At this moment, even Xixi started to doubt her own judgment.

Xiu Yi picked up the thunder watch, then put it down again. Better not to call, perhaps the person is arriving precisely on time. Calling through the Heavenly Communication system might even come across as impolite.

With this thought in mind, another five minutes slipped by silently.

The agreed-upon time had arrived, but there was still no sign of anyone. By now, Xiu Yi was certain of one thing: Xixi must have picked the wrong meeting point! Today was an extremely important day, and the other party would never be late, especially when it was their first meeting. Furthermore, with Iman's transport shuttle waiting outside, even if there were a delay, the other party would surely notify them in advance via Heavenly Communication.

The reason they hadn't made the call was quite simple, with only one plausible answer. The truth was evident: the other party wasn't absent. On the contrary, they had arrived and were waiting at the right spot. Out of politeness and perhaps sharing the same mindset, they hesitated to make the call.

"Xixi, are you sure this is Exit No. 7?"

"Ah? I…" At this point, Xixi was visibly flustered. If she messed up on such an important day, it would surely be a disaster.

"Xixi, you didn't get it wrong, did you?" Red Ghost added, reinforcing the pressure. Although it was rare for Xixi to make mistakes, she was human, and humans are prone to errors, especially under circumstances like this—it's everyone's first time on this unfamiliar planet.

Even Kevin, who had never doubted Xixi before, started to question her. "Xixi, try to recall again carefully. Our time is precious here."

"Ah!! I've got it!" At that moment, Xixi resembled a girl who had just lost her wallet. Panicked, she hurriedly pulled out her thunder watch for verification, glancing at the digital screen above, then scurried around asking several passersby. The anxiety was all over her face.

After a while, Xixi returned, "It is correct; this is the place."

But… checking the time again, they were already five minutes overdue—this couldn't be right!

Xiu Yi silently came to a stark conclusion: Impossible! Yes, absolutely impossible! What kind of people were Brother Feng's old comrades? They would never be late. Soldiers—especially members of the Red Cloak unit and God's Thorn combat champions within the Normandy Fleet—would never falter on matters of discipline. Only such iron-blooded warriors could stand as Brother Feng's battle brothers, those who fought life and death beside him. How could they possibly be tardy?

When Xiu Yi shared his thoughts, everyone immediately turned skeptical, directing their questioning gazes at Xixi.

"I— I don't know." Xixi was on the verge of tears...

Just then, a panting, chubby man carrying large bags came rushing from a distance in a hurry. He was out of breath and looking quite disheveled.

The group noticed the man but did not respond with even a glance—not a single one.

That's right. As iron-blooded warriors, soldiers exuded discipline to the core. Compared to bounty hunters, the rigidity of military order and demeanor was far superior—an unmatched level of discipline. They were as unmoving as a tree when standing, firm like a bell when seated, speaking with power and authority, their gaze like lightning. They would never behave like the chaotic figure before them.

But in the next moment, the group heard a tentative inquiry from the chubby man asking whether this was Xiu Yi's squad.

"That's me. May I ask…?"

"Heh heh, I'm Zhang Xiaobo. Sorry for being late; I stopped to pick up a few things along the way."

"Ah...?" The four of them exclaimed in unison, their jaws practically hitting the ground. Over their heads, one could almost imagine giant exclamation marks appearing out of thin air.

"You weren't waiting too long, were you?"

"Heh, ha ha ha… ha ha, not at all. We just got here." Xiu Yi forced a smile that was more awkward than crying, scratching his head with palpable embarrassment.

Even Red Ghost was left speechless, her face showing nothing but a helpless grin after Zhang Xiaobo's words. No one had expected Brother Feng's old comrade to be someone with a penchant for lateness. Of course, this thought stayed unspoken, only lingering in their minds.

What made Feng Yi's tardiness different was its intentionality. Although Feng Yi indeed had a habit of being late, his lateness was often purposeful—serving as a kind of mental exercise for the others. But this chubby man was different; his delay was purely accidental. It was surprising to encounter such a unique personality among Brother Feng's allies.

At that moment, Sara arrived, jogging over to the group with an apologetic smile. She, too, was aware of being late. Thinking quickly, she brought along some local specialty items she had just purchased, worried that she'd forget. Unfortunately, this last-minute endeavor caused her delay.

When the group heard this, they suddenly understood. So, that's what happened.

Although Sara's smile was awkward and somewhat forced, she managed to avoid further scrutiny. After all, no one would criticize someone who greeted them warmly. Other than a lingering sense of helplessness, the group didn't dwell on the issue.

Following short introductions, everyone quickly began to get to know one another. They then cheerfully made their way toward the transport shuttle, prepared in advance by the Blade Warrior.

During the journey, Xiu Yi debated inwardly whether to ask Zhang Xiaobo what he had bought. He wasn't sure if his own preparations were up to par, so he wanted to weigh them against Zhang Xiaobo's items. Still, he couldn't bring himself to speak up.

Not long after, they arrived at Yita.

Upon seeing the new arrival, Red Ghost suddenly felt an overwhelming pressure.

Though they hadn't fought directly, Yita gave Red Ghost the impression of being unbeatable. This person was exceptionally strong—the strongest she'd encountered apart from Feng Yi and Bai Zhexian.

But what kind of people were Feng Yi and Bai Zhexian? Across her years of exploration, since reaching the mid-late stage of First-Order strength, Red Ghost had never faced anyone who emanated such intense pressure.

Yita was calm and unadorned, her gaze profound. Her flowing long hair carried an air of elegance akin to the elusive snow lotus of the Tianshan Mountains, creating a sense of proximity and distance all at once. She didn't seem particularly approachable. More striking was her ever-alert posture, suggesting she was perpetually in combat-ready mode. She truly lived up to the title of Blade Warrior's personal guard.

"The Blade Warrior has been waiting for you all for a while now. Please, follow me."

"Huh? Blade Warrior?" Kevin was slightly taken aback.

"Is there something you'd like to ask?" Yita responded, her tone devoid of any emotion.

"Ah, haha, no, no..." Kevin hurriedly waved his hand, waiting until Yita had stepped away and the shuttle had ascended into the sky. Only then did he quietly ask Xiu Yi, "Didn't you say the Blade Warrior was a woman? Why did she call her 'sir'?"

Xiu Yi explained that this was probably a form of honorific, a respectful title for a learned or accomplished woman. As for more details, she wasn't entirely sure—it was merely a different style of address, unrelated to gender.

Kevin nodded. Meanwhile, Red Ghost, Xixi, and Sara were chatting energetically, quickly finding common ground. Within minutes, they seemed to have hit it off, with Sara's assortment of treats matching the tastes of the other two women perfectly. They began praising the local delicacies enthusiastically, enjoying them so much they couldn't hold back their compliments. Meanwhile, the three men stared at one another awkwardly.

That simply wouldn't do. The chubby Zhang Xiaobo called the other two over and asked if they knew how to play "Fight the Landlord."

"Fight the Landlord…" Xiu Yi said that while he'd heard of the game, he had never played it. He recalled seeing many adults playing it during his youth on Bull Planet but had no interest in games at the time.

Kevin, however, perked up immediately, saying he had played it before. He began explaining the rules to Xiu Yi. If nothing else, they could give it a try—for entertainment—given the distance to Sky City wasn't too… wasn't too…

Oops, in a blink, they had already arrived. The shuttle's speed was impressive. Between the gravity cushioning, no one even felt the usual motion—before realizing it, they were there. It was almost surreal how efficient it was.

It could be said that almost all of the shuttles they'd ridden in the past were civilian models. Even during their classified operations on more advanced military shuttles, the long-distance required made it difficult to perceive the true speed capabilities of such transport. But here, within the atmosphere, after only a few exchanges of conversation, they'd reached their destination—it was downright incredible!

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