Exalting Sanctum.
On the highest regulated altitude route, a starskiff streaked across the sky, chasing stars and outpacing the moon.
It effortlessly overtook all other starskiffs on the route.
Starskiff engines typically produced minimal noise, operating quietly.
But now, countless people on the ground couldn't help but look up, drawn to the source of the roaring wind.
First impression: Fast.
Second impression: Elegant.
The entire starskiff became a blur, weaving through obstacles like a fish gliding through water.
Third impression: Who's the champion racer up there?
Fourth impression—
Is this guy insane?!
Speeding in a restricted zone—did they think the Skysplitter's speed testers were slacking off?
Sure enough, the Ground Balance Commission's traffic enforcers had already activated their specialized interception starskiff engines, ready to forcibly stop the offender.
Countless onlookers below cast pitying glances at the speeding starskiff.
Not only would they face a lecture, but their pilot's license was likely up for reexamination.
"Civilian starskiff, registration A-638358-Speed, slow down and stop immediately for inspection."
Da Hao spoke expressionlessly into the communication frequency.
He assumed that issuing a warning on the civilian channel would prompt the offending starskiff to decelerate.
To his shock, it didn't slow down one bit.
"638358!! Stop the ship now!"
"If you don't stop, we'll open fire… Xianzhou expletive! Dodge!"
Just as he spoke, the speeding starskiff suddenly spiraled forward, grazing the edge of the interception starskiff.
The next second, it was 800 meters away.
Only the onboard music lingered.
"Taking your mom for a ride, you kick Billy out the back door, oh—catch the shrimp…"
Da Hao: "???"
Drunk or high?
"Notify all docking ports to keep an eye on civilian starskiff A-638358-Speed. Arrest the pilot the moment they disembark."
At that moment, on the ground.
Guinaifen's face was full of astonishment, her gaze tinged with admiration as she watched the speeding starskiff disappear.
"So cool!"
It gave off the vibe of gliding through a sea of flowers without a single petal sticking.
"If Little Gui could pull off that move and perform it live, the credits would come rolling in!"
"Ugh, I got so caught up I forgot to record it for Sushang!!"
"Someone with that kind of piloting skill—could it be a former starskiff race champion?"
Guinaifen sighed at the missed opportunity and was about to leave when she heard another gust of wind behind her.
Turning around, she froze.
Isn't that the same starskiff? Why's it coming back?
No time to think—record it now!
As Guinaifen raised her phone, she noticed the starskiff in her view rapidly growing larger.
Huh, did it veer off the route?
This direction…
Oh no!!!
It's coming right at me!
"Ahh—"
At lightning speed, Guinaifen had no time to dodge and could only instinctively clutch her head and scream.
Just as the starskiff was about to hit her, a gentle breeze suddenly swept her away from the spot.
The same happened to the nearby onlookers.
In a blur of vision, everyone felt a moment of weightlessness.
When their surroundings came back into focus, they were no longer in the same place—over twenty people now stood in a cluster.
Before Guinaifen and the others could process what happened, the ground shook violently, and a deafening delayed boom reached their ears.
"An accident!"
"I know, but why are we…"
"Know, my foot! Notify the hospital and the Ground Balance Commission!"
When Da Hao arrived at the crash site and saw the starskiff shattered into pieces, he silently mourned for those inside.
Crashing at top speed—even if they survived, they'd be bedridden for a long time to recover their bones and muscles.
But—
Where are the people?!
The starskiff crashed, so why were there no passengers?
"Notify the nearby patrols to check for any severely injured individuals."
After giving the order, Da Hao approached the nearby crowd.
"Did any of you see anyone come out of the starskiff?"
The crowd shook their heads.
Da Hao frowned, growing irritated.
During a period of heightened alert, something this bizarre had to happen.
If he couldn't get to the bottom of it, he'd have to deal with the Skysplitter's bureaucracy.
This damn Stellaron was driving him up the wall.
It couldn't have shown up earlier or later—why during his vacation?
Not only was his break ruined, but a mountain of tasks his young subordinates couldn't handle piled up in his hands.
The Ground Balance Commission was one of the Six Chariots, but at the end of the day—
It was just the Xianzhou's catch-all department, doing whatever odd jobs were needed, plugging in wherever required.
He'd come to inspect a suspicious area in Exalting Sanctum, and within minutes, he ran into this bizarre starskiff crash.
Your mom's Xianzhou expletive!
What's the point of working?
He longed to be like a Diting, lounging at the Ground Balance Commission's office entrance, lazily wagging its tail under a fake sun.
But there were no idle Diting on the Xianzhou.
Guinaifen had seen Da Hao before. Noticing his gloomy expression and liver-colored face, she quietly decided against approaching him.
After all… that flying unknown creature she vaguely saw might've been an illusion.
Better not poke the bear.
…
Under a secluded tree shade far from the crash site.
Leon glanced at Yanqing, whose eyes had turned to spirals, a hint of relief on his face.
"Aha."
"Aha doesn't know~ Why did the starskiff engine stay at max power and refuse to slow down? I'm so confused~~~"
"Who's asking you?"
"Ugh, then why'd darling call me? If you wanna do something… it's not impossible, you know. It's just us here, pretty thrilling…"
Leon looked at Yanqing with pity.
Poor kid.
Stripped of his humanity by Aha.
"Then come out already."
"For real? Aha's coming!!!"
A loli-form Aha, draped in nearly transparent gauze, materialized before Leon, throwing him a coy wink.
"Come on, brother, unleash the wild… ah-oh-oh-oh-ho-ho-ho-ho!"
Leon delivered a swift kick to Aha's backside, sending Them soaring into the sky.
Find your fun by flying!
After "rewarding" Aha, Leon noticed Yanqing groggily waking up.
"…Mr. Leon… why are there three of you?"
"…No, five… eight…"
Leon sighed, sending a cool breeze toward Yanqing.
"…I-I'm still alive?"
After regaining about seventy percent of his senses, Yanqing's first words were disbelief.
His second were an apology.
"Sorry, Mr. Leon. I didn't expect the starskiff's engine to malfunction. Thank the heavens you're alive too."
If it were someone Leon had pranked, he'd have chuckled at those words.
But now, his fist clenched.
Aha, you campfire-blue, mist-stream-tch!
Aha: "Darling~~ I don't have a horse~ Heeheehee~~~"