Axel Bent and another person stood by the porthole, cheerfully playing rock-paper-scissors, their laughter bright and unrestrained. Seeing Ziye board, they both walked over and greeted her warmly.

Li Chunyu was also present, along with quite a few senior students.

Everyone was surprised to see so many people gathered and decided to treat the event as a chance for the school to foster camaraderie. They introduced themselves, got to know one another, and the cruiser soon filled with laughter.

Some of the bolder ones, like ** and Du Shuangyu, made a point of touring the entire cruiser to meet every single person aboard...

Ziye also wanted to meet a couple more people, but when she approached a group deep in lively conversation, she found herself tongue-tied, unsure how to begin an introduction.

In any case, since Axel Bent was there, she figured she would just stick with them.

What frustrated her was that Axel Bent seemed completely oblivious to anyone else; he didn't even bother greeting others. He immediately pulled her into a slightly secluded lounge and sat down to discuss Tang Wen's situation.

Kaga’s move this time was quite brilliant!

Seeing how casually they were acting, Ziye felt perhaps she had worried too much and managed to suppress the faint unease in her heart.

—She had initially suspected that Kaga assembling so many students to retrieve Tang Wen had ulterior motives. However, on second thought, how could Kaga possibly do anything to the students? It would only risk shattering the reputation of their Millennium Academy.

After some time, once the cruiser had left the station, ** and Li Chunyu also came to join them.

Taking advantage of the lull, the five of them went over the mech plan for the competition from beginning to end. They analyzed the initial concept, the results achieved so far, and the origins of every single data point, ensuring everyone, especially the newly arrived **, could get up to speed quickly.

As they discussed, the four of them realized that ** was also exceptionally capable.

While they were talking, he seamlessly brought up a light screen and began refining the plan document, which was frankly a mess. Ziye, sitting beside him, noticed his concise language and perfectly pitched analysis and summarized, "We definitely found the right person!"

Du Shuangyu had also considered greeting them, but seeing the five of them existing in their own world, with no space for him to insert himself, he dropped the idea.

It wasn't until Ziye was halfway to the restroom corridor that she saw him, and she sincerely offered him a word of thanks.

Du Shuangyu chuckled, "No trouble at all. I hurt you once before; helping you now evens the score."

Ziye extended her hand for a shake, offered a kind smile, and turned toward the restrooms. Passing through the porthole corridor, Little Sprout suddenly chirped in her mind: Ziye, you little dummy, look outside!

She looked up and gasped. Right alongside their cruiser, less than two kilometers away, sat a battleship—it looked like a colossal beast, watching their vessel with a predatory glare.

"Dou-dou, which faction's battleship is that?"

Dou-zai squinted and replied, "Moke."

It projected a light screen in front of Ziye. According to its scanning system, there were four or five vessels within a three-kilometer radius of their cruiser—either terrifying Raider ships or battle-hardened Dreadnoughts.

Ziye looked from the screen to the students chatting cheerfully in small groups around the cruiser. Suddenly, she grasped the true significance of Kaga’s move. No wonder official personnel had personally invited her aboard.

It turned out she hadn't had the option to refuse.

Kaga had made a quiet but powerful move, snatching Tang Wen, which was bound to provoke dissatisfaction from certain powers.

But what was Kaga’s domain?

It was a school!

Upset that I took Tang Wen? Go ahead and fight me! The future of your entire faction is currently on my ship—every single one is a top student from your legions. Go on, fire!

Go on and blow up my cruiser!

Go ahead and annihilate every student here, and then let's see how many legions come looking for a fight with you!

Admittedly, Kaga’s maneuver was absolutely audacious to the extreme.

Cruisers of this class had only one advantage: massive passenger capacity. Everything else—firepower and so on—was lacking, and their hulls were fragile; they’d break apart with a single hit. A Dreadnought or Raider could reduce one to scrap metal with one casual shot.

Now, those various Dreadnoughts and Raiders didn't dare attack; instead, they were providing escort services for free.

Ziye had previously wondered why Kaga chose a cruiser. It was clearly an intentional provocation!

By the time they reached Station Niyya 12, before Ziye or anyone else could disembark, the station administrator of Fia had completed the docking ceremony with Kaga’s officials.

Tang Wen boarded the ship, smiling, surrounded by the official personnel. He appeared utterly unbothered by the events of the past few days; his clothing was as stylish and appropriate as ever, accentuating his flawless complexion and striking appearance.

He held a slight, enigmatic smile, neither expressing pleasure nor displeasure, standing amidst the staff like a crane among chickens.

His appearance instantly captivated all the students.

—Tang Wen, the most handsome teacher in Lings.

Tang Wen seemed to sense Ziye’s gaze, looked up, and subtly curved his lips. The bright light in his eyes flickered, making Ziye feel as if she had been caught red-handed while sneaking around. She pouted and turned away.

Hmph, you annoying man!

Tang Wen didn't seem bothered. He withdrew his gaze, offering a faint, sweet smile to the students lined up in two columns on the cruiser waiting for him to board. Finally, he walked up to Ziye, smiled lightly, reached out, and pinched her cheek: "Ziye, I'm back."

The entire ship erupted in a stir.

The differential treatment was too obvious!

His students truly did receive preferential treatment!

That intimate gesture made everyone intensely envious and jealous!

Seeing everyone watching, Ziye couldn't openly lose her temper with him after he pinched her. She maintained a smile and playfully teased him: "Teacher, you’re quite behind the times, using an expired pilot's license."

In reality, she had already forgiven him deep down.

Blain, following behind him, quickly interjected softly, "It was my fault; I forgot to get him a new one."

The staff member quickly smoothed things over: "It's fine now, it's in the past. The new pilot's license has been processed; Teacher Tang Wen can travel anywhere now."

Ziye and Blain exchanged a knowing smile.

They knew exactly when Tang Wen’s pilot’s license had been processed; it was just a flimsy excuse they were using to poke fun at him.

Tang Wen, fully aware of their intentions, stiffened his face and avoided looking at them.

Blain, understanding the unspoken cue, said to the staff member, "Teacher Tang Wen has just returned and is likely tired. Could you arrange a room for him?"

The staff member readily agreed, leading them to the ultra-luxurious lounge specifically prepared by Tang Wen, urging him to rest and serving tea and beverages before politely taking their leave.

Ziye was about to follow them out when Tang Wen suddenly spoke: "Ziye, you stay."

Ziye froze mid-step.

The staff member closed the door gently behind them.

Ziye shrugged helplessly and settled onto the sofa opposite him.

At this moment, Tang Wen had shed the smiling mask he wore in public; his expression was cool, edged with a trace of exhaustion. She glanced at Blain, who relaxed his posture, no longer displaying the forced deference he held outside.

Ah, Ziye had to admit, she too felt considerably more relaxed.

Public settings weren't really suited for her—no, they weren't suited for them.

Tang Wen closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them slightly. Seeing Ziye pinching Little Sprout’s face while the sprout flapped its wings furiously, he couldn't resist teasing her: "Weren't you worried while I was being held hostage?"

It would have been better if he hadn't brought it up. The moment he did, Ziye exploded: "You actually dare mention that? If you hadn't deliberately taken the Galar-Galun route, none of this would have happened!"

Tang Wen’s expression stiffened. Blain immediately whispered, "Careful, walls have ears."

Ziye shot Blain a sidelong glance, opened Little Sprout’s light screen, and manually activated its functions.

A faint light beam shot from the tip of the sprout. Ziye engaged the shielding function, then fixed a stern look on him: "I've shielded all signals and monitoring capabilities. Can we talk now?"

Blain gave Tang Wen a look of helplessness, nodded slightly, and walked out, positioning himself by the door. The shielding could block anything non-organic, but the truly dangerous things were human.

Ziye glanced at the door, which had just been shut again, and then eyed Tang Wen skeptically.

Tang Wen’s face paled slightly. He sighed, "It doesn't matter if you're a bit slow... If you’re too smart, it puts too much pressure on me."

Ziye suddenly had the urge to slap him.

—How could she have been so worried sick about him before? Ugh!

When she heard the news that he might be abused by Fia, she felt her entire body tremble. She still vividly remembered that terror.

But him?

He had clearly done it on purpose!

Ziye said coldly, "Do you think this game is fun?"

Tang Wen gave a wry smile, "When did you figure it out?" Ziye resettled herself on the sofa, articulating every word with chilling clarity: "You had a falling out with Bai Lanxue, the Secretary-General of the Interstellar Federation, and you heard that the Fia transport was hijacked, conveniently located right next to the Unification Ministry. You figured that since Stas had your back, nothing serious would happen to you, so you deliberately ran straight into Fia's trap to teach them a lesson, right? Do you have any idea how serious that was?!"

Tang Wen shrugged. "How serious? I'm sitting here perfectly fine now, aren't I?"

Ziye was furious. She lunged onto him, swinging her fists hard.

This man deserved a beating; she wouldn't rest until she landed a few blows!

However, a shred of rationality remained; she only struck his shoulders, chest, and abdomen—avoiding his face.

—If she had bruised his face, she’d probably be ganged up on and beaten to death by those hundred-plus students the moment she stepped outside.

Ziye's striking force was immense when she was angry.

Furthermore, she had specifically trained within Little Sprout’s system; these were not just showy, ineffectual punches.

Tang Wen took two hits and realized Ziye wasn't just playing around; the places she struck genuinely hurt. He quickly grabbed her hands: "Stop hitting, that really hurts!"

Ziye pinned him onto the sofa, raising one fist high, "By what right do you tell me to stop hitting you?"

Tang Wen pleaded, "It hurts when you hit me."

Ziye kept a straight face, "And why should I care if you're in pain?" Tang Wen thought for a moment, then protested, "I am your teacher; you are not allowed to hit me!"