After they retreated from the Domino System, the Alderaanian forces made no further moves. Jiang Fei took this chance and had the girls continue their training on Turandot.

“Did they give up?”

Jiang Fei failed to understand the circumstances, but he could not be bothered by it. In fact, it would be better if no one else bothered him either. His main priority was to monitor the people from the Gamma Dimension, while his secondary priority was to train the girls to be strong.

One fine day, Jiang Fei was in his room meditating. As soon as he reached a state of perfect calm, a shadowy silhouette appeared in front of him and Velon voice’s rang in his ears. Unlike his usual, monotone manner, Velon sounded almost desperate this time.

“Jiang Fei, fate is in your hands but you have to go out there and seize it. Go to Zwela soon or you will regret it dearly.”

“Huh?”

As Velon’s voice faded, Jiang Fei immediately snapped out of his meditative state.

“The hell… was I dreaming?”

Jiang Fei immediately dismissed that notion. At this point in his life, after experiencing so many things, someone appearing as a ghost would be as real as breathing.

“Was it really Velon?” muttered Jiang Fei.

So far, the only way he had appeared in front of Jiang Fei was by possessing another weaker being, typically one with a lower combat level. If that was the case, why would Velon appear as a metaphysical being?

“What does he mean by fate? Why would he want me to go to Zwela that badly?”

As much as Jiang Fei wanted to go there himself, there was no viable method currently available! Plus, without him taking care of them from the outside, the girls were vulnerable. All in all, the conditions and requirements for him to go Zwela proved to be too much for Jiang Fei right now.

Many other thoughts suddenly rose up in his mind. Who was Velon? Why would a Watcher like him help Jiang Fei? What was a Watcher in the first place?

Shaking his head hard, Jiang Fei forced himself to focus on what was in front of him. However, no matter how much he tried to forget about it, Velon’s latest message was planted deep into his mind. No matter how many times he tried to get it out of his head, it would return again.

…

Two weeks after the Alderaanian forces retreated, all the girls showed tremendous results from their training. In total, they had spent close to one month in training, which was equivalent to almost two and a half years in the real world. Even though they showed good results, they hadn’t managed to reach the standards Jiang Fei was hoping for.

Today, Jiang Fei ventured to the training grounds, but before he could enter the chamber, 0541 spoke to him.

“Captain, I’ve just received an encrypted message…”

“Who sent it?”

“I’ve decrypted the message and it seems that this message is meant for you,” said 0541, his tone suggesting surprise and mild curiosity.

Jiang Fei rolled his eyes. “Why would a message be encrypted if it was meant for me?”

If someone was able to contact him, it was because they had already been given codes and encrypted channels for them to do so. This extra layer of security was uncalled for. Or perhaps it was meant to hide something else…

0541 insisted again, “Captain, I seriously think this is for you. Only you.”

Jiang Fei groaned. “Stop playing games and get to the point! Sheesh!”

“It’s a call for help from… Alderaan? Odd. It seems… oh. It’s the ice queen, Aurelia! She’s asking you to save her!” said 0541, holding back a scoff.

“Aurelia? Who’s that? Why would she ask me for help?” asked Jiang Fei, utterly confused.

“I say, Captain. You mustn’t ignore the plea of a woman whom you’ve ‘toyed’ with!” spat 0541.

“Huh? Since when have I toyed with a woman? Do you think I’m not afraid of Isabella?”

0541 sighed in exasperation. “Ugh… I should be more direct. You can’t just flirt with a woman and not take responsibility! Fortunately, I have footage of you doing just that!”

0541 played footage of Umbral Jiang Fei toying with the frozen Commander Aurelia two weeks ago.

Jiang Fei gasped. “That’s the Fleet Commander of the Alderaan forces?!”

He had not been himself when they met. Even though he watched the footage, it was nothing but a fleeting memory, since it was not important to him.

0541 bragged, “Correct. The famous Aurelia. Her beauty and strength are top notch!”

“So what? Why would she ask me to help her if she was so strong?”

“Perhaps you should watch the message before making a decision,” said 0541, playing it for Jiang Fei.

“I don’t know your name, but I know that you’re the only person who can save me. Help me. Take me away. You are my only hope.”

As seen in the footage, Aurelia was not herself at all. Unlike her usual stoic appearance, she was desperate. That was the entire content of the encrypted message. Without context, Jiang Fei couldn’t make sense of it.

“What will you do now, Captain?”

“Nothing,” said Jiang Fei.

He quickly pushed this entire matter to the back of his mind. Jiang Fei did not care about the rescue request for many reasons. First of all, he had not been himself when he assaulted the poor woman. Secondly, and incidentally the most important reason, he didn’t know Aurelia well enough.

Who or what she was didn’t matter to him. For all Jiang Fei knew, she could be attempting a kidnapping, and he would be playing right into her hands. Despite watching the call itself, Jiang Fei wasn’t bothered in the slightest, not even by the sight of Aurelia crying her eyes out.

Sitting on the floor cross-legged, Jiang Fei resumed his meditation. A short while later, barely a minute into his state of perfect calm, his eyes snapped open.

“What a drag. He may not care for you, but I am not a person who would let harm befall a woman I like!” said Jiang Fei.

His eyes were now completely black. Darkness enveloped his entire being as he slowly walked out of his room.

When he reached the bridge, he ordered, “Prepare a shuttle craft for me!”

“Yes, my master!” cried all the crew members.

Their eyes glowed with a hint of dark light. They were now once again mesmerized by Umbral Jiang Fei.

Kaa’Ina, who was also at the bridge, slithered to his side. “My master, what has gotten into you?”

“Nothing! I’m feeling great!” bellowed Jiang Fei.

He grabbed Kaa’Ina by her slender waist and planted a passionate kiss on her cherry lips.