Zi Ye felt the efficiency of the military once again; the coordination was exceptionally precise, with less than half a minute of waiting time—swift and seamless.

The maglev car was also military-grade, exuding high-end grandeur in every aspect. Besides the vehicle, everything within the space station shared the same feel.

As for the architecture, she was certain it shared the same designer as the Star Gates—completely saturated with those five defining words: Lurid and Violent.

As the maglev glided forward, Colin Gale explained to her, "That building ahead, the most lurid and violent one, is the headquarters office for our Integration Authority."

The headquarters building held a strong Protoss aesthetic. If it weren't so shockingly lurid, Zi Ye thought it was actually quite nice, certainly superior to the Star Federation’s structures, which resembled assembly lines built by corporate giants!

Zi Ye let out a soft chuckle, "You guys actually think it’s lurid and violent?"

Colin Gale stated seriously, "It is our pursuit!"

Zi Ye could finally not hold back her laughter, and the tension in her chest immediately eased.

This was Stath's territory; what did she have to worry about?

However, she still couldn't grasp why Stath would go to such great lengths to abduct her to the Integration Authority headquarters. Was it truly just for old times' sake?

All along the way, occasionally soldiers in their own maglev cars passed by. Upon seeing Colin Gale, they would stand to attention and salute, then give Zi Ye a probing, mischievous glance before casting looks of disdain toward Colin Gale.

Colin Gale felt a pang of awkwardness.

Fortunately, the headquarters office soon came into view.

The moment Zi Ye stepped out of the car, she saw Stath leaning lazily against the doorway, a cigarette held between his fingers, a smirk playing on his lips. He was wearing a meticulously crisp and formal military uniform, the collar and buttons perfectly aligned. Yet, for some inexplicable reason, even that upright suit seemed to droop on him, unable to hold a straight line.

She hated Stath most when he looked like this.

The more ambiguous his smile, the more ruthless he became.

Zi Ye didn't hesitate; she turned and started to walk away.

Stath narrowed his eyes, watching her retreating back, a thrill of seeing prey coursing through him. "Hey, little lady, don't rush off so fast."

Colin Gale stood three paces behind Zi Ye and raised his hand, snapping a crisp military salute toward Stath. When Zi Ye reached him, he suddenly lunged out, blocking her path.

Zi Ye looked up and glared at him.

His expression remained blank.

Stath ambled over. "Oh, now you fancy him, do you?" Zi Ye flicked her head to the side and sneered, "Tch."

Stath was just about to say, "Aww, what a pitifully grim face!" but before the words left his mouth, Zi Ye kicked out viciously toward Colin Gale. He instantly swallowed his retort, becoming a silent spectator.

Colin Gale grimaced in pain but did not retaliate.

Zi Ye had accounted for that; she knew he wouldn't strike back.

No matter how ruthless he was, he wouldn't dare hit a woman in front of his superior officer—especially not an officer's guest! Thus, she decisively landed two more solid kicks, putting real force behind them.

Colin Gale’s face darkened, but he couldn't fight back, having to endure the blows squarely while giving Stath a look of sheer constipation.

Stath strolled leisurely. "Little lady, did he offend you?"

Bringing it up was a mistake; the moment the thought surfaced, Zi Ye remembered her dislocated arm, and righteous fury surged. One hand snatched his wrist, and the other forcefully—

With a sharp crack, she wrenched his arm out of its socket.

Colin Gale’s face paled a shade, but he managed to remain perfectly still, standing there as if nothing had happened.

Stath gave a thumbs-up. "Nice strength."

Zi Ye nodded seriously. "Thank you for the compliment." With that, she proceeded to dislocate Colin Gale's other shoulder.

Poor Colin Gale stood there with both arms hanging uselessly at his sides, completely dislocated, resembling a three-limbed invalid.

Seeing the helplessness and pain in his eyes, Zi Ye was finally satisfied. She clapped her hands. "My apologies. I know how to dislocate limbs, but I don't know how to set them. You figure it out."

Watching his second-in-command being bullied to this extent, the slight mischievousness lingering in Stath’s heart was instantly reawakened. He tutted, "Better to offend a petty man than a woman; the ancients were indeed right. Colin Gale, you idiot, when will you ever learn some sense?"

Zi Ye slanted her eyes at him. "If someone respects me one foot, I respect them ten feet; he dislocates one of my arms, I injure two of his—is that wrong?"

Stath slowly sighed, brought the cigarette to his mouth, fished out a matchbox, pulled out a match, and struck it lightly against the side of the box, lighting his smoke.

He looked at Colin Gale, shook his head with resignation, put the matchbox back into his uniform pocket, and addressed Colin Gale, "Why didn't you learn? You dared to provoke her." As he spoke, he moved both hands, and with a crack, popped his right arm back into place.

Stath hadn't been intentionally brutal, but he hadn't gone easy either; in that instant, Colin Gale’s face went pale once more. Stath held the cigarette between his fingers, leisurely exhaling a smoke ring. "The other one, you do yourself."

Colin Gale stated in a low voice, "Yes!" He used his right hand to grip his left, pushing it precisely back into position.

He endured the entire process without a sound, clearly a tough man.

Seeing this, Stath grinned and started walking back. "Call the med-tech. We can't just set our girl’s arm back casually; Colin, do you need some ointment too?"

Colin Gale desperately wanted to refuse, but knowing Stath’s personality, he swallowed the words that reached his lips.

Stath kept his word, immediately summoning the med-tech to examine Zi Ye's arm and take a look at the joint Colin Gale had just dislocated and reset.

And so, in less than half an hour, everyone on Galen Space Station knew the fact that Zi Ye had taken down Colin Gale. The poor man once again became the subject of general ridicule.

When Stath finally felt a flicker of conscience and allowed him to leave, Colin Gale practically fled with his tail between his legs. Once he was finally out of Stath's sight, he turned back, saw a guard standing at the door, and couldn't help but slap the guard on the shoulder. "That woman is a genuine tigress, brother."

As Galen Space Station’s long-awaited female guest, Stath was eager to invite her on a tour of the station.

Stath piloted the airship himself, bringing no entourage, not even a driver. However, no matter where they went, they could feel scorching gazes; men would pop their heads out of various buildings, watching them, either rendering a salute or a military one.

Zi Ye hadn't been treated like a golden monkey in a long time, and she felt utterly uncomfortable. "Why are they always staring at us?"

Stath smiled slyly, "Who told you to be a lady?"

Zi Ye shot him a disgruntled look.

He continued, "Who told you to be my lady?"

Zi Ye kicked him sharply. "Scram."

Stath laughed heartily, "Just like that coffin-face, you two are cut from the same cloth—equally thin-skinned."

Zi Ye simply stopped talking.

In high spirits, Stath set the maglev vehicle to autopilot, propped his feet up casually on the window sill, and began introducing her to Galen Space Station and the Integration Authority, acting like a dedicated tour guide.

Zi Ye treated herself purely as a tourist enjoying an outing, accepting a bag of local specialties he gave her, eating while listening to him speak.

After describing the bizarre architect of Galen, Stath suddenly remembered something and stated calmly, "How many Star Gates did you pass through to get here?"

Zi Ye paused for a moment of recollection. "Six. Oh, no, seven. Two of them were your Star Gates."

Stath chuckled, "The other five? Do you know which Star Gates they were?"

The style of each faction's Star Gate was distinct; one Star Gate represented one power. Zi Ye only recognized the Star Gate belonging to the Star Federation, the Huaxia Legion, and Fia's. She didn't recognize the others.

If Stath hadn't mentioned it, Zi Ye wouldn't have realized anything. Now that he had, a wave of horror washed over her: Galen Space Station was situated right in the encirclement of these major legions and powers. How could anyone sleep soundly here?

Sooner or later, they would be dismantled and swallowed whole.

She voiced whatever crossed her mind, and upon hearing her question, Stath roared with laughter. "Five Star Gates? That's nothing. You traveled in a straight line. If you had curved a bit, you could have encountered two more. To the north, there's a cluster of minor legions—I've lost count of how many Star Gates there are."

Zi Ye turned her head to look at his neck, half-jokingly, half-sarcastically, "With so many legions vying for attention, don't you ever get stiff neck?"

Stath grinned and stretched his neck slightly. "Someone with a neck as long and beautifully contoured as mine would get a stiff neck?"

Zi Ye: "..."

She felt it was pointless to say anything more to someone this thick-skinned.

However, for some reason, she suddenly felt that Stath had it tough too. Being able to suppress so many major legions and powers wasn't something just anyone could achieve.

This man, she realized, possessed a bit more capability than she had initially imagined.

As she was contemplating this, her SilverCom buzzed; it was Red Hair calling.

Assuming Red Hair was calling to check on her status at Galen Space Station, she answered. Red Hair immediately asked, "Are you alright being alone on Galen?"

Not wanting her to worry, Zi Ye shook her head. "No problem." "Fantastic!" Red Hair exclaimed excitedly. "Old Dog and I just hijacked an industrial vessel. We’re pulling out now. If things go right, we should net about eight or nine billion this time!"

Zi Ye’s hand trembled, nearly dropping the local specialties she was holding.

Red Hair actually hijacked an industrial vessel right under the nose of the Integration Authority?

Please tell her they didn't hijack an Integration Authority industrial vessel!

Zi Ye’s heart pounded wildly, almost leaping from her chest. She tightly controlled her expression, suppressing the urge to tremble, desperate to keep Stath from noticing anything amiss.

After a long moment, she finally managed to catch her breath, forcing a smile. "Okay, you guys go ahead. I'm not at school, so I can't join."

Without waiting for Red Hair to reply, she decisively hung up the SilverCom.

God, heavens, please let them not have hijacked an Integration Authority industrial vessel, or ten of her lives wouldn't be enough to cover the consequences!

Stath wasn't a fool, but those who reached his level were masters of reading subtle changes in expression. The moment Zi Ye’s demeanor shifted, he sensed it immediately. He propped an arm on hers. "Hey, something's wrong, girl. Tell big brother what happened; who offended you? I’ll help you..." As he spoke, he made a throat-slitting gesture.

Zi Ye covertly glanced at Stath’s face, feeling her own sophistication level was too low. If it was something happy, she might not be able to hide it, so she quickly fabricated a highly melodramatic story. "The guy I like is getting together with the girl I despise. My best friend is helping me catch them in the act..."

Stath looked astonished. "You have a guy you like? Then what about that coffin-face?"

-RS