Trash Bins Are Useful [2/2]

"Haa!" Arlan charged forward and swung his sword infused with electricity toward the Voidranger with great force.

"Hiraa!" The Voidranger snarled before dodging Arlan's attack. It then quickly lifted its arm which was armed with an ethereal blade and intended to quickly strike Arlan.

However...

Bang!

"Guhaa!" Another blue projectile was sent flying and pierced the Voidranger's hands. It was so fast that it pierced through the Voidranger's armor.

The Voidranger then looked at where the source of the projectile was. It then saw the person responsible.

Hiding behind a white trash bin was a person leaning his two arms on top of the said bin while holding a gun.

"Tch, I missed..." Muttered Locke as he loaded his next bullet. He then noticed the Voidranger's glare and immediately reloaded the gun.

Tak!*

Locke then aimed the gun once more at the Voidranger to kill it. However, since he had just woken up in such an unfamiliar body with an additional injury, it was hard for him to focus. 'I need to shoot it quick...'

"Hiyah!" However, just as Locke was about to press the trigger, the Voidranger quickly got up and charged toward him in a swift movement.

'Not good...!' Seeing what the Voidranger was about to do, Locke quickly controlled his body and dodged to the sides.

Bam!*

The Voidranger's ethereal blade pierced the trash bin that was protecting Locke and the latter managed to escape by a narrow margin.

"Tch," Locke dropped to the ground, however, he quickly laid on his back and aimed the gun at the Voidranger. He then looked at the sides and shouted, "Now!"

Right after Locke shouted, Arlan once more appeared— this time, right behind the Voidranger.

"Graah!" The Voidranger immediately realized that it was trapped and quickly tried to remove its blade from the trash bin's body.

Bang!* ×2

However, it was intercepted by two consecutive shots. It was none other than Locke that shot its legs.

Looking at the once perfectly functioning trash bin that had been pierced mercilessly, Locke's eyes gleamed with coldness as he lamented the poor trash bin's fate.

He then looked at the Voidranger— and the blade of Arlan that was about to slice its head right behind it. 'Your one mistake cost you your life.'

Boom!*

Finally, Arlan's blade managed to pierce and slice the Voidranger's head off and the latter soon disappeared into the void like its predecessors.

"Huff... Huff..." Arlan sweated profusely as he looked at his word which had reached the ground.

"..." Locke, on the other hand, extended his hand on the wall behind him and leaned on it as he too felt exhausted. "Ha..."

"Fighting right after waking up..." Locke spoke up as he looked at Arlan with a tired face and a faint smile. "...Isn't the greatest combination..."

This was the first time he was genuinely having a conversation with another human. He didn't know how to start a conversation, so he decided to first lighten up the mood with a throwaway comment.

"That's..." Arlan looked at Locke and immediately remembered the latter's condition. He then quickly ran up to him. "Wait, are you alright now? You lost a lot of blood earlier..."

"I can live," Locke slightly nodded with a faint smile. However, the blood that was pouring out of his head right now said otherwise.

Seeing this, Arlan quickly went and supported Locke. "There's no time, we need to get you to the medical cabin!"

"...don't you also need to go too?" Locke said as he pointed at the blood that drenched Arlan's uniform.

"This..." Seeing the blood on him, Arlan's face froze for a moment. He then sighed and replied in a weak voice, "I was so busy fighting earlier... I didn't notice this..."

"It's alright," Locke said as he also supported Arlan. He then quickly added, "I feel a little dizzy and my mind feels jumbled up and I forgot where the medical cabin is..."

"Can you lead the way?" Locke made an excuse. Although he knew where the medical cabin really is since he received the original Locke's memories, he still needed to confirm if they were legitimate.

"Sure," Arlan, due to his weakened state right now, didn't have any other choice than to follow Locke. He too needs medical attention.

"Let's continue heading down here." He then pointed at the hallway in front of them. He then added, "If we continue down this hallway, we'll soon reach the Storage room where we can take an elevator to the base zone."

"The base zone?" Locke couldn't help but ask out loud as the two of them walked. "Didn't we just escape that place?"

He vividly remembered that he and Arlan just ran out of the Base Zone of the space station because a lot of monsters appeared there.

Why were they going back now?

"That's true," Arlan nodded. He then looked at Locke in the eye. "However, that is the only location where we can get proper healing tools."

"Seems like a risky move..." Locke voiced his concern. He had always been like this. Unless he was sure of the risks, he won't take any of it.

"Don't worry," Arlan immediately reassured Locke. "I believe that the way there had already been cleared since the Astral Express is here."

"The Astral Express?" Locke asked. He didn't remember anything like that. Not even in the original Locke's memories.

"Oh right... you're still a Junior Researcher so you're new here," Arlan realized why Locke didn't know about the purple he mentioned before.

He then explained the Astral Express to him. "The Astral Express is, well, an Express Train. As for the people in the Astral Express, they're known as the Nameless— they're people who travel from world to world using the Express Train that is rumored to be left behind by Akivili, an Aeon who had fallen a long time ago."

"Their navigator, Himeko, knows Madam Herta well. The latter even built a specific place in the Supply Zone of the Station for the Astral Express to stop their train." Arlan also added. He continued a bit more. "They come to the station on some occasions."

'Travel between worlds? With a train?' Locke was astonished the whole time he listened. He had never heard of such technology before, as such, it had piqued his interest quite high. 'If there's a chance in the future, I'd like to look at it myself... It all sounds so Sci-Fi...'

"I'm guessing they're pretty powerful, huh? Considering how you said it'll be fine in the base zone now that they're here." Locke pushed up his glasses as he showed signs of interest.

"Honestly, everyone who boards the Astral Express is good at fighting," Arlan said. "Likewise, all of them hold secrets."

"If possible, I'd like to meet them myself," Locke intentionally said out loud. He really wanted to meet such people.

"I'm sure you'll get the chance once we're done with this peril," Arlan said before his face showed signs of distortion due to the pain.

Seeing Arlan suddenly tremble, Locke quickly supported him and asked, "Hey! Are you alright? Hang on just a bit!"

He couldn't allow the first person he had met in years past away just like that. If Arlan's condition gets worse, Locke won't hesitate to break apart the steel walls of the wall they were both leaning in on and dissect them.

There was one item he knows that could heal them, however, it needs a lot of materials, moreover, it needs a lot of electrical power. As such, it was not efficient. However, he would still use it if he must.

"N-No it's fine, really." However, Arlan shook his head and assured Locke. He then looked forward and pointed out, "Look! See? We're already at the control station for the storage room."

Locke also lifted his head and looked at where he was pointing and saw a sealed door. Knowing where it is, he decided to hasten his movement while supporting Arlan. "Alright, let's go."

"O-Okay..." Arlan didn't know why Locke, a person he had barely known, was so worried for him. However, he still thought that perhaps it was out of kindness and didn't think much about it.

Arriving in front of the sealed door, Arlan moved his arm and swiped his authentication card to open the door.

Ting*

The door opened and Locke quickly went in with Arlan. After entering, he was then introduced to a room full of monitors and computers.

However, he temporarily ignored them and took a chair and placed Arlan in it. "Alright, stay here. I'll go search for something in here that would help you bandage that wound."

"Alright, thank you." Arlan nodded and sat down. To be honest, he didn't want to bother Locke too much, but the latter was too willing.

'Alright...' Walking behind Arlan's view, Locke once again searched for soothing useful. Something that would give him what he wants to craft some bandage with his abilities.

It was then that he saw it.

A trash bin.

A perfectly made one, at that.

'It's a blessing,' Locke thought before approaching the trash can and inserting his hands in.

After a while, he managed to grab something, and... it was a big tissue roll. Unused ones, at that. It was a roll of tissue paper that was yet to be used.

'Seriously, do people here just throw away items just like this?' He was starting to doubt some people's common sense. 'This could still be used—'

Ting*

"Oh, are you all from the express?" Suddenly, Locke simultaneously heard Arlan talk and another door opening.

He then turned his head and saw that three people entered the room.

The first person was a tall, slender man with blue eyes, fair-toned skin, and black hair. He carried an aura of calmness and rationality around him.

The second was a girl with light pink hair with pink and blue eyes. She was right behind the man with dark hair. It seems that she just noticed Locke and looked his way. "Oh? There's another person here?"

Suddenly, all their eyes moved to Locke who was holding an unused tissue in his hand. Seeing their stare, Locke didn't know what to say. "...uhm..."

It was then, however, that another person from that group walked over to him. It was another woman.

She wore a white inner shirt, a black short-sleeved jacket, and a black tight skirt. The most standing out thing from her was her silver hair and her yellow eyes— which were similar to Locke's.

Her expressionless face's yellow eyes then directly looked at Locke's eyes. "They're useful, aren't they?"

"?" Locke didn't know what she was talking about and he remained silent for a little while. He then responded. "...which are?"

She then pointed at the trash bin behind him. "Those."

"..." Locke became speechless. '...how did she know?'