I didn't even know how I got through today.
Those Imperial Commanders quickly and efficiently blended into the crowd around me. In every classroom, every hallway, you could always spot one or two unfamiliar faces. They included school teachers, janitors tending the flower beds, cafeteria ladies serving food, electricians repairing lines, and any other profession that could possibly appear in a school. It felt like a Hollywood blockbuster about an alien invasion was quietly playing out without anyone noticing...
At first, there were still students whispering in amazement, "We seem to have a lot of newcomers at our school, huh?" But soon, such conversations dwindled, whether due to the mind interference of the Commander named Kaos or because the students had already grown accustomed to these emerging unfamiliar faces.
Walking home from school with Pandora, exchanging greetings with people I knew and didn't know as they passed by, I was increasingly impressed by these Imperial Officers who could infiltrate an unfamiliar civilization without being detected. Fortunately, they were not here to conquer humans.
I turned to glance at Pandora, silently walking beside me.
...With this little war maniac here, I could only say that they wouldn't conquer humanity for now.
"Brother," Pandora suddenly whispered, "Are you well-liked?"
I found it odd, "I think so, why do you ask?"
"A few carbon-based beings were whispering behind us just now, saying that you are quite popular."
...Any normal person would think that way seeing a high schooler chat amiably with everyone from street police to corner vendors. If my age didn't give it away, someone would probably suspect I was a high-ranking official visiting in disguise.
The walk from my home to school is not short; it involves passing through a bustling street market known for its food stalls and vendors selling pirated discs despite frequent raids from city management. Especially famous is the pirate disc market here, labeled as the last pirated "holy land" that stands resiliently against the authorities' aggressive enforcement. My sister had repeatedly warned not to let Pan Lili (Pandora's alias in public) walk through such chaotic places, and Qianqian also frequently advised me to take a longer route to ensure Lili's safety. But for some reason, Pandora insisted on walking through this mix of vendors and hawkers to go home.
Soon, I understood why Pandora was so insistent.
At the edge of the street market, a man dressed in black like someone from The Matrix approached us mysteriously and said, "Hey, want some discs?"
I looked up and was moved to tears.
It was the Knight-faced Uncle who made fake IDs.
The ancients were right; you can't judge a book by its cover. This uncle, with a face full of righteousness and determination, always surprises me with what he does... Is your fake ID business going well?
Pandora explained, "Our original plan was to monopolize all the commercial systems in this city and establish a comprehensive information network to ensure your safety. But later, we found that simply having Pascal here could achieve the same goal."
Knight-faced Uncle reported seriously, "The humans in this district have mastered a rather primitive yet intriguing method of information transfer. While it can't be called an intelligence network, it's enough to gather human movements in the vicinity. Also, given the chaotic management of this area, it's easier for our people to hide here."
Cold sweat dripped down my face.
It was then I realized that among the small vendors nearby, there were several familiar faces. Clearly, I had underestimated these war-minded folks. This wasn't just job-hunting in human society; it was practically espionage!
"Brother, an abnormal target detected," Pandora suddenly alerted.
"Abnormal target?" I was puzzled.
The Knight-faced Uncle said, "I'll go set up a sniper point," and then quickly left.
What's going on? Hey, are you planning to have a Matrix-like fight right here on the street?
"There is one… no, two carbon-based lifeforms with high energy reactions locking onto our position. They have no hostility, but there is an attack intention."
No hostility but an attack intention? What does that mean?
Before I could figure it out, Pandora called out, "The opponent is launching an attack!"
I felt a cool breeze pass by, and then everything returned to calm.
Just as I thought nothing had happened, Pandora gestured for me to look behind.
I turned and saw a deep cut over a meter long and half a centimeter wide in the wall behind us, with a wisp of white smoke slowly rising from it.
Cold sweat poured down my face...
"Highly compressed air blade," Pandora's eyes carried a faint blue light, a sign that she was in an information processing state. "It has extremely high speed and decent destructive power and is difficult for carbon-based lifeforms' sensory organs to detect. It poses a lethal threat to ordinary carbon-based lifeforms."
"...This isn't the time to be explaining this," I said with a twitch at the corner of my mouth. "I almost got killed by that thing. You should be able to intercept such an attack, right?"
Although I didn't fully understand Xyrin Empire's technology, from what I'd observed, with Pandora's capabilities, intercepting such an attack shouldn't be harder than blowing off some dust. However, the enemy launched an attack that almost got me, and Pandora was calmly analyzing the attack method's characteristics...
Pandora looked up at the sky and said, "This attack method has its merits but poses no threat to me. It seems the opponent had no killing intent and was merely probing. They deliberately missed this time."
"So you knew in advance this attack would definitely miss me and didn't bother intercepting?" I asked in surprise, developing a new appreciation for Pandora's instant calculation abilities.
"Exactly," Pandora continued to look at a specific spot in the sky and replied, "We can now be sure the opponent has no hostile intent; they are probing for some unknown purpose—requesting satellite cannon connection..."
"Probing," I nodded, understanding, yet still puzzled. "What are they probing for? Is there anything worth probing about me? And you've kept your matters confidential; there's no chance of a leak in such a short time. Plus, using compressed air for an attack—has the Earthlings developed such weapons?"
"We are still unsure if this attack method is an Earth-bound technology, but it's certain that the attackers are carbon-based lifeforms—satellite cannon in position..."
"Oh—what? Did you just say satellite cannon?" I finally registered "satellite cannon" that Pandora had mentioned twice now. What does this over-the-top-sounding weapon mean? What is this little war maniac planning?
"Although the opponent had no hostility and caused you no actual harm, attacking the Xyrin Emperor is a grave crime. Anyone who dares to harm you must be punished—coordinates confirmed, fire at will!"
"Hey!" I shouted without caring about attracting attention, "Stop it! This is a residential area!"
Pandora's eyes were now glinting red. Without turning her head, she said, "This satellite cannon was summoned directly through a void projection in outer space. Its attack is nearly invisible to ordinary people, and we have limited its energy level. The satellite cannon at minimum output won't cause destructive damage."
"That's not my point!" I shouted anxiously because I could faintly see the distant air distorting unnaturally—the satellite cannon attack was imminent!
How powerful were these satellite cannons? Based on the data I accessed, the most powerful Xyrin Satellite Cannon could pierce through an entire planet in one shot! Though Pandora said this attack was limited, it still wasn't something ordinary humans could endure.
Though being unreasonably attacked like this was infuriating, if it meant dragging thousands of innocent people into my mess—I'd be worse than a beast...
"Pandora, I don't want to force you with an order," I stared at Pandora's eyes, now a deep red, "but please, as a favor to your brother, don't harm the innocent."
"Even if two foolish entities attacked you?" Pandora asked quietly.
"You also said they had no hostile intent—and the situation is unclear. Dragging so many people into this isn't appropriate. First, stop the satellite cannon."
In the end, the little girl in front of me chose to compromise, "Alright, if that is your command."
With Pandora's words, the satellite cannon attack ceased.
Though it didn't fire, I noticed that under the previously distorted air, a small-scale disturbance, like a minor fire, had occurred.
The energy gathered from the satellite cannon's pre-firing radiation alone caused such chaos. I couldn't imagine the consequences if I hadn't stopped it.
"Though I can pardon their death sentence, suitable punishment is necessary—Brother, this is the least I can tolerate, or the Empire's dignity would be lost."
"Is it really that serious..." I felt a headache coming on. This loli's fine with everything except when it involves the Empire—then she becomes stubborn and doesn't understand the concept of "peaceful resolution." Who knows when she'll make a big mess...
"Don't cause major damage," under Pandora's unyielding gaze, I gave up trying to turn her into a peace envoy. Of course, if I found those attackers, a small lesson wouldn't hurt, "and most importantly, don't harm the innocent."
Now, I could only silently pray for those mysterious attackers—may they survive the Xyrin Weapon's strike...