Chapter 672: Still Getting Used to It

Deep Rock Fortress's lower hangar, technicians were doing the final inspection of the 'cargo'—they needed to ensure that the 'Angel Catalyst' in the shuttle's cargo hold would remain stable during the upcoming delivery, and also to double-check that there were no identifiers related to the Special Services Bureau anywhere on the shuttle.

Yu Sheng stood on the platform next to the shuttle, waiting to depart, while looking down at the little doll who was climbing up his pants.

"Switched to a mass-produced body?"

The little doll replied casually as she climbed, "Yeah, in case you die out there on this trip—I can use a mass-produced body to die with you and not feel bad about it."

Yu Sheng: "That's not how the word 'mutual destruction' is used."

Eileen climbed up to Yu Sheng's shoulder and ruffled his hair. "...A normal person would focus on 'die out there.'"

"From common sense and logic, there's a low chance those cloistered heretics from the Order of the Hidden would turn on us—at least not during this transaction," Luo couldn't help interjecting as she listened to the increasingly bizarre exchange between her boss and the evil red-eyed midget. "Mainly because there's no need for it—we've already sent the Angel Catalyst over. Why would they bother killing the courier at the doorstep for no reason..."

Yu Sheng laughed. "You said 'from common sense and logic' yourself—if those heretics could operate from those two words, would they even be running a cult? What if they think killing the courier at the doorstep when receiving the shipment would please the machine spirit of the Eden Gate? You can never predict what cultists will do..."

Luo thought it over and couldn't find a reason to argue.

Then she watched as Yu Sheng and Eileen turned and boarded the shuttle. After the two of them climbed into the cockpit, they waved through the thick protective barrier at the people outside.

It felt a bit strange—going to a dangerous trading point in lawless territory to meet with cultists, and having the organization's top boss personally handle such a high-risk mission. The few people inside the Lodge were used to it, but Luo, a new peripheral member who had just joined, clearly wasn't quite acclimated yet.

Yet logic told her that it made perfect sense.

After all, the Sacred Order of the Hidden were all lunatics, and Old Joe was notorious for treating his underlings as expendable assets, especially when it came to matters involving his core secrets. The couriers sent out in the past were probably disposable personnel. Under such circumstances, killing the courier at the transaction site to appease the machine spirit would be standard practice for both sides. That left only Yu Sheng to go with a mass-produced Eileen—one willing to die, the other willing to bury...

As she was thinking, the shuttle was ready for departure. As the technicians withdrew from the platform and the parking bay's locks disengaged, the modified 'Silver Star' shuttle slowly detached from the stasis field. With a low hum of anti-gravity engines, the heavy alloy gate at the end of the launch channel also began to slide open. At the channel's end was the glittering starscape visible from Xu Ji's high orbit.

Luo raised her hand and waved toward the shuttle cockpit. "Good luck—remember the procedure, when you exit the launch channel, slowly increase..."

Before she could finish her sentence, she saw a flicker of light and shadow around the shuttle. An illusory spatial rift erupted from the center of the vehicle, and in the blink of an eye, the parking bay was empty.

The next second, she heard Yu Sheng's voice over the communicator: "We've arrived at the Morona Fault—which way is the navigation pointing?"

Luo stood there blankly for two seconds before hearing the clank of the mechanical limiter hitting its end at the channel's far end. By then, the alloy gate had only just fully opened, and the acceleration guide lights in the channel hadn't fully lit up yet.

"You still need to get used to it," Hu Li said, patting Luo on the shoulder, then added curiously, "Hey, when you went out before, didn't the benefactor just teleport you directly?"

Luo winced under the nine-tailed fox's mighty palm slap. "...I used to drive the shuttle out into space first before having the boss open the door. Standard start-up procedure for small spacecraft—anyone with a license would..."

"The benefactor doesn't have a license," Hu Li patted Luo's other shoulder. "Our entire Lodge, plus the Fairy Tale Valley, can't scrape together a single driver's license. I'm the only one with a temporary mobile immortal's vehicle permit."

Luo: "...?"

Then, with both arms nearly dislocated, she droopily sent the navigation signal to Yu Sheng.

...

The gray-silver 'Silver Star' shuttle streaked through space, nimbly navigating through a rift between two shattered continental plates, flying over the cooled and solidified core remnants, heading toward the gravitational fault that glowed with diffuse gas clouds at a distance.

The conventional engines at the 'Silver Star's' tail expelled flames that burned any old fuel, pretending to work hard to propel the shuttle forward. The attitude adjustment thrusters on both sides of the hull occasionally lit up, pretending to play a role during flight.

After entering the glowing gas cloud band, Luo, who had been providing long-range navigation and monitoring the shuttle's status, finally couldn't take it anymore: "Boss, would you mind taking your hands off the control stick? This shuttle can fly itself..."

Yu Sheng glanced at the console in front of him and asked a very profound question: "...Which one is the control stick?"

"...Don't control the shuttle! Switch to autopilot!" Luo's voice sounded like she was about to cry. "The flight trajectory under your control looks like the machine spirit is having a severe seizure. Forget the Order of the Hidden, even a Heavenly Raider pirate seeing something flying like that from two thousand kilometers away would toss a photon lance first—do you normally fly spaceships like this?"

Yu Sheng was a bit embarrassed: "I usually use autopilot for the Dimension Lodge as well..."

Just as he spoke, Eileen poked her head over to the communicator: "Automatic means he moves on his own. Whenever Yu Sheng manually operates anything, it looks haunted..."

Without hesitation, Luo took over remote control of the shuttle.

Yu Sheng resignedly gave up the idea of personally piloting the shuttle through the star sea. He withdrew his will from the spacecraft, let out a soft breath, and instead had more energy to focus on the magnificent scenery outside.

They were now crossing the 'visual existence boundary' of the Morona Fault. Through the glowing gas clouds, the view outside the window clearly showed the magnificent 'space mountain ranges' formed by the torn-apart planet, as well as the starlight slightly twisted by the gravitational fault in the distance.

"...It's truly magnificent."

He uttered a heartfelt exclamation.

"F***ing awesome."

Eileen also uttered a heartfelt exclamation.

"You mean the starscape?" Luo's voice echoed in the cockpit, carrying a touch of melancholic calm. "Yeah, the starry sky is beautiful..."

"Such a planet—probably much larger than Xu Ji, which once might have orbited a star—torn to pieces like this, cleaved by an invisible gravitational rift into a pile of rocks drifting in cold space," Yu Sheng said, feeling something stir deep in his heart. It was a feeling he never had while standing on the surface, a sensation that only came when bathing in starlight in space. "And such a spectacular sight doesn't even count as a grain of sand on a cosmic scale... How many secrets do you think this starry sky holds?"

Eileen exclaimed again: "...F***ing awesome."

"I've been fascinated by the stars since I was little—those vast, magnificent things, and the dark deep space between them, burying countless secrets," Luo said slowly. "Back then, I could directly hear the pleasant songs between the stars, but now I can only hear some vague noise."

"I've heard of the Algared's 'Star Tongue' talent," Yu Sheng thought for a moment. "I've also heard that people still haven't figured out exactly how this 'Star Tongue' talent of yours arises, so... maybe one day you'll recover?"

After a moment of silence, a soft sigh came from the communicator: "Thank you—you always comfort me."

Eileen opened her mouth, but before she could speak, Yu Sheng covered her lips.

Just as the little doll was about to bite his finger, a flicker of light and shadow outside the window interrupted her.

The distant starlight suddenly flickered violently a few times, and then all the stars seemed to shift positions slightly. The 'space mountain range' formed by the shattered planet vanished from view, replaced by a blurry, twisted 'boundary' stretching across space. Ahead of the shuttle, the twisting of all starlight vaguely formed a 'funnel' shape collapsing toward the center—as if gravity had focused there, capturing all the starlight.

"This is the gravitational collapse point inside the Morona Fault," Luo's voice took on a note of solemnity. "The delivery location is near here... Hold on, I'm activating the scanner. The Order of the Hidden's rendezvous ship should be hiding nearby. According to the agreement, they should send a signal."

Listening to Luo's voice, Yu Sheng, who had been completely relaxed and drifting through the universe like a hooligan the whole way, immediately grew serious. He quickly adjusted his sitting posture, reconnected his consciousness to the shuttle—especially paying attention to the cargo hold—and at the same time lifted Eileen off his shoulder and casually placed her in the co-pilot seat, his gaze landing on the information projection in front of him.

The little doll, once thrown into the chair, immediately started looking around: "Do I need to buckle up? Do I need to buckle up?"

Yu Sheng: "No need, the seatbelt can't hold you."

"Oh... Hey, you motherf—"

The next second, her words were cut off by the shuttle's system prompt: "Detected vessel approaching, stealth field deactivating, identification approved..."

Eileen, who had been grabbing the seatbelt with one hand and pointing at Yu Sheng with the other, ready to cuss him out, instantly quieted down and turned to look out the window.

Near the focal point of the twisted starlight, a stealth field was rapidly fading, and a menacing shadow emerged from the dark cosmic background.

It was a spaceship—a massive space battleship.

It had a sharp-lined black hull with dark red paint decorations. Its imposing, colossal body stretched across the starlight like a steel fortress. Yet the highly technological hull was adorned with religious spires, bridges, and patterns. Its bow rose high, with sharp arc-shaped structures flowing with ominous red light. The ship's sides were studded with hive-like weapon emplacement units.

Luo's voice immediately came through the communicator: "It's the Order's main ship! A 'Dark Star'-class missile cruiser!"