To be honest, that voice was very pleasant, but when it came from Eric Bennett's throat, it inexplicably always made people think of emotions like "mockery" or "meaningfulness"—not so innocent.

　　"Darling, I really like this spirit of yours more and more," Eric Bennett said.

　　When dizzy, closing your eyes can slightly ease the nausea. So when Scott Harris heard this, he didn't open his eyes, just rubbed his temples with his fingers and replied coolly, "Oh, I'm afraid you'll see even more in the future."

　　He paused in silence for a moment, still feeling a bit disgruntled. Although he couldn't see Eric Bennett's expression, just from Eric Bennett's tone and voice, it seemed the other wasn't bothered at all by the weightlessness and spinning.

　　The petty Officer Harris felt a moment of inner imbalance, and finally couldn't help but lift one eyelid to glance at Eric Bennett. Sure enough, he saw him standing steadily beside the dragon pillar, hands in his pockets, watching the dragon pillar from a barely safe distance.

　　"You didn't even throw up," Scott Harris said, closing his eyes again to suppress a new wave of nausea.

　　"You still remember that little problem from so many years ago? I'm truly flattered," Eric Bennett replied. "But when you ask, if you could sound a little less regretful, that would be even better."

　　Scott Harris made no effort to hide his regret. "After nine years in a space prison, you got used to this feeling?"

　　"Thanks to you." Eric Bennett's voice, which had been several meters away, suddenly sounded right in front of him.

　　It was as if they were face to face.

　　Scott Harris snapped his eyes open, only to see Eric Bennett's face right in front of him, leaning in slightly as if studying the dragon pillar, their noses almost touching.

　　Before he could react, Eric Bennett suddenly blew a breath at his left eye.

　　Scott Harris's eyelid fluttered from the breeze, and he frowned, leaning his face back. "You—"

　　"But prison can't train you for this," Eric Bennett said with a smile, straightening up and stepping back two paces. "Try staying at the edge of a black hole's capture range for a few days, and you'll find this level of dizziness is nothing."

　　"Black hole?" Scott Harris didn't react for a moment. "How did you almost get caught by a black hole?"

　　Eric Bennett tilted his head and winked his right eye at him. "Guess."

　　Scott Harris: "..." Guess your grandpa.

　　This kind of unpredictable lunatic—Scott Harris had only ever met one in his life.

　　And this one happened to have known him for a very long time—long enough to take up almost three-quarters of his life.

　　For two people who've known each other so many years to end up like this... you really have to call it a failure.

　　The year Eric Bennett first entered the space prison, Scott Harris had wondered once or twice what it would be like if they ever met face to face again—but it was just idle speculation.

　　No prison or even government leader would ever want to see the two of them in the same room. That would be a disaster—apocalypse—for the whole building.

　　But later he never thought about it again, since Eric Bennett-Young's sentence was so shockingly long. The verdict clearly stated: "until the end of the planet's lifespan."

　　One summer, Eric Bennett-Young forcibly broke into his office's comm channel and left him a few messages, asking, "If we meet again, will you greet me with a smile, or shoot me in the head?"

　　At the time, Scott Harris calmly replied, "That day will never come."

　　But it was as if fate was determined to mess with Scott Harris. Barely two years after he said that, the planet exploded.

　　And just fifty years after the planet exploded, they ran into each other again...

　　Maybe fate was crazy too, and just didn't want to live a normal life.

　　This time, the dragon pillar system's self-adjustment was so long it was nerve-wracking. In the end, Mop was practically crying as he asked Scott Harris, "Is this ever going to end? Maybe I should just take out the air exchanger and be done with it."

　　Scott Harris had been through all kinds of simulation experiments, but experiments could never compare to reality. Experiment times were always set; reality never gave you a heads-up.

　　Fortunately, no matter how long, it eventually ended. After Mop passed out and woke up three times, the dragon pillar finally stabilized. The simulated gravity system adjusted to the optimal state, the self-rotation balance system ran smoothly, the outer layer of hidden matter spun quietly at a stable speed, and with the buffer of the middle layer, the inner layer's planetary fragments spun at a rate below the threshold of normal human perception.

　　For Scott Harris and the others, it finally meant their feet were on solid ground, and the dizziness and nausea were gone.

　　But...

　　"This damn kite is twice as big as this place. Hanging off the side like that, are you sure it won't tip over?" Mop couldn't help but speak up.

　　If it weren't for Scott Harris and Eric Bennett-Young standing there like two guardian gods, Mop would have puked all over the place long ago. But the two of them kept glancing at him, making his bladder ache. He opened his mouth countless times, but never dared to let it out. Now he could only collapse on the ground, rubbing his chest over and over.

　　Ever since he woke up, it seemed like he'd spent eighty percent of his time in this position...