Little Sprout hung itself above the inconspicuous porthole of the interstellar bus, watching the ceaseless pirate war raging outside. If it intended to join up with Red Hair, it was simple enough: just arrive at Koly, and she’d be there. Of course, it was also incredibly difficult, because she spent most of her time fighting and had no time at all for the space station.

Little Sprout observed the two opposing sides, noting the steady decrease in Red Hair’s numbers. As it calculated her odds of winning, the interstellar bus "whooshed" past a pirate ship and entered the station.

In the instant of fleeting images, Little Sprout concluded: Red Hair's chance of survival was a mere 14.7.

It slipped down from the bus amidst the surging crowd, found another railing, and hooked itself on again to check the schedule for the next departure.

The soonest one left in thirty minutes.

It was already midnight. Unless an interstellar bus arrived, dumping a large group of people, the place was so quiet you couldn't even find a single staff member.

Such was the advanced nature of Koly Space Station; all the workers were robots that wouldn't move without a directive.

For a time, the silence was almost frightening.

Little Sprout sighed, like an adult would.

The journey ahead was still long.

It felt weary.

It was terribly lonely, with no one to talk to, no one who even knew it existed, and it dared not let anyone know. It missed the days when Ziye was around. It could swing carelessly from her clothes, roll around in her hair, or occasionally rest inside her bag when too tired to move, without worrying about getting lost...

But that damned Ziye was surely fast asleep right now, completely unaware it had run away.

She didn't care about it at all!

She always said, "I won't do it again," but she always did!

The more Little Sprout thought about it, the more aggrieved it felt, and without realizing it, it tumbled from the railing. It snapped back to attention and scrambled back up the railing to regain its highest vantage point.

No, it absolutely could not show weakness.

If it looked pitiful when she woke up tomorrow, she certainly wouldn't appreciate its suffering tonight, and still wouldn't cherish it.

Little Sprout solidified its resolve to continue its escape. Just as it was about to fly toward the transfer bus, it suddenly felt something—a body had snagged it right where it hung.

Looking down from its perspective, a figure emerged from the Captain’s Exit.

Saying "walked" was perhaps an exaggeration.

The person could barely stand, legs trembling, bracing against the wall, moving forward step by painful step, slower than a woman in the late stages of pregnancy. Little Sprout only found it strange. It tilted its head and clearly saw a long trail of blood behind her.

There was a hole in her leg and another in her lower back, from which blood sprayed out like water.

Every single filament on Little Sprout's body instantly stood on end.

That person was Red Hair!

Red Hair was injured. What should it do?

Little Sprout sprang up and flew toward her. She was wounded too severely; it didn't even need to calculate to know she wouldn't be able to pilot her maglev car back to the villa.

Someone had to help her!

Little Sprout was as nervous as if it were the one injured. Ziye was too far away and knew nothing of medicine—no help there. The Damn Pervert could certainly heal her with cellular repair surgery, but the Damn Pervert wasn't here.

There was only one solution: find Black Beard and ask him to help find a doctor.

It was the dead of night. Little Sprout dared not project a light screen for fear of being seen, so it quickly typed an email and sent it to Black Beard. The process took only three seconds.

After sending it, it worried: What if Black Beard was asleep and didn't see the message?

Little Sprout bounced nervously in the air, deciding it would find a doctor for her itself.

Red Hair was Ziye's friend. If Red Hair died, Ziye would surely be devastated. Thinking this, Little Sprout huffed, Hmph, when I become the savior of your friend, see if you dare treat me rudely again!

Little Sprout began searching for doctors within a hundred-mile radius.

Before it could locate a physician, Red Hair slumped to the ground with a soft thud and passed out. Little Sprout didn't have time to search anymore; it rushed to land on her body.

Her face was pale as paper.

Little Sprout glanced at her wounds and immediately confirmed that her ship must have been blown to pieces, and metal fragments had embedded themselves in her. She must have forcibly ripped the shards out to cause such horrific holes.

"Red Hair, don't die, or Little Fool will be heartbroken!" Little Sprout yelled loudly into her consciousness, then spread its wings and flew forward with all its might.

It searched for a doctor while flying.

To be honest, its tiny wings only allowed it a speed of 0.8 meters per second in flight—slower than a snail in the vacuum of space.

It had only flown a few meters when it suddenly heard footsteps approaching from behind.

An idea struck it sharply: it didn't need to find a doctor itself; it just needed to find someone to take her to one! Little Sprout admired its own brilliant decision and immediately flew back.

Under the station lights, Lan Li's silhouette appeared tall and elegant.

Little Sprout's eyes immediately brightened.

It was Lan Li! There was hope!

Little Sprout’s impression of Lan Li wasn't good. Lan Li smiled too much, dressed too well, flirted with too many girls, and always seemed nonchalant—like a flamboyant peacock.

But at this moment, his appearance was like seeing a ray of dawn suddenly appear in the deepest darkness before morning; it couldn't have been better! Little Sprout decided to stay put and watch what Lan Li would do.

The people emerging, besides Lan Li, were two others from the Angel Realm: the Captain and an assistant, neither of whom Little Sprout had ever seen before.

They spotted the bloodstains a few meters from Red Hair and followed the trail to her side.

The assistant’s pupils contracted slightly upon seeing Red Hair’s condition. "Vice-Commander, what should we do?"

Lan Li didn't answer, instead glancing thoughtfully toward the exit hatch. The next second, he squatted down, lifted Red Hair into his arms, and ordered, "Bring the maglev car over! We're going to the hospital immediately!"

The Captain responded with a crisp "Yes" and immediately ran off to retrieve the vehicle. The assistant reached out a hand. "Vice-Commander, let me carry her."

Lan Li shook his head and strode quickly toward where the maglev car would arrive.

Little Sprout, watching from above, finally let out a breath of relief.

It seemed this peacock wasn't so bad after all. Little Sprout decided to grant him ten bonus points in its estimation of him. In these unsafe times in space, people wouldn't care much if someone died, let alone offer aid to a fallen stranger.

Therefore, Lan Li was actually a decent person.

Should it follow them?

Little Sprout checked the time and instantly realized it had forgotten something: the bus to the Angel Realm had already left! Little Sprout looked at Red Hair and decided to follow Lan Li to see what he would do. The next bus wouldn't be for a long while anyway.

If Lan Li rescued Red Hair and went straight to the Angel Realm, it could hitch a ride.

Little Sprout was delighted with its clever idea and carefully stuck close to the rear of the maglev car. Just as the assistant was about to contact the hospital, Lan Li suddenly stated, "Not the hospital. Take her to our private club. Call our doctor stationed here in Koly."

The assistant was somewhat confused.

The private club belonged exclusively to the Angel Realm and was generally closed to outsiders. Was it appropriate for Lan Li to bring a strange woman there? The assistant looked at Lan Li with a questioning gaze.

They knew Lan Li's true nature. Usually refined and gentle, underneath he was like a venomous snake; acts of altruism were entirely uncharacteristic of him.

Could he possibly have been mesmerized by this woman?

The assistant dismissed the thought immediately, shaking his head—impossible.

Lan Li offered no explanation. He paused, then without asking for confirmation, used his comms to arrange everything, ensuring the doctor was notified, before finally speaking. "Vice-Commander, aren't we rushing to see the RS-3 interstellar orbit leading to Silver Crest? She's just a woman; taking her to the hospital would suffice. There's no need for this much fuss."

Lan Li began tearing at Red Hair’s clothes while shaking his head. "It doesn't matter."

None of the three had a medical kit. The Captain and the assistant were wearing suits, which were hard to tear and impractical. Lan Li never tore his own clothes—it was bad for his image. To staunch Red Hair's bleeding, he decisively ripped off her outer garment.

Since Red Hair was unconscious, she wouldn't know about his "beastly behavior." Little Sprout, watching from behind the car, was boiling with rage, wishing it could immediately send an electrical pulse to stun him.

Over the years following Ziye, Little Sprout had grown much more composed, knowing that saving Red Hair was the priority. This was why it held back its anger; otherwise...

The assistant didn't understand. "Why?"

Lan Li smiled faintly. "Did you notice the pirate battle earlier? Both sides fought until all their ships exploded. At the moment the last two ships destroyed each other, one escape pod entered the station—the only survivor."

The assistant's eyes widened instantly. "You think she's...?"

Even the Captain found it incredible. He had spent years commanding vessels and witnessed the entire engagement. He hadn't dared suggest he could have escaped in that instant. And this woman actually did it!

Red Hair, held in Lan Li's arms, was "sleeping" very deeply.

Her expression was unexpectedly serene. Her black, curly hair slid down beside his arm, resembling a sophisticated, dignified woman. Could a woman like this really be the fierce pirate who dared engage in a mutual-destruction tactic moments ago?

Indeed, one could not judge a book by its cover.

The pirate clash, in fact, stemmed from the Angel Legion.

To open the interstellar route to Silver Crest, the Angel Legion was transporting four-point-five billion in assets via cargo ship to Siyatu. Their stop at Koly was for the purpose of laundering these assets.

It was a covert operation.

Yet, somehow, the Fia Family got wind of the information.

They dispatched pirate forces to intercept.

The Angel Legion's escort team suffered heavy casualties. The only reason the assets managed to safely enter the station for transfer and laundering before being resent to Siyatu was the timely appearance of the freelance pirates.

Regardless of the reason for the conflict, the freelance pirates had been of immense help to them.

Therefore, Red Hair absolutely had to be saved.

A regular hospital wasn't safe. Emerging covered in blood as she was, surveillance cameras would capture her, and anyone interested could trace who she was. If someone tampered with her at the hospital, she might not even keep her life. RS