The Dadu vessel’s dead-end route offered no pressure whatsoever. Bai Lanxue’s fleet arrived at the coordinates for the Dadu vessel’s trap, then followed the navigation map obtained from the Wolf’s Den to descend to the planet. The stellar conditions that day were excellent, and their luck held; they encountered no Void Storms and didn't stumble into a black hole, successfully reaching Silver Rune Star.

The landing zone was a vast prairie. It was evening on Silver Rune Star. The Purple Sun hung crescent-shaped in the distance, accompanied by two smaller stars beneath it, resembling a child's smiling face. This was a purely natural purple grassland, its beauty so arresting that it momentarily made one forget the turmoil of space.

Bai Lanxue stood up, moving to the viewport, and exclaimed, "I never imagined Silver Rune to be this beautiful; I should have come years ago!"

The assistant nodded. "Indeed. The planet's celestial cycle is a sight one can never witness from space. Secretary-General, if you enjoy it, we could linger a few extra days."

Bai Lanxue frowned. "We are here on official business; how can we afford to waste time?"

The assistant instantly realized he had overstepped with his flattery and hastily corrected himself. "Yes, you are absolutely right." He immediately shifted the topic. "I'll check outside to ensure the area is secure." With that, he moved toward the hatch.

The bodyguards were the first to disembark. They scouted the vicinity and reported, "No immediate threats detected."

Bai Lanxue was quite pleased with this report; the tension she had held all day finally gave way to a smile.

She disembarked the battleship and took a slow walk across the prairie, flanked front and rear by her security detail. In excellent spirits, she strolled from one end of the grassland to the other with the bearing of a monarch inspecting her domain.

Naturally poker-faced, she was inwardly experiencing extreme excitement, though no outward sign betrayed it. However, this very excitement caused her to overlook a critical detail for too long.

When she finally grew tired and turned to head back, she abruptly noticed something was wrong with the people around her.

She spun around sharply to see everyone looking listless and dejected. She couldn't help but ask, "What is going on? Haven't any of you slept well?"

The assistant clutched his head. "I don't know—my head aches terribly."

His comment made Bai Lanxue finally sense the anomaly herself.

She had assumed her headache was due to excitement, but was Silver Rune Star itself the problem?

She recalled the legends: Silver Rune was a death world; no one who landed there ever returned. Her own apprehension had previously kept her from leading a full team here. Later, learning that Xiao Xiao had survived, and seeing that the entire group from the Wolf’s Den was thriving, she had dismissed the "death star" moniker as mere exaggeration. She realized now she had been wrong!

Acting decisively, she commanded, "Back to the ship, immediately!"

Everyone bolted, scrambling to run.

Being a woman, Bai Lanxue ran slightly slower, forcing her to witness a truly horrifying spectacle: the fastest runners were dropping one after another. These bodyguards were all graduates of the Military Academy, exceptionally capable, and proficient in managing any crisis. Why were they collapsing inexplicably?

Bai Lanxue supported her head; her brain felt as if it were being stabbed by needles, throbbing painfully, rendering coherent thought impossible.

She possessed an iron will. Even as those around her fell, she persisted, moving step by painful step toward the battleship.

It was a pity, however; even the firmest willpower could not withstand the Purple Sun’s most dreaded Gamma Baseline radiation on Silver Rune Star.

She managed to drag herself to the landing ramp of the battleship but lacked the strength to operate the controls. After several failed attempts, her energy deserted her, and she collapsed.

By this time, the Purple Sun had risen to the meridian. Its crescent smile seemed to have curved even further, as if mocking this group of heedless mortals.

Within half an hour, every single person who had left the warship had fallen, without exception.

It was terribly unfortunate: after the long warp jump from the Stellar Federation Headquarters all the way to Silver Rune Star, everyone had felt relieved upon landing and had nearly all disembarked. Sometimes, the very shallow pools, not the treacherous reefs, are what drown the seasoned captains.

After an indeterminate length of time, a patch of grass suddenly gave way.

A man clad in coarse, roughspun clothing emerged from a hole beneath the sod. He spotted the massive warship anchored on the prairie, bearing the unmistakable insignia of the Stellar Federation. He gave a cold sneer and walked toward the ship’s hatch.

This warship was intimately familiar to him. Even though it was Tang Wen's design, he had played a part in its creation!

Rainer stared at the vessel, then at the bodyguards strewn across the grass, finding the scene deeply ironic. He had been cast out on Silver Rune Star for over a year, enduring countless hardships and employing every means imaginable simply to survive. Now, finally, someone from the Stellar Federation had arrived—the perfect opportunity for him to fight his way back to space.

Rainer straightened his ragged, coarse clothes and walked beneath the battleship, accidentally spotting Bai Lanxue lying right in front of him.

Rainer raised an eyebrow in surprise. Had she poisoned herself? To come to Silver Rune Star?

Having been on this planet too long, he thought perhaps he was hallucinating. Disbelieving, he crouched beside Bai Lanxue and checked behind her ear. He knew she possessed a very dark mole just behind her earlobe, having stood behind her countless times before.

There it was, starkly visible.

Rainer couldn't help but stand up and let out a booming laugh. "Hahahaha! Bai Lanxue, the day has finally come when you fall into my hands!"

After laughing, he dragged her body to the ground nearby and pressed his own weight down upon her.

Bai Lanxue was not considered a great beauty. But she was, after all, a woman. Rainer had once been a robust man, keeping mistresses alongside his wife; during his time on Silver Rune Star, he hadn't seen a single woman and was nearly driven to distraction. At this point, he could have taken a sow, let alone a genuine woman like Bai Lanxue.

He once held Bai Lanxue in deep respect, but that awe had long since evaporated during his prolonged stay, leaving only hatred. Now that she had delivered herself to him—humph!

Rainer roughly tore at Bai Lanxue’s clothing. Although Bai Lanxue presented a fierce image, her figure was exquisitely maintained; her skin was fine and soft. The moment Rainer touched her, his resolve solidified. He had been starved for too long and paid no heed to propriety; his actions were coarse and brutal.

Completely unconscious, Bai Lanxue registered nothing of the event.

As Rainer satisfied the most pressing need of his male anatomy, he viciously tugged at her face, seeking vengeance for her past ruthlessness. He failed to notice someone watching from the battleship.

It was the battleship’s reserve captain. He had been asleep, as it wasn't his shift, and woke to find everyone gone. Descending to investigate, he stepped out of the hatch just in time to see a savage figure performing an act upon Bai Lanxue. Enraged, his face went ashen. He roared, "Bastard!" and delivered a heavy kick directly into Rainer’s back.

Rainer nearly spat a mouthful of blood onto Bai Lanxue’s face. Seeing him fall prone, the reserve captain landed another kick, sending him sprawling away.

Rainer slowly turned his head, his eyes burning with venomous hatred. The reserve captain froze upon recognizing the face. "Rainer?"

-RS