Everyone immediately perked up. Since leaving Great Freedom City, this was the first time they had encountered a proper-looking star system—and the first time they had encountered another ship.
It felt like driving along an empty country road for ages, then suddenly seeing a car coming toward you. No matter who was inside or whether they meant you harm, you couldn't help wanting to honk in greeting.
Besides, even if they were hostile, there was nothing to fear. They had the Silent, and it was invincible.
Of course, considering the traces of life they had found in that space station, they didn't think the newcomers were enemies.
Sure enough, the ship that emerged from the gravity well was a small freighter. It had clearly undergone several rounds of deranged modifications and repairs. Its dense, green, post-apocalyptic aesthetic even outdid the marauders' warships; it was almost impossible to make out what it had looked like before. Even Yu Lian, an old hand who knew the ship-modification world inside out, needed nearly a minute to offer an unconvincing guess that the vessel's original hull had been a Seagull-class small feeder transport.
...Wasn't that a ship class from over two hundred years ago?
Of course, we should remember that the greatest—and perhaps only—virtue of any ship class that stood the test of time was its excellent potential for modification.
The ship had clearly seen better days, yet it still sailed steadily through the dangerous cosmos, like an old soldier who continued to fight on the front lines. Weathered and worn, yet unyielding.
Looking at the limping old vessel, everyone seemed to see courage, resistance, the pursuit of hope and light, and the promise of civilization and humanity.
There was no doubt about it: these must be another group of slave workers fleeing along