Everyone's playing Red Giant? I, Black Hole, devour everything!

The primordial quasars silently floated at the highest point of the sky in the eighth star sector.

The eighth star sector is finished.

There are also the seventh star sector, the sixth star sector, the fifth star sector... all the way up to the first star sector.

The further they advance, the fiercer the resistance from the Sakura Kingdom will become.

Especially when they have nowhere left to retreat.

The shadow of "Project Amaterasu" always hung over the battlefield.

Although Lin Tian knew that the thing posed no threat to the black hole, for an ordinary observer, an out-of-control black hole could have catastrophic consequences.

Moreover, they do need time to sort through these spoils and digest the fruits of their victory.

"Pass down the order to halt the attack for now."

Lin Tian's order was transmitted to the legion's command channel.

"From now on, the entire army will rest and recuperate in the Eighth Star Sector for half a month."

"After the domestic authorities have completed the inventory, digestion and absorption of the resources here, we will continue to move forward."

Once the order was issued, there were no objections within the Black Hole Legion.

Su Li took the lead and shouted "Received" in the channel, and then immediately switched to the private channel.

"Teacher Lin, you've been resting for half a month? Do you have any special plans?"

Lin Tian's answer was as concise as ever: "No."

"That's perfect, I have a special plan."

"What?"

"You'll find out when the time comes." Su Li's voice held a sly smile.

Lu Xuejian did not speak on the channel.

But she sent Lin Tian a private message.

"Can we go out for a walk in half a month?"

Lin Tian stared at the words and remained silent for a moment.

Then, he replied with a single word.

"it is good."

……

The days of rest were quieter than I had imagined.

The Ninth Legion and the logistics department were busy taking stock of the spoils of war in the Eighth Star Sector.

The members of the Black Hole Legion take turns going to the super dark matter halo to devour and evolve.

Lin Tian, ​​unusually, came out of the observation chamber.

He stayed in the observation chamber for nearly ten days. He was physically fine, but he was really mentally exhausted.

If it's just a normal situation, even if it's an extra month or two, it won't be a big deal.

But these ten days were a period of war.

The war had drained him of far too much energy; even in the S-class observation pod, he couldn't maintain a high level of focus all the time.

"Lin Tian".

Lu Xuejian's voice came from the side.

She had been standing in the corridor for quite a while, holding a glass of warm water, with fine water droplets still clinging to the glass.

"You're finally out." There was a hint of heartache in her voice. "You stayed too long this time; your body won't be able to handle it."

Lin Tian took the water glass and took a sip.

"It's alright. Has anything happened these past few days?"

"It's nothing serious. The military sent over a few battle reports, which I've already organized and put on your desk. The progress in the Eighth Star Sector is faster than expected, and the logistics department is urging us to send more personnel."

"I understand. Thank you for your hard work these past few days."

"It's not hard work." Lu Xuejian shook her head. "I'm just doing what I'm supposed to do. As for you, now that you're out, you should rest for a few days and stop thinking about going back into the observation chamber."

"Okay." Lin Tian's tone was gentler than usual. "You go ahead and get busy. I'm going to take a shower and change my clothes."

"Okay," Lu Xuejian replied.

……

After nightfall, the Black Hole Research Institute fell silent.

Lin Tian had taken a shower and changed his clothes, and was looking through battle reports in his dormitory.

The knocking happened at that moment.

"Enter."

The door opened a crack, and Su Li's head peeked in through the gap.

"Teacher Lin, you're still awake?" She pushed open the door with a grin, rushing in like a gust of wind. "I knew you'd be up late working on documents. Xuejian told me you were out, and I thought she'd be the first one to come over—wait, she's not here?"

"She was here." Lin Tian put down the battle report in his hand. "Why did you come so late? Is something wrong?"

"Can't I come to see you if there's nothing wrong?" Su Li sat down on the chair next to her with a straight face. "I sent you several messages and you didn't reply. I thought you had died in the observation chamber."

"I can't get distracted when parsing the data."

"I know, I know, you're a very busy person." Su Li rested her chin on her hand, tilting her head to look at him. "But since we're out, let's not think about work tonight. I'm telling you, I've recently discovered something really interesting—"

She started talking to herself.

The topics were whimsical and the speaker was very fast-paced, as if trying to make up for all the things they hadn't said in the past ten days.

Lin Tian leaned back in his chair and listened.

He would occasionally respond with a word or two, and occasionally chuckle softly.

This atmosphere made him feel very relaxed.

Su Li has a very special ability.

No matter how tense or oppressive the surrounding environment is, the air will unconsciously become more relaxed as long as she is present.

After an unknown amount of time, the air suddenly became quiet.

This silence came somewhat suddenly.

"Lin Tian," she said, her tone completely different from before.

"Um?"

"Can I ask you a question?" Su Li moved her chair forward, her fox-like eyes losing some of their playfulness and gaining more seriousness. "What... exactly do you think of me?"

This question came too directly; Lin Tian hadn't expected it.

"You don't need to answer right away." Su Li leaned forward again. "I know you're not good at saying these things, so I'll start by saying what I think... I like you, I've liked you since the first time I saw you."

"I want to talk to you every night, I want you to be the first person I see when I come back from a battle, I want to massage your shoulders when you're tired... I want to sit quietly next to you when you're too lazy to talk..."

By the end, her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

Her face turned red.

Su Li had never blushed like this in her entire life.

She was always the one who took the initiative, and always the one who made others blush.

But this time, she blushed first.

This time, she left herself no way out.

"I know you like Xuejian." She took a deep breath, trying to keep her voice from trembling. "I'm not here to compete with her. I just want to tell you that no matter how many people are around you in the future, there will always be a place here for you."

After saying that, she fell silent.

The room was so quiet that only the soft breathing of the two people could be heard.

Lin Tian looked at her.

He slowly straightened up, reached out his right hand, and gently pinched Su Li's chin.

Su Li's body stiffened abruptly.

Her brain completely shut down in that instant.

She had imagined countless possible reactions from Lin Tian.

But this was the one thing she never thought of.

"You just said you weren't here to steal her from her?" Lin Tian's voice was low, with a hint of a smile.

Su Li's breathing became rapid: "I...I'm telling the truth..."

"What if I wanted you to take it?"

These words were like an electric current, running from the top of Su Li's head all the way to her toes.

Her pupils dilated slightly, and her lips opened and closed, but she couldn't utter a single word.

Then she didn't need to say anything more.

Because Lin Tian kissed him.