"I told you he was lying."
Natarle's tone was calm, though her fingertip turned pale as she jabbed forcefully at the shuttle ticket machine's screen.
[Warning: Selected spaceship does not permit boarding. Please contact crew members or enter exclusive invitation code for verification.]
"That's odd... Does he actually know someone aboard?" Olivia first wore a thoughtful expression, then broke into a gossipy grin. "Maybe meeting a little girlfriend?"
Williams and Natarle: "..."
"Natarle, why aren't you anxious?"
"Why should I be?" She looked genuinely puzzled until realization dawned seconds later, pink flooding her cheeks. "Ridiculous! We're just friends."
"Sure, sure. Just friends," Olivia parroted dismissively before pivoting. "So are we still following your friend?"
"Yes!"
The instant reply made Natarle stomp away red-faced.
"Natarle and that boy aren't compatible. We're Atlantic Federation military, after all."
Williams had barely finished when Olivia stared blankly at him, rolled her eyes, and walked off shaking her head.
"What's that supposed to mean?" He hurried after.
The trio trailed Zhou Tianming to the shuttle boarding area, waiting briefly before embarking. From a dozen rows behind, they observed him pressing one hand to his ear while operating his phone with the other.
Too distant to overhear, Natarle edged closer stealthily until Williams pulled Olivia back. "You're too conspicuous—you'll get caught." Reluctantly, Olivia remained observing from afar.
Creeping within earshot, Natarle justified in a whisper: "Just practicing reconnaissance skills. Not eavesdropping!"
"White Rabbit! Are you disobeying me?" Tianming's stern voice carried. "I warned you about playing with those artificial dumbasses! Keep this up and you'll turn into one!"
"But Master, as you always say—their sweet talk and money-grubbing ways perfectly mirror your youthful—"
"Enough!" Tianming cut in with an awkward chuckle. "Those were jokes! Don't take them seriously."
His subsequent paternal lecturing left Natarle bewildered, yet somehow familiar. She glanced back at Williams—her father—then at Tianming, shaking her head vehemently.
"No way. Absolutely impossible."
The shuttle's gentle vibrations signaled their ascent into cosmic space. Within minutes, an announcement echoed through the cabin.
[Zhou Tianming, please proceed to the shuttle exit. Your designated location has been reached.]
Unbuckling his seatbelt and floating up, Zhou Tianming pushed off the chair back and flew toward the exit.
Natarle and her parents either crouched low or turned away.
As Zhou Tianming passed through the central aisle, he caught a glimpse out of the corner of his eye and turned his head in midair, puzzled.
Why did their hairstyles and clothes look so much like Natarle's family?
What a coincidence?
Considering this shuttle was still heading to other spaceships, Zhou Tianming simply thought it was fate bringing them together.
Afraid of being caught for not going to find his mother, he quickly turned and headed for the exit.
Behind him, a figure followed.
At this moment, the shuttle was positioned near a small door at the left rear of the Black Tortoise, directly connected to the warehouse. A folded passage extended from the shuttle and attached itself to the Black Tortoise's door.
"White Rabbit, open the hatch."
The hatch on the Black Tortoise side opened in response, and Zhou Tianming grabbed the handle on the side of the passage, propelling himself forward.
Entering the hatch: "Close the door and prepare for pressurization."
Just before the hatch closed, a figure lunged inside.
Startled, Zhou Tianming reacted instantly, raising his hand to grab the figure.
But the figure countered, seizing Zhou Tianming's wrist and twisting it.
Zhou Tianming pivoted midair, dissipating the twisting force, and as his left foot touched the ground, his right foot snapped up, aiming for the figure's abdomen.
Just before impact, he recognized the person and tried to pull back, but it was too late—his foot still struck Natarle in the stomach.
In that split second, Natarle dropped her arms to block her abdomen, sending her floating backward until her back hit the closed hatch.
"Are you okay?" Zhou Tianming hurried forward to check.
Floating in the air, Natarle shook her arm. "You're surprisingly skilled. No wonder your mother dared to let you out alone."
Seeing she was unharmed, Zhou Tianming frowned. "Ms. Badgiruel, were you following me?"
Natarle remained expressionless, replying matter-of-factly, "I wasn't following you. I just came to ask for your contact information."
"That's still following me," he retorted, rolling his eyes. "White Rabbit, open the hatch and let Badgiruel leave."
No sooner had he spoken than White Rabbit replied, "The shuttle's passage has already retracted. Should I re-establish contact?"
"No need!"
"Yes, we need it!"
"Stand by, attempting connection."
"I'll pay!"
"Connection terminated. Please proceed with payment."
Zhou Tianming's eyes widened. "White Rabbit! I told you not to hang around with those unmanned cars! Just wait—I'm going to reprogram you!"
As the cabin pressure equalized with the ship's interior, the inner hatch opened, revealing a 50-centimeter-tall white humanoid rabbit wearing a green military cap, with a red number "1" printed on its left chest.
It walked up to Natarle and held up a QR code sign hanging from its neck. "Please proceed with payment."
Natarle took out her purple phone and scanned the code. "How much should I pay?"
Zhou Tianming facepalmed. "You're seriously paying?"
...
Meanwhile, after the shuttle had moved some distance away, Olivia and Williams realized Natarle was missing. Putting two and two together, they knew exactly where she'd gone.
Williams took out his phone and called her.
The call connected—
"Did you board that spaceship?" Williams' tone was stern. "As a military cadet, disregarding regulations and trespassing into restricted areas is a serious violation!"
"..." Natarle said, "I'll accept punishment and additional training when I return."
"Good." Williams nodded in satisfaction. "What's the situation over there?"
"Zhou Tianming knows people on the ship. Since we're already aboard, I plan to finish the tour before returning."
"Hand the phone to Zhou Tianming."
A moment later: "Uncle Williams, I didn't expect you to be tracking me."
Williams choked slightly, coughing twice in embarrassment: "My apologies."
With a thought, his Mental Power exceeding 400 detected no signs of danger.
"Never mind, it's not a big deal anyway."
"Thank you. Would it be convenient for Natarle to tour the spaceship? If not, we'll pick her up immediately after disembarking."
Inside the Black Tortoise.
Zhou Tianming glanced at Natarle following behind White Rabbit No.1 and sighed: "Since you're already here, I'll inform the crew."
After hanging up, Zhou Tianming input his phone number before walking over to hand it to her: "Miss Badgiruel, your phone."
Taking the phone, Natarle glanced at it and nodded.
Looking around, she asked: "May I tour this ship? It appears to be a custom model."
"Come on, I'll show you around."
With that, Zhou Tianming walked ahead while Natarle followed.
"Don't you need to inform the crew?" As she spoke, her gaze drifted toward White Rabbit No.1.
"No need." Zhou Tianming's tone carried pride. "This is a fully automated spaceship. I'm the owner."
"I see." Natarle remained expressionless, though with a hint of envy.
Seeing Natarle's calm demeanor, Zhou Tianming felt somewhat frustrated.
Truthfully, he disliked people who made a fuss over everything, but sometimes he wished someone would react more enthusiastically.
"White Rabbit, cancel the test plan and stand by."
Then, turning to Natarle: "Come, let me show you my ship."