue gaze.

Clearly, her brain had shut down.

She wobbled over like a toy, stood by the pipe, and declared,

"Lady Bronya, I'll go retrieve the suspects for you, just watch—!"

She raised her arms overhead, jumped, and—bonk!—slammed her head into the pipe, then flopped to the ground like a dead fish.

She didn't move.