At those words, Stelle's eyes widened, and March 7th's jaw dropped.
March 7th exclaimed, "Wait, wait, wait. You're saying your usual conversations with her are all about rocks and dirt?"
Rocky nodded earnestly. "Exactly! And I don't get it. Why would she suddenly stop responding after I confessed? We've had so many great conversations—from discussing the 101 astral rites mentioned in the Abyss Codex that involve artifacts like ancient beards, to the techniques of planetary core drilling and how soil composition can reveal the prosperity or decline of Aeon followers."
As Rocky spoke, there was a hint of sadness in his voice. Before his confession, their chats were never awkward. They genuinely shared interests and talked about subjects they both enjoyed. He had even given her a parting gift before her last journey, which she adored
Rocky had braced himself for rejection when he confessed but never anticipated receiving neither acceptance nor refusal. Now, with no response at all, he wondered if there was an issue with the equipment.
Pei Guang listened intently, while Stelle quietly muttered, "Who talks to a girl about dirt…"
Rocky frowned at her comment. "What's wrong with dirt? Even discussing dirt with Lesley is fascinating. Besides, in our last communication, she described an incredible starquake.
Imagine it—a dying star collapsing. Most would flee for their lives, but my Lesley not only gathered firsthand observational data but even saved a stowaway survivor in the process! You can't imagine how happy she sounded in her response letter. Even through the relay signal, her joy was palpable."
Pei Guang interrupted, "Got it. You're asking us to help restore communications with her, right? To find out if she agreed or rejected your confession?"
Rocky nodded emphatically. "Exactly! Please, I need your help to reconnect with Lesley."
Just as Bernard opened his mouth to object, Pei Guang gestured to Stelle and March 7th. "Stelle, March, let's handle this old gentleman first. According to standard tropes, he's bound to play the meddling elder who tries to break them up. Even if he's not outright sabotaging them, he definitely knows something important and might get in our way. Let's deal with him first."
Stelle grinned, twirling her bat. "Got it. My bat's been itching for some action."
Prepared to "deal with" Bernard, Stelle confidently pulled out her bat and took a step forward, only for March 7th to flick her forehead. "What are you thinking? When Ah Guang says 'deal with,' he doesn't mean kill him!"
Pei Guang nodded approvingly. "March is absolutely right."
Stelle wasn't entirely convinced but decided not to press the issue. She did, however, notice an odd pattern—when Pei Guang spoke in an eerily emotionless tone, both she and March 7th would break the tension with jokes or comments, and his mood would shift back to normal.
Something about it felt off, but she shrugged it off for now and focused on silencing Bernard as Pei Guang instructed.
How did they silence Bernard? Naturally, with the Sleeping Coffee they'd obtained in this same Station. Stelle could admit to have almost fallen in love with it!
And so, Bernard drifted off to sleep. Meanwhile, Pei Guang turned to Rocky with a straightforward question: "I can help you with your task, but as the saying goes, you pay for what you get. If I help restore your connection, what can you offer me in return?"
Rocky was momentarily at a loss. He knew from Pei Guang's actions around the space station that this wasn't a man motivated by wealth. Asking Pei Guang for help was always a gamble—sometimes he'd agree, sometimes he wouldn't. The rewards Pei Guang accepted varied wildly, from priceless treasures to near-worthless items. What truly seemed to matter was the attitude of the person asking.
But what could Rocky offer him? The poem he wrote for Lesley? It could be shown but not given away—it was meant for Lesley alone. Then what else?
Suddenly, inspiration struck. Rocky's face lit up as he proposed, "If Lesley and I get married, I'll invite you all to be our groomsmen and bridesmaids. How about that?"
Pei Guang smirked. "Deal. But if it doesn't work out, I only have one request: let us beat you up."
Rocky responded with a grin, "Fine by me! Anyway, I suspect the issue is with the relay system being damaged. Could you help me repair it?"
A little beating was a small price to pay for love. Rocky had full confidence that she wouldn't reject him. Their bond wasn't built on shallow infatuation but on shared interests, mutual respect, and genuine affection.
He admitted his emotional intelligence wasn't high, but he was confident in his confession. Even if it failed, Lesley wouldn't simply cut him off—unless something serious had happened.
March 7th, fired up, began rolling up her sleeves. "Got it! So our mission is to repair the relay system. Wait, isn't this one of those 'fixing the fuses' scenarios you're always talking about, Ah Guang? Just with a sci-fi twist?"
Pei Guang nodded, his eyes gleaming with mischief. "Exactly. But doing it the old-fashioned way? That'd be a waste of our resources!"
Stelle tilted her head. "Oh? So what's your plan, Ah Guang?"
Pei Guang grinned slyly. "If it's about signal transmission, there's bound to be residual data somewhere. And if there's residual data…"
March 7th's eyes lit up. "Then we can pull it directly from the source! No need to waste time fixing anything."
Pei Guang gave her an approving nod. "Exactly! You two are really getting the hang of my shortcut methods. Normally, a game would force us to run errands, maybe even present us with a few branching choices to influence the story. But now…"
With a flourish, he pulled out his phone and called Silver Wolf.
Meanwhile, Silver Wolf, who had just finished escorting Kafka and Blade away from the Xianzhou and was looking for a cozy spot to game, answered with her usual laid-back tone. "Ah Guang? What's up?"
Pei Guang wasted no time and quickly explained the situation and the task.
Hearing this, Silver Wolf's interest was piqued. In an instant, she teleported directly to Pei Guang and his team on the Herta Space Station. Still chewing her bubble gum, she summoned a holographic interface in mid-air and began typing rapidly.
"Unfair," she muttered between keystrokes. "You always stumble across these cool-sounding missions, and all I get are repetitive grind-fests with boring objectives."
As a fellow gamer, she couldn't resist a task . The possibilities it promised had already sparked her imagination.
Of course, she had received similar tasks before, but those were usually about scumbags or sycophants, hardly even stories worth mentioning. But this time, it was Pei Guang's group who accepted the mission: she felt like she'd finally gotten a genuine, compelling love story to follow after all these years.
She didn't mind clichés—at worst, it would just be the classic tale of meddling third parties trying to break up a couple. What she really wanted was to witness a pure, heartfelt love story unfold in reality.