CH 5

While lost in thought, there was a knock on the door. He hurriedly went to open it, and it was Lin Yang standing at the doorstep.

Lin Yang entered and handed him a letter, saying, "This is an introduction letter. When you arrive at Saint's Academy, look for a professor named Moor. He's my friend and will help you get into the academy."

"Thank you, Professor," Jian Ning gratefully replied, taking the letter.

"No need to thank me. You also saved my life," Lin Yang said, glancing at the time. There is only an hour left before the spacecraft takes off. He continued, "Come, I'll take you to the spaceport."

Jian Ning responded, "Professor, there's no need."

He then explained his plan to burn down the house.

Lin Yang quickly understood that it was because of the conspicuous red fruit tree in his room. Though filled with questions, there was no time to ask now. He said, "In that case, I'll leave the hovercar for you. Just find a place to abandon it at the spaceport. I'll say it was stolen."

"Oh, and there's this," Lin Yang took out a ticket and a bottle from his pocket and handed them to Jian Ning. "This is your spaceship ticket, and inside here is a round pill. Make sure to take it on time."

Jian Ning realized that being alone with a little wolf cub outside would attract attention. Although they were far away from Blue Star, Weiss's family was on the Imperial Star. What Jian Ning needed most now was to keep a low profile and not draw the attention of Weiss's relatives.

"Thank you, Professor. I'll be leaving. Will you be okay?" Jian Ning asked with concern as he received the ticket and the bottle.

Being neighbors who frequently interacted, the military would definitely question Lin Yang.

Lin Yang smiled and replied, "Don't worry, I can take care of myself. They wouldn't dare to do anything to me."

"Go on, stay safe on your journey. Our communications might be intercepted by the military, so let's avoid contact for the time being. Once things settle down, I will visit you at the academy," Lin Yang said, bending down to pat Tuan Tuan's little head before leaving.

Jian Ning put away the introduction letter and ticket, then fetched some oil from the kitchen and poured it on the withered red fruit tree and around the room. He ignited the fire and stood at the doorway with Tuan Tuan, watching the flames engulf the place. Then, he turned around, carried his suitcase, and left, finding the hovercar that Lin Yang had deliberately left behind, heading towards the spaceport.

Twenty minutes later, Jian Ning parked the hovercar in a secluded spot and tucked Tuan Tuan into his clothes. He picked up his suitcase and made his way to the nearby spaceport. Tuan Tuan nestled against his chest, poking its head out of his coat collar with its tiny paws, as the two of them entered the security checkpoint together.

When it was time to swipe their identity cards, Jian Ning felt nervous, afraid of being exposed as having a fake ID. Fortunately, with a beep, the scanner's green light signaled their approval.

At precisely 5:40 in the morning, the interstellar spacecraft arrived at the Blue Star Spaceport. Jian Ning entered the spacecraft with the crowd, using his ticket to find their seats for him and Tuan Tuan.

It was a small cabin with bunk beds on the left side and two safety seats on the right. Jian Ning entered with his suitcase, taking the top bunk. The lower one was still unoccupied.

He sat on the safety seat, waiting until exactly 6 o'clock when the spacecraft took off on time. Relieved, he took Tuan Tuan out from his embrace and rubbed the little head, whispering, "We're leaving. Everything will be fine."

Leaving Tuan Tuan to play by himself, Jian Ning climbed up to the top bunk to organize his luggage. After a night of rushing around, he finished arranging his belongings and fell asleep on the bed, embracing Tuan Tuan.

Jian Ning didn't sleep soundly, having numerous chaotic dreams. He dreamt of Tuan Tuan's father, of Weiss's lifeless body, and even dreamt of the spacecraft being intercepted, with military personnel forcefully separating him and Tuan Tuan. Covered in sweat, he woke up abruptly, and when he reached out beside him, Tuan Tuan was gone.

His heart sank, and in a panic, he quickly got off the bed. A cheerful voice from the lower bunk said, "Hey, you're awake."

Only then did Jian Ning notice that someone had occupied the lower bunk. It was a boy with golden hair, sitting cross-legged on the bed, watching a movie. Tuan Tuan was nestled beside him, biting on a toy bone.

Upon seeing Jian Ning, Tuan Tuan dropped the bone and jumped down from the bed, biting Jian Ning's pants leg and wagging his tail, wanting to be held.

"Your little companion is so cute," the boy said, munching on the snacks in his hand, smiling at Jian Ning.

Relieved to see Tuan Tuan safe and sound, Jian Ning nodded at the boy, picked up Tuan Tuan, and placed him back on the bed. He then opened his suitcase, took out powdered milk and a bottle, and went outside to fetch hot water to prepare milk for Tuan Tuan.

When he returned with the hot water, Tuan Tuan had made a mess of the suitcase, with clothes and personal items scattered around. Tuan Tuan was using his little paws to play with the golden ball.

Lying on the bed with the prepared bottle, Tuan Tuan's little tail continued to sweep across the golden ball.

After tidying up the suitcase, Jian Ning tried to put the golden ball back, but Tuan Tuan wrapped his tail around Jian Ning's wrist, not letting him take it away.

"Where are you headed?" the boy from the lower bunk turned off the overhead light and engaged in friendly conversation. "I'm going to the Imperial Star."

As Tuan Tuan refused to let go of the ball, Jian Ning didn't put it away. He simply arranged the suitcase and replied, "I'm also going to the Imperial Star."

"Really?" the boy exclaimed joyfully. "I'm going to Saint's Academy. What about you?"

Jian Ning looked at him in surprise and said, "Me too."

"That's great! We'll be classmates from now on," the boy excitedly extended his hand, "I'm Teri."

Jian Ning smiled and shook his hand, "I'm Jian Ning."

Teri was a year younger than Jian Ning, having just come of age this year. He was a talkative and enthusiastic young boy. With the spacecraft taking a week to reach the Imperial Star, the two youths chatted, shared snacks, and quickly became familiar with each other.

The small cabin felt stuffy, so Tuan Tuan would run out through the nearby ventilation duct every day to play. Jian Ning worried about him running off, so he hung a small and delicate communicator around Tuan Tuan's neck.

On this day, both Jian Ning and Teri were taking a nap, and Tuan Tuan sat beside Jian Ning, playing with the golden ball. Ever since he discovered the golden ball, Tuan Tuan couldn't bear to let go of it, and Jian Ning didn't take it back and let him play with it.

After playing for a while, Tuan Tuan grew bored and let out a small "awoo" sound. He looked up at the ventilation duct high above and stepped on the nearby blanket to jump up and bite through the metal grid that blocked the way. Then, he jumped back onto the bed, picked up the golden ball, and once again stepped on the blanket to jump into the ventilation duct.

Familiar with the route, Tuan Tuan arrived at his daily play spot, a storage room filled with tall shelves stacked with various items. Tuan Tuan skillfully hopped around on the shelves while carrying the golden ball, eventually jumping down to the floor. He placed the golden ball on the ground and gave it a strong push with his little paw, making it roll far away. Excitedly wagging his tail, he chased after it.

In the midst of the joyful chase, Tuan Tuan suddenly pounced forward and embraced the golden ball, rolling on the ground. His little paws excitedly patted and played with the ball. Suddenly, he hit a certain spot, and with a "click" sound, the golden ball started vibrating and a light appeared. It continued to vibrate under Tuan Tuan's paws, floating in mid-air. With a whoosh, a pair of golden wings emerged from the ball.

Tuan Tuan was stunned, staring dumbfoundedly at the ball with wings in mid-air. The ball gently flapped its wings, and the light landed on Tuan Tuan for a moment, as if ready to fly away. Suddenly, Tuan Tuan became excited and pounced towards the ball.

Every time the ball managed to escape from under Tuan Tuan, he would pounce on it and hold it down. It was as if he had found a playmate, and the ball with wings and Tuan Tuan rolled, tumbled, and frolicked on the ground.

After playing for a while, Tuan Tuan's communicator on his neck beeped, hearing Jian Ning calling him back. Tuan Tuan held onto the ball and randomly pawed at it, resulting in a "click" sound. The metallic wings on the ball retracted, and the light disappeared.

Picking up the ball again, Tuan Tuan jumped onto the shelf and crawled into the ventilation duct.

When they returned to the cabin through the ventilation duct, both Jian Ning and Teri were already awake, busy packing their luggage. Jian Ning rubbed Tuan Tuan's ears, took the ball out of his mouth, and replaced it with a bottle, saying, "Are you hungry from playing? We'll arrive in half an hour."

Half an hour later, when the spacecraft docked, Jian Ning, just as when they boarded the ship, held Tuan Tuan close, with only his little head peeking out from his collar. Carrying his suitcase, Jian Ning followed the flow of people and disembarked from the spacecraft.

Saints Academy still has one more week before classes start. Terry will be staying at his aunt's house. After leaving the space station, the two bid farewell. Jian Ning took the hover car with him and headed towards the pre-booked hotel.

During the journey, Jian Ning looked at the scenery outside the window, and even Tuan Tuan eagerly poked his head out from Jian Ning's embrace to look outside.

Empire Star was much busier and more bustling than Blue Star. Hover cars flowed continuously in the air lanes, towering skyscrapers filled the skyline, and the streets crisscrossed. Jian Ning and Tuan Tuan couldn't take their eyes off the window.

After half an hour, the hover car arrived at the hotel entrance. Jian Ning took out his crystal card to pay for the fare, carried his luggage, and entered the hotel while holding Tuan Tuan.

The robot attendant escorted them to their room and then left. Jian Ning placed Tuan Tuan on the carpet after taking him out of his clothes. He opened the luggage and took out the toy bone that Terry had given Tuan Tuan to play with. Jian Ning focused on organizing his belongings.

Tuan Tuan gnawed on the toy bone but soon grew tired and began running around the room. Jian Ning finished organizing his luggage and sat on the bed, staring blankly at the communicator in his hand.

While on the spaceship, he had already searched the galactic network but found no news of the murder. Jian Ning remembered what Professor Lin Yang had said and didn't dare to contact him recklessly. He wondered what had happened to Professor Lin Yang. Hopefully, he hadn't been affected because of Jian Ning.

Feeling down, Jian Ning's emotions were sensed by Tuan Tuan. The little dog jumped onto the bed and squeezed into Jian Ning's embrace, licking his fingers to comfort him.

Jian Ning rubbed Tuan Tuan's little head, and his mood improved slightly. He held the little companion in his arms and lay down on the bed.

After resting for a while at the hotel, Jian Ning decided to go out for a walk. His crystal card didn't have much money left; the last time he checked was over three months ago. Considering what remained from before and the money he had earned from working these three months, he estimated that he had very little left after paying the tuition fees.

In order to save money, he had booked a hotel near Saints Academy. He planned to find a job in the surrounding area while the school was still closed.

In the hotel lobby, there was a self-service inquiry machine for the Galactic Bank. Jian Ning carried Tuan Tuan in his arms and walked towards the machine at the entrance, preparing to check the remaining balance in his crystal card.

Following the machine's prompts, he inserted the crystal card and entered the password. Soon, a balance appeared on the screen, with a few digits followed by a long string of zeros.

Jian Ning blinked his eyes, thinking he must have read it wrong. He carefully looked again, and the decimal point was correct, as was the long string of zeros. There was a substantial amount of money in his account.

In a hurry, Jian Ning checked the transaction details, and it showed that this large sum of money was transferred into his account three months ago. No one would give him such a large sum of money for no reason, especially since only he and Tuan Tuan's father had access to the crystal card. Jian Ning remembered that Tuan Tuan's father had asked for the crystal card from him the day before he left.

Upon returning to the room, Jian Ning sat on the sofa, looking at his crystal card with a complicated expression. When he found Tuan Tuan's father, the man was unconscious. When he woke up, he claimed to have amnesia and didn't remember who he was or where he came from. Could his departure be because he regained his memories? But why did he have so much money? Who exactly was he?

At the same time, at the headquarters of the Aust Empire Group Army. Inside the mech combat room, a signal on the light brain began beeping. One of the chatting staff looked up, widened his eyes, and quickly said, "The signal from Fei Yu has appeared. Hurry, go inform the Marshal."

Ten minutes later, a tall, handsome, and cold-looking man dressed in a sharp military uniform entered the room with two officers following behind him. All the staff in the combat room stood up and saluted, "Marshal."

Zong Ye nodded indifferently and calmly asked, "Fei Yu's signal has appeared?"

"Yes." The staff member in front of the light brain pulled up a video. "The signal appeared on a spacecraft, and I checked all the monitors on the ship and found this."

The video started playing. It showed a storage room, and the staff member fast-forwarded the time. The screen remained silent for a moment until a gray little dog crawled out of the ventilation duct, holding a small ball in its mouth.

The little dog jumped from the shelf to the ground and dropped the ball, chasing it around. Somehow, the ball sprouted wings in mid-air, but instead of being frightened, the dog became even more excited and started leaping and pouncing after the ball. It seemed to consider the ball as a toy.

The staff members were all stunned, stealing glances at Zong Ye's expression. Despite Fei Yu's small and cute appearance, it was an extremely rare S-type mech. Its unique energy shield could withstand attacks from several mechs, and it could emit countless beams that effortlessly sliced through tough mechs and insectoid shells. With its compact and agile figure, it could easily infiltrate the bodies of insects and mechs, cutting them into pieces. It was a small killer that people often underestimated, accompanying the Marshal to achieve countless remarkable feats on the battlefield.

The Marshal had disappeared over half a year ago and was found three months ago. Although he was safe and sound, Fei Yu, who had always been by his side, was missing.

For the past three months, the Marshal had kept an eye on Fei Yu's signal, and today was the first time it appeared.

Never did they imagine that the mech cherished by the Marshal had become a toy for a little dog. What happened during those three months when the Marshal was missing?

The two officers behind Zong Ye exchanged complex glances. The Marshal's disappearance didn't just involve Fei Yu; all of his savings had vanished as well.

All the young men and women in the Empire wanted to marry the most handsome, wealthiest, and most sought-after war god, but now he was just a poor man.

Author's note:

The mech's appearance was inspired by the Golden Snitch from "Harry Potter." Imagine a Ferrero Rocher with wings.