Shadows of the Deep Space

“I don’t know.”

“Oh no, she must be lost.”

Su Ming said to Irelia with a wry smile.

Irelia glanced at the little girl and said,

“Let’s wait here. Her mother will probably come looking for her soon.”

“Alright.”

Su Ming nodded in response.

The two of them held the little girl’s hand and waited by the roadside.

At this moment, the little girl was attracted by a nearby stall selling octopus balls, with saliva unconsciously dripping from her mouth.

Seeing this, Su Ming walked over, bought two skewers of octopus balls, handed one to the little girl and the other to Irelia.

The little girl ate happily.

Irelia took a bite and handed the octopus ball to Su Ming.

Su Ming took a bite with a smile.

The three of them waited by the roadside, but even after they finished eating, the little girl’s mother still did not appear.

At this time, the owner of the balloon shooting stall nearby kept shouting,

“Ten Federation Coins for twenty bullets, lots of exquisite dolls and prizes await you!”

The little girl was instantly drawn by the shout, her bright eyes fixated on a Barbie doll at the stall.

Seeing this, Su Ming, with nothing else to do, smiled and suggested,

“Why don’t we go shoot some balloons?”

“Okay.”

Irelia nodded.

The two of them took the little girl’s hand and walked to the stall. The stall owner warmly spoke,

“Sir, would you like a round?”

“Yes, one round!”

Su Ming took out ten Federation Coins, handed them to the owner, picked up the imitation gun from the stall, and fired at the balloons!

Bang!

One balloon after another was hit and burst.

All twenty shots hit their mark.

The owner was dumbfounded,

“Sir, please give me that doll.”

Su Ming said with a smile.

The owner immediately gave the doll to Su Ming, who handed it directly to the little girl and said,

“For you!”

“Wow, thank you, Daddy!”

The little girl, taking the doll, happily hugged Su Ming’s leg.

Su Ming felt a bit awkward for a moment.

Just then, a woman in a silk dress, with fair skin and a delicate appearance, came over anxiously.

The little girl, seeing the woman, excitedly shouted,

“Mommy!”

The woman, seeing the little girl, was overjoyed and rushed up to her, hugging her tightly and asking nervously,

“Nina, where did you run off to?”

“Mommy, I found Daddy. He gave me this doll.”

The little girl happily told her mother.

Irelia, hearing the little girl’s words, looked at Su Ming with a playful smile.

Su Ming’s mouth twitched slightly, and he quickly said,

“Little sister, you’ve mistaken me.”

Hearing her daughter’s words, the woman was taken aback, looked up at Su Ming, and quickly apologized,

“I’m sorry, my daughter mistook you for someone else. Please don’t take it to heart.”

“It’s okay, but what’s going on here?”

“Well, my husband sacrificed himself a few years ago. He used to wear a baseball cap often.”

“I see.”

“I’m really sorry, and thank you so much for watching over my daughter. Just now, when we passed an ice cream truck, she wanted ice cream, and I didn’t buy it for her. In the blink of an eye, she was lost. By the time I went back to find her, she was nowhere to be found.”

“Alright, be careful next time.”

Su Ming nodded in response.

“Okay, darling, say goodbye to the big brother and sister.”

The woman said to the little girl.

“Bye-bye.”

The little girl waved her hand obediently and said.

“Bye-bye, don’t run off again next time.”

Su Ming said with a smile.

“Hmm!”

The little girl nodded obediently, then left with her mother.

Su Ming and Irelia watched them leave, then continued to stroll along the street.

At this time, all pedestrians on the street stopped in their tracks, turning their gazes toward a massive virtual projection advertisement.

Miss Xilis, wearing a white long dress, sweetly addressed everyone,

“Everyone, the New Year’s bell is about to ring. Let’s count down together and welcome a wonderful new year!”

“Alright!”

Countless fans responded enthusiastically.

“10!”

“9!”

…..

“2!”

“1!”

“0!”

Amidst the cheers of the crowd,

Dong~

The serene bell sounded, echoing throughout Starlight City.

“Happy New Year!”

Miss Xilis blessed everyone.

Whoosh whoosh!

Countless fireworks launched from every corner of Starlight City.

Boom boom~

Numerous dazzling fireworks blossomed.

A light breeze brushed by.

Su Ming and Irelia stood by the street, gazing up at the sky, watching the splendid fireworks explode continuously.

The two quietly watched the fireworks show until it ended.

Suddenly, Irelia’s wristband vibrated slightly. Glancing down at a pop-up message, her brows furrowed slightly.

“What’s wrong?”

Feeling that something was amiss, Su Ming immediately asked.

“It’s nothing, it’s getting late, I should head back.”

Irelia apologized to Su Ming.

“Okay, I’ll walk you to the public station.”

Su Ming said with a gentle smile to Irelia.

“Hmm!”

Irelia nodded.

A moment later.

At the public station sign, Su Ming watched as the public railcar drove away, a hint of worry on his face, clearly something had happened, but it was unclear what exactly it was.

Buzz buzz~

Su Ming’s wristband suddenly vibrated.

Looking down, he saw Rhein calling.

Su Ming immediately answered.

“Rhein, what’s up?”

“Boss, something’s happened.”

Rhein said in an urgent tone.

“What happened?”

Su Ming’s brows furrowed slightly as he asked.

“The Dark Star Empire and the Heavenly Revelation Divine Country are amassing troops on a large scale. This time is different from before; the number they’re gathering is exceptionally large. Moreover, their forces are slowly pressing towards the Danube Star Sea and Tidal Star Sea.”

“How do you know this?”

“Isn’t the Star Cluster Forum fully open now? People from the Dark Star Empire and the Heavenly Revelation Divine Country are openly boasting online. They’ve even uploaded videos. Now both sides in the Tidal Star Sea and Danube Star Sea are in chaos.”

Rhein explained to Su Ming.

“This is problematic; the Crimson Country hasn’t withdrawn to the Federation’s territory.”

Su Ming said with a headache.

“Boss, what do we do now? Will the Federation send troops?”

Rhein inquired.

“The probability is low. The Federation’s current policy is to shrink back. Defensive warfare is always more advantageous than confronting head-on.”

Su Ming explained to Rhein with a serious tone.

“So what do we do now?”

“I’m aware of the situation, wait for the Federation’s decision first.”

“Alright, these bastards really don’t let people have a peaceful New Year!”

Rhein said angrily.

“Cursing won’t help, we’ve anticipated this day would come, just didn’t expect it so soon.”

“You’re right, boss!”

“Rhein, first, detach a team to take over the Star Destroyer·Thunder Extreme!”

Su Ming said with a serious tone to Rhein.

“Alright, I’ll do it right away.”

Rhein said, then hung up the communication.

At this time, Su Ming raised his wristband and opened the Star Cluster Forum.

The entire Star Cluster Forum was in an uproar, countless posts sprang up like mushrooms after the rain.

Most of these posts were published by the Dark Star Empire, the Heavenly Revelation Divine Country, and the Neutral Country.

Su Ming clicked into the most popular post.

The post contained a video showing a mass of armed Imperial Soldiers boarding ships with their weapons, a chilling sight. The camera then panned away to show a gigantic interstellar airport packed with battleships, a truly breathtaking scene.

Beneath the post, Dark Star Empire civilians’ comments scrolled endlessly.

“Tremble, you Federation dogs!”

“Our army is gathering!”

“Your doom is near!”

…

“Screw you!”

“A bunch of savages!”

“Not even letting people have a peaceful New Year, if you dare to come over, we’ll break your legs.”

…

Watching both sides bicker, Su Ming’s brows furrowed even tighter.