Lin Feng vanished from the awards platform in a flash.
The next instant, he stood at the hatch of the Warp Ship.
Lin Xiaoyu threw herself into his arms and clung to him.
"Brother..."
Her voice trembled slightly with barely contained excitement, her face pressed against Lin Feng's chest.
Lin Feng raised a hand and gently ruffled her hair.
His touch was light, as though he feared breaking something.
An eerie silence fell over the square.
Hundreds of thousands of spectators stared blankly at the scene.
The blood-soaked killing god who had fought an Immortal alone among the stars now looked like an ordinary older brother, carefully holding his little sister.
On the platform, the minister and the deputy commander exchanged a glance, a sharp gleam flashing in their eyes.
Balen stood at the hatch, grinning.
"All right, all right, don't just stand there hugging. Let the rest of us get a look at you."
Lin Feng released Lin Xiaoyu and turned toward Balen.
Balen rushed over and punched Lin Feng on the shoulder.
"You're something else, kid. You straight-up wiped the floor with an Immortal. Even my wildest boasts back in the day never went that far."
The corners of Lin Feng's mouth lifted.
"You've already got enough boasts to last a lifetime."
"You bet I do."
Behind Balen, a dozen or so figures stepped forward.
They were all old friends from the Blue Star trials.
They looked at Lin Feng with complicated expressions.
The companion who had once fought beside them now stood at a height they could only look up to.
Lin Feng's gaze swept over them, warming slightly.
"Everyone doing well?"
"Yes. All of us."
One man spoke, his voice a little choked.
"Blue Star is a level-three technological planet now. Everyone's undergone genetic advancement, and