Zi Ye turned back, but Little Sprout opened the light screen even faster, feigning innocence with a serious expression as it transmitted commands, as if the preceding events had absolutely nothing to do with it.

Zi Ye gave it a look, then returned to her own tasks.

Little Sprout glanced at her from the corner of its eye, revealing a sly grin. Hmph, trying to battle with this young master, you're still too green! Little Sprout shook its sproutling, overjoyed at this rare victory over Zi Ye!

Of course, the reason Zi Ye ignored it was simply because her mind was elsewhere.

An Junlie’s composure just now was entirely unexpected for her. Whether it was a terrorist guilty of crimes against humanity or someone filled with hatred who poisoned an entire hospital's patients, being brought to Silver Rune Star and hearing there was no hope of ever leaving usually took considerable time to process.

An Junlie’s speed of acceptance was so quick, she didn't know whether to congratulate him or mourn for him.

Zi Ye sighed again, only to have her thoughts violently interrupted by a sharp chi sound; she snapped back to attention to find the metal had already been sliced into radish rounds...

An Junlie stepped out of the door, feeling as though his vision had broadened considerably. Everywhere his gaze landed, there were almost no buildings. The trees were extraordinarily tall—any random one soared dozens of meters high—and their leaves were all purple. Light struggled to penetrate the canopy, resulting in deep, cool shade beneath.

He had heard rumors that Silver Rune Star was overrun with exotic beasts that preyed on humans, making it hard for even the most fearsome criminals to survive. Even if one managed to survive, they would inevitably be culled by the most ruthless inhabitants... The reality before him deviated significantly from the legends. An Junlie promptly discarded all his prior notions about Silver Rune Star and began his on-site reconnaissance.

No roads meant no people. There were no mechs or warships in the sky, not even the lowest-grade shuttle.

Silence reigned all around; there was no scent of humanity.

An Junlie walked for half an hour before finally emerging from the woods. An intensely pungent fragrance rushed to meet him, causing him to sneeze three times in quick succession. He looked up to see an endless sea of roses stretching before him.

Besides the fiery red roses he had seen on mechs, there were yellow, blue, green, and violet roses—a riot of competing colors, each releasing the unique, heady pheromones of the bloom as they swayed in the breeze.

In the very center of the rose sea stood a transparent conservatory, at first glance resembling the Crystal Palace from fairy tales. This was the first structure An Junlie had seen since leaving Zi Ye’s residence.

Given the terrifying intensity of the roses’ scent, he preferred not to approach and was preparing to circle around when he noticed a rose branch nearby shake violently. He turned his head to see the little girl robot, G438, emerging from the floral expanse, clutching a bouquet of ash-black roses. She wore a beautiful gauze dress, a small, pale-emerald rose tucked behind her ear, and her face held a sweet smile, making her look like a sprite.

Huh? This robot again.

Before leaving, he had asked A120, who informed him that the G-series robots were the most popular on Silver Rune Star, with 520 units sold, numbered from 001 to 520. 438 was the best-performing unit among them all and had been snatched up by a notorious pervert immediately after being activated.

An Junlie became intensely curious about the little girl’s owner. He followed discreetly, convinced that Zi Ye was certainly an outlier resident. If he was to understand this society and continue existing here, gaining insight into the lifestyle of the mainstream residents was necessary.

A narrow path wound through the sea of roses toward the crystal-clear conservatory. As An Junlie walked along it, the robustly growing rose bushes completely blocked his view of the scenery on either side.

A burst of jaunty, rhythmic music drifted through the blossoms and branches, entering his ears. It was energetic, yet inexplicably humorous. When An Junlie reached the end of the path and looked ahead, he saw a patch of purple grass spanning about a hundred square meters in front of the conservatory. Sitting on the grass was a decidedly seedy-looking old man. Before him, two identical little girl robots were dancing to the music.

Well, An Junlie knew without approaching that this old man was surely even more unorthodox than Zi Ye. Given that he was trespassing, he felt hesitant to step forward immediately.

The old man smiled conspiratorially, directing them, “Bounce-cha-cha, bounce-cha-cha... Good job, do it again. 438, you’re back, aren’t you.”

438 approached and presented the roses to the old man, speaking in a cooing voice, “Yes, Daddy. Five of the black roses in the East Sector Garden mutated and bloomed gray flowers. I picked three and brought them back along with the standard specimen.”

The old man nodded but made no move to take the roses. Instead, he looked up toward where An Junlie was standing, squinting his eyes slightly. “Old dog, is that you?”

An Junlie was unused to sneaking around, so he simply stepped out and inclined his head to the old man. “I must have taken a wrong turn and wandered in here. My apologies for the intrusion.”

The old man stared intently, then suddenly shoved G438 aside, lunged forward, donned a pair of gloves with incredible speed, and reached out to touch An Junlie’s chest!

In that instant, the old man's eyes blazed with an almost fanatical light.

Startled, An Junlie reflexively raised his arm to block. His limb was solid and unyielding; the old man’s hand hit it like striking a steel pipe, causing him to yelp and rapidly pull his hand back.

The old man had never encountered such rude resistance on any planet. His fervor instantly cooled, his face hardened, and he said coldly, “I was showing you respect by acknowledging you. Don’t refuse a toast only to be forced to drink a forfeit!”

An Junlie found the situation bizarre, especially the way the old man looked at him, as if gazing upon a beautiful, unclothed woman. The feeling made him profoundly uncomfortable. He shuffled two steps sideways to increase the distance between them. “I took a wrong turn, sorry,” he said, turning to leave.

“Wait, is this a place you can just wander into and walk out of as you please?” The old man snorted through his nose, his raspy voice like a knife scraping against metal, rough and deeply unpleasant.

An Junlie turned back, maintaining an even demeanor. “Do you mean to imply something, sir?”

The old man suddenly laughed, his face contorted into a lecherous expression. “You are simply too perfect, the pinnacle of everything I’ve sought in my life! Would I be a fool to let you go?”

The old man was definitely a pervert.

An Junlie regretted not thinking things through before entering. He had no idea of the old man’s identity or his standing on Silver Rune Star. If he accidentally provoked a local power, getting around the planet in the future might prove very difficult.

But could he simply allow himself to be controlled? Decisively, he invoked Zi Ye’s name. “I came from that brat’s place.”

The old man and Zi Ye were neighbors; they surely knew each other. Furthermore, the old man possessed three G-series robots, suggesting his relationship with Zi Ye was likely decent. He hoped that on that account, the old man wouldn't make things difficult for him.

The old man froze upon hearing this. “You’re a robot? How could that brat possibly create such a perfect specimen?”