The Tenth Day on the Star Banner Route.
After resting at the spaceport for a day, eating at the restaurants and wandering the streets, Cheng Weilu had lost interest in the spaceport. When Li Xu came out after changing his clothes and called for her to go out with him, Cheng Weilu was once again glued to her chair, unwilling to move.
Li Xu was dressed in an understated black suit, with a dark-gold brooch pinned to his chest. Standing sideways as he adjusted his cuffs, his slightly long black hair was neatly groomed and tied back. From Cheng Weilu’s vantage point, she could see the curves of his waist, abdomen, hips, and legs, all beautifully outlined by his impeccably tailored clothes.
As his physical condition gradually recovered, his already outstanding appearance became increasingly apparent. Cheng Weilu discovered that he could also adjust his clothing, expression, and bearing appropriately according to the occasion. Today, he looked understated yet faintly carried the authority of someone in a position of power.
“I’m still not going. I don’t like meeting strangers.” Cheng Weilu admired the man before her for a moment before looking away. “And what if there’s some kind of conflict? I don’t even have a gun. So I’d rather lie here while you go out by yourself. That way, you only have to protect yourself and don’t need to worry about me.”
She said with a smile, “Not only can that increase my chances of survival, it can also increase yours.”
Li Xu shot her a look. “Do you have a problem with me?”
“Don’t worry.” Cheng Weilu curled her lips. “Even if I do, I’ll only curse you in my head.”
“You’ve reminded me.” Li Xu walked over to her. “You need firearms training. Starting tomorrow, we’ll add another item to your training schedule.”
“Huh?” Cheng Weilu was dumbfounded. “I’m a salvager. I don’t need to shoot people. And legally owning a firearm requires layers of identity verification. I don’t even have a gun. No… why do I need to learn how to shoot?”
“To increase your chances of survival.”
“…”
Before I met you, I survived perfectly well for ten years!
“There won’t be any safety risks. 1247 is with the military,” Li Xu said.
“How do you know?” Cheng Weilu asked suspiciously. “Arvid’s Gray Dove Base was also military personnel. What exactly did we do?”
Made a complete mess of things and then had no choice but to run.
“Zhou Yan’s intelligence,” Li Xu said. “There are people from Nianchuan Fortress stationed along this route. Their commander is different from Arvid.”
That was why smugglers like Zhou Yan and Lanka could travel back and forth along this route without trouble. It was the result of that commander’s tacit approval.
But why?
Cheng Weilu asked the question aloud. Li Xu did not answer her directly, only saying, “You’ll understand later.”
After saying that, Li Xu went to the cargo hold and retrieved something, placing it on the table before staring at her.
“Are you coming or not? If you’re not, we’ll start your firearms training now. Once you learn how to hold and fire a gun, we’ll leave.”
Cheng Weilu looked at the lightweight photon gun before her. In the end, she said without any backbone, “…I’ll change clothes.”
In the end, Cheng Weilu changed into a black formal outfit and left with Li Xu.
After running to the dressing room and hesitating for a long while, Li Xu came over and helped her choose her clothes and jewelry. The colors and styles matched what he was wearing perfectly. When she came out after changing, Li Xu looked at her and smiled, apparently quite satisfied.
Cheng Weilu only thought that it did indeed look quite good and paid no further attention to it.
The two arrived in front of a quiet residence far from the commercial district. Cheng Weilu watched as Li Xu used the wristband on his right hand to scan the access lock and open the door. He led her through a secluded and beautiful aerial garden before arriving at a reception room and opening the door.
Someone was already waiting inside. The moment he saw Li Xu enter, he immediately stood up. His expression first showed shock, but he quickly recovered and saluted him. Cheng Weilu recognized the gesture. It was a military salute of the Alliance forces.
“Commander…” 1247 was just about to speak when Li Xu silenced him with a look. He led Cheng Weilu over, gave a slight nod, and gestured for the other man to sit.
1247’s gaze swept over the two of them before immediately withdrawing. He lowered his head and sat down, his posture upright but rigid, exactly how one would look when reporting to a superior.
It seemed that although both were subordinates, this man gave Cheng Weilu a different impression from Zhou Yan. She glanced at Li Xu, then pointed toward the courtyard outside the floor-to-ceiling windows. “I’ll wait for you outside.”
Li Xu nodded and watched as she wandered around the greenhouse in the garden. Soon, a small service robot brought her a drink.
“Commander, it really is you!” 1247’s voice was filled with excitement. “When Zhou Yan released the news, I thought someone had fabricated it. Even when I saw you at Four Star Spaceport, I still found it hard to believe.”
Li Xu withdrew his gaze, clasped his hands together, and looked down at the other man without speaking.
“And she…” 1247 glanced outside. “She’s the other person from that day.”
“Yes,” Li Xu said. “Does Cynthia know that I’m taking this route?”
“Not yet. Commander, she was recalled to Baicheng Star. Before leaving, she instructed us not to send her any classified messages. They’ll be intercepted by the surveillance systems on the Capital Star.”
“Then how did the news that the military is going to reconstruct the system get out?”
“It’s strange, actually. This should have been a top-secret document, but it seems that ever since the fortress commanders were recalled to the Capital Star, the news just spread. Perhaps people inferred it from the previous Gray Dove Base incident and the direction of this emergency meeting?”
Li Xu neither confirmed nor denied it. He only asked, “When will Cynthia return to the fortress?”
“I don’t know,” 1247 said. “The schedules of the commanders of the various fortresses are classified information. She can only send us a message after leaving Baicheng Star. Even if she takes the military’s jump point route back, it’ll take at least ten days.”
“How many incidents like the one at Four Star Spaceport have there been?” Li Xu asked.
“Recently, this is the second one along this route,” 1247 said. “Although it’s somewhat strange, it should have been an accident.”
Li Xu glanced at him. “Think again.”
“Yes!” 1247 immediately lowered his head and began checking the internal data on his wristband. Much of the information along this route was not made public and was rarely recorded on the Star Network, but the military personnel stationed along the route kept records of everything that happened.
“There should be a third incident along this route.” 1247 projected the information he found into the air. “Two years ago, there was an even larger spaceship collision near Sevi Base.”
The report showed that more than two hundred spaceships had been affected by the accident, but it had not caused any major casualties. The cause of the accident was listed as: suspected artificial geomagnetic fluctuations at Sevi Base.
Li Xu’s gaze lingered on the words “more than two hundred” for a moment before he said, “Is there anything you want to ask me?”
“Is what you said that day about the speculation concerning the interstellar pirates true?” 1247 asked.
Li Xu looked at him, and 1247 immediately explained, “I’m not questioning you, Commander. The matter concerning the interstellar pirates is simply too important.”
“If that’s all you’re asking,” Li Xu stood up and straightened his clothes. “You can see for yourself what happens next. Or you can return immediately and tell Cynthia to increase her defenses, if she can receive the message and make it back in time.”
Li Xu paused before offering another hint. “These kinds of incidents at Fourth Star aren’t accidental. Investigate all the incidents that have occurred in previous years and look for connections. You’ll find something.”
1247 recalled what had happened to the pilots involved in the Fourth Star and Seventh Star incidents, as well as what he and Cheng Weilu had done that day. “Is this why you didn’t return to military headquarters after coming back? And the woman outside…”
“She has nothing to do with the situation, but she is important.” Li Xu’s tone grew heavier. “From now on, no matter the circumstances, if you encounter her, make sure she remains safe.”
“…”
1247 was extremely shocked. That seemingly unremarkable woman was actually so important to the Commander. This had never happened before under any circumstances. But he immediately composed himself. “I’ll remember.”
“Go back and report to Cynthia,” Li Xu said. “I’ve warned her. The Alliance is about to undergo another upheaval. Be prepared. Don’t just stay on the sidelines and put up passive resistance.”
Thinking of the commander’s attachment to the person before him, 1247 hesitated before asking, “What about that woman? Should I tell the Commander about her truthfully?”
Li Xu’s gaze suddenly turned sharp. 1247 lowered his head and immediately apologized. “I’m sorry, Commander. I spoke out of turn.”
Li Xu turned and walked away, saying coldly, “Whose orders do you follow? Report the truth to that person.”
─────── ✦ · ˚ ✧ · ˚ ✦ ───────
After exhausting herself with today’s training, Cheng Weilu was sprawled in a chair reading her e-book when her wristband chimed with a message. She lowered her head and saw that it was from Xiao Wei.
Aside from the private space, Xiao Wei was everywhere on this spaceship. Why would it need to send her a private message?
Cheng Weilu raised her head and glanced at Li Xu, who was sitting upright nearby with his optical-brain in hand. He seemed to have been in a somewhat bad mood after 1247 returned. He had remained silent by himself, constantly checking his optical-brain and looking through the star map.
She put away her e-book and walked to the spaceship’s control room. She checked the star map and navigation route. Everything was normal. Then, as usual, she half-reclined in the control room chair, put on her mask, and connected to Xiao Wei with her mental strength.
This was currently a method that no one could infiltrate or interrupt. She did not even need to speak and could communicate directly with Xiao Wei inside her mind.
“What is it?”
“I want to remind you about Li Xu.”
“What, did he pull something again?” Cheng Weilu remembered how he had tried to break through the firewall and take control of her spaceship the moment he woke up last time, and immediately sat up a little straighter.
“No. It’s about his physical condition.” Xiao Wei said, “I’ve been monitoring his physical data. At first, I read it from the hibernation pod system. Later, I obtained his daily data from the bed inside the spaceship. Li Xu’s sleep and heart-rate data, as well as some of his hormone levels, are all somewhat abnormal.”
“Hm? You didn’t warn him?”
“Li Xu is highly vigilant. Last time he woke up, his heart rate was somewhat abnormal. I asked whether he needed assistance, and afterward he disabled the human-body data monitoring function on the bed.”
“…” Cheng Weilu lightly tapped her fingers against the table. “Then where did you get the data from?”
“The wristband on his left hand,” Xiao Wei said. “When you made it, you equipped it with a biometric sensor. I connected to it through the backend. His average sleep duration is only 2.5 hours. Even accounting for significant individual differences, this figure is still highly abnormal.”
As someone who naturally slept less than average, Cheng Weilu slept around 6.5 hours. At certain times, she could sleep as long as nine hours, while even at her shortest, she still needed at least 5.5 hours.
It was said that the military provided soldiers with high-quality sleep pods that could fulfill the body’s resting requirements in just two hours. But this was generally used in emergency situations. No one would sleep only two hours a day for an extended period.
Moreover, the bed on Cheng Weilu’s spaceship was just ordinary equipment. It was impossible to compare it with a military sleep pod.
“How strange…”
“What do you mean?” Xiao Wei asked.
Cheng Weilu said suspiciously, “Why does he sleep so little, yet his skin still looks so good? He has so much energy every day, exercises, and is extremely disciplined. People really can be that different from each other!”
“…It’s probably a matter of genetics and lifestyle habits,” Xiao Wei said. “But compared to his skin, A Luo, shouldn’t you be more concerned about his health? Based on his current lifestyle, I calculate that he has a 78% risk of sudden death. I recommend intervention.”
“I’m really curious. How exactly do you calculate your probability data?”
“Please wait… The calculation formulas and relevant theoretical references have been sent to your private email. It’s somewhat large and needs to be decoded.”
“Forget it. I was just saying.” Cheng Weilu pondered for a while. “But he really does look perfectly normal…”
“But A Luo, if Li Xu dies suddenly, you’ll be at risk. I summarized it, and there are probably three risks.”
“What three?”
“First, you have no legal way to dispose of the body. Second, your agreement with him will remain in effect, but you may not be able to collect the final payment. Third, Zhou Yan may hunt you down.”
“Oh, it’s still those same things.” Cheng Weilu stretched lazily. “Not a big deal.”
Xiao Wei fell silent.
“Do you think I’m cold-hearted? If he really does have a problem, what do you think it could be?” Cheng Weilu said seriously. “He isn’t showing it voluntarily because he doesn’t want anyone to find out. If I go out of my way to involve myself, there’s no guarantee I won’t offend him.”
Cheng Weilu said, “He went through the civil war within the Alliance before and was forced into hibernation after an accident. There’s a high possibility he has war-related post-traumatic stress. Am I right?”
Xiao Wei remained silent for a while before saying, “I cannot use emotional terms to evaluate humans, so I cannot determine whether you are cold-hearted. But I think what you said has some merit, so I’ll leave this decision to you, A Luo.”
Cheng Weilu: “…”
…
You can grab the full book now on my Ko-fi page, available in both PDF and EPUB formats! 🖤
📎 Here’s the link to the full novel