Situ Linchen’s voice was cold as ice, leaving no room for negotiation.
This declaration echoed through the spacious office, even reverberating off the walls.
Everyone present fell silent as death.
The staff who had been panicking moments before now clamped their mouths shut.
Lily looked at Ning Shuyin beside her, shock written across her face.
The vice president who had been throwing his weight around just moments ago had his mouth hanging open in an O shape.
All the staff members’ gazes fell in unison on Ning Shuyin, who stood in her dust-stained uniform.
“Your… Your Excellency the Marshal.” The president of the Rose Society, a gentleman of elegant bearing, was so terrified he nearly collapsed to his knees on the spot.
He forced himself to step forward, trembling: “Has this girl done something wrong? Do we need to report her to the Alliance Investigation Department? Her actions have nothing to do with the Rose Society, but we will fully cooperate with the investigation!”
As soon as the president finished speaking, the crowd of senior executives behind him nodded frantically.
The Marshal had personally come out, piloting the “Star Universe” to take away a low-level technician?
Aside from committing an unforgivable felony, they couldn’t think of any other possibility.
Situ Linchen furrowed his brow, his gaze sweeping over him indifferently.
“No need.” He spat out two words, concise and to the point.
Hearing this, sweat beads the size of beans formed on the president’s forehead.
To everyone present, that icy “no need” didn’t mean “no need to panic” — it meant “no need to spout more nonsense.”
The president’s legs went weak, and he nearly fainted.
This had to be a crime of betraying the Alliance.
Situ Linchen glanced at the president once more.
“Give her a week off.”
“Huh?”
The entire office, including the president, was stunned.
Giving a felon time off?
“Paid leave.” Situ Linchen added four more words, his tone already extremely impatient.
With that, he ignored everyone else, grabbed Ning Shuyin by the wrist, and headed toward the transparent boarding particle bridge.
“RUMBLE—”
Accompanied by a deafening roar, under the shocked gaze of everyone present, the war behemoth capable of destroying an entire planet slowly ascended into the air.
Moments later, the warship shot toward its home starfield at tremendous speed.
The massive air currents rattled the Rose Society’s alloy curtain walls with a scraping sound.
The president watched the street left in disarray by the flagship’s engines, then turned to look at the vice president who had been speaking with Ning Shuyin, unease settling in.
Ning Shuyin’s wrist was gripped by a large hand.
She was practically half-dragged, half-pulled “invited” onto that boarding particle bridge.
At the boarding hatch, a beam of light scanned her entire body.
“Citizen Ning Shuyin of Planet A, identity verification successful.” The prompt tone sounded.
Inside the flagship, the seamless high-strength alloy structure was spotless.
Two rows of guards in exoskeletons saluted in perfect unison as they passed.
The metallic frames clattered with a “clack” sound, especially intimidating in the empty corridor.
Situ Linchen finally released her.
Ning Shuyin rubbed her reddened wrist and timidly looked up.
This was the first time she had seen this man, who was like a god of slaughter, at such close range.
He was taller than she had imagined — probably around 1.9 meters.
His black military greatcoat was immaculately pressed, buttons fastened with meticulous precision, collar tightly drawn, even the silver trim stretched into hard, rigid lines.
According to the files, this man was 500 years old.
An ordinary Perseid lives less than a hundred years. But an Ability User has an average lifespan approaching ten thousand years.
At 500 years old, he was still very young, yet already an SSS-Rank Ability powerhouse, steadily wielding the sharpest blade in the interstellar realm—the “Alliance Fleet.”
At this moment, his cold, dark eyes were scrutinizing her without the slightest concealment, as if assessing a piece of goods that didn’t quite meet expectations.
[Target character Situ Linchen’s affection has decreased.]
[Current affection: -50 (Dangerous).]
That man’s gaze was an undisguised… disappointment.
Ning Shuyin’s heart sank.
[Notice: The host’s “Meme Attractor” has taken effect, offsetting part of the initial hostility. Otherwise, the initial affection would be -80.]
-80? What did that even mean?
-100 meant he wanted to kill her; -80 meant he wanted to cripple her the moment they met, right?
His stare made her skin crawl.
But Situ Linchen simply withdrew his gaze and coldly uttered two words: “Follow me.”
He strode toward the flagship’s command cabin.
Ning Shuyin could only keep close behind him, her ears filled with the sound of her own pathetic heartbeat.
Beyond the command cabin’s porthole lay the entire azure Planet A and a brilliant river of stars.
The magnificent cosmic vista struck her with profound awe.
Light screens flickered inside the cabin, displaying complex navigation data dancing across their surfaces.
This was the nerve center of interstellar military power.
Several officers were working in the command cabin, yet none dared to raise their heads to look at them.
“Sit.” Situ Linchen pointed to a temporarily added seat beside him.
Ning Shuyin sat down stiffly.
The next second, a clean towel was tossed into her arms.
“Clean yourself up.” His voice was cold.
Ning Shuyin looked down and noticed that her sleeves and the backs of her hands were covered in dust from work.
Situ Linchen had arrived too suddenly; she hadn’t had time to change clothes or fix herself up.
Now, she could only silently pick up the towel and wipe her face and hands.
Situ Linchen had already issued the order: “Target: Planet A’s orbital path, Alice Space Station. Depart.”
The ship gave a slight tremor.
The deep-space engines let out a low roar. The gravity generator activated, and a steady pull of adhesion came from beneath her feet.
Situ Linchen glanced at Ning Shuyin. “The destination is a bit far, so we need to set out early.”
“Oh, okay.” Ning Shuyin nodded.
She hadn’t expected this man to explain that to her.
Then again, it made sense—the agreed date time was 18:00. He had come to pick her up just past noon.
Ning Shuyin thought of the date spot she’d recommended to Su Qianqian: the romantic Ryan Lakeside Park.
This cold warship really didn’t seem like a place for a date.
The Interstellar Fleet sped forward, leaving a trail of deep blue in its wake.
Before long, a young officer approached carrying two servings of lunch.
A friendly smile was on his face as he set the tray down in front of Ning Shuyin.
“Miss Ning, I’m Marshal Situ’s secretary officer. You can call me Mu Ze.”
“Hello, Secretary Officer Mu Ze.” Ning Shuyin felt a slight relief at the secretary’s warm demeanor.
As Mu Ze leaned down to arrange the utensils, he lowered his voice and whispered, “Don’t be nervous. The Marshal is just…”
Before he could finish, an icy gaze swept over.
Situ Linchen’s eyes moved from the star chart to Mu Ze. He said nothing, but the entire atmosphere in the command cabin grew tense.
The next second, he turned to a senior officer nearby: “Campbell.”
The named general’s body trembled: “Marshal!”
“Your training schedule is too lax. From today onward, the intensity of everyone’s simulated combat is doubled, and the virtual pain coefficient is raised by 50%.” Situ Linchen ordered.
“Yes, Marshal!” This general did not dare to voice the slightest objection.
Mu Ze had already lowered his head and retreated to the side, holding his breath and standing still.
A harsh punishment, given for no reason and at random.
Situ Linchen’s gaze fell on Ning Shuyin’s slightly pale face.
He stepped closer, the sound of his military boots striking the ground especially clear: “You can’t even withstand a scene like this?”
“In my fleet, there is no need for excess compassion.”
He was warning her, and warning everyone.
The heavy pressure was still closing in. Ning Shuyin only felt her throat tighten, unable to say a single word.
The military boots finally stopped in front of her.
A glass of water suddenly appeared before her.
It was actually Situ Linchen who had handed it to her.
“Drink it,” he said.
Ning Shuyin did not dare disobey, and raising the cup, took a small sip.
The liquid entered her mouth, clear and sweet, without any special taste.
“How is it?” Situ Linchen watched her lips. “Are you satisfied?”
“……”
Ning Shuyin could not help but feel puzzled.
The cruel man who had just issued military orders like a mountain had suddenly changed his attitude and was asking whether she was satisfied with a glass of plain water?
Could this be some kind of 8848 high-priced mineral water? Or was the way a top-tier big shot showed satisfaction to have you praise how good his water tasted?
“Ah… it’s very good.” Ning Shuyin said perfunctorily.
This simple answer of hers, however, made Situ Linchen’s gaze complicated.
For the next several interstellar hours, the flagship sailed steadily.
Ning Shuyin sat on pins and needles. Situ Linchen rested with his eyes closed, and the two did not exchange another word.
This long voyage was finally about to reach its end.
As a transmigrator from Earth into a book, seeing the grand spectacle of a future space station inevitably made her curious and excited.
Alice Space Station had a ring-shaped structure and was the top-tier commercial and social center in the orbit of Planet A.
Seen from afar, it was like a diamond ring suspended against a starry curtain, with countless small flyers shuttling around it.
Here there was the most luxurious zero-gravity restaurant in the entire star system, an observation lounge where one could overlook nebulae, and a legendary luxury casino where fortunes were gambled away.
At the top of the space station was the Starry Sky Grand Theater, where world-famous performers sang at all hours—a place the great interstellar figures loved to visit.
So this was the “destination” Situ Linchen had spoken of.
In Ning Shuyin’s heart, some secret anticipation for this date could not help but arise.
The flagship docked smoothly at its exclusive connecting port.
“Let’s go.” Situ Linchen rose, still wearing that icy expression.
Ning Shuyin followed behind him and descended the gangway.
A shuttle flyer delivered them into the space station. What greeted her was a welcome hall full of futuristic atmosphere.
Ning Shuyin had just wanted to step toward the commercial district when Situ Linchen pointed to a corridor in the opposite direction.
“Follow me.” He ordered.
At the entrance of the corridor, two large red characters were prominently marked—”Restricted Area.”
Ning Shuyin’s steps paused.
This passage was completely different from the ornate style of the commercial district.
Pure white, silent, glowing with cold light.
It was like a long corridor leading to an operating room.
The farther in they went, the quieter it became around them. In the end, only the sound of the two people’s footsteps, one after the other, remained.
“Da, da, da.”
Each step felt like it was treading on Ning Shuyin’s nerves.
At the end of the corridor was a closed metal door. On it was a string of numbers beginning with “Equipment No.” and a faint blue circular marking.
This… didn’t look like any kind of place for a date.
Ning Shuyin’s fantasies about the date were replaced by a chill creeping up her spine.
“Beep—”
Situ Linchen’s identity verification passed, and the shielded door slid silently open to both sides.
Ning Shuyin stood at the entrance and took in the scene inside.
It wasn’t a restaurant, not a lounge, and certainly not some scenic overlook.
This was a circular room of about a hundred square meters.
The walls of the room were covered with light screens and connected wires, and aside from that, there was nothing else.
No, to be precise, it wasn’t completely empty.
The room’s only furnishing, right in the very center, was—
A bed.
A bed with restraints on all four sides.