Chapter 418: Self-inflicted Troubles of a Mediocre Person

Xiao Jiu dragged back a relatively intact flying ship from outside; its volume was even as big as two houses, but Xiao Jiu, this little thing, forcibly hauled it back.

This is the biggest gain, and this thing also successfully ignited your hope.

You dismantled this flying ship; fortunately, its engine is an extremely advanced quantum superluminal engine, which could not possibly be a product of the now-destroyed civilization.

You suspect this is very likely a flying ship possessed by the civilization that attempted to rule the Star Sea.

This flying ship has no pilot, meaning it is very likely a humanoid ship lifeform like Xiao Jiu, a deceased ship girl.

You told this discovery to Xiao Jiu, who was looking at you, but she didn't seem to care much; what she's concerned about is whether you'll suddenly become troubled by this issue again.

At the core of this flying ship lies a mysterious substance; Xiao Jiu merely glanced at it and was deeply attracted, feeling hunger for the first time.

That thing is surely extremely important to humanoid lifeforms; before you could react, Xiao Jiu lunged and drank it all down, and of course nothing else happened afterward.

This wreckage ingeniously made up for everything lacking in your hand-built flying ship, so ingeniously that you yourself can hardly believe it.

You patched its hull onto your own flying ship, directly replaced its engine, and carefully analyzed the remaining fuel, soon imitating it closely.

And after only a few test flights, you succeeded unbelievably; everything went as smoothly as could be.

Success?

Sub-light speed flight does not require stable space nor escaping planetary gravity; it only needs fuel capable of activating the warp engine.

At this moment, Zhang Jie gazes at the nearby feces-yellow planet, feeling both ecstasy and sorrow.

Ecstasy, of course, because he truly succeeded in hand-building a flying ship and can finally behold the vast starry sky.

And sorrow, too, for the same reason.

Without this wrecked flying ship, he would be doomed to die trapped on this scrap planet for his entire life.

All this seems to be telling him that all his previous efforts and struggles were just a joke, as if everything were self-inflicted trouble by a mediocre person.

He is merely a clown; after struggling so long, he achieved this in such a way that it feels unreal no matter what one says.

"Human, aren't you happy?"

"......"

"I'm happy, why wouldn't I be."

But his face shows no smile at all, far from looking happy; of course, those complex human thoughts are beyond her, a small ship girl, who only knows that humans need not die.

So she is happy, chattering away on the return journey about what comes next.

Because they had left the planet, the blockade on the interstellar network was simultaneously lifted, and Xiao Jiu connected to the entire Star Sea's network.

Soon they determined where to go after departure, and returned to the scrap planet to prepare the fuel and food they would need to leave.

"After one month, you successfully launched, you brought plenty of fuel but not much food—estimated to last only a few days—however, sub-light speed travel doesn't require much subjective time, so you should be able to hold out until then."

"Before leaving, you took one last look at the scrap planet you grew up on, with little nostalgia; your only longing is for that human female whose whereabouts are unknown."

"It's been far too long; do you still remember what that human female looks like and her voice?"

"Unfortunately, you may never get the chance to see her again."

"You left carved characters on a steel plate in the first shelter, clearly visible, recording your destination."

"You think that's your last chance to meet that human female, right?"

"But you don't know that your steel plate was picked up the day after you and Xiao Jiu left by a scavenging wasteland dweller....."

"And yet, a month after your departure, the human female you've been longing for finally arrived late."

Before entering this star region, the human female's heart had been in suspense.

She stood him up, and the day they had agreed upon has already passed by two and a half years.

She doesn't know whether Zhang Jie is still waiting for her or even alive, but when she truly arrived at this star system and saw the shattered main star beside the scrap planet, her already anxious heart clenched even tighter.

The main star shattered, with flying ship debris floating everywhere; this must have been the site of an extremely brutal war.

That means the main star will no longer go to the scrap planet to trade supplies for cheap steel, so Zhang Jie's situation....

However, the human female can still console herself now, for she left Zhang Jie an organic synthesizer and a water purifier, making it less likely he'll starve to death.

Thus she hastily ordered the crew to fly to the scrap planet, following her memory, and the human female finally found that shelter.

She had considered many possibilities—Zhang Jie lying in the shelter waiting for her, or possibly starving in a corner—but never imagined the shelter had been blown into a chaotic mess.

This differs from what she imagined by far too much.

The human female, unable to keep her balance, fell to the ground, blankly staring at the imagined warm little home, with scenes of Zhang Jie endlessly replaying in her mind.

She forced herself up and slowly walked into the shelter, only to see the organic synthesizer shattered long ago and covered in thick dust.

"This place.... has at least been destroyed for over two years."

The guard beside her involuntarily said, looking at the scene before her.

"In other words.... I actually had a chance to save Xiao Jie?"

And merely thinking that she herself had a chance to save Zhang Jie made her feel icy cold from head to toe.

Her years of effort instantly came to naught; after painstakingly clearing every obstacle, she became the person in charge, gaining the ability to safely bring Zhang Jie back.

"Miss! I found a corpse nearby!"

The human female snapped her head back and sprinted toward the sound, where she saw a human corpse.

At this moment, the wasteland dweller knocked out by Xiao Jiu's punch lies quietly near the shelter on Scrap Mountain, nothing left but tattered clothes and bones.

He lies not far from the shelter; it's obviously where some small ship girl casually tossed a corpse, but the grieving human female can't think of much else right now.

"Xiao Jie......"