Chapter 116: The Enemy

Chapter 116: Miss Dong's Enemy

Waiting is undoubtedly agonizing, just as Miss Dong had said. Liu Shaoyu felt no traces of combat; from the subtle shifts in the lighting, he knew the starship had entered jump status.

For some unknown reason, Liu Shaoyu had become hyper-sensitive to electrical currents. He could even perceive the energy fluctuations of the ship's shields, though this sensation only manifested when he quieted his mind.

This feeling reminded him of the first time he tested the War Dragon, when Wang Weifu’s voice had resonated directly inside his head without any communication equipment. Liu Shaoyu realized it was the S-gene at work. If that were the case, he should theoretically be capable of achieving the same level of control as Wang Weifu.

Lost in thought, he heard the room door open. Miss Dong walked in and removed her cap.

"Is it safe?" Liu Shaoyu asked with a smile.

"Yes, safe for the moment," Miss Dong replied, her expression relaxed.

"Where are we heading next?" Liu Shaoyu asked.

"Next? I’m not sure. As far away as we can get, I suppose." Her eyes were filled with confusion.

This answer left Liu Shaoyu feeling a sense of loss. In his memories, Miss Dong was the type of woman—much like Carter—who was decisive and bold. Seeing her again, he could no longer feel that spark of vitality he once associated with her.

What exactly had turned her into this? Liu Shaoyu was curious.

"Can you tell me who they are now?" He clearly hadn't forgotten the subject. "Of course, if you don't want to talk about it, I won't press you."

Miss Dong brushed back her hair, a look of self-mockery appearing on her face. "There’s nothing I don't want to say; it’s just a very cliché story, nothing more."

Everyone has stories hidden within them, and Liu Shaoyu knew Miss Dong was no exception. Usually, people prefer to keep such stories buried deep in their hearts.

Liu Shaoyu didn't say anything, as he didn't know what to say at that moment.

"They were his men. I fell in love with a bastard, and he gave me everything. Then one day, he decided to personally destroy everything he had once given me. It’s that simple." Miss Dong finished the story in one breath; this short sentence seemed to drain her of all her strength. Liu Shaoyu knew that it wasn't physical strength she had spent, but something called courage.

To admit to oneself that one had fallen for a bastard—how much courage did that take?

Miss Dong searched around and finally found a pack of cigarettes on the cabinet behind her. As the smoke curled upward, she was gradually obscured by the haze. Liu Shaoyu couldn't tell if the smoke was truly that thick or if the room’s ventilation was simply poor.

Dimly, he saw that Miss Dong’s eyes were slightly red.

"How foolish of me to have trusted him," she said, shaking her head and exhaling a cloud of smoke.

Liu Shaoyu was not good at comforting people, so he chose to remain silent. In truth, Miss Dong didn't need comfort from anyone right now.

"It’s funny, we’ve become enemies now," she said, a smile touching her lips.

"What... what do you plan to do next?" Liu Shaoyu knew the question was shallow, but he couldn't think of a better one.

"What to do?" Miss Dong turned to look at him, then shifted her gaze back to the ceiling. "One step at a time. I only have this one ship left, and the Federation sectors are under martial law. We’ll be safe once we reach the border." She smiled as she said this, as if victory were already within reach.

The "border" she referred to was a star sector similar to the one outside the Young Dragon Star—a vast buffer zone between the Federation and another galaxy. It was also a paradise for pirates.

Cases like Miss Dong’s were not unique; after the Federation declared martial law, many who relied on space travel for their livelihood had chosen this path. The only difference was that Miss Dong had been forced into it.

"The border isn't exactly safe either, is it?" Liu Shaoyu remarked, recalling the unexpected surprises he had encountered when he last passed through such a zone.

"It's still better than being here," Miss Dong said, smiling at him, though she added to herself that it wasn't much better. She knew well that surviving in such chaotic places with only a single warship was incredibly difficult.

Without a base, you have no supplies. In those places, money often buys you nothing; what you need more is raw power.

Liu Shaoyu understood this well, and a flicker of concern surfaced, though he quickly realized he had more than enough to worry about regarding his own situation.

Contemplating their course, Liu Shaoyu decided he would simply have to follow her to the buffer zone. Once they were out of Federation territory, he could reconnect to the cosmic network. Though he wouldn't be able to link into the Federation’s internal communications, it would at least be better than being completely blind as they were now.

While Liu Shaoyu and Miss Dong planned their escape to the edge of the Federation, a massive shift was taking place on Earth.

"Commander, the incident report is ready," a soldier reported to Yun Shichu.

"Very well, I understand." Yun Shichu nodded. His workload had grown to the point where he required someone to remind him of every task. Of course, no one dared ask why he had stopped using a personal computer for things that had long since been automated.

A careful observer would have noticed that the entire Operations Department was intentionally reducing the use of personal computers for classified matters.

Yun Shichu opened the file that had been sent to him. It contained the information he had specifically ordered to be brought to his attention the moment it became available.

He furrowed his brow, confused. "Why would these seemingly unrelated people suddenly gather and conduct such a highly coordinated operation?"

What he was reading was the incident report regarding the rescue of Liu Shaoyu. Naturally, this was not an official military-sanctioned operation. No one had the guts to order an armed team to snatch someone from the Five-Man Squad. That was the crux of the problem: something that seemed impossible had occurred exactly as described.

Accompanying the report, Liu Shaoyu’s name appeared before him once more.

"This young man... what exactly is so special about him?" Yun Shichu’s interest in the name deepened, though his greater focus remained on the incident itself. The A-Department’s response had been unusually slow; they hadn't even come to negotiate with him yet.

The data remained incomplete. Even he could not easily access information outside of military records without using the Federation’s central computer network.

Yun Shichu’s keen instincts told him that a hidden power was lurking within the Federation. Today’s incident was merely the tip of the iceberg.