In the pilot training base, the combat zones were always brimming with talent, yet the mech equipment bay was cold enough to freeze bone, with visitors being either complete novices hoping to assemble a mech for personal use, or seasoned assemblers—and there were only a handful of those, too few to count on one's fingers.
The veterans' assembly styles were distinct, and they habitually left a brief assembly schematic on the optical computer for the pilot to quickly familiarize themselves, signing it with their ID.
Pilots could recognize the assembler instantly by the ID, grasping the assembly's performance dynamics immediately, knowing how to maximize strengths and mitigate weaknesses.
Ziye’s assembly was excellent, yet it didn't match the style of any assembler in the bay; regarding the ID, she was clearly a newcomer, leaving no instructions or signature in the optical computer whatsoever.
What a pity; one could only hope to encounter it again! Emerging from the fitness room, Ziye stretched widely and said to the little sprout clinging beside her, "Hurry up and send me the blueprints for the Warrior type." The little sprout lazily puffed up its body, regaining its round shape, and grumbled irritably, "Can't a guy get a little rest?" Ziye plastered a smile on her face, "Of course, respected sir, just give me the blueprints, and you can sleep however you like." The little sprout hopped up and poked her head, "Look what time it is! Go to sleep!" With that, it activated standby mode, closed its eyes, and ignored her.
Ziye checked the time—it was nearly eleven.
She resigned herself to washing up and sleeping.
Even aboard the Kira Space Station, Ziye maintained her strict schedule from Silver Charm: lights out precisely at eleven PM, up at five AM the next day.
In the space station, the concept of fresh air didn't exist, nor did any trees; looking up revealed only the vast, boundless sky.
When Ziye woke up, changed, and prepared for her run, she suddenly remembered: she wasn't on Silver Charm anymore.
All the pathways in the station were straight, interconnected, but they were all thoroughfares, with maglev vehicles and mechs roaring past overhead.
Where could one possibly run? She looked up at space.
Perhaps in the future, her morning run would be piloting a mech out for a loop around the void? Ziye found the thought amusing, turned, and entered the fitness room.
She opened the window and practiced the martial arts An Junlie had taught her in the brightly lit space.
The little sprout hung from the window edge, behaving as if it were a wind chime swaying in the breeze. "Ziye, Ziye, I’ve tracked an alien Silver Signal! How about we find him and mooch a meal?" Ziye remained perfectly composed, continuing her punches.
Two transparent wings sprouted from the little sprout, flapping excitedly, "It's not far from here, within the Angel Domain.
It'll only take thirty warp jumps." Thirty warp jumps meant at least half a day’s journey, but that wasn't the key point.
Her visiting to mooch a meal? It would be more like a creditor coming to demand payment.
It was true that An Junlie owed her 200,000 in repair fees, but Ziye had only intended to leave a sliver of connection.
In reality, everything he had done for her during his time on Silver Charm was enough to wipe that debt clean.
An Junlie was a good man with his own life; why should she disturb him? She had initially sought him out because she feared he had perished en route.
Once she learned he was safe, the guilt she felt toward him vanished, and discussing such matters now was meaningless.
Ziye ceased her stance and said flatly, "We are not of the same world, let's not bother him." The little sprout puffed out its cheeks miserably.
Ziye pretended not to notice, pulled open the fitness room door, and stepped out.
After a quick shower, Ziye sat down in the living room, turned on the interstellar television, and watched while drying her hair.
It was the morning news broadcast.
The anchorwoman was detailing the top story: "After a three-month trial, the Interstellar Court has ruled against the Fia Clan.
The Angel Legion is awarded three hundred million Universal Credits in compensation.
A spokesperson for the Angel Legion stated that the key is not the court's ruling, but rather the hope that humanity develops environmental awareness and refrains from casually dumping nuclear waste..." The Fia Clan again.
Ziye wrinkled her brow in distaste.
That clan was like an irritating fly, always stirring up trouble everywhere.
But the Angel Legion? An Junlie’s legion? Ziye’s spirits lifted.
Just as she leaned in to see the details, the news segment switched.
She hurried to the fitness room window, saw the little sprout squinting drowsily, and hastily prodded it awake. "Check what happened with the Angel Legion." The little sprout resented her earlier coldness and replied listlessly, "Don't want to...
I'm so sleepy." Ziye grabbed it with both hands and squeezed hard, "It’s about An Junlie; don’t you want to know how he’s doing?" The little sprout hadn't actually entered standby mode.
It giggled, jumped up, and chirped, "Right away!" The events traced back three months—"Mr.
Lanli, please let us go.
If you let us go, I guarantee we won't dump any cargo from our vessel within 3,000 kilometers of your jurisdiction or its periphery.
That...
should be acceptable, right?" The captain of the smuggling vessel wore a look of utter despair.
His smuggling vessel was the fastest among the industrial ships, constructed with sturdy, lightweight building materials.
While its cargo hold wasn't as large as a standard industrial ship, its speed surpassed that of a cruiser, and it could withstand heavy firepower.
Moreover, the captain was seasoned—the more he thought about it, the more unwilling he was to concede.
He had been smuggling in dangerous zones for twenty years and never expected to meet disaster like this.
The man standing before him was Lanli, the Deputy Commander of the Angel Legion.
Before this, he had never heard of Lanli.
An Junlie, hailed as the youngest Legion CEO, was presumed dead, and the captain had expected a smooth run all the way...
Lanli asked with a gentle, refined smile, "How can I be assured of your sincerity?" Seeing that he seemed open to negotiation, the captain swore earnestly, "I swear on the name of God!" Lanli smiled but said nothing.
God? If people like you truly believed in God, would you dump waste in someone else's home? Besides, what was God? He only believed in himself.
Seeing his unyielding expression, the captain quickly changed tack, "Then I...
I'll send them back to Tatooine! I'd rather take the detour and suffer the loss than get tangled up in this misfortune." Lanli’s smile didn't fade but carried a hint of mockery. "Even if you send them back, you can't unload them.
The commissioning company on Tatooine—that private nuclear energy development firm—hired you for this outrageous act precisely because they were unable to cover the subsequent costs of nuclear waste disposal for a mere pittance.
The moment you initiate the warp jump, they would declare bankruptcy the next day.
That company no longer exists.
Who would you unload them to if you brought them back?" "Uh..." The captain hadn't expected this layer of complexity and immediately lost all composure, wailing, "I can't unload them, and I can't take them away.
What am I supposed to do?" "We've already sent personnel," Lanli said with an air of serene politeness. "We contacted the Krath Star Core Materials General Corporation and suggested they handle this batch of nuclear waste." The Krath Star Core Materials General Corporation was the largest nuclear waste processing company in the galaxy, currently holding the vast majority of nuclear waste disposal contracts across various planets.
Waste with no further use was processed by them via bio-decomposition technology, breaking it down internally.
Usable materials were treated, vitrified, sealed in stainless steel containers, and shipped to planets requiring secondary use.
The captain looked utterly dejected. "Forget it.
I’ll just haul them straight back to the Tatooine Space Station and unload them.
If the company is bankrupt, there’s still the government; they can deal with it however they like.
It has nothing to do with me anymore." Lanli gave a faint, cold smile and did not reply.
His personnel were still tracing the true origin of the nuclear waste, and he would not allow this smuggling vessel to leave easily until they found it.
Tatooine was fifteen warp jumps away from the Angel Legion headquarters—a significant distance.
Yet, the company on Tatooine chose to dump the waste in their Angel Domain instead of somewhere closer.
This demanded suspicion.
The key point was that the company enjoyed high profits; it shouldn't lack the funds for post-disposal of nuclear waste.
Their bankruptcy at this juncture was too coincidental.
If these 16,000 cubic meters of nuclear waste were dumped into their Angel Domain, the region would suffer severe nuclear damage within a few months.
If the exposure lasted longer, people would become mentally impaired, go mad, or even die.
In summary, the Angel Domain would be utterly annihilated.
An Junlie had been missing for about a month.
Lanli had searched the entire universe for him and hadn't returned to the Angel Domain.
If he hadn't suddenly altered his itinerary today to check things out, one couldn't imagine the consequences.
Who was taking advantage of their vulnerability to seek their destruction? The captain noticed the cold glint in Lanli’s eyes despite the constant smile, sending a chill down his spine.
He considered slipping away to his smuggling vessel while Lanli wasn't paying attention.
Once aboard, he would crash through anything to escape! He had taken a few steps back when suddenly someone laughed behind him, "Retreat any further, and you'll step on me." The captain was greatly startled and spun around wildly, finding a silver-haired youth grinning at him.
He quickly spun to the other side, only to find the youth had reappeared behind him.
When had he appeared? The captain had no idea.
Feeling guilty, the captain’s knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the ground.
As the youth walked in front of him, the captain realized they were identical twins, standing one on each side, arms casually draped over each other's shoulders, grinning brightly—but it wasn't a gentle expression; rather, in the upward tilt of their eyes, one could sense an ineffable arrogance! Seeing the captain’s awkward state, Lanli smiled faintly and said, "Aixbent, stop making things difficult for the captain.
The Nuclear Waste General Corporation on Krath Star is willing to accept this batch of waste.
You can take it back." The captain let out a silent breath.
Lanli seemed to recall something and asked, "Aren't Krath Star and Tatooine both territories of the Fia Clan?" The captain nodded hurriedly.
Lanli waved his hand, his smile laced with hidden menace. "That's excellent.
I've decided to sue the Fia Clan in the Interstellar Court.
Don't forget to appear as a witness when the time comes.
Goodbye." The captain’s vision went black; he nearly suffered a heart attack.
He thought he had encountered a gentle sheep, but it turned out to be a wolf in sheep's clothing.
Given the situation, even if he didn't become cannon fodder in the battle between the Legion and the Clan, being embroiled in a lawsuit amounted to ruin! (To be continued)