Lin Xiaohe shot a glance at the Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander and thought to herself, Old foxes who’ve been in politics long enough sure know how to seize every opportunity.
“Are you trying to guilt-trip me?”
The Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander was stunned—Lin Xiaohe wasn’t playing by the usual rules!
If she wanted to win people over on the spot, shouldn’t she have said she’d go rescue them?
Besides, she and Chu Huaizhi were bound to clash sooner or later.
Even if she didn’t want to face off against him right now, she could have brushed it off with some diplomatic pleasantries or vague promises.
Why was she being so direct?
“Of course not!”
For a moment, the Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander was completely thrown off by Lin Xiaohe’s straight-shooting style.
The Sixth Star Ring Military District Commander, who was following closely behind, rolled his eyes. He never did care for pretentious socializing.
But out of consideration for their years of friendship and the fact that they were all human, he stepped in to smooth things over: “Boss, don’t mind this scatterbrained guy. He means no harm—he just thinks he’s the smartest person in the room.”
After throwing a jab at his old friend, the Sixth Star Ring Military District Commander began to explain: “Aside from Eisen’s family, the Anidam Cult lured away a lot of people from the Fifth Star Ring, especially from Viltara Star. That place got hit particularly hard.”
Lin Xiaohe’s eyes darkened slightly, and she gave a simple “Mm.”
Just then, Eisen’s medical pod door opened.
Eisen grabbed a white robe from the nearby rack, threw it on, and ran over barefoot.
He fixed his gaze on Lin Xiaohe, his eyes filled with hope and a hint of unease.
Lin Xiaohe waited patiently for him to speak.
“I… did we win?”
Lin Xiaohe was a little surprised, but she answered with great seriousness: “If you’re asking about the war between humanity and the Zerg, then I can tell you very clearly—we won!”
Eisen’s face flushed red, his hands trembled uncontrollably, and his lips quivered as he struggled to speak. For a long moment, no words came out—he could only gesture frantically, making unintelligible sounds.
Lin Xiaohe’s expression softened, and she said gently, “Take your time. I’ll tell you everything you want to know.”
Eisen’s eyes glistened with tears as he choked out, “What happened to the Fifth Star Ring?”
That question…
Lin Xiaohe replied, “It has been reduced to nothingness. We only had time to rescue the survivors on Gonggong Star.”
Eisen was taken aback for a moment, then said, as if reassuring himself, “That’s already very good. The fact that you could defeat the Zerg is already incredible.”
Lin Xiaohe felt a deep sense of gratitude toward these soldiers who had bravely stood in front of her.
“Is there anything you want or anything you’d like to do? As long as it’s within my ability, I’ll make it happen.”
The Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander raised an eyebrow. He had thought Lin Xiaohe wouldn’t get involved with the First Star Ring at all, but here she was, softening her stance so quickly.
Seeing Eisen still frozen in place, the commander kept winking at him frantically, his eyelids practically cramping up, before Eisen finally snapped back to reality.
The Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander let out a long sigh of relief.
Eisen said, “I don’t want anything. The fact that you’ve driven the Zerg away for humanity already makes you our greatest benefactor.”
The Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander’s breath caught in his throat, stuck somewhere between inhale and exhale, almost suffocating him.
He glared hard at Eisen, unwilling to give up: “Don’t you want to save your family?”
Eisen shook his head: “Public matters are public, private matters are private. Of course I want to save my family, but I can’t ask Lin Xiaohe to take risks just for my personal affairs. In the face of extraterrestrial civilizations, our human civilization is far too weak. Lin Xiaohe is the backbone and hope of all humanity!”
His reasoning was so noble and righteous that the Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander had nothing to say in response.
Lin Xiaohe chatted briefly with Eisen and, before leaving, made him a promise: “I’ll keep your matter in mind.”
With that, her figure gradually turned transparent until she was no longer visible.
Eisen was stunned by the sight, his mouth hanging open: “Where did she go?”
The Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander patted him on the shoulder: “She’s gone into space. To her, our spaceship is still too cramped.”
He smiled, his tone now lighter: “Good kid. Sincerity is the ultimate weapon—you’ve really nailed that move! Well done!”
Eisen was utterly confused, but he didn’t have time to ponder it further before the medical officer pulled him away for a thorough check-up.
The surviving humans from the Fifth Star Ring were all curious about what lay ahead.
“I heard we’re heading to the Black Domain—the territory of the Stardust humans? Oh my goodness. I never thought I’d live to see the day I’d step into the Black Domain.”
“Yeah, yeah. I’ve read about it on the StarNet—the flow of time in the Black Domain is many times faster than outside. Haha, maybe we can even grow old there.”
“Exactly. I don’t ask for much now—just a safe place to stay. Even if the environment is harsh and barren, I don’t care.”
The two commanders were also discussing what Kyushu Star might look like.
The Fifth Star Ring commander had low expectations: “You know how scarce resources are in the Black Domain! I’m guessing Kyushu Star is probably just a primitive iceball. Don’t get your hopes up about living comfortably.”
“Come on, that can’t be right. That’s not how the Star Harmony Party sells it.”
The commander of the 5th Star Ring Military District rolled his eyes at him. “Do you even understand politics? The Star-Grain Party’s propaganda arm is run by Weasley and Melina. Melina is a graduate of the Political Academy and has spent years navigating the political landscape; she certainly knows how to manipulate public opinion. If you take what they say at even fifty percent of face value, you’re still being too credulous.”
The Sixth Star Ring Military District Commander wasn’t convinced: “The Star Harmony Party is different from other parties. During their campaign on the Wasteland Star, they never exaggerated for votes—everything they promised, they delivered!”
“Oh, come on. Can you please take off those rose-tinted glasses when it comes to the Star Harmony Party and Lin Xiaohe? I admit, Lin Xiaohe is incredibly capable, and most members of the Star Harmony Party are virtuous people. But you also have to acknowledge the diversity of human nature! Not everyone can hold themselves to such high standards.”
The Fifth Star Ring Military District Commander, drawing from his deep understanding of human complexity, was quite skeptical of the Star Harmony Party’s portrayal of Kyushu Star.
The Sixth Star Ring Military District Commander curled his lip: “I’ll bet you a box of fruit hard candies! I know you’re still hiding a box somewhere.”
“Deal! If I win, you give me your last three packs of e-cigarettes!”
“Done!”
The journey through space was tedious, especially since human warships were far too slow.
Without the ability to use wormholes to shorten travel distances, they moved through space slower than snails.
The Greatvoice Whales couldn’t stand the sluggish pace any longer and decided to incorporate these warships into their bubbles as well.
“Whoa. This is amazing! This is a curvature bubble, right?”
“Unbelievable. If the Greatvoice Whales had this kind of ability, why did they only mess around on the StarNet of Haige Star back then? If I were them, I wouldn’t have let the Federation off so easily.”
“Look over there! It’s void floating algae!”
In the dim Black Domain, there was a vast expanse of floating, translucent gossamer. The largest patch, when fully spread out, could cover several square kilometers, yet it was as thin as a cicada’s wing.
They slowly unfurled in the vacuum, moving with the grace of deep-sea jellyfish.
Large quantities of void floating algae would attach themselves to ship sensors and solar panels, interfering with detection and reducing energy efficiency. If they got sucked into a ship’s thruster nozzles, they could cause malfunctions.
Now, there were so many of them that they had formed an entire void floating algae belt!
