Who understands? The aloof female ruler always flirts without even realizing it.

He slid to the ground like a lump of mud, blood gushing from Shi Yan's mouth and nose, his limbs twisted unnaturally.

Although she was conscious, she couldn't even lift a finger. She could only stare at the male insect on the bed, which looked like a ferocious beast, with eyes full of fear and confusion.

The entire room was trembling slightly, and the lights fixed to the wall were flickering wildly, emitting a hissing sound of electricity on the verge of collapse.

An invisible, powerful residual energy permeated the air.

Shen Yan was stunned. The shackles still bound his wrists, but his body was filled with an unprecedented power. That vast spiritual energy surged and flowed within him, both docile and unfamiliar, as if it were his own arm.

He could clearly "see" the state of his own mental sea of ​​consciousness, which was no longer chaotic, but a dazzling, orderly, and boundless expanse of stars.

The previous bloating and dizziness have completely disappeared.

Under the catalysis of the rock, mental power...

It looks like it's been upgraded?

Trying to turn the wrists locked in shackles, with a slight thought, the sturdy, specially made metal quietly turned into dust, like ice melting under high temperature.

However, the heavy thud when Shi Yan was knocked away alerted the guards outside the door.

"Boss!"

"What's going on inside?!"

The heavy metal door was violently slammed open from the outside, and four or five armed space pirates filed in.

Seeing his eldest brother lying paralyzed in the corner, his life hanging in the balance, while the weak male insect, who should have been tightly bound, had broken free of his shackles and was standing by the bed.

"Damn it! Grab him!"

Almost instinctively, it charged toward the male insect, its eyes flashing with a fierce light, determined to avenge its leader.

Shen Yan's heart tightened.

He had never experienced such an attack before, and subconsciously mobilized his vast spiritual power.

He was unwilling to kill these space pirates, nor did he ever intend to take the life of any insect. His pale golden mental energy surged once more, and he exerted all his control over the intensity and range of its output.

The pirate at the front felt a tremendous force slam into his chest, as if he had been hit head-on by a high-speed hovercar. Before he could even scream, he was sent flying backward, crashing into his companions behind him, and immediately rolled into a ball, unconscious.

Shen Yan was somewhat flustered, trying to accurately control his mental power, but the newly acquired power was like a surging river, which he could not yet control precisely.

Muffled thuds echoed throughout the room, accompanied by waves of painful groans. In less than ten seconds, all the space pirates were sprawled on the floor, unconscious.

Seizing the opportunity, he immediately dashed out of the room. After twisting and turning and encountering many space pirates along the way, he finally saw the exit of the base.

It was a huge gate made of scrap metal sheets, which was half open at the moment, revealing a hazy, yellowish sky and a barren, rocky land outside.

Shen Yan ran out without hesitation.

However, when they actually set foot on this unfamiliar land and felt the cold wind carrying sand and the scent of strange minerals, they stopped in their tracks, and the excitement and tension on their faces gradually faded, replaced by a sense of bewilderment.

Standing on the surface of this unknown planet.

Look around.

Apart from the entrance to the space pirate base embedded in the mountain behind us, as far as the eye can see, there is an endless wasteland and jagged rocks.

The sky was a somber, dark red, and all around was silent, with only a few distant stars casting a faint light.

The terminal he carried with him had been thrown away by the space pirates somewhere.

He had no idea where he was in the universe, what the planet was called, or how to contact rescue.

He had just charged out with sheer willpower, but now that the danger had receded, a tremendous sense of helplessness and loneliness overwhelmed him like a cold tide.

Trying to release mental energy outwards, all I sensed was the desolation and deathly silence of this star field. The life forms that had been temporarily defeated inside the base were gradually recovering and would be found soon.

The decisiveness and power he displayed when dealing with the space pirates seemed like an illusion. At this moment, the male looked like a cub abandoned on a strange planet.

A cold wind ruffled his disheveled black hair and tattered clothes, making his figure appear exceptionally small and helpless against the vast and desolate backdrop.

……

The battle in the V-73 fringe sector has just come to an end.

Karandal took off his military jacket, stained with gunpowder and Zerg blood, his brows showing the weariness of days of battle, but even more so, the longing for his lord.

After being cut off from the outside world for several days, he almost couldn't wait to open his private terminal.

The notification sounds rang out, and most of them came from the same name.

His powerful lord, Shen Yan.

The corners of his mouth unconsciously turned up slightly, carrying a delicate tenderness that he himself was unaware of, as he opened the flood of call history.

The first few posts were mostly everyday, slightly complaining ones, until my gaze settled on the last few messages.

They were several landscape photos, of a street with peculiar ochre-red mountains and metallic-style buildings, accompanied by simple text:

"This place is very different from the capital city."

"The scenery is so-so, but it's conveniently located very close to you."

I miss you so much.

His heart softened instantly, and Karandal's fingertips quickly replied:

"Just finished the battle, all is well. I miss you too."

"Where is this? It looks quite unique."

The message was sent successfully.

He waited, expecting an immediate and delighted reply from the powerful ruler.

After all, Shen Yan is usually very free and spends almost all his time with his terminal, so it's impossible that he doesn't see the information.

One minute, two minutes... five minutes passed.

The terminal screen remained silent.

Karandal frowned slightly; something was wrong.

Based on his understanding of male rulers, even if they were taking a shower, they would immediately dry their hands and reply instantly upon seeing his message.

A strange sense of unease crept into my heart.

I immediately pulled up those photos and zoomed in on the background details.

Thanks to the female soldier's excellent observation skills and familiarity with star charts, he quickly confirmed the location.

V-12 is a transit planet known for its mining industry but is attempting to develop tourism.

It is in the same star system as V-73, and because it is located on the border of the Empire, conflicts and riots often occur in the surrounding area.

The unease in my heart grew rapidly.

The current phase of the battle had just ended, and the troops were recuperating and resting. Without hesitation, he immediately applied to the Central Committee for emergency permission to leave the unit, giving a straightforward reason.

The powerful ruler has gone missing, and his situation is unknown.

Given his military rank and Shen Yanxiong's status, the other side approved the decision almost instantly.

Karandal piloted his own high-speed insect starship, jumping to V-12 at top speed.

When he found the square based on the background of the photo, it had returned to its usual tranquility, with only a few local residents leisurely strolling around.

The female insectoid was dressed in a crisp military uniform, with the insignia on her shoulder straps gleaming in the sunlight, making her stand out from her surroundings. Her powerful aura instilled a sense of awe and oppression in the surrounding insectoids.

He stopped a female insect that appeared to be older, showed her Shen Yan's image, and spoke in a cold tone:

"Excuse me, have you seen this gentleman before?"

When the old female insect saw Shen Yan's excessively handsome face in the image, she was stunned for a moment, then her face showed fear and lingering apprehension. She lowered her voice and said:

"Sir...this gentleman was kidnapped by those damned bastards, Shi Yan, a few days ago!"

"What a tragedy... I have no idea how badly she's been tortured now."

His pupils contracted sharply, and the air pressure around Karandal instantly dropped to freezing point, as if even the air itself had solidified.

He practically spat out the two words through gritted teeth: "Space pirates?"

"Yes...right here in the square. A lot of insects saw it."

Without asking any further questions, Karandal abruptly turned and left, his military boots slamming heavily on the ground.

Back on the starship, the female officer's face was so gloomy it could drip water. She immediately used her highest privileges to access the Imperial intelligence network and began tracking the movements of all the pirate groups active in the nearby star system, especially those led by "Shi Yan".

His beloved lord had fallen into the hands of filthy space pirates.