Before, on Silver-Rune Star, Zi Ye felt constrained in every aspect; even accessing the light-net offered little room to maneuver. Only once she reached deep space did she realize how free she truly was on Silver-Rune Star.
On Silver-Rune Star, there were no laws to adhere to, no constraints from space stations, no shackles of currency; she could do anything and everything she desired.
However, having left, she held no regrets.
For every gain, there is a loss; had she never left Silver-Rune Star, she could never have acquired more knowledge. Now, even if nostalgia surfaced, she certainly wouldn't let it halt her progress.
Little Sprout bounced up and down in the cockpit, eyes sparkling, constantly auto-reading environmental data, and occasionally rolling excitedly over Zi Ye’s head twice. Suddenly, it seemed to detect something, halting abruptly mid-air. “Master, I’ve detected an alien silver-signal!”
Zi Ye blinked. “An Junlie? How is that possible?”
Little Sprout sat up and stated earnestly, “It’s real.” It inputted a series of commands, locking onto An Junlie’s silver-signal, and within moments, confirmed the coordinates. “It’s true. It’s in space about 5,000KM outside the Qila Space Station. Very close—less than half an hour to get there.”
Zi Ye stared silently at the light-screen, her mind a blank slate, save for one thought echoing over and over: An Junlie was near her! An Junlie was near her!! An Junlie was near her!!!
Seeing no reaction from her for a while, Little Sprout emitted a sharp whizz of static electricity, delivering a tiny jolt to her calf. She shivered, snapping back to awareness, only to find Little Sprout grinning mischievously at her. Embarrassment flared into anger. “What are you looking at?”
Little Sprout whirled happily in mid-air. “La la la, Zi Ye, your heart rate has increased by 7.3% from normal! Zi Ye, you’re excited, you must be excited!”
Hearing this, Zi Ye actually calmed down. She focused on the coordinates, then glanced at the nearby Stargate and space stations. Her current trajectory only offered the Qila and Siyatu systems.
She mused thoughtfully, “Could he be heading to Siyatu?”
Little Sprout shook the tiny sprout on its head, wearing an excited expression, yet its words were remarkably placid. “Who knows?”
Zi Ye, seeing its proud, obstinate demeanor, hopped down to stow her mech, plucked the prettiest, reddest flower from the immortal vegetable patch, and tucked it onto its head. With a soft “Hmph,” she turned and walked away.
Little Sprout zipped after her, crying out as it flew, “Don’t make the great me look like a sissy!”
Zi Ye spun around with a sweet smile. Little Sprout thought she had softened and happily lunged toward her, only to be caught squarely by Zi Ye, who proceeded to stick flower after flower onto its head until its entire crown was covered. At a glance, it resembled a floral hydrangea pom-pom.
Little Sprout furiously bristled all its fuzz and began randomly shooting micro-shocks at Zi Ye. Zi Ye clutched her skirt and ran, making faces at it as she fled.
Just then, directly above them, two ancient, silver mechs descended from the sky.
Little Sprout’s system was incredibly powerful; no large object with aggressive capabilities within a 100km radius could escape its capture. Thus, even while the mechs were still airborne, it had swiftly detected them, but since their weapon turrets and ballistic systems remained inactive, and they emitted no killing intent, it ignored them entirely.
The mechs landed one after the other, a few hundred meters behind Zi Ye. Hearing the sound, Zi Ye turned back and saw two identical combat mechs. Their models were sleek and clean, exuding a sharp, chilling aura, making her somewhat puzzled.
Surely, mechs wouldn't come to this place just to fight!
If they did, the immortal vegetable patch would surely be reduced to dust.
Little Sprout flapped its wings languidly. “Zi Ye, recognize whose craftsmanship these are?”
Zi Ye pointed at the mechs, suddenly incredulous. “Angel Legion? No way, they actually came all the way out here!”
Among the countless legions in the galaxy, only the Angel Legion and the Huaxia Legion possessed the ability to independently design and manufacture their own battle armor. The Angel battle armor’s auxiliary plates and structure were virtually indestructible. However, very few were fortunate enough to see one. Generally, those who saw them never had the chance to return!
The Angel Legion never sold any combat mechs, which is why they grew increasingly mythical.
An Junlie’s mech was unique; the two before her were not available on the market, nor were they spotted anywhere in the pilot training bases. They must be top-tier as well?
Zi Ye glanced at the Black Gold Angel Legion crest beneath the mechs and immediately felt an itch in her fingers—an impulse to take them apart. Her skill level was much higher now; she would certainly be able to analyze much more!
Little Sprout flapped its wings delightedly. “That’s right, Angel Legion. Want to scan their internal structure?”
Zi Ye nodded without hesitation, but upon seeing Little Sprout’s mischievous smile, she suddenly felt a pang of ethical doubt. An Junlie was, after all, her benefactor... wait, if she’d dismantled her benefactor’s mech, what were these two?
Just as she resolved her thoughts, Little Sprout’s scan was already halfway complete. Remote scanning was one of its specialties.
However, the two mechs didn't allow Little Sprout sufficient time. As soon as the pilots exited the cockpits, they immediately retracted the mechs into Spatial Buttons.
Little Sprout sulked, landing heavily on Zi Ye’s head. Spatial Buttons—they were the absolute worst!
Spatial Buttons could be called the most magical invention of the Great Interstellar Era. A button-sized object could conceal an entire mech, isolating it completely from the outside world. Even with its near-omnipotent abilities, Little Sprout couldn’t penetrate a Spatial Button to investigate the mech.
The pilots were identical twin silver-haired youths, dressed in only black and white. Their attire was highly unique, looking as if the sharp angles and lines of architecture had been brought vividly to life in clothing, projecting a distinct charm of ruggedness and abstract quality.
In the faint breeze carrying the scent of immortal vegetables, their silver hair lifted in the exact same arc, equally defiant.
Zi Ye watched them emerge from the cockpits and approach her, her gaze focusing on them. She felt a touch of surprise—could they be connected to An Junlie?
Did An Junlie send them?
An Junlie couldn't possibly know she had left Silver-Rune Star! Unless... Little Sprout reported it to him. Zi Ye slanted her eyes at Little Sprout, who immediately shook its head. “It wasn’t me, it wasn’t me, I really didn’t say anything!”
The twin youths approached her, linking arms, and broke into smiles before speaking, their curved sword-like eyebrows becoming even more pronounced. They spoke in unison: “Hello, we are Axbennt.”
What a strange name.
Yet, she felt she had heard it somewhere before?
Zi Ye knew few people, and the names she remembered were few. This name didn't belong to Silver-Rune Star, nor did it belong to the Mobile Forum. Why did it sound slightly familiar?
She habitually looked toward Little Sprout, which gave her a look of disdain and transmitted through brainwaves into her mind: The alien mentioned their name. He said the Axbennt twins are exceptionally fond of mischief.
Huh? Why was it one name for two people? Zi Ye voiced her question, and the twins burst into peels of laughter, reiterating: “I am Axbennt.”
Zi Ye blinked, noticing the youth on the left said, “I am Ax,” while the one on the right said, “I am Bent,” only speaking the words “I am” and the ‘B’ of ‘Bent’ simultaneously, making it easy to mishear. Zi Ye noted their distinct features while maintaining the traditional Silver-Rune Star façade of a stoic expression. “Hello.”
The twins exchanged a look and spoke again: “Miss, have you seen a mech around here earlier?”
Zi Ye returned their smile with one of her own and vaguely pointed toward the sky. “It flew that way. What’s wrong?”
Axbennt were sly; they could tell Zi Ye was lying without even needing to look, but they didn't call her out, pretending not to care. “We saw it looked very peculiar and wanted a closer look. If it flew off, that’s fine.”
They spoke half-sentences each, but their voices were strikingly similar, like a cello playing in a concert hall; when they spoke together, it sounded as if one voice was emanating from two different angles, which was quite peculiar.
Zi Ye hadn't expected them to be interested in the Ping’an-type mech and considered subtly probing, but unwilling to admit the Ping’an-type was hers, she adopted a friendly air and chatted cheerfully, “Are you here for tourism?”
The two grinned mischievously. “Want to join us?”
Zi Ye felt an immediate sense of trust toward people from the Angel Legion and nodded. “Sure.”
The twins had the playful nature of young boys. With them around, Zi Ye had endless things to say and many amusing stories; she learned they were second-year students at the Dongdian Military University, currently during exam time, and wondered why they were vacationing at Qila. Zi Ye was kept laughing the entire way, forgetting entirely about their initial inquiry regarding the Ping’an-type mech.
The connection between people is a marvelous thing. Although the twins had specifically come looking for her mech, the conversation flowed naturally due to fate. Many people meet interesting or story-filled individuals on their journeys, but few walk the entire path together, maintaining contact afterward.
Zi Ye was very happy to connect with them so instantly.
The twins had eccentric personalities. They caught small birds from the sky, gutted them, stuffed the immortal vegetable flowers into their bellies, skewered them, and roasted them. In their words, “It has the flavor of meat and the fragrance of flowers—simply divine!”
Zi Ye silently chewed a half-scorched, half-undercooked bird, shook her head, and sighed. She had expected Angel Legion members to be master chefs, but these two were worlds apart from An Junlie; she shouldn't have held such high hopes.
When she truly couldn’t eat anymore, she wrapped the bird in a piece of heavy parchment. The twins, proud of their culinary creation, asked when they saw her stop eating, “Why aren’t you eating anymore?”
Zi Ye forced a dry laugh. “I’m not hungry right now, I’ll eat it later.”
The twins used both hands to shove the bird into their mouths, crunching and gulping it down in a few bites. They clapped their hands. “We’re full!”