"You...you were on the same starship as Mingmei and the others?"

Hu Yue was also involved in this plan. When she and Li Yuan were having dinner in the cafeteria that evening, Li Yuan asked her which starship she was on. Hu Yue then realized that he had not participated in the plan and was even less aware of the secrets behind the starship arrangement.

Therefore, she casually mentioned the starship she was on.

However, as soon as she finished speaking, Hu Yue noticed that Li Yuan's expression had changed.

The cafeteria is crowded and noisy, so even if Hu Yue wanted to ask the other person what was wrong, she couldn't listen to what the other person was saying in such a crowded place.

It would be very embarrassing if the news leaked out.

"See you online later?"

"Hmm..."

Hu Yue piled all the meat from her plate onto the other person's plate and fed it to them. Several times, Li Yuan tried to say something, but the meat in his mouth kept him from saying anything.

Hearing what the other person said, they finally quieted down. After finishing their dinner, the two headed towards the dormitory building. Before parting, Li Yuan handed Hu Yue something that looked like a keychain and reminded her to go online that night.

She initially thought Li Yuan had accidentally discovered something. The two of them, who had gone online, ordered a private room in a virtual dessert shop on the StarNet and sat down. Then she heard her boyfriend say, "You should carry the shield I gave you with you at all times. Although I can't design S-level mechs right now, I can still make some parts."

This defensive shield was made using A+ grade materials. Under normal circumstances, it can withstand two or three charged attacks from an S-grade mech.

"Oh my god, you give this to me, but what about yourself?"

Hu Yue felt that her boyfriend's safety was more important than her own. His physical abilities were more crucial for that.

"I have another one, a couple's one." He said, his face still a little red, which made Hu Yue's upturned lips curl into a slightly perverted smile.

"By the way, when you heard me say that I was sitting on a starship with Mingmei and the others in the cafeteria today, your expression seemed a little off. What's wrong?"

Hu Yue probed discreetly, as if she knew nothing.

"They... I'm not saying anything bad about Mingmei."

Hu Yue felt something was off about what Li Yuan said.

"Hmm, what's wrong with them?"

"They seem to be plagued by bad luck. I noticed in the game that wherever they were, accidents would always happen, and uncontrollable situations would frequently occur. Thinking about Lu Xiaoyao, it seems like she was always near Mingmei or Muchen, and then some bad things would happen."

After listening to Li Yuan's analysis, Hu Yue fell silent for a moment.

Li Yuan encountered Mingmei and Lu Xiaoyao in the game very few times, so the conclusion drawn from this seems somewhat unreliable.

Moreover, considering the conclusions drawn by everyone around, perhaps—"Have you ever considered that maybe Lu Xiaoyao is just unlucky in her own life?"

Li Yuan: "..."

Thinking about it carefully, it does seem like that's a possibility.

So—"It seems like I'm on the same starship as Lu Xiaoyao."

Li Yuan's worry about Hu Yue instantly turned into concern for his own personal safety.

He's terrible, and he knows it himself.

"No, no, that's not true."

Hu Yue quickly comforted them, remembering what their teacher had said: only their starship would take off, and the others' starships would be replaced.

Because the seats in the starship have long been converted into gaming pods, everyone will just think they'll lie down, take a nap, and wait for a wormhole to open, after which they'll wake up in a game...

"Don't worry, what school doesn't organize these survival training courses every year? There have never been any accidents, and this year, with Minister Mei Qiu and the others scouting ahead, what could possibly go wrong?"

“My intuition tells me that the appearance of your brother and Minister Mei is not a good thing.”

Hu Yue: "..."

I also think that your overly accurate intuition as a man isn't necessarily a good thing.

...

"At my current level, I can activate four insect cores to the maximum extent at the same time."

Mingmei also couldn't sleep. She met with Mu Chen online late at night and even simulated a mecha competition with him.

It uses the most basic combat mechs.

After sparring, Mingmei gained a completely new understanding of why Mu Chen got a perfect score in the combat class. Although she also realized that Mu Chen had actually let her win, otherwise, her mecha would probably have been smashed to pieces by Mu Chen.

When the two rested elsewhere, Mingmei talked to Mu Chen about her mastery of the brocade robes.

"Actually, you're already doing very well at piloting mechs." Mu Chen knew his limits and could see Mingmei's progress.

Besides, what he said wasn't a lie.

With her radiant beauty, she's someone most people can't beat.

Moreover, Jin Yi's stats are truly maxed out in every possible way.

"Especially the activation of that insect core... Meimei, have you tested your current mental strength level?"

"No."

Mingmei shook her head. She knew that her mental strength had increased rapidly during this period, but she hadn't had time to measure how much it had increased.

"Let's get tested after this project is finished."

The Queen Insect's cores are now capable of activating four at once, though it sounds like only half, Mu Chen knew that. (cascoo.net)

With his SS-level mental strength, he could only touch three of the insect queen's cores at most, and even then, he would be risking a backlash.

He now has no doubt that Mingmei's mental strength has unknowingly reached the SSS level, and may even have broken through.

"Okay." Mingmei nodded readily, but then hesitated, asking with a hint of anxiety and worry, "Aren't you nervous about tomorrow?"

"Yes, but I'm not nervous when I think about you being by my side."

"At a time like this, you're still saying that."

Mingmei was extremely nervous, and with Jinyi still on her body, she suddenly felt a great burden.

"Don't worry, everyone else has mechs, so even if something happens and a fight breaks out, there won't be any problems."

When Mingmei asked him worriedly how the mecha would save people, and whether she might accidentally crush someone to death in her hand, Mu Chen almost laughed himself to death.

"Alright, it's getting late. After we finish this cake, let's go for a walk along the virtual pedestrian street and then log off to rest."

After saying that, Mu Chen pushed open the door to the dessert shop's private room, and the door next door also opened.

At this moment, Mingmei, Mu Chen, Che Huyue, and Li Yuan met each other's gazes. Then, for some reason, the four of them tacitly looked away, feeling a sense of guilt in their hearts.

Li Yuan Hu Yue: They probably didn't hear their own joke just now, did they?

Mingmei Muchen: Ah, it seems Li Yuan doesn't know yet. Will their conversation be overheard by the other person and affect their relationship?

Four people: Ugh! How good is the soundproofing in this room?!