Chen Yu slowly walked back into the residence, making his way toward his room, steadying his breathing and gradually calming his churning heart.

He had effectively killed Weiwei with his own hands, yet he felt no profound sorrow. Her death was a release for him—an escape from that cursed entanglement—and his spirit felt stronger than ever before.

Once his mind cleared, his thoughts sharpened instantly. Recalling the entire sequence of events, a distinct sense of unease crept into his mind.

He had investigated Zhong Yun’s background thoroughly; it was as transparent as a blank sheet of paper. At the time, he hadn't given it a second thought; by every measure, this man was utterly ordinary. To compete with him for Weiwei had seemed like a ridiculous joke.

Though now, perhaps, he looked more like the joke.

In truth, it was simply his overconfidence—the belief that no woman could possibly resist his charm.

He hadn't stopped to consider that a woman as exceptional and gifted as Weiwei, one who matched him in stature, would never be drawn to an ordinary man. And so, in the end, he had suffered a total defeat.

Judging by the combat prowess Zhong Yun had displayed moments ago, he was nearing Level Twenty. To possess such formidable strength at such a young age meant his fabricated credentials were highly suspect.

He must have hidden his strength, spending a year infiltrating Weiwei and Wenzhu’s lives, undoubtedly harboring secrets too deep to reveal.

The fact that he could meticulously plan and infiltrate the heavily guarded Ke Dong household without alerting anyone proved he possessed immense power. Would such a man willingly trap himself in a deadly white mist?

Zeng Chenyu spun around abruptly, transforming into a streak of golden light, and shot toward the exit at maximum speed. A fierce fighting spirit ignited within him.

Zhong Yun! He wasn't dead!

But he had realized the truth too late. When he burst through the doorway, he was met with a scene of carnage: corpses scattered everywhere, not a single person left standing. The only soul still alive was Wen Xiu, weeping hysterically amidst the pile of bodies.

"Zhong Yun—" Zeng Chenyu roared toward the heavens, the sound piercing the sky and carrying far into the distance.

No matter where you flee, I will hunt you down and kill you with my own hands.

Gazing upon the dead strewn across the ground, Zeng Chenyu swore a silent vow.

Entering the "Insect-Bee No. 2," Zhong Yun embraced Weiwei as they emerged from the "Lone Goose." Inside the cockpit, he retrieved a bottle from the storage compartment, uncapped it, and held the opening to Weiwei’s lips. "Here, drink this."

Weiwei’s gaze never left his face. Hearing him, she opened her mouth, allowing a cool liquid to enter, carrying a faint bitterness as it flowed into her system.

After drinking the entire bottle, the bitterness in her mouth dissolved into a clean fragrance that rushed to her mind, invigorating her spirit and rapidly restoring the strength within her body.

"Bitter," she pouted, feigning complaint.

Zhong Yun smiled faintly and commanded the system, "Insect-Bee No. 3, activate. Target: Mars."

Then he lightly tapped her nose, murmuring affectionately, "Naughty girl."

The two stood embraced in silence, as if time itself had paused in that moment. After an unspecified duration, Zhong Yun softly asked, "Is there nothing you want to ask me?"

Weiwei’s eyes were closed. Hearing him, she gently shook her head.

He casually opened the food dispenser and took out two bottles of refreshment, opening one and placing it in her hand before uncapping the other and taking a sip himself.

Weiwei opened her eyes and glanced at the bottle. She had never seen one like it. She looked at the label; the script on it was completely unfamiliar. Bringing it to her lips, she took a sip. It was a peculiar flavor she had never experienced before—a little sour, a little sweet.

"Does it taste terrible?" Seeing her expression, Zhong Yun chuckled. "This beverage is made from a fruit unique to my home planet, called 'Orange Juice.'"

Weiwei took another sip, swirling the liquid in her mouth to savor it before swallowing. "It tastes very good."

Zhong Yun smiled happily. The juice was something he had synthesized based on data from Xiao Ling’s archives; it possessed the flavor profile of orange juice but was not genuine orange juice.

Xiao Ling was not a god. Although he had spent time on Earth, he lacked the necessary genetic material for the orange and could not conjure the plant out of thin air.

Zhong Yun had once presented this orange juice as a treasure to everyone around him, but no one could tolerate the taste. Only Xiao Ruo, after tasting it, had said she liked it. Now, Weiwei’s expression and tone were identical to Xiao Ruo’s at that time.

"Actually, I am from the Mins Kingdom," Zhong Yun said, settling into the main topic after his smile faded.

Weiwei was not particularly surprised; she had already guessed something was amiss. She listened quietly, waiting for him to continue.

"My country is in the Omi Star System, though it is quite distant from here. It takes two months via the Mars. Oh, the Mars is my vessel; you will see it shortly."

"I came here because my... hiss... my elders left certain items on Ke Dong Star. I came to retrieve them. But I didn't expect the Ke Dong family to discover them first. Tonight, I went back to reclaim what belonged to me."

"I just didn't anticipate..." As he spoke, Zhong Yun sighed with regret; he hadn't intended to kill anyone initially.

But once discovered, the security forces arrived too quickly—enemies surrounded him on all sides. If he hadn't fought back and killed, he would have been the one dead.

When the fighting intensified and he had already killed so many members of the Ke Dong family, turning back was impossible. Added to that was the distress over Weiwei being injured, so he went all the way, killing the third son as well.

He shouldn't have spared Wenzhu, but he simply couldn't bring himself to do it. After a year of shared time, some affection had developed. Moreover, she was Weiwei's best friend.

"Xiao Zhu... Is she alright?" Weiwei was an intelligent girl, and she noticed a flicker of something in Zhong Yun's expression. She asked in a low voice.

"She..." Zhong Yun let out a soft sigh. "She likely will never forgive me in this lifetime."

Hearing that her friend was safe, Weiwei let out a sigh of relief inwardly. Although she had given him her whole heart, if he had truly killed her best friend, she didn't know how she could face him.

"You... you truly don't regret it?" Zhong Yun’s gaze fell upon her flawless face. She was breathtakingly beautiful every time he looked at her.

"Do you regret it?" Weiwei’s eyes sparkled as she skillfully tossed the question back. "My father is very fierce, you know. If he finds out you intend to spirit me away, he’ll break both your legs."

"Even if my legs were broken, I would crawl to bring you back with me."

Weiwei bit her lip, her eyes filled with inexpressible joy. Their gazes locked, inseparable, just like their hearts.

Zhong Yun slowly lowered his head, leaning in to kiss her red lips, which resembled blooming petals. Weiwei’s chest rose and fell rapidly; her eyes closed tightly, her long lashes trembling faintly.

Just as their lips were about to meet, an alarm blared suddenly: "Attention! A cluster of unidentified flying objects has been detected and is rapidly approaching us."

Zhong Yun snapped awake from his romantic reverie. "Display the detected imagery."

A panoramic view instantly appeared before him. The "Insect-Bee No. 3" had broken through the atmosphere and entered outer space.

Approximately three thousand kilometers from the "Insect-Bee No. 3," a massive formation of mechs was distributed in a net pattern, closing in rapidly. The number in the mech cluster was colossal—at least ten thousand units, appearing as a dense swarm on the sensor display, almost completely blocking their path.

They are coming for me, Zhong Yun was certain. He made an instantaneous decision: "Turn back immediately, return to Ke Dong Star."

The "Insect-Bee No. 3" confirmed the command and began its turn.

The "Insect-Bee No. 3" was a small-scale cosmic vessel. While it possessed some defensive capabilities, when facing mechs or fighters, retreating was the wisest course of action.

Though its combat power was lacking, the "Insect-Bee No. 3’s" speed was top-tier. It swiftly plunged back into the atmosphere, heading toward the surface.

"Who exactly are they?" Zhong Yun wondered. Did the Ke Dong family possess such vast resources that they could deploy this many mechs in such a short time?

After the control room alarm sounded, Weiwei sat obediently to the side, watching Zhong Yun command with unwavering composure. When she saw the massive mech formation, her expression shifted slightly.

"Don't be afraid, I can handle this," Zhong Yun said gently, constantly monitoring Weiwei and noticing her change in demeanor.

Weiwei managed a weak smile and lowered her head.

Seeing her reaction, Zhong Yun’s eyes narrowed in thought.

The "Insect-Bee No. 3" began to slow its descent when it reached two thousand meters above the ground, changing its trajectory to a horizontal course.

Soon, the vessel slipped into a dense forest, decreasing altitude once more, finally hovering silently above an open clearing deep within the woods.

Zhong Yun helped Weiwei leap onto the ground, waved his hand, and the "Insect-Bee No. 3" shot away.

"This isn't..." Weiwei recognized the location. It was the place where they had fled with Wenzhu and the others during the riot. A fierce battle had erupted here.

She remembered this place vividly, as it was after this incident that Zhong Yun had truly begun to hold a place in his heart for her. This was, in essence, their place of first commitment.

The corpses on the ground were gone now, and a fresh layer of weeds had sprung up.

This was where the Water Star was parked. The Ke Dong family had sent teams here several times, attempting to re-establish a base. However, on the first night of arrival, every dispatched team member would meet an inexplicable end, dying for unknown reasons.

After several failures, the Ke Dong family temporarily abandoned the site.

Zhong Yun led her, and they slipped into the base entrance. They rode the elevator all the way down, finally entering the interior of the Water Star.

"Welcome back, Captain," a pleasant synthetic voice announced.

"This is the Mars?" Weiwei had traveled on many starships but had never heard of one situated underground instead of in the sky. She found it utterly novel.

"No, this is the Water Star," Zhong Yun replied with a chuckle.

"Water Star?"

Meanwhile, above the base, the sky was choked with mechs, completely surrounding the area.

"Report: The Young Mistress is below, sir," a Colonel reported to an elderly man in standard military dress inside a massive fighter.

"Send men in and bring her out," the old man commanded, his voice booming with unmistakable authority.

"Yes, sir," the Colonel responded loudly.

Just as the Colonel began issuing deployment orders, a voice rang out, "Who are you people? Why are you pursuing me?" The voice sounded young.

The old man frowned slightly. "Trace the source of that voice."

"Release Weiwei, and I might spare your life," the old man asserted, his tone brimming with confidence and startling arrogance. Given that he could mobilize ten thousand mechs during peacetime, his influence within the military was clearly immense, justifying his commanding tone.

Inside the Water Star, Zhong Yun couldn't help but smile wryly. He glanced at the downcast Weiwei and sighed; this situation was truly bothersome. "May I ask who you are?"

"It's not your concern who I am. I’ll give you one hour. If I don't see Weiwei by then, you can deal with the consequences," the old man stated bluntly, unwilling to waste words.

Zhong Yun turned to Weiwei. "Your father?"

Weiwei nodded slightly, her voice barely a whisper. "His temper isn't the best."

The father-in-law! This was even more troublesome. He couldn't fight him, nor could he curse him. Damn it, why couldn't you be more like Yun Rong’s father? Both fathers-in-law, such a huge difference. Zhong Yun grumbled internally.

Zhong Yun was about to say something when he suddenly realized he didn't know what to call Weiwei’s father. "By the way, what is your surname?"

Weiwei was nearly speechless. He didn't even know her surname! "My surname is Manson. My full name is Weiwei."

Zhong Yun made a dismissive gesture, acknowledging the information. "Uncle Manson, I am actually a good friend of Weiwei’s. I have no ill will toward her."

"Stop the nonsense and release Weiwei quickly. My patience is limited," the old man retorted, his temper proving as volatile as advertised.

"I can't do that," Zhong Yun admitted, sounding genuinely conflicted.

"That is not for you to decide," the old man sneered.

"She insisted on coming with me; I didn't force her," Zhong Yun pleaded, sounding rather innocent.

"Do you expect me to believe that?" the old man scoffed, preparing to terminate the pointless conversation.

Zhong Yun shrugged at Weiwei. "It can't be helped if he doesn't believe me. You should try."

Weiwei took a deep breath. What was coming was inevitable; there was no use running. "Dad, it’s me."

Hearing his daughter’s voice, the old man grew agitated. "Weiwei! Are you alright? Has he mistreated you? Don't worry, Dad will rescue you soon."

"I am fine," Weiwei replied, also slightly emotional. This might be their last conversation. "He... his name is Zhong Yun. He is not a bad person. He treats me very well, and we are very happy together..."

"As long as you are safe," the old man cut her off. "Be good and wait there for me. I'll be there to save you shortly." He completely dismissed what she said, believing his daughter was being coerced.

However, this situation was complex. For his own daughter, with her capabilities, to be captured alive meant the opponent’s strength was likely not far behind his own.

"Dad, it’s not what you think."

P: One more chapter to go.