Amid the violent commotion, Holianna suddenly looked up, her brows furrowed tightly as she quickly said, “They came too fast… Your Highness, I’ll press the detachment button right away.”
Xie Jianxun nodded, and the Cruising Secondary Vessel’s outer shell closed, completely sealing away his voice and appearance.
In the dim darkness, the two-meter-long control panel lit up with edge lights.
Xie Jianxun only needed one glance to feel a wave of dizziness— no wonder Holianna had only taught him the quick steps for directed hyperspace jump and warned him not to touch anything randomly.
Just this control panel alone, covered in operation buttons, was enough to make any novice turn tail and run.
This was a million times more complicated than that idiot-proof Escape Pod!
Xie Jianxun sat in the seat, and the safety belts wrapped around him like a spiderweb. Finally, he put on the helmet and secured the joint guards. Everything was ready.
He sat quietly, ears perked, listening for sounds from outside.
Unfortunately, the Cruising Secondary Vessel’s shell was made of special materials that absorbed all sounds from inside and out.
He didn’t hear Holianna’s final words, only the blue communication light flashing suddenly above his head.
It was time!
The ship shuddered, and the entire Secondary Ship detached from the mother ship. Xie Jianxun’s vision went dark, then suddenly brightened. The electronic eye dutifully projected the entire universe’s scenery onto the screen.
He didn’t dare look too much. Following the earlier steps, he input the jump commands one by one into the control panel and pressed enter.
The Cruising Secondary Vessel initiated the jump!
Not long after it left, a swarm of Fighter Crafts appeared behind it, surrounding the relatively petite private spaceship.
Under the threat of the Fighter Crafts, the spaceship was forced to dock, and a large group of star pirates poured in.
Holianna sat in her wheelchair at the other end of the passage, watching them quietly.
Ke Xi walked at the front, exclaiming in surprise, “Ah, Miss Anna, we’re meeting again so soon! I’m glad to see you’re safe.”
Holianna glanced at him, then looked straight ahead. “A star pirate’s promises are never to be taken seriously.”
“This time is different,” Ke Xi said with a cheeky grin, gesturing with his hand. “Our boss wants to talk to you. Who knows, we might even strike a big deal.”
Holianna’s wheelchair was forced to move forward. At the other end of the passage, behind the crowd of star pirates, she saw a tall figure.
Huo Jing stood there, meeting her gaze expressionlessly.
Suddenly, he smirked faintly. “Holianna, you don’t seem surprised at all about what I want to do.”
Holianna glanced at him and looked away. “All star pirates are like this,” she said flatly.
…
Xie Jianxun suddenly had an ominous premonition.
This unease wasn’t about himself—it felt like… something outside?
Could something have happened to Miss Holianna?!
But the situation didn’t allow him to think further. The hyperspace jump began, and the safety belts tightened abruptly, securing him firmly to the seat.
An intense sensation of spatial tearing hit him, leaving Xie Jianxun dizzy and seeing stars.
He struggled through the jump, and his vision brightened. A massive, unfamiliar planet appeared before him.
A space station on the planet flashed by in the corner of his view. Following Holianna’s instructions, Xie Jianxun raised his hands, determined not to touch the control panel.
One, two, three…
He counted silently in his mind, waiting for the program to guide him to land.
The screen locked onto the docking port. As long as they advanced a bit further, the Secondary Ship could connect to the planet’s entry point, complete the handover procedures, and dock stably.
Just as he relaxed, he suddenly noticed unstable spatial fluctuations on the right side of the screen.
The electronic eye detected things much clearer than the human eye. After observing for a moment, Xie Jianxun strongly sensed that something was about to emerge from inside.
A new arrival from a jump?
He pondered, and that ominous premonition in his heart intensified.
But this jump point was too close to him. If it emerged in that direction, it would likely crash right into him!
Xie Jianxun’s heart skipped a beat. Before anything poked out from the opposite side, he instinctively placed his hand on the control stick.
But then he remembered Holianna’s warning:
Your Highness, don’t touch anything!
If he did, the system might lose its positioning and lock onto some other planet!
A sharp tip slowly emerged from the jump point, getting closer and closer to him.
Xie Jianxun’s eyes widened slowly. He hoped desperately that his estimate was off and they’d just graze past each other.
More and more of the opposing craft emerged. Finally, the cockpit detached from the jump, and inside sat someone wearing a helmet, who turned to look at him.
It was as if the terror replicated itself, pasting onto the other person.
Xie Jianxun watched wide-eyed as the man flailed his arms and legs wildly in the cockpit, finally letting out a scream.
He sucked in a breath, realizing he couldn’t just sit still!
The young planetary adventurer grabbed the control stick with both hands and yanked it back with all his strength!
Boom—
The two crafts collided in the planet’s outer space and plummeted toward the surface together.
In that moment, Xie Jianxun thought that next time, he definitely…
Definitely wouldn’t be this unlucky bastard again!!!
…
In the dense forest, birds flocked through the trees.
On the leeward slope of the continuous mountains, a large pit—er, a medium-sized pit—had appeared at some point.
Due to a jump positioning error, the two crafts had overlapped, unluckily crashing into each other in outer space before making a forced landing on the surface.
Fortunately, in the final moment, Xie Jianxun had yanked the control stick hard, allowing the entire Cruising Secondary Vessel to narrowly avoid the critical areas, only snapping off some external railings.
The other craft had been flipped upside down, and it felt like even through the reinforced glass, he could hear the screams.
At the forest’s edge, the watchtower alarm blared. The patrol rangers quickly geared up, preparing to head into the forest to apprehend whoever had triggered it.
After a moment of manipulation via their Light Brains, two black shadows staggered up from a corner, then suddenly leaped over the threshold, revealing their forms in the sunlight.
Two small Intelligent Mechas.
Inside the large pit, a Secondary Ship slowly opened its glass canopy.
This was a Reconnaissance Secondary Ship, with a lightweight, compact hull and unparalleled speed.
However, its front end had smashed into the surface, crumpling more than half, and the defensive coating on its shell had been scraped off, leaving it utterly wretched.
But luckily, the impact hadn’t damaged the cockpit. The person inside was still alive and conscious.
He had messy chestnut-brown short hair poking out from under his helmet. His clothes and pants were torn in places. He practically tumbled out of the cockpit, collapsing onto the dirt.
“Urgh— Frans, I’ll kill you!”
His head throbbed painfully, and he dry-heaved several times before finally recovering from the terrifying ordeal of the rapid jump followed by the collision.
“Second-hand Secondary Ships really are unreliable. What the hell happened with that jump point? It overlapped with someone else’s!”
Remembering the crash, his heart jolted, and he hurriedly looked toward the other Secondary Ship in the pit.
It was a brand-new Cruising Secondary Vessel, with a longer hull and higher defenses to protect its occupant safely.
But the cockpit glass hadn’t opened, and there was no movement inside.
He panicked, scrambling up and lunging toward the cockpit glass, banging on it frantically. “Hey! Are you fucking alive? If you’re alive, make a sound! I’ll get you out!”
His head still hurt—probably a concussion.
But who gave a damn about a concussion! It wasn’t even one-ten-thousandth as bad as killing someone!
His mind went blank, filled only with the thought: It was over. He’d killed someone. He’d made such a huge mistake…
Should he turn himself in? He really hadn’t meant to!
Dangerous flying of a craft was at most thirty years, and if they added manslaughter…
“Ah!” He clutched his head and wailed.
The next moment, there was movement from the dark cockpit, as if someone had stirred slightly and lifted their face.
He immediately held his breath and tapped the glass lightly. “You… you’re still alive, right?” he said dumbly.
The glass beneath his hand twitched. He hurriedly pulled back from the canopy, stepping away, and saw a young man about his age sit up, looking at him in confusion.
For some reason, he softened his voice, speaking carefully. “Can you move? Do you have the strength to take off the helmet?”
The person in the cockpit tilted his head to look at him, then tried to remove the helmet himself.
His fingers were soft and weak, slipping off once.
Seeing this, he rushed forward to help unfasten the helmet buckle, saying as he did, “Sorry, sorry, second-hand stuff is just unreliable. Are you hurt bad? I’ll take you to the hospital right away…”
His hands paused. The helmet slid to the side, and he stared in shock.
“You… you…”
The boy from a small place was dizzy and couldn’t think of words to describe it.
Where did this celebrity come from? That was his first thought.
Look at that jet-black hair, that pretty little face… He was about to say something when he saw the hair start to lose color, fading to a pale smoky gray in an instant.
“…” Holy shit.
What a sin! He’d even crashed into someone and changed their hair color!
Xie Jianxun rubbed his eyes, then directly reached out to remove the colored contacts. The other boy stepped back, frantically patting his pockets.
He searched everywhere but couldn’t find a single credit. He’d completely forgotten he even had a Light Brain. His voice cracked with near-tears.
“I… I spent all my money buying the ship. Can I owe it for now? Your medical fees, I’ll scam… earn the money later and definitely pay you back.”
Facing those golden, solidified eyes, he couldn’t say anything else, just sputtering dryly.
Xie Jianxun came back to his senses and looked at the boy squatting in front of him. His mind finally recalled everything that had happened. “Was your jump point… positioned by yourself?”
“Yes!” the other replied instinctively.
His voice was loud, especially conspicuous in the open space. He hurriedly covered his mouth, revealing eyes brimming with tears.
“Sorry, I bought a second-hand one. I didn’t expect the buttons to malfunction… Are you, are you okay?”
Xie Jianxun looked down, feeling himself all over.
No fractures, no contusions, not even a scrape. Just a bit sore from the impact—probably some bruises here and there.
Luckily, the safety system had protected him promptly and thoroughly, preventing any injuries.
But the guy opposite was staring intently at his face, on the verge of bursting into tears.
Xie Jianxun touched his face, puzzled. “My face…”
“Such an expensive face must cost a fortune to fix! I’ll pay, wait for me. I’ll earn money and pay for sure!”
Xie Jianxun was even more puzzled. “…Is there a wound?”
Dusk fell, and the forest filled with the calls of various animals. Occasionally, hoarse crows streaked through the trees.
Traversing the forest at night was dangerous, so they decided to use the two wrecked Secondary Ships as cover and stay put for the night.
They found a sheltered spot to sit. The boy couldn’t find a single edible thing on him, so Xie Jianxun simply pulled out a compressed biscuit from his own Light Brain and shared a piece.
The boy took the compressed biscuit, bit off a piece with his teeth, and chewed it slowly before swallowing.
The two exchanged names. The boy was Xun Jia, an unemployed drifter who’d left home to find his childhood betrothed on planet PN-198.
Xie Jianxun introduced himself as also an unemployed drifter, run away from home, wanting to see the world on PN-198.
Xun Jia sighed. “Who would’ve thought we’d be so fated, landing right on PN-198. Anywhere else and it wouldn’t be this ridiculous.”
Hearing the familiar term, Xie Jianxun paused. “This is PN-198?”
“Yeah.” Xun Jia blinked in confusion. “The jump was a bit off, but the positioning was spot on. I’m sure of it.”
Unexpectedly, the jump coordinates Miss Holianna had given him led straight to PN-198, known as the Mechanical Capital!
Commonly called the “Silver Watchtower,” it was the dream holy land for all mecha repair apprentices!
“So that means I can…”
Xie Jianxun muttered to himself. Xun Jia turned his head curiously. “What?”
Xie Jianxun grinned broadly and stood up. “Nothing. We need to head to the city as soon as possible.”
He couldn’t wait!
Xun Jia stood too, stretching lazily. “How do we go? It’s pitch black here, and the Secondary Ships look pretty busted. Can’t use the radar to scan the terrain.”
Xie Jianxun shook his Light Brain with a smile. “This isn’t… a place without network!”
From a no-signal desert planet to a modern urban world blanketed in Star Net base stations—it felt like another lifetime.
His Light Brain activated, and ads flooded his retina first thing.
Xun Jia suddenly realized and pulled up the map on his own Light Brain. He skillfully dismissed those damned ads, then used “Star Net Navigation” to find a route to the city.
The navigation connected: a straight-line distance of twenty-five kilometers.
Switched to walking mode, avoiding craters and valleys—perfect, thirty-eight kilometers.
Xun Jia felt suffocated.
He let out a miserable cry: “It’s that far?!”
The Secondary Ship was hopeless now, but if they only had their two legs to rely on, they might not arrive until tomorrow morning.
Not to mention they were in a forest—who knew what dangers lurked around? What if there were wild beasts?
Xie Jianxun thought for a moment and looked worriedly at his own legs: “…It is a bit far.”
He had a clear understanding of his own weakness: he was a young master who had always been confined to the estate, never gone out much, never exercised, and lacked muscle.
Walk thirty-eight kilometers on foot?
Even those few steps in the desert back then had required One to carry him for the second half!
Xun Jia paced back and forth, thought for a bit, and came up with a terrible idea: “What if we call the police and have them take us back to the city? How about that?”
“I don’t think so.”
Xie Jianxun took a deep breath and had to remind him, “Have you forgotten? We didn’t go through entry and landing procedures—we’re illegal entrants who force-landed.”
Xun Jia was dumbfounded. He had completely forgotten about that.
Meanwhile, Xie Jianxun had already crouched down, rolled up his pant legs, tied his shoelaces securely, then stretched vigorously and let out a long breath.
In the face of Xun Jia’s bewilderment, this young master accepted it quite well—however difficult, it couldn’t be worse than crash-landing on a desert planet with no network and no money.
He jumped in place a couple of times, and his ashen, fluffy hair bounced along with him, light and agile, like a young and vigorous Little Adventurer who didn’t know the heights of the heavens or the depths of the earth.
Unknowingly drawn in, Xun Jia also rolled up his pant legs to prepare for the long trek ahead.
“Let’s go.”
Xun Jia foolishly followed: “Where to?”
Xie Jianxun gestured for him to look into the distance: “To the city, of course. We’ll walk a stretch, rest a stretch, take turns keeping watch at night. It’s just thirty-eight kilometers. My Light Brain still has food and water—enough to hold us until we reach the urban area.”
Xun Jia grumbled reluctantly, but his body honestly followed: “Thirty-eight kilometers!”
“Just walk it!”
“What if we run into wild beasts?”
The person ahead suddenly paused and revealed a smile.
He spun around abruptly, swiped his finger across his Light Brain, and actually… pulled out a gun!
Xie Jianxun said lightly: “With this, what do we have to fear? Are you scared?”
Xun Jia was stunned, feeling that his new friend was mysterious in every way: “Y-You… is your family from the military?!”
