Han Yanyan was no longer frail. Having spent decades as a martial artist, certain instincts were ingrained in her bones. Although her current body couldn't compare to the formidable physique of a matriarch in a mecha world—lacking in speed and strength—her skills were nonetheless impressive.
Leo had been slightly turned towards her, completely unprepared for her sudden pounce. Being a homebound recluse, he froze in shock, unable to react, and remained motionless. Han Yanyan tackled him to the ground, thrusting a sharp piece of glass towards his carotid artery.
A glimmer of light flashed across Leo's body, and the glass in Han Yanyan's hand failed to pierce his artery. Instead, it slipped away.
Leo hit the ground with a bang, and the pain snapped him back to his senses. Seeing Han Yanyan raise the sharp glass again, ready to stab, he broke into a cold sweat and quickly grabbed her wrist.
“Han Yanyan! What the hell are you doing?” He grunted, forcefully throwing Han Yanyan off him.
The glass slipped from her hand as Leo rolled on top of her, pinning her wrists down tightly. “You crazy woman! What are you trying to do?”
Han Yanyan clenched her fists and struggled, only to find she couldn't break free. No matter how powerful she was in the world she came from, here she lacked mental strength, and mysteriously, her physical strength seemed less than Leo's.
Without hesitation, Han Yanyan kneed Leo hard between his legs.
The thin layer that occasionally shimmered over Leo’s body was actually an invisible bulletproof vest, designed primarily to resist firearms. Its protection was not well-suited for close combat. It assessed the threat based on physical shape and kinetic energy, determining whether to activate protection. Han Yanyan's earlier attempt to stab him was judged “highly dangerous” and thus was blocked. However, her knee strike to his groin was deemed “non-lethal” and didn’t trigger an effective defense.
Leo's eyes bulged from the knee strike, his mouth gaped like a dying fish, unable to make a sound. Han Yanyan headbutted, slamming into Leo’s nose, causing blood to spill down his face. The force of the blow knocked the already incapacitated Leo off her.
Han Yanyan flipped over, pinning Leo beneath her knee, grabbing his shoulders, a quick twist elicited a miserable scream from Leo. His arm was twisted behind his back, rendered powerless, accompanied by excruciating pain with every movement Han Yanyan made.
Leo shouted something loudly. Before Han Yanyan could react, a strike hit her back, leaving her paralyzed on the floor.
Struggling to turn her neck and eyes, she saw a small drone hovering in the room with its barrel pointing right at her.
“Damn…” Leo squeezed these words through clenched teeth. Clutching his groin, his nose streaming with blood, and enduring the excruciating pain in his shoulder joint, Leo relied only on his legs to shuffle back until he reached the bed, gasping in agony.
Less than ten seconds had passed since Han Yanyan shattered the mirror. In just that short span, he had been turned from a healthy person into a wounded mess!
The officer had called her weak. Weak, my ass!
He must have been out of his mind to believe that military brute’s words and be brainwashed! The one redefining strong and weak should be him!
While mentally cursing the officer’s ancestors, Leo gasped, cursing Han Yanyan: “You insane woman… What the hell’s wrong with you!?”
Han Yanyan, fully paralyzed, barely managed to lift her face, glaring fiercely at him. “You lied to me! This isn’t ‘outside’, this is a simulated world!”
“Bullshit!” Leo, his face twisted in pain, cursed, “This is the real world!”
Han Yanyan didn’t believe him. “My body and appearance have changed!”
Leo, amused by her reason for doubt, snickered, “Country bumpkin! Ever heard of gene therapy? You used my specially formulated genetic enhancer! Don’t be oblivious to your own fortune!”
Han Yanyan paused, staring at Leo, who glared back venomously.
“So I... I’m really out?” she asked, disbelief evident in her voice.
“If this were a simulation, you think I’d let you beat me up like this?” Leo gritted his teeth. “I’d just set myself to invincible mode!”
Han Yanyan lost the anger and courage she had moments ago, letting herself collapse.
“I’m out! I’m out!” she cried and laughed simultaneously.
This woman had lost her mind!
If this were truly a simulated world, attacking or even killing him would be pointless. Her desperation to escape had driven her mad, stripping away all reason.
But she wasn’t... She was originally... A clever, calm, sensible woman.
When the aide had spoken of Han Yanyan’s despair, Leo hadn’t fully understood. But now, seeing her nearly driven insane from the desire to escape, he could inexplicably sense her despair.
For a rare moment, a sliver of pity surfaced in his heart—a pity mingled with a sense of control and superiority.
This shred of pity was soon washed away by waves of pain. Leo wondered if Han Yanyan’s strike had shattered his groin. He was filled with loathing.
Han Yanyan, who had always had a remarkable physique, now had no excess fat after gene optimization. Yet, despite her beauty exposed before him, his pain and discomfort drained any desire or sense of threat from her nudity. It was her martial prowess that threatened him more.
Knowing he couldn’t stand, Leo issued a command to the air. The ship’s central system responded immediately. Within a minute, the cabin door opened, and a floating metal platform glided in.
Lowering before Leo, he struggled onto it, hands clutching his groin, presenting a wretched sight. His nose still bled profusely, dribbling everywhere, mingling with glass shards, resulting in utter chaos.
“You’d better calm the hell down!” Leo snapped, “Act out again and I’ll put you back in the cryo-chamber!”
With that, the platform carried him smoothly out of the room.
Han Yanyan had stopped crying. Her eyes, glistening with tears, followed Leo’s departure, their depths as deep as pools of cold water.
As long as it was the real world. When Han Yanyan had noticed her scars disappearing, she had thought of gene therapy. But without testing it, she couldn’t be sure. Simulated worlds could be so real that distinguishing reality from illusion was impossible if the logic was consistent.
Unfortunately, she hadn’t managed to kill Leo Pike. She should have known, people like him—who manipulated others’ fates from behind a screen—often feared for their own lives. As expected, he had protective measures.
The room door closed and then reopened as several cleaning robots glided in, heading towards the bloodstains and broken glass.
Han Yanyan, as her paralysis faded, propped herself up and crawled forward on her hands and knees…
In the bathroom, Han Yanyan showered, standing before the mirror to appraise herself.
She had always been a lovely woman, though her best years had passed. Leo's genetic enhancer didn’t just enhance her beauty, bringing her closer to the golden ratio, it also granted her renewed youthfulness.
Looking in the mirror, Han Yanyan saw a beauty Leo had refused to give her in the world, now afforded to her outside of it.
But the beauty in the mirror wore a round metal collar on her neck, resembling a dog's collar, quite incongruent.
She had emerged from the cryo-chamber completely naked, and when she regained consciousness, she was bare. Leo hadn’t even given her clothes, yet had adorned her with this dog collar. It wasn’t hard to guess it wasn’t anything good.
Han Yanyan touched it; the metal collar fit snugly against her neck. Leaning close to the mirror, she squinted and tried to pry it off with brute force.
Suddenly, her neck throbbed with pain, a chilling weakness spreading through her body. Han Yanyan collapsed against the sink.
Suppressant!
“Han Yanyan! What did you do?” Leo's voice came through the internal communicator. “You triggered an alarm. Did you mess with that injector on your neck? I'm telling you, it's filled with high-concentration suppressant. If you leave it alone, it injects a constant dose. Tamper with it, and it doubles the dosage. Think twice before acting.”
After a pause, he added, “This is military-grade, used to control prisoners. Don’t even think about breaking it. Hmph!”
As the cold sensation receded from her body, Han Yanyan regained the strength to stand. Suppressants could suppress spiritual power and induce weakness.
Leo’s measures were foolproof. He was an extremely cautious person.
It would be troublesome, she thought. The details weren’t mentioned in "Leo's Chronicles."
She donned the dress and shoes Leo had prepared for her and sat quietly in the room for a while.
During her bath, the room had been fully cleaned, even the mirror on the desk wall replaced. Han Yanyan sat quietly by the bed, yet Leo failed to reappear.
She lifted her head, calling into the air, “Leo? Leo?”
There was no answer from Leo, but the main system of the ship responded, “Han Yanyan, do you have any requests?”
Han Yanyan replied, “I’m hungry.”
The system answered, “Please wait a moment.”
After a short wait, Leo’s voice came through, “Follow the green light.”
The cabin door opened and Han Yanyan stepped out, following the green guiding lights on the floor to reach the dining area.
The dining room was smaller than she expected, even less spacious than typical ship dining areas. Familiar with ships from the mecha world, Han Yanyan could tell this dining area had been remodeled. The room only had one table.
Leo Pike clearly didn’t intend to dine or live with others. He was someone prepared to live in isolation for life.
“What do you want to eat?” Leo asked.
He wore a dress shirt, his hair slightly disheveled. Though his nose had stopped bleeding, it bore visible marks. Now that she was face-to-face with him, Han Yanyan realized he was taller and more solid than she had expected. No wonder when he’d pinned her arms, she couldn’t break free.
For the first time, Han Yanyan calmly scrutinized him, making Leo uncomfortable.
Tech geeks who were keyboard warriors online could hardly utter a word on a real-life date with a girl.
Fortunately, after being beaten by Han Yanyan, Leo no longer felt nervous around her as a romantic prospect; at least, he wasn’t stammering like before. He pulled a virtual screen from the air, flipping it before Han Yanyan. “Look for what you want to eat.”
Han Yanyan pulled out a chair and sat, paging through the menu while asking, “I was out for half a month? Surviving on nutrient fluids?”
Leo snorted, pulling out a chair for himself and sitting. “Nutrient fluids are nothing. The cryo-chamber was filled with my custom body cultivation solution. Meeting me is like hitting the jackpot for you.”
Ignoring his exaggerated self-praise, Han Yanyan picked something resembling steak and selected a few other dishes.
Closing the menu, she asked him directly, “Will there be more meals after this one?”
“Depends on your behavior.” Leo smirked.
Having taken a beating, Leo wasn’t afraid of her anymore. Her spiritual power was suppressed by the collar on her neck; her physical strength seemed less than his. Despite her combat skills, he was the master of this ship, with defenses and weapon systems in place everywhere.
In this moment, it was clear he held the upper hand.
The food was promptly served by a robot. The dish that looked like steak was certainly not beef; it was some sort of meat, well-cooked though not particularly flavorful. Like a poor chef had butchered a fine ingredient. Considering Leo’s lone-wolf lifestyle, Han Yanyan guessed these were appliance-made meals—a reason for the mediocre taste.
Even alcohol was on her menu, for what was meat without a drink? Not knowing if another meal would come after this one meant this could be her last chance to eat well.
Han Yanyan showed an urgency to enjoy herself.
Seeing this, Leo was pleased. He chewed meat in big bites. Compared to Han Yanyan, who had the manners of a lady from two worlds, his table manners were extremely poor, worse than someone like Yao Chen, a faux high-society individual who crammed lessons in dining etiquette. Han Yanyan, with her strict eye as a former lady, could easily identify over ten breaches of etiquette.
But she remained indifferent, sipping wine and showing no interest in him at all.
Finally full, Leo felt a satisfaction he hadn’t experienced in a long time, sitting properly at a dining table instead of eating wherever suited him, or downing a custom nutrient mix in lieu of meals. He wasn’t sentimental about food, clothing, or dwelling; not so given to desires.
“Here’s the deal.” Leo dabbed his mouth with a napkin, threw it aside, and rapped the table. “If you don’t act crazy again, I’ll let you stay out for a while. Once you're rested, back to work.”
Han Yanyan asked, “And that illustrious noble duke? Isn’t his hold on your life? Where is he? Last I saw he was around. Where’d he go?”
“He left. In your current state, with work out of the question, why would he stay?” Leo replied.
“Left?” Han Yanyan was baffled.
Mentioning the caretaker, Leo’s expression turned sour. He pointed outside. “There.”
Following his gesture, Han Yanyan saw only the wall’s porthole. She hesitated briefly, then stood, walking to the window to peer out.
The universe stretched quietly beyond, dark and vast, stars flickering, nebulae colored vibrant hues. Through this small window, Han Yanyan saw Leo’s ship was entirely surrounded, top to bottom, left and right, by a war fleet.
Black battleships lay still, reflecting the distant starlight in silence. Their lethal intent filled the vast expanse. An experienced fleet, tempered by conflict. What kind of person commanded such power?
The answer was clear.
Duke Yao Carland.