It was late. Yang Ying sensed Katerina’s position and went up to the rooftop. He found Katerina leaning against the parapet wall at the edge of the terrace, her gaze fixed intently eastward, seemingly lost to the world around her.

A cool breeze swept up, lifting her golden hair, and the edge of her pure white dress fluttered restlessly. It was a sight of breathtaking beauty.

“Watching the sunrise?” Yang Ying approached her quietly, wrapping his arms around her waist.

Katerina turned her head when she heard his voice, nodded with a smile, and said, “Though it’s an artificial sun, it possesses its own unique beauty, and I haven’t seen one for over two months. I wanted to see it again.”

“I’ll watch it with you,” Yang Ying stated.

Katerina responded with delight, “That would be perfect.”

The two stood on the rooftop, watching the artificial sun slowly ascend. They remained silent for over ten minutes until Yang Ying finally broke the quiet: “I have to leave again.”

Katerina let out a soft sound. “Where are you going?”

“The Atlantean Empire,” Yang Ying said slowly.

Katerina’s heart jumped, and she turned back to him. “Why do you have to go there?”

Yang Ying recounted the transaction with Landon.

Learning that it was all for her sake, a layer of mist instantly welled up in Katerina’s beautiful, large eyes. “Sir, you are so good to me.” She felt an overwhelming sweetness in her heart, willing to die contentedly right then and there.

Yang Ying laughed. “Of course. If I’m not good to you, who else should I be good to?”

The sun had already risen. The two continued to gaze out at the surrounding landscape from the terrace—the distant hills, meadows, forests, and lakes all came into their view.

A desire to keep all of this forever surged in Yang Ying’s chest. He looked at Katerina’s profile and thought to himself, Our time together will surely be long and lasting.

Three days later, Yang Ying and Landon departed the Sol system, heading toward the Kothuin Starfield, thousands of light-years away.

According to Landon, entering the True Human Empire directly via spatial jump was extremely dangerous. This was because the True Human Empire had deployed hyperspace detection equipment throughout its entire territory. Any unauthorized crossing from hyperspace would be immediately recorded, and the relevant departments responsible for illegal entry would instantly mobilize to pursue the stowaways, imposing the most severe sanctions.

These sanctions often amounted to the death penalty.

At the borders of the True Human Empire, such unauthorized crossings were not uncommon; Landon had heard mentions of them during her time in the Empire. Some stowaways were explorers, risking their lives just to glimpse the mysterious Empire. Others were those who could no longer survive in the outside world—criminals wanted for major offenses, or those being hunted by powerful factions.

However, regardless of their identity or how exceptional their intellect or how high their power level, once they entered Imperial territory, none could escape the Empire’s pursuit.

Yang Ying had no intention of challenging the Empire’s law enforcement, so he chose another path: utilizing the Atlantean Stellar Gates.

Tens of thousands of years ago, when the Atlantean Empire still governed the galaxy, they had established a network of space gates spanning the entire Milky Way. People could use these gates for physical spatial jumps at minimal cost, reaching vast distances.

This method of travel could be used for journeys within a planet or between star systems. To the Atlanteans, using the space gates was as common as Earthlings taking trains, ships, or planes.

More than ten thousand years ago, a great catastrophe befell the Empire, forcing them to retreat and cede half of their territory. The cause and process of this cataclysm were strictly classified; even high-ranking Imperial nobles like Landon were unaware of the details.

However, she had incidentally learned one crucial fact: after the Empire’s great withdrawal, a small portion of the Stellar Gates located in the Orion and Perseus Arms were intentionally preserved, set aside for the eventual return of the True Humans at some future date.

Every inhabited world once owned by the Empire retained one functional Stellar Gate. It was precisely because she knew this that Landon was able to activate the Stellar Gate leading to Earth while being pursued, bringing Bai Bai to Earth.

But after arriving, Landon had utterly destroyed the Stellar Gate on Earth to prevent pursuers from following. She explained that the Earth Gate was hidden in an alternate dimension, beneath the Arctic ice. Yang Ying had dispatched probes to investigate, hoping to repair it, but the feedback reported insufficient data for repair unless the original Stellar Gate schematics were available. Restoring the ruins hidden in that alternate dimension—which were now virtually unrecognizable—was a near-impossible hope.

Although Landon could operate the Stellar Gates, her understanding of their principles and structure was superficial, offering no help with repairs.

Moreover, Landon did not want the Earth Stellar Gate repaired. She was unwilling to risk even a sliver of danger. If the Earth Gate were fixed, attracting the attention of Duke Sandwor’s forces to Earth would spell absolute disaster for Bai Bai.

For the aforementioned reasons, Landon and Yang Ying ultimately decided to detour through the Stellar Gate of another planet, using it to enter the True Human Empire indirectly.

The chosen target was the planet Pohhan, located in the Kothuin Starfield of the Orion Arm, controlled by the sub-humans.

Pohhan’s situation resembled Earth’s. The Atlantean Empire had once occupied it. During the retreat, the Empire had destroyed their technology and all traces of their presence, but they had left behind many citizens whom they did not take with them. Their descendants had gradually forgotten the Empire’s existence, leaving behind only vague legends.

It was highly probable that, just like Earth, a Stellar Gate existed on Pohhan.

Seven days later, the Behemoth entered the outer space of Pohhan.

Viewed from space, Pohhan’s surface was similar to Earth’s: blue oceans, green vegetation, yellow deserts, and white glaciers. However, its topography was vastly different, featuring only three large continents.

Landon arrived at the observation deck at the bow of the Behemoth and saw Yang Ying already waiting there.

“Master Yang Ying,” Landon greeted him as she approached.

“Master Landon, you’ve arrived at the perfect time,” Yang Ying said. “Can you pinpoint exactly where the Stellar Gate is located on the planet?”

Landon moved to the edge of the observation deck and looked down. A serene blue planet floated before her. She shook her head. “I cannot point it out. If this planet was abandoned by the Empire ten thousand years ago, a Stellar Gate must exist, but its location could be anywhere on the planet, hidden within an alternate dimension.”

Yang Ying sighed. “So, we have to search every inch of the land?”

“Yes,” Landon replied, turning back to him. “I am sorry, but I have no other way. This is not Earth; I have never been to Pohhan.”

“No need to apologize; it’s not your fault. Besides, a single search won't take much time.” Yang Ying waved his hand, and a communicator from the nearby wall flew into his grasp. Simultaneously, a virtual keypad appeared on the device. Yang Ying pressed a button twice and spoke into the communicator: “Howard, scan the entire planet for spatial fluctuations. Find the alternate dimension hiding the Stellar Gate!”

“Yes, Commander,” Howard’s voice responded through the device.

Soon, automated probes launched from the Behemoth, flying toward Pohhan. The Behemoth circled the planet once along its equatorial plane, releasing thousands of these detectors.

The performance of these probes was far inferior to that of the Protos Observers, but they were sufficient for a carpet search of a planet’s surface.

Yang Ying released the communicator, letting it drift back to its place, and said to Landon, “Now, we just wait for news.”

Landon remarked, “I didn’t expect your Terran Mercenary Group to possess technology for detecting spatial fluctuations. I have lived on Earth for so many years and never heard of any physics laboratory researching this.”

Yang Ying smiled, maintaining his silence on the matter.

Seeing Yang Ying unwilling to discuss it further, Landon did not press the issue. She turned slightly to continue observing the planet below. After a long moment, she spoke, “According to the customs of the Orion Arm, the sub-humans on this planet should be considered a low-level civilization, shouldn't they?”

“That’s right,” Yang Ying said, moving to stand beside her. “The remnants of Atlantis are scattered throughout the Orion and Perseus Arms. Besides those already discovered, like Pohhan, many remain unknown. The humans on Pohhan haven't even mastered steam power yet. In fact, they barely qualify as low-level civilization; they are better classified as primitive. According to the established protocol among the races of the Orion Arm, our actions on Pohhan should be minimized to avoid detection. Contact with external intelligent life is still too soon for them.”

“Master Yang Ying says that, but your heart doesn't truly feel that way, does it?” Landon offered a hint of sadness in her smile. “We are humans, just like them. Using the term ‘external intelligent life’ feels too distant.”

Yang Ying looked at her with a degree of surprise. “As a True Human, your sentiment is astonishing to me. The Empire abandoned its remnants and destroyed all its technology. I had assumed the Imperial people were utterly indifferent to the fate of us sub-humans.”

Landon shook her head. “I am not clear on what happened ten thousand years ago, nor do I know why the Empire abandoned these citizens. But if you conclude from this that all Imperial people are cold-blooded, then you are mistaken.”

Yang Ying studied her earnest expression. “Alright, I admit that not all Imperial people are cold-blooded.”

After a while, Howard notified Yang Ying that there was progress. Yang Ying and Landon proceeded to the bridge, where the main screen displayed a global map of Pohhan. On the map, near the center of one continent, a red dot was flickering.

Howard pointed at the image and explained, “Based on the detection results, spatial distortion exists at the location of this red dot. Its characteristics are highly similar to the spatial distortion beneath the Arctic ice on Earth. I believe we may have found our target.”