Logically speaking, a government official and a fugitive from a space prison should be enemies, right? So why is this fugitive calling him “dear” and saying “I missed you so much” at every turn? Is he doing it on purpose? He must be doing it on purpose, right?

Mason suddenly felt a bit uneasy and snuck a glance at Scott Harris, but his angle was so odd that he could only see Scott Harris’s chin, not his expression.

Scott Harris seemed long accustomed to Eric Bennett’s way of speaking, and adapted to it well. Not only did he not object to that “I missed you so much,” he even replied in a pleasant tone.

He said, “If you were actually sitting in prison, I might try to miss you a little.”

Mason immediately slipped at the edge of the rooftop, nearly tumbling off: Mom, help...

Eric Bennett seemed quite used to such responses and didn’t mind at all. He shrugged, glanced around, and asked Scott Harris in all seriousness, “Such a big place, and you’re the only one here. Don’t you find it boring? Dear, how about we make a deal—let me have a corner?”

Mason: “……” Can’t you see there’s another living person here???

Scott Harris shrugged. “Sorry, I don’t find it boring.”

Eric Bennett, “Then let me try another reason. The space super-signal doesn’t like me much, it keeps me from messaging you.”

Scott Harris, “Thank goodness, now I can finally have some peace.”

Eric Bennett laughed. “How about this: I really like this villa?”

Scott Harris laughed too. “I advise you not to covet other people’s property so casually.”

Eric Bennett finally stopped beating around the bush. He lazily spread his arms. “I’m penniless, homeless, dirt poor, and about to starve to death.”

As he spoke, he suddenly licked his slightly chapped lower lip and added, “That one squatting next to you looks just the right size—if I just had some seasoning…”

Mason was devastated: “…………………………” Oh—so now you can see me.

He hurriedly turned to Scott Harris and asked, “He’s joking, right?”

Scott Harris glanced at him and said, “Can’t say for sure.”

Mason immediately turned to run downstairs, but Scott Harris stopped him with a foot.

“I think he’s got a screw loose,” Mason said stiffly.

Scott Harris looked as if it were obvious: “Otherwise, why would he be in a space prison?”

It was strange—there was actually wind on this fragment protected by the dragon pillar’s shield. A thin gust swept past them from behind, making goosebumps rise all over Mason’s back.

The trees in the villa’s backyard rustled in the wind, but Scott Harris and the others didn’t notice.

After all, with a lunatic in front of them, who would dare let their attention wander?

“Dear, have you made up your mind?” Eric Bennett asked, as if he were being perfectly reasonable.

Scott Harris replied calmly, “Since you’re so willing to expose your wounds, wouldn’t it be too cruel for me to refuse you again?”

Eric Bennett hooked a finger around the edge of his oxygen mask, letting it dangle loosely at his side. Whenever Scott Harris spoke, he showed remarkable patience. In those moments, he looked like a beast that had just finished hunting—languid, even giving the illusion of “not actually that dangerous.”

Scott Harris said with a straight face, “Honestly, I’ve prepared a gift for you.”

Eric Bennett perked up, standing straight. “A gift? What kind of gift?”

Mason, squatting on the ground, groaned and silently covered his eyes.

Eric Bennett laughed, took a step back, and spread his arms, his lazy tone unchanged. “Go ahead, I’ll close my eyes.”

Scott Harris lifted his right hand, set the carefully prepared R-72 rocket launcher on the platform’s ornate railing, aimed decisively, and fired.

The shell shot out like an unchained wild dog, exploding in a shower of debris.

That patch of ground was already at the edge, thin and fragile. The rocket blast shattered it instantly, and along with Mason’s pile of abandoned tents, a piece of land about ten square meters in size broke off from the planetary fragment.

“As you wished, I’ve given you a corner. No need to thank me,” Scott Harris said.

Eric Bennett stood on that broken patch of ground, stunned like a stranded narwhal: “……”

But before Scott Harris could put down the rocket launcher and taunt him a bit more, a thunderous crash erupted.

The entire planetary fragment shook violently, and both big and small Mason dropped to their knees.

Amid the trembling ground, Mason clutched the little kid in his arms in terror and shouted, “Did you fire another shot?! Are you sure you didn’t aim the wrong way?!”

But Scott Harris yanked him toward the edge of the platform. “It wasn’t me!”

With that, he kicked the two of them off the platform and jumped down himself.

“Then who the hell was it! This is the third floor, for fuck’s sake—!!!”

Chapter 6: The Narwhal Pod

Though it was the third floor, landing took only an instant.

In the chaos, something whipped past from above, bringing a sting and tearing sensation that was hard to tell if it was static electricity or something else—like being lashed by an invisible whip.

When his back hit the ground, Scott Harris instinctively shielded his head. But the violent impact was impossible to offset, and his mind went blank for a split second.