In that moment, her fingertips trembled, and she whispered to Hongfa, "What do we do?" Hongfa’s eyes were locked on the Raider vessel, her expression frigid. "Don't worry. We are cloaked. Their distance is one-one—"

"5114m," Ziye instantly interjected.

If they advanced just a little further, the cloaked bomber would be discovered.

Hongfa slowly backed away, maintaining a distance of around 6000m—not too close, not too far.

Ziye watched the ominous muzzles of the pirate ship’s cannons, her heart hammering against her ribs. She dared not make a sound, focusing only on plotting a route. For a terrifying moment, the pirate ship swept past them at a nail-biting 5026m, leaving Ziye breathless.

"They must be out hunting," Hongfa said, deactivating the cloaking field. In the deep void of space, no one detected their passage.

Ziye wiped her palms down her trouser legs, drying the sweat, and muttered with frustration, "I really want to launch a few torpedoes at them."

Hongfa remained calm and chuckled. "You won't. A cloaked bomber like this is incredibly fragile. If we were exposed, not even wreckage would be left."

As she spoke, she reactivated the stealth systems and steered them into the asteroid belt, thick with sentry drones.

Hongfa’s fingers were long and somewhat slender, the knuckles well-defined, resembling a man's hands. When they moved across the control interface, they were exceptionally steady, as if she weren't threading through a patrol zone but proceeding under the fanfare of an honor guard.

Ziye’s mood settled somewhat as she swiftly scanned the route ahead.

Asteroid belts were common in space; Ziye had encountered a few and understood them well enough. The deeper one went, the harder it was to escape, and one could easily collide with an asteroid if careless.

Not all the pirate vessels had left; a few were hidden here and there, presumably resting.

In one sector, the gap between two sentry drones measured only 13,000m. The cloaked bomber’s volume was 2810m³, yet Hongfa maneuvered it through the space with perfect poise.

Watching the drones on the optical screen, lined up as precisely as if they were undergoing military training, Ziye felt as if they were dancing on the tip of a knife.

She looked at Hongfa with deep respect.

This was undeniably superior psychological fortitude.

Ziye fully understood then: she was unsuited to be a pirate, unsuited for the front lines. She did not possess such iron nerves.

For her, the crucial part was optimizing the bomber's stealth capabilities and equipping it with the best systems so that Hongfa would have the greatest chance of success when facing peril.

Finally clear of the asteroid belt, past the pirate lair, Hongfa let out a sharp breath. She stopped the bomber and opened her palm to Ziye, revealing it was completely slick with sweat.

Ziye let out a little laugh. "I thought you weren't afraid."

Hongfa lit a cigarette and slowly exhaled a smoke ring. "Walking with your head on the edge of a blade, who isn't scared? I'm actually quite timid."

Ziye was speechless. If this counted as timid, then she didn't have a shred of courage left.

She shook her head and pointed ahead. "Once we exit the wormhole, we’ll be home."

After a brief rest, Ziye checked the wormhole coordinates and transmitted them to Hongfa, who crushed out the cigarette butt and returned to work.

With the previous experience under their belts, both were considerably calmer while traversing the wormhole.

When the beautiful, crystal-purple planet appeared before them, they embraced in excitement: they were finally at their doorstep!

Passing through the wormhole brought back signal activity. Ziye eagerly connected to the Silvercharm Star broadcast, awaiting a response.

Beep, beep, beep—the connection finally established.

Ziye sat up a little straighter and said in a serious tone, "Hello, this is a voice from outer space..."

Before she could finish, a figure materialized on the holographic screen—it was Old Dog. Old Dog laughed heartily, interrupting her. "Stinky kid? Get to the Silvercharm Central Field immediately. We're testing a battleship here, and, uh, we have aliens."

Ziye was stunned. "Aliens? From which planet?"

Moments later, a deep and familiar voice sounded, "Alien? I am Jelly."

It was An Junlie's voice!

Ziye blurted out, "Holy crap!"

Keep in mind, this was a planetary broadcast, heard by everyone on Silvercharm Star.

By the time Ziye realized what she had said, a chorus of laughter erupted over the comms.

"Is that the Stinky Kid? Space is a great place, he's even learned to swear now." "Stinky Kid, your voice has gone high-pitched, but your language has gotten crude."

"..."

The loudest voice was that of Xiao Xiao. "Ziye, um, you must be Ziye. Swearing is impolite, especially when everyone is listening."

Ziye nearly burst into tears.

For the last decade of her life, she had believed that one must maintain proper etiquette in all dealings; swearing was a sign of extremely low breeding. And now, the entire population of Silvercharm Star knew she lacked manners.

It was all An Junlie’s fault.

She couldn't fathom what had happened, why An Junlie was on Silvercharm Star. Had he secretly arranged to bring everyone out? That defied logic!

In Ziye's view, An Junlie wasn't a true native of Silvercharm Star; he was merely a guest. She, Hongfa, and Blackbeard were the real Silvercharm inhabitants. It was only natural for Ziye to feel uncomfortable knowing the guest had entered their home without the hosts’ knowledge. She composed herself and replied, "Hongfa and I will be there in 15 minutes."

Hongfa had heard every word. She looked at Ziye and said, "The alien mentioned this matter to me and asked if I had time to join him in five Silvercharms. I declined."

Ziye was puzzled. "Why?"

She remembered Hongfa had once confessed feelings for An Junlie. Wouldn't she happily go when An Junlie called?

Hongfa lit her second cigarette and blew a delicate ring of smoke, watching it dissipate before her eyes. "He hasn't been on Silvercharm for three months yet. In terms of rapport, it doesn't compare to the years we spent together. Besides, he isn't a prisoner; he has a legion. If he's willing to take the time to extract them, that's commendable loyalty. However, for us, it raises an immediate issue: a group of us prisoners would then owe him a debt of gratitude."

Hearing that, Ziye immediately understood.

People with nothing to lose inevitably run into trouble once they incur a debt of favor.

Back then, she hadn't wanted to tell An Junlie that she had already left Silvercharm Star precisely because she didn't want any entanglement with him.

In space, a group of prisoners could strive and commit illegal acts without restraint.

But once family ties or military allegiances were involved, endless complications followed.

She sighed. "I get it."

Hongfa turned to look at her and smiled. "You didn't think I would agree just because I like him, did you?"

Ziye, realizing her thoughts were transparent, scratched her head and fell silent.

In some ways, Hongfa understood the difference between affection and obligation better, and she would never confuse the two. Ziye inwardly agreed with Hongfa's reasoning, yet hearing it said aloud, her rejection of An Junlie caused a small, faint ripple of displeasure in Ziye's heart.

Alas, ultimately, she just wanted An Junlie to be well and to stay with them.

Hongfa considered for a moment. "Also, I don't like An Junlie much these days. I prefer Lan Li; Lan Li is much better for teasing."

Ziye pointed at her, gaping. "You... you are something else."

Hongfa smiled and steered the stealth bomber into the atmosphere.

Ziye located the force field position, set a beacon, and sat back on the seat, hugging her knees.

She didn't particularly like Hongfa smoking, finding the captain's cabin a bit suffocating, but Hongfa had once said that people needed ways to decompress, and smoking was a quick, simple, and non-dangerous method.

Fifteen minutes later, the stealth bomber landed at the edge of the Silvercharm Central Field. Before it had even settled, airships swarmed toward them like locusts, a dense, dark mass.

Ziye felt a surge of warmth and familiarity. As soon as Hongfa stabilized the craft, Ziye boarded an airship and shot out.

Old Dog, Pervert, Xiao Xiao, Iron Hand, Leg-Weak Brother... they all looked the same as they had a year ago, fundamentally unchanged. It was this group who stared, dumbfounded and speechless, at her current fashionable attire.

The cute, woolen cap adorned with a bow, paired with slightly curled bangs, a knitted doll outfit, and short boots—she was now an irresistibly adorable young girl, not a trace of the former Stinky Kid!

Pervert slammed his chest in despair. "Heavens, give me back the Stinky Kid! I need 'him'!"

Xiao Xiao glanced blankly at Pervert, then at Ziye. He walked up to her, blushing, intending to touch her cheek, but under everyone's gaze, he held back his hand, stammering, "Kid, how... how did you turn into a little sister?"

On Silvercharm Star, the only fool who didn't know Ziye was female was probably Xiao Xiao.

Old Dog stepped in front of him, deliberately saying, "Xiao Xiao, she isn't the Stinky Kid. Think clearly; don't be so casual." His tone was warm but carried a subtle threat.

Xiao Xiao, whose mind was slow to catch on, didn't dwell on it and argued back, "But, but... but she looks so much like the Stinky Kid!" He then bypassed Old Dog and tried to approach Ziye.

Pervert suddenly seemed to grasp something, shoving Xiao Xiao aside. He rushed up to Ziye, his eyes gleaming with excitement. "I figured it out! Even if I can't scam your robot anymore, it's fine. Stinky Kid, I want you—your hair, blood, something... give me a full set!"

Ziye stared at him blankly, completely forgetting what she was supposed to say.

Pervert was too extreme; it wasn't logical!

She recoiled slightly, sending a pleading look toward Hongfa.

Having dressed as a girl for the better part of half a year in space, she had completely grown accustomed to being a woman. Seeing their reaction now, she suddenly realized she should have returned wearing men's clothing.

She had calculated everything except this one crucial point. What terrible luck.

Hongfa shrugged, leaning against the airship with an expression of someone enjoying the show, waving leisurely to the crowd. The natural wind of Silvercharm Star swept through her flame-colored hair, making her look utterly captivating.

Just as Pervert called for G438 to fetch his tools, An Junlie walked up from behind and stepped directly in front of Ziye. "Pervert, not everyone is available for study."

Seeing An Junlie arrive, Ziye hastily ducked behind him, clutching the fabric at his waist. She poked her head out to glare at Pervert and whispered, "How could Pervert treat me like this? I won't sell Jelly to him anymore!"

-RS