Ruan Li watched the spacecraft continue to maneuver through the cosmos, the control panel showing the destination as an unknown planet.
"Where are we heading?" Although Bai He and Bai Ci had told her they were going to the planet where White Dawn was located, they hadn’t explained where that was exactly to Ruan Li.
"This planet is unknown and remote, only precisely located, without a name," Bai Ci explained.
Ruan Li asked, "How long until we arrive?"
"After this space jump, it’ll take another thirty minutes to arrive." Bai Ci’s long fingers danced across the interface of the control panel, clearly issuing commands for the space jump.
Bai He held Ruan Li’s hand, "It might be a bit uncomfortable in a moment; this space jump covers a long distance."
Ruan Li nodded; she had experienced several space jumps before, which felt quite similar to motion sickness from cars and planes.
As the countdown of the spacecraft’s announcement ended, Ruan Li’s vision began to spin wildly, like a cat caught inside a washing machine, the nauseating sensation of weightless rotation hitting her hard. She felt so sick to her stomach she wanted to vomit, her hand tightly gripping Bai He’s, the warmth providing her anxious heart with a trace of solace.
Yet, this time the space jump was unusually long, and Ruan Li even felt a violent jolt, as if something had collided with the spacecraft.
Her consciousness quickly faded to black.
In a daze, it seemed like someone had embraced her.
On the far-flung Deserted Star, windswept sands flew through the air, a tall man holding tightly onto a woman, leaving a trail of footprints in the sand.
Tattered clothes wrapped the woman entirely, barely shielding her from the windstorm swirling through the air. This text is hosted at novel⟡fire.net
The scorching sun burned relentlessly, the sands rolling like molten gold.
Wen endured the continuous alarms of his temperature system, not daring to halt for a moment.
According to environmental assessments, this place was unsuitable for the young master’s survival; he must quickly find a habitable area.
The Space Hub mostly contained weapons and ammunition; having searched thoroughly, he only found bread that had expired three years ago in a corner and not even a bottle of water.
Walking from daylight into nightfall, his operational chip was heating up to the point of almost burning out.
Wen finally found a refuge area and laid Ruan Li down.
He felt her forehead, her temperature was 37.3, a slight fever, uncertain whether it was from the impact.
The desert chill rapidly descended at night; the temperature outside the shelter had dropped to minus ten degrees. Wen took out all the clothing he could find in the Space Hub, draping them over Ruan Li.
Measuring her temperature every hour.
Ruan Li’s temperature remained stable, yet she was slow to regain consciousness.
When the outside temperature rose to ten degrees, Wen again picked up Ruan Li, heading toward the nearest city marked on the map.
"Pay the entry fee!" The guard at the gate dressed more neatly, whereas most entering the city wore tattered clothes, dusty-faced, their headscarves wrapping tightly around their heads, only exposing a pair of murky eyes. Some handed over two Crystal Cores, others a few Star Coins.
"Get lost! What, you think this trash can satisfy me?" The guard threw a stone to the ground and fiercely kicked the man.
The next person in line approached the guard, submitting their prepared items.
The long queue occasionally cast indifferent glances at the man kicked onto the ground.
When it was Wen’s turn, he took out two rounds of ammunition. The guard’s eyes gleamed at the sight of what Wen offered and snatched it, subsequently scanning Wen with a friendlier gaze, "What do you have in your arms?"
Wen handed over another round of ammo, quietly slipping it into the guard’s pocket, "Nothing, just holding bedding."
The guard grinned, ignoring the nonsense Wen was talking, and waved him through.
Having barely walked a short distance, a sneeze caught him, "Dammit! The temperature swings these days are giving me a cold!"
Wen registered his fabricated alias - Wen Li - in the city entry log.
The first thing Wen Li did upon entering the city was to find a treatment center.
He stood before a sign reading "Su Bai Clinic, Honest and Fair, Cure Guaranteed," the words seeming unreliable to him, the robot’s face rare to show hesitation.
The clinic only had a single small door squeezed between two shops; beyond this door was seemingly pitch black.
Wen Li scanned with a blue light, discovering the internal circuitry was intact, merely the owner saving electricity by not turning on the lights.
"Hey, you there! I’m talking to you!" A person charged out from within the Su Bai Clinic, angrily pointing at Wen Li and shouting: "Are you blocking my feng shui by standing at the door? Get lost!"
Wen Li pressed his lips together, turning to leave.
Fearing the young master might be treated to death here.
"Hey! Wait!" Su Bai suddenly eagerly caught the man’s arm, "Are you here to see someone about a sickness?"
His gaze fell on Wen Li’s arms, lightly sniffing, his eyes turning into vertical pupils, "Female! There’s a female here!"
His exclamation instantly drew a few probing stares from around.
Su Bai hurriedly drew Wen Li inside until the iron door closed, followed by the wooden door, the curtains drawn, enveloping the room in darkness.
Su Bai eagerly wanted to see the female Wen Li was holding.
Wen Li sidestepped, not understanding what he was up to.
It was pitch black inside, no light at all; he was a robot and could see in the dark, but Su Bai...
Seeing his guarded pose, Su Bai patted his head, reluctantly turning on the light bulb, "Can I see the young female now?"
Wen Li said coldly, "What do you intend to do?"
"Treat the illness, I smell the illness on her, sense she’s feeling quite unwell." Su Bai confidently proclaimed.
Wen Li eyed him up and down, doubting the identity of the person before him.
According to information, this was a remote Deserted Star, not only was the signal exceedingly weak, law enforcement chaotic, there were no females, medical facilities were virtually absent, plus lacking energy sources, his system’s energy would soon be depleted.
Especially after replacing this old operational chip.
It was like navigating vast oceans, yet ultimately leading to a clogged creek; his central command took time to deliver to the operational system, causing noticeable lag and rapid overheating of the core.
Wen Li had already shut down any excess systems in his body, retaining minimal consumption.
Seeing the disdain on this distinguished-looking man’s face, Su Bai was instantly displeased: "What kind of look is that!" He rolled up his sleeves as if to fight, "Don’t think just because you act refined you can look down on others!"
Wen Li spoke dully, "Is there any guarantee for treatment at your clinic?"
Su Bai shouted superficially: "Of course, I’m the best in town!"
Seeing the man’s gaze without the slightest warmth, Su Bai grew more uneasy.
As Wen Li’s lie detector system calculated a 96% deceit rate in his words, he turned to leave without hesitation.