Kaelen raised his fist to signal to stop.
The entire team froze instantly. Their movements were as synchronized as a machine being powered off. There were no unnecessary steps, no whispers. Everyone simultaneously went on alert.
He scanned his surroundings. His icy blue eyes gleamed faintly in the darkness, his vertical pupils like two thin slits. The forest was silent. The howls of the beast demons had faded into the distance.
"Set up camp."
Zane and Nolan immediately sprang into action. Within thirty seconds, they cleared a space and retrieved a thin, silver membrane from their spatial container. The membrane unfolded and automatically levitated, forming a translucent energy shield in the air. Its edges glowed with a faint blue light, and its buzzing vibration was barely audible.
Autumn was led to the campfire.
Zane lit the fuel block with a flint and steel. Flames leaped up, casting a warm yellow glow on the surrounding tree trunks. She huddled inside the shield—closest to the fire, furthest from the outer edge. Right in the center.
Zane handed her a silver nutrition packet and a piece of roasted meat.
"Level four demonic cow meat." He grinned. "Didn't scare you, did you? We don't usually hunt, but tonight's a special case."
The meat was charred black. The surface was overcooked, and the edges were charred. A burnt smell mixed with a faint bloody odor wafted from it. It looked terrible.
But Autumn will not refuse food.
She'd eaten worse on Earth. After the cataclysm ten years ago, everything edible was food. Rotting flesh. Tree bark. Radiation-contaminated berries. She survived by never being picky about food.
She took a small bite. The meat was tough, like chewing rubber. But it was full of energy—she could feel the bioenergy released as the meat broke down in her stomach, a subtle warmth spreading through her veins.
She thanked him sincerely.
Zane's eyes lit up. "You're welcome! Our boss said you're a distinguished guest. By the way, do you know our boss? He's..."
"Zane."
A deep voice came from across the campfire.
Kaelen sat there polishing his weapon. A curved black dagger, its blade gleaming coldly. His movements were slow, focused as if performing some sacred ritual. But his gaze drifted towards her between polishes. Sharp. Precise. Like the eyes of an eagle.
Autumn felt like she was locked in.
But she wasn't afraid. As long as the shells of "woman" and "amnesia" remained, she was safe. There was no hostility in Kaelen's gaze—she could tell. It was something more complex. Wariness. Curiosity. And a concern he himself wasn't even aware of.
She took a deep breath.
Summoning her courage, her voice held just the right amount of despair and pleading. It trembled, with a hint of a sob in it.
"Please... take me away from here."
She looked up at Kaelen. The firelight reflected in her light brown eyes, making a golden glint appear deep within her pupils.
"This planet is terrifying. I... I really don't remember how I got here. But I can't stay here any longer."
A single tear.
The timing was perfect. The speed of the slide was just right. It glittered in the firelight.
Zane's expression immediately softened. He patted his chest, "Don't worry! Our boss will definitely get you safely to the Women's Protection Association! That's the best place in the Empire!"
The other team members nodded in agreement. Even Nolan's expression softened slightly.
Kaelen stared at her.
silence.
It was long. Longer than expected. His eyes flickered in the firelight, his expression unreadable. His jawline tightened and then relaxed. His fingers rubbed the hilt of the knife twice.
Then he spoke.
One word.
"good."
Autumn lowered her head. A slight smile played at the corners of her mouth, unseen by others.
Later that evening.
A medium-sized starship landed silently fifty meters from the camp. It appeared suddenly—the moment it tore through the air was completely silent. Its silver-gray hull resembled a bullet, its surface covered with some kind of light-absorbing material, making it almost transparent in the night sky.
The hatch slid open. White light poured out.
Autumn followed Kaelen inside.
Her eyes truly lit up for a moment.
The interior was brimming with technological sophistication. Sleek metal walls. Floating control panels. Holographic projections swirling in the air. Everything was clean, orderly, and efficient. It was unlike anything she had ever seen on Earth.
She quickly composed herself, replaced by a blank, timid, and cautious demeanor as she followed Kaelen.
Private cabins.
The door slid open. The space inside wasn't large, but it was simple and tidy. There was a bed, a table, and a porthole window. The walls were a warm off-white. There was a faint smell of disinfectant in the air.
Kaelen stood at the doorway.
"Get some rest. We'll arrive at planet M230 by noon tomorrow."
He paused for a moment. His gaze swept across her face. Then he turned and left. His footsteps quickly disappeared at the end of the corridor.
The moment the door closed.
All expression vanished from Autumn's face.
She stood up. She scanned every corner of the cabin. The top corner. The vents. Under the bed. The inside of the table legs. No cameras, no listening devices. At least not within sight.
She walked to the porthole.
Stars flashed past the window, stretching into streaks of silver light. The instant the starship entered warp drive, the view outside the window stretched and distorted abruptly, transforming into a dazzling tunnel of light. Blue-purple. Pink-gold. Constantly shifting and changing. Unrealistically beautiful.
She watched all of this. Her mind raced.
Beastman. Female privilege. Ability level. Crystal core. Women's Protection Association. Interstellar travel. Planet M230. She pieced all the fragments together.
Humanity on Earth. Her origins. The dormant power within her. These are her greatest secrets. And also her greatest danger.
Until she can protect herself, she must continue to play the role of Autumn—that helpless, amnesiac, and vulnerable woman.
She lay down on the bed.
But I can't sleep.
The alertness cultivated during the decade-long apocalypse couldn't be erased overnight. Her body lay still, but her senses were fully engaged, capturing every sound in the corridor.
Footsteps. Whispers.
The crew members were discussing her. "A woman..." "Wild..." "The boss is so lucky..." "I wonder how much the association will reward her..." They lowered their voices, but the beastmen's hearing was too sharp. Every word was heard clearly.
Then the sound suddenly disappeared.
Footsteps. Heavy. Approaching her cabin step by step. Closer and closer. Finally stopping outside the door.
Autumn's body tensed up.
Her hand reached for the metal water glass on the bedside table—the only thing in the cabin that could be used as a weapon. She gripped it tightly. A cold touch came through.
The footsteps outside the door stopped for a long time.
There was no knocking. No words were spoken. Only a quiet, expectant silence. Like someone standing outside, doing nothing, just standing there.
It felt like a very long time had passed.
The footsteps finally faded into the distance. Much slower than when they arrived. With a kind of reluctant hesitation.
Autumn looked out through the light filtering through the crack in the door.
A tall silhouette was imprinted on the ground. Broad shoulders. His posture was like that of a deeply rooted tree.
She recognized him.
Kaelen.
He stood outside her door. Was he on guard duty?
She gently placed the water glass back in its place. She lay back down, staring at the ceiling, her eyes shining in the darkness.
What does he want to do?
