An Jun Lie had meant to scold her for abandoning him to "elope" with Tang Wen, but as he opened his mouth, he felt the slight tremor running through her body in his arms, and his heart instantly softened. He sighed, "There, there, it's fine. I don't mind."

Zi Ye’s hands instinctively clutched his uniform. After a long moment, she mumbled, "Alien, Teacher just said I’m his little sister."

Huh?

An Jun Lie chuckled, "He must be lying to you." Then, he added silently, That’s just him trying to mess with you because he couldn’t have you. Don't take it to heart. —An Jun Lie desperately wanted to say the latter part aloud, but sensing Zi Ye’s different attitude towards Tang Wen, he worried that speaking ill of Tang Wen would displease her.

Love is such a delicate thing. Sometimes, lovers must be honest, but other times, certain words must remain buried. Even if he was the commander of a legion.

Zi Ye looked up at him, utterly lost, "Really?"

An Jun Lie gently smoothed the slightly disheveled strands of hair from her forehead and pressed a light kiss there. "Trust me, I won't lie to you."

Zi Ye managed a soft "Mm," a shadow of disappointment crossing her face. "I was really worried he was telling the truth. He also said he was taking me back to the Tang Clan to prove it."

Alarm bells rang violently in An Jun Lie’s mind. Taking Zi Ye back to the Tang Clan? It had to be a trap!

An Jun Lie instantly formulated a plan, wrapping her in an embrace. "It’s fine. If you must go, I'll go with you."

Zi Ye nodded. "I’m worried that if he is telling the truth, it will completely disrupt my life. I’d rather not know who my parents are. Otherwise, I'll spend every day wondering why they abandoned me—it’s too painful!"

An Jun Lie rubbed her head. "Silly girl. If you don't want to do something, no one can force you. Rest assured, I’ll handle everything."

He piloted the airship into the docking bay of the battleship, successfully locking into place.

On the battleship, ten teenagers were roughhousing. Seeing them return, they rushed over to watch the spectacle, chiming in excitedly, "Did you fight that guy and win back our goddess?"

"I think his body is just stronger. Women always prefer men with strong bodies because their reproductive capabilities are better."

"I bet his ding ding is bigger too…"

An Jun Lie suddenly felt a violent urge to punch the lot of them. Joking around without considering the occasion, the scoundrels!

He signaled an aide to disperse the youths. He took Zi Ye back to the room, comforted her, and then quietly sent a message to the intelligence department of the Angel Legion, ordering them to investigate Zi Ye’s background.

He felt that Tang Wen dared to claim Zi Ye as his sister for only two possible reasons: either Zi Ye truly was his sister, or Zi Ye’s parents were dead, leaving him free to fabricate any story he wanted. Prior to this, he hadn't paid much attention to Zi Ye's origins. To him, who Zi Ye was or where she came from didn't matter; he loved Zi Ye herself. But if Zi Ye's background was tied to the Tang Clan, it could lead to endless trouble.

An Jun Lie activated the light screen. The homepage displayed a smiling photo of Zi Ye. He gently traced her face with his fingertip, making a firm decision in his heart: no matter what happened, he would ensure a clear sky for Zi Ye!

After Tang Wen returned to the Marauder Ship, he did not rejoin the Angel Domain's fleet, instead heading straight back to the Tang Clan.

After discussing matters with the intelligence department, An Jun Lie, worried that Zi Ye would brood alone in her room, rushed back, bringing two bottles of her favorite rose jelly as a treat.

However, when he opened the door, the reality was completely different from what he had imagined.

Zi Ye was clearly not immersed in the helpless shock of moments before. Before him, she was deftly cleaning Douzai’s backside!

Ever since Zi Ye went missing, he had been carrying Douzai around while searching. When he went down to the Garbage Planet, it was inconvenient, so he had left the creature with the battleship staff. He hadn't thought of Douzai at all earlier, and now, the two were finally reunited!

Truth be told, Douzai had been incredibly well-behaved this month, never making an extra sound, and certainly never soiling itself—wait, it hadn't soiled itself once. Now, the moment it saw Zi Ye, it had covered the floor in droppings.

What kind of situation was this? Did it only feel comfortable enough to relieve itself when Zi Ye was present?

An Jun Lie felt a chilling, soul-deep ache in his groin. Douzai, oh Douzai, I really want to smack you!

After cleaning up Douzai’s mess, Zi Ye flicked its ear, admonishing it, "Don’t eat random things anymore. Look at your droppings—they’re full of impurities! No wonder you’ve gotten so skinny."

In the month they were apart, Douzai had visibly thinned. The previously round, pig-like body was finally showing some of the natural lines belonging to its species.

Douzai covered its head with its paws and whimpered, "Jee-jee jee-jee jee!"

Zi Ye said with annoyance, "No nonsense. I don't understand you."

Douzai pitifully crawled toward her body. She tugged its ear, then ultimately resigned herself and picked it up. "Maliciously acting cute is shameful."

Douzai was finally happy, burying its head against her chest and snuggling in.

An Jun Lie watched the scene with dissatisfaction. Why was that so irritating? He genuinely wanted to discard the thing! Zi Ye’s entire being belonged to him, not to some pig-like pet!

And that other creature, Xiao Douya, was always showing off its presence around Zi Ye, preventing him from having any private time with her. An Jun Lie suddenly stiffened. Wait, where was Xiao Douya? Where had it gone?

An Jun Lie immediately forgot his petty annoyance towards Xiao Douya, his entire focus shifting to what might have happened to it. Blown to smithereens in the shootout in the Tuba Galaxy? Accidentally destroyed when Zi Ye went to the Garbage Planet, becoming just another piece of trash? Or perhaps it never even went with Zi Ye and was still on Bicycle Planet?

…

Various hypotheses flashed through An Jun Lie’s mind. He couldn't help but ask, "Why don't I see Xiao Douya today?"

The moment the words left his mouth, Zi Ye shot him a sidelong glance.

Before he could grasp the meaning of that look, Douzai tumbled out of Zi Ye’s embrace, huffed, and crawled in front of him, opening its mouth to reveal sharp teeth in a clear threat.

An Jun Lie squatted down to pick it up. It immediately clamped down on his finger, emitting a low growl from its belly, while looking back at Zi Ye.

If the competition was about acting cute, Douzai couldn't hold a candle to the industry leader, Xiao Douya. But its two eyes were always moist and watery, giving it a look of utter misery that involuntarily tightened the heart. In the art of playing pitiful, it easily outclassed the marble-eyed Xiao Douya.

Zi Ye sighed helplessly, walked over, and gently patted its head. "Be good, let go of him. I'll help you find your mama."

Douzai obediently released An Jun Lie and chirped at Zi Ye. "Jee-jee jee-jee."

Zi Ye picked it up. "I know, it’s dada [poop], not mama."

Douzai was finally mollified, sticking out its tongue to lick Zi Ye’s hand. Zi Ye immediately recoiled, "Don't drool everywhere."

Just as she spoke, a drop of saliva landed on the floor. The metal plating of the strong-alloy battleship hissed, emitting thick smoke.

Damn it!

An Jun Lie felt a sharp pain where the creature had bitten his finger. Without a word to Zi Ye, he bolted towards the infirmary. That Douzai was too vicious! He needed to gather everyone who had held it later for vaccinations!

Zi Ye casually pulled out a tissue, wiped away the drool, and said, "You're being naughty again. If you drool again, I’ll send you to that pervert to be raised for a few days."

Douzai, knowing it was at fault, covered its head and didn't dare utter a sound.

The commotion with Douzai helped wash away some of the psychological shadow Tang Wen had cast. She placed the creature beside her seat, making plans while chatting idly with it. "The theoretical work for the Dreadnought and the Marauder is complete. We’ll head back to Wolf’s Den shortly and put these warships into production. We should go see Uncle Blackbeard and see if he’s interested in developing on the Garbage Planet. If he is, that’s best; you won't have to worry about finding things to eat later—the metal quality there is super high!"

Douzai looked at her and chirped, "Jee-jee."

"Be good," Zi Ye patted its head. "As for your Xiao Douya mama, we just need to keep an eye on the space forecasts to see where Void Storms are, where asteroids are exploding, and so on. But I must warn you, those places are dangerous. We need to be fully prepared, or your mama won't be back before we kick the bucket."

Douzai stared at her, looking slightly confused. She didn't expect it to understand, smiling sweetly. "We’ll be back at Wolf’s Den soon!"

Reality proved Zi Ye too naive. The calm in the Tuba Galaxy only meant the fighting had shifted elsewhere. When the battleship made three more warp jumps, she realized with a jolt that the fleet had stumbled right into a battlefield. Countless stray energy rounds whistled past the viewport, raising goosebumps of cold sweat.

She instinctively reached for the light screen near her wrist, only to remember she had nothing—no Hyperlink, no Silverlink, and no optical computer.

Zi Ye felt frustrated for one second—only one second—before she rushed out to find An Jun Lie.

Before she reached the Captain’s quarters, the voice system activated, and a familiar voice echoed, "Who is leading the Angel Legion fleet? Is An Jun Lie there?"

That voice was unsettlingly familiar. Zi Ye recognized Red Hair without needing to process it.

She hurried to the viewport. Outside, the battleships were packed densely, and she couldn't tell who was allied with whom. The realization that Red Hair was out there made her heart ache slightly. Perhaps Red Hair hadn't deliberately avoided looking for her; maybe she was too busy fighting the enemy to spare the time! She knew Red Hair treated fighting like life itself.

Back on the Garbage Planet, she often wondered who, if anyone, would come looking for her. She waited and waited. A month later, An Jun Lie arrived, and Tang Wen arrived, but no one from Wolf’s Den appeared. At the time, she hadn't had the luxury to contemplate the meaning of that fact. Now, hearing Red Hair’s voice, she understood: it was a small sting that no one from Wolf’s Den had searched for her, since Wolf’s Den was her legion.

Zi Ye shook her head. As long as someone remembered her, why dwell on the rest? Just then, she heard the familiar voice speak again, "An Jun Lie, you promised me you would find Little Stink. Have you done it?"