Jiang Zheyu heard Shan Xun ask why she had come looking for him.

In truth, she didn’t really feel like answering.

But out of politeness, she still spoke up. "I’ve finished purifying the Beastmen in that one lab, so I wanted to move on to the next. But the Beastman there said I can only go in after you give your permission."

Shan Xun paused when he heard her answer. He hadn’t expected this to be the reason she’d sought him out.

’And here I was, thinking it was for some other reason. I’m definitely overthinking things.’

’Or was I hoping for something else?’

"I assigned you one laboratory, which means I intended for you to purify just that one for today," Shan Xun explained slowly. "Just one lab a day is enough. You don’t need to overdo it."

Jiang Zheyu paused. ’I obviously have enough spiritual power to purify the Beastmen in several more labs. Is he just worried I’ll overexert myself?’

The corner of her mouth twitched. "Didn’t I tell you? My spiritual power is very high. Purifying a few more labs is no problem at all."

"Yes, I know." Shan Xun was still holding the ice pack to the swollen bump on the back of Jiang Zheyu’s head. "Still, I only want you to purify one lab per day."

He didn’t want her to finish so quickly.

’Finishing that quickly would mean she’d be leaving.’

’Although she’d mentioned wanting to start a planet-wide campaign to wipe out the Zerg Race, that kind of work was clearly exhausting and mentally draining. Even if she was willing, the higher-ups would never agree to let her wear herself out like that.’

Jiang Zheyu’s thoughts didn’t go there. She just assumed he was worried about her overusing her spiritual power.

’Still, one lab a day... at this rate, it’ll take about another week.’

’I can’t connect to the Star Network right now, and I can’t use my Light Brain to contact His Highness, so I guess I’ll just have to go along with it.’

"Alright, then," Jiang Zheyu replied softly.

"If you need me in the future, just have a Beastman come find me. You don’t need to come yourself," Shan Xun added slowly, his eyes lowered to look at her.

"Okay," Jiang Zheyu agreed.

And so, the two of them fell silent.

The surroundings grew quiet.

Shan Xun kept holding the ice pack to her head, his arm as steady as a rock.

So the ice pack stayed pressed motionlessly against the back of Jiang Zheyu’s head, the cold seeping in continuously.

’When you apply a cold compress, aren’t you supposed to move it around and gently massage the area?’

’Just holding it still like this is actually getting really cold.’

After a short while, Jiang Zheyu couldn’t help but speak up. "Let me do it myself."

’It’s mostly because I don’t think it’s good to just hold it still. He should be moving the ice pack gently and massaging the bump.’

She didn’t feel right asking him to do that, so as she spoke, she reached for the ice pack.

But her hand was caught by Shan Xun halfway there.

"I’ll help you," Shan Xun said quietly.

Jiang Zheyu: ...

’I don’t even want to point out how bad he is at taking care of people.’

’That’s why I didn’t say anything and just tried to do it myself.’

’But no, this guy insists on helping, even though his "help" is completely missing the mark.’

"Well, if you insist on helping, you can’t just hold the ice pack still and freeze me," Jiang Zheyu said, her delicate brows knitting together slightly. "You need to move it around gently, like a light massage."

Shan Xun paused. Then, he finally stopped pressing the ice pack motionlessly against the bump on her head and began to move it slightly. "Like this?" he asked.

Jiang Zheyu noticed his movements were very restrained and gentle. She paused for a moment, then nodded slightly. "Yes, like that."

And so, the two of them fell silent again.

The air grew quiet again, but the silence wasn’t awkward.

Jiang Zheyu noticed he was still shirtless. The smooth lines of his abs were right in front of her. His wheat-colored muscles looked hard and full of power. A trail of sweat, not yet dry, slowly trickled down the deep grooves between them.

Her eyes flickered. ’It’s a little embarrassing, seeing it all so clearly.’

"Um, shouldn’t you put a shirt on?" Jiang Zheyu asked quietly.

"No need. I’m not cold," Shan Xun replied, as direct as ever.

"Oh." Jiang Zheyu had only made a suggestion.

After the cold compress was finished, Shan Xun walked her back to her quarters. He looked at her. "Rest well."

"Mm-hm," Jiang Zheyu nodded.

’But it’s still early, my Light Brain can’t get online, and I don’t have to go purify any Beastmen.’

’This is so boring!’

"System, play a movie," Jiang Zheyu said, remembering that the system had a function for that.

System: ?

"Wha-what kind of movie?" the system stammered. "This is a family-friendly system! I don’t play *those kinds* of movies, you know."

"Who said anything about *that* kind of movie? I was talking about cartoons, obviously," Jiang Zheyu said after a moment of silence.

’I need to watch some cartoons to lift my spirits!’

"Oh! Oh, my apologies," the system said, quickly apologizing before picking out a cartoon for Jiang Zheyu.

And so, Jiang Zheyu spent the rest of the afternoon watching cartoons.

Today was another day of no water and no power.

Jiang Zheyu experienced what it was like to go to sleep without taking a shower.

’Turns out, you can get used to anything once you try it.’

「A new day.」

Jiang Zheyu thought today would be another peaceful and beautiful day.

A deafening explosion ripped her from her dreams.

’No, what is it now?’

Jiang Zheyu scrambled to the window and stuck her head out. She saw the sky swarming with a dense formation of Mechas and all sorts of battleships.

’Not the Zerg Race... but Star Thieves.’

That was the only group Jiang Zheyu could think of.

’But it’s only been a day. Weren’t those Star Thieves driven off? Are they back already?’

But this time, the scale of the attack was much larger than before. And it wasn’t bugs—they had come with full military force.

The sky, already dim, was blotted out by the dense swarm of battleships and Mechas, creating an oppressive atmosphere like a storm about to break over a city.

Enormous blasts rained down from above. The Research Institute’s base immediately raised its defensive shield, blocking the barrage of Laser Cannons.

But the enemy’s volleys were unusually fierce. They relentlessly hammered against the shield, causing the entire barrier to ripple violently. Even the ground of the Research Institute shook with the impacts.

The vibrations were so strong that Jiang Zheyu felt unsteady on her feet.

There was a clear, qualitative difference between the power of this attack and the last one.

’This probably isn’t the same group of Star Thieves.’

Shan Xun immediately rallied the entire Second Legion and charged into the fray.

In an instant, the sky erupted into chaos. High-tech munitions collided mid-air, sending up massive plumes of thick smoke.