Evening.
Jiang He, in a very good mood, was holding Ju Jian Hui's hand as they returned to their small villa. The TPC communicator he had received earlier suddenly rang.
"Dr. Jiang He, I apologize for disturbing you so late, but there's an urgent matter that I need to consult with you about." Zei's figure appeared on the screen.
His face bore a clear look of seriousness and urgency.
This caught Jiang He a bit off guard. He couldn't blame Ju Jian Hui for withdrawing her hand when the communicator rang.
He simply nodded and asked, "What is it?"
"In the ancient relic data you've studied, have you come across any mention of this type of spaceship, or the origin of this symbol on it?" Zei gestured towards Nori in the background of the command center.
Soon, Jiang He saw a new screen appear on the communicator, alongside Zei's image.
It showed a spaceship shaped like a pencil tip, hurtling towards the Delta Space Station.
There were faint blue sparks flickering on the pencil tip, as if something was malfunctioning.
"The malicious alien race, the Rechu-ran Star People." Seeing this image, Jiang He instantly understood the situation.
A despicable alien race that would readily abandon their wives, children, and comrades for their own survival.
But their technology seemed pretty good...
"Malicious aliens? The Rechu-ran Star People?" Ju Jian Hui questioned, "Does that mean they're here to invade?!"
On the other side of the communicator, in the command center, Zei and the others also frowned with concern.
The mere label of "malicious aliens" was enough to raise their guard.
"While I can't be entirely certain, based on some records I saw in a super ancient relic, this pencil tip-shaped spacecraft seems to belong to the Rechu-ran Star People, the fourth planet in the Nemesis Nebula. Their reputation isn't very good, it seems."
Jiang He didn't definitively confirm anything.
He could claim to have seen records of the Rechu-ran Star People's spacecraft in the super ancient relics, but he couldn't say for sure whether they were here to invade based on that alone.
"Alright, I understand. Thank you," Zei said.
"Just don't forget to pay me my fee," Jiang He said, closing the communicator after they knew what was going on.
"Things at the space station should be okay, right?" Ju Jian Hui looked at Jiang He with concern, having grasped the situation from their conversation.
It seemed a Rechu-ran Star People spaceship was about to collide with the Delta Space Station.
She could faintly see that little girl, Rina, looking dazed. Even when she was with Jiang He in the same living room, she hadn't paid any attention.
"Your Director Zei seems to have a plan in place. It should be fine," Jiang He naturally couldn't say there was a high chance of a small accident.
Seeing her worried expression, it was clear this powerful woman wanted to head back to the Victory Team headquarters. He wouldn't let that happen.
His strategy hadn't worked yesterday, but he planned to try a new one today.
"Hopefully," Ju Jian Hui felt a little relieved, calming down.
Then she heard Jiang He add with a cough, "Although there might be some unforeseen circumstances. If you're worried, I can rest in the master bedroom with you. You can ask me anything that comes up."
He looked at Ju Jian Hui with a serious expression.
"Then thank you, my thoughtful Anata-san. But I think I might be okay," Ju Jian Hui chuckled, glancing at him with a smile, speaking in a teasing tone.
"....." Jiang He.
He was starting to wonder if she was a legendary "plot breaker"?
.......
At the TPC Victory Team headquarters, in the command center.
"Is there any way to avoid the enemy spaceship?" Zei asked, looking towards the main screen, which was connected to the figure on the other side. The screen showed the situation at the Delta Space Station.
"The ship is traveling too fast, we can't avoid it in time," Space Station Commander Nanase shook his head solemnly. "It's estimated that the enemy spaceship will collide with the Delta Space Station in three minutes."
"We can't avoid it, there's no other choice." Zei sighed and gave the order, "Use the Baki-ru Cannon to blow up their ship."
Although Jiang He didn't definitively confirm that the Rechu-ran Star People were here to invade,
the term "malicious aliens" had already planted the seed in his mind to classify them as invading aliens.
Although this label didn't necessarily mean all Rechu-ran Star People were despicable, for the safety of the Delta Space Station, it was necessary.
"Wait a minute, what if they're not here to invade...!" Officer Nanase couldn't help but rush to stop him.
"Even if they aren't here to invade, the lives of 278 personnel at the space station are more important than anything else, Station Commander Nanase. Are you saying you want your over 200 subordinates to die because of your actions?!" Zei said sternly, an unusual sight for him.
"This..." Officer Nanase lowered his head, he couldn't bear the responsibility, nor did he have the right to decide the fate of his subordinates, so he finally agreed.
Someone beside him quickly connected to the space station's defense system and fired the Baki-ru Cannon.
But no one noticed that as the blue laser cannon launched from the space station, destroying the projectile-shaped spaceship,
a small, flat, elongated spacecraft quietly escaped from the rear of the main ship ahead of the explosion.