At the center of the softly glowing, circular building on the edge of the black hole, the hem of a silk-like, blue-green robe fluttered behind him—Andrew Han rose to his feet, head bowed, gazing at the Star-Gate communicator.
A soft ding sounded—he smiled. It was a message from Finch Huang.
Finch Huang, Starlight Tier Third-Order Constant Light and now the current Green Mountain Sect Master, was Andrew Han’s sole personal disciple—his only true apprentice after all these years.
"By the current estimate,"
"She should arrive in just four or five days at most."
Andrew’s lips curled into a faint smile as he opened the Star-Gate communicator. In recent years, he had barely seen Finch Huang—she had been traveling the cosmos.
Now, with the Green Mountain Sect rebuilt and master and disciple reunited, it was one of the few things in his life that truly brought him joy.
"Third-Order Constant Light isn’t nearly enough."
"This time, when Finch arrives, I’ll at least push her to Fifth-Order Creation Light..." Andrew mused with a cheerful glint in his eyes, watching the screen—she was probably reporting her coordinates and reminding her master not to be late.
As they had agreed before, if time allowed, Andrew would personally go to meet her: "I’m free right now, so I’ll make the trip myself."
But then—
The moment his eyes fell on the holographic screen, Andrew’s expression changed instantly.
His joyful smile froze; his pupils narrowed slightly as he stared at the distress message, a mix of Finch Huang’s voice and images from outside the vessel.
"A black hole in Subspace?"
What kind of joke was this? It was simply impossible. Andrew frowned, staring intently.
He could faintly sense Finch Huang’s panic, helplessness, and confusion at that moment. The joy and anticipation of their imminent reunion were shattered by this disaster, forcing her to send a desperate plea for help—her voice cautious and trembling.
She sounded hesitant and faltering.
It seemed that, compared to her own predicament, there was something she feared even more.
Immediately after—
Finch Huang hesitated, just about to speak, but abruptly fell silent. Andrew instantly understood—the Subspace vessel had been completely swallowed by that deep, mysterious void.
"Hmph."
Andrew’s expression darkened, his gaze icy and sharp.
Perhaps Finch Huang didn’t truly understand just how immense her master’s influence was. In terms of institutional weight, Andrew Han alone could rival an entire star sector. "That jagged-edged oval void at the mouth—it doesn’t look natural. Most likely, it was created by intelligent life."
As long as it’s not a natural disaster, there’s still hope.
No matter who is responsible—
He would find out. He always would—and the sooner, the better.
"I need to move fast."
Of course, Andrew knew his little disciple Finch Huang was likely in grave danger. He wasted not a single precious moment, immediately starting the investigation—pinpointing Finch’s last coordinates, which lay a million star systems away from his current location.
An unimaginably vast distance.
Billions upon billions of light years— even if Andrew crossed Subspace at full speed, it would still take nearly half a month.
"Half a month..."
Andrew exhaled heavily, lowered his head in thought, then his eyes suddenly brightened: "Let’s see which governor’s jurisdiction this coordinate falls under—contact the local governor directly."
For this kind of investigation, having the Mory Sector governor intervene would be far more effective than Andrew going in person.
There’s a saying: "A mighty dragon cannot suppress a local snake."
Besides, as the true authority in the region, the governor has more sway, more resources, and a deeper understanding of local affairs.
"Governor Brooke Gale." Andrew fixed his gaze on the coordinates.
Brooke Gale—widely acknowledged as the most powerful of the three top governors in the Mory Sector, at the peak of the Cosmic Eternal Realm, personally overseeing 120,000 star systems. Next in rank was the Redtooth youth, whom Andrew had consigned to the Star Prison, and Han Cheng, who governed 100,000 star systems and ranked third.
The rest of the governors weren’t worth mentioning—they posed no threat to Andrew.
"Forget it."
"Let’s ask her first." Andrew dialed Brooke Gale’s account, exchanged pleasantries, and made a personal request.
On the screen, the hologram shifted as Brooke Gale—her face veiled in black—regarded Andrew with curiosity. "A jagged-edged black hole intercepting a civilian flyer? I think I’ve heard of such a case before, but I’ve always been too busy to pay it much attention."
Before?
Has this happened many times?
Andrew’s thoughts raced. It seemed this really was the work of intelligent life—naturally occurring Subspace black holes were almost unheard of, and even if one did form by chance, it could never happen repeatedly.
Brooke Gale spoke again: "I just checked recent records—there was a similar incident five epochs ago."
"Oh?"
A strange look flickered in Andrew’s eyes. Outwardly, he seemed deep in thought, but in reality he was studying Brooke Gale’s every subtle expression.
Could it be... Brooke Gale knows more than she’s letting on?
Unfortunately, on the surface, she betrayed not the slightest hint of abnormality. As the governor of 120,000 star systems, with countless years of experience and mastery of the Cosmic Eternal Realm, Brooke Gale’s thoughts were impossible to read.
Andrew gave up probing and said solemnly, "I’ll leave this matter in your hands."
"Don’t worry," Brooke Gale replied with a smile. "I’ll send someone to investigate immediately and make sure you get a satisfactory answer. Inspector Envoy, you needn’t be concerned."
With that,
She prepared to disconnect the star-comm.
"Governor Brooke Gale."
Andrew’s eyes grew deep, his voice low and resolute: "Finch Huang is my only personal disciple—if anything happens to her... This is a personal request, and you’ll have my friendship in return."
Brooke Gale froze for a moment, then gently lifted her black veil.
Her expression grew serious, her gaze steely—she understood Andrew’s true meaning. If Finch Huang disappeared, Andrew would unleash his rage and killing intent. There would be no reconciliation, and anyone involved would be slain without mercy.
If blood stained the stars, no one could say Andrew hadn’t warned them.
"Rest assured, Inspector Envoy."
Brooke Gale held her black veil, lips pressed tight, and spoke with deliberate emphasis: "That little Finch Huang will be perfectly safe."
Andrew stared at her. "You promise?"
Brooke Gale nodded. "I promise."
After a moment’s silence, Andrew smiled and disconnected the star-comm. "Let’s hope so."
...
On the far side of the boundless stars.
In the distant, pitch-black vacuum, nineteen blazing suns circled a single palace. The nineteen stars guarded this lavish palace as if it were the center of heaven and earth, radiating unmatched brilliance.
Deep within the palace, shadows flickered—it was Brooke Gale, her face iron-gray.
Crack, crack—barefoot, Brooke Gale walked across the palace floor as it splintered beneath her steps.
Clearly, Brooke Gale was far from as calm and composed as she appeared.
That’s right.
She was afraid.
Even as ruler of 120,000 star systems, with all her experience, Brooke Gale still felt a shiver of dread. "Andrew may not have noticed, but he must have his suspicions."
Crack.
The palace continued to fracture.
She took a deep breath, pulled out her communicator, and dialed an unknown account.
"Pick up—quickly."
Brooke Gale stared intently at the communicator.
All the power she relied on was useless before Andrew. Authority meant nothing—it was like waste paper. That banquet had proved it beyond doubt.
Moments later, the call connected, and a questioning voice came through: "Governor Brooke Gale, what do you need from me?"
"Damn it! Damn it!"
Brooke Gale’s face was cold as frost, her eyes fixed on the screen. "What are you doing? Is it a raid on the flyer, or something else? It doesn’t matter. No matter who took Finch Huang, deliver her immediately. If you dare harm a single hair on her head, I’ll destroy Wingfield Clan myself."
The person on the other side of the screen was stunned.
He had never seen Brooke Gale angry before—she had always been gentle and polite.
"Don’t just stand there!" Brooke Gale snapped. "I’ve sent you Finch Huang’s details. She disappeared in your Wingfield Clan’s territory—bring her over immediately, or disaster will fall on all of us."
The man was baffled, even shocked. "Just a Starlight-tier lifeform? Third-Palace Starlight?"
Between Starlight-tier and a governor lies a sea of stars. Besides, Governor Brooke Gale is the strongest in the Mory Sector—how could disaster possibly strike? It seemed absurd.
"Go!"
Brooke Gale shouted, "Her master is Inspector Envoy Andrew Han!"
Darkness—endless darkness. No light surrounded the flyer.
"Where are we?"
Some peered outside, others screamed. The flyer, trapped in the giant rift, was in chaos.
The panic lasted a long time.
Gradually, everyone sensed the flyer was being dragged into a mysterious space.
"Who’s there?"
"Who’s dragging the flyer?"
Inside the flyer, a Fifth-Palace Nirvana Stellar Palace cultivator stepped forward.
He roared like thunder, his voice echoing through the flyer as he prepared to step outside.
The next moment—
The flyer’s outer hull exploded as a golden hand materialized, seizing the Fifth-Palace Nirvana Stellar Palace cultivator. Despite his frantic struggle, the unknown golden giant hand crushed him to dust and scattered him as a rain of light.
The hand then rummaged through the remains of the Stellar Palace cultivator.
"Heh heh."
"No Celestial Ancient Jade. Guess it’s not this one."
He’d killed the wrong person, but it didn’t matter—everyone would die anyway.
The golden hand, brimming with murderous intent, slowly reached for the next Stellar Palace cultivator. "We have reliable intel: someone on this flyer is carrying a huge cache of Celestial Ancient Jade. You know how it is—kill for treasure. Sorry, but you all have to die. Don’t blame me; if we don’t loot this flyer and the jade, someone else will. Blame the Stellar Palace cultivator."
Bang! Bang! The golden giant hand crushed two more Stellar Palace cultivators in succession.
Still no Celestial Ancient Jade.
Only four Stellar Palace cultivators remained on the flyer—three Humans and one bird-like intelligent lifeform.
"Heh heh."
"Step forward on your own."
The golden hand transformed into a red-haired old man, his face shadowed by a sinister smile. Thirty-six strange glowing beads hung on his chest, and his narrow eyes swept across the cabin, finally settling on the bird-shaped Stellar Palace cultivator. "It’s you, isn’t it? Hand over the Celestial Ancient Jade and I’ll give you a quick death."
Beside the bird-shaped cultivator, Finch Huang and Soyastin exchanged glances, each seeing confusion in the other's eyes.
When the city gate catches fire, the fish in the moat suffer too—this was a calamity falling from the sky.
"Damn it."
Finch Huang gritted her teeth, inwardly cursing her luck. How could she be so unlucky to get caught up in this? She edged two or three steps to the side.
"Hm?"
The red-haired old man’s face turned cold. He glanced at Finch Huang with deliberate slowness. "Who told you to move? Did I give you permission?"