The melodious singing voice resonated directly in their minds.
Natarle heard it this time too: "Is this the singing you mentioned?"
There was no reply. Zhou Tianming stared intently at the countless alien lifeforms surrounding them, his palms moist with nervous tension as his grip on the control stick tightened and loosened repeatedly.
Natarle also held her breath, watching silently.
After their "salute," the creatures emitted a cry, their tentacle-wings glowing as golden apertures appeared.
The female humming merged with the singing—a profound, far-reaching melody. Though there were no discernible lyrics, Zhou Tianming could sense sorrow and longing within it. One by one, the creatures entered the apertures and vanished.
As the last one disappeared, the golden light dimmed, and the apertures shrank.
Zhou Tianming wanted to activate [Iron Wall] for defense, but ultimately, his lips curled into a bitter smile.
No matter what, he couldn't maintain [Iron Wall] indefinitely. Eventually, he would forget all of this.
Pulling out the cockpit keyboard, his fingers danced rapidly as he typed, recording everything.
As his Mental Power dwindled, the singing from the tape gradually weakened until it faded entirely.
A moment later, a sharp pain shot through his head, leaving him dazed. His vision blurred momentarily before clearing as he blinked. Staring at the garbled code on the screen before him, he frowned in confusion. "What's going on?"
Through the panoramic cockpit display, he caught sight of the heavily damaged Black Tortoise in the distance and gasped. "Natarle!"
He pushed the control stick, trying to approach the Vermilion Bird, but it didn't budge. A quick check sent cold sweat trickling down his back—energy depleted, the mobile suit critically damaged.
They were in Cosmic Space, two months' travel from Earth. Losing propulsion was no joke.
What had happened?
Had they been attacked by aliens?
A communication window popped up on the screen, revealing Natarle clutching her head in pain. "Tian Ming..."
For some reason, the moment their eyes met, both of them flushed red.
After a long pause, Zhou Tianming—still slightly red-faced—spoke up. "What exactly happened?"
"I don't know either. The Black Tortoise suddenly lost speed, and after that... I can't remember."
Frowning, Zhou Tianming felt certain he had fought something—otherwise, the Vermilion Bird wouldn't be in such terrible condition.
But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't recall what had transpired.
Unconsciously, the urge to investigate the matter slipped away like fine sand through his fingers.
It wasn't important.
What mattered more was that both the Black Tortoise and the Vermilion Bird had lost power and were now adrift in Cosmic Space.
In this boundless void, their only hope for survival lay in the wreckage of a "dead" Satellite.
"Can the Black Tortoise's nuclear fission reactor still function?"
Natarle ran a check and nodded. "Yes, but part of the cooling system is damaged. It can only operate at low power."
Zhou Tianming exhaled in relief. There was still a chance.
"White Rabbit! Is the factory still operational?"
"The basic structure is intact, but all the materials and cargo have been scattered."
After some thought and discussion with Natarle, he said, "You're authorized to dismantle non-essential parts of the Black Tortoise to prioritize making some propulsion components. Once completed, send them to me."
"Understood."
He planned to first repair the Vermilion Bird for transportation, then use the abundant materials from the wreckage to restore the Black Tortoise as much as possible to ensure a safe return to Earth.
Within such a massive satellite wreckage, a repair facility was bound to be found. Even outdated tools were better than none.
Gazing at the satellite wreckage from afar, then at the battered Vermilion Bird and Black Tortoise.
The scavenger bloodline awakened!
The feeling's here!
Time to get to work!
Earth, Low Orbit Space
A girl with light blue hip-length hair, dressed in a flowing white dress, appeared to be around twelve or thirteen years old, floating silently in space.
Her gaze pierced through hundreds of millions of kilometers, landing on Zhou Tianming.
At that moment, a shuttle sped toward her, seemingly oblivious to her presence, heading straight for a collision.
As the two made contact, the shuttle passed right through the girl.
Inside the shuttle, a mischievous little boy who had been looking around spotted the girl standing in the aisle and shouted, "Mom, Mom, someone's not seated!" "Sit down properly!" His mother yanked him back into his seat by his clothes, then leaned out to look. She lightly smacked the boy's arm. "There's no one there. Stop making things up."
The boy scrambled up to look again, but the girl had already vanished.
"She was just there, floating and everything."
At this, all the passengers in the shuttle shuddered, their eyes darting toward them.
The mother quickly covered the boy's mouth and pushed him back into his seat, nodding apologetically.
In the cosmic void, the girl paid no mind. She continued watching Zhou Tianming.
After a long pause, her gaze shifted to Earth, silently contemplating the azure gem below.
"Surviving... is it a blessing or a curse? The world will eventually be devoured by them. Perhaps 'not seeing' is a kind of happiness." Suddenly, the girl disappeared.
Somewhere in an underground room, inside a cylindrical fluid-filled incubation chamber, a small brain floated silently at the center.
Cosmic Space, 10,000 Units from the Satellite Wreckage
Zhou Tianming and Natarle, along with the White Rabbit group, worked on the Black Tortoise. By afternoon, they had completed several thrusters. Using these, Zhou Tianming successfully returned the Vermilion Bird to the Black Tortoise for recharging.
During the charging process, they repaired its thrusters.
They worked tirelessly until midnight before finally stopping.
"Natarle, let's go. I'll take you to the satellite first. Floating in cosmic space is too dangerous."
"Mm." Natarle nodded lightly, her face flushed.
For some reason, both of them felt the atmosphere was strange, though they couldn't pinpoint why.
Every time their eyes met, they quickly looked away, a mix of shyness and joy bubbling up, leaving them restless.
Is this what love feels like?
But...
Zhou Tianming scratched his helmet, confused.
Did we start? I don't think I've won Natarle over yet, have I?
No way, did I forget something this important?
Amid this peculiar atmosphere, the two spent a week together.
The inexplicable awkwardness didn't hinder their efficiency, however. With their cooperation, everything was back on track.
The Black Tortoise had been moved into a dilapidated factory Natarle found. Zhou Tianming provided the blueprints, while White Rabbit manually assembled an external nuclear fission reactor power line to supply electricity to the factory.
At this moment, a group of White Rabbits floated around the Black Tortoise, busily working. Their small white hands split open to reveal various mechanical tools inside, with several operating the factory's large equipment for assistance.
"Tian Ming, have you found the resource crate?"
In cosmic space, aboard the half-damaged Vermilion Bird, Zhou Tianming looked at the resource crate strapped to a missile and replied, "Found it. I'll bring it back right away."
After ending the communication, his expression turned grave.
What had happened?
Was it so severe that they had to send out survival resources?
Seeing the missile's trajectory pointed straight toward Earth and considering the crate's capacity, the reason became clear.
Natarle was doing everything possible to secure a way out for him.
Recalling the Black Tortoise's dire state, Zhou Tianming was certain it couldn't have been caused by a collision with a meteor or space debris.
As he pondered, a sharp pain shot through his head.
Again. Something was wrong.
His vision blurred momentarily before clearing.
Shaking his head, Zhou Tianming faintly felt like he'd forgotten something. But with the resource crate right in front of him, he didn't dwell on it, quickly retrieving it and speeding back.
That night, inside the Black Tortoise's living quarters—thankfully intact—the two didn't have to resort to sleeping in the void of cosmic space. In bed, they nestled close together.
Natarle's face flushed crimson as she glared at Zhou Tianming. "Don't move around! I'm only sharing a room to conserve oxygen!"
"I'm not moving."
"Then what's this hand doing?!"
Retracting his arm from around her slender waist, Zhou Tianming maintained a perfectly straight face. "It's habit. I'm used to hugging a pillow when I sleep!"
"Hmph." She let out a soft snort.
"Sleep, sleep!" He grabbed her cold hand and tucked it against his chest.
If he couldn't have a fragrant pillow, her little hand would have to do.
Natarle struggled briefly but gave up when she couldn't pull free, her ears burning as she closed her eyes and stayed still.
Late at night, Zhou Tianming quietly opened his eyes. Seeing Natarle asleep, he smiled.
His hands crept over, gently pulling her into his embrace as he inhaled the scent of her hair. "So sweet."
The next morning, Natarle woke to find herself in Zhou Tianming's arms, her face reddening—yet she didn't pull away.
Lifting a hand, she softly brushed his cheek, her gaze filled with affection. After a moment, she leaned in slowly, aiming to kiss his forehead.
Just then, Zhou Tianming suddenly opened his eyes and tilted his chin up.
Their lips met—warm and sweet.
Realizing what happened, Natarle pressed her hands against his chest, trying to push him away.
But Zhou Tianming held her tightly, deepening the kiss.