Ian Sullivan and the other children still had tense expressions. The earlier unease in their eyes was gone, replaced by sheer terror.

Each of them was tightly clutching at each other’s clothes.

They sat there, almost completely still, their eyes darting around while their lips were pressed into tight lines.

Looking at Ian Sullivan and the others, the few who knew what had happened couldn’t help but feel sorry for them.

After a long, tense silence, the children immediately jumped off the sofa when they heard Director Quinn announce that they had arrived.

"Are my mom and dad here?" Mason Sullivan was the first to press his face against the window and look out. Unexpectedly, there were no starship fragments or anything else to be seen; it was as calm as if nothing had happened.

Director Quinn looked at Ian Sullivan beside him and asked, "Are you sure this is the place?"

Ian Sullivan nodded. "My mom told me the coordinates. There’s no mistake."

She had been repeating the coordinates her mother gave her over and over in her mind.

Director Quinn looked at the scene outside and said, "From the looks of it, your father and the others were likely taken by the Interstellar Pirates."

Unlike escape pods, bodies jettisoned into space don’t go anywhere.

For a moment, Ian Sullivan didn’t know what expression to make. She was at a complete loss. If her father and the others had all been taken, how was she supposed to find them in the vastness of Interstellar Space?

She instinctively looked to the serious-looking man beside her.

’If I remember correctly, Erin Xavier and the others had just called him Director Quinn.’

’They’re teachers from the Federal Military Academy. They’re the most capable people in the Federation. They must have a way to help, right?’

Director Quinn pulled up the interstellar map and asked Nathan Lockwood, who was beside him, "Which planet in this area is the most likely destination for the Interstellar Pirates?"

Nathan Lockwood’s long, slender finger pointed to several small Gorbogs. "This area is quite remote, and it has three Gorbogs. They’re generally ignored."

"Two of them are heavily polluted. There shouldn’t be any humans living there."

Therefore, if there really were Interstellar Pirates, Nathan Lockwood was inclined to believe they were on the third planet.

This kind of Gorbog was generally outside of official jurisdiction. Even if it was incorporated into the Federation, if there was no one directly assigned to govern it, other problems would eventually arise.

But as long as things didn’t get out of hand, the authorities mostly turned a blind eye.

There were quite a few such Gorbogs in the Federation. With no resources and no strategic value, it was simply impossible to manage them all.

"However, we can’t find any other information on this planet." Unlike Planet B36, this planet only had an alphanumeric designation and its classification as a Gorbog. Nothing more.

"Usually, when they take people, it’s for money." As he looked at the azure screen, Nathan Lockwood continued, "If they kill them, the nature of the situation changes. So, her parents should be safe for now."

Director Quinn mulled this over. "If we go and negotiate, it will take about two to three days."

It would take one to two days just to get to that planetoid from here. Even if they pushed it and arrived within a day, they would still need to scout the local situation, negotiate with the enemy, or just steamroll them with Mecha—and for any of those options, they still had to find the right people first.

It would take three days, minimum.

But they had an arrangement to arrive at the Companion Star within seven days.

There wasn’t enough time.

Ian Sullivan saw the expressions on their faces—it looked like they didn’t want to get involved. She immediately dropped to her knees and grabbed Director Quinn’s pant leg. "Please, I’m begging you, save my mom and dad and my aunts and uncles!"

The moment she spoke, her voice thick with tears, the other two younger children also started crying.

When Mason Sullivan saw this, he also knelt and began to kowtow forcefully. "Please!"

Director Quinn grabbed Ian Sullivan’s arm to stop her. "It’s not that we won’t help. I will call people to handle this. I guarantee someone will be assigned to this case, I promise you."

’This little girl is too perceptive,’ he thought. ’Her ability to read people is frighteningly good.’

Of course Ian Sullivan knew this group had their own urgent business. She understood all that, but waiting was truly the most torturous thing in the world.

Especially when her parents’ fate—whether they were alive or dead—was still unknown.

She didn’t dare to gamble—gamble on her parents still being okay by the time the people Director Quinn called finally arrived, on them not having suffered some other "accident." The moment she thought of the beatings and torture her parents might be enduring, she couldn’t let go of the lifeline right in front of her.

She knew she was being very impolite, but she couldn’t afford to care about that now.

She forced herself to her knees again and began kowtowing alongside Mason Sullivan. "Please, I’m begging you, please save my family."

’The little girl has latched onto us and won’t let go,’ Director Quinn thought.

Director Quinn forcefully pulled Ian Sullivan and Mason Sullivan to their feet, holding them so they couldn’t kneel again.

"Stop kowtowing."

He met the little girl’s stubborn eyes and sighed softly. "I never said we wouldn’t save them. But even if we go rescue your parents ourselves, it will take time."

"I will contact the police department, and I will go with them to check it out."

Only after he said this did Ian Sullivan’s crying finally subside.

Then, right in front of Ian Sullivan, Director Quinn made the call. The police department, which had originally been unconcerned, immediately agreed to the request after hearing Director Quinn’s title.

There was no helping it. Ordinarily, in terms of administrative hierarchy, neither side could compel the other.

But right now, the Federal Military Academy was in the spotlight. Everyone knew about Miles Sherman’s team. Upon hearing that Miles and his people were on the starship, even those guarding the dull assignment on the chaotic magnetic field orbit grew restless.

A tiresome job that no one usually wanted suddenly had volunteers.

And the media, which had been silent, smelled a story and tagged along behind the police department.

Miles Sherman and his team knew nothing about all this.

Meanwhile, just in case, Director Quinn contacted the First Military Academy and explained the situation to another group of teachers from their school.

After learning that Director Quinn’s group had run into trouble, the First Military Academy expressed their understanding and said they could postpone their meeting for a few more days.

Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.

Soon, Director Quinn’s group arrived at the Gorbog that Nathan Lockwood had pinpointed.

Director Quinn surveyed their surroundings and gave a direct order: "Miles Sherman, the team will come with me, except for Zoe Pierce."

He looked at Ryan Jacobs. "The Starship is in your hands. When the police department arrives, you’ll be in charge of the handover."

Mr. Troy and Teacher Reid both stayed on the Starship, as did the four children.

"Maintain contact." It was a Gorbog, after all, and Interstellar Pirates were involved. They had only a small number of people. Even with absolute confidence in their Combat Power, Director Quinn wasn’t about to be overconfident; he kept this backup plan in place.

Ryan Jacobs and the others would provide support from outside the planet, a coordinated effort from both inside and out. This way, even if something went wrong, they wouldn’t be left without a path of retreat.

And based on the distance, the closest police contingent was about a day away from arriving.

After giving his instructions, Director Quinn left the Starship with four people, piloting their Mecha toward Planet F187.

Zoe Pierce checked the team’s group chat on her Intelligent Brain. Nathan Lockwood and the others were streaming a live feed in the team’s private channel. Although they hadn’t said anything, Zoe Pierce understood it was meant specifically for her.