Genuine emotion always drew people in, making it hard to let go.
An ordinary person would probably have had no mind to spare for anything else at a time like this.
But Xu Xiao was no longer the naive girl she had been when she first arrived in the Palu Star Belt.
Not only had the mine crisis and the many Palu slave liberation efforts she had led shaped her into someone cautious and vigilant;
Ma Han had also, from time to time lately, talked her ear off about his past experiences with Lu Li, marveling at just how meticulous and thorough the other man was in his planning.
Under that constant influence, Xu Xiao had changed.
Even in an environment like this, she maintained the necessary vigilance.
The mental tendrils she had spread out quickly detected something unusual.
As the woman's gaze swept over, a small burst of foul-smelling fluid exploded beside an oil lamp in the corner of the shack.
It was as though something invisible had been lightly crushed.
The Palu noticed none of this detail and merely continued expressing their gratitude to the woman.
Inside another shack.
Ma Han had an arm around Palu Horseman Meiner's shoulders, bragging while eating skewers.
Suddenly, as if he had sensed something, the smile on his face froze. He sharply flung his arm toward a certain spot in the shack.
The wooden skewer in his hand shot out, erupting into fierce flames in midair.
It finally smacked into the wall and embedded itself there.
Palu Horseman Meiner realized what had happened a beat late. Staring at the flames on the skewer, which had already been extinguished by some unknown liquid, he cried out in terror:
"Little Brother Ma, what happened?!"
"Nothing. Just a Tagalong Bug." After confirming that the target