That voice was achingly familiar, so familiar she couldn't trust her eyes, and it was impossibly close, right beside her ear. Ignoring the grime on her hands, she reached up to touch her earlobe.

"Ah-ah-ah! Don't you dare touch this venerable self with hands smeared in Duzai droppings!"

The voice erupted again, much louder this time.

Ziye paused her movement, utterly unable to believe what she was hearing.

Grandpa Bean Sprout was actually awake?

The moment the thought formed, the earring-sized little bean sprout bounced off her earlobe, landing squarely on the light-screen before her, baring its tiny teeth. "Little fool, have you missed this grand master or not?"

Ziye nearly wept with joy.

To think that falling into the black hole had turned into a blessing in disguise, jolting Little Bean Sprout awake.

"I haven't missed you at all," Ziye retorted, trying to sound tough. "Tell me what to do, and I might deign to miss you just a tiny bit."

Little Bean Sprout glared at her angrily. "You don't miss this grand master? Hmph, hmph, this grand master isn't telling you anything!" With that, it haughtily tilted its head back.

Ziye reached out to grab it, but it nimbly sprang up, hovering three inches above her head. "Beg this grand master! Beg this grand master, and I shall aid you in escaping this predicament!"

Ziye gave it a look of deep dissatisfaction.

However, a moment's thought reminded her that life had been genuinely difficult without it. Besides, she should have replenished its energy sooner. Since it was awake now, what harm was there in begging it once?

For some inexplicable reason, Ziye recalled the way Tang Wan would cry or laugh on a whim. She forced herself to vividly recall the wretched time she'd spent fighting alone, successfully squeezing out a torrent of tears. With eyes swimming in sorrow, she gazed at Little Bean Sprout, which let out an astonished "Eh?"

The next second, Ziye burst into loud sobs.

"Dou Dou ah, I can't live without you! These past days have been miserable; I was nearly beaten into a pulp! Waaaaah!"

Little Bean Sprout jumped, startled, bouncing onto Ziye’s head to peer left and right. Then, it poked her cheek with the tiny sprout on its crown. "Who dared bully you? Don't they know only this grand master is allowed to bully you?"

Ziye: "..."

She instantly forgot how to cry. Tears still clung to her face as she stared blankly at Little Bean Sprout.

Little Bean Sprout shook its head like a diminutive old man. "Alas, girls these days."

Ziye seized it and mercilessly kneaded it, pushing and pulling. "Pretend, keep pretending!"

Little Bean Sprout wailed, "I haven't been out in so long! Can't I pretend a bit?"

As it spoke, its voice finally reverted to that whimsical, slightly languid, coquettish childlike tone suitable for any gender.

Ziye finally let it go. "Let's get out of here first."

Little Bean Sprout sniffed dismissively. "Still as dull as ever. Haven't you noticed anything?"

Ziye shrugged carelessly. "Yes, you're a little bigger than before."

The moment the words left her mouth, Little Bean Sprout grew a tiny bit larger.

It spun a triumphant three-hundred-and-sixty-degree turn in mid-air.

Ziye blinked, then suddenly pointed out a harsh reality. "Dou Dou, you don't seem to be wearing any clothes."

"Ah? You saw me naked again!" Little Bean Sprout covered itself in an outburst of mixed grief and indignation. Seeing Duzai behind Ziye, it immediately leaped behind him, using the creature to shield its body.

Before it could say more, it realized Duzai was prickly, so it quickly jumped away, shouting, "Son, where is your fur? Did she pull it out because you couldn't poop?"

Ziye pressed her hand to her forehead. "He's in his shedding season."

Little Bean Sprout, which had intended to cuddle up to Duzai, found it impossible in its current state. It moved aside sulkily, its two bright eyes fixed on Ziye with displeasure. "Little fool, he has no fur. Can't you make him a fluffy little outfit?"

Ziye suddenly suspected Little Bean Sprout's IQ had dropped since waking up.

So vexing!

She retrieved a fresh blue rose from the supply rack and placed it on Duzai's body. "There are no clothes here. You hide in the rose for now. I'll make you a pretty little flower dress when we get back." She paused, then added, "And a fuzzy little flower dress for Duzai."

Little Bean Sprout was persistent. "Duzai is my son!"

Ziye gracefully conceded. "Fine, I'll make him fuzzy little pants."

Little Bean Sprout haughtily lifted its face. "That’s more like it."

Thanks to Little Bean Sprout's interruption, Ziye felt less anxious than before. Calming down, she resumed scanning the surroundings to assess the situation, ready to drop the bomb if the conditions were right.

The longer she stayed inside, the more variables arose.

Little Bean Sprout didn't stop her, but the moment it touched the fresh blue rose, the petals instantly withered and scorched.

A fuzzy little flower dress is definitely more reliable, Little Bean Sprout mused silently, then hopped onto Ziye's head in three quick movements, tumbling, snuggling, and acting cute, treating her scalp like the grand master suite bed.

Considering it had just woken up, Ziye couldn't be bothered to argue.

This time, to ensure precise data, she ran several more tests.

However, the results of these tests were astonishing.

Because the mech was genuinely at the center of the vortex!

The moment her probing instruments went out, they were shredded to bits.

Ziye had no idea what was happening, and panic began to grip her heart.

But the mech was getting rounder and rounder.

She had initially been lying down, then sitting up, and now she could almost stand.

Ziye could understand why the mech was rounding out.

When the mech was at the vortex's center, there was no longer any external pull; the surrounding forces were kneading it like dough, making it ever rounder. She just didn't understand why the mech had become the center of the vortex.

The only certainty Ziye had was that her situation was temporarily safe.

What needed to be done now was to figure out what had happened before the situation turned dangerous and leave this place as quickly as possible.

Little Bean Sprout burst into laughter watching her run rapid calculations on the light-screen.

By now, it was about two-thirds its previous size. It accidentally rolled off Ziye's head, falling with a soft plop, but it was quick-witted, executing a mid-air somersault and landing snugly in Ziye's arms.

So comfortable, time for a good snuggle...

Ziye slapped its little head in exasperation. "You menace! If you won't help me, fine, but don't cause trouble!"

Little Bean Sprout sat up leisurely in her embrace, shaking its head. "Silly little Ziye, didn't you notice? The energy in this black hole is being sucked up by this grand master?"

Ziye jumped up. "What?"

Little Bean Sprout jumped up too and thumped heavily on her head. It pointed at her with the tiny sprout on its crown and boomed, "You could figure out the mech was the center of the vortex, you were so close! Why didn't you consider where the energy in the vortex went?"

Ziye: "..."

One sentence, and she realized she was an idiot.

Little Bean Sprout had used up all its energy; logically, it shouldn't have woken up so suddenly. Otherwise, it would have woken up on the garbage planet or on the battlefield of the Hope Galaxy.

She should have thought of it long ago.

This was a black hole. The formation and destruction of a black hole both signify a massive transfer of energy.

At the moment of energy transfer, Little Bean Sprout extended its little claw and absorbed the black hole's energy, which is why the mech became the vortex's center.

The answer was utterly obvious.

Ziye couldn't help but feel ashamed of her recent behavior.

Undoubtedly, she was just a little fool.

The internal structure of the mech basically returned to normal size.

Ziye leaned back in her seat, glaring at Little Bean Sprout outwardly while actually conducting a self-reflection.

The sprout on Little Bean Sprout's head acted like a bottomless pit, continuously absorbing energy from outside the mech. It floated lazily back and forth in front of her. Seeing her staring blankly without any reaction, it lost interest in teasing her and instead pounced on Duzai to play.

"Son, I won't mind that you're hairless for now. Stop sleeping."

The half-asleep Duzai lifted its head. Having excreted so much waste and consumed only more waste, Duzai was starved for new energy. The moment it saw Little Bean Sprout, it opened its massive jaws, revealing sharp teeth, and lunged in for a bite.

Little Bean Sprout bounced backward, distancing itself from the metal-chewing king, and loudly chastised, "Son, I am your father! You are forbidden to eat me!"

Ziye turned back to see the two creatures glaring at each other, feeling that Duzai had become much livelier.

Indeed, raising two pets ensures they won't be lonely.

Ziye thought distractedly, rummaging through the warehouse for a metal chew toy, which she placed near Duzai's mouth. Then, she picked up Little Bean Sprout. "How long do you need to absorb?"

Little Bean Sprout shook its head. "I must absorb it all."

Ziye patted its head. "Then hurry up."

Little Bean Sprout raised the sprout on its head. "Immediately!"

Power surge—

Although Ziye couldn't see, she could clearly feel the flow outside the mech accelerating faster and faster, yet Little Bean Sprout’s body, after recovering to the size of a small melon, stopped expanding.

Unable to see its energy data, Ziye couldn't help but ask, "How much energy do you have now?"

Little Bean Sprout opened the light-screen and pushed it toward her.

Ziye examined the screen. "You upgraded?"

The screen felt different, shimmering with an iridescence like the most ancient jewels. She opened the system, and indeed, the system had upgraded as well.

This long nap hadn't been entirely without benefit.

The current energy level was only fifty percent.

Ziye returned the light-screen to it, calmly stating, "Keep absorbing. I'm going to take a nap."

Since the hyperspace and subspace signals were dead anyway, and she didn't know the external situation, and Little Bean Sprout finally had a charging station with the black hole no longer posing a threat, she instantly became completely relaxed.

She leaned back in her seat, closing her eyes to rest. After an unknown amount of time, a soft snap sounded near her ear.

She considered opening her eyes, but she felt tired, and sensing no immediate danger, she kept them closed. A moment later, she heard the countdown sequence for the jump drive starting.

Ziye snapped awake instantly.

Opening her eyes, she gasped. Where was the black hole?

The small asteroid was gone, the rose garden was gone, and the wreckage of the eight warships had vanished.

However, several warships were rapidly flying toward her location nearby.

Ziye's heart skipped a beat. Was it going to fight again?!