Bai Lanxue's battleship was utterly destroyed. The entire base had sunk into the mud, reduced to fragments. The rooms within the vessel were collapsing or splitting open; only the upper section barely retained the battleship’s original silhouette. Bai Lanxue didn't have time to pilot an escape pod. During the terrifying descent, the cockpit, thanks to its spring mechanism, catapulted her upwards, a narrow escape from death, and she passed out.

Not long after falling unconscious, a thunderous roar from high above startled them awake. Lifting her head, she saw the countless pinpricks of starlight in space coalesce into one immense sphere of light, the compressed stars reaching critical intensity before exploding.

The entire cosmos split open like a vast, all-encompassing flower! In the field of vision, nothing else could be seen—only gold, an overwhelming, sky-blotting gold, with nowhere left to flee.

The instant Ziye woke, Xiao Douya shielded her eyes. Simultaneous with the explosion came a beam of yellow starlight, sharp as a sword, shooting toward the planet they occupied. Xiao Douya manipulated the Renwei mecha to stand upright, turning the viewport to a black screen and layering on a protective film to shield Ziye’s eyes from harm. Fortunately, having Bai Lanxue's battleship cushion the impact, the mecha suffered no serious damage. Furthermore, the Renwei mecha had instantly formed a sphere, wrapped externally by a honeycomb shield; once the shield was breached, it immediately reverted to its normal configuration, evading utter disintegration.

Peering through the darkened viewport, Ziye belatedly saw the streak of starlight—aimed directly at her! Ziye gasped, instinctively reaching out to grab Xiao Douya, hoping to siphon off even a sliver of strength to resist the beam. However, Xiao Douya decisively abandoned her and bounced out of the cockpit. Ziye cried out, "Dou Dou!" Xiao Douya paid no mind, spreading its wings atop the Renwei mecha to greet the starlight. The beam narrowed and accelerated, becoming laser-like, and to Ziye’s utter stupefaction, it shot straight into Xiao Douya's mouth. Ziye clamped her hands over her eyes in horror, unable to watch further. Her Xiao Douya, the companion of many years, was about to be obliterated by the starlight.

"Hey, silly Ziye!" Xiao Douya called out in their shared consciousness, devoid of any trace of pain, instead laced with undisguised excitement. Ziye opened her eyes to see the starlight pouring continuously into Xiao Douya's mouth, its face radiating profound satisfaction. Ziye: "..." Could this not be so melodramatic? Still, she was immensely relieved that Xiao Douya was unharmed. Xiao Douya maintained its open-mouthed posture, mentally scolding her completely: "Hurry up and wipe the tears from the corner of your eyes. Crying so easily makes me, your esteemed self, lose face." Ziye silently turned her back, absolutely refusing to admit she had shed a single tear for that rascal; what she saw must have been an illusion.

The starlight explosion lasted for a full two hours. Initially, Xiao Douya only devoured the smaller wisps of light. After half an hour of feeding, it suddenly shot upwards. Ziye looked up to see only two colossal legs reaching the heavens. Then, its wings unfurled, transforming into two enormous mechanical arms. Towering over everything, Bai Lanxue’s battleship, compared to it, was like a small bird next to a giant mech, its very presence diminished. Ziye’s Renwei mecha was just a grain of sand in the dust. Xiao Douya bent down, scooped up the Renwei mecha with one finger, and placed it upon its shoulder. It chuckled, "Silly Ziye, what do you think of all this starlight?" Its body had grown immense, but its voice remained unchanged. Hearing that familiar, irritating tone, Ziye felt an urge to beat the thing up, but the sheer altitude... It seemed as if she could reach out and touch the starlight. So close. She could easily be scorched alive!!! Ziye contracted the Renwei mecha into a tight ball, encapsulating the cockpit, and retorted, "Not good at all." Xiao Douya grunted twice, spread its arms wide, and cheered, "That is the best food for this great master!" Saying this, it opened its massive maw, like a great whale swallowing wolves, continuously ingesting the lightning-fast, dangerous starlight into its belly. Ziye’s eyeballs nearly popped out. Good heavens, Xiao Douya, you are too ruthless! Xiao Douya chuckled in their shared consciousness, "The energy from this starlight is much purer than the black hole energy last time. I enjoyed that immensely!" Ziye: "..." There was no use arguing with this little rogue; she should focus on restoring her own energy. Ziye reactivated the cockpit’s medical system and closed her eyes.

The first moment Bai Lanxue opened her eyes, the blinding starlight pierced through the cockpit window and struck her eyes directly. Before she could process what had happened, her vision went black; she could see nothing. The starlight had instantly blinded her. She clutched her eyes, writhing in pain, turning so her face was toward the floor. Her back felt searing hot, as if it were about to ignite. Bai Lanxue blindly fumbled for the controls, located the correct position, lowered the cockpit, and navigated by touch back into the battleship, cutting off the direct assault of the starlight. The medical equipment was damaged; she couldn't treat herself immediately. She could only lie down on a piece of metal plating within the battleship that was still mostly intact, slowly regaining her strength. Once she had recovered some energy, relying on her familiarity with the ship, she groped her way to the auxiliary medical bay, found intact equipment, and began the process of physical restoration. However, the starlight had been too intense; her eyesight could not be recovered. Bai Lanxue’s auxiliary medical bay contained numerous medical devices she might require, but she had never imagined becoming blind, and equipment for that specific injury was nearly nonexistent. The only diagnostic device available delivered a final blow: recovery was impossible. Bai Lanxue opened her scorched, blind eyes, revealing a look of terrifying ferocity, "Ziye, this is all your fault. I will be your sworn enemy!" She activated the guidance system, left the battleship, and followed the heat signatures to seek out Ziye for retribution. Outside, the starlight had dissipated. Xiao Douya, fully sated, had reverted to its usual small sphere shape, resting on Ziye’s head, patting its tummy with its wings: "So full, so full." Ziye lifted it and set it aside, then slipped into the Renwei mecha's storage compartment to find food. Recently, the Renwei mecha had only been used for short trips, so the storage was mostly filled with water and Star Cakes. She sat in the compartment, gnawing on a Star Cake and sipping water. Xiao Douya flew in, chuckling, "Star Cakes are so tasteless. Want some starlight as a side dish?" Ziye gave it a sidelong glance: "No need. Star Cakes and starlight are from the same family; their flavor must be similar. Want to try the taste of a Star Cake?" Xiao Douya dove onto her lap, "I will, but not today." After finishing the cake, Ziye suddenly remembered Bai Lanxue. "Is Bai Lanxue dead? Should we leave immediately, or go check on her?" Xiao Douya replied, "Go look if you want to. Bai Lanxue's battleship is ruined; even if she has a mech, she can’t beat you. And even if you lost, you still have this master backing you up, no need to worry."