Panicked voices echoed from the far end of the corridor. Someone shouted, “How can there be a sudden blackout?”
A woman screamed, “Ah! Who stepped on my foot?!”
A little girl’s crying could be heard. “Mommy, I’m scared! I can’t see anything!”
A man’s voice, feigning calm, cut in. “Everyone, don’t panic. It might just be a circuit malfunction. Use your communicators for light first, and be careful not to trample each other.”
Then a woman’s voice followed. “Let’s not go to the dining hall. It’ll be more crowded there. Let’s head back to our cabins and wait for an announcement.”
These two voices were very familiar. It was the Beta couple—the parents of the little girl sharing Luo Fei’s cabin.
Hearing them, the crowd seemed to accept the logic and dispersed.
Moments later, the couple returned with their daughter. The man used his communicator’s light to illuminate the cabin and set his daughter down in her safety chair. The little girl’s face was pale with fear as she clutched her mother’s hand. “Mommy, what’s happening? It’s so dark outside!”
The woman’s voice was strained. “I don’t know. Maybe a circuit problem?”
The man murmured reassurance. “Don’t be afraid. Let’s not wander around. It’s pitch dark everywhere outside. It’s safer to stay put.”
Luo Fei sat back down in his seat, deep in thought. Based on his assessment, the situation was likely more complicated than a simple malfunction.
Spaceships underwent extremely rigorous safety checks before every departure. They possessed independent power generation systems and ample energy reserves. Under such strict safety protocols, a complete power failure in the middle of a voyage was virtually impossible—unless the ship’s power circuits had been deliberately severed, or its energy supply system had been tampered with.
The ship’s navigation relied on its energy source, much like a mecha. The entire flight path was pre-programmed with intelligent navigation. A disruption to the power supply wouldn’t cause a catastrophic flight danger, merely plunge the cabins into darkness, affecting passenger visibility.
And that was precisely what made Luo Fei even more suspicious.
If this was deliberate… what was the objective?
It didn’t seem to threaten the ship’s safety, only plunge it into blackout. Was the goal to steal something or cause disruption under cover of darkness?
His brow furrowed, Luo Fei stood to leave. The girl’s father tried to stop him. “You’d better not go out there. It’s very chaotic right now. A lot of people have turned on their communicators for light, but emotions are running high.”
Calmly, Luo Fei replied, “It’s alright. You stay here and take care of the child. I’ll go see what’s happening.”
He pushed open the door and stepped out.
—
It was precisely lunchtime. Most passengers were in the dining halls, the source of a distant commotion. The passenger cabin area was relatively quiet.
Luo Fei turned, following the empty corridors toward the deeper, darker end of the ship.
If his memory served, the spaceship’s energy systems were located near the stern.
He walked while issuing commands to Chongming. “Scan the surroundings. Check for any unusual signal sources.”
S-Class intelligent mecha could be directly controlled via mental power. Thus, Luo Fei’s communication with his mecha went unheard by outsiders. Receiving the command, the blue gem on Luo Fei’s chest flickered. Chongming began rapidly emitting reconnaissance signals into the environment.
The deeper he moved, the more the noise from the dining hall faded, swallowed by distance. In the hollow, empty corridors, only the sound of his own footsteps remained.
Then, Luo Fei saw it. A faint, tiny point of light in the distance.
He had undergone specialized night-vision training since childhood. Even in complete darkness, he could discern directions and shapes. But most people would be blind in such an environment. That faint gleam looked like a micro tactical light. Someone was likely holding it, walking toward the branching corridor ahead. Their footsteps were very soft.
Luo Fei deliberately lightened his own steps.
The figure was approaching from the other side of the corridor, the light growing closer by the second.
But just as they were about to meet at the junction, the light suddenly vanished. The owner had switched off the torch.
Hiding in the pitch darkness, Luo Fei didn’t even have a chance to speak.
The figure attacked first.
The hand moved like lightning. Slender fingers struck mercilessly toward Luo Fei’s throat. A slightly slower person would have been completely subdued within a single second.
But who was Luo Fei?
He was the son of Lin Yuan, who loved fighting more than anything.
Years of conditioning against his Dad’s sudden surprise attacks had forged ironclad reflexes. Luo Fei sidestepped instantly, evading the blow with perfect agility. Simultaneously, his left hand shot out like an eagle’s talon in a crisp, clean counter-grapple. He seized the opponent’s wrist with crushing force and pulled forward sharply, yanking the figure right in front of him.
Male. A good eight centimeters shorter than him, the top of his head just reaching Luo Fei’s nose.
Luo Fei stated calmly, “A quick strike. Pity… I’m quicker.”
The sudden reversal was clearly outside the other’s calculations. Off balance, they nearly tumbled into Luo Fei’s chest. They had to brace their other hand against the cabin door beside them, spitting out, “Let go!”
A crisp, clear young voice. As melodious as flowing water. But laced with obvious displeasure.
Luo Fei smiled. “Why so fierce? You struck first, remember?”
The young man replied icily, “Skulking in the dark… what’s your objective?”
Patiently, Luo Fei explained. “First off, I wasn’t ‘skulking’. I just don’t need a torch to see where I’m going, so I didn’t turn one on. Second, I don’t know you, so I can’t possibly have any ‘objective’. The ship’s power went out, so I came to investigate the situation… And you? What are you doing here, alone?”
The young man tried to pull his hand free but found his opponent’s grip inhumanly strong. Struggling was proving difficult.
In the dark, he scowled, a sharp glint flashing in his eyes. He bit off each word. “Let. Go. Of. Me.”
Luo Fei paused. Only then did he realize the wrist in his grasp was starting to swell from the pressure. He released it immediately. “Sorry… hurt you?”
The young man didn’t answer. He pulled his hand back, flexing it lightly, his tone flat. “Same as you. Came to see what’s going on with the blackout.”
With that, he turned and continued walking towards the stern.
That was exactly where the ship’s power circuits were located. Luo Fei was heading there anyway, so he followed.
After two steps, the figure stopped and turned. “Why are you following me?”
Luo Fei shrugged. “I’m not following you. Just happens to be the same way.”
They were next to a porthole. A meteor streaked across the sky just then.
The light from the meteor was too faint, and the figure was backlit. Luo Fei couldn’t make out his features. Vaguely, he saw what seemed to be a mask covering most of the face, leaving only a pair of eyes visible. Reflecting the faint, distant starlight, they were as bright as stars.
—Those were the most beautiful eyes Luo Fei had ever seen.
Eyes so clear they seemed washed by spring water. The irises were a pale amber color, slightly upturned at the corners. The gaze within was clear, cold, and sharp, as if cutting straight to the soul.
Luo Fei felt a small jolt. Before he could even recover, the figure had already turned away. “Even if it’s the same way, I don’t like being closely followed. Can you keep a distance of at least five meters? Thank you.”
Luo Fei: “…”
Luo Fei didn’t move until the young man had walked five meters ahead. Then, a hint of a smile in his voice, he stepped forward. “My measurements are quite precise. The distance between us right now… should be exactly 5.2 meters. If you don’t believe me, you could always check with a ruler?”
The other person ignored him and kept walking.
They didn’t speak again. After navigating the long corridor and rounding a corner, they arrived at the ship’s stern, as expected.
This area was normally off-limits to passengers, but the door was now open. A man’s voice drifted out. “No signs of severed power lines. This is so strange. How could the whole ship lose power?”
A woman’s voice responded. “Did you check the lines on all three decks?”
Man: “Yes, they’re all fine. Circuits are clear, no problems whatsoever.”
Woman: “Then it’s most likely what the Captain said…”
Before she could finish, the young man at the junction calmly interjected. “The energy supply system has been hit by a virus.”
The two of them, using industrial flashlights to examine the wiring, spun around in shock.
The man frowned. “Who are you? What are you doing here?”
Young man: “I’m a passenger on this ship. I need to speak to your Captain. I can help resolve this.”
The man looked at him with disbelief. “You can solve this?”
The young man pulled a card from his pocket, handing it over. “This is my card. Please take it to the Captain. Let him decide if he wants to meet me.”
The woman next to him nudged her colleague and whispered, “Just take it to the Captain. We need to report the circuit status anyway.” She closed the hatch containing the circuit equipment, locked it, and turned to the young man. “Please follow me to the rest area to wait.”
Luo Fei followed behind the young man. The woman naturally assumed they were together and led them to the third-deck rest area.
The rest area was also dark, but emergency luminescent lighting had been activated. It was dim, but functional.
Finally, Luo Fei got a clear look at the other person. He wore a white collared shirt and simple trousers, the tails of the shirt tucked into his waistband. His waist was somewhat slender, but not in a weak way; rather, it gave his entire silhouette a clean, crisp agility.
His skin was very fair. Unfortunately, a large mask hid his face. Only the eyes were visible, framed by thick, dark lashes that cast soft shadows on his cheeks.
Was he an Alpha? Or Beta? Perhaps an Omega? Luo Fei couldn’t immediately tell—there was no discernible pheromone scent on him.
Wearing a mask to cover his face on a spaceship… was he that unwilling to be seen?
A mega-famous Empire-wide celebrity? Or someone whose background was so unique he couldn’t risk showing his face?
As these thoughts churned, he met a pair of sharp eyes. “What are you staring at?”
Luo Fei only then realized he had been staring at the young man the entire time.
Getting caught red-handed didn’t faze him at all. Instead, he admitted frankly, “I was simply curious. Why do you wear such a large mask?”
The young man’s eyebrows lifted slightly. In a rhetorical tone, he countered, “Do you enjoy prying into the private affairs of strangers?”
Luo Fei’s smile remained. “Apologies. My intention wasn’t to rip your mask off to see what you look like. I was only voicing my curiosity. Anyone seeing you wearing a mask like that on a spaceship would be curious. You can refuse to tell me your identity… can’t I still be curious?”
Young man: “…”
The other’s frankness and composure left the young man speechless. He merely shot him a look and turned away, sitting down on a sofa.
Moments later, a graying, middle-aged man rushed into the rest area, followed by several crew members. He was practically vibrating with excitement. “Wonderful! Our energy supply system really was hit by a virus! The engineers are working on emergency repairs, but the process is proving quite difficult. We never expected you to be on our ship…”
The young man nodded, his tone even. “Give me administrator access to the ship’s intelligent system. I’ll repair it.”
The crew members exchanged hesitant glances.
The Captain was clearly hesitating as well. “This…”
The young man suddenly stood, walked over to the Captain, and leaned close. He whispered a single sentence into the man’s ear.
The Captain’s eyes flew wide open, his entire demeanor shifting in an instant. Respectfully, he bowed. “Yes, yes, understood. Please, follow me.”
The young man followed the Captain, turning towards the cockpit.
Seeing Luo Fei following along, the Captain asked quietly, “Is this a friend of yours?”
The young man glanced back at Luo Fei, his tone completely flat. “Don’t know him.”
So Luo Fei was stopped right outside the door.
Luo Fei: “…”
The grand First Prince, barred from entry?
For the first time in his life, Luo Fei tasted the flavor of being shut out.
