Chapter 52

Liuhuang Star.

Many years ago, Liuhuang Star was a planet in the galaxy, a pearl that everyone admired.

It was the most prosperous time for Liuhuang Star, a time when people from countless other planets came to study, travel, and broaden their horizons.

However, this era of prosperity lasted only a century.

Now, Liuhuang Star is like a lonely island in the sea, its grandeur long gone, replaced by ruin and solitude.

Twenty years ago, the Alliance even declared it an uninhabitable planet.

Now, ninety percent of Liuhuang Star’s land is covered by yellow sand, with only ten percent of its surface able to support plant life and sustain human habitation.

The only inhabitants left on this planet are the indigenous people, who have greatly reduced their living area. All of the tribes now reside deep in the forests.

Although few in number, the people of Liuhuang Star have a natural advantage in battle.

Their unique genetic advantages, combined with continuous training in combat skills, allow them to remain undefeated in many confrontations.

Thus, even though the planet is now in decline, few dare to openly cause trouble with the people of Liuhuang Star.

Their unrivaled strength was also one of the key reasons for the peak of Liuhuang Star a century ago.

Numerous races wanted to uncover the secret behind their strength.

However, as with most things in the world, prosperity eventually leads to decline, and great things often turn the other way.

Liuhuang Star, once prosperous because of its power, soon began to fall due to that very power.

The Amelian, wearing a penguin costume just like Sese and Tutu, cautiously handed a small black box the size of a palm to Jin He: “Boss, this is the memory card we just received, sent back from Blue Star. Sese and Tutu said they’ve found the person.”

Jin He had been napping in a hammock in the forest, but when he heard the soft footsteps of Dandan stumbling toward him, he had already woken up.

He thought it was just the regular monthly check-in, but a single sentence from Dandan immediately snapped him to full attention.

He had sent so many people out to search across various planets, never expecting that they would finally find the person in a place they had initially given up on.

He opened the box and took out the memory card that contained the data. Instead of using a machine, he directly pressed a tiny protrusion on the side of the card, and an image was projected into the air.

In the image, it was showing Yan Ning unconscious in the healing pool, with golden totems appearing on her body.

“Is she a woman?” Jin He’s sharp and bright eyes immediately darkened with a shadow.

Dandan also saw the image, and when he noticed the unmistakable totem clearly visible on Yan Ning’s body, a brief flash of light passed through his eyes.

After so much effort and manpower, they had finally found her.

Jin He, his thoughts filled with some resentment and dissatisfaction, was pulled back to reality by Dandan’s voice. He blinked: “Boss, she looks quite young. She might even be your sister?”

“Sister? I don’t have such a useless sister!” Jin He didn’t finish his sentence, leaping out of the hammock.

Dandan, already used to his boss’s contradictory words, ignored the rude comments and quickly followed: “Boss, what should we do now?”

“What should we do? Of course, we’re going to capture her,” Jin He said as he walked deeper into the forest, pulling out his battle suit and equipment from a tree hollow.

Dandan followed him, originally planning to help pack, but Jin He moved quickly and efficiently, without needing any assistance.

Dandan could only walk around aimlessly, but by watching Jin He organize his things, it was clear how seriously he was taking this mission.

Although he had called the person useless, he wasn’t slacking off in preparing for the trip.

After all, how could someone who could endure the Liuhuang Star people’s mark possibly be useless?

—

At the same time, on Planet M20.

Qing Ye also received detailed information about Yan Ning’s recent situation.

There was a whole page describing her relationship with Lu Fengfeng.

However, due to a magnetic storm, the message had been delayed, and the content he received was from some time ago.

At that point, Yan Ning and Lu Fengfeng had not yet broken up.

After reading the message, Qing Ye casually handed it to a nearby attendant, his expression indifferent, as though he were utterly bored.

The attendant, noticing this, subtly shifted away.

The King was angry.

The room was very quiet, so quiet that it felt oppressive.

After a long time, Qing Ye waved his hand: “Everyone leave.”

The attendant took the letter in hand and was about to leave.

“Wait a moment. Have them prepare, we’re going to Blue Star.”

The attendant’s heart skipped a beat—what he had been worried about had finally happened.

But seeing Qing Ye’s expression at this moment, he didn’t have the courage to refuse.

—

Yan Residence, Second Floor.

At six o’clock, the alarm clock went off on schedule.

Yan Ning, still sleepy, tried to turn off the alarm but stretched her hand under the blanket for a long time, unable to reach it.

In the past, she would usually wake up before the alarm even went off.

But today, for some reason, she felt extremely fatigued—she was not only tired but also felt weak all over, like the feeling of recovering from a severe cold, with her limbs feeling limp, her mouth tasting bitter, and her senses dulled.

These thoughts crossed her mind, and suddenly Yan Ning became fully awake.

She opened her eyes but felt as though a layer of mist was covering her vision. Everything in the room looked blurry and unclear.

She tried to sit up, but her hands and feet felt as though they were sinking into cotton, and she couldn’t muster any strength.

Yan Ning lay there for a while, then tried again with more effort, attempting to get out of bed. But her limbs remained soft and limp, unable to support her.

She felt her heart beating rapidly, yet her head felt heavy and fuzzy, as if she wanted to sleep again.

Aunt Wu was downstairs cooking, and when it was already past 6:30 and Yan Ning still hadn’t come down, she became a bit surprised.

Miss Ning was usually very punctual, because she didn’t like eating with Young Master Yu and Miss Wan, and she usually woke up earlier.

Could it be that she slept in?

Aunt Wu thought that perhaps it was just an occasional late wake-up, so she didn’t think much of it and continued with her work.

At 7:00, Yan Yu came downstairs, but Yan Ning still hadn’t appeared.

Aunt Wu finally felt that something wasn’t right, but the second floor was the master bedroom, and it was not permissible to go up without prior notice.

She thought about looking for Uncle Zheng, but then remembered that Uncle Zheng had been busy and hadn’t returned home until late last night.

She thought for a moment, then picked up her phone and carefully informed the mistress, Tang Minrou, about the situation.

In just a few minutes, she received a reply, telling her not to worry.

At 7:30, the door to Yan Ning’s room was opened from the outside.

Tang Minrou entered quietly, her gaze falling on the bed, which was slightly raised in the middle. She stood by the bed and softly called, “Ningning? Ningning, are you awake?”

Yan Ning stirred under the blankets, her head emerging weakly. Her voice was faint, “Mom… Mom, I don’t feel well.”

Tang Minrou sat on the bed and reached out to touch Yan Ning’s forehead. “You seem to have a fever. Mom will take you to the hospital.”

After speaking, Tang Minrou stood up to arrange everything. After making a few phone calls, she personally helped Yan Ning get dressed.

Yan Ning, still dazed, let her handle everything.

Just as she finished getting dressed, the door to the room was pushed open. Yan Ning sensed someone unfamiliar entering her room.

She tried to open her eyes to see who it was but felt an overwhelming sense of drowsiness and couldn’t keep her eyes open.

She had been gradually becoming more awake before Tang Minrou entered, but now she felt even more sleepy.

In the final second before she lost consciousness, she mustered all her strength to press random buttons on the phone screen that Tang Minrou had placed on her bed.

She hoped to send one last message.

She had already sent a few messages, and as long as they saw them, they would realize something was wrong.

—

On the 33rd floor of the Shengyi Golden Building.

Tang Chengtian stepped out of his private elevator, and his phone buzzed with a new message.

He took it out and glanced at it, his brows furrowing. “What the hell is this mess first thing in the morning?”

Sese, who was following him, noticed his change in expression and skipped over to ask, “Boss, who is it?”

“It’s Yan Ning. She probably accidentally pressed something.” Tang Chengtian frowned as he looked at the garbled characters in the chat window. He convinced himself with this reasoning and casually stuffed the phone into his pocket. “Tell them, 8 o’clock, morning meeting.”

After speaking, he pushed open the door to his office and began his busy day.

—

Minghua High School.

Lu Fengfeng was ridiculed by Hei Jing all the way to school, but still insisted on carrying the exaggerated three-tiered lunch box.

This lunch box was even bigger than the one Yan Ning had brought last time. If no one knew better, they might think he had packed a banquet to bring to school.

After getting out of the car, Lu Fengfeng went straight to the classroom.

For some reason, since he woke up in the morning, he had felt uneasy, with his eyelids twitching non-stop.

Perhaps only by seeing her as soon as possible would he feel any relief from this feeling of anxiety and uncertainty.

He purposely passed by the entrance to Class 5, but he didn’t see her inside the classroom.

He knew her usual arrival time, and by now, she should have already been there.

The uneasy feeling in his heart grew stronger, and without thinking, he pulled out his phone. Upon unlocking it, he saw an unread message.

It was from Yan Ning, just two words: “far away.”

Confused by the short message, Lu Fengfeng’s expression changed. Without going into the classroom, he turned around and headed back, dialing Hei Jing’s number as he walked.

As he reached the corner of the stairs, feeling the lunch box was too heavy, he considered tossing it, and at that moment, he happened to run into Chen Wen. He threw the box at him without saying a word and ran out without looking back.

Just as Lu Fengfeng reached the school gate, Hei Jing’s car was already parked in front of the sheltered area.

Lu Fengfeng waved off the security guard and got into the car.

Hei Jing didn’t waste any time either, immediately turning the car around and heading toward the hospital Yan Ning had visited yesterday. “Don’t worry, I’ve already sent someone to check. She might really be sick.”

“You know her constitution better than anyone. Even if she’s suddenly ill, she wouldn’t be muddled to this extent.” Lu Fengfeng’s brows furrowed tightly, his heart feeling cold. “Can you go any faster?”

“Boss, this is as fast as it gets. It’s rush hour in the morning,” Hei Jing replied, equally frustrated.

Feeling anxious, Lu Fengfeng had a sudden thought and, in his panic, dialed Tang Chengtian’s number.

Tang Chengtian, who was in the middle of an early meeting, was about to hang up the phone, but when he saw the caller ID, he strangely decided to pick it up.

After hearing what was said, his brows furrowed. He recalled the message he had received from Yan Ning earlier.

He understood Tang Minrou’s personality better than anyone else, and an ominous feeling rose in his heart. He immediately paused the meeting.

Yan Ning’s consciousness was hazy, and she felt like many people were coming and going around her, but she could never fully wake up.

There was a woman’s voice nearby, discussing something with another voice, mentioning words like heart, illness, and replacement.

She felt a bit impatient and wanted to understand more clearly, so she tried to move her body.

At this moment, a sudden, incredibly clear voice reached her ears, accompanied by a loud sound and the voice owner’s overflowing anxiety and concern: “Ningning, are you alright?”