Lenon returned from the trial court and recuperated in the Third Prince's residence for over half a month before fully recovering.

The excessive injections he had taken to avoid detection hadn't completely metabolized even now. The side effects of that stuff were extreme; he intermittently ran a fever and became lethargic.

Lenon didn't show any discomfort. On his second day back, he took up the butler's duties again and started preparing afternoon tea for Lin You. It wasn't until Lin You touched his skin and noticed his abnormal temperature that he forcefully pinned him down on the bed.

Lenon was groggy at the time. He looked blankly at Lin You, his vision struggling to focus. Upon realizing he was pinned firmly by the Third Prince, making it difficult even to roll over, let alone get up, he finally allowed his body to go limp.

"Alright," he groggily closed his eyes. "It seems I won't be able to take care of you these next few days."

Lin You started grinding his teeth again. These past few days, many more bite marks had appeared on Lenon's body. Every time he disregarded his health and joked around recklessly, making Lin You itch with anger but unable to truly punish him, Lin You would bite him on the shoulder. "Take care of yourself, Major General. I don't need you to take care of me."

Lenon muttered, "Not having to do anything makes it feel like I'm in retirement."

He had stepped down from his position in the Third Legion, ushering in a long vacation. He spent his days tending the garden and basking in the sun, rivaling the elderly in his leisure.

During this vacation, Lenon completely handed over the Colette Family to Lin You.

Holding nothing back, he transferred all the family's businesses and properties, leaving with absolutely nothing himself. He even brought several younger generation members of the family to Lin You to introduce them.

In this generation of the Colette Family, aside from Lenon, there was no pillar of support capable of shouldering the burden. The family was currently in a transitional phase with a lack of successors. The younger generation were all little rugrats, around seven or eight years old, not even reaching Lin You's thighs.

The little rugrats stood obediently in a row, calling out "Your Highness the Third Prince" in their milky voices. Lin You's eyebrow twitched slightly as he complained to the system, "55, do you know what this scene reminds me of?"

55: "?"

"It reminds me of Zhuge Liang at Baidi City. Liu Bei knew he didn't have long to live, so he entrusted Adou to him... The only difference is that Liu Bei entrusted one, whereas Lenon is entrusting a whole row."

55 looked at the row of little rugrats.

"..."

It was quite fitting.

Other than that, everything was perfectly normal, even a bit peaceful and idyllic. The only unusual thing was that Lin You noticed Lenon spending more time on the training system.

He repeatedly shot at static targets, every shot a fatal hit. Lin You followed suit and fired two shots himself, having to admit that even as a top-tier streamer, there was still a gap between him and a Major General who had truly fought his way through blood and fire.

Days passed by, drawing closer and closer to the 21st. Lin You silently counted down in his heart until, finally, only a few hours remained.

Colonel Devon of the Third Legion had taken annual leave in advance and parked his aircraft near the Third Prince's residence. He visited Lenon under the cover of night. Once dawn broke, they would set off against the morning light, flying toward the border of Zone 35.

Lin You repeatedly flipped through the final paragraph of the novel, trying to search for clues, but the description was too vague. There were only a few short sentences: "Lenon raised his gun, aiming straight ahead. This was an ultra-long-range sniper rifle, its bullets capable of crossing the pitch-black deep space to bury him and his enemy together in this graveyard of stars. He loaded, aimed, and pulled the trigger—then embraced death."

As for who exactly he aimed his gun at, who he was buried with, and how he died, the novel made no mention.

Lin You suppressed the irritability in his heart and nodded a greeting to Devon. "Colonel, may I see the aircraft you're taking?"

Devon was taken aback. He wasn't accustomed to Lin You's politeness and nodded repeatedly. "Of course, please."

They had been sitting together drinking tea. Hearing this, Lenon put down the pastry in his hand and stood up reluctantly. "What's there to see?"

Lin You: "I have to see if it's safe, at the very least."

Following behind Devon, he tightly gripped the USB flash drive in his hand and asked obscurely, "55, are you ready?"

The small screen displayed an "OK" expression.

Lin You couldn't be at ease with Lenon going to Zone 35 alone no matter what, but he couldn't speak up to stop him either. After much thought, he came up with a method.

He decided to imitate the First Prince and install a tracking camera on the ship.

55 was a system from a higher-dimensional civilization. Not only could it provide omnidirectional surveillance, but it could also even take over the ship when necessary, forcefully cutting off control from the cockpit. If it truly came to a critical life-or-death moment, Lin You could order the aircraft to return.

The only problem was that he first had to hack into the ship's control system.

The military's ships had gone through several iterations, so their security was beyond doubt. Even 55 couldn't hack in out of thin air. Lin You needed to import data into the main control system first, and the medium for this import was the small USB drive in his hand.

Lin You boarded the aircraft.

The interior space of this aircraft was not cramped; on the contrary, it was quite spacious, divided into a living room, a lounge, and a cockpit. Inside the lounge was a massive floor-to-ceiling window made of a single solid piece of high-density glass capable of withstanding the pressure difference between the cosmos and the ship's interior, looking like a scene straight out of a sci-fi novel.

Lenon stood shoulder to shoulder with him, gazing out from the floor-to-ceiling window. It was late at night, and outside the glass, there were only the undulating buildings of the prince's residence.

Lenon said, "Tomorrow, when we fly out of the atmosphere, we'll be able to look straight down at the Capital Star and the nearby nebulas from this window. If we're lucky enough, we might even see the sunrise from here. The morning sun will dye the clouds rose-red, and when the sea of clouds surges, it will look like the ground is paved with shattered gold."

Lin You didn't linger, only replying, "It should be very beautiful."

He turned around and entered the cockpit.

Compared to the comfortable and tidy living room, the design of the cockpit was much more messy and chaotic. Various exposed wires and buttons of unknown use made it look exceptionally complex.

Lenon disapproved, "You shouldn't come in here."

There were many sharp objects in the cockpit, making it a poor place for a tour. People unfamiliar with the environment could easily get cut moving around here.

Devon followed closely behind and also said, "Your Highness, the environment here is too terrible. You shouldn't stay here." He was afraid that the Male Zerg would be delicate and capricious, accidentally breaking something, as they didn't have time for repairs or to find replacements.

Lin You waved his hand and sat down in the pilot's seat. He seemingly casually brushed over rows of buttons, and when his fingers stroked a certain port under the seat, he used his body as cover and gently inserted the USB drive.

Click.

A faint interlocking sound came from the port.

55: "Data transmission initiated. Attempting to hack into the ship's control system."

At the same time, Lin You pointed at the dashboard to attract their attention, using his voice to cover up the mechanical click. "Major General Lenon, I'm very interested in aircraft. Tell me about its structure."

"...Alright."

Male Zergs generally had no interest in these things. Hearing the Third Prince ask this, Lenon raised an eyebrow in surprise, but still began to explain.

He sat down in the co-pilot seat, turning sideways to teach Lin You how to fiddle with the buttons, his expression patient and meticulous. "This is the master control for the millimeter-wave radar, used to detect and locate enemy ships or turbulent cosmic rocks. This one..."

Lin You's gaze followed him, seemingly listening intently, but his mind was actually wandering, his thoughts drifting off to who knows where.

He recognized these things.

In the military's simulation system, Lenon had also taught him how to pilot an aircraft like this, over and over again, without ever getting tired of it.

Although Lin You had never touched the real thing, his points in the simulation system had long reached the top ranks, slightly lower than Lenon's but not inferior to any Military Female Zerg below the rank of field officer.

Just as the explanation for the first row of buttons finished, 55 softly said, "Host, transmission complete."

Lin You gave a slight nod and, using his body as cover, slipped the USB drive into his pocket.

Lenon's gaze imperceptibly swept past his wrist, his brow twitching slightly, but he didn't say anything.

The cockpit fell quiet.

Devon raised his hand to check his watch and said softly, "Major General, we should get going."

Lenon: "Mhm..."

Lin You lowered his eyes. "Then I'll head down first."

He was feeling a bit sad and had to lower his eyes to hide it.

"Wait, Little Highness."

With a smile in his eyes, Lenon suddenly grabbed him, forcefully pulling Lin You right in front of him.

It was a movement that was neither gentlemanly nor elegant. It went against the ancestral teachings of the Colette Family and was even less appropriate to use on a Highness. In the first twenty-plus years of his life, Lenon had never done such a rough action, yet he did it now.

Lenon said, "Little Highness, I've overstepped. Please forgive me."

He spoke of overstepping, but his actions didn't stop. He reached out to clasp the back of Lin You's head, suddenly leaning in to exchange a deep, lingering kiss.

Lips and teeth pressed together. Lenon kissed forcefully and roughly, not letting go even when Lin You lightly bit his lower lip.

They kissed for an unknown amount of time. When the storm finally subsided, Lin You took a step back to steady himself before saying, "I don't forgive you."

He looked at Lenon quietly. "Major General, I am not a casual person. I won't easily forgive such an offense."

Lenon then burst into laughter. "Then what should I do to earn your forgiveness?"

"Come back." Lin You took a deep breath. "Come back completely in one piece."

Lenon smiled. "It's a promise."

He turned and walked deeper into the ship.

As Lin You stepped off the ship, the eastern sky was just beginning to show the pale white of dawn. In front of him, the massive iron-gray creation ignited and started up, a ring of blue-purple flames shooting from the thrusters. Lenon walked to the glass window and waved at Lin You, revealing a smile.

This smile wasn't a social, hypocritical one, but a genuine, radiant, and uninhibited smile. At this moment, Lenon seemed to have shed all his shackles. He was no longer the well-bred eldest son of his family, nor the Major General of the Third Legion who needed to disguise himself carefully. He was simply himself.

Lenon mouthed, "Goodbye."

The aircraft gradually grew smaller in sight, becoming a blurry, invisible little dot.

Lin You watched him disappear into the sky above.

He returned to the prince's residence and shut the study door. 55 chimed in at the perfect time, "The sharing system has been activated for you."

The screen unrolled like a scroll. A reddish-gold sun emerged at the edge of his vision, rose-red filling his sight as the sea of clouds churned along with it.

55: "They are just passing through the troposphere."

In the shared footage, the ship passed through the troposphere and stratosphere, finally breaking free from the gravitational pull of the Capital Star. They sailed through the boundless universe for several days and nights, passing by the Zerg's prosperous or desolate planets, and finally stopped at the border of Zone 35.

The border troops of the Third Legion were stationed here.

Lenon and Devon stopped here. They restocked their supplies, replenishing the consumed food, water, and fuel, and then stayed on this planet for one night.

This was the frontier of the Empire. Further out was the unexplored and undeveloped universe, a breeding ground for black markets and rampant space pirates. Yet, the defense here was surprisingly weak. Only remnants of the Third Legion were stationed here, not even enough to form a complete company.

The leader of the garrison was a lame, one-eyed old man. Wearing the uniform of the Third Legion and leaning on a crutch, his empty trouser leg was tied up with a tattered cloth. He bowed to Lenon, "Major General."

Lenon supported him. "Abel, have you been doing well lately?"

Abel smiled. "I'm alright. The phantom limb hurts occasionally... It's just that in this backwater place, the alcohol is all undistilled, poor-quality liquor. With no merchant ships coming through, we can't even get a sip of good booze."

Lenon then took out a case of liquor from the aircraft—produced on the Main Star, mellow in taste, and worth its weight in gold. He handed it to Abel. "Try this."

Lin You's gaze fell on Abel's right chest, where several badges were pinned. Although rusted and peeling paint, the past glory was still faintly visible.

55 said, "This is a field officer."

It skillfully pulled up Abel's file. "Abel, Colonel of the Third Legion, graduated from the Imperial First Military Academy. During the battle for Zone 35, he suffered severe injuries due to a pheromone disorder. He should have retired, but chose to stay and patrol Zone 35 to protect it."

Lin You: "Pheromone disorder?"

He had read the relevant documents. During the battle for Zone 35, the pheromone reserves of the Third Legion garrison had been replaced on a large scale with black-market concoctions. This act directly led to the battle ending in a pyrrhic victory, with countless casualties.

As for why pheromone reserves, a strategic resource, were so easily replaced, and why no one was held accountable for such a massive blunder afterward—all these matters remained unknown to anyone.

The various truths behind this tragic battle, just like those innocent non-commissioned officers who had died, were completely erased.

Lenon and Abel drank together all night on the barren planet.

The barren planet received almost no sunlight, remaining pitch-black all day. Violent ionizing radiation painted cool-toned auroras across the sky, and nighttime temperatures dropped as low as negative 70 degrees. After one night, their brows were covered in frost. The Major General's azure eyes were terrifyingly cold, even colder than the permanently frozen soil of Zone 35.

Finishing the last sip from his flask, Abel smiled bitterly. "Such good liquor, it's a pity they will never get to drink it."

Lenon patted Abel's shoulder. "Don't worry, I'm going to deliver it to them right now."

He paused, then smiled again. "Along with the sacrificial offerings."

Early the next morning, Devon stayed behind at the base, while Lenon piloted the aircraft alone, leaving the frontier.

Lin You's gaze followed Lenon, watching him fly across the border and plunge straight into the vast, boundless universe.

When passing by a certain massive planet, he began to decelerate.

55: "That is the so-called 'Graveyard'."

This planet was accompanied by a massive reddish-gold planetary ring. Countless sharp rocks rose, fell, and rotated with the gravitational tides, forming a natural barrier for the planet. It warned all aircraft to approach with caution; the steel that the Zerg took pride in was vulnerable before these high-speed rocks and could be torn to pieces at any moment.

Lenon started the aircraft, rotating along with the planetary ring.

He engaged autopilot and stood before the floor-to-ceiling window, gazing absentmindedly at the ring.

Within these magnificent colors lay buried the countless bones of those who could never return home.

Lenon stayed parked here for three days.

During these three days, he released small drones, sending them toward the planetary ring. Every drone was fully loaded with liquor. He occasionally returned to the base to resupply, but mostly, he just stayed right here.

Neither advancing, nor retreating.

Lin You asked, "Is he waiting for something?"

Lenon was indeed waiting. He frequently checked the navigation and cleaned his gun, until one morning, Lin You suddenly stood up in shock.

Outside the floor-to-ceiling window on the screen, a massive expanse of black had appeared.