After twelve o'clock, the celebration on Baisha Star finally ended.

The desert tavern was still bustling.

Pei Ji finally couldn't resist the mercenaries' invitation to play cards, and agreed to play two rounds after getting Shen Que's approval.

Because I had been sleeping on and off, I was not very sleepy.

But he was still very tired.

The mercenaries hooked Pei Ji and drank with him, and the white foam swayed in the beer glass like waves.

The young Alpha smiled freely and unrestrainedly.

Shen Que watched helplessly, picking up the sour and sweet dried whitethorn to refresh himself.

Just as the plate of dried white thorns was about to be empty, a slender wrist suddenly reached out and filled it up for him.

Shafiya, wearing a royal blue dance dress, sat beside him with a smile on her face.

Her long, silky hair was tied up, making her look less charming than on stage, but more attractive.

Shen Que suddenly remembered that she was dressed the same as when she went to Shenxing Palace a few days ago.

"I was going to give you a plate of rose pie, but Pei Ji said you'd get bloated if you ate too much at night. So, just eat some dried fruit."

Shafiya winked at Shen Que.

"Nice to meet you for the second time, Commander. My name is Shafiya, and I'm the owner of this tavern."

Shen Que leaned back.

Fingers interlaced on knees.

His eyes still followed his Alpha without fail.

He suddenly asked, "Just the tavern owner?"

The tone was flat, as if it was a casual question.

Shafiya was stunned for just a moment, her red lips curled up subtly, and she looked at Pei Ji with a calm gaze.

"Well, does the Commander think I'm the Admiral's mistress?"

Shen Que said slowly: "As a mercenary's lover?"

Shafiya's eyes flashed, "What do you mean?"

Chen Que picked up a piece of dried fruit, took a small bite of half, chewed it carefully, and swallowed it.

"The dancers I've seen all have well-maintained hands. They're smooth, white, and tender, and generally don't have calluses."

"Even if there are any, they will be on places like the fingertips and palms because of years of practice."

"But you have calluses on every knuckle, and as far as I know... only one type of weapon can wear that area down."

"Silver Wire Scimitar."

"A weapon commonly used by mercenaries."

He finished eating the remaining half of the dried fruit.

"And this."

Shen Que nodded behind his ear.

Shafiya took the opportunity to touch it.

The fingertips touched a shallow scar from the left ear to the neck.

"It's the scar from the mecha's lightsaber."

A woman who has been using a knife for many years and has fought head-on with mechas.

He looked at Shafiya seriously, his dark eyes looking particularly deep.

Shafiya smiled brightly. "You are so charming, Commander. I am beginning to understand why Pei Ji likes you."

Shen Que repeated in a low voice: "Does he like me?"

If you like him, why do you need to hire mercenaries to investigate him?

Shafiya tucked her hair behind her ear. "You can't feel it, can you?"

Shen Que's expression remained indifferent.

What does it matter?

Like it or not, he is his.

His eyes began to follow Pei Ji again.

"He is very different from what I knew before," he suddenly said to Shafiya.

"What do you think he is like?"

Shafiya thought about it.

"Omega killer? A spoiled rich second generation? A battlefield devil who doesn't obey orders? — That's what everyone on Starnet calls him anyway."

Shen Que: “…About the same.”

Shafiya suppressed a laugh: "How pitiful, such a fellow is the darling of our desert."

Shen Que raised his eyes when he heard this, "Why do you call him that?"

"That's because... Pei Ji, although born in an oasis, is actually half a desert dweller."

Shafiya smiled and gestured.

"Ever since he was this tall, he's loved coming over to play with us. I don't know how many times he's been scolded for this."

"You'll never meet a more difficult kid than him. He's like a thug, always following the mercenaries around, killing worms before he even has a sword."

"I got better as I grew up. At least I was a normal person when I went to military school."

Shenque was silent.

He didn't think that anyone who could do something like entering a hive alone was normal.

"But..."

Shafiya looked at Pei Ji's back with a smile.

"It was this unreliable guy who, after becoming an admiral, the first thing he did was to lead his fleet to destroy the sand dens of over a hundred worms in the desert, ending the desert people's long wandering life."

"You know what? Commander, before, the desert people had no fixed residence. Because worms could smell people through the sand, we had to flee constantly."

"The worms reproduce very quickly. They can transmit messages through the sand using a special frequency. We must locate all the mother worms simultaneously and kill them within a time difference of no more than 0.1 seconds. If even one escapes, all our efforts will be wasted."

“So many lords on Baisha Star failed to do it, but he did it.”

Shafiya paused, and when she spoke again, even her voice became gentle.

"How could we not love him?"

“He gave us freedom.”

Shen Que listened in silence.

The dim candlelight cast a warm light in his eyes.

The actions of the Imperial Fleet must be approved by the Imperial Court and Parliament.

But the Queen never told him these things.

A glimmer flashed in Shen Que's eyes, "Why... have you never spoken up for him on StarNet?"

Shafiya snorted disdainfully, "If he doesn't care, why should we care?"

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