Otherworld, afternoon, a clearing in a nameless forest.
Hungry and desperate, Lin Xue and I were waiting for Pandora to return from hunting.
After a brief, sharp scream, Pandora, in her combat gear, dragged out a beast that looked like a wild boar but had curved horns from the dense forest not far away. It seemed she had learned her lesson from the last escaped meal; the little one finally chose a quick and effective solution without wasting any more time on the prey.
In terms of suitability as food, a wild boar was clearly much more qualified than a giant dragon. At least we wouldn't face a massive pile of meat and feel overwhelmed, nor would our fragile teeth have to contend with dragon meat that was impervious to blades and bullets. Moreover, waiting for several tons of dragon meat to roast fully would probably starve us to death... Fine, I'll admit, this is just my little self-consolation for not being able to eat dragon meat...
When Pandora placed the beast, which was even larger than herself, in front of us, Lin Xue suddenly said, "Hey, Chen Jun, can you barbecue?"
"...No, can you?"
"I'm really good at making Master Kong noodles..."
"Pandora." I turned my head to the little loli who was eyeing the beast hungrily.
With two "kaka" sounds, Pandora silently conjured two black cannons, each about two meters long.
Are you planning to use the same method as you did for the dragon for a forest barbecue? Are you sure eating fully carbonized food won't kill your dear brother?
Next, the three of us stared blankly at the potential meal before us.
"Brother," Pandora tugged at my sleeve, "so hungry..."
Whatever, it's just barbecuing, right?! I refuse to believe that a dignified Xyrin Emperor would be defeated by a wild boar!
"Pandora, help me cut this guy up," I rolled up my sleeves and said, "Leave the barbecuing to me!"
The fact is, being a Xyrin Emperor and having good barbecue skills have no inherent connection.
"Chen Jun, is this really edible?" Looking at the half-cooked, half-charcoal-like piece of artistic barbecue, Lin Xue questioned with serious doubts.
Pandora silently picked up a piece of meat and took a big bite.
"It's edible," Pandora said in a somewhat surprised tone, "small quantities won't cause lethal harm."
Waaah... I've been disdained, subtly yet completely disdained...
Even though the quality of the barbecue was nothing to commend, to avoid starving to death, we had no choice but to make do with it. This damned place was filled with either magical beasts or strange, unnamed tall trees. If we decided not to eat this bizarre barbecue, our only option left would be eating leaves.
After a fierce mental and physical struggle, we finally completed this hellish meal.
"I'm never eating barbecue again..." said Lin Xue, who could barely eat half her fill before giving up and collapsing on the ground with a long sigh.
Actually, I felt the same way...
"If I hadn't seen it myself, I'd never believe such a cute little sister could be such a terrifying warrior..." Lin Xue sighed as she saw Pandora obediently letting me wipe the grease off her face, "Pandora-zero, is that her real name?"
"Yes," I nodded, "Does this name remind you of anything?"
"...That myth, where Pandora opened a box, releasing all the evils into the mortal world, leaving hope inside because it didn't escape—could Pandora truly be related to that myth?"
"Do you want to know Pandora's true identity?" I looked into Lin Xue's eyes. By now, Lin Xue knew quite a bit, telling her more wouldn't make much difference, and it would save her from pointless speculation—but of course, I wouldn't spill all the secrets.
Clearly interested, Lin Xue hurriedly asked, "Can you really tell me?"
"If you can keep it a secret."
"I can keep secrets!" Lin Xue said loudly, then added as if afraid I wouldn't trust her, "I'm a senior member of the Superpower Organization, you can trust my ability to keep secrets! If not, I swear..."
"No need for oaths," I waved my hand, "I'm just worried you might not handle it well—Pandora is an Imperial General!"
"An Imperial General?" Lin Xue was dumbfounded, "A little girl? I mean... She definitely isn't just a little girl, and you did mention 'For the Empire' earlier... Honestly, Chen Jun, your explanation is even more confusing. What exactly is this Empire you're talking about? I guess it's not any Empire from this world? There's no nation on Earth today with warriors like Pandora..."
"What if I told you it's an Alien Empire, would you believe me?"
Lin Xue stared into my eyes, seeing I wasn't joking, she finally shrugged and said, "Alright, I believe you... I thought the existence of superpower users was sci-fi enough, now we have aliens—as if that's not enough, you're saying these aliens are completely human-like... Wait, Chen Jun, if Pandora is an alien general, then what's your role?"
I stood tall, facing the sunset, with a solemn expression, and slowly said, "Actually, I am the Leader of an ancient Empire..."
"Yeah, right," Lin Xue clearly didn't believe me. "Saying Pandora is an alien general is crazy enough, now you're calling yourself the Imperial Leader—when I was bringing you and Pandora into the organization, I seriously investigated you. Other than Pandora, who appeared out of nowhere, I know everything about you..."
"Receiving a contact signal." Pandora suddenly interrupted Lin Xue.
I asked in surprise, "Contact signal?"
Pandora's eyes had turned ice-blue, and while analyzing the signal from an unknown source, she replied, "It's from Sicaro... The missing expedition team has been found. They were trapped by the defense system within the ruins. Once the Spirit Beacon was activated, the defense system was compromised, and they managed to escape. They are currently with Sicaro at the Superpower Team's base."
...Well, the expedition team made it back safely, but we ended up stranded in the Otherworld.
As I pondered, Pandora spoke again, "Receiving another contact signal."
"Another contact signal?"
Pandora nodded, saying, "It's from Channel Two... Likely just interference noise mixed with the contact signal with Sicaro."
The little loli misaligned signals...
As Lin Xue and I were breaking into cold sweat, Pandora spoke again, "Receiving another contact signal."
How come the signals keep coming one after another? Is Pandora a signal relay station now?
"Confirmed as a distress signal." Pandora suddenly said something unexpected.
"Analyzing source… Coordinates determined… Identifying rescuer… Xyrin Combat Team, unknown identification number, classifying... B-level battlefield emergency, recommendation: proceed with support."
"You said it's a distress call from a Xyrin Combat Team?!" I exclaimed in shock.
Pandora quietly nodded, then asked, "Do we proceed with support?"
"Wait a moment!" I said, "Are you sure it's the Imperial Army? Didn't you say I controlled the only awakened Xyrin Mother Star? I don't remember dispatching an army."
"Identity as Imperial Army confirmed; however, their origins are unclear. There might be another awakened Xyrin Mother Star besides ours, but we can't obtain more information from them for unknown reasons."
Lin Xue was baffled by our dialogue. She looked between us and asked, "What on earth are you two talking about? Some kind of alien code?"
"Pandora just received a distress signal from the Imperial Army, but it's not from my forces. I'm trying to decide whether to help or not."
Lin Xue's eyes widened, "...Chen Jun, were you serious when you called yourself the Imperial Leader?"
"When have I ever lied?"
"When you first introduced me to Pandora!"
...Instantly counterattacked.
I didn't want to waste more time arguing with Lin Xue, so I turned to Pandora and asked, "Pandora, if things get hostile, could you get us out safely?"
"With all restrictions lifted, I can deploy Pandora Military Fortress in an emergency and can withstand a medium-sized Xyrin Army—but Brother, I don't think they'll attack us. No Xyrin Apostle would ever assault the Emperor; it's a grave offense."
You may be right, but I'm just a half-baked Xyrin Emperor; what if they don't acknowledge me as the "Supreme Authority"?
After weighing the options, I decided to check it out.
Although their origins were unclear, and I couldn't guarantee my "Emperor" authority, it was against my nature to ignore it, especially since they might be Pandora's kin.
"Proceed with support." I said.
Pandora nodded, then effortlessly slung Lin Xue and me over her shoulders. Due to her small stature, our feet dangled on the ground, but it didn't matter. Once she picked up speed, we'd naturally straighten out…
Wait, the key issue isn't here! Why do I have to be transported this way by Pandora every time?! Can't I have a cooler entrance style?
Unfortunately, Pandora didn't give me time to object.
Thus, amidst Lin Xue's screams, Pandora's Loli War Chariot sped off...