The Interstellar Queen of Scavengers

Chapter 1471: Chapter 1471: Abnormality of the Iron Plate

Sheng Qingyan’s face was gloomy.

Shen Changqing pressed his lips together.

While the atmosphere was deadlocked, Ji You was about to speak when Shen Changqing and the stony-faced Sheng Qingyan met eyes for a moment. He seemed to have made up his mind, his face reddening a bit awkwardly: ”Gege... I’ll be fine.”

Ji You: ”!!!”

Ji You’s fingertips twitched.

Beside her, Sheng Qingyan’s face went dark, his whole body shrouded in a cloud: ”Calling me dad won’t help!”

Ji You raised her hand and smacked Sheng Qingyan right on the forehead: ”Cut it out already, I forbid you from bullying such a well‑behaved, soft, cute little Xiaoqing.”

Sheng Qingyan hadn’t been on guard and actually got slapped head‑on. He clutched his aching head and snarled viciously: ”You poor dead, stop messing around! This is between me and Aqing.”

Everyone heard that Spicy Eye had finally started talking normally again, and the atmosphere instantly lightened up. Shen Changqing’s tense face relaxed at once: ”Ayan, you really don’t need to worry. I know what I’m doing.”

”Hmph!” Sheng Qingyan expressed his disdain through his nostrils and said coldly, ”I still haven’t decided to forgive you yet, so stop shamelessly talking to me.”

With that, Sheng Qingyan turned his back.

On the other end of the comm.

Chu Jiaojiao and Shen Changqing were each piloting their Mecha, hovering in mid‑air. That tube of black liquid was still clutched in Shen Changqing’s hand. Ji You narrowed her eyes and said, ”Xiaoqing, you and Jiaojiao get back here fast. Five minutes, I’m giving you five minutes, then hand that tube of liquid over to me. I’ll hold it.”

Shen Changqing looked up.

Chu Jiaojiao frowned and said, ”Give it to me! I’ll carry it. My skin’s thick and I’m tough, I’ll definitely be fine.”

Hearing that, Sheng Qingyan also got very upset. He turned around and glared unhappily at Ji You, cursing: ”You poor dead, can’t you just get rid of that thing? Why are you and Aqing both so obsessed with keeping it?”

Liu Fufeng also tilted his face up, looking thoroughly unconvinced.

Right in front of everyone, Ji You waved her hand and said, ”Listen to me, I’m the Captain.”

Sheng Qingyan rolled his eyes straight away and said, ”Who gave you the face? Don’t just randomly give yourself status, okay? I don’t acknowledge you as Captain at all.”

As he spoke, Sheng Qingyan’s tone suddenly turned serious: ”I’ll take it.”

Ji You waved her hand and said, ”No need to fight over it. Since I’m the one who agreed to this, I’ll be the Captain and shoulder it. Jiaojiao, you and Xiaoqing return to the team immediately. I’ll report this black liquid to Principal Hong first and let him decide, then we’ll settle it.”

This black liquid was clearly shady. After thinking it over, Ji You decided not to make a private judgment and to hand it over to Principal Hong.

After all, teachers exist to be troubled.

Cough, cough...

No.

Teachers exist to be relied on.

Then—

Right after hanging up the comm, Ji You called Principal Hong. The moment the call connected, Ji You had barely said a few sentences when Principal Hong already replied with a disgusted look: ”Got it. Have them bring it back and hand it to me.”

Hearing that, Ji You instantly felt relieved.

That meant this black liquid at least wouldn’t make people blow up into bits like those black bears in an instant.

Five minutes later.

Once Shen Changqing and Chu Jiaojiao came back, Ji You said, ”Give it to me, I’ll send it up to the spaceship to the principal.”

Shen Changqing hesitated a little, but still handed it over to Ji You: ”Be careful.”

”Relax.” Ji You nodded and said, ”I’ll board the spaceship first, you all guard the perimeter.”

Shen Changqing, Chu Jiaojiao and the others all nodded in unison.

In a corner, Liu Fufeng stared at the tube of black liquid in Ji You’s hand, his expression seeming a bit agitated. After a long moment, as if making up his mind, he said, ”Classmate Ji You, I don’t think you should be holding it.”

”Hmm?” Ji You’s steps faltered.

Liu Fufeng had moved farther away from Ji You, then said, ”I... I think it... it’s really scary.”

When he finished—

Liu Fufeng seemed unable to endure it, and pulled back even more distance, staying far away from the tube in Ji You’s hand. A few meters wasn’t enough; he kept walking until he’d gone nearly a hundred meters before finally stopping. Once he stopped, he looked at Ji You’s hand with a face full of lingering fear.

Liu Fufeng’s abnormal reaction made Ji You’s heart give a thump.

This guy Liu Fufeng was actually a bit shady himself. If even he said this black liquid was terrifying, then it probably really was terrifying.

Ji You held the tube, and only then did she try to carefully observe it. It was black, like soy sauce, looked utterly ordinary...

Huh?

Ji You sensed something off. The Six Spiritual Threads in her Spirit Space all seemed rather uninterested; every strand was drooping its head, even their tails didn’t want to wag. Fourth had even vanished without a trace, who knew which strand it was hiding in.

Just as Ji You decided to move her gaze away from the black liquid—

Her Spirit Space gave a slight tremor.

The next second.

The silhouette of the Iron Plate floated in the spiritual void, and Ji You’s heart jolted with surprise: ”Iron!!!”

The Iron Plate hadn’t shown up in ages; it really was a case of one day apart feeling like three years.

Ji You hadn’t even had time to be happy when she saw that, right after appearing in her spiritual void, the grayish silhouette of the Iron Plate trembled for a brief instant. This was incredibly rare! Ji You’s eyes went wide!

In Ji You’s understanding, the Iron Plate was just a dead object, a bottomless pit that only knew how to eat Soul Devices and Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures! It wasn’t supposed to have any emotions.

But—

What did this situation mean?

Did the Iron Plate actually have emotions?

Ji You furrowed her brows, her expression growing more serious. She clearly saw the Iron Plate, which had just trembled once, suddenly tremble again.

In Ji You’s perception, that state didn’t feel like the shiver of fear, nor the shake of being jostled. It was like a person caught in a sudden abnormal situation, a bit at a loss, anxiously spinning in circles.

Ji You’s heart tightened; she wasn’t sure if this was a good thing or a bad thing.

Did the Iron Plate really have emotions?

So in her mind, besides the Six Spiritual Threads and Xiao You, was there actually another conscious creature living there? And the key point was, all these freeloaders only knew how to mooch food, drink, and housing, and wouldn’t pay a single bit of rent.

Ji You’s face went stern as she secretly griped. If this kept up, she felt like she could open a whole zoo. Cough, cough... excluding Xiao You.

While a bunch of messy thoughts flashed through Ji You’s mind, the Iron Plate’s form dimmed and gradually faded away.

Huh?

Ji You froze: ”Iron, why’d you run off again?”

Ji You immediately turned her head to look at the tube of black liquid in her own hand, and found it still sitting perfectly fine inside the transparent tube made of special material.

It hadn’t disappeared?

So this thing wasn’t food for the Iron Plate, but what was it that had drawn the Iron Plate out?

...

The Iron Plate and Spiritual reactions in her mind had only lasted an instant. In reality, Ji You had taken the black liquid from Shen Changqing’s hand less than thirty seconds ago. She was just about to hop up and take the black liquid to Principal Hong when, behind her, a pair of hands suddenly reached out, snatched it away in a flash, and said, ”I’ll be the one to hand this over.”