TCPUAAV Chapter 24

 

After the defense system was successfully installed, Ruan Shiqing used the leftover materials to make a Blue Star shaped necklace for each of the cubs.

 

The pendant, a deep-space blue planet no larger than a thumbnail, was strung on black leather cords. Simple yet elegant, the necklaces suited the little ones perfectly.

 

But only Ruan Shiqing knew that inside the pendant was a micro-tracking device. Connected to the defense system, it remained inactive under normal circumstances but could be remotely activated when needed. The tracking range was precise down to a single square centimeter.

 

This precaution was in case anyone targeted the cubs again. If something similar to the dragon cub’s situation occurred, Ruan Shiqing would be able to find them as long as they remained on the planet.

 

“Don’t take these off. Got it?” Ruan Shiqing instructed as he fastened the necklace around Rong Heng’s neck.

 

The leather cord and clasp were reinforced with special materials, making them exceptionally durable and nearly impossible to cut without specialized tools.

 

Rong Heng, unaccustomed to the sensation of the necklace around his neck, shook his head irritably. The crown prince frowned, pawing at the pendant with clear annoyance.

 

Why did he have to wear something meant for little kids?

 

But when he saw the boy solemnly placing a necklace around the dragon cub’s neck, Rong Heng hesitated. His paw froze mid-motion.

 

Fine. He would tolerate it for now and take it off once he left.

 

Unlike the reluctant crown prince, the mermaid and dragon cub were delighted with their gifts.

 

The dragon cub played excitedly with the pendant dangling on his thick neck, eyes wide with wonder.

 

“There’s something written on it!”

 

The cord was just the right length to circle his short, chubby neck, but this also made it difficult for him to see the pendant’s surface. He struggled, craning his neck and gripping the pendant, but he couldn’t make out the inscription.

 

Frustrated, he whirled in place. “Help me! What does it say?”

 

The little mermaid chuckled quietly and pointed to the water’s surface, gesturing for the dragon cub to look at his reflection.

 

The mermaid had already seen the initials engraved on his own pendant: RYB, standing for Ruan Yuebai.

 

Lowering his gaze to the rippling reflection in the water, he clasped his little blue planet tightly, as if he were holding a world of his very own.

 

*

 

Meanwhile, Nota lingered in the depths of the junkyard for several days.

 

During the day, she hid among the heaps of scrap metal, venturing out under the cover of moonlight to scavenge for valuable items.

 

The last of her nutritional supplements had been consumed the previous day. Licking her dry lips, she thought of the two labeled supplements she had hidden away. Feeling her empty stomach, she allowed herself a fleeting smile.

 

Dragging the scavenged parts back to her makeshift shelter, Nota caught her breath. She knew she had to leave soon and find food.

 

The items she had collected—a heat-dissipation valve, a control stick, and a lighting fixture—were meager. The junk dumped by a transport ship had already been thoroughly picked over during the day. By the time Nota emerged at night, there was little of value left.

 

Would these be enough for an apology? Probably not.

 

The little fox’s ears drooped, her once-vibrant tails hanging limp and dull. After a moment of self-reassurance, she mustered her courage, gathered the meager parts, and left the junkyard.

 

It took her twice as long to traverse the path to the outskirts of the junkyard compared to an adult. Her tattered clothing, scavenged from the rubbish, had been torn by sharp metal edges, and her fiery red fur was coated with dust, matted and lifeless.

 

Yet, as Nota neared the house she had dreamed of returning to, she stopped to meticulously dust off her clothes and fur. She straightened herself with a sense of ceremony before cautiously approaching the kitchen window.

 

But she was stopped three meters away.

 

An invisible barrier blocked her path. No matter how hard she tried, she couldn’t pass through.

 

Exhausted, Nota sank to the ground, staring blankly at the closed window.

 

She couldn’t get in.

 

It seemed the owner no longer wanted her trespassing on their home.

 

The little fox’s ears drooped with sorrow, her shadow stretching long under the moonlight. Transparent tears fell silently onto the ground beneath her.

 

Standing there for a long while, she finally wiped her face and turned to leave as dawn approached.

 

Before she left, she hesitated, then carefully placed the three parts she had scavenged outside the barrier.

 

She had done wrong, and even if the owner wouldn’t accept it, she had to apologize.

 

Nota returned to her so-called “home,” though calling it a home was a stretch.

 

It was a small space formed by intertwined vines, barely big enough to shelter her. It offered little protection from the elements but was close to the house she admired. Climbing high on the vines, she could see the house easily.

 

But she couldn’t stay here anymore.

 

Digging up the two hidden nutritional supplements, she tucked them away carefully. Though her stomach growled with hunger, she couldn’t bring herself to consume the meaningful supplements.

 

Scaling the vines, she took one last, long look at the house in the distance before turning to leave.

 

Overwhelmed by sadness and loss, Nota failed to notice the figures approaching from behind.

 

“Is it her?”

 

“Definitely.”

 

The figures, who had been tracking her for three days, exchanged glances. With ropes and a bag in hand, they closed in, forming a triangular trap around the little fox.

 

They had first spotted the nine-tailed fox cub at the junkyard, but her wariness and skill in hiding had kept them from acting. They’d feared she might escape if they made a hasty move.

 

Tonight, however, she had ventured out of the complex junkyard terrain.

 

When she approached the rumored repair shop, the group hesitated. After all, Endor and Carl’s fate was fresh in everyone’s minds, and none of them dared provoke the fierce ancient human who lived there.

 

But when they saw the little fox stopped by the protective barrier, they realized she was just a stray thief.

 

Relieved, they seized the opportunity to act as she let her guard down.

 

In the pale light of the two crescent moons, shadows intertwined briefly before scattering into the night.

 

The empty ground was silent once more, save for a single, abandoned tube of nutritional supplement lying in the dust.

 

On its label were four words:

 

“This is a gift.”

 

*

 

After the defense system was installed, the repair shop reopened for business.

 

This time, it wasn’t as deserted as before. Visitors started trickling in, inquiring about repair prices.

 

To save time and hassle, Ruan Shiqing created a standardized price list, detailing repair costs for common items and displaying it at the entrance. For anything not listed, pricing would be discussed based on the specifics.

 

This effectively filtered out those without genuine repair needs—people who were merely curious about the shop’s defense system or wanted to gauge Ruan Shiqing’s capabilities. With the price list prominently displayed, many casual visitors stopped coming.

 

Some, however, had legitimate reasons for seeking him out.

 

One such visitor was a refined-looking ancient human, about thirty years old, with a scholarly demeanor. He introduced himself as Shen Wuzhuo, saying, “I heard you helped Luther modify his hovercar. I was wondering if you might also repair land-speeders.”

 

Land-speeders, equipped with anti-gravity technology for hover travel, weren’t prohibitively expensive but weren’t a common mode of transport on this planet either. Only the relatively affluent—those doing well for themselves—used them.

 

Judging by the vehicle and Shen Wuzhuo’s attire, Ruan Shiqing guessed that he was among the few well-off ancient humans.

 

Logically, such a person wouldn’t have much interaction with someone like Luther.

 

“Do you know Luther?” Ruan Shiqing asked casually as he examined the land-speeder.

 

“We’ve met once or twice,” Shen Wuzhuo replied, accepting a glass of water from Xiong Fangfang. After a sip, he added, “Ancient humans are few and far between, and we’re physically weaker. We ought to look out for one another.”

 

More specifically, Shen Wuzhuo occasionally lent a hand to struggling compatriots.

 

Ruan Shiqing agreed wholeheartedly.

 

The relationship between individuals and their collective is one of mutual dependency. A lone individual’s achievements, no matter how impressive, are like fleeting fireflies in the dark—they can’t dispel the darkness alone. Similarly, the decline of an entire group isn’t something one person can reverse. Only by uniting everyone’s strength can the tide be turned.

 

When every individual becomes a tiny spark, those sparks can ignite a blazing fire.

 

Shen Wuzhuo was clearly someone who understood this well.

 

“No major issues—just an aging, cracked fuel line that needs replacing,” Ruan Shiqing said, his favorable impression of Shen Wuzhuo prompting him to add, “Material and labor costs come to 800 star coins, but I’ll give you a 10% discount.”

 

Shen Wuzhuo gratefully accepted the goodwill, transferring the payment and adding Ruan Shiqing as a contact.

 

Before leaving, he lowered the speeder’s window and casually remarked, “My boss, Marlin, is interested in that gun you made.”

 

Smart people know how to deliver subtle warnings. Waving goodbye, Shen Wuzhuo drove off.

 

Marlin?

 

The name gave Ruan Shiqing pause.

 

When he had first arrived on B3024, he had encountered South District boss Honick, who had coveted the Silver Falcon’s engine. To mislead him, Ruan Shiqing had implied that Marlin had already claimed it.

 

The resulting conflict had led to a fight between Honick and Marlin, leaving Honick dead and Marlin lightly injured.

 

Since then, Ruan Shiqing hadn’t followed Marlin’s activities closely but had overheard bits and pieces. After Honick’s death, the South District had faltered, and its new boss was too weak to hold the territory. The North District, under Marlin, had begun encroaching, with many South District residents moving north.

 

The two districts seemed on the verge of merging.

 

Ruan Shiqing hadn’t expected his energy blaster gun to catch Marlin’s attention.

 

Shen Wuzhuo’s warning suggested Marlin wasn’t planning any hostile moves for now. Even so, it was better to prepare in advance.

 

Rubbing his temples, Ruan Shiqing decided to sketch out a few new designs.

 

Just as he reached the workshop, he ran into 09, who was carrying a bundle of parts.

 

The robot’s display screen flashed with red light, and his voice carried a note of confusion. “Could someone have left these on purpose?”

 

“What is it?” Ruan Shiqing asked offhandedly.

 

“I found these three parts near the edge of the defense shield,” 09 said, showing the items in his arms. “They’re not valuable, but they were arranged neatly, like someone deliberately placed them there.”

 

He couldn’t fathom who would leave parts at such an inconspicuous location.

 

“The edge of the shield? Near where, exactly?” Ruan Shiqing stopped in his tracks and turned to face 09.

 

“By the kitchen,” 09 replied.

 

Could it be that nine-tailed fox cub?

 

The thought made Ruan Shiqing smack his forehead in frustration. “I’ve been so busy these past few days, I completely forgot.”

 

After the defense shield was activated, no one could enter without his permission. Forcible entry would trigger the alarm and an automatic response depending on the severity.

 

The little fox had often entered and exited through the kitchen window. She must have come to deliver parts again, only to be stopped by the barrier.

 

Ruan Shiqing instructed 09 to store the parts, then went to his workshop to review the defense system’s surveillance footage.

 

Rewinding the footage by seven hours, he spotted a small, red figure.

 

The screen showed a pretty little girl with fox ears atop her head and fiery red tails behind her. Her clothes were tattered and dirty, her once-sleek fur dull and dusty—evidence of hardship.

 

Dragging the parts toward the kitchen, she was stopped at the shield’s edge.

 

Confusion flickered across her face, but as realization dawned, her expression shifted to sadness.

 

Standing before the invisible barrier for a long time, she finally placed the parts down carefully and left.

 

Her ears drooped, and her tails hung low. Despite her obvious sorrow, she had meticulously arranged the parts in a neat row.

 

Her departing figure left an ache in Ruan Shiqing’s chest.

 

Pinching the bridge of his nose, he added the little fox to the defense system’s whitelist. He then opened the kitchen window and placed three tubes of nutritional supplements on the sill, just as before.

 

But three days passed, and the supplements remained untouched. No new parts appeared either.

 

Thinking of the small figure, Ruan Shiqing murmured softly to himself, “Could she have gone somewhere else?”

 

No one was there to answer.

 

*

 

Nota was confined inside a box.

 

Her hands and feet were bound with sturdy metal chains, and her body had been injected with a muscle relaxant. While her mind screamed for help and she struggled desperately, her body remained motionless, unable to respond.

 

It had been about three days since her capture.

 

Her captors had kept her in the box for the entire time, only taking her out once to force her to eat some nutritional supplements and administer another injection.

 

Her body was paralyzed, but her hearing remained intact.

 

She overheard their discussions about how to fetch the best price for her. The simplest and fastest option was to sell her at an auction. However, one of them expressed concern that the auction organizers might exploit their position to underpay. He suggested they leave B3024 entirely and sell her on a more prosperous planet.

 

B3024 was, after all, a remote junk planet with few wealthy inhabitants. Transporting the rare nine-tailed fox cub to a more affluent planet would undoubtedly fetch a higher price.

 

The proposal was eventually agreed upon by the other two. From their intermittent conversations, Nota learned they had arranged for a transport ship to depart that very night. They planned to hide her in the cargo hold and leave B3024 unnoticed, heading to a bustling planet to sell her at a lucrative price.

 

But she didn’t want to leave.

 

Straining with all her might, Nota managed to move her fingers slightly, brushing against the nutritional supplement tucked in her chest pocket. She had initially hidden two tubes there, but one had been lost during the scuffle the night she was captured.

 

She tried to clench her fingers around the remaining supplement, hoping to draw some strength from it. However, her muscles were too weak, and even that simple action was beyond her reach.

 

Her arm fell limply to her side.

 

In the darkness, Nota forced her eyes open wide, repeatedly telling herself she couldn’t leave.

 

If she left, she could never come back.

 

I can’t leave.

 

Clenching her teeth, the little fox’s silver eyes glimmered coldly in the dark.

 

The box suddenly opened, and a hulking enhanced human reached in to pull her out. His face lit up with unconcealed delight as he injected her with a partial antidote and handed her a tube of nutritional supplement. “Eat up.”

 

Nota stared at him unblinkingly.

 

Her unwavering gaze made the evolver uneasy. He kicked the box impatiently and threw the supplement onto her lap. “If you don’t eat now, you’ll be begging me for food when we’re on the ship.”

 

Lowering her gaze, Nota slowly picked up the supplement and unscrewed the cap. She drank it in small sips until it was empty.

 

When she was done, one of the Beastkin captors approached with a new syringe. Grinning, he said, “Time for another shot, sweetheart. Sleep tight in the box, and when you wake up, we’ll be at our destination.”

 

Nota abruptly lifted her head, staring intently at him.

 

The Beastkin shivered, turning to his companions nervously. “This cub’s got some kind of eerie vibe.”

 

They had gone through considerable effort to catch her, facing a fierce struggle as the cub had scratched and bitten them relentlessly. Her wild resistance had left them no choice but to bind her with chains and sedate her.

 

“She’s just a little thing—what’s the worst she can do?” one of them scoffed, urging him to administer the injection quickly. The transport ship was due in an hour.

 

Reluctantly, the Beastkin flicked the syringe to prepare it, then bent down to inject her.

 

Nota had been waiting for this moment. She suddenly sprang forward, sinking her teeth into his exposed neck.

 

The syringe clattered to the ground as the Beastkin screamed in agony, clawing at her with both hands in an attempt to wrench her off.

 

But Nota clung to him with all her strength, her hands and feet transforming into claws that dug deep into his flesh. No matter how he struggled, he couldn’t dislodge her.

 

The other two captors, stunned by the sudden turn of events, froze momentarily before scrambling to pick up the syringe to assist.

 

It was too late.

 

The injured Beastkin’s cries grew weaker. Nota lifted her bloodied face, her silver pupils narrowing into slits, radiating cold, animalistic malice.

 

Her ten¹no idea if it’s a mistake or not? I think that she awakened her full power, but it’s not confirmed yet tails swayed lightly behind her, spreading out like flames in the moonlight.

 

The remaining two captors hesitated, their movements slowing unconsciously. Their gazes grew vacant as a strange lethargy overtook them.

 

Nota licked the blood from her claws before pouncing on them, swiftly snapping their necks without hesitation.

 

In an unnoticed corner deep within the junkyard, three lifeless bodies lay twisted on the ground.

 

Covered in blood, Nota retrieved her last tube of nutritional supplement from her pocket, clutching it tightly in her small hand. Fueled by sheer determination, she stumbled toward a familiar destination.

 

The junkyard seemed endless.

 

The sudden burst of energy had drained the last of Nota’s strength. What remained was little more than a hollow shell, driven solely by her will.

 

“Go back.”

 

“Go back.”

 

The frail figure trudged forward, step by step, until she finally reached her destination.

 

Before dawn, in the waning hours of the long night, a familiar house stood at the boundary between light and dark. The first rays of morning sunlight crept along the roofline.

 

Nota fixed her wide eyes on the house she could no longer enter. She collapsed heavily to the ground, the tube of nutritional supplement rolling from her hand.

 

The words scrawled on its surface had been smudged by her tight grip.

 

Ruan Shiqing was jolted awake by the defense system’s alarm.

 

“Alert: White-listed individual detected within shield boundary. Vital signs critically weak.”

 

The cubs woke up one after another, peering curiously out the window without understanding the commotion.

 

“Stay on the second floor and don’t wander around. I’ll go check it out,” Ruan Shiqing instructed, throwing on a coat and grabbing his energy blaster gun before heading downstairs.

 

09 and the Xiong brothers were already awake, waiting in the courtyard.

 

“Where’s the alert location?” Ruan Shiqing asked.

 

“Three to four meters from the main gate,” 09 reported. “Based on physiological data, it appears to be a young Beastkin. Current vital signs are extremely weak.”

 

The figure was wearing an oversized garment that obscured their head and much of their body, preventing 09 from accurately identifying them.

 

These details sparked a thought.

 

“Let’s go take a look,” Ruan Shiqing said, frowning as he holstered his gun and strode toward the gate.

 

Opening the gate, he spotted a small figure lying face-down a few meters away. The faint light of dawn revealed a flash of red hair beneath their hood.

 

Ruan Shiqing’s heart skipped a beat. He instructed the Xiong brothers and 09 to stand guard before hurrying over to pick up the fallen figure.

 

As the loose hood slipped down, a familiar face was revealed.

 

It was the little fox who hadn’t visited in days.

 

 

 

---

 

I knew when they turned on the new defense system that poor Nota would be forgotten ｡･ﾟﾟ*(>д<)*ﾟﾟ･｡ But my poor baby is so brave and strong!! I hope now she can finally have a good life from now on o(〒﹏〒)o

 

Thanks for reading!

For every three ko-fis, I will upload a bonus chapter~

 

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  no idea if it’s a mistake or not? I think that she awakened her full power, but it’s not confirmed yet