“Spirit of the Stars,” the Blue Star Commonwealth’s most famous pop idol, Miss Serena Mao, still couldn’t quite grasp the situation.
Or rather, everything that was happening now was beyond her comprehension, so she could only act on instinct.
Half an hour ago, she had an “accident” and tumbled into an ice cream shop.
Thankfully, although she was usually quite dazed off-stage, she had undergone rigorous dance training for her stage presence, and despite her petite frame, she was still much better than any fat otaku.
The moment she fell, she somehow managed to twist her body, landing on her back and crashing into various debris.
But even so, she still held her ice cream high, as if this 10-yuan cone was more important than her own life.
The universe spirit always favors those who work hard.
After Serena Mao crawled out from the debris, she saw her entire cup of ice cream perfectly intact and finally broke into a happy smile, licking it heartily.
However, before she could finish her ice cream, she was captivated by the scene on the large screen in the middle of the commercial plaza.
When she arrived, it had been Loop Playback an advertisement for jewelry that she herself endorsed, but now, it had directly switched to a scene from a movie.
“My name is Francis Morey, a message from the Azure Princess!” The gloomy middle-aged man in the center of the screen, with a chilling, murderous sneer, spoke lines like a movie villain in a sinister tone.
Miss Serena took almost half a minute to finally realize that this shouldn’t be a movie.
Because the screen had now switched to President Nockham’s ashen face.
The pop idol was all too familiar with the President’s character.
Although he was essentially a weak, outwardly strong, greasy old uncle, he was still a head of state and absolutely would not allow himself to show any weakness in public.
Prank TV shows were even less likely.
Although President Nockham claimed to be a benevolent, generous, and kind elder who was close to the people, most parliament members, high-ranking officials, and even the public knew he was actually a coward.
Precisely because of this, he paid more attention to status and distance, maintaining his authority by cultivating a high-end persona of style, status, and knowledge.
The President indeed enjoyed appearing on TV shows, but only so-called high-end political and business programs.
In short, after ruling out all impossibilities, the only possibility was that all of this was real!
…Although she said that, Serena still felt a lack of realism.
She sat there blankly, licking the ice cream in her hand until it was all gone.
There was nothing she could do; as an ordinary entertainment industry professional who was discovered by a scout at the age of twelve and had been cultivated as a leading lady by her agency, she truly lacked experience in this area.
She didn't even know what to do or where to go now, so she could only finish her ice cream to calm down.
Or rather, if she didn't finish the ice cream, she wouldn't know what else she should do.
After finishing her ice cream, Serena Mao threw the paper cup into the trash can, thought seriously for a moment, and then simply walked towards the bridge.
The pop idol still didn't know what she could do or what she should do.
However, she knew that President Nockham was there.
She didn't really like that pretentious, greasy old uncle, but he was genuinely very good to her.
His pleas and wails in front of her, his joy every time he met her, and his promises for her future were all real.
…He must be very scared right now!
And he must also be very worried about her, so she should go and be with him.
No matter what happens, just being with him is enough.
Serena thought.
“My lady, my lady, your calorie intake for today has exceeded the limit.
According to our previous agreement, we must inform your agent and health consultant,” Bodyguard Robot A said.
“Your loyal bodyguard and assistant robot suggest that you perform one hour of aerobic training within ten minutes.
The speed must not be lower than 8 kilometers per hour, you…” Bodyguard Robot B said.
Serena Mao immediately pressed the two hovering disc robots to the ground.
Even if she was naturally dazed, she understood that any sound at this moment could alert the enemy.
The robots offered no resistance and were simply pressed to the ground by the pop idol’s petite body.
In reality, these specially customized high-end bodyguard and assistant robots, if operating at full power, could kill a polar bear with their alloy shells, and lifting Miss Serena’s small frame, which was estimated to be just over 1.6 meters tall and less than 50 kilograms, would naturally be effortless.
However, they did not resist at all, either because they dared not resist their master, or because Serena had a hidden attribute of natural divine strength.
“Shut up!” Serena whispered.
This girl had a gentle, easygoing personality, so these words were her strongest statement.
The robots’ lights flickered, but they continued, “No, we don’t have mouths!”
Serena sighed and took out a small electric screwdriver from her hood.
“This is not rational behavior!
Even if you dismantle me, we have already sent the signal to your agent.
Also, we are your bodyguards and assistants; please remain calm.”
Serena let go and stood up.
It wasn’t that she was convinced by the robots’ monotone voices, but rather that she saw a steel Colossus, half a body taller than herself, already appearing not far down the street, crawling towards her.
It had eight crab-like legs, making a “crunch,” “crunch” metallic friction sound as it crawled, yet its upper body stood upright like a human, extending four mechanical appendages like arms, carrying firearms.
The pop idol’s body stiffened slightly, and she instinctively held her breath.
Although she didn’t understand military matters, she could tell that with the machine’s terrifying and hideous appearance, it was definitely prepared for war, a completely different style from the two disc-like civilian machines beside her.
“Escaped subject detected.” The combat robot’s lights flickered, emitting a flat, mechanical, monotone voice, incredibly cold.
But precisely because of this, it was even more terrifying!
Serena retreated a few steps, wanting to run, but her legs felt like they were filled with lead, and the robot advanced a few more steps.
“Initiating human scan… Target confirmed as Serena Mao, not an A-class hostage.”
The scanner on the robot’s chest flickered with a blood-red light, actively taking a few steps forward.
But at this moment, Serena’s two bodyguard robots floated up from the ground and directly confronted it.
“Please, your machine, cease any hostile actions!
Please, your machine, cease any attack actions!”
“Not an A-class hostage, judgment, can be executed on the spot!”
“Please cease any attack actions, otherwise we reserve the right to self-defense!”
Robot dialogues without intelligent AI were destined to be like talking to a brick wall.
The giant combat robot took a few more steps forward, already lowering its left autocannon.
And just then, the disc robot that had gone to meet it suddenly accelerated decisively, heading directly for the red-flashing scanner on the opponent’s chest.
“Clang!” “Bang bang bang!”
The violent impact of alloy and the sound of gunfire occurred almost simultaneously.
The mechanical disc directly crashed into the combat robot’s chest scanner, while the opponent’s autocannon sprayed a burst of fire towards Serena’s location, but it was completely blocked by the other disc.
This small “disc” was like a living shield, blocking in front of its master, and the 9mm steel-nail bullets surprisingly couldn’t penetrate its body.
The bodyguard and assistant robots customized by the Alliance indeed demonstrated capabilities commensurate with their price at this moment.
The singer finally woke up as if from a dream, turned around without a word, and ran.
She heard a series of loud “crackle,” “clank-thump” sounds behind her, which must have been the two discs fighting the giant “spider,” but she didn’t stop at all, not even looking back.
She didn’t know where to run, so she instinctively squeezed into the narrow gaps of the commercial district.
“We have called the police!
We have called the police!
Please immediately cease any hostile actions!” The disc robots continued to repeat themselves, and continued to ram into the combat robot.
Serena felt like crying, but she didn’t dare to cry out, nor did she dare to slow down her pace.
Having regularly undergone physical and dance training, her running motion was steady, and she thankfully didn’t have a classic scene of tripping over flat ground.
However, she saw a robot resembling a large scorpion, directly revealing its tail from the rooftop beside her, and then with a leap, it jumped directly in front of her.
Even though it was a massive metal construct estimated to weigh at least one ton, it left only a light, soft cushioning sound, as if a small plastic duck had fallen to the ground.
Then, the scorpion propped up its metal upper body, raised its four arms, with rotating autocannons attached.
Serena stopped, resignedly, and wiped away her tears.
"Fugitive, not an A-class hostage, can be excluded," the robot said.
"Can you, can you just fire one shot, don't hit my head!" Serena pleaded.
The robot's red light flickered, and it stopped crawling.
"I don't want to die too horribly," Serena added.
The robot's red light flickered again, and this time the silence lasted for more than three seconds. It was probably difficult for its processor to understand the girl's thought process.
It finally raised its autocannon, and by this time, Serena had already closed her eyes, looking resigned.
However, she did not hear the gunshot she expected—in fact, if it had fired, she would have been hit before she heard the sound—but rather a dull "humming" sound.
This... they're not trying to bludgeon me to death, are they? That would be a terrible way to die! Serena wanted to cry again, but the more she wanted to, the less she could. She simply opened her eyes again, determined to die with understanding.
However, what she saw was this scene: a young man in a naval uniform, with his back to her, stood between her and the robot. His figure was not particularly tall or imposing; he was clearly much shorter than that terrifying combat machine, yet he stood like a solid fortress.
The man spread his arms wide, his movements unusually fluid, and he smashed a fist into the robot.
Logically, the opponent's arm should have been broken, but the reality was the opposite. The machine, equipped with military-grade armor plating, showed obvious distortion and deformation; invisible electric sparks flickered within its cracked armor, and its high-raised weapon arm immediately lost power, drooping on the spot. Not only that, but the upper half of the mechanical body, as if struck by an invisible sharp blade, directly separated from the lower spider-like body, flying several meters away, then landing with a "clang" on another combat machine that had just arrived.
It was the same one that had just fired at Serena, and it still had two shurikens embedded in it, which were the two loyal bodyguard robots from earlier.
Miss Singer was completely stunned.
She had seen such scenes in movies, television, and news, but this was truly her first time seeing one in reality, and the impact was naturally incomparable.
Under Miss Singer's dazed gaze, the young officer did not stop; instead, he leaped forward and delivered several more heavy blows, and only then did the sparking robots completely cease movement.
The officer paused, rummaged through the mechanical debris, and forcibly pulled out the autocannon from the opponent's hand, then dug out a mechanical part. He thought for a moment, then pulled out the two "shurikens" embedded in the enemy, and only then did he turn around, smile at her, revealing a row of extremely friendly white teeth.
"Is that Miss Serena! Are you alright?" he said.
Serena stared blankly at her savior, then her eyes suddenly lit up: "No, huh? You, ah, you're Fina's boyfriend!"
She didn't notice that another officer had appeared behind her, also forcing a smile and preparing to greet her, but upon hearing her words, his smile instantly fell.
This young man whose expression was changing was Horatio Wien, and Miss Serena's "savior" was, of course, Yu Lian. He neither admitted nor denied it, tossing the autocannon he had just dug out to Wien, saying, "Here, the weapon you wanted!"
The autocannon was quite heavy, but Wien caught it with very steady movements. He adjusted it up and down, confirming that it was indeed usable, and only then did he feel a little relieved.
"This is no place to linger! The commotion here will eventually reach the enemy. Fortunately... with these things, we can do something!" Yu Lian held up the shurikens and a pile of machinery in his hand.
Although this model of Gray Mist robot was not nanometer-sized, and its external armor was still hard alloy plates, its internal mechanical skeleton used a viscous composite metal with excellent ductility and variability. In terms of materials science and technology content alone, few countries in the All-Galaxy had reached such a level.
With these items, Yu Lian would have a way to mold them into the tools he needed.
In short, he still had to thank (the future) Ina for her hundreds of short videos on hand-crafting various weapons and military tools, and thank his ten years in the Volunteer Army in his previous life!
Anyway, just don't thank that troublesome universe spirit.
"Also, your bodyguard robots are Alliance-produced Retainer Model 12s, and their core processors have quite powerful computing capabilities. Can I disassemble them and use some of their parts?"
"That... that, yes. But, after you're done, if you have time, could you put them back together?"
Yu Lian glanced at her, feeling that the girl's reaction was a bit different from what he had imagined!
"Little Red and Little Blue died to protect me. At least afterward, I want to give them a funeral... I mean, shouldn't they be whole when they're buried?"
"...Don't worry, they're not dead! After everything is over, I'll have them fully restored to full health and condition, okay?"
Miss Serena Mao was stunned upon hearing this, and her eyes suddenly radiated a captivating glow. She tightly gripped Yu Lian's hands: "Thank, thank you! Little Red and Little Blue, I'll entrust them to you..."
"No, I should be thanking you."
Wien, standing to the side holding the autocannon, was thoroughly embarrassed. From beginning to end, Miss Serena didn't even glance at him, let alone speak to him. He felt as if he were merely Yu Lian's follower and accessory.
"However, before that, we first need to find a safe place to settle you," Yu Lian added.
Serena bit her lower lip, hesitated, then nodded.
Although she was very worried about President Nockham, she also knew that listening to professionals was always the right thing to do at a time like this.
She was never a willful girl; at most, she would secretly sneak out from her manager to eat ice cream, chocolate, barbecue, hot pot, and all high-fat, high-sugar foods. But to force others to take her along, not only would she be no help, but she would also mess things up at critical moments and hold everyone back—she would definitely not do anything that would lose her fans.
"But where is a safe place?" Serena asked.
Wien felt this should be a very realistic technical problem, and his head began to ache. But Yu Lian once again revealed a row of white teeth, showing a smile that sent shivers down the girl's spine: "Don't worry, there are plenty of places! There's one right nearby."
Yu Lian took Miss Singer's small hand and led her directly around to a secluded corner behind the commercial street. He opened the cargo hold of an automatic delivery truck and directly pushed her inside.
"Just this..." Miss Serena Mao was dumbfounded and was about to speak when a sudden foul smell almost made her vomit.
Miss Singer had already realized that this thing was probably used for transporting meat.
Wien, standing nearby, was too shocked to even speak.
"Don't worry! Gray Mist machines ignore machinery. You should be grateful this is a luxury cruise ship; the food transport vehicles on board are ultra-luxurious, and to ensure the freshness of the ingredients, their compartments are insulated against heat, sound, and even radiation."
"This, this..."
"Of course, just in case, we'll need to inconvenience you a bit more." Yu Lian reached out his hand and, without a word, slapped Miss Serena on the back of her neck. She instantly slumped softly into the compartment, completely breathless.
Yu Lian closed the hatch and turned around, only to see Wien's expression of shock, almost to the point where his jaw dropped.
"I didn't kill her," Yu Lian said. "I just used psionic energy to seal her bodily functions. This way, for a short period, she'll fall into a state of suspended animation, and even the most precise instruments will mistake her for a pile of dead meat."
Of course, this kind of psionic micro-control ability is actually very advanced, not something an ordinary beginner can do.
"A, a pile of dead meat..." Wien stammered, repeating the phrase: "This, this is the Spirit of the Stars! And she's just... a, a pile of dead meat?"
"We don't have the spare capacity to protect her, and we certainly can't take her with us. This is the best way!" Yu Lian said matter-of-factly, turning his head and walking towards a secluded passage.
I, I actually lost to this kind of person! Miss Fina, did you see that? He's this kind of person!
Wien wanted to drag his goddess over to witness this scene firsthand, but in the end, he only stood there dejectedly for a few seconds before picking up the autocannon and following with mournful steps.
Although I've degenerated into a beast now, most chapters are over 5k. That's still more integrity than those seductive sluts who pretend to be two-chapter beasts with only 2k.
So, I still have the right to ask for votes, don't I?