Chapter 525: The Eleventh Day of Transmigrating into an Interstellar World

Chapter 525: The Eleventh Day in the Interstellar World

The chip was taken away, sealed inside a specially made signal-proof container, personally escorted by the three officers aboard a small high-speed shuttle that left the outpost.

Someone would deal with the rest later.

Every cargo crate was opened, and every component was pulled out and carefully inspected. Once they confirmed there were no other issues, everything was repacked and stacked back in place.

The Yuanxing's mission had changed as well.

Originally tasked with transporting supplies, they now had the cargo confiscated—they'd be returning with an empty ship.

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On the morning of the third day, the Yuanxing departed the outpost and began its return journey.

The hull gave a slight shudder as it disengaged from the docking bay, and the outpost's silhouette slowly receded beyond the viewport.

The return jump went smoothly, with no surprises.

Four hours later, the Yuanxing reappeared on the outskirts of the space station they'd been stationed at before.

Beyond the viewport, the massive ring-shaped space station grew closer, its outline stark against the starry backdrop. The docking bay lights glowed one by one, like pearls set in metal, and ships came and went, trailing slender streaks of light.

An Yi leaned back in his seat, gazing out the window. George leaned over. "An Yi, what are your plans once we're back?" he asked. "You did well this time—the reward's gotta be big."

An Yi turned his head to look at him. "Plans?"

"Yeah!" George said, gesturing with his fingers against his chest. "Like graduating early, or getting assigned straight to some department—stuff like that. I heard from Jiang Biao that someone once earned merit and went straight from student to officer! A meteoric rise!"

An Yi smiled slightly. "I think I'll keep studying."

George blinked. "Oh, I see..." he said, scratching his head. "You..."

He didn't ask further. He'd wanted to probe An Yi's intentions about joining their team—it felt like they'd be a great fit!

Besides, judging by the captain's demeanor, he wouldn't refuse—no, he'd be thrilled! He was pretty sure he wasn't reading it wrong.

Especially... he was excited too!

The Yuanxing slowly entered its docking bay, the hull giving a slight shudder as it stopped.

An Yi stood up and followed the team down the ramp.

Jiang Biao stretched, raising his arms overhead with a faint crack from his shoulders. "Finally back!"

He took a deep breath. "I need to get a good night's sleep—my nerves have been wound tight these past two days."

Ma Zhiye gave a flat "Mm."

Xing Ruize walked at the back, his gaze landing on An Yi.

An Yi stood in the center of the docking bay, head tilted slightly up, looking at the distant blue-white giant planet. The planet rotated slowly, with swirling atmospheric patterns forming massive storms across its surface. Starlight fell across his face, casting his profile like a painting.

Xing Ruize's steps faltered for a moment, then he walked over. "An Yi."

An Yi turned his head. "Captain."

Xing Ruize stood before him, thinking—An Yi's tone when calling him was so gentle.

Xing Ruize's ear twitched. It wasn't his imagination—An Yi was still staring at him.

An Yi said nothing, just tilting his head slightly.

Xing Ruize felt a little uneasy under his gaze, so he looked away.

"You..." he said. "What are your plans after this?"

He pursed his lips. "My team..." he said, his voice a little lower than usual. "Needs a repairer."

An Yi looked at him. "So?"

Xing Ruize paused for two seconds. "So... would you be willing to join?"

The corners of An Yi's mouth curved up slightly.

"Captain," he said. "I'm still a student."

Xing Ruize nodded. "Students can join too," he said. "There's precedent."

He waited two seconds. "...Not willing?"

An Yi smiled, tilting his head. "Does the captain really want me to join that badly?"

Xing Ruize's ears flushed red, and he looked away.

"Your skills are solid," he said. "And the coordination on this mission was decent too."

An Yi said, "I didn't even do anything this time."

Xing Ruize was silent.

He had no choice but to say, "I want you to join."

An Yi shook his head directly. "Sorry, Captain," he said. "Rather than going on missions, I want to take a different path."

Xing Ruize asked him. "What path?"

An Yi turned back to look at him. "Research. I want to continue my studies and pursue a career in research."

His mind and his space were both starving with anticipation!

Xing Ruize looked at him. His face looked so gentle under the starlight, but those eyes...

There was something in those eyes he couldn't quite put his finger on.

It was like calmness, yet also like distance—like looking at him, yet also looking at something else. Xing Ruize suddenly felt something he couldn't describe.

He couldn't say what it was, only that An Yi stood before him, yet somehow seemed far away.

"Captain?" An Yi's voice snapped him back.

Xing Ruize snapped back to reality. "Mm," he said.

An Yi smiled. "Does the captain have anything else to say?"

Xing Ruize pursed his lips. He wanted to say so much.

But...

An Yi's choice was his own to make.

Although he really wanted An Yi to join his team, since An Yi's heart wasn't in it, he couldn't exactly force him.

Xing Ruize's gaze dropped, a flicker of disappointment in his eyes.

Comments section:

"???"

"An Yi refused???"

"Wait, I'm lost—so the female lead isn't in the main party?"

"...Honestly, I think An Yi isn't cross-dressing; he's just a dude!"

"No way! Absolutely no way! (Colonel accent.jpg)"

"If she's not a girl, does that mean the male lead's gay?"

"The real issue is An Yi doesn't wanna join the male lead's crew~"

"Can't you tell? He's got his own thing going on?"

"Wait, why's An Yi refusing? Isn't it better to stick with the MC? Plot armor! Stick with the MC and live the good life!"

"How many times I gotta say it—he's got his own goals. What's wrong with wanting to do research? Why's he gotta orbit the MC?"

"Why? In a novel world, everything revolves around the MC!! This is a male-lead story! The MC is Xing Ruize!"

"Maybe the author can't write romance, so they just ditched the female lead!"

"I seriously think he's not the female lead! He's just a guy!"

"..."

An Yi: "..."

He really was a guy, after all.

He didn't feel like talking anymore.

"I'm gonna head out," he said. "I still need to go report to my advisor."

Xing Ruize could only nod. "Alright, see you."

An Yi turned and headed for the docking bay exit.

Xing Ruize stood there, watching him walk away.

Cong Tianyue's office was in Sector A. When An Yi knocked and walked in, she was at her desk, reading something.

She glanced up at him. "You're back?"

An Yi stepped inside. "Advisor."

Cong Tianyue put down what she was holding and leaned back, the chair creaking softly.

"Heard you did something impressive?" she said, eyes fixed on him. "You found a federal encryption chip and dodged a big mess."