After faking her death in interstellar space, the powerful woman disguised herself as a man and went

A detached perspective.

He Yuanyang and his adjutant Wang Chang had been waiting in the command room for a long time, their expressions tense as they stared at the content displayed on the electronic screen.

A bad feeling rose in Leng Ran's heart: "Father, what happened?"

“Mo Li, we have received a distress signal from the Imperial Royal Family.” He Yuanyang rubbed his temples. “A civilian starship has been hijacked by a group of interstellar pirates, and everyone on board has been taken hostage, including the Imperial Princess Cecilia.”

He lowered his gaze coldly: "The eldest princess is traveling on a civilian starship? And she's appeared within Federation territory? Has her identity been exposed?"

Adjutant Wang Chang smiled wryly: "We don't know the specifics either, but we called you to the command room to give you an important task—to impersonate the army commander's son, He Xiting."

"Regardless of the past, the Empire and the Federation are currently in a state of diplomatic relations. We cannot allow the eldest princess, who has the right to inherit the throne, to be kidnapped within the territory of the Federation."

“So…” He Yuanyang hesitated for a moment. Even though Leng Ran was very powerful, he didn’t want her to take risks unless absolutely necessary.

"So you want to use 'He Xiting' to exchange for hostages so that the eldest princess can leave safely," Leng Ran quickly continued the conversation.

“Indeed, this will be a very dangerous mission. We don’t know anything about the enemy, and you will be isolated and helpless on the starship.” The adjutant, Wang Chang, said solemnly, “But you cannot refuse this mission.”

Leng Ran naturally understood the importance of the eldest princess. If she died within the Federation's borders, it might reignite the war between the two countries.

“Then leave it to me.” Leng Ran nodded in agreement, then looked at the silent He Yuanyang and walked up to him. “Don’t worry, Father, I am stronger than you think.”

He Yuanyang seemed to want to say something, but swallowed it back down.

After a long silence, he spoke again: "Mo Li, I believe in you. You can complete this mission. Good luck!"

Although Leng Ran agreed easily on the surface, he felt somewhat heavy-hearted inside, as there were simply too many variables in this operation.

First, the opponent's strength and numbers are unknown.

If the eldest princess's identity has not yet been exposed, the other party may agree to replace her; if her identity is exposed, He Xiting, the son of a military commander, is not enough.

At that time, it would probably be difficult to rescue the eldest princess again.

"Report to the commander! The other party has requested to connect via voice call!" the technician shouted.

He Yuanyang, with a stern face, said, "Connect."

I coldly imagined the kidnappers demanding ransom and weapons, threatening to kill me if they didn't comply, but the reality was quite different.

On the screen appeared a middle-aged man with a scar—Joey, and the eldest princess of the empire—Cecilia, who was sitting directly opposite him, wearing handcuffs and drinking tea.

Joey pointed the gun at the eldest princess's head, his face fierce: "Tell the Empire, a billion dollars in exchange for the eldest princess's safety and the safety of everyone else on this starship."

He Yuanyang and Wang Chang both looked grim. The eldest princess had been exposed, and it seemed unlikely they could get her back by relying on "He Xiting."

Cecilia put down her teacup and looked at Joey with disdain: "You really don't have a brain."

"On the surface, the eldest princess has already returned home in her private airship. If she directly tells the Empire that there is a new eldest princess here, will anyone believe her?"

Joey stood up angrily and pressed the loaded gun against Cecilia's temple: "If you can't pay, I'll send you on your way."

Cecilia's heart skipped a beat, but she remained calm on the surface: "Don't panic. I'm willing to pay for my life in my personal capacity, but you can't notify the Imperial Family."

This would alert Belmont, who might then attempt to assassinate her, ruining all her plans.

There was a big gift for this good uncle on that private airship.

Joey's face darkened: "How are you going to buy your own life?"

Cecilia: "Simple, just send me to the Golden Star, where my vault is."

Golden Star, a treasure planet within the Empire, is where many families have kept their private treasuries.

“But you must release half of the people now, and I am willing to pay twice the price to save the rest of the people.”

“No need for that, Your Highness.” Leng Ran stepped out from behind He Yuanyang. “We will not stand idly by regarding matters within the Federation. We can pay this money temporarily.”

He said coldly and arrogantly, "Let me introduce myself. I am He Xiting, the only son of He Yuanyang, the commander of the Ninth Military Region."

She gestured to He Yuanyang with her eyes: "Use me as collateral to exchange for the lives of all of you ordinary people, and my father will be willing to pay the ransom for me and the princess."

He Yuanyang said urgently, "Xixi, what are you trying to do? Don't do anything foolish!"

Leng Ran gently pushed He Yuanyang away and looked at Qiao Yi: "Change, or not change!"

Seeing the naive and indifferent He Yuanyang and the anxious and restless He Yuanyang, Qiao Yi believed him to be 80%.

Joey laughed heartily: "Kid, you've got guts. I agree, so let me see just how much you're worth in your father's eyes."

“You federal military, do not attempt to attack by force. I have planted bombs in all the cabins. If you dare to approach, I will detonate them.”

The warship and the starship began docking, each lowering half of their landing craft, creating a wide, oxygen-filled passageway.

Leng Ran walked to the edge of the warship's landing bay first: "Hey, keep your word and let them over."

On the screen, Joey waved to his men, who began releasing the hostages one after another.

Leng Ran slowly walked towards the pirate group, while the hostages boarded the warship from the starship.

One side faces danger and the unknown, while the other faces safety and warmth.

A little girl suddenly hugged Leng Ran's leg: "Brother, thank you. The eldest princess is still on the ship, you'll all be safe, right!"

He patted the girl's head coldly: "Of course, I am He Xiting!"

"Child, be careful."

"Thank you... thank you Federal soldiers... and thank you Her Highness the Eldest Princess..."

Finally, the last hostage successfully boarded the warship, and Leng Ran also reached the end of the landing bay.

After a scan confirmed that Leng Ran had no metal on her, she was subjected to a further body search.

Among them, Richie found a small cloth bag on Leng Ran's body, and the alarm bells immediately went off for the group.

On the screen, Joey's face was grim: "Tell me, what is this? Explosive powder? You sure are up to no good."

She coldly curled her lip: "How could that be? If you don't believe me, open it and see for yourself."

The robbers pinned Leng Ran to the ground, and Richie placed the bag into the bomb shelter, carefully opening it using a robotic arm.

What was presented to them was a packet of tea.

Joey looked at him like he was crazy, speechless: "Why did you bring tea leaves?"

She gave him a cold look and said, "Is there any need to say more? Of course, we're going to have tea with the Princess. Your tea is too coarse. This is top-quality Longjing tea."

Cecilia's intuition told her that this boy was not simple, so she feigned arrogance and picked up Leng Ran's words.

“Indeed, this inferior tea is unworthy of my status as a princess. I want Longjing tea. Have her bring it!”

Joey clicked his tongue: "So much trouble. Oh well, it's just a packet of tea. Give it to him."

Tea was returned, but a restraining ring was placed around her neck to limit her mental abilities. She was also handcuffed and shackled to restrict her movement.

He sneered coldly, "Your boss is such a coward, strapping so many props to me."

It seems that He Xiting himself has a certain combat ability. The son of the military district chief is different from the princess, whose physical level and mental strength are both zero, so he naturally receives different treatment.

Joey's voice came through the headset: "Bring him to the command room. I want to keep an eye on this rascal myself."

Leng Ran sneered inwardly, thinking that not taking away that packet of tea was the worst decision they had ever made.

Renn, who had been hiding in the shadows looking for an opportunity, watched Leng Ran being led away and quietly followed.