One end of the tightrope was tethered to the Red-Haired Old Dog and everyone from Silver Crest; the other end was held by Tang Wen. Ziye stood on that wire.

If she didn't move toward one end or the other, she would fall, shattering herself on impact. But which direction should she choose?

If she chose Silver Crest, there was a high chance Fia would execute Tang Wen. Tang Wen was Tang Shan’s grandson.

Tang Shan had saved her life, and now she had inadvertently caused his grandson to fall into harm's way—she couldn't reconcile that guilt. But if she chose Tang Wen, the entire Silver Crest could very likely be annihilated!

What was she to do? Ziye broke out in a cold sweat.

The Old Dog noticed how alarmingly pale she was, sweat beading on her forehead and dripping down like someone drowning who had just been pulled from the water. His concern deepened.

"Dog Sister, why are you sweating so much?" "Heh heh, I'm just a little warm," Ziye managed a strained laugh, wiping her brow. It came away soaked.

The Old Dog stared blankly. "Warm?" The temperature outside was barely ten degrees Celsius!

Ziye felt as if she were hiding a terrible secret. She couldn't stand before him any longer and bolted.

Back in her room, her first move was to rush into the bathroom. Splashing cold water on her face, Ziye let out a heavy sigh, sinking onto the edge of the tub, utterly drained.

"Douya, what am I going to do?" Little Douya blinked her bright eyes at her. "Do you want to watch them die?" Ziye covered her face, silent.

The matter was too grave; it was pressing down on her, suffocating her. It was also incredibly clandestine.

She dared not confide in anyone. If anyone discovered that the Red-Haired crew had hijacked Fia’s transport ship, everything would be ruined!

However, waiting for Fia to officially approach the Stellar Federation to negotiate using the transport ship's cargo would be pointless. No, she had to tell the Old Dog!

Ziye wiped the water from her face and charged out the door, just as the Pervert was walking toward her room. She grabbed him.

"Where is Dog Brother?" The Pervert pointed behind him. "Probably in the mess hall." Ziye took off running.

By the time she could have managed a 'thank you,' she was already rounding the corner and gone down another corridor, the gust of wind she created ruffling a few strands of hair on his forehead. He instinctively raised a hand to protect his hairstyle, only realizing her absence after she vanished.

"Huh? Why did she run off?

Old Dog asked me to give her a physical check-up!" Muttering, he hurried in the direction Ziye had taken. Ziye reached the mess hall.

The Old Dog was savoring his favorite Kiju dried meat. Seeing her arrive, he warmly invited her to sit and eat.

Ziye had no appetite for that. She dragged him out, boarded an airship, and flew clear of the villa.

Once the shield was up, ensuring perfect privacy, she adopted a stern tone. "Dog Brother, I have something critically important to tell you." The Old Dog set aside his Kiju stick.

"Go on." Ziye took a deep breath. "The thing you hijacked is extremely vital to Fia.

They believe you are part of the Stellar Federation. They have specifically seized the Federation’s Chief Designer, Tang Wen, demanding the cargo in exchange!" The Old Dog looked startled.

"How do you know that?" Ziye said gravely, "Don't worry about how I know. The priority now is ensuring your safety and the cargo's.

Leaving the transport ship at Galler Station is too risky. You need to transfer the cargo immediately.

Get rid of the transport ship too, or you’ll be wanted by the Stellar Federation, and we’ll all be finished!" She paused. "We must move now.

Tang Wen was hijacked this morning. He's already been moved to the Donia star system.

Fia should make their move soon." The Old Dog paused for a moment, then nodded. "Understood.

Red-Hair is from Galler and knows that star system well; I’ll ask her where a safe hiding place might be." Ziye exhaled a breath of relief. "Drop me off here.

I’ll return to the station, and you head to the dock. Oh, right, if you’re transferring the cargo, consider using a Hoarder-class vessel; they navigate safely whether in space, on land, or underwater." The Old Dog’s eyes lit up.

"Excellent!" Ziye alighted from the maglev vehicle and slowly walked back toward the station. Now, she truly didn't know what to do; she could only take things one step at a time.

As long as the Old Dog was safe, Silver Crest wouldn't face any trouble. But what fate awaited Tang Wen, she had no idea.

She considered it, then initiated a hyper-comm link to Stas. Stas was aboard a shuttle, gloomily smoking a cigarette.

When the incoming call registered, he fumbled to activate the light screen, but the still-clamped cigarette dropped ash onto his hand, burning it bright red. He couldn't spare much attention.

He answered the hyper-comm. "Hey, little miss, looking for Coffin Face?

Don't worry, he’s fine. I promise he’ll come back safe." Ziye asked, "Did you see him?" He dodged the question.

"He’s fine." Fearing Ziye would press further, he quickly added, "I have some things to deal with, gotta go." With that, he cut the connection. Afterward, watching the cigarette burn dangerously close to his fingers, he quickly stubbed it out.

After extinguishing it, his hand felt too empty, so he pulled out another cigarette. The investigators advised him, "You shouldn't smoke so much, sir; it’s not good for your health." Stas, who had just taken out a match, heard this and tucked the match back in his pocket, sullenly fiddling with the cigarette stick.

"Sigh, my addiction is getting worse; it’s so troublesome!" Ziye felt a slight easing of her anxiety upon hearing Tang Wen was unharmed, and she set off back to school. She couldn't be of much help in Korlai.

If the Stellar Federation voided Tang Wen’s contract and dumped the issue on Kaga, she might be able to gather some intel in Lings. She truly wanted to plant an electronic eye on the Old Dog so she could see his every move, but in the end, she did nothing.

The Old Dog tracked down a smuggler and procured a Hoarder-class vessel. He bought a few older-model robots from several years prior and made several loops around the busiest border market near Galler.

After giving the ship a quick scrub-down, he piloted it into Galler Station Six, where the transport ship was docked, and quietly transferred all the cargo containers to the Hoarder. The Hoarder had superior performance, but its smaller size meant it couldn't fully accommodate all the containers from the transport.

Seeing only about ten containers remained, he decided to ditch them. He directed the robots to find a few merchants piloting industrial ships, paid them ten thousand credits each, and instructed them to jump out of the station simultaneously in their industrial vessels.

He would blend in with them. He disguised himself as an ordinary merchant during the exit, avoiding any interception.

The destination was an ice planet. The surface environment was brutal—entirely covered in ice.

He swept the area with his probe, found a spot where the ice layer was thinner, broke straight through, and submerged the Hoarder beneath the water. He then entered a cargo hold, activated a spatial button, deployed his mech, climbed into the cockpit, and slid out of the underwater docking channel, bursting through the surface and rocketing into space!

Soon, the fractured ice closed over, perfectly sealing the surface, as if nothing had happened. Back in space, he prepared to jump back toward Galler Station Six.

The route was thick with various Stellar Federation battleships, all heading in the same direction as him. Galler was a border system, a disputed area with little border trade.

A large military presence here was surely directed at Fia's transport ship? He activated his SilverComm.

There were several messages from Red-Hair: "Star news just broadcast that Fia is holding Tang Wen. Did you handle the transport ship?" "The Stellar Federation is sending forces to Galler.

How is your end? Do you need assistance?" "If you need help, fire four laser cannons—green, red, red, white—in a southeast direction, about 30km from Galler Station Six exit port, and someone will assist you." "..." The Old Dog shut off his SilverComm, switched his mech into fighter mode, and accelerated toward Galler Station Six.

He was piloting the Peace model that Ziye had built. It had to be said, the Peace model showcased its perfect performance here; switching to fighter mode boosted its speed by ten percent, leaving the battleships far behind.

However, he still couldn't enter the station. Galler Station Six was completely locked down!

The Old Dog joined the cluster of watching ships and mechs, peering at the station from a distance. He opened the light screen interface on his SilverComm and navigated to the robot command system, beginning his operation.

Although he was outside the station, the robots he had temporarily purchased were still inside. He selected one robot, using a command sequence to order it into the docking bay.

He transmitted the transport ship’s operational password he had set before leaving, instructing it to enter the captain’s cabin and initiate the request for the transport ship to exit the station. To mask his involvement, he gave the robot one final command: immediately jump upon forcibly exiting the station, and initiate the self-destruct sequence upon encountering the first intercepting vessel!

Then, he decisively deleted all contact with the robot. Soon, a transport ship blasted out of the station, jumping frantically.

Just as a Stellar Federation battleship arrived, it formed an encirclement to intercept the vessel. And then, everyone heard it.

When the battleship closed in on the transport, the transport suddenly exploded, obliterating itself and consuming the entire vessel. The surrounding battleships, fearing collateral damage, rapidly retreated.

BOOM—The deafening roar was earth-shattering. An incredibly brilliant fire flared at the entrance of the station, illuminating almost the entire star system!

Nearby spectator ships and mechs were caught in the shockwave, hurled in all directions like debris. Nearby planets were affected, triggering violent tremors.

Perhaps because it contained a large amount of volatile material, hardly any wreckage remained of the transport ship after the explosion. The robot in the captain's cabin was utterly vaporized.

Galler Station immediately dispatched salvage vessels to recover the debris, throwing the area into chaos. The Peace mech, being very light, was thrown several dozen kilometers by the shockwave.

He looked up; Station Six was nowhere in sight. He wiped the sweat from his brow, a look of relief spreading across his face: he had succeeded!

It was inconvenient for him to return to Korlai anytime soon, so he might as well lie low elsewhere. He sent a message to Red-Hair, offered a sincere thank you to Ziye, and plunged into the vast expanse of the starry sea.

The news of the transport ship's explosion quickly reached Fia. Negotiations ground to a halt...