The only comfort on Silver Rune Star was that everything the prisoners had was built through their own efforts. Facing each other, there was no need for pretense or restraint; everyone showed their truest selves.

Ziye was also thrilled to see an outsider. She bought a bag of tiger jerky sold by Old Dog’s robots at the temporary convenience store, munching on it while greeting the people passing by on the path.

As soon as she stepped onto the grassland, she saw An Junlie completely surrounded by a group of old men.

First off, they meant no harm.

They were merely examining him with the gaze one reserves for a fine piece of art, showering him with compliments—though it would have been better if they hadn't touched him.

An Junlie had dealt with perverts before and already had a defense ready. He didn't mind their words but made his position clear: "You can look, but you can't touch."

Ziye couldn't help but chuckle.

Most of the prisoners were men. If it had been a group of middle-aged women, Ziye thought with a touch of mischief, the scene would have been even more spectacular. Seeing Ziye arrive, the crowd pulled her in front of An Junlie and lectured him earnestly: "Hey, brat, I'm telling you. A man must have a physique like an alien. It’s one thing for this old uncle to have congenital defects and acquired imbalance. You are still young; you still have a chance to change your build. You must learn well from him!"

Ziye gave An Junlie a wide-eyed, bewildered look and shrugged innocently.

An Junlie was overjoyed that they had finally turned the conversation to Ziye, and he chimed in supportively: "Uncle speaks the truth. I will personally supervise the brat’s exercise every day from now on, making sure she never lets herself go again."

Dead-Pervert chuckled and seized the opportunity to push his product: "Brat, if you beg me, I can perform genetic modification for you, extract the handsome and tall factors, implant them in your body, and turn you into the most beautiful man in the entire universe! Absolutely a hundred times better looking than any alien!"

The crowd burst into laughter.

Old Dog clapped Dead-Pervert on the shoulder: "Who doesn't know you only like lolis and cross-dressers? What if you mess up the brat?"

Big Head shook his head: "He's already messed up. Haven't you noticed how much more effeminate the brat has been lately?"

Ziye glared angrily at Big Head, staring intensely: "You're the effeminate one, you big dummy!"

The crowd laughed again. An Junlie, seeing Ziye's flushed face, suddenly felt, for some inexplicable reason, that Big Head might have been right. He had worked so hard to train Ziye, but her physique hadn't bulked up or gained muscle; instead, her skin was growing finer and softer. Damn it all.

Ziye didn't want them to continue the discussion. Before they could say another word, she glanced at the site ahead and said, "You all chat; you continue. I'll go check on the site setup first."

That finally steered them back to the main topic. Remembering the work awaiting them, they exchanged greetings and dispersed to their tasks.

An Junlie followed Ziye's pace, smiling faintly: "You handle them quite well."

Ziye glared at him in frustration, "I hate you; you're in cahoots with them." With that, she walked forward, carrying the tiny sprout head high.

The little sprout treated her movement like a swing, swaying back and forth while sticking its tongue out at An Junlie.

An Junlie sighed helplessly, rejected again...

Dead-Pervert hadn't gone far. Seeing Ziye’s demeanor, he muttered to himself, adding a final comment: "My fault? That brat just has a cross-dresser's constitution."

Ziye heard this, stumbled, and nearly fell onto the grassland.

Standing on the grassland, the wind felt strong, but it didn't bring the stinging invasion of dust to her face. Walking across the beautiful meadow, beyond the vast expanse of purple flora, were splashes of yellow, blue, and red blossoms in full bloom. Occasionally, startled butterflies and insects fluttered up with vibrant wings, bringing moments of pleasant surprise.

If it weren't for work, this would be a wonderful place for a tour.

Ziye took a deep breath of the fresh air and began working.

The preliminary setup used the coordinates from the previous year's starship docking. Based on the predicted wind speed and the airship's descent trajectory for June 9th, they calculated the landing zone and positioned robots nearby.

While the group had been joking around, they were utterly serious when it came to work.

Ziye scanned the area and didn't see DuDu, who usually loved to cause trouble at their work sites. "Where is DuDu? Hasn't he arrived yet?"

Hearing this, everyone exclaimed, "That's right, isn't DuDu always the first to show off? Why isn't he here?"

Black Beard spread his hands: "He's not in a good state recently; he’ll arrive later."

Just as they were speaking, an airship sped toward them from the distance and stopped precisely in front of them. Red Hair dismounted, her face alarmingly pale, as if a major accident had occurred. Her first words were a sharp declaration: "DuDu is dead."

"What?" Everyone was stunned.

Red Hair paused for a moment, composing herself, then spoke again: "I was heading back to get some ammunition just now, and seeing DuDu hadn't come, I stopped by his place. He was completely depleted. I only managed to see him in his last moments."

The sudden, terrible news instantly chased away all the happiness, leaving behind only a paralyzing pallor.

The wind howled across the grassland, seeming to cast a thick layer of frost over everyone's hearts.

The group fell silent. They boarded the airships in small clusters and headed for DuDu's home. DuDu was a professional toxicologist. On the natural planet of Silver Rune Star, he had discovered many toxic insects and herbs he favored, but he had no real outlet, limited to making simple cold medicines. In his youth, he was quite handsome and vain, often researching various beauty products and perfumes, not only perfecting his own appearance but also giving many away as small gifts.

He was over a hundred years old, yet the last time they saw him, he looked no older than thirty.

When they arrived at DuDu's home, they only saw his frozen corpse. Life had vanished, and his skin was rapidly shriveling; the smooth complexion was gone, leaving only skin stretched over bone.

This was the second time Ziye had personally experienced the death of someone close to her since Tang Shan.

Some people said that witnessing the passing of an elder was a necessary stage of growth. But seeing that sight, Ziye couldn't help but want to cry. A perfectly fine person, just gone. The old man who had been laughing with them just days ago, who had been showering her with beauty products, suddenly couldn't speak or move...

With every person who left, it felt like a piece of flesh was being carved from her heart, a pain so sharp she wanted to scream until the world itself seemed ready to collapse.

DuDu had always been such a cheerful person, always saying, "It'll kill you with beauty!" She truly couldn't bear to look at DuDu’s current state. If he knew how ugly he looked after death, he surely wouldn't have tolerated it.

Ziye crouched down on the ground in agony, covering her face with her hands, letting out muffled sobs—the sound of a wounded young beast crying out.