The "Vermilion Bird" didn't directly enter that infamous chaotic star system.
It was like a giant bird with its wings folded, silently lurking deep within a crab-shaped nebula filled with electromagnetic interference.
"Too conspicuous." Shen Qingqiu stood by the porthole, looking at the dazzling yet dangerous nebula dust outside.
"Taking a star destroyer to the black market is like riding a dragon to buy groceries; you'll get ripped off and stared at."
She turned to Seventeen behind her.
"Seventeen, we need a different 'outfit.'"
... Half a "galactic time" later.
A small, dilapidated shuttle, its hull covered in repairs, like an inconspicuous gray mouse, blended into countless equally dilapidated scavenging ships and entered the core of the chaotic star system—the junk belt.
This was the sewers of the universe, and also a paradise for exiles.
Countless massive spaceship wrecks, abandoned space station debris, and junk drifting from some unknown civilization converge here to form a vast, colorful **"Interstellar Ring"**.
Above the ring, neon signs flash, and holographic advertisements float like ghosts in the vacuum.
[Black Shark Prosthetics Shop: Second-hand artifacts, guaranteed authentic!]
[Stardust Bar: The latest synthetic alcohol, live a life of decadence!]
"The air quality... is terrible." Seventeen sat in the pilot's seat, his brand-new "Starry Mithril" right arm now wrapped in a layer of aged gray bandage, looking like a cheap industrial prosthetic.
He frowned slightly, looking at the long string of red warnings displayed on the sensors: sulfur, heavy metal dust, unidentified biological spores.
"Just bear with it." Shen Qingqiu sat in the passenger seat, adjusting her new look in the mirror.
She took off her conspicuous red dress and put on a dark brown leather trench coat stained with oil, over which was a tight-fitting tactical vest. Her long hair was casually tied into a high ponytail, and she wore a pair of windproof goggles.
Although her clothes were deliberately distressed, her face was still strikingly beautiful.
"Put on the mask." Seventeen produced a black filter mask from somewhere, turned to the side, and gently helped her put it on.
His fingers, through the bandages, touched her earlobe; the warm touch made Shen Qingqiu tremble slightly.
"I'm afraid the air here will hurt your lungs."
Seventeen explained, a hint of possessiveness hidden in his purple eyes.
"Besides… there are a lot of wolves here."
Shen Qingqiu laughed, her voice muffled through the mask:
"I'm not afraid of wolves. I have the best hunters."
…The shuttle landed on a massive space station platform called **"Rusty Bone City"**.
This city was built on the skeleton of an ancient behemoth (or some kind of biological warship), with huge bone spikes and rusty metal plates everywhere.
The moment she stepped off the ship, a cacophony of noise washed over her like a tsunami.
Various bizarre alien races thronged the area. Three-headed lizardmen hawked their wares, fully mechanized mercenaries polished their weapons, and mysterious figures in cloaks, their faces obscured, exchanged chips in the shadows.
Shen Qingqiu, in her thick-soled tactical boots, walked along the greasy, waterlogged metal streets.
Seventeen stayed half a step behind her. Her bandaged right hand, though seemingly broken, exuded an invisible chill that repelled anyone who tried to approach within a meter of Shen Qingqiu.
"What are we looking for?" Seventeen asked in a low voice.
"Energy." Shen Qingqiu lowered her voice. "The Vermilion Bird's reactor requires high-purity **'Star Core Fragments'** to maintain its cloaking. And…"
She paused, her gaze sweeping over a roadside stall.
"I also need to look for anything from my 'homeland.'"
She stopped in front of a seemingly unremarkable stall.
The stall owner, a small creature with compound eyes and four arms, was wiping a piece of metal that looked like scrap metal with saliva.
"Look! This is a treasure dug out of the 'Andromeda Ruins'!" the stall owner hawked in a shrill voice.
Shen Qingqiu remained silent.
She activated **[Universal Interface · Scanning Mode]**.
*Buzz—* Her golden eyes glowed slightly behind her goggles.
Her vision pierced through the rust and grime on the surface.
Most of it was junk.
But in a corner of a pile of discarded parts, a dusty, thumb-sized black stone caught her attention.
[Item Analysis: High-density compressed crystal.]
[Ingredients: Spirit Stone (Top Grade).]
[Source: Unknown Cultivation Civilization.]
Shen Qingqiu's heart skipped a beat.
A top-grade spirit stone!
In this technologically advanced universe, there are actually spirit stones? This means that a channel for material exchange exists between the cultivation world and this universe.
"Boss, how much for this?" Shen Qingqiu casually pointed to the stone, her tone nonchalant.
"Oh my, beautiful lady, you have good taste! This is…" The stall owner was about to ask for an exorbitant price.
*Snap.*
Seventeen stepped forward.
He didn't speak, but his bandaged hand gently pressed against the corner of the stall.
The hard titanium alloy table corner, like a crisp biscuit, was broken off by him.
The stall owner's four hands trembled simultaneously, his compound eyes darting around frantically.
"This…this is a bonus! You buy this energy gun, and this stone is yours!"
Shen Qingqiu tossed down a silver coin (the common currency plundered from the Silver Empire's warship), took the stone and a broken gun that looked like it could explode at any moment.
…Leaving the market, the two turned into a relatively quiet alley.
Deep within the slums, crisscrossing pipes dripped an unidentified liquid.
"Seventeen, look." Shen Qingqiu removed her mask, revealing her delicate face, and presented the black stone to Seventeen like a treasure.
She squeezed it firmly, peeling away the camouflage coating.
Revealing within was a crystal-clear, top-grade spirit stone radiating rich spiritual energy.
"It's spiritual energy." Seventeen's eyes lit up.
Although his body was a technological construct, his [Nano Divine Gold] heart was essentially a product of the cultivation world.
This pure energy was the best tonic for him.
"Eat it." Shen Qingqiu held the spirit stone to his lips.
Seventeen shook his head.
"I'll save it for you."
"Your spiritual energy is greatly depleted; you need this to nourish your sea of consciousness."
"I don't need it." Shen Qingqiu stood on tiptoe and forcefully shoved the spirit stone into his mouth.
"My system can draw energy from cosmic radiation. It's slow, but you won't starve. However, you need to stay at your peak condition at all times." Seventeen held the cool spirit stone in her mouth.
Spiritual energy transformed into a warm current, instantly flowing through her body, soothing her still somewhat dry mechanical joints.
He looked at Shen Qingqiu, his eyes so tender they could melt.
"Is it good?" Shen Qingqiu asked with a smile.
"Sweet." Seventeen replied.
Actually, the spirit stone had no taste, but at the moment she fed it to him, it tasted sweet.
Just then, a frivolous whistle came from the alleyway.
"Yo, what a pretty little chick."
"That skin, so tender, was she raised in some sterile room?" Three pirates with glowing tattoos and laser daggers walked over. They looked at Shen Qingqiu like she was a lamb that had wandered into a pack of wolves.
"Looks like trouble always likes to come knocking." Shen Qingqiu sighed helplessly.
She didn't move, not even glancing at the men.
She simply reached out and gently straightened Seventeen's slightly askew collar.
"It's yours."
"Don't get your clothes dirty; this leather jacket is quite expensive."
"Yes, sir." Seventeen turned around.
The instant he turned, his eyes changed.
The gentleness he showed Shen Qingqiu vanished instantly, replaced by a cold indifference, as if looking at an inanimate object.
"Kid, if you know what's good for you, leave the woman here..." The pirate leader hadn't finished speaking.
Whoosh.
Seventeen's figure disappeared.
He didn't use his terrifying Starry Right Arm.
He merely used his intact left hand to create an afterimage in the air.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
Three muffled thuds.
The three pirates were sent flying backward in unison, as if struck by a high-speed train, crashing heavily into the wall and embedding themselves in the rusty iron plate.
They didn't even have time to scream before they fainted.
Seventeen clapped his hands, as if swatting away flies.
He walked back to Shen Qingqiu's side, reverting to his obedient butler persona.
"Cleanup complete."
"The clothes...aren't dirty."
Shen Qingqiu looked at him, a smile playing on her lips.
She reached out and took his arm.
"Let's go, let's find a place to rest."
"The 'stardust rain' is about to fall here."
...At the highest point of Rustbone City, there was a dilapidated inn called **"Cloud Top**.
Although the facilities were rudimentary, it had a huge, completely transparent dome.
Shen Qingqiu spent a fortune (again, by stealing) to book the top-floor room.
At this moment, a special rain was falling outside.
Not water, but stardust.
A magnetic storm had occurred in the nearby nebula, and countless luminous dust particles fell like snowflakes, enveloping this dirty, chaotic garbage city in a dreamlike blue halo.
The room was dark.
Starlight streamed through the dome, illuminating the two figures embracing on the bed.
Seventeen had removed the bandages that served as a disguise.
The exquisitely beautiful, black **"Starry Right Arm"**, shimmering with starlight, was now exposed to the air.
It emitted a faint blue glow, reflecting the starlight outside.
Shen Qingqiu rested her head on his arm, her fingers gently tracing the intricate patterns on the metal surface.
"Seventeen."
"Hmm?"
"Don't you think it's actually quite beautiful here?"
Shen Qingqiu looked out the window.
The wreckage of abandoned spaceships appeared and disappeared in the starlight, like silent tombstones, or sleeping palaces.
"It's messy, it's dirty."
"But that's... what it feels like to be alive." Seventeen turned to look at her.
Starlight reflected in his purple eyes, shimmering.
"I don't understand what beauty is."
He said honestly. "In my database, 'beauty' is a set of data conforming to the golden ratio." He stretched out his star-like arm, gently stroking her cheek.
The temperature of his fingertips had been adjusted to a near-human 37 degrees Celsius.
"But…"
"When you're beside me."
"I feel… that's beauty." Shen Qingqiu's heart skipped a beat.
Has this guy's sweet-talking skill upgraded along with the system?
"Smooth talker."
She laughed and scolded him, but then leaned in and kissed his lips.
In this interstellar pirate den filled with sin and chaos.
On the edge of this dark forest where they could be killed, robbed, or betrayed at any moment.
They hid in this small attic, greedily savoring a moment of peace.
Seventeen held the back of her head, deepening the kiss.
His other hand (left hand) tightly embraced her waist, as if trying to meld her into his very bones.
[Emotion Module: Satisfied.]
[Current Status: Home] For exiles, home isn't a house, nor a spaceship.
Home is—wherever you are, that's home.
Outside the window, stardust falls like snowflakes.
Inside, spring's beauty shines, love runs deep.
Tonight, they are not commanders, not killing machines.
They are merely two specks of dust that met, collided, and then ignited together in a chaotic world…
Entering the stardust, hidden in the city.
Let's exchange this fleeting light for wine, even if tomorrow is the end of the world.
Tonight, I will also indulge in pleasure with you…