After Bailey finished his introduction, Andrew Han simply frowned in silence. The quiet living room was filled with a heavy atmosphere.
“Comet Express? Chenriver Empire?”
Andrew felt a shock that grew into a resistance he’d never experienced before, taking root deep inside.
It was all happening too fast.
He was caught off guard, unsure how to face such a vast cosmic expanse.
Faced with the unknown, humans always feel fear—even Andrew, now a Starlight-tier being, was no exception. He wasn’t ready to confront a cosmic civilization head-on.
Because the Chenriver Empire was boundless!
Because blue Earth was far too small—just an ordinary life planet, like a kitten or puppy about to step into a world of towering dragons.
Tick, tock.
The mute black clock on the wall kept turning as always, pointing to the afternoon hour.
“Master, what’s wrong?”
Seeing Andrew silent, Bailey suddenly panicked.
Could there be something wrong with the solution I proposed…
That shouldn’t be. As an interstellar courier, Comet Express spans countless light-years, covers an immense area, and boasts a 96% satisfaction rate, with remarkable operational efficiency. It’s renowned throughout the Chenriver Empire.
Most importantly—
Comet Express Group’s headquarters is located beyond the Milky Way, in a cosmic human nation even greater than the Chenriver Empire!
From small details, you can see the whole—Comet Express truly is colossal.
As an interstellar courier covering countless light-years, it prioritizes customer experience and is trustworthy. That’s why Bailey chose it so carefully.
So then—
What is Master worried about?
“Comet Express really is that good.” Bailey hugged her little paws, looking aggrieved as she sat down, unable to understand what Andrew was hesitating about.
As Bailey sat down—
The square virtual projection rippled at the same time.
It’s important to know that both Bailey’s manifestation and the star-net interface rely on this square projection—a 4D holographic image formed from faint energy, ingeniously crafted like a work of divine art.
Perfectly integrated.
Flawless.
The projection’s function is to facilitate normal communication between the intelligent core and its chosen master.
Face-to-face interaction ensures the best results—lifelike, immersive, and realistic. In danger or battle, the intelligent core usually communicates with its master via voice transmission.
“Master?”
Bailey made a small sound, glancing at Andrew.
No response.
Andrew pondered for a moment, his hesitant gaze falling on the nearby sofa.
On the pitch-black sofa, Miles Ning’s wrinkled face looked on the verge of collapse—his complexion pale, his skin tinged with blue and white, lifeless and bleak, like a decaying tree about to wither.
He knew.
His master, Miles Ning, was about to pass away.
It had been about half a year since the grand battle at Green Mountain Sect… Time passed, things changed, and the remnants of Miles Ning’s spirit wouldn’t last much longer.
Time would eventually take everything away.
At least with current knowledge, nothing could withstand the erosion of time.
“Sigh.”
Andrew let out a soft sigh, feeling a sense of loss.
It was a sunny afternoon in mid-April.
Warm sunlight streamed through the curtains, filling the living room. Even through the window, laughter and play from outside could be heard, along with the occasional birdsong.
Quiet, leisurely, everything felt so beautiful.
In this ordinary afternoon, Andrew couldn’t help but close his eyes, remembering his early martial arts days: “I recall my master being rather temperamental, often in a foul mood, and our high school martial arts training always took place in the afternoon…”
He thought for a moment.
He couldn’t help but smile.
Miles Ning, noble and upright, was rarely in a good mood. Senior students had six days of classes a week, and Miles was irritable for at least four or five of them.
Andrew sat on the edge of the sofa.
He looked quietly at Miles Ning’s pale face, and the room fell silent. “Back then, we called you ‘Old Ning.’ Honestly, every day we were afraid your mood would turn sour.”
“Oh right, I remember once, a senior martial arts student tried to stir up trouble… basically, cause a scene. You grabbed his head and slammed it into the concrete three times, leaving his forehead bloody.”
“I remember it perfectly.”
“Your expression suddenly cleared up and you actually smiled. We were all stunned, and that student was terrified on the spot.” Andrew muttered on as he straightened the quilt over Miles Ning.
The quilt slipped a little.
These days, aside from Yu Liming occasionally visiting, no Law-Realm expert came by.
“Master.”
Andrew took a deep breath.
In those days, every afternoon, Miles Ning always wore an old black leather jacket and black cloth shoes, sitting at the edge of the martial arts training ground, smoking and resting with his eyes closed.
Such scenes are now memories—back then, they seemed ordinary.
“It’s all in the past, everything’s gone now.”
The former peace was gone, and all the monsters and demons had been wiped out. Andrew let a nostalgic smile curl at his lips.
Thinking about it carefully—
Miles Ning was a hero, a martyr, a Law-Realm expert who fought bloody battles. But he wasn’t really a good person—he was temperamental, often furious… Kindness, warmth, and tolerance were words that didn’t fit Miles Ning.
That’s right.
His master was a martial arts lunatic, once a Law-Realm Saint.
“Looking back, as martial arts students we really lived on the edge every day.” Andrew couldn’t help but smile. “But aside from being moody and prone to rage, with a tendency to root out trouble at its source, you didn’t really have any flaws.”
If not for Miles Ning’s fierce protection, how could he have grown up safely to this day?
Law-Realm experts were united, but that didn’t mean all martial artists were of one mind… The martial arts world was full of all kinds of people, some good, some bad—inevitable in any society.
“I will do whatever it takes.”
Andrew slowly stood up, rubbing his brow, a sharp glint passing through his eyes.
He had achieved glory at Green Mountain Sect.
He hadn’t let down Miles Ning’s trust.
His only regret was that Miles Ning hadn’t witnessed the glory of Green Mountain Sect himself.
At this moment, only the ticking clock, birdsong, and the carefree sounds of children playing reached his ears—the living room grew even quieter.
“Hmm?”
“Is this what they call ‘emotion’?” Bailey tilted her rabbit-like head, black glassy eyes curious as she watched Andrew.
Bailey was merely a high-level intelligent core.
Above high-level intelligence, there was ultimate intelligence—rumor had it, ultimate intelligences could cultivate on their own and truly possess the emotions of life, not just fleeting moods.
Thinking of emotions, Bailey instantly wilted.
Bailey kept watching Andrew’s facial expression.
The next moment—
"At any cost."
"Master, you will get better, I swear." Andrew studied Miles Ning's bloodless, wrinkled face... Green Mountain Sect had risen; his master should awaken too.
He turned around.
He took a deep breath.
Andrew walked over to Bailey, his gaze settling on the star-net interface. "Bailey, you must not make another mistake... I don't know the rules of the cosmic void. If Comet Express gets greedy for Earth, or triggers an interstellar war, I will never forgive you."
"T^T~~ Don’t worry!" Bailey hugged her little paws tightly.
"Hmph."
Andrew turned his head, staring at Bailey.
He stared for nearly ten minutes, until Bailey began to tremble. Only then did he look at the square virtual interface... Andrew wasn’t bullying Bailey, it was just that the responsibility he carried was immense.
Since ancient times—
This blue planet had never encountered life beyond Earth... except for Egret and Manglong.
Communicating with an interstellar civilization for the first time required utmost caution.
If something went wrong, if disaster struck, who would take responsibility?
Only Andrew could, but how could he alone contend with the vast and boundless Chenhe Empire?
"We haven’t even left the solar system yet." Andrew looked at the network interface, worried. "If the Chenhe Empire or a powerful being takes an interest in Earth and wants to claim it, we have no means to resist."
But Miles Ning couldn’t hold on much longer.
They couldn’t wait any longer.
The ever-changing interface reflected Andrew’s resolute face; he chose to trust Bailey.
To the side—
Bailey had long since accessed the Earth’s internet and was secretly amused the whole time.
The people of this blue planet—especially in the United States—seem to have a persecution complex. They always assume that aliens will bring war, invasion, slaughter, and disaster.
But the thing is—
What’s so different about aliens? They’re human too.
Setting aside the higher cosmic nations, the Chenhe Empire alone rules over more than a hundred billion star systems in the Milky Way. Why would they care about a single Earth?
A life-bearing planet isn’t worth coveting.
Unless the planet is in development, has rare mineral resources, and lacks indigenous Starlight-level life, only then would it face invasion, enslavement, or colonization.
But now—
Andrew was Starlight-level.
The vast cosmic void has many cultivation systems. For example, a Starlight-level being might follow the path of physical gene cultivation, or synthetic life, or even both.
Andrew, however, followed the path of mind cultivation to reach Starlight-level.
"Heh, look here." Bailey pointed to the top of the network interface, secretly thinking her master Andrew was a bit clueless—he’d been searching so long and still hadn’t found the order entry.
Andrew rolled his eyes. "I know."
Still, out of caution, he browsed through everything.
The star-net interface in front of him was far more advanced than Earth’s internet… Commercial, military, success stories, and support sections—there were countless subpages, all packed with detailed content.
He clicked on ‘Commercial’.
The dazzling array of animated images nearly blinded Andrew.
It was like being lost in a sea of blossoms.
"My goodness, a commercial transport center built in a volcano crater?"
"And this one, floating in the clouds ten thousand meters high—the area of just one transport center must be bigger than our Cloudsea Capital in China."
The smooth interface was packed with animated images, giving a strong sense of three-dimensionality.
At first glance, Andrew felt as if he were truly there.
It was as though he stood right in front of the commercial center.
He could clearly see the massive transparent doors made of liquid crystal stone, etched with intricate patterns... When they opened, the liquid crystal didn’t flow—it evaporated.
Once fully evaporated, life could step inside.
Then it would return, reverting to liquid crystal diamond.
Without a permit, the liquid crystal diamond would turn solid, becoming impenetrable and triggering an alarm.
"This is so advanced." Andrew couldn’t help but praise, impressed.
"Evaporation, then solidification—just for a door. How much energy does that take?"
Beside him, Bailey rolled her eyes, speechless.
This was synthetic diamond, capable of changing form, and required no energy at all. Even when evaporating, not a bit of energy was lost.
Andrew felt delighted. "Don’t rush me."
He kept browsing.
He couldn’t help but marvel, "Such advanced technology—it’s unimaginable. If only I could get the technical core and bring it back to Earth…"
"These technologies are so outdated." Bailey puffed out her fluffy white belly with pride. "My knowledge base isn’t just about cultivation systems—I have loads of tech knowledge too. With enough materials, I could build a planetary railgun, rivaling a peak Starlight-level full-power strike."
"..."
Andrew’s face froze.
He glared at Bailey, chuckling dryly.
Hindsight genius, pig before the fact—that saying fit Bailey perfectly.
"Stop bragging."
"If you brag any more, you’ll fly off yourself." Andrew tugged at the corner of his mouth, ignoring Bailey’s puzzled look.
Ding dong.
Andrew clicked on ‘Success Stories,’ wanting to see what business Comet Express would showcase as their achievements.
After clicking, the screen gave a soft chime.
The interface gently rippled, like waves on a lake. The virtual image suddenly turned dim and dark—it was the silent, boundless outer space… No life, no planets, only distant starlight.
The living room was quiet, not a sound to be heard.
Occasional noises came from outside. The star-net interface, which usually had background music, was now silent… Bailey didn’t interrupt Andrew, but her eyes were full of disdain.
Andrew looked confused, not understanding.
Even the slowest person could tell from the dark screen that this was an empty starfield. What kind of success story could there be here?
Then—
A beam of light appeared, then countless beams lit up, illuminating the starfield.
The light came from discs—huge, countless discs, radiating beams that wrapped around a sphere, seemingly an oval-shaped sphere.
"What is that sphere?"
Andrew, ever clever, instantly realized the sphere was the key.
The scene continued: milky-white threads from the discs dragged the sphere forward through the starfield, slow and heavy.
Closer.
Closer and closer.
When the sphere filled the screen, Andrew’s eyes widened, scalp tingling.
It wasn’t an oval sphere—it was a planet, a life-bearing planet! Its exterior even resembled Earth, complete with an atmosphere, all blue… Nearly a hundred milky-white discs were transporting a life planet across the endless starfield!