Time moved slowly on the frontier planet Q-990.
“Six hours,” Tianyan said, glancing at the optical computer on his wrist. “If Tinia can't catch even a single signal like that, the Yunlan Group’s intelligence network might as well disband.”
Before he finished speaking, the terminal on his wrist suddenly burst into a sharp buzzing.
His green pupils contracted sharply. Tianyan stood up straight, his fingers swiping rapidly across the virtual screen. His expression shifted several times.
“Got it.” He looked up, his voice carrying a rare note of surprise. “And it’s a big one. They locked directly onto the pulse coordinates we sent. Didn’t even bother with deceleration procedure—they’re forcing their way into the atmosphere.”
Tianque rose to his feet, his red pupils filled with wariness. The magnetic field on this barren planet was extremely chaotic. Anyone reckless enough to dive like that was either as desperate and insane as they were, or so well-backed that minor ship damage meant nothing.
“Unknown if friend or foe,” Tianque said, stepping sideways to shield Jiang Lijin.
“Let’s go see.” Jiang Lijin patted the dust off her pants, holstered the gun on her thigh, and walked toward the exit first.
The three of them braved the sand and wind to climb out of the mine pit.
The perpetual dark red cloud cover above them, normally choked with sandstorms, was being violently torn apart by a brutal surge of energy. A massive starship, engines roaring, slammed straight into the Gobi desert. A huge blast wave kicked up a blinding wall of yellow sand, forcing the three to raise their arms to shield their faces.
When the storm settled slightly, Jiang Lijin squinted and took in the full sight of the starship.
It was no ordinary rescue vessel. The ship’s hull was made of top-tier interstellar pressure-resistant alloy, gleaming with an expensive luster under the dim light. Even the outermost defensive coating was military-grade, strictly regulated material.
What caught the eye more was the massive emblem on the side of the ship. A cloud encircled by a ring of stars.
“The private flagship of the Yunlan Group,” Tianyan whistled, his tense nerves relaxing. “That kid Tinia really moves fast.”
With the hiss of hydraulic decompression, the hatch slowly lowered.
But it wasn’t the golden-haired, blue-eyed young man who was always chasing after her calling her “sis” that stepped out.
Two rows of heavily armed mercenaries in top-grade Yunlan Group security uniforms first marched down the ramp in neat formation. Within ten seconds, they had locked down every high vantage point nearby. Such style would outshine even an imperial royal procession.
Then, the crisp sound of high heels striking metal rang out.
Slow, steady, perfectly rhythmic.
A female appeared at the hatch.
She wore a sharply tailored dress-length silver trench coat over a black suit. Her golden hair was pulled back in a meticulous bun, and she sported a pair of oversized sunglasses.
The woman stepped down the ramp, casually removing her sunglasses and handing them to the assistant behind her, revealing a pair of sharp, brilliant blue eyes.
Even standing on the cracked Gobi desert, the imposing pressure of someone used to the highest positions of power radiated from her. She was a born director, and even the wild wind and sand seemed to behave more calmly in her presence.
Jiang Lijin stared at this golden-haired, blue-eyed female, her eyebrow lifting.
She didn’t have to guess to know who this was.
That dazzling blonde hair, those stunningly bright blue eyes, and that bone-deep arrogance of someone who obviously owns half the galaxy.
Eileen scanned Tianyan and Tianque with quick, appraising eyes.
Tianyan shrugged. Tianque quietly tucked his particle blade away.
Then, Eileen’s gaze locked precisely onto Jiang Lijin.
The moment her previously cold eyes met Jiang Lijin’s, they softened miraculously. She strode forward, her high heels pounding out a powerful rhythm across the desert sand, not even glancing at the other two dangerous figures.
“Ah, finally found you.”
Eileen stepped right up to Jiang Lijin and looked her over from head to toe. Satisfied that she was whole, unharmed, without missing any limbs, she let out a relieved sigh.
Her icy business demeanor instantly melted into something like maternal affection. Her voice carried a mix of helpless familiarity.
“Lili, right? I’m Tinia’s mother, Eileen.”
“Madam Eileen,” Jiang Lijin said politely, nodding. Was this meeting the parents?
“Madam, shmadam. Call me Mom.” Eileen waved a hand grandly. “If I hadn’t found you, that little madman of mine would have already dumped all of Yunlan Group’s liquid cash into the black market and bought up the Empire’s spaceports just to blow them up as fireworks.”
Jiang Lijin went silent. That really was something Tinia would do.
“This isn’t the place for talking.” Eileen turned to look at the starship behind her, tilting her chin. “Get on board first. If you don’t show your face soon, this galaxy is really going to explode.”
Jiang Lijin nodded. Tianyan and Tianque silently followed her onto the ship.
Inside, the starship’s luxury far exceeded Jiang Lijin’s expectations.
The corridor floor was carpeted with sound-absorbing soft material, the walls embedded with a climate regulation system, and the air carried a faint scent of sandalwood.
Just as Tianyan and Tianque stepped aboard, before they could even take a look at this mobile treasure vault, two rows of medical robots glided over and surrounded them.
Eileen removed her gloves, handed them to her assistant, and let her blue eyes drift over the twins. Her tone was light and indifferent. “Alright, you two heads of the black market, quit pretending to be tough. Go lie down in the medical bay.”
At those words, the air stilled for a moment.
Tianyan’s green pupils narrowed. The carefree smile on his face receded slightly, but there was no panic, only mild interest as he raised an eyebrow. “Madam Eileen’s intelligence network is deeper than I imagined.”
Tianque remained stone-faced, not even raising an eyelid, as if having his identity as the black market boss exposed was of no consequence.
“Don’t butter me up. That had nothing to do with intelligence networks. It’s pure logic.” Eileen huffed, walking on her heels to a sofa and sitting down. “Our Lili’s five 3S-level beast-bonded mates are all over the StarNet. The moment she killed Graven, an unregistered black-market ship picked her up. And with skills like yours…”
Eileen picked up a cup of black tea her assistant handed her, blew on it, and continued: “Anyone with a brain in this galaxy probably knows by now that the two bosses of the interstellar black market are also Lili’s lovers.”
Hearing this, Tianyan just shrugged indifferently. “So we’re exposed. No big deal. I was tired of the black market mess anyway. Being able to openly follow the boss isn’t a bad deal.”
Tianque didn’t even make a sound. His attitude was perfectly calm.
They were composed enough, but Jiang Lijin frowned slightly.
She lowered her eyes, a faint unease stirring inside her. Tianyan and Tianque had originally been hidden powers behind the black market. But because they were matched to her, and to protect her, they were now fully exposed to the sights of every major faction. For them, this meant endless trouble. She was beginning to care about what happened to them.
As if sensing her mood, Tianque suddenly turned his head, his red pupils fixed intently on her, his voice low: "Don't worry about it. It was bound to happen sooner or later."
Tianyan also leaned in, adding with a grin, "That's right, boss. From now on, we brothers can only rely on you to support us."
"Enough, stop putting on this master-servant sentimentality." Eileen waved her hand, giving them no chance to refuse. "3S-level males have strong regenerative abilities, but don't go courting death. I don't want Tinia complaining later that I mistreated his brothers. Take them away."
The medical robot immediately stepped forward, half-forcing the two of them toward the highest-specification healing pods.
