Herta Space Station

"What do you mean... your wife is Yaoshi, the Aeon of Abundance?"

Herta listened to Zhang Xiu's thunderous declaration, and for a moment, her brain actually crashed.

Just moments ago, a spaceship carrying an immense amount of the power of Abundance had requested entry to her space station. Herta, who was far away elsewhere, had no choice but to transfer her consciousness into the doll she had left at the station and deal with the situation about to unfold.

Yet the moment Herta entered the spaceship, the black-haired man aboard claimed that the woman beside him was Yaoshi herself, the Aeon of [Abundance].

The crucial point was that, given her understanding of Paths and Aeons, Herta realized he might be telling the truth.

"Relax! My wife is really nice, and she won't do anything too outrageous!" Zhang Xiu grinned and gave Herta a thumbs-up.

"Husband, would you like some tea?" A faint smile never left Yaoshi's face as she offered Zhang Xiu the tea she had made.

"Oh, thanks, honey." Zhang Xiu accepted it with a smile and downed it in one gulp. "Wow~ Your tea tastes even better now, honey."

"As long as you enjoy it, husband."

During their journey to Herta Space Station, Zhang Xiu and Yaoshi had grown considerably closer through their time together, going from strangers to ordinary friends.

"Listen, kid. Let an Aeon wander around my space station? I can't do that, even if she's the Aeon of Abundance."

Herta shook her head and rejected Zhang Xiu's request.

"Huh? Not even for a tiny bit?" Zhang Xiu made a gesture that would enrage Koreans, only for Herta to reject him mercilessly again:

"No."

Just as Zhang Xiu was about to keep persuading Herta, Yaoshi rested her right hand on his shoulder. The Aeon turned to Herta and said:

"What if I were willing to bestow upon you a sliver of my flesh?"

"This isn't a matter of exchanging benefits. Your presence introduces far too many variables."

Herta could stand so firm for two reasons: first, she knew Yaoshi would not take the initiative to hurt anyone; second, the Yaoshi before her was clearly not her true body. Perhaps they shared the same consciousness, but this one did not possess overwhelming power.

Seeing Herta refuse so firmly, Zhang Xiu's face fell. Just as he was agonizing over how to get her to agree, a booming crash interrupted his thoughts.

The communicator on Herta's body lit up at the same time:

"This is bad! Ms. Herta! The Antimatter Legion has attacked the space station!"

"Then notify the Security Department and have them handle it. Don't bother me with such trivial matters." Herta did not even shift her gaze, still staring fixedly at Yaoshi.

Unexpectedly, Zhang Xiu's face lit up with excitement at the news. An attack by the Antimatter Legion meant the Astral Express was already at Herta Space Station.

"Since you won't let my wife into your space station, I should be fine, right?"

"You? Suit yourself. But the Antimatter Legion has invaded the station. Are you sure you want to go?"

"Then wait here a little while, honey. I'll be right back~" Delighted, Zhang Xiu turned to Yaoshi.

She nodded gently. "Set your heart at ease. I shall await your triumphant return, husband."

With her permission, Zhang Xiu turned and ran off, then piloted a spare shuttle toward the space station.

Now that he had the access permissions Herta had provided, the barrier surrounding the station naturally did not obstruct his approach.

He parked the shuttle haphazardly on a platform and set foot in this place of countless geniuses' dreams.

The moment he stepped out, more than a dozen Voidrangers spotted Zhang Xiu and charged at him.

Faced with their ferocious roars, Zhang Xiu neither dodged nor retreated. He even walked toward them with an easy stride.

His people were short-lived because all their life force was concentrated into their youngest years.

This also gave Zhang Xiu's people exceptionally powerful physiques, placing them among the best of all the races across the universe.

Now that Zhang Xiu had become one of the Denizens of Abundance, his physical abilities had undergone another explosive increase. Lacking combat experience, he had even played virtual games during the voyage to shore up that weakness.

With a punch, Zhang Xiu burst the foremost Voidranger's head apart, while a black greatsword with a metallic sheen condensed in his hand.

Though the sword had the sharpness of metal, it was made of wood, crafted personally by his wife.

Each swing of the greatsword cleaved another Voidranger's body apart.

The only injuries the dozen or so Voidrangers surrounding Zhang Xiu managed to inflict came when he deliberately took a shot from an Eliminator and a Trampler's single-target particle slash to test just how tough his body was.

Yet his injuries healed completely within a breath, and even his clothes were restored along with them.

After finishing those creatures off, Zhang Xiu advanced triumphantly, slaughtering every Voidranger along the way until he finally reached the place where the protagonist was born.

"When you have a chance to make a choice, don't let yourself regret it."

As soon as he entered, Zhang Xiu saw that the heroine, Stelle, had fallen unconscious. His arrival also put Silver Wolf on guard.

They look so much prettier than they do in the game...

Carefully styled, long, wine-purple curls rested over her shoulders, and the strap around her right thigh accentuated her voluptuous figure. Her alluring eyes, shaded in a pink-to-purple gradient, held an ever-present air of languor.

Beside Kafka, the punk girl with silver hair and silver eyes dressed casually. Her petite frame had slender limbs, and a hint of languor lingered in her cool eyes. Despite how revealing her outfit was, it remained cute.

"The Script didn't say anyone else would be here at this point."

Silver Wolf's expression turned serious, and pixel particles appeared around her right hand, forming a hand cannon.

Seeing his air of sophistication evaporate, Zhang Xiu smiled. "The Script probably didn't say someone would marry the Aeon of Abundance either, did it?"

"An unexpected guest, married to the Aeon of Abundance... Not a bad joke." Kafka gently lowered Stelle's body to the floor and summoned the Purple Katana.

"Hey! I'm not here to fight. I just came to take a look. Can you pretend I was never here?" Zhang Xiu dispersed his greatsword and raised both hands to show he meant no harm.

Silver Wolf ignored him and looked at Kafka instead.

The standoff did not last long, and the two Stellaron Hunters put away their weapons one after the other.

"Have we met somewhere before?" Kafka's eyes, devoid of any highlights, held a scrutinizing look.

"No, this is our first meeting. My name is Zhang Xiu. Hello, Kafka." Zhang Xiu shook his head lightly.

He had now transmigrated into this universe, yet no one recognized him. But what did that matter?

To Zhang Xiu, it simply meant saying "Hello" to each of them all over again.

"Is that so? Then, until fate brings us together again." Kafka nodded to him, then turned and headed away.

Blue particles appeared around the two women, and Silver Wolf's Aether Editing took them away from the space station.

Zhang Xiu was briefly dazed by the sight, but soon March 7th's voice reached him, accompanied by her and Dan Heng's footsteps:

"There's someone else up ahead! Hey-! You... you're not from the space station?"

"Careful, March." Dan Heng shielded March 7th behind him as she stopped, pointing his spear straight at Zhang Xiu. "I sense something unpleasant coming from him."

Of course it's unpleasant. I'm an Abomination of Abundance, and I've been living with Yaoshi for so long...

Faced with this familiar scene, Zhang Xiu took a deep breath, then performed the French Military Salute once again:

"...I'm a Galaxy Ranger wandering around the area. I saw the Legion invading this place and thought I'd see if I could help."

"Besides, there's someone lying over there right now. Should we really keep this up?"

Zhang Xiu glanced toward Stelle, who lay unconscious on the floor. March 7th also tried to persuade Dan Heng. "He's right, Dan Heng. Now's not the time to fight. He doesn't look like a bad guy to me."

"...Keep five paces away." Dan Heng chose to compromise, but his muscles did not relax in the slightest.

"Long live understanding, long live understanding~"

What happened next changed a little too. March 7th became the one who gave Stelle mouth-to-mouth, while Dan Heng stood to one side, keeping a wary eye on Zhang Xiu.

This time, Stelle did not manage to preserve her first kiss...

Watching her slowly sit up, Zhang Xiu felt a strange sensation well up inside him.

I'm not me anymore, heh.