With the Federation's monopoly over the aerospace industries of all nations, even a power like the Russian Federation couldn't possibly peer into our actual space capabilities. Concealing our power in space was remarkably simple; to lull the An family into a false sense of security so they would focus on their own affairs, we deliberately maintained a low profile, ensuring the security of our warships was even more stringent than before.

The long-awaited day finally arrived. The Federation Tourism Bureau dispatched a massive sightseeing vessel, carrying ten distinguished guests from Earth, towards the Twin Stars. Among them were Li Qi, Liu Xue, Fang Yanmeng, Xiao Chuchu, and Xu Jing. These five women, by virtue of their status on Earth, were already figures capable of influencing the entire geopolitical landscape. Li Qi and Liu Xue go without saying, but Fang Yanmeng held an absolute monopoly over energy, transportation, and heavy industry across the entire globe with her control of Terran Energy. Xiao Chuchu’s media empire had integrated all traditional civilian network communications companies and satellites, placing virtually all global communication media under her command. Xu Jing had always managed the finances, wielding such immense funds and gold reserves that they instilled fear in every nation.

The sightseeing vessel was vast, but the accompanying personnel for the ten VIPs, coupled with the numerous inspection staff from the Federation Tourism Bureau—who were there to conduct further investigation into developing tourism on the Twin Stars—meant the internal space was not overly spacious.

After applying makeup, I accompanied the group of five women under the guise of being Li Qi's bodyguard. Hua Qingqing, Yi Xiaorou, and others had already rushed ahead to the Twin Stars to make arrangements. We planned to convene and enjoy a few days of true relaxation together. For safety, I cautioned the five women on the sightseeing ship to remain close to me at all times, as my energy shield could protect them should any accident befall the vessel.

The ship featured a large lounge, which served as our primary gathering area. I was unfamiliar with the other five VIP guests accompanying us, but Li Qi mentioned they were all renowned figures from various nations within the Federation, possessing extraordinary fame and influence in their respective homelands.

The youth, beauty, and professional success of the five women naturally attracted the attention of the men. Wherever they went, those five VIPs followed closely, as did the two accompanying staff members, An Jie and An Ming. I suspected that if given the chance, they might even attempt to slip into the women's quarters at night, though this was a wish they would never realize.

“Director An, what is the itinerary for this tour organized by the Federation Tourism Bureau?” Li Qi asked gracefully while seated on a sofa next to An Ming.

An Ming replied with neither obsequiousness nor arrogance, “Our first stop is passing through a wormhole. The comrades at the Federation Department of Science and Technology are truly remarkable; they managed to decipher something as mysterious as a wormhole. By the way, Chairman, why are the identities of our S&T comrades kept so secret? To this day, it seems no one knows who the core leadership among them is.”

Li Qi smiled, “All our technological advancements are the result of the collective efforts of the comrades in the S&T Department. Some comrades prefer to focus purely on research and dislike public exposure; the Federation cannot interfere with that.”

An Ming pressed further, “Then which comrade from the S&T Department cracked the secret of this wormhole? Since we still have some time before reaching the wormhole entrance, Chairman, why don't you tell us? There are no outsiders here. Must even this matter be kept secret from us?”

Indeed, at this moment, aside from our Federation personnel, the five VIP guests had been excused from the lounge by An Jie under some pretext. If Li Qi refused to answer An Ming’s question, he might use the pretense of the Federation’s distrust to badger her. However, the identities of Little Raindrop, Dragon Girl, Xiao Hui, Yi Xiaorou, Zhao Fen, and Zhao Fang were extremely confidential. Aside from security concerns, these women genuinely disliked public appearances; they were engaged in research and did not need to appear in public as frequently as Li Qi and Fang Yanmeng.

Li Qi was momentarily unsure how to refuse and was pondering how Fang Yanmeng might address the situation when she spoke, “Director An, the comrades in the S&T Department are personnel under the special protection of the Federation Security Ministry. Even the Federation President has no right to investigate or leak their identity files. If you wish to know, you’ll have to ask Minister Xia of the Security Ministry, but from what I know, Minister Xia is a man who strictly adheres to regulations; he might not agree to anything that violates protocol.”

Hearing Fang Yanmeng’s words, Li Qi added, “That’s right, Director An. The Federation has a confidentiality directive; this was a rule established by the former Chairman, and even I cannot change it. You know Minister Xia and the others were the former Chairman’s people. Some matters—heh heh—even if I spoke, my word wouldn't count.”

An Ming seemed unwilling to press the matter further, likely realizing he wouldn’t uncover any secrets. He changed the subject, “Speaking of our Federation’s former Chairman Zhao, Chairman, my brother mentioned there seemed to be something unusual between you and him. Heh heh, if it’s inconvenient to answer, please disregard, Chairman; I’m just curious. Please don't be offended.”

Li Qi smiled brightly, “Chairman Zhao and I were classmates. I know there are many rumors circulating about certain things. Yes, I love him, and he loves me, and I even bore him a child. This is fact, so naturally, I wouldn't be angry about it.”

An Ming deliberately surveyed Li Qi’s figure a few times, “I wouldn't have thought it, Chairman. You look nothing like someone who has had a child. With your youth, beauty, and success, I wonder how many men are pursuing you now? I wonder about your relationship with Chairman Zhao now…”

Li Qi replied, “Due to certain special reasons, my relationship with Chairman Zhao cannot be made public. This is a private matter, and I don’t wish to discuss it further here.”

An Ming chimed in solicitously, “Of course, of course. Chairman Zhao’s capabilities are known to the entire world. It’s just that he disappeared from our view these past few years. However, my brother mentioned recently seeing him pick you up after work. I wonder if you informed him about this trip, Chairman?”

Li Qi stated, “Chairman Zhao is unaware of our affairs; he is currently busy with other matters. We are tired, Director An. If you have nothing else, we would like to retire to our rooms to rest.”

An Ming replied, “Very well, Chairman. I will send someone to notify you when we reach the wormhole.”

Once everyone was back in their rooms, Fang Yanmeng asked, “Why was that fellow prying into so many things?”

Xu Jing explained, “Big Brother Zhao’s superpowers are known to many people. An Ming seems to be trying to confirm whether Big Brother Zhao accompanied Qi Qi to the Twin Stars.”

I commented, “The more cautious he is, the more it exposes their conspiracy. It’s fortunate I was in disguise; otherwise, seeing me might have made them hesitate and perhaps cancel this entire operation.”

“What exactly are the An family planning? Surely they aren’t thinking of taking down the Federation leadership and all the prominent public figures in one fell swoop?” This thought surfaced in everyone’s minds.

Because Dragon Girl and the others had departed earlier for the Twin Stars to set up, the vicinity was completely silent when we traversed the wormhole and arrived in the outer space of the Twin Stars. No one suspected the monumental secret hidden beneath the two beautiful moons, nor did they know a massive fleet was lurking on the nearby asteroids surrounding the Twin Stars.

As the sightseeing vessel entered the orbital path of the Twin Stars' moons, it received a verification signal from the planet. Overcoming the challenge of transmitting signals through the Twin Stars' atmosphere had occupied Little Raindrop and the others for over half a month. Now, finally, communication links between the planet's interior and exterior could be established—a significant advancement in communications technology. With the development of this technique, a method for communication through wormholes would surely be discovered in the future.

The Twin Stars were equipped with a sophisticated anti-air defense system, all built with Earth’s assistance. Hundreds of satellites orbited the planet’s outer layer, not unlike Earth. The sightseeing vessel possessed the Federation's electronic pass, and after verification by the Federation troops stationed on the Twin Stars, the ship was permitted to enter the atmosphere.

To avoid arousing the suspicion of An Jie and An Ming, I didn't even visit Ma Xiaoda. However, the two An brothers appeared to possess remarkable restraint; they actually followed the itinerary, taking everyone sightseeing to various locations, arranging for personnel to provide detailed explanations, and even discussing future development plans for the Twin Stars with Li Qi.

Time sped by, and a week passed quickly. Fang Yanmeng, Xiao Chuchu, and the others were nearly bursting with impatience. This trip was only scheduled for ten days, which was already quite long. The Federation couldn't be left unmanaged for too long. Although Zhu Da, Xia Huren, and Cai Bao'er could help oversee things, they didn't understand many complexities. Without Li Qi and the gradually maturing Ma Xiaowei, the Earth Federation government truly couldn't function smoothly.

“Could we possibly be wrong to suspect them?” Fang Yanmeng finally couldn't help asking one evening.

Li Qi replied, “I hope so. After all, the An family had a very close relationship with my father. I truly do not wish to see them do anything that betrays the Federation.”

Xiao Chuchu grumbled, “This waiting is just a waste of our time. We had planned to visit the Underground City and the Merman Kingdom with the sisters, and now it's all ruined.”

I said, “There are still three days left. Everyone, have a little patience. Even if this trip isn't entirely enjoyable, I will bring you all back for compensation later.”

The women chided me affectionately, “Do you think taking a vacation is easy for us? Once we return, we’ll likely need half a month to clear the backlog of work. Finding such a long stretch of time to relax is incredibly difficult.”

I sighed inwardly, reflecting on how things weren't as they used to be. Back then, how happy we were with Fang Yanmeng, Xiao Chuchu, Zhao Fen, and Zhao Fang in that small town, in Peach Blossom Village. Now, even our vacations were dictated by necessity. Is life truly meant to be this exhausting? When will we ever be able to set everything aside and just be our true selves again?

Our bedroom was meticulously chosen, with expansive windows that allowed us to gaze upon the beautiful starry sky while lying in bed. To us Earthlings, this firmament was both alien and mysterious, yet precisely that quality made it so much more alluring. Six people crowded onto one large bed, which was indeed cozy, but none of us wanted to retreat to separate rooms. We clustered around me, following my gaze toward the space between the twin moons.