Can I Try the Gun?

"Her Highness the Princess, the Undying Army has come to take you home."

The officers spoke in unison, their voices deep and resounding, striking every eardrum present like tolling bells.

Her Highness the Princess?

She was a princess? What princess?

Everyone stared wide-eyed at Phoenix. This pretty girl with a neat ponytail, washed-faded jeans, and a shabby black hoodie was a princess?

How was that possible? Was this some idol drama?

Oh, that industry had disappeared from Old Earth long ago. There were not even any dirty movies.

Phoenix calmly looked at the general kneeling before her and said, "General Bai Qi, rise."

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

Bai Qi bowed respectfully once more. The hulking man stood over two meters tall, and once he rose, he towered over Phoenix.

Yet even that could not conceal Phoenix's radiance.

In an instant, the long-legged girl who had followed Tang Fei around, fighting over water, hunting, and grilled skewers, seemed to shine with golden light.

She was like the enormous image of Phoenix rising from flames painted on the starship—reborn through fire, blazing with boundless splendor.

"Everyone else, rise as well." Phoenix swept her gaze across the surroundings.

"Thank you, Your Highness!"

The crowd answered in unison.

Rustle!

All the officers and soldiers rose together, their movements perfectly coordinated, smooth and crisp, without the slightest hesitation, as though they had practiced it countless times in secret.

General Bai Qi looked ashamed as he said, "Your Highness has suffered. We deserve death for our failure."

Phoenix stared at Bai Qi and asked softly, "I have been out of contact with home for quite some time, haven't I? Why did it take you so long to find me? What, did your navigation fail? Or did your starship have no signal?"

"Once His Majesty learned that Your Highness had lost contact with the palace, he was frantic with worry. He dispatched the main forces of the Three Great Legions—the Undying Army, Fire Bath Army, and Phoenix Dance Army—to search the ruins for Your Highness. But the enemy set too many traps and false trails, leading us to different locations."

"We could not locate Your Highness's coordinates, nor did we have any signal to track. So we conducted a broad search across Old Earth. It was no different from looking for a needle in the ocean."

"Not until last night did we discover traces of a starship departing the Hate Mountain region. We immediately sent an Undying squad after it. After intercepting that starship, we harshly interrogated those aboard and finally obtained accurate information about Your Highness."

"When we heard that Your Highness was still in the Hate Mountain District, we rushed here at once. You were not injured, were you?"

"I'm fine." Phoenix nodded and pointed at Tang Fei, Little Fatty, and the others. "Luckily, they were here. Otherwise, the only thing you might have found would have been a corpse."

"You wouldn't even find a corpse," Little Fatty said, glowing with excitement. "Those killers never leave bodies behind."

Little Fatty was thrilled.

Sister Phoenix was actually Her Highness the Princess!

His big brother had casually carried a woman back from the wilderness, and she turned out to be a princess. Where was the justice in that?

No wonder he had thought Sister Phoenix was so delicate the first time he saw her. She could not even break rocks. Now it seemed his judgment really was sharp. How could a princess possibly break rocks?

In the stories his big brother told, Her Highness the Princess was the emperor's daughter, an incredibly important person.

Now she would not default on what she owed his big brother, right? Before this, his big brother had even worried that her family was poor and deliberately dismantled her Escape Pod.

He had heard that canned meat from New Star was delicious. Could they ask her for more canned meat?

"You heard him, didn't you?" Phoenix acknowledged Little Fatty's words and shot General Bai Qi a glance as she questioned him.

Bai Qi bowed again in apology. "Bai Qi arrived too late to rescue Your Highness. Please forgive my offense."

"Whether you are guilty can be discussed after we return." Phoenix waved a hand indifferently. "At the very least, you were cleverer than the other two rescue teams. Who knows where they may have been led in circles? Some people are truly trying to rescue me, while others are only pretending. Who can say for sure? General Bai Qi, wouldn't you agree?"

"Please forgive me, Your Highness."

Bai Qi could not respond to such a topic, nor did he dare to.

This incident was indeed bizarre. The eldest princess of the Phoenix Empire had actually been betrayed and assassinated by someone close to her. Fortunately, her trusted aide had protected her to the death, and she herself was capable enough to escape into an Escape Pod and save her life.

From their interrogation of the people aboard the intercepted starship, they learned that the assassins had been sent from New Star to ensure that the eldest princess remained forever in the ruins.

Who was bold enough to dare such a thing? Had the struggle already reached such an intense point?

Just thinking about it made one's scalp go numb with terror.

Such matters could not be investigated too deeply, nor could they be contemplated too much.

He was merely a warrior. It was enough for him to expand the Empire's territory. The rest had nothing to do with him, and it was best not to get involved.

Phoenix knew Bai Qi would not answer. These generals might look like rough, burly men, but they had plenty of schemes in their hearts.

She had only said those words to remind him—and to remind the people around him with ulterior motives.

The Undying Army was one of the Empire's Three Ace Armies. Though it nominally pledged loyalty to the Empire and the emperor, how many factions had planted their own people within it?

It was hard to distinguish loyalty from treachery.

Thinking of that, she could not help but think of Tang Fei.

Forget it. Tang Fei was just like them. He had more tricks up his sleeve than a needle had eyes.

Little Fatty was still more reassuring. Whatever he thought, he did, and anyone could see it plainly.

"Stop asking for forgiveness. I cannot punish you anyway." Phoenix shook her head and looked at Bai Qi. "Are we leaving now?"

"Yes." Bai Qi nodded. "We have already sent word that we found you. His Majesty has ordered us to escort Your Highness back safely in the shortest possible time, without error. Please return with us, Your Highness."

Phoenix turned to Tang Fei, wanting to say something, yet not knowing what she should say.

Goodbye? Would there ever be another day they met again?

Bye? Would that be too insignificant?

Take care? He would probably mock her again for saying pointless nonsense. Should she add a ton of supplies instead?

She had studied "Speech and Eloquence" with palace tutors for so long, yet she had never expected to find herself at a loss for words.

Tang Fei, meanwhile, looked at her with an excited expression, as though he wanted to speak but hesitated.

Phoenix felt joy rise in her heart and encouraged him, "I'm leaving. If there's something you want to say, just say it."

Tang Fei nodded and pointed at the weapons the soldiers held. "Are those Pulse Rifles?"

"..."

Phoenix wanted to shoot his stupid head apart.

Seeing Phoenix glare at him with an unreadable expression, Tang Fei immediately grew anxious. "You aren't going back on your word, are you? We agreed on this. I wanted one Pulse Rifle, and you said you could double it. Then you doubled it again. So I should have at least four Pulse Rifles now, right?"

"Bai Qi," Phoenix called.

"What are your orders, Your Highness?" Bai Qi glanced at Tang Fei and asked.

"Give him four Pulse Rifles," Phoenix said.

"Yes." Bai Qi gestured, and his adjutant ran back to the starship and returned with four brand-new Pulse Rifles.

Tang Fei took one and held it in his arms, stroking it excitedly. Then he looked at Phoenix and asked, "Can I try the gun?"

"Try it. Test it however you want, whenever you want."

After asking the adjutant how to operate it, Tang Fei aimed the Pulse Rifle at a distant tree and pulled the trigger.

Bang.

The part of the trunk hit directly turned to powder, and then the entire tree crashed to the ground.

Tang Fei was stunned. This weapon was far too powerful.

With a Pulse Rifle like this, could he not swagger across all of Old Earth?

More importantly, he had four of them.

"Amazing. This weapon is amazing." Tang Fei praised it repeatedly and even gave Phoenix a thumbs-up.

"Tang Fei, I'm leaving," Phoenix said.

"Oh, right." Tang Fei nodded. "Don't forget what you promised. I got the Pulse Rifles, but there are also the hover car and living supplies. Little Fatty likes meat, so send more canned meat from New Star. That stuff tastes good and stores easily."

"I won't forget."

Tang Fei waved his hand. "Then go back. Return to where you belong."

"..."

Phoenix no longer wanted to speak with Tang Fei.

She walked over to Little Fatty, patted his shoulder, and said, "Take good care of your health, understand?"

"Yeah, I'm strong," Little Fatty nodded, smiling foolishly.

"Don't let Tang Fei bully you, understand?"

"My brother doesn't bully me," Little Fatty said seriously.

"No matter what happens, safety comes first."

"Got it. My brother said if we can win, we fight. If we can't win, we run."

Phoenix smiled happily. "That's right. Listen to your brother on that. If you can win, fight. If you can't, run."

"Sister Phoenix, you're a princess?" Little Fatty asked, looking at Phoenix.

"That's right. I'm a princess." Phoenix nodded.

"Is the house where princesses live really, really big?"

"Yes, the house where princesses live is really, really big."

"Do princesses get meat every day?"

"If they want to, princesses can eat meat every day. I didn't really like meat before, but from now on, I'll eat more of it."

"Mm, Sister Phoenix should eat more meat. You're too skinny."

"You too..." Phoenix looked at Little Fatty's plump face and changed her words. "You're still growing. You have to keep up with your nutrition."

"Take care, Sister Phoenix."

"You take care too."

Phoenix wanted to say goodbye to Old Man, only to discover that he had already vanished. She had no idea where he had hidden himself.

So Phoenix said to Tang Fei, "Say hello to Uncle for me."

"I will." Tang Fei nodded.

Phoenix looked deeply at Tang Fei, then turned and walked toward the starship.

Bai Qi and the many Senior Officers immediately followed behind her. A large number of soldiers gathered around, surrounding Phoenix in their midst.

Phoenix waved and smiled at the people around her. Some of them she had met, but most she had never even seen before. Once they parted here, they would never meet again, would they?

Rustle.

Whether awed by Phoenix's identity or cowed by the Undying Army's imposing presence, the Old Earth residents who had just been standing stubbornly and staring at Phoenix in shock now fell to their knees once again.

"Her Highness the Princess!"