"Since she chose to abandon the ocean initially and focus entirely on interstellar colonization, she should bear the consequences."

"When the rebellion under the sea happens and resources are cut off, she’ll be the one to suffer!"

The system was rendered speechless by her righteous argument.

The light screen flickered a few times before finally falling silent.

But Selene Kane was not at all swayed by this soft approach.

She coldly stared into the void and ordered, "Stop with the sentimentality, and quickly open up a few hundred accounts to start the online battle."

"I want them to know what online hell really is."

The system replied weakly, "Alright~"

The next second, ghost accounts sprang up like mushrooms after rain, flooding into major forums and social platforms.

A uniform "Dragon Map" went viral.

It was a deep-sea dragonfish, entirely azure, with shimmering scales.

The accompanying text was even sharper: "You discriminate against Mermen? But you’ve never even seen a fraction of undersea civilization."

The Interstellar Beastmen who had never been exposed to deep-sea culture were dumbfounded.

They saw totemic creatures they had never encountered before and heard unfamiliar chanting languages.

Looking at those shocking photos of deep-sea relics, they began to question their own understanding.

Someone even left a comment in despair, "Have I traveled through time? Which ancient civilization is this?"

Some people were so harshly criticized that they nearly had a mental breakdown, directly uninstalling all their social software.

Seeing the screen filled with exploding haters, Selene Kane finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The smoldering fire in her chest was finally doused somewhat.

Just then, the sky suddenly emitted a sharp tearing sound.

Crack!

Immediately after, a small, silver-white spaceship silently slid out of a black hole.

Selene Kane’s heart skipped a beat, and she sprang up from the bed.

She dashed down the stairs barefoot, her slippers slapping against the floor.

In the yard, the rare flower bouquets sent by the Empress had yet to be tidied up.

The rich fragrance permeated the night breeze, sweet enough to intoxicate.

She threw herself into the flowers, regardless of whether they pricked her or whether the petals would mess up her hair.

Amidst that fragrance, she suddenly plunged into a familiar embrace.

Zane steadily caught her, his eyes gentle.

She lifted her face, smiling like a child who had just gotten candy.

"You’re finally back!"

Zane remained completely still, as immovable as a rock.

"I’m back."

"Selene, I’m back. I really am back."

The two embraced tightly in that boundless sea of flowers.

The surrounding wind seemed to quiet down, even the sunlight turned soft.

The air felt as if it was filled with an invisible sweetness.

The scene was so beautiful it didn’t seem real.

Lonely passersby inevitably blushed.

Behind the carved wooden window on the second floor, a figure stood silently.

Those were cold eyes, the pupils a rare green.

Long fingers slowly raised, gently tapping on the window frame.

The next second, the heavy curtain was yanked closed with a "swish."

The light vanished abruptly, plunging the room into darkness.

The green eyes vanished into the shadows, leaving no trace.

Zane seemed to sense something and suddenly looked up, his gaze precisely fixed on the closed window on the second floor.

Then, he bent down, his lips gently landing on hers.

The moment their lips touched, it felt as if a current coursed through their entire bodies.

Both trembled involuntarily.

Zane’s kiss was domineering and strong, filled with undeniable possessiveness; his arms tightened.

But Selene Kane was not one to shy away or retreat.

She looked up, refusing to back down, and stood on her tiptoes slightly.

The flower sea fell silent, the wind ceased, and even time seemed to forget to flow.

Until she finally ran out of breath, chest heaving and face slightly flushed.

Only then did Zane slowly release her.

He continued to hold her tightly in his embrace, forehead against hers, his rough breathing on her face.

He buried his face lightly in her neck, his voice muffled.

"Don’t send me texts... I can’t understand them."

Selene was taken aback, her heart skipping a beat.

She finally realized why every time she sent audio messages, he always responded immediately, with urgency and concern.

Yet whenever she sent text, he took a long time, sometimes taking ages just to reply with a simple "Hmm."

She had thought he was too busy or in a bad mood, never considering... that this was the reason.

Could it be... he couldn’t read?

Suddenly, an absurd yet bittersweet thought popped into her mind.

Was he a "literary illiterate fish"?

Oceans and lands were ultimately two different worlds.

Fish born in the sea lived on instinct and intuition, with written words, language, and social rules being strange and distant concepts.

She had never considered that after he set foot on land alone, he would face not just a language barrier but a massive gulf in culture, understanding, and lifestyle.

"Alright, alright, don’t be sad."

She gently comforted, raising her hand to softly stroke Zane’s hair.

"Next time I’ll be careful, I won’t send texts again, okay? I’ll only send you audio messages; you can listen as many times as you like."

His black hair, which once constantly carried the salty smell of seawater, was now clean.

Her heart suddenly ached, her eyes becoming slightly warm.

She was so heartbroken she almost shed tears.

"Didn’t Caleb protect you?"

She had repeatedly instructed Caleb to take good care of Zane.

Zane chuckled lightly, the corners of his mouth lifting slightly.

He picked her up from the ground, lifting her so that her feet no longer touched the earth, firmly holding her in his arms.

"I don’t need his charity protection."

"Now no one dares to speak a word against me. Whoever doesn’t comply, I’ll fight them until they do."

"Who brought you back?"

She nestled into his embrace, asking softly, her eyes full of tenderness.

He looked down at her, his eyes suddenly filled with laughter.

"I brought myself back."

Operating an interstellar spaceship isn’t simple.

Though the system has simplified the process as much as possible, integrating complex parameters and orbital calculations into the intelligent navigation module.

But when it comes to actual control, mechanical commands alone aren’t enough.

This sort of high-intensity mental burden is enough to make an ordinary person faint on the spot.

Were it not for this, interstellar civilization would have long phased out manually operated spacecraft.

After all, automation and AI technology are sufficiently advanced.

But in the extreme scenario of interstellar jumps, the system still cannot fully replace a living being.

Meanwhile, the Beastman Populace’s spiritual power is always viewed as a scarce resource.

They’re naturally strong, but their spiritual recovery is slow.

Overuse could lead to nervous breakdowns or even mental collapse.

Because of this, unless truly at a life-and-death impasse with no alternatives.

Who would easily resort to using such high-consumption, high-risk tools like spaceships?

The door slowly opened, revealing a spiral staircase leading to the basement.

They entered the basement.

Zane gently placed her on a dry platform, his movements cautious.

He bent down, his thin lips lightly brushing her forehead.

"Wait for me."