CHAPTER 82: CHAPTER 82: ARE YOU AFRAID OF ME

The three people entered the dining room, where Lu Mufeng was sitting at the table, seeming to have just concluded an unusual temporary meeting.

The table was laden with a feast, mostly light dishes, as none of the three were in good health at the moment.

Ruan Li took a sip of millet porridge and looked at Lu Mufeng, "Big brother, when will we arrive at S Star?"

Lu Mufeng wiped his mouth with a napkin, his dark eyes turning to her: "If all goes well, about three days. If not, it could take ten days."

Ruan Li’s eyes widened, "That long?"

Lu Mufeng looked at her intently, "We are currently in a notorious ungoverned zone of the galaxy, at the intersection of the domains managed by the Empire, the Federation, and Atlantis. This star system is not big and is called the Lost Star System, where no females appear, the Beastman mortality rate is as high as 80%, war could break out at any moment, and unless one is very skilled here, there’s only a dead end."

Ruan Li made a sound of surprise, not expecting the situation to be this severe. Then how did she get here back then?

How did Wen find her?

Was it by tracking?

The dining room was eerily silent.

"Little Li, you came back alive this time purely by luck. In the future, do not follow the Beast Husband casually to travel star systems. Even if you go out, report to the family."

Travel?

Ruan Li repeated in confusion and then, noticing Bai He’s hinting gaze, suddenly understood and pretended, "Big brother, you’re right! I will certainly report to the family the next time I travel."

Lu Mufeng gazed at her, and Ruan Li even wondered if he noticed something, swallowing nervously.

"Hmm, come to see me after lunch."

Ruan Li grabbed a meat bun and walked over to Lu Mufeng, "What’s wrong? Is there something you want to tell me?"

Lu Mufeng evidently did not expect someone to chew on a bun while talking to him, standing right in front with a purity in her eyes that was almost foolishly terrifying.

But if it were Ruan Li... it didn’t seem that hard to understand.

He heard himself sigh helplessly, rising to walk with Ruan Li to a side lounge room.

Lu Mufeng closed the door, his dark eyes landing on the top of her head, the air instantly chilling, as Ruan Li just swallowed the last meat bun and then noticed Lu Mufeng’s serious expression.

"Little Li, are you hiding something from me?" The man’s voice was steady and calm, as if stating a fact, and Ruan Li suddenly felt the bun she just swallowed choke in her throat.

She swallowed, "No..." Should she tell Marshal Lu about this?

One is the light of the Empire, the other just a silly foster sister... Ruan Li decided not to risk it.

Da da da...

The man in black boots walked closer, the sound of soles hitting the floor like a clock striking in Ruan Li’s heart, and she instinctively retreated...

"Little Li, are you afraid of me?"

He stopped, standing still, his dark eyes like a deep abyss, the cold pupil of the Snake Beast flashing by.

"No, you, you’re my big brother, why would I be afraid of you?" Ruan Li explained, but the words seemed pale against her somewhat pale face.

"But you’re retreating." He stepped forward to close the distance with Ruan Li until their breaths mingled.

Ruan Li tugged at the corner of her mouth yet couldn’t think of a reason to argue.

Lu Mufeng sighed, his cool hand caressing her cheek, "Did I scare you that day?"

"After more than a month, hasn’t your decision changed?"

Ruan Li kept her head down, staring at the floor without speaking. Deep inside, Lu Mufeng was older, authoritative, and held a high position; when in uniform, his demeanor was sharp, exuding the authority of a leader. Even though she could feel his care when interacting with her, Ruan Li instinctively feared him and had no intention of accepting him.

Disappointment flitted across Lu Mufeng’s eyes, his hand on her cheek sliding down to her shoulder, gently smoothing out the creases.

"If you don’t want to, let’s pretend that night never happened."

He withdrew his hand and walked straight to the glass window, where the sea of stars and the vast universe lay beyond.

He stood with his hands behind his back, enveloped in the starry sea like an illustration.

When Ruan Li turned to leave, this scene remained, an unexpected solitude visible in his silhouette.

She stared fixedly for a couple of seconds, not seeing him utter a single word, before turning and quietly leaving.

The door clicked twice, and darkness crossed the man’s eyes.

When Ruan Li came out, Bai He and Bai Ci were nowhere to be seen, assuming the two had gone back earlier. Retracing her steps from memory, she attempted to go back, only to get lost again.

She randomly spotted a passing Beastman in military attire, "Hello! Can you tell me how to get to the residential area?"

The Beastman appeared flattered to see her, "Miss Ruan, let me escort you directly."

Ruan Li followed behind him, and halfway there, an alarm suddenly echoed overhead.

[Alarm! Alarm! An unknown object has been detected heading toward the warship!]

Ruan Li told the Beastman leading her, "You should go quickly; I can find my way back on my own."

The Beastman rushed to join the assembly at once.

Ruan Li located a large glass window nearby through which she could see the escort fleet in front of the battleship. Further out seemed to be an aircraft blinking with red lights, though she couldn’t make it out clearly.

Perhaps this was the unknown object mentioned in the alarm earlier?

In the control center, Lu Mufeng stood in front of the console giving orders, "Be sure to figure out what exactly the unknown object is ahead."

After precise scanning and data comparison by the detection system, "Marshal, it’s the Gluttonous Wolf Star Thief!"

The Gluttonous Wolf Star Thief was the largest known star thief organization in the galaxy. They often wandered the edge regions, causing many troubles for the Empire. Lu Mufeng had multiple encounters with this organization, which was notably cunning, treacherous, and sly. They frequently hijacked interstellar merchant fleets and occasionally even targeted tourist aircraft.

Lu Mufeng issued a command for the entire fleet to slow down and sent a communication request to the approaching aircraft.

"Marshal, the Gluttonous Wolf Star Thief declined the communication request, and they are moving rapidly towards the fleet, attempting to encircle us."

"Order the fleet to load shells and prepare to engage."

"Marshal! The enemy has sent a video request. Should it be accepted?"

Lu Mufeng nodded, "Accept it."

The video projected in the air revealed a roguish handsome face, "Marshal Lu, long time no see! Never expected you to show up in the Lost Star System."

"An Wu, the nearest Empire monitoring station is just a few billion light years from here. If a battle ensues, it will surely attract the attention of the Empire’s border patrol."

The man in the video grinned nonchalantly, his face lined with knife scars appearing ferocious, "Marshal Lu makes a good point. It seems avoiding your fleet is the wise move..."

"Marshal, the detection shows the Gluttonous Wolf Star Thief fleet is splitting into two lines," on the monitoring screen, the previously surrounding fleet now divided into two straight lines, seemingly making way for Lu Mufeng’s corps.