5 The Fiancée

Bu Hui was drenched in cold sweat.
Bu Hui was in despair.

Three months ago, on the night she was selected for the genetic database, she sacrificed her meager overtime pay to spend the entire night studying the matching process, mastering every detail of each stage.

Precisely because of this, she realized with agonizing clarity that the disastrous turn of events following the activation of the temporary system would be beyond her control.

According to the rules, if the other party in a match is unable to meet due to special circumstances, one may appeal for a cancellation. This was the process Bu Hui was currently attempting.

Special circumstances include the partner suddenly becoming paralyzed or dying during the interim, living at an insurmountable distance, or various acts of force majeure. In such cases, one may unilaterally request an appeal for cancellation.

But once the system is activated, things are no longer so simple.

It implies that both spouses are within a manageable distance and physically capable of movement. To cancel the match, both parties must appear together at the municipal government office, provide at least three valid justifications, and pay a hefty fine.

Most couples who cannot get along simply choose to drag it out until the one-year protection mechanism expires, at which point they can file for direct divorce.

Does anyone really think that a vicious, heinous outlaw would be willing to walk into a government office with her, or choose to divorce her after a year?

For a pirate with countless lives on his hands, wouldn't blowing her to smithereens with a single cannon blast be the most convenient solution?

In other words, Bu Hui currently faced only two outcomes: either Xin Chi dies, or she dies.

"..."

Whenever Bu Hui thought about how she had been jumping around trying to scrape together money these past few months, she wanted to slap her past self to death.

Two lines of tears were dried by the cold wind before they could even fall.

Never before had she prayed so fervently for the Federation military to be reliable—to capture Xin Chi early, or better yet, execute him on the spot.

...And if they didn't catch him, executing her would be fine, too.

"Bu Hui, I'm over here!"

Wen Lu'er stood at the edge of the camp, shouting loudly, while Laite, standing beside her, waved his arms vigorously. They could have easily used their brain-link communication systems instead of resorting to such primitive actions—a testament to how muddled the human brain becomes in moments of panic.

Bu Hui waved back to them.

—A testament to the fact that she was not the only fool in a panic at this moment.

"We've lost contact with the troops. What should we do?" Wen Lu'er was anxious to the point of hysteria.

"We wait right here, of course," Laite said, having absolute faith in the regular government army. "A mere handful of bandits will be wiped out soon. Don't make such a fuss."

"..." Bu Hui couldn't be bothered to explain it to him again.

"We need to prepare for the worst. If the troops forget about us, or if any convicts escape to this sector, we are completely defenseless and in grave danger," she said.

Laite scoffed with a displeased look. "And what do you suggest? You want us to go head-to-head with criminals?"

"Of course not."

Ignoring his sarcasm, Bu Hui pointed into the distance. "Prepare to flee. Go check the types of vacant spacecraft and the available fuel. If our own ship is destroyed by shelling, we'll take one of the military's."

"You want us to steal a military spacecraft?!" Laite looked shocked. "That's a prison sentence!"

"I said, prepare for the worst."

Life was certainly more important than jail time. Bu Hui was perfectly calm at this moment.

While Laite stood there hesitating, Wen Lu'er had already obediently headed to the aircraft storage area to scout for a suitable vessel. They were both skilled, veteran employees of the factory. To increase efficiency, the Hui-Min Factory had long since taught them how to override source systems to pilot second-hand spacecraft. Having spent the last few days handling discarded military aircraft, they were intimately familiar with their internal components, so Bu Hui didn't need to worry.

She walked around the aircraft, her mind restless, checking her brain-link interface repeatedly.

There were no new updates from the notification system, meaning the other party’s distance remained over three thousand kilometers away.

Did this mean Xin Chi was too busy running for his life to care about whether she lived or died?

Bu Hui felt slightly relieved.

It made sense; in the desperate moment of a prison break, who would have the spare time to trouble themselves with an ordinary person as insignificant as an ant?

...

Billowing smoke rose around the prison, and sirens blared. The Federal Emergency Guard would arrive for support soon.

But it was already too late.

The pirates had received the signal and were preparing to evacuate en masse.

While waiting, Xin Chi checked the brain-link device he was about to discard.

His device had been connected to a private network from the very beginning and was never linked to the Star Domain Network. The fact that it could receive Federation notifications meant it had been bypassed by the highest-level constitutional network decrees.

The pirate leader was deeply annoyed by this sudden notification tone.

It was extremely unpleasant when things went wrong halfway through; he was currently investigating where the problem had occurred.

This was the first time Xin Chi had ever opened something as boring as the Star Domain Network.

The flaming red trending topics on the homepage caught his attention.

#Xin Chi’s Fiancée Arrives at the First Scene of the Chenyu Star Incident#
#My Days as a Widow#
#Support Xin Chi’s Legal Meeting with His Fiancée#
...

He casually clicked on a holographic video and skipped to the content. The woman in the frame was thin and small, her eyes filled with tears: "...Thank you, Mr. Pirate... I will remain a widow for him..."

He skipped to another.

"As the saying goes, there is much trouble at a widow's door..."

He skipped to another.

"I am honored to have learned of the matching results..."

The top of the trending list was filled with this woman who claimed to be his fiancée.

She had dared to come to Chenyu Star because she was certain he was dead in prison and had no chance of escape.

Xin Chi: "."

He suddenly gave a cold laugh.

...

The deafening sounds of artillery finally ceased.

Sunlight spilled onto the red desert wasteland, illuminating the cold, uninhabited planet. Eternal cold and desolation were the backdrop of Chenyu Star.

Bu Hui was so exhausted she was about to fall asleep, yet she forced her eyes wide to keep a vigilant watch.

Seeing her fatigue, Laite uncharacteristically swallowed his sharp remarks.

"It seems the criminals have been caught. We can return safely now."

"That's wonderful!" Wen Lu'er sighed in relief. "I just want to go back, take a hot bath, and get a good night's sleep."

And never go on a long business trip again!

"...What is that? A beetle?"

Wen Lu'er had excellent eyesight. From a distance, she spotted several reddish-brown beetles crawling rapidly toward their location. The insects were moving at incredible speed, and soon, their specific appearance became clear.

The group exchanged glances, their faces turning deathly pale.

"Run! It's a Shell-Bug!"

Someone shouted, and they scrambled toward the military aircraft for their lives. It was too late to go to their own ship or search for weapons; the ferocity and speed of the Shell-Bugs were enough to devour them entirely.

Shell-Bugs would never appear near a military camp.

But last night, the electric fences had been destroyed, and the constant shelling had agitated the bugs, causing them to scatter in all directions. By pure bad luck, they had run into this group of defenseless civilians.

Wen Lu'er and Bu Hui had scouted the models earlier and acted quickly to reset the system and open the aircraft doors.

Laite scrambled in after them, looking somewhat disheveled. They were still reeling from the shock when they realized it was a two-seater cockpit.

"..." Laite’s face went ash-gray. "I'll go to the other one."

A few scattered Shell-Bugs were gathering outside; it was hard to say if he would be dealt a fatal blow the moment he stepped out of the hatch. He closed his eyes, preparing for death, only to see Bu Hui pull out an automatic pistol and a military armor vest, equipping them calmly.

"You two go ahead. Reach the vicinity of the spacecraft; I’ll follow behind."

"You..."

"I have experience using weapons. Do you?"

The two shook their heads weakly. Bu Hui grinned at them. "Two navigators, you should be the ones afraid—the criminal hasn't been caught yet."

Leaning against the window, Laite watched as Bu Hui stepped out of the hatch. Her pistol’s auto-aim kicked in, and with two crisp, practiced shots, the lunging Shell-Bugs were reduced to ash. She scanned the area vigilantly, jumped onto another aircraft, and climbed inside.

Wen Lu'er clasped her hands in admiration. "From now on, Bu Hui is my god!"

Laite grunted and sat silently in the pilot's seat.

"Let's move. We can't let that person get ahead of us."

...

The military aircraft was indeed very intuitive. Within a few minutes, Bu Hui figured out how to engage the autopilot and set the navigation coordinates.

She would arrive at the spacecraft's location in a short while. Feeling drowsy, she squinted her eyes, wanting to sleep for a bit during the flight.

The long-lost notification tone suddenly sounded.

[Ding-dong. Your spouse is now 2,992 kilometers away.]

Bu Hui sat up with a start, as if rising from her deathbed. "?"

Did she mishear?

What was the brain-link saying?

She could hardly believe her ears.

[Ding-dong. Your spouse is now 2,898 kilometers away.]

"..."

"Damn it!"

Bu Hui scrambled to engage the autopilot. Subconsciously, she set the destination to the spacecraft's location, but she quickly realized that if Xin Chi was truly coming for her, she would only be leading him to kill the other two as well.

Gritting her teeth, she set the navigation in the opposite direction.

Fuel was sufficient—she wouldn't think about it, just run for a while! Maybe the guy was just passing by!

[Ding-dong. Your spouse is now 2,604 kilometers away.]

She adjusted the aircraft to maximum speed and fled, watching the other party’s trajectory in real-time. The temporary system only provided distance alerts and would not expose their exact coordinates; if it were a coincidence, the distance would naturally widen soon.

The system updated again.

[Ding-dong. Your spouse is now 2,278 kilometers away.]

"..." It was over. He was definitely coming for her.

Cold sweat beaded on Bu Hui’s forehead.

She changed direction again.

[Ding-dong. Your spouse is now 2,147 kilometers away.]

"..."

After that, Bu Hui could no longer hear the numbers the system was reporting. She hadn't been trained for high-speed flight, and she began to feel dizzy and nauseous. Bu Hui touched her face in a daze—her nose was bleeding.

She was like a mouse chased into a dead end, forced to scramble on instinct.

The control panel showed 47% fuel remaining.

This was a military patrol craft—light and fast, but with limited fuel capacity. It couldn't go very far; everything was just a drop in the bucket.

Your spouse is...

Fuel remaining...

Distance...

Fuel...

The system's gentle notification tone sounded like a demon's whisper, entwining around her ears repeatedly.

The moment Bu Hui realized that both she and the aircraft had reached their limit, her mind went blank. Three days of non-stop exhaustion, combined with the intense tension of the latter half of the night, had drained her completely.

So tired. So sleepy.

Her vision gradually blurred.

...

BOOM!

Bu Hui was jolted awake by a violent impact.

After the airbag ejected her several dozen meters away, she heard the sound of the aircraft crashing.

Flames erupted, and thick black smoke soared into the sky.

...Did she break a rib?

Bu Hui felt as if her entire body was about to fall apart. It took every ounce of her willpower just to crawl out of the airbag; that single action exhausted all her remaining strength.

She gasped for breath, her breathing ragged.

The cold air stung her lungs; every breath was agonizing.

[Ding-dong. Your spouse is 32 meters away.]

Twenty meters.

Fifteen meters.

Ten meters.

Bu Hui felt her scalp go numb as she was forced to accept the system's countdown, which felt like a death sentence. She struggled to push herself up, only to fall back to the ground.

Useless legs, run!

Ahhhhh!

Don't come any closer!

Bu Hui screamed silently in her heart. Through her blurred vision, she could vaguely see a figure walking toward her, unhurried and steady. She mustered her final shred of strength and laboriously pulled the pistol from her waist—it was a Krew pistol, equipped with both automatic targeting and firing functions.

"Bang!..."

In the silent desert, a single gunshot rang out.

She slumped to the ground.

...

"Plop."

Wet, warm blood splattered onto her forehead, slowly sliding down from her eyelid.

A pair of black military boots stopped in front of her.

She restrained her trembling and looked up.

Above her line of sight was a hanging hand, covered in bruised, black-and-blue welts. It was unrecognizable, hideous, and terrifying. Blood dripped from the dangling fingertips, landing on her cheek.

The strange, sticky sensation made her scalp crawl.

Bu Hui’s eyelids fluttered violently, her lashes batting incessantly.

The temperature of the desert seemed to plummet in an instant.

The man stood before her, backlit by the sun. His exposed skin was covered in deep, bone-gouging scars, and as he drew near, she could smell the thick, pervasive stench of blood.

A normal person would have fainted long ago from such blood loss, yet he looked down at her as if nothing were wrong, looking exactly like a demon crawled out of hell.

Xin Chi.

This man was Xin Chi.

Only when facing the impact directly did she understand why a single man could make Federal officials tremble with fear, to the point where they wouldn't even dare speak his name.

Bu Hui knew she was likely going to die here, but she didn't give up, fumbling for the position of her pistol.

The man chuckled when he saw this and suddenly leaned down.

Calloused fingertips applied slight pressure, probing her fragile throat and forcing Bu Hui to tilt her head back in a pathetic display.

The sticky blood from his fingers flowed down her neck and into her clothes; the sensation was bone-chilling.

"The Krew pistol's auto-aim only works at ranges beyond 1.8 meters, with an accuracy of only 33%. You shot too early."

The face reflected in Bu Hui's unfocused pupils, overly handsome yet like an evil spirit, loomed over her. His hair had a cold luster, and his black-and-gold eyes were half-hidden under his lids, making his already striking gaze appear incredibly gloomy.

"I accept your greeting gift.

Fiancée."