Little Sprout’s eyes immediately narrowed into cute triangles. “Tell me about it.”

An Junlie said grimly, “I understand now. Don’t mess with women, not even femboys who look like women!”

“Hahahaha!” Little Sprout burst into a fit of laughter, its whole body contracting and expanding, making one want to squeeze it for fun. “Aliens are truly aliens. Have you even looked at the Master’s age? Is she old enough to pilot a mech? You call yourself smart, yet you refuse to admit it!”

An Junlie’s face flushed and paled. How could he make such a low-level mistake? An Junlie awkwardly covered his head, wishing he could sink into a crack in the floor.

Ziye was always too calm, too self-reliant, which always led him to take her age for granted...

To ensure the healthy growth of juveniles, the Interstellar Federation stipulated that no one under sixteen could pilot a mech. Ziye wasn't even fifteen yet; yet he had scolded her for not knowing how to pilot one!

What an incredibly basic error!

Had he become too relaxed and comfortable lately, forgetting completely to restrain his emotions? In the past, even when encountering someone like Ziye who was unwilling to pilot a mech, he would never have expressed himself so directly.

After an indeterminate time, he looked up, his voice firm. “No, I must go apologize to her.”

Little Sprout looked at him like an old man, shaking its head vigorously. “How can my idol be such an idiot?”

Less than a month after arriving at Silver Rune, An Junlie was preparing for his second apology. Recalling the misery of the first, An Junlie deeply felt that conventional methods wouldn't work. To appear more sincere, he decided to treat the symptom: Ziye loved to eat, so he prepared ten dishes and one soup first!

Ziye stared at the laden table in shock, breaking protocol to speak first. “Is there some good news today?”

An Junlie shook his head.

Ziye glanced at the dining table, which was only equipped with two chairs, and asked again, “Are there guests?”

An Junlie still shook his head.

Ziye pulled out a chair, plopped down, and sighed. “What is it? Just say it, don’t be like this.”

An Junlie was momentarily bewildered. Didn't she love eating? Why did he prepare all this food, yet she showed no sign of happiness and even looked at him with suspicion?

Unable to utter the apology, An Junlie decided to hold his move for now and smiled gently. “It’s nothing. Let’s eat first, or the food will get cold.”

Ziye had already secretly swallowed, not being polite at all. She picked up her chopsticks and began eating immediately. After a couple of bites, she suddenly seemed to remember something and spoke up. “Don’t make so much next time. It’s a lot of work, and it’s a waste if we can’t finish it.”

In an instant, An Junlie felt a deep sense of futility. Fine, the apology failed; time for Plan B.

Besides eating, Ziye was also a workaholic.

Plan B was to help Ziye with her tasks, from robot configuration to data processing, busying himself everywhere, proving more capable than A110.

Whenever Ziye stopped working to rest, she would see him working diligently not far away... It had to be admitted that a man working hard was quite handsome.

He, the commander of the most famous Angel Legion, was diligently performing tasks a simple robot could handle. Ziye really wanted to tease him, but for some reason, she suddenly found his sharply defined profile, set against the metallic sheen, radiating an imposing heroism so dazzling it made her reluctant to shatter the beauty of the moment.

An Junlie seemed to sense her gaze, stopped inputting commands, turned his face toward her, and gave a faint upward curve of his lips from a distance. In that instant, Ziye saw his deep, gem-like black eyes light up, flashing with an unparalleled, captivating brilliance.

The moment their eyes met, Ziye pretended not to have seen it and averted her face.

Fine, she supposed, she had gained an all-purpose robot at home.

Gradually, Ziye stopped maintaining her blank expression toward him, and the two seemed to return to the harmony they shared when they first met. However, she would never again open her heart to him as she had before.

One day, they would part ways.

She was fine enduring this life alone; there was no need to let him leave any lingering attachments here. He was such a bright person; she didn't want her own gray world to tarnish him.

All the robot configurations had just been completed when Red Hair sent the joint declaration for the 69 Plan. —In preparation for shooting down the Interstellar Federation battleship in the new year, and for the self-destruct airship trial, all personnel must arrive at the Silver Rune Hotel ten days early for preparation. Red Hair even specifically contacted her via Silver-com, issuing a stern order: “Hurry up and pack, or I’ll kick down your door!”

Ziye silently wiped a bead of cold sweat.

For those requiring long preparation, like those focusing on the battleship, ten days were needed, but she was primarily responsible for the self-destruct airship and didn't need to go that early at all.

But since Red Hair had spoken, she decided to obediently leave. She ordered all robots into action; there were many things to take, including 110 and 120, plus one nanite repair robot, six modified long-arm robots, daily activity bots, all charging units, energy panels... The inspection and packing of all supplies were a monumental task, more complicated than moving house.

An Junlie was well aware of the seriousness of the situation. There was no need to even ask; he went directly to the contribution data files, studied the details of Ziye’s responsibilities, and helped configure everything.

The Silver Rune Hotel was half a planet away from Ziye’s home; the airship required three hours at full speed.

The Silver Rune Hotel was the only hotel on Silver Rune Planet, built to facilitate the search for interstellar routes. It stood thirty stories high, situated on the northeast side of the planet, backed by high mountains and fronted by an endless expanse of purple grassland. Every year, the Interstellar Federation battleships dropped airships carrying S-class prisoners onto this grassland, so those responsible for the airships prepared in the plains.

It was the season when the grass grew lush and orioles sang.

It was also the time for personnel to gather.

In the time An Junlie had been on Silver Rune Planet, this was the first time he could see dozens of people at a single glance. Traveling from Ziye’s house to the Silver Rune Hotel felt like moving from a desolate wilderness to a bustling metropolis.

Upon arrival, the Silver Rune Hotel was already teeming with talent.

Old Dog contributed all his recently accumulated prey as meals for all staff, filling the hotel’s cold storage to capacity; Red Hair brought out her favorite weaponry—a magnetic railgun, a projectile cannon, heavy missiles... making one think she was there to destroy the planet; the most excessive was Dead Pervert’s roses.

Roses could not be stacked, or they would rot and become inedible. Therefore, everyone watched as Dead Pervert’s specialized rose transport airship carried roses stacked several stories high...

The accommodation fee at the Silver Rune Hotel was nominal, charging one credit per day.

An Junlie knew this battle was crucial to whether he could leave Silver Rune Planet. After settling in, he immediately began unpacking the robots and deploying them to their assigned areas for assembly.

Ziye, however, did no work, strolling around like a grand lady with Little Sprout in tow.

As she sauntered near the hotel entrance, she saw Cripple Leg emerging from inside. She smiled broadly and greeted him. “Cripple Leg, you’re here too.”