Yuan's Precaution

"Hmm, it seems you've truly calmed down." Yuan nodded with satisfaction upon hearing Cole's address. It wasn't about the honorific "Your Excellency," but rather his satisfaction with Cole's swift recovery from his uncontrolled state.

"My apologies, Your Excellency. My long-held convictions were shattered by you in an instant, and I couldn't quite accept it," Cole said, waving a hand with a hint of embarrassment.

"Don't worry about it. At least you, I, and we are all still alive. Life is a miracle, and it always finds a way, doesn't it?"

"Perhaps." Yuan's words left Cole nodding helplessly. Then, his eyes filled with determination.

"Your Excellency, you've seen my current state. Compared to my comrades, we need your guidance more now. I want to!" Cole gritted his teeth tightly at this point, as if making a difficult decision.

"I want to transfer command to you, so you can lead us."

"Oh? Have you thought it through?" Yuan didn't immediately refuse sternly. Power has always been born from clenched fists!

"Officer!"

"Officer!"

The Taotie soldiers behind them rushed forward, trying to dissuade him. After hundreds of years of combat, they were accustomed to the presence of various factions.

The transfer of command meant their unit would once again head into an unknown direction. Seeing their worried gazes, Yuan shrugged indifferently.

"Your Excellency, you? All of you, shut up! I'm completely disoriented right now and have no idea how to proceed. Are you just going to watch us walk into a trap?" Yuan's words made Cole anxious.

"Hey! What's there to fear about a trap? We've experienced nuclear explosions countless times. My armor has fire resistance!"

"That's right, Officer. My favorite place in the VR room is by the fire, it's so exciting!"

"You guys!" Cole's voice choked up at this point.

"You idiots!"

"Heh heh! Officer, we're beasts!"

"Exactly, beasts aren't exactly known for their brains, as verified by our god, Karl." Cole's choked-up state caused everyone to erupt in laughter again.

"My goodness, you guys are quite the drama queens." Seeing the somewhat heartwarming scene, Yuan couldn't help but feel a touch of envy.

But he knew he likely wouldn't have such an opportunity. Since his grandmother's passing, there was no one left to talk to.

As for the Taotie before him, Yuan had always been wary of them. He was skeptical of what the Taotie said but didn't express it.

Without the test of time, he couldn't tell if the Taotie were truly as they claimed. Moreover, there seemed to be a true god controlling the Styx Galaxy behind them.

"Revering death! Pursuing death! Creating death! You don't even try to hide your desires at all. Was that feeling of threat just now the so-called God-Slaying Weapon?"

Yuan muttered to himself. He had firmly remembered the scene of Cole losing control just now.

Although they spoke respectfully, even calling him a god, the completely dismissive expression and killing intent in Cole's eyes, along with the weapon he seemed ready to deploy at any moment, made Yuan feel a sense of apprehension.

His mind raced with strategies for dealing with the Taotie in the future, yet his face remained impassive.

Having experienced so much, he had become more mature. "Never let your guard down," his grandmother's words were once again deeply etched in his mind.

"Alright, enough with the emotional drama. The files didn't mention Taotie being a single-sex species, so let's be conservative, okay? And I'm still here, the primitive man!"

"Your Excellency, you?" Cole, who was about to say something, was interrupted by Yuan, who waved his hand and said:

"Alright, enough idle talk. Since our cooperation has begun, I won't be polite. I need to absorb all the knowledge and information here, so you'll have to take care of the necessary facilities and equipment."

"But Your Excellency, according to what you said, our team has no secrets at the academy. Isn't the most important thing right now to leave the Styx Galaxy as soon as possible?"

"Do you think we still have a chance?" Yuan pointed to the dilapidated warship nearby, which was so broken it was barely recognizable in its original shape.

The scene fell into silence. Cole felt as if he had been slapped several times in the face, his cheeks flushing red.

"I, I already said my current state is, um, a bit off." Cole's voice stammered, but the atmosphere didn't lighten; it became even quieter.

"How can a black face show a shy blush? Hmm, another topic for study." A hint of wicked amusement flickered in Yuan's mind.

"Alright, after all that's happened, I think you all need some rest. We'll talk about anything tomorrow."

With that, Yuan turned and walked away潇洒ly, heading towards his home.

The Taotie left behind exchanged glances, then all their eyes focused on Cole.

"Officer, what do we do now?"

"What do we do? What do we do? I know what to do! The situation is out of control, do you think I know what to do? All of you, go fix the warship and let's get out of this damn place as soon as possible."

Following Cole's familiar roar, the faces of many Taotie broke into relieved smiles. They immediately began to move in groups towards the warship, which was close to becoming scrap metal, and started the intensive repair work.

"King, is it really as he said? Are you deceiving us all along? What exactly are you trying to do?"

Indeed, all the information came from Shihao. As the King of the Taotie, their camouflage technology originated from him.

In fact, over these hundreds of years, did Shihao truly remain indifferent and uninvolved as he claimed?

He had never dared to believe it before. How could Shihao evade Karl's gaze? The more he thought about it, the more Cole's heart grew cold.

He dared not believe that if Yuan was telling the truth, what role would Shihao or Karl play in all of this?

"The Void is the future! Death is eternal!" Suddenly, Cole's lips curled into a grin, his eyes turning a pure blood red, a strange curve appearing on his face.

The arguments and chaotic sounds behind him formed a strange contrast with the peculiarity on his face, but in the blink of an eye, it all vanished as if it had never happened.

Only Yuan, walking in the distance, felt a chill rise on his back, a bad feeling surging in his heart.

After pausing for a moment, Yuan continued his steps, as if he knew nothing.

"Is it these guys? Or this village? I can't stay in the Styx Galaxy anymore. I'll find a chance to get rid of them."

Lost in thought, Yuan watched the gradually setting night sky and forced himself not to think about anything. He quietly leaned against a haystack, just like in his childhood, and fell into a deep sleep.