"After the young miss disappeared," Twenty-One said, glancing at Zhong Yun, "it was implied that he was the one who spirited her away. After a pause, he continued, "The base commander and deputy commander also vanished at the same time. The base descended into chaos."

"Not long after, a new commander was appointed. But the war broke out then, and eventually, all the brothers from the entire base were conscripted into the army."

"Did you participate in the war too? In which war zone?" Zhong Yun asked curiously.

"The six of us happened to be assigned under Marshal Yang's command, defending the front lines." Mentioning "Marshal Yang," the six faces swelled with pride. To have fought under the command of the legendary hero, Old Marshal Yang, was indeed their greatest source of pride.

"Ah, that was where the fighting was fiercest." Zhong Yun was very surprised. Having been at the High Command headquarters for so long, he knew intimately how grueling the fleet commanded by Old Marshal Yang had been. It could be said to be the unit with the highest casualty rate.

"Indeed," Wang Xiao'er recalled those unbearable days. "Looking back now, it’s truly a miracle that the six of us survived such a brutal battlefield."

"Out of our full mecha squadron, only two of us survived. The other one lost both legs. I am the only one who lived through it completely intact," Chu Tiange said with deep emotion.

The other six immediately pointed at him. "A lucky charm."

Chu Tiange looked utterly innocent. "What does that have to do with me?"

Zhong Yun continued his questioning. "What happened next?"

"Thanks to you, the enemy suddenly retreated at the final moment. Our last battleships had all been destroyed, and everyone thought it was over. Unexpectedly, just as the enemy was about to claim victory, they actually withdrew. Because of that, the six of us managed to keep our lives."

"Not long after, news arrived. The 45th Fleet had launched a surprise attack on the capital of the Hongxian Federation, forcing them to sign a peace treaty. The war ended," Zeng Xiao'san recounted chattily.

"I know all that. What happened after?" Zhong Yun urged him to hurry up.

"After that, we were discharged. By then, of all the comrades who survived at the base, many had died, and many were disabled. Surprisingly, only the six of us remained."

Hearing this, Zhong Yun broke out in a cold sweat. Indeed, these six were all lucky charms.

"The base was disbanded. With nowhere else to go, we ended up working as bodyguards. This time, we took a job, along with other bodyguards, to escort someone to the Yanbin Empire. Who knew we would run into pirates on the way? After a hard-fought struggle to break through the siege, only the six of us were left from the entire bodyguard detail..."

Zhong Yun broke into a huge sweat again. These six were truly too lucky. He should probably keep his distance from them.

"...The pirates pursued us relentlessly. We only managed to shake them off in this star field. Because our ship was too heavily damaged and we had undergone superluminal flight, both the power system and the detection system were scrapped. We could only drift aimlessly. This area is far from the usual shipping lanes. After waiting for many days, when we were on the verge of despair, you appeared," Wang Xiao'er finished in one breath.

"Speaking of which, you've saved us twice now," Chang Ran Ru Meng suddenly interjected. "You truly are our savior."

"It was merely coincidence."

"I've been thinking about one thing," Chu Tiange suddenly interrupted their conversation.

"Hmm?" All six looked at him.

"I've always felt that those pirates didn't lose track of us; they retreated on their own," Chu Tiange said, his brow tightly furrowed.

"Huh? That’s impossible. Why would those pirates give up on such easy prey?" Chang Ran Ru Meng shook his head in denial.

"Tiange has a point," Twenty-One agreed. "The speed of those pirate ships wasn't inferior to the Pearl. They chased us for over ten days; there's no way they'd give up when victory was within reach. There must be something fishy about this."

"Maybe they ran out of energy?" Wang Xiao'er spread his hands. "Regardless of why they gave up, we're safe now, aren't we? Why dwell on it so much?"

Even so, Zhong Yun remained vigilant and secretly instructed Xiao Ling to be extra cautious. When navigating the universe, no amount of caution is excessive.

"Right, who exactly were you protecting?" Zhong Yun changed the subject.

"This person you definitely know," Zeng Xiao'san said, a strange smile appearing on his face.

"I know them?" Zhong Yun was intrigued. Based on his tone, it meant either someone he had met or someone very famous. If it was someone he had met, Xiao Ling would have surely alerted him. That meant it was a celebrity.

Was it the President? Or some Minister or official?

"You can't guess."

Zhong Yun scratched his head. "What's their name?"

"It's not 'him,'" Zeng Xiao'san wagged a finger. "It's a 'she.' Her name is... Ming Yunyu."

"Ming Yunyu?" Zhong Yun was slightly startled. He did know of this person, but he had never met her in person. He hadn't expected to run into her here.

Ming Yunyu was the superstar who captivated all of Davo. She was more than just an idol. Her singing could move anyone, from the elderly over a hundred years old to children not yet in primary school. Countless people adored her.

She became famous across all thirteen administrative planets of Davo the moment she debuted, overshadowing every other singer. Older generations said her presence held the charm of the legendary 'Crystal Rose' of yesteryear.

Later, she expanded into other countries, conquering everyone with her irresistible Jialan melodies. She was even invited by the royal family of the Ge'an Empire to perform at their National Grand Theater, becoming only the second foreigner to grace that stage.

The former Zhong Yun was also a huge fan of hers, claiming she was his second most adored woman. The first, of course, was Liu Yunqi.

His best friend, Tianhai, was an even bigger fan, an official member of her fan club, "Yusi." Tianhai's obsession with her surpassed even his passion for weapon models.

"Wow~, to think we'd run into her here, that's... extraordinary," Zhong Yun exclaimed.

Zeng Xiao'san chuckled slyly and said to his close friends beside him, "I told you so. Even Zhong Yun, who already has the Young Miss, cannot resist Yunyu's supreme charm."

The others also laughed, their laughter quite peculiar.

Zhong Yun wasn't embarrassed; they were all men, and he understood that. He stated directly, "Could you possibly introduce me?"

"Truly lives up to the reputation of being ruthless," Twenty-One gave him a thumbs-up. "Not holding anything back at all."

Zhong Yun didn't bother explaining. Even if he had held certain ideas about Ming Yunyu in the past, after everything he had been through, those feelings had faded. Matters of the heart were not to be trifled with casually.

He already had Yunqi, plus Xiao Ruo, who was devoted to him, and Yu Daoqing, whose relationship remained undefined but who had fallen into a deep sleep saving him, and Weiwei, who remained on Ke Dong Star out of devotion to her father.

These emotional commitments were weighty. Too many beautiful women, eventually, became an unbearable burden. Of course, this didn't apply to men who could discard women like old clothes. But Zhong Yun truly couldn't bring himself to be that kind of man.

Therefore, regarding the supremely famous superstar Ming Yunyu, he respectfully declined. His purpose in seeing her was merely to offer a polite greeting and perhaps secure an autograph for Tianhai.

"Then let's go invite her over," Zeng Xiao'san finished his tea and stood up. "She'll surely be thrilled to know you want to see her."

"Huh?" Zhong Yun was momentarily stunned as the six of them walked out.

Blast it, he forgot to ask them to keep his identity a secret. Zhong Yun slapped his forehead, about to ask the robot to call them back, when Xiao Ling's voice sounded at the opportune moment, "We have a situation."

Zhong Yun's nerves went taut like a reflex. Having experienced multiple accidents while traveling by spaceship, he was especially sensitive to danger. He immediately put aside the matter of the introduction. "What is it?" he asked tensely.

"This star field is very dangerous," Xiao Ling's voice sounded grave.

Zhong Yun clenched his fists tightly. Xiao Ling rarely used the modifier "very," which indicated the situation must be serious.

"The magnetic field in this star field is extremely strange and undetectable by ordinary probes. Following your suggestion just now to turn the detector to maximum power, we discovered the danger."

"What danger?" Zhong Yun couldn't help but ask.

"Based on the characteristics of the surrounding magnetic field distribution, only one scenario fits: The Dead Zone, one of the ten most dangerous places in the universe."

Zhong Yun found Xiao Ling's words chilling, and a cold feeling crept into his heart. "The Dead Zone?"

"The cause of the Dead Zone's formation is unknown to this day. It possesses extremely strong stealth capabilities. A ship can accidentally stray into it. The dangers within the Dead Zone are immense. According to records, no ship that has entered the Dead Zone has ever flown back out."

Zhong Yun’s heart went cold halfway through. "How can this be? When we departed from Qiyun Star, we passed through here safely."

"Our intended route was precisely along the edge of the Dead Zone. If we had followed the original course, we would not have entered it. However, in order to save that other ship, we have already entered the Dead Zone."

In this world, it seemed one couldn't just be a good Samaritan. Zhong Yun gave a wry smile. He hadn't expected that a moment of great kindness would put him in peril too. He suddenly thought of the pirates; they must have known this area was forbidden, which is why they retreated so suddenly.

"Even you have no solution?" At a time like this, the only person he could rely on was Xiao Ling.

Xiao Ling was silent for a long moment before replying, "The database lacks specific information on the Dead Zone, so making a prediction is impossible."

Such an answer... Zhong Yun sighed. Since he was here, he would have to make the best of it; one step at a time was all he could do now.

Just then, the door opened. The group of six entered, bringing a woman with them. He had previously set permissions for them allowing them free movement in certain areas of the ship.

Zhong Yun pushed the matter aside. So what if it was the Dead Zone? He had already navigated through so much peril; he refused to believe he would perish here.

With that thought, he finally regained a sliver of confidence.

"Let me introduce you," Zeng Xiao'san rubbed his hands together and pointed to the tall, stunningly beautiful woman beside him. "This is our nation's idol, Young Miss Ming Yunyu."

"Hello," Zhong Yun smiled and extended his hand.

P: One more chapter to go.