Swallowing the Stars: Only in my later years did I come to the life-spending panel.

Inside the spaceship, Babata stood frozen in place.

Countless complex emotions flashed in those purple eyes: shock, confusion, doubt, and a hint of indescribable excitement...

"He...called me Babata?"

Her voice trembled slightly, and her slender fingers slid unconsciously through the air, causing streams of data to flash chaotically.

For 50,000 years, she has never told anyone her name.

Her information is indeed in the database of the Meteorite Starship, but it has been encrypted multiple times by its owner. With the technological level of Earth, a primitive planet, it will be impossible to crack it even in ten thousand years.

But this person immediately called out her name, which had been sealed for 50,000 years.

"How did he know? How did he know? How did he know?"

Babata's little head was in complete chaos. His long, silvery-white hair stood on end, the mechanical wings on his back flapped wildly, and he spun around in the air. His slender legs kicked erratically, and he looked like a headless fly.

In the surveillance footage, the person stood quietly outside the hatch, hands behind their back, patiently waiting, a faint smile on their face.

Babata stopped in his tracks, countless thoughts flashing through his mind.

She remembered what her master had once said.

She was a newborn at that time and was full of curiosity about everything in the universe.

She asked her master, "What is the most terrifying thing in the universe?"

The master thought for a long time and said, "It is unknown."

She then asked, "And what's the most surprising thing?"

The owner smiled: "It's still unknown."

The master also said that the universe is vast and full of wonders. Some of the means by which things exist are far beyond the imagination of ordinary people. Reincarnation and time travel, which sound like myths, are actually real in the universe.

"If one day..." Babata murmured to himself, a crystalline light gleaming in his purple eyes, "If one day, Master can also return in some way..."

She stared at the figure in the surveillance footage, watching his every move, the calm and composed air about him, and the faint smile playing on his lips...

The more I look at it, the more it resembles the real thing.

No, it's not about appearance.

That's the feeling.

That feeling of having everything under control, that feeling of composure in the face of the unknown...

"It must be...it must be Master returning!"

Babata's voice choked with emotion, her slender hands clenched tightly in front of her chest. She tried to calm herself down, then tapped her delicate fingers a few times in the air.

The Meteorite Star emerged from its camouflage, and its hatch slowly opened.

......

Outside the hatch of the Meteorite Star, Zhou Mu stood with his hands behind his back.

As the hatch slowly opened, he stepped inside, his smile deepening.

Behind the door, a petite figure floated in mid-air.

Those purple eyes were staring intently at him, filled with complex emotions.

It was the demon Babata.

Zhou Mu looked at her, feeling a surge of emotion. The sharp-tongued, arrogant, yet loyal intelligent life form from the original story was now standing right in front of him in real life.

Babata was also looking at him.

Purple eyes swept across his face, then looked at the wary young martial artist behind him.

"You..." Babata began, her voice clear yet trembling slightly, "What's your name?"

"Zhou Mu".

"Zhou Mu..." Babata repeated the name; she had seen this name in the human network.

She bit her lip and asked again, "How did you know my name? How did you know I was here?"

"Would you believe me if I said it was intuition?"

Babata's eyes widened, then he rolled them.

"Intuition? Your intuition is that accurate? You went straight to the location of my Meteorite Starship and called out my name in one breath?"

She put her hands on her hips, her slender legs kicking in the air, and said, "Do you think I'm stupid?"

Zhou Mu smiled without saying a word.

Babata stared at him for a long time, then suddenly took a deep breath and made a decision.

She flew to Zhou Mu's side, staring intently into his eyes, which were as bright as stars and filled with seriousness and solemnity.

"Zhou Mu, I have a question for you, and you must answer it seriously."

Zhou Mu nodded.

"Have you... ever had any strange dreams? Dreams of a towering figure, of an endless starry sky, and of scenes you've never seen before?"

Zhou Mu was taken aback.

What's going on?

Why would Babata ask that?

Before he could answer, Babata continued, "Have you ever had fleeting memories that don't belong to you? Have you ever felt a strange sense of familiarity with certain things? Have you ever...?"

"Wait, wait, wait..." Zhou Mu raised his hand to interrupt her, "Babata, what exactly are you trying to say?"

Babata bit her lip, and her eyes glistened with a crystalline light.

"I want to say... you might be... the reincarnation of my master."

Zhou Mu & Luo Feng: "..."

An eerie silence fell over the Meteorite Starship.

Zhou Mu opened his mouth, but for a moment he didn't know what to say.

Reincarnation?

Or is it Huyanbo?

Zhou Mu knew, of course, that he had absolutely no connection with Hu Yanbo; the only reason he knew this was because he, as a transmigrator, had read the original story.

But these are his most important secrets, and he would never tell Babata.

Babata continued, his voice growing increasingly agitated: "My master perished because of a soul attack. But the universe is vast and full of wonders; reincarnation is not impossible."

"You come from Earth, you are a native inhabitant, that's true. But since your master perished on Earth, of course you would be reincarnated as an Earthling!"

"You've never even been to Meteorite Star, yet you were able to locate the Meteorite Starship directly and call me by name instantly!"

"This can only be explained by memories deep within the soul!"

"You are the master! You must be the master reincarnated!"

Babata became more and more excited as he spoke, his mechanical wings flapping wildly, and he floated in front of Zhou Mu, his purple eyes filled with expectant light.

Zhou Mu looked at her, his heart filled with mixed emotions.

Fifty thousand years.

She has been waiting here alone for 50,000 years.

She waited and waited, witnessing the sea turn into mulberry fields, the rise and fall of civilizations, until she was almost in despair. Now, she had finally found someone, someone who could call her by name and knew of the existence of the Meteorite Starship, so of course she would grasp at this lifeline.

"Babata".

Zhou Mu spoke, his voice calm and gentle, "I am not the reincarnation of your master."

Babata's smile froze on his face.

"I do know about the Meteorite Starship, and I know your name," Zhou Mu continued, "but I'm certain I'm not the reincarnation of your master."

Babata stared at her, the light in his eyes gradually dimming.

"Then...how did you know?"

Zhou Mu was silent for a moment.

How should this be explained?

To say I'm a time traveler? That's less impressive than admitting I'm the reincarnation of Huyan Bo.

"I can't say now," he shook his head, "but one day you'll find out."

Babata lowered his head, his slender shoulders trembling slightly.

After a long while, Babata raised his head, the disappointment in his eyes had subsided, replaced by his unwavering determination.

"Okay, I believe you."

Her voice was clear and bright, "No matter how you found out, it's fate that you're here. If Meteorite Star wants to rise again, it needs a successor; its master needs someone to carry on his legacy. Now that you're here, don't even think about running away!"