In the silent expanse of the universe, the Hummingbird drifted like a solitary boat, closely following Lin Xiaohe.
No one knew where Lin Xiaohe was headed — maybe to the Empire, maybe to wander the stars. But it didn’t matter. As long as they were with her, that was enough.
The universe is boundless, and every planet’s environment is different. Not every planet is suitable for human habitation.
Even within the Third Ring, less than half the planets have been developed and utilized.
Without a star chart, a spaceship can easily lose its way, eventually running out of energy and becoming a ghost ship adrift in space.
But Lin Xiaohe had no such worry. Since her body merged with Xiao Hei, she had inherited a great deal of knowledge from the insectoid race.
One key piece of that inheritance was the star charts of both the Federation and the Empire.
Lin Xiaohe extended her index finger. A flower bloomed at the tip, then quickly withered, leaving behind a single tomato.
With a flip of her palm, the tomato vanished.
Tsk tsk, this newly upgraded body still had so many functions and hidden potentials waiting for Lin Xiaohe to discover.
By now, she had mastered the art of splitting her focus seven ways with perfect ease.
The part of her linked to Xin Bao was busy probing the surrounding networks.
Xiao Hei and Tian Tian faithfully guarded Lin Xiaohe’s safety.
As for her main consciousness, it was wandering through a jumble of random thoughts.
Xiao Hei was a black-armored beetle. The inherited knowledge it received was quite basic — it knew the contents of the star charts, but not how they were obtained.
Why had its carapace turned red? And why was its intelligence so much higher than the black-armored beetles described in the inherited memories?
Ordinary black-armored beetles only had primal urges to feed and kill. Once they received orders from a higher-ranking insectoid, they carried them out without a second thought, completely oblivious to risk or self-preservation.
Xiao Hei was different. That little guy was sharp — incredibly clever.
Where was the mother nest buried in its subconscious? And why was such crucial information so vague and hazy?
Lin Xiaohe’s ears twitched. She seemed to “hear” the movements of many spaceships.
This hearing wasn’t through her physical senses. It was more like sensing movement from another dimension.
To put it another way, imagine the universe is full of countless spiderwebs. Lin Xiaohe wasn’t a spider, but she stood upon those webs and, through the faintest vibrations in the silk, could gather a wealth of information.
Her furrowed brow gradually relaxed. Not warships — civilian vessels.
She didn’t slow her pace, continuing her forward journey through the void. The green rings of light blooming beneath her feet formed a safe channel, upon which the Hummingbird sailed smoothly.
Lin Xiaohe “gazed” at the twenty-plus civilian ships, momentarily stunned.
Did the Federation know the insectoids possessed the Federation’s star charts? Were they even aware the insectoids existed? Or had they already made contact with the insectoids but kept it from the public?
And what exactly was she now? Human? Mutated Stardust plant? Insectoid?
Damn it. One evolution and she was nearly stripped of her human status.
Lin Xiaohe raised an eyebrow. Who cares about labels? Knowing she was still Lin Xiaohe — wasn’t that enough?!
When she wanted to be human, she’d be human.
When she didn’t feel like being human, she could switch between a mutated Stardust plant and an insectoid. The whole point was to live joyfully and switch freely, as she pleased.
Once she thought it through, Lin Xiaohe felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted. Her whole being felt lighter.
Xin Bao spoke up: [Xiaohe, those ships are looking for you.]
Hm?
The Federation really had no shame. They wouldn’t send the military to intercept her, but they’d send ordinary citizens to their deaths?
Lin Xiaohe’s impression of the people from the Fourth Ring wasn’t bad. She didn’t want to harm innocent people without cause, so she sped up.
The Hummingbird followed closely, racing through the dark, silent universe in a blaze of lightning and sparks.
The civilian merchant ships that had finally almost caught up to the Hummingbird…
“Ewan, why did the Hummingbird suddenly accelerate? Is there danger nearby?” Victor asked, confused, his voice gruff.
Ewan felt a surge of urgency and ordered his ship to speed up.
Lin Xiaohe was baffled.
No way. Were the people of the Fourth Ring really this fearless? Even the military didn’t dare pursue her, yet these folks dared to chase.
Just how many plates of peanuts had they eaten while drinking to get this bold?
After a brief moment of hesitation, Lin Xiaohe accelerated again.
Onboard the Hummingbird, Thunderbolt grimaced. “Xiaohe is still too soft-hearted. Who cares if it’s a warship or a civilian vessel? If they pose a threat to us, we should just take them out!”
Lao Hei nodded in agreement, silently making a resolution. From now on, they’d handle the ruthless decisions so Xiaohe wouldn’t have to struggle with them.
This burst of speed almost completely left the civilian ships behind, their outlines barely visible.
“Ewan, think of something! We’re about to lose them!” Susie stared ahead, desperately anxious.
She had finally convinced her parents to let her follow Lin Xiaohe. They absolutely couldn’t lose her now!
Ewan knew civilian ship speeds could never catch up to a retrofitted assault cruiser, and the Hummingbird wasn’t opening its comm channels.
Out of options, he ordered all ships to flash a three-character message using their signal lights: [Star Grain Party].
Lin Xiaohe stopped in her tracks, an improbable guess surfacing in her mind.
Xin Bao, sharing thoughts with her, quickly infiltrated the civilian ships’ smart control systems and confirmed that these people were indeed Lin Xiaohe’s acquaintances — members of the Star Grain Party.
Lin Xiaohe halted, waiting for the civilian ships to approach.
When the comm channels finally opened, familiar voices came through.
Ewan let out a huge sigh of relief. “Party Leader, wherever you go, we’ll go. No abandonment, no giving up, never leave you!”
Victor was so excited his voice trembled. “Party Leader, you were so incredibly cool! When can I walk through the vacuum of space as easily as you?”
Susie just giggled foolishly, too shy to speak to Lin Xiaohe directly.
Lin Ye, on the other hand, understood Lin Xiaohe’s preferences well. “Party Leader, our Fourth Ring Star Grain Party members only fill two ships. The other eighteen are completely loaded with supplies.”
So they weren’t burdens — they were supporters bringing their own resources!
Lin Xiaohe was silent for a moment, then advised, “I appreciate the supplies, but you should all go back.”
Ewan and the others had gotten into good universities. Their futures were bright. Why follow her into an uncertain, possibly dark future?
People should have ambition, but no need to seek hardship for its own sake. If they chose an easier path, Lin Xiaohe wouldn’t blame them.
Ewan’s voice trembled. “Party Leader, do you think we’re too weak and don’t want us? Please, no! We’ll grow stronger!”
Victor, a burly man on the verge of tears, said, “Once my leader, my leader for life. I’ll never betray my leader!”
The comm channel echoed with the wails of Star Grain Party members.
This was an outrage! The boss didn’t want her followers anymore.
Was this the distortion of humanity or the collapse of morality?
The pitiful cries even moved the usually hard-hearted Thunderbolt to speak up for them. “Xiaohe, there’s strength in numbers. Just agree.”
Grandma Lin also said, “They’re all good kids. Don’t let their kindness go to waste.”
Lin Xiaohe had no choice. She finally relented and agreed to let Ewan and the others join the escape convoy.
Mindful of the civilian ships’ speed, Lin Xiaohe slowed her pace. They reached Heige Star in the Fourth Ring three days later than estimated.
Due to the Titan Whale incident, the shipping routes near Heige Star were desolate. Passing ship traffic had dropped by almost ninety percent.
When the Hummingbird swept past Heige Star, it didn’t attract the attention of the Federation garrison.
Or perhaps, the Federation garrison noticed but chose to look the other way.
At that moment, both the Hummingbird and Ewan’s civilian merchant ships received a special signal. After analysis, they found it was an audio recording.
