Fesili carried the unconscious little female back to the military camp, and the soldiers who had been resting in place instantly erupted into an uproar.
The soldiers stared with wide eyes, utterly unable to believe this was their usually aloof and expressionless commander.
One of the soldiers dropped his bottle of disinfectant with a "clack," his mouth hanging open as he stammered, "Is... is that really the commander we know?"
The soldier next to him quickly poked him in the ribs, signaling him to keep quiet, but his own gaze remained glued to Fesili and the little female in his arms.
A bolder squad leader stepped forward and asked curiously, "Commander, th... this is?"
Fesili shot him a blank glance, and the squad leader instantly fell silent, not daring to ask any more questions.
Some soldiers wore looks of utter confusion, muttering under their breath, "Isn't our commander always cold, merciless, and completely uninterested in women? Who is this little female?"
Another soldier who had just opened his water bottle dropped it to the ground as well, not even noticing as the water spilled everywhere. He just stared blankly at the scene, equally too shocked to speak.
Deputy Commander Zhou had been busy arranging post-battle matters. Hearing the commotion, he turned around, and that single glance nearly made his jaw drop.
He hurried over to Fesili. "Commander, is she the one who saved us??"
Fesili gave a flat hum of confirmation, offering no further explanation.
The deputy commander let out a breath of relief. Just as he thought! The commander wouldn't even offer a hand if the Empire's number-one beauty fell right in front of him, so why on earth would he kindly carry a female back?
Turns out she was the great beauty who saved them!
"Leave her to me, Commander. I'll make sure she's properly taken care of!" Deputy Commander Zhou volunteered proactively, figuring that holding a strange female for this long must have been the absolute limit of the commander's patience.
"No need," Fesili dropped two icy words before striding away.
"???"
Once the commander left, the soldiers who were able to move swarmed over.
"Deputy Commander Zhou, what does that female look like?"
"Is she super pretty?"
Deputy Commander Zhou pulled back his gaze, put on a stern expression, and scolded, "You still have time for gossip? Have all the wounded been counted? Has the safety sweep been completed?"
"Alright, everyone disperse. Deputy Commander Zhou probably didn't even get a good look himself."
Seeing the men laughing and joking around, Deputy Commander Zhou worried they might act recklessly and disturb her, so he issued a warning: "No one is allowed to spread rumors, and no one is allowed to disturb her. She is our savior."
"Anyone who disobeys will be dealt with by military law."
Hearing the deputy commander's stern warning, the soldiers instantly wiped the playful grins off their faces and scattered to finish their tasks.
***
The logistics soldier on duty inside the starship saw Fesili walking in carrying a female and stepped forward to ask, "Commander, should I arrange a room for this female?"
Fesili stopped in his tracks, fell silent for a moment, and said, "Arrange the room right next to mine. Contact the medical team; she needs a thorough examination!"
The logistics soldier nodded in acknowledgment and went off to make arrangements.
Fesili placed her on the bed, and shortly after, the military doctor arrived with his equipment.
Fesili briefly explained the situation to him, then stepped outside to stand guard by the door.
Half an hour later, the doctor came out.
"Nothing major. Just some superficial scrapes and bruises; a few days of ointment will fix her right up. What caused her to faint is likely excessive Mental Power consumption."
Fesili nodded without a word, lowering his gaze to review her test results.
"Her Mental Power shows some abnormalities, and her genetic test has already been reported to the Federation; the results should be out in a few days. I wonder whose parents are so careless to lose their own female without even realizing it."
Fesili nodded, offering no comment.
This place was thousands of light-years away from the various star systems, and even the fastest starship required a month of travel. Not to mention that this was a barren planet devoid of life, entirely unsuited for survival, let alone a tourist destination.
Considering a certain possibility, Fesili's eyes grew even colder.
When Muxi woke up, she found herself in an unfamiliar room. She frowned slightly, trying hard to recall why she was here.
As her memories gradually returned, the expression on her face shifted again and again.
She had been a black-red actress with a million anti-fans who fainted from sheer rage after losing an argument with her haters using a burner account.
Opening her eyes once more, she had transformed into the useless and malicious sister of the pampered female protagonist in a sci-fi novel.
This time, she had been framed for purposely tearing up the female protagonist's admission letter. In a fit of anger, she had run away from home, only to be targeted by Abandoned Beasts and kidnapped alongside the female protagonist who had chased after her.
After being rescued, her parents and brother had been busy comforting the female protagonist, leaving no one to check on her condition, and they had even forgotten her when they left.
She didn't know whether they had truly forgotten her or if they were intentionally teaching her a lesson.
She had waited alone on the barren planet for a whole day, but instead of the returning starship, she got the Abandoned Beasts' accomplices.
"Knock, knock!"
While Muxi was still immersed in her memories, someone knocked on the door from the outside!
Fesili walked in from the outside.
He reintroduced himself to her and briefly explained the current situation.
Muxi pieced his words together with the plot of the novel.
She finally sorted out her current situation: Fesili had come here to investigate after receiving reports of Zerg activity on the barren planet.
The barren planet was the closest to their Zhonghua Star, and if Zerg were truly lurking here, it would pose a massive threat to Zhonghua Star.
What they didn't know was that this operation was a scheme orchestrated by a hostile nation, intended precisely to eliminate Fesili.
In the book, Fesili did indeed die in this battle. To buy time for his soldiers, he chose to detonate his mecha.
"You mean my singing saved you?" Muxi nearly thought she had misheard.
He couldn't possibly be talking about the time she sang to calm her nerves and give herself courage, could he?
"Yes. Your Mental Power is very strong; you can soothe out-of-control soldiers through your singing."
Muxi's mouth opened, still finding it hard to believe.
In the novel, the original owner was a useless female without even a shred of Mental Power, which was why she was so unwelcome at home.
As for herself, she was just a black-red actress who had nothing going for her except a pretty face and a nice voice.
Thinking of the original owner's background, she had zero desire to return to that soul-devouring Mu Family.
Since she couldn't go back, she had to find a backer if she wanted to survive properly in this unfamiliar world.
She carefully sized up the man in front of her. Although he was a bit ruthlessly cold, he was the only man unaffected by the female protagonist's halo.
If she latched onto him...
The thought grew stronger and stronger in Muxi's mind. She bit her lip and summoned the courage to say, "Um... Commander Fesili, since my singing can help you all, can I come with you?"
Her voice grew softer and softer...
"I have no family left, and nowhere else to go."
Fesili was about to refuse; precious females had to be sent back to the Capital Star to be protected by the Empire.
Muxi knew he would definitely have her background thoroughly investigated, so she couldn't lie and could only paint herself as pathetic as possible.
As she spoke, tears welled up; the original owner really had it too miserable.
"They had the heart to throw me here to fend for myself. If I go back, I'll only die an even more miserable death."
Watching Muxi standing before him with tears streaming down her face, Fesili felt a slight stir in his heart.
He had never seen such a frail and pitiful female, and that tearful expression made it somewhat hard for him to refuse.
After a moment of silence, Fesili spoke: "Do you know what you will face if you follow me? This is a battlefield, and your life could be in danger at any moment."
Muxi shook her head hastily, looking up at him with tear-filled eyes: "I'm not afraid. As long as I have a place to stay, I'm not afraid of any danger. Besides, I believe the Commander will be able to protect me."
"Since you brought me back, you have to take responsibility for me!"
Fesili's pale gray eyes gazed steadily at her, neither agreeing nor refusing.
Muxi nervously tightened her grip on the blanket.
Right at that moment, the door was pushed open from the outside, and a soldier rushed in with a panicked expression to report.
"Reporting to the Commander, quite a few soldiers in the camp have experienced Mental Power loss of control. The number has already reached over a thousand."
Fesili's expression tightened, and he immediately stood up, preparing to go and investigate the situation.
"Commander, I'll go too," Muxi volunteered herself.
She figured that if she really could soothe those out-of-control soldiers, wouldn't that give her a legitimate reason to stay? She could also test whether her abilities were truly as he had described.
Fesili had wanted to refuse, but remembering her abilities, he nodded slightly: "Alright, but you must stay close to me and not run around."