Collapse Iron: I just transmigrated! You want me to save the Black Tower?!

"..."

"I'm leaving."

Heita made a move to get up, and the arm around her waist tightened instantly, with such force that it felt like he was going to pull her whole body into his arms.

What an awkward Star God.

"No."

Jiang Jiu has become completely attached to the Black Tower; there's no way he'll leave. If all else fails, they'll have to take him with them.

Heita felt a little uncomfortable from being squeezed, but she didn't struggle. She just turned her head slightly and glanced at Jiang Jiu out of the corner of her eye.

“You’re a star god,” she said slowly, “can’t you be a little more ambitious?”

"What is ambition?" Jiang Jiu asked directly. "Is it edible?"

"..."

"I don't want anything that I can't eat."

Black Tower took a deep breath, wondering if he might have raised a fake Star God.

"I can't eat it either, let go."

"Can't you?"

Is it possible?

"..."

The two of them were silent for two seconds.

The topic inexplicably veered off course in an inexplicable direction.

Hei Ta coughed lightly, his ear tips feeling slightly hot.

She shifted her gaze from Jiang Jiu and focused it back on the control panel, swiping her fingers across the screen to bring up a bunch of data interfaces.

The fluctuating numbers and jumbled data flowed before her eyes, but she couldn't absorb a single word.

“You’re blocking my way.” She tried to find something serious to do.

Jiang Jiu released one hand, his fingers sliding across her shoulder, slowly moving to her side and resting against the edge of the lab table.

He leaned against the table, one hand in his pocket, head tilted slightly, his gaze fixed on Black Tower.

"You're not blocking it anymore, are you?"

Black Tower's finger paused on the screen for a moment.

Jiang Jiu's gaze was impossible to ignore; his presence was undeniable.

"...What are you looking at?" Black Tower didn't look up.

"It's up to you," Jiang Jiu replied matter-of-factly.

What's so interesting about me?

Everything looks beautiful.

Black Tower's fingers finally stopped.

She took a deep breath and decided to ignore him.

There's still a bunch of data waiting to be processed on the screen; the star's test results need to be archived; and the new module needs to be run...

Jiang Jiu didn't urge him, but calmly stayed with him.

Black Tower tried to focus all her attention on the data, but the fluctuating numbers always blurred in her eyes, turning into a meaningless jumble of gibberish.

"...Could you please stop looking?" she finally couldn't hold back anymore.

"No."

"why?"

"Because you're good-looking."

"..."

Hei Ta turned his head and glared at Jiang Jiu.

Jiang Jiu curled her lips into a smile, a glimmer of light appearing in her eyes.

He has a beautiful smile, and his eyes always carry a hint of nonchalance, as if nothing is worth his worry or concern, except for the person in front of him.

Black Tower's heart skipped a beat from his laughter, and he quickly pulled his gaze back to the screen.

No, you can't watch it.

Once you see it, you won't be able to leave.

Side Story (VI) - Thoughts

Black Tower sped up its data processing, trying to use the inertia of its work to pull itself out of some inexplicable state.

Archive, analyze, back up, exit—all in one go.

Jiang Jiu watched her work quietly.

His gaze swept across the ceiling of the control room, looking at the cameras hidden in the walls, and a mischievous thought suddenly arose in his mind.

He smiled slightly.

They said nothing and did nothing.

After finishing the last task, Black Tower closed the control panel and habitually glanced at the monitoring screen.

Then, to my surprise, I discovered...

It's all black.

It doesn't look like a malfunction at all; it's obvious that someone fixed it.

She hesitated for a second, then turned to look at Jiang Jiu.

Jiang Jiu remained leaning against the lab table, his posture languid. When he met Hei Ta's gaze, he even appeared somewhat innocent...

"what happened?"

Black Tower blinked, and although he knew nothing would happen, he still felt inexplicably nervous.

"You did it?" she asked, feigning ignorance.

Jiang Jiu neither denied nor answered.

He glanced at the camera, then at the black screen, and then turned his gaze back to Black Tower.

Black Tower felt extremely uncomfortable under his gaze.

"...What do you want to do?" she asked, her voice softer than expected.

Jiang Jiu blinked and answered instantly.

"think."

Black Tower: "..."

The answer was so concise, consisting of only one word, that it left her completely stunned.

There was a moment of silence in the control room.

Black Tower realized what was happening.

Her ear tips turned red at a visible speed, spreading from the auricle to the earlobe.

"You...!" She opened her mouth, only to find that she didn't know what to say.

Jiang Jiu looked at her, both embarrassed and annoyed, yet trying her best not to show it, and the smile in his eyes deepened.

He straightened up from the lab bench and took a step forward.

The distance between the two people has shrunk to just an arm's length.

Black Tower instinctively stepped back, his back hitting the edge of the control panel, with nowhere left to retreat.

Jiang Jiu did not approach any further. He simply stopped there, lowered his head slightly, and let his gaze slide from her reddened ear tips to her eyes before speaking softly.

"Black Tower..."

He called her name softly.

"Do you remember," he raised his finger, his fingertip gently touching the stray hairs by her ear, "that we seemed to..."

His fingertips traced along her ear, then slowly slid down the contours of her cheek, finally stopping at the edge of her jawline.

"Never tried it in a place like this before?"

Black Tower's heart skipped a beat.

Reason told her she should push him away, scold him for being inconsiderate, and then make him leave...

Because this is the control room, not her private workplace, it is one of the core areas of the entire space station, where researchers may knock on the door to report at any time.

What if someone comes in?

Her mind was racing, but her body didn't move.

She stood there, and Jiang Jiu was so close that he could hear her heartbeat.

His breathing was hot, and his heart was beating rapidly.

...Was that intentional? Where did Star God's heart rate come from?

But these messy things didn't stop her from overthinking. She looked up into Jiang Jiu's eyes, feeling as if she were nailed to the spot by some irresistible force.

“...Jiang Jiu.” Her voice was a little strained.

"Mmm," he responded softly, as if coaxing someone.

"This is the control room..."

"I know."

"There is surveillance."