Chapter 2: Little... Male

After much thought, Xiao Ningxue wanted to say just that: “...” Could this man be the worm in her belly?

No wonder she disliked dealing with clever men.

“But I really don’t know. I’m not from Planet 9863. At that time, I was hunting with my clan when suddenly everything blurred before my eyes, and then I heard something buzzing near my ear...” Xiao Ningxue revealed part of the truth.

She was still carrying dirt and grime on her body; to claim ignorance entirely would be absurd.

It was impossible to deceive this man.

So Xiao Ningxue decided to tell a half-truth, half-falsehood.

Not from Planet 9863? Suddenly appeared?

Hu Lingfei’s lips twitched as if to smile, but the strong scent on Xiao Ningxue made it impossible for him to perform any advanced expressions. “Then, dear little male, what is your name? Which planet is your home?”

Little... male?

Xiao Ningxue doubted her ears.

She instinctively wanted to lower her head, but seeing the soldiers around her standing ready, she restrained her instinct.

Though she knew the base’s men didn’t regard her as a woman privately—her secondary sexual characteristics weren’t very pronounced—she didn’t think she would be mistaken outright for a... male.

Seeing the armored beast-men surrounding her, Xiao Ningxue wisely adjusted her species.

Swallowing the urge to argue, she whispered, “My name is Xiao Qingyu. I don’t know the name of my planet.”

She was new to the galaxy; how could she possibly know what her home planet was called in the interstellar community?

So saying she didn’t know was perfectly reasonable!

Xiao Qingyu was her brother’s name.

Noticing she wasn’t lying, Hu Lingfei raised an eyebrow, a subtle gesture that carried an inexplicable charm: “Do you mean you don’t know what your planet is called? Or that you don’t know what it’s called here?”

Xiao Ningxue’s pupils constricted.

It made sense; if they couldn’t even detect such a simple linguistic trap, their country’s future would be bleak indeed.

She fell silent, ready at any moment to use her spatial ability to teleport herself away.

The ship was filled with insects; she didn’t want to act unless absolutely necessary.

Her spatial ability wasn’t strong enough for interstellar teleportation.

“I must remind you, if you continue to remain silent and refuse to answer, I will have no choice but to take you to the interrogation room and treat you as an imperial spy.” Hu Lingfei didn’t want to do this, but for the safety of the Federation, he had to be cautious.

He had already shown mercy by not taking her to the interrogation room immediately; if he made more exceptions, he wouldn’t be able to explain himself.

Empire?

Xiao Ningxue pressed her lips tightly. “But I truly don’t know. Our planet is undergoing a catastrophe; all the elders have...” sorrow emanated from her entire being.

Hu Lingfei watched her warily; when she still refused to speak, he ordered two beast-men nearby to escort her to the interrogation room.

Just as Xiao Ningxue was about to enter, the ship suddenly shook violently.

Her movement halted.

If the ship was in danger, she would not go inside.

In this unfamiliar place, she had no intention of entrusting her life to strangers.

“Report! Spatial insectoid invaders detected in outer space. Their target is the main battleship!!”

That pause answered the riddle of the ship’s shaking.

This was the main battleship?

Hu Lingfei’s expression grew stern. “Deploy the stationed battalion and notify the Marshal!”

He didn’t forget to order, “Lock her up. No matter what happens, wait for my return before making any decisions!”

The soldiers behind Xiao Ningxue immediately moved to detain her, but aware of the danger, she resisted.

“I know you’re busy. I won’t be a burden. Let me stay outside—I might be able to help!”

Twisting her body, she dodged their grasp.

This only heightened Hu Lingfei’s suspicion. “Stay inside quietly! I’ll interrogate you once this is over!”

Interrogation?

Xiao Ningxue could understand the necessity but couldn’t suppress her resentment.

Seeing that reasoning was futile, she refused to enter the interrogation room.

If anything happened, she would become a helpless lamb within.

She noticed the beast-men emitted a faint energy fluctuation, and when the tiger-like creature left earlier, she sensed a fire element ability on it.

Perhaps the interrogation room contained devices to suppress such powers; otherwise, why would the fox-like beast-man insist on locking her up?

To secure the outside, one must first secure the inside.

She was the only unstable factor on this battleship.

Hu Lingfei had no time to waste with this strange little male; he barked a harsh order, “Lock him up.”

The beast-men behind him no longer held back, their bodies glowing with azure light.

Wind-element ability!

Xiao Ningxue swiftly moved, green light blossoming around her as a massive vine erupted from the metallic floor.

Her figure rose higher as the vine grew.

Strangely, those before her seemed stunned, staring blankly at the figure standing atop the vine, frozen in place.

Before she could react, the ship shook even more violently!

“Boom!”

The fierce impact nearly knocked Xiao Ningxue off balance; she grabbed the vine with all her strength.

Hu Lingfei snapped out of his shock, anxiously watching her precarious stance. “Protect the esteemed botanist!!!”

He sounded unusually tense, his voice cracking slightly.

Even his gentle tone suddenly sounded much more serious.

No need to tell them, everyone present braced themselves against the tremors and began climbing upward.

Hearing Hu Lingfei’s voice, realizing she might have revealed her elemental ability, Xiao Ningxue calmly addressed those climbing up, “Make way. I’ll come down.”

Wood-element abilities were precious in the post-apocalyptic era. Hers was unique—both nurturing and combative—allowing her to fight alongside the base’s warriors against the zombie hordes.

Though initially reluctant to let her join the battle, faced with overwhelming odds, they had no choice but to accept.

Her base was humanity’s last refuge; if it fell, survival wouldn’t depend on elemental abilities or not, but on mere existence itself.

“Please be careful.” Hu Lingfei watched her movements nervously, his anxiety akin to a newborn in the post-apocalyptic world.