Chapter 83

Due to the overwhelming visual impact, the next day, Shen Fengyue still felt threatened and anxious, causing his hand holding the kitchen knife to tremble slightly.

He was also a federal spy, and seeing the gruesome fate of his comrades couldn’t help but fill him with a sense of sorrow.

As one crisis subsided, another emerged. After clearing out a group of spies, the Lone Wolf Star thieves planned to hold a banquet on their starship as a celebration and entertainment.

Shen Fengyue was busy in the kitchen, the heat from cooking causing his fair face to turn slightly red. This unexpected hint of warmth softened his otherwise cold demeanor. Wiping the sweat from his forehead, he relied on his strong physical stamina to ease the depression in his heart.

After the last dish was plated and served, his work was finally completed. Shen Fengyue washed his hands and sat on a stool in the corner of the kitchen to rest, just like everyone else.

With so many people to cook for, it was indeed physically demanding.

The kitchen was brightly lit with high-wattage white lights for ease of cooking. The intense white light was so piercing that it hurt the eyes. Shen Fengyue lowered his head and gazed at a spot, lost in thought.

The air was filled with the lingering aroma of the dishes, with the pungent and spicy scent dominating all others. Just a whiff of it stimulated saliva production.

After resting for a while, Shen Fengyue planned to pack some food to take back to his room to eat, but at that moment, someone came to the door with a message that the captain had ordered all the chefs to come to the main hall.

Internally, Shen Fengyue wanted to refuse, but he was apprehensive of the authority and had no choice but to comply.

The main hall was packed with a crowd of people, bustling with activity. Food covered the tables, and people were raising their glasses and toasting, making it quite lively.

The person who had delivered the message cleared a path for them, and Shen Fengyue’s chef team reached the center of the hall without any issues. There was a man in the center that he could not avoid—

-Albert.

To be honest, Shen Fengyue was a bit wary of him at the moment. He always felt that the same Albert who now had a casual demeanor would suddenly pull out a small pistol and shoot him in the head.

Albert sat in the main seat, his posture casual, leaning slightly to the right, holding a wine glass in his left hand. He swirled the glass, causing the red liquid inside to tremble. Shen Fengyue’s gaze moved up, locking onto the other person’s intoxicated eyes.

Is he drunk? Shen Fengyue guessed but quickly dismissed the idea. He couldn’t be sure, so he casually took a glass of wine and held it in his hand.

When the chef team arrived, the person next to Albert, Orril, made an official speech to the crowd, “Dear friends, we have temporarily removed the garbage of the Lone Wolf, so we are here to celebrate. The growth and success of the Lone Wolf would be impossible without all of you. Let’s enjoy this sumptuous feast together.”

He raised his glass high, and the crowd followed suit.

“Of course, I would also like to thank the chefs for presenting us with this delicious feast,” Albert interjected suddenly, casting a glance at the chef team, though it wasn’t clear if he was looking at the whole group or someone in particular.

Then, he emptied his glass in one go. The crowd also drank, and Shen Fengyue couldn’t help but roll his eyes listening to the flawless official statement, but he also followed suit and finished his drink as well.

After listening to these words of unity and celebration, everyone dispersed to their chosen destinations to enjoy the feast. The melodious music filled the air as some people danced gracefully with their partners, while others chatted with friends while holding their wine glasses, and some focused on the food area.

Shen Fengyue had no interest in dancing, nor did he want to engage in conversation with others. He decided to immerse himself in the food area, sampling a bit of each dish. Although the portions were small, the variety was extensive, and after a round of tasting, his stomach was full.

In his mind, the banquet was all about the food, and since his belly was now full, there was no reason to stay any longer. So, he slipped away discreetly.

The Lone Wolf frequently held banquets on their main starship, and over the years, they had hosted countless events with the same patterns, making it quite dull. Albert had no interest in staying from the beginning; he simply sat in the main seat.

He looked around, his gaze wandering through the crowd, but he couldn’t find the person he was looking for. Albert narrowed his eyes slightly, thinking, where is the little chef?

After exchanging a few words with Orril, he put down his wine glass and got up from his seat, making his way around the crowd.

On the other side, Shen Fengyue was like an elderly person with a disciplined daily routine of just working and resting. He thought he didn’t have the energy to stay up partying until dawn and planned to return early for a good night’s rest, as he had to continue cooking a large batch of dishes the next day. However, when he reached the jumping pod of the main starship, he discovered that the connection to the sub-starship had been temporarily cut off due to the banquet.

Shen Fengyue, “…” Great, a one-way trip. Makes perfect sense.

Helpless, he had to turn back. As he walked through the corridors, he turned a corner and entered a room.

This was the stargazing observatory. Through the glass, he could see the stars outside, shining brightly. They sparkled without restraint, displaying radiant blue and mysterious, dazzling purple hues.

He was momentarily captivated by the view. He had been in this world for quite some time, and while the initial novelty of the interstellar beauty had faded, the sight of the starry sky never failed to amaze him, time and time again. The wonders of nature were truly remarkable.

After a long sigh, he said, “This starry sky, it’s really…”

As his eyes roamed, Shen Fengyue caught sight of a silver-white hemline, and before he could finish his sentence, he was startled and jumped a few times to the side.

Albert stood behind him, and upon seeing Shen Fengyue’s reaction, he raised an eyebrow slightly.

Shen Fengyue, “!!!” Then, he quickly adjusted his emotions and politely greeted, “Captain, how come you’re here?”

Albert didn’t answer his question. Instead, he completed Shen Fengyue’s sentence, “This starry sky is quite beautiful.”

“Yes,” Shen Fengyue replied softly, feeling quite uneasy standing beside him.

“I came out here for some fresh air because the banquet was boring. How about you? Why aren’t you at the party?” Albert strolled around the stargazing area, and his hard-soled boots made a rhythmic tapping sound on the floor.

Tap, tap, tap. Each step seemed to resonate in Shen Fengyue’s heart, and he quickly fabricated a reason, “For the same reason as the captain.”

“Hmm,” Albert nodded lightly, tapping the ground gently with his foot.

For some reason, even though it was just a simple conversation, Shen Fengyue felt like he was being interrogated under torture.

“Why? Don’t you like parties?” Albert asked.

Shen Fengyue replied honestly, “They’re too noisy, I don’t like dancing, and I don’t have any friends here. The only thing on my mind is eating. So, once I’ve eaten my fill, I usually leave.”

Albert remarked, “Hmm… that makes sense. You’re quite skilled at cooking.”

Shen Fengyue smiled and said, “Thank you, Captain, for the compliment.”

Please, let this end soon. Shen Fengyue couldn’t bear the awkward atmosphere any longer. The conversation was dragging on, and it felt like Captain Orphan was about to bore him to death.

It seemed that the heavens heard his urgent prayers, as Albert was about to continue the awkward conversation, they were interrupted by a loud commotion from outside.

That sound was undoubtedly not right. Who was Shen Fengyue? He had experienced many storms in his life and had seen it all. With his sharp intuition, he quickly deduced that something was amiss.

He shot Albert a glance, wondering if their destinies clashed in some way as if bad luck was bound to happen whenever they were alone together.

Albert’s communicator emitted a red light, indicating an urgent message from Orril. Albert didn’t try to hide it, so Shen Fengyue saw it too.

It turned out that while the starship was in transit, it encountered another group of space pirates. Given the other party’s bloodthirsty and aggressive nature, the other party provoked, the lone wolf’s member became enraged and an inevitable battle had broken out.

Now there was a lot of noise and chaos outside. Thus, Albert was needed to take charge of the situation. After considering it for a moment, he turned back to look at the innocent bystander, Shen Fengyue, and said, “It might get dangerous out there. You should stay here. I’ll lock the door from the outside. I’ll come back to find you once everything is sorted.”

Albert thought that Shen Fengyue is a somewhat clueless little chef with a bad temper, reminiscent of a little ticking bomb. With bad fighting skills and a person only knew how to cook, so it was essential to keep him safe.

If Shen Fengyue knew what Albert was thinking, he would probably explode with anger right then and there. However, at the moment, he was oblivious and thought that Albert was looking out for him, so he obediently nodded, indicating that he would hide.

Albert nodded in return, swiftly exited the room, and locked the door with a click.

The sound of the lock seemed louder than it should have in Shen Fengyue’s ears. For some reason, he felt a pang of fear at the sound of the door locking.

He shook his head to clear his mind of these irrational thoughts, and skillfully concealed himself behind some cover. He crouched down quietly, waiting for Albert to return.

On the other side, Albert arrived at the scene in a hurry. The main hall was in chaos, with intense crossfire. He swiftly dealt with one assailant and then observed the situation through the glass. The attackers had an extremely powerful and coordinated firepower, indicating that they have come prepared.

As he observed their attack methods, he felt that they were not as free and flexible as space pirates but rather like a well-prepared force, possibly like a regular military unit.

Albert recognized this tactic; it was a common strategy employed by the Federation. These so-called space pirates were often just disguised Federation troops.

The enemy commander seemed tactically sound, dispersing their attacks across the starship, causing the workers of the main starship to flee for their lives. The regular crew members on the sub-starship, not used to such situations, panicked and scattered, making it difficult for Albert to locate Orril and the others.

Caught off guard by the overwhelming firepower, Albert was growing increasingly frustrated. After clashing with numerous Federation troops, he finally spotted Orril.

Oriel was on the other side of the massive crowd and couldn’t get closer. Albert took advantage of the chaos and signaled to him.

It was a special signal between them, signifying that the others should retreat while he held the line. Orril clearly disagreed with this plan. He frowned and seemed to want to say something, but Albert’s stern gaze made him relent.

Orril took command of the main force and led his people to withdraw. Albert trusted him to handle the situation and focused on his own predicament.

Suddenly, he remembered there was one more person he needed to check on and hurried towards the stargazing area. Seeing Albert trying to escape, the Federation troops, assuming he was weak and attempting to flee, immediately pursued him.

Albert kicked open the door to the stargazing area with such force that it sent the door panel crashing to the floor. The deafening noise caught Shen Fengyue’s attention, and he was shocked.

“!!!”

Albert’s sharp gaze swept the area, and he successfully spotted Shen Fengyue crouching beneath the cover. He couldn’t help but be charmed by how obediently Shen Fengyue had hidden himself there, seemingly waiting for his return.

Although the timing was off, Albert couldn’t resist being amused. He looked at the person crouching there with wide-eyed innocence as if waiting for him to come back.

Even though the situation was tense, Albert couldn’t help but smile. “Why are you so cute?”

“???”

Shen Fengyue had thought he had successfully hidden, but Captain Orphan had managed to spot him again. He glanced back and saw that Albert had not only returned but had also brought the enemy back with him. Tears welled up in his eyes.

Big brother, I’m just a cook, and I haven’t done anything to offend you. Last time, when I tried to poison you and failed, I almost died of diarrhea that night. Please spare me this time.

Albert had no idea what was going on in Shen Fengyue’s mind. He thought those watery eyes were silently complaining about how late he had arrived.

Tsk, the little chef is so cute when he’s acting coy.

Albert reassured him, “Don’t worry, boss didn’t intend to leave you behind. I came back to rescue you.” When he said this, Shen Fenguie blinked his tear-filled eyes, looking even more pitiful.

Tsk, so cute.

Without further ado, Albert swiftly dealt with the pursuing Federation troops, then dragged Shen Fengyue out from under the cover and into his arms. He tapped a certain spot in the room, summoning an escape pod. He pulled his whining little chef into the pod, and they made their escape.

Shen Fengyue: QAQ sniff whine

Damn, is he a devil? He doesn’t even spare a chef???