The one speaking was Blade Warrior. As they say, caution is the parent of safety, and in such critical moments, proceeding step by step was undoubtedly the better choice. It wasn't just about everyone's concern for Feng Yi; there were a lot of uncertainties involved. If it were unquestionably Feng Yi over there, then fine, but no one could identify the source of that aura. Rather than approaching recklessly and gambling blindly, it would be better to stick to the original plan and move forward carefully.

Upon hearing the decision to temporarily wait for Sky Shadow instead of approaching that location, Zhang Xiaobo felt a considerable sense of relief. To be honest, if it weren't for boarding this "pirate ship," he wouldn't have come at all. But now everyone was in the same boat, bound together by fate. As a warrior, and as a man, even the women had stepped up—he had no reason to back down. That's Zhang Xiaobo for you—a very contradictory character who sometimes couldn't make sense of himself.

But while Zhang Xiaobo might not understand himself, the ever-cool Sky Shadow seemed to disagree. Although Sky Shadow rarely interacted with Zhang Xiaobo, people around could see it—Sky Shadow did not look down on him. On the contrary, apart from Blade Warrior, the one person who could exchange a few words with Sky Shadow on this mecha shuttle was none other than him. Perhaps their past collaborations in battle played a significant role here, and Sky Shadow understood that Zhang Xiaobo's outwardly cowardly demeanor wasn't reflective of his inner self.

Of course, Zhang Xiaobo didn't ponder such matters too deeply. He suddenly felt a bit regretful—why did they choose a mecha shuttle? Walking on foot didn't sound so bad, at least on this unsettling route he could delay their advance. Any minutes he could stall felt worthwhile.

Even more perplexing to Zhang Xiaobo was how Mengdie could possibly own a mecha shuttle, and a pretty decent model at that. Though compact, mecha shuttles were not cheap to manufacture and certainly weren't common like magnetic levitation vehicles seen on public streets.

These machines were space-faring tools; even second-hand beaten-up models fit only for scrap metal still wouldn't go for less than a few million. For well-maintained ones, prices in the tens of millions or even hundreds of millions were perfectly normal.

But Mengdie obviously wasn't a mecha shuttle pilot. Not being able to pilot such a machine implied there was no reason for her to purchase one. Yet why did she have it? One endless string of questions filled Zhang Xiaobo's mind. Unfortunately, Mengdie never spoke, and he couldn't ask her about it. Even if he asked, it would be a waste of effort. So Zhang Xiaobo decided to ask Blade Warrior instead: where did this mecha shuttle come from?

Blade Warrior tended to stay close to Mengdie, so Zhang Xiaobo figured there might be some chance she had some insights.

"Oh, Feng Yi gave it to her."

"Uh? Feng Yi gave it to her?"

Zhang Xiaobo's brain whirled with dizziness. No way, Feng Yi's generosity was off the charts—it wasn't just giving away a luxury car or villa but a whole mecha shuttle. This scale of gifting was something entirely different. Then again, considering their relationship, Zhang Xiaobo made sense of it.

Still, Mengdie fundamentally did not know how to operate a mecha shuttle. She was merely a guardian of an esoteric sect. While she might not be totally out of touch with modern society, asking her to engage with advanced machinery, like operating a computer, might only yield minimal success. Handling a mecha shuttle was clearly ill-suited to her.

Zhang Xiaobo, who had served in the military for years, had handled mobile soldiers and space fleets. While he hadn't specifically trained to pilot such machines himself, one reason was that he had no interest in maneuvering starships, and secondly, he found the operation overly intricate. Even for him—a soldier from the information age—he wouldn't dare claim he could confidently pilot one. The question that nagged him now was why Feng Yi had gifted such an item to Mengdie. Was Feng Yi's brain flooded with water?

"Tch, if anyone's brain is flooded, it's yours!"

Blade Warrior knew which topics to discuss and which to leave alone. At least when it came to Feng Yi, there wasn't much more he could do during his final moments. He had completed everything he needed to: delegating the Blazing Corps, passing down the black mecha, and even leaving the Time Crystal and Eggy behind. As for certain items stored within the Space Crystal, Feng Yi didn't see much use for them, so he casually handed them over to Mengdie.

Blade Warrior then roughly explained the story behind the mecha shuttle to Zhang Xiaobo. She particularly emphasized how it had come into Mengdie's possession—it seemed to have been purchased at an aerospace company in Freedom Port, Maraca, and the price was reportedly around ninety million.

Additionally, the mecha shuttle was equipped with an antimatter propulsion device. It was a disposable feature and could be used twice before requiring replacement. Regardless, the shuttle's configuration was undeniably advanced.

Feng Yi probably hadn't used it many times himself and likely avoided wasting the propulsion device for trivial things. Thus, despite its retrofitted design, the mecha shuttle appeared brand new, with its actual worth even exceeding its initial value.

The saying "Small but complete in all its components" couldn't be more fitting for this shuttle. In short, the shuttle had everything one might need—nothing was lacking. Whether it was a place to sleep, eat, or cook, it was all there.

The only downside was its limited space. It could generously accommodate two people, but three would already feel cramped. With five people aboard, the combined space, no more than 50 square meters, offered very little room for privacy.

Compared with Blade Warrior's Time-Space Transfer Device, the size of its hibernation cabin alone nearly equaled the shuttle's total dimensions. But fortunately, using this mecha shuttle was merely a temporary measure, primarily for the sake of travel, so nobody bothered thinking about any inconveniences. After all, being in here was far better than staying outside.

Outside, there was radiation and magnetic fields. Though everyone was wearing protective suits, it wouldn't entirely eliminate the risk of being affected by radiation interference.

"Yes, yes, yes, whatever you say."

Zhang Xiaobo muttered back, uttering "yes" three times before picking up his handheld console to play a familiar game to pass the time.

There was no other choice; during such moments of waiting, playing games was the quickest distraction. Staring awkwardly at each other wasn't an option.

Feng Yi, on the other hand, brought out his military chess set and started playing against himself.

Mengdie remained silently staring out the window, her gaze fixed far away.

Roland occasionally observed Feng Yi, then Mengdie, then flicked his attention to Zhang Xiaobo and Blade Warrior, seemingly watching everyone closely.

Blade Warrior sat at the computer, tapping away on the keyboard, seemingly busy with some unknown task.

And so an hour slipped by amidst this mundane passage.

Yes, an hour had passed. Compared to the planned schedule, Sky Shadow was 50 minutes late before finally arriving with visible exhaustion.

By now, Zhang Xiaobo had fallen asleep at some point. With games, either they made you increasingly energetic, or they made you drowsy. Zhang Xiaobo had apparently grown bored of this particular game, and thus, without realizing it, had dozed off.

It was Sky Shadow's arrival that disrupted him. "No way, an hour already passed?!"

Blade Warrior questioned Sky Shadow bluntly, "Why are you so slow? Did something happen along the way?"

"Ah!"

Sky Shadow responded coldly, stating that there were seven sandworms in total, hiding underground and undetectable during landing. If not for eliminating all seven sandworms, the delay wouldn't have happened. In fact, they ran out of prepared bait after killing the fifth sandworm.

For the remaining two, he had to dig through the mouths of sandworms for the previously dropped bait to lure them out. Though the task was tedious, it ensured that no loose ends remained.

Well… what could they say? Seeing the filthy state of Sky Shadow's shoes and his clothes stained with sandworm fluids, the group suppressed their disgust out of courtesy.

"You've worked hard. Uh… want to take a quick shower or change your clothes?"

"No need. Prioritizing the mission is far more urgent than wasting time on trivialities."

Sky Shadow evidently didn't wish to squander time on such matters. When Blade Warrior asked if he wanted to shower, his response was clear—don't waste precious minutes.

"Alright then, let's move out now."

"How long will it take to get there?"

Hearing Zhang Xiaobo's question, Blade Warrior answered she wasn't sure since she wasn't familiar with this mecha shuttle. Its short-range flights were different from interstellar travel. Interstellar travel relied on continuous acceleration from plasma propulsion, whereas ground flight depended on energy power. She estimated it might take one to two hours.

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