The final week's new book rankings are out; anyone not casting a recommendation vote is being a rogue!

Having saved his progress, An Junlie was just about to look for Ziye when a clear bell sounded outside the door.

An Junlie turned his head; it was 438 from the 'pervert's' place.

She had tiny bells hanging from both ears, which chimed softly as she moved.

120 hurried to the door and smiled, "Little sister 438, how can I help you?" The little girl 438 presented a sealed, transparent glass vessel with both hands, her voice crisp and childish.

"The biological particles from X007's mech surface have been analyzed. This is a sample; please pass it to your master. The test report has been sent to the shared files, which she can review at any time."

An Junlie's heart skipped a beat; X007 was his mech. It was numbered only for the convenience of robotic data logging. He rushed forward, took the glass vessel, and ran toward the warehouse at top speed.

Inside the warehouse, Ziye was examining the non-biological particles of 007. As An Junlie walked in, he saw Little Sprout's holographic projection screen—six of them, lined up.

Within the three-dimensional light projections, one could see the analysis progress, metal sequencing, potential particle space, and the air pressure it had endured... it was dazzling.

Essentially, Little Sprout could handle the entire process without much input from Ziye. Ziye stared intently at the screens, sighing when she saw negative energy exceeding normal values. "The particle density is the same as the one just tested. No need to continue,"

she told Little Sprout. Little Sprout chirped in acknowledgment, archived the newly obtained data,

retracted the projection screens, shook the two small leaves on its head, reverted to its fluffy plushie form, and bounced onto Ziye's head. Ziye slumped onto a chair with a frustrated sigh. Having been on Yin Fu Star for so long, she hadn't experienced many setbacks,

but this time, every successive test ended in failure, leaving her quite dispirited. Seeing Ziye's frustrated expression, An Junlie quickly asked,

"What's wrong?"

Ziye sighed, "I just analyzed a subatomic particle from a wormhole that exhibits α-reflectivity, distinctly different from the other particles. I believe it’s deeply related to the wormhole's spatial jumps. If we could find a few more and analyze the subtle differences,

it would be a great help. Unfortunately, most of the particles on your mech's surface are just meteor debris;

finding a few more will be difficult." An Junlie couldn't help but recall the moment he fell; he’d encountered a powerful void storm, causing his mech to swing left, circling a third of a time in mid-air, altering its trajectory. Since he lacked the energy to regain control, he plummeted to this location. "Try testing the area around the bend of the left rear leg of the mech; there might be more there." Ziye’s eyes lit up, and she immediately ordered the warehouse robot to bring the testing equipment over.

An Junlie handed her the glass vessel, and seeing her puzzled look, he explained, "The pervert just delivered the sample for the biological particle test,

and the report has already been sent to you. Maybe you can find something there too?" Ziye glanced at him and teased, "Did you change careers to be a runner?" An Junlie smiled awkwardly.

"I finished drawing the circuit diagrams and was just about to bring them for your review, so I brought them along." Ziye ordered a robot to pour her some water.

After drinking, she laughed, "Alien, do you think I'm omniscient?" An Junlie paused, then Ziye continued, "I only analyzed the subatomic particles to rule out the least likely ones. As for the pervert's report, I can only understand the conclusion."

An Junlie immediately understood. "Then I need to find the person who signed the appendix?" Ziye nodded. "I'll copy all the non-biological particle data for you. You and 438 can go find 'Weak-Leg Brother.' If an in-depth study is necessary, he will summon others in the relevant fields. Oh, right, 430 can pilot the airship; you can take him along too. I'll send the report to the shared drive shortly."

Weak-Leg Brother was physically unimpressive—pale, slack-skinned, desperately slovenly, and exceedingly timid. One moment he’d claim particles were radioactive, the next he’d claim ignorance, but when it came to actual research,

he was more professional than anyone. The charts An Junlie had drawn seemed correct, but after Weak-Leg Brother tested and verified them, he instantly discarded the unsuitable ones, keeping only the one that best matched reality. He then subjected the delivered particles to deeper testing, combining the results with the pervert's report to map out a complete wormhole route. An Junlie looked at it;

it was the most difficult U-shape path! Even if the result was only seventy percent accurate, he wouldn't dare attempt it even at one hundred percent accuracy!

Executing a 180-degree turn within such a tight arc would be difficult even for a top-tier pilot, let alone the fact that no one knew if the wormhole even existed in that configuration now. In short, it was virtually a dead end.

An Junlie's anticipation plummeted to rock bottom.

He boarded the airship, activated the autopilot, and stared blankly at the trees passing beyond the protective shield. Reality was too harsh. Even though he had guessed this outcome, hearing it made all his beliefs scatter like snowflakes.

This feeling of despair was worse than the sensation of his mech running out of energy in space. F430 piloted the airship to the landing zone. Seeing that An Junlie showed no reaction and the autopilot remained engaged, it simply sat still, watching the airship circle round and round. As evening approached, 438, sitting quietly beside him,

finally couldn't help but speak one sentence: "Alien Big Brother, my master is calling me back. Are you going back?" An Junlie snapped awake, suddenly remembering he wasn't alone on the airship. He managed a bitter smile, gathered his emotions, and directed the airship toward the pervert's conservatory. The Purple Stellar slowly rose. An Junlie looked up at the planet, so dim it sapped all spirit. Where in this world could one get whatever one wished for?

How could anything in this existence ever truly satisfy? Upon returning to the repair shop, the lights were already on. Ziye was dozing, slumped over the reception counter in the living area, utterly still. Her clean face and the gentle curve of her lips looked peaceful, radiating warmth under the lamp glow.

An Junlie instantly saw his own confused and agitated appearance reflected back at him.

He stepped off the airship; the unease, the despair in his heart, the grayness of the Purple Stellar, the swaying of the trees—it all still swam before his eyes. He hadn't even had time to rein in that sense of loss. No one who arrived on Yin Fu Star wanted to be here. Ziye was no exception. 120 maintained a perfect welcoming posture:

"Welcome back, Mr. Alien." The voice was still largely devoid of emotion, but An Junlie couldn't help but smile. He said, "I'm back." Ziye, jolted from her half-sleep by the sound, sprang up like a rubber band. "You’re finally back! I’ve been waiting for you for so long!"

An Junlie was momentarily taken aback. "I’ve troubled you." "You only just realized!" Ziye huffed. "I order you, from now on, to prepare meals, put them in the thermal container, and then go out!"