Chapter 453: I've been abandoned three times!

Well, that's how it is—I've been abandoned twice!

If I'm abandoned again, that'll be three times abandoned!

Simply put, as Zhang Jie said, this is a Ship Life that has been with its pilot since childhood.

From the start, her pilot treated her very well, indeed doted on her, but after coming here to fry fish and instead getting blown up, everything changed.

After that, she was simply abandoned, picked up again, the other party comforted her, encouraged her, promised to fix her, but in the end still couldn't change her fate of being abandoned.

Zhang Jie: ……

So?

So! Please take me in!

I can go compete in matches! You're the best mechanic here—I can earn you lots and lots of money!

Just, just give me a little pocket money and that's enough!

Hmm, she'll still make demands—looks like it's not as tragic as imagined.

Zhang Jie laughed. Is this little thing facing reality? Just a bit of pocket money, hearing it sounds rather pitiful.

But Zhang Jie could see the despair and plea hidden beneath her exterior; if Zhang Jie disagreed, this Ship Life would have a hard time leaving to survive.

She doesn't want to die now—maybe she fears death, or maybe she wants to find her former pilot to confront him.

Exactly! Who gets abandoned and ends up like you?

Xiao Jiu complained, doubting the truthfulness of this Ship Life's woeful tale.

If I were abandoned by humans... if a Ship Life were abandoned by its pilot! How could you be so calm?

Xiao Jiu thought: if she were abandoned by humans, she'd surely be crying for her parents, clinging to them refuse to leave; even if killed, her soul would be stuck here.

Because... because during the time I was first abandoned, I already cried...

That period—now thinking about it, I'm still desperate...

Alright, you pass.

Zhang Jie thought this reason could convince him, after all picking up a scrapped Ship Life is better than buying one himself.

Anyway, you can do whatever matches you want; I'm not short on money, but you have to work for me.

Pocket money and such—just treat it as your wage; if you want to leave, save enough to buy a Ship Life and give it to me.

Mm-hmm! Thank you! Human! You're a good human!

The White Hair Ship Girl looked sincere, but Xiao Jiu beside her pursed her lips, rolling her eyes and muttering—who knows what the Small Ship Girl is thinking.

What do I need to do? Right now?

Well, now you need to learn how to pick up trash.

Huh?

Just as Zhang Jie was about to hand over the Crystal Core, a strange feeling suddenly came over him.

It was as if a wave transmitted to his brain, whispering something in his mind.

?

Why pick up trash?

Human? You're speaking? Weird!

The White Hair Ship Girl looked bewildered, Xiao Jiu also puzzled—why did the human start speaking then stop?

What's going on?

Xiao Jiu came up to Zhang Jie, patting his cheeks with her little hands, while he just kept his eyes shut, his body slightly swaying, not the slightest sign of waking awareness.

What's happening?

It's a Nightmare Tide.

Qiong, a military veteran, quickly drew a conclusion from the situation: a major natural disaster anomaly, a Nightmare Tide.

Huh? What's that?

The White Hair Ship Girl looked bewildered—Nightmare? That's a natural disaster?

Has the natural disaster arrived?

Simply put, on a certain nearby planet, after the Nightmare devoured civilization, there was a collective ascension.

Such a tide will plunge humanity collectively into a Dream Realm, and if no one wakes them, within thirty minutes they'll become a monster called 'Blank'.

First carbon-based life, then biological constructs, finally mechanical constructs.

If you don't want to turn into a pallid monster together with your pilot, wake him up quickly.

Ah!

Xiao Jiu grew frantic, slapping Zhang Jie's cheeks harder with her little hands, but the pig-headed Zhang Jie still showed no reaction.

Human! Wake up!

Is this strength of yours just giving him a massage?

Zhang Jie's physique is formidable; though not as terrifying as a Ship Life's, it's still extraordinary—this amount of force, if Xiao Jiu's hands were rubbing some fragrant oil, would truly be giving him a SIPA.

Meanwhile, the White Hair Ship Girl beside him dared not move Zhang Jie; having been pampered by her pilot for years, she could tell at a glance who was most important and most pampered here.

Exactly, this Ship Life before us, the one patting Zhang Jie's cheeks!

Meanwhile, Xiao Jiu, hearing Qiong's teasing, steeled herself and punched Zhang Jie in the abdomen with a small fist.

This blow not only woke Zhang Jie, but directly knocked him into a folding screen.

Cough cough cough cough cough... what... happened to my kidney...

Hurry up, human! The natural disaster is coming!

Huh?

Agreed—given the situation, my advice is to run.

"Not bro...."

Zhang Jie's scrap recycling station, which he'd struggled to open!

Damn heavenly disaster! I really fucking thank you!

"What about the other humans?"

"There's nothing we can do unless they have a Ship Life like ours nearby to wake them up."

Zhang Jie fell silent, again feeling the shock the heavenly disaster had dealt him.

"All right, let's go."

"Hey, wait, wait, wait!"

"My little money and my comic books!!!"

Xiao Jiu sprang up, racing madly to her room to pack her most precious belongings.

Qiong helplessly stepped outside first, unfolded her ship hull, and Xiao Jiu should later move the books into her cabin.

"Hurry up! Hurry up! Hurry up!!"

Xiao Jiu had moved three batches of books, still needing to move more, when Zhang Jie grabbed her.

"Time to go, Xiao Jiu."

"No!!!!"

Xiao Jiu let out a painful cry, and together with the white‑haired Ship Girl she was dragged into suffering.

Looking over the whole planet, white spread inch by inch from every corner at a speed visible to the naked eye, like a snowfall.

It looks ordinary, but this speed is actually extremely terrifying, meaning the Nightmare's spawn have begun to spread.

"........"

"Although it's harsh to say, this planet is basically done for."

"This is the frontier star region; if we went any farther in, this kind of thing wouldn't happen at all."

Zhang Jie stared at the planet, remembering the boss who'd still been chatting with him not long ago, this little world that had given him a bit of peace, and most of all, his little junkyard!

"Is there no way to save my little junkyard?"

"Yes, if you can directly create an unprecedented massive explosion that wakes everyone up without hurting anyone."

"How could that be done!"

BOOM!!!

A huge halo burst from the planet's upper atmosphere, blazing like a star.

The ice and snow covering the planet swiftly melted away like real ice and snow.

"What… is going on?"