The tranquilizer allowed Mu Yuan's rationality to return, and his body no longer felt as uncomfortable as it was just now.
Mu Yuan opened his eyes, listening to his own rapidly beating heart.
Memories that didn't belong to him flashed back quickly in his mind.
When those memories finally subsided, he blinked again, his eyes now clear and lucid.
Mu Yuan pulled the thin gauze from the bed and draped it over himself, his bare feet touching the ground. He looked around at the decorations in the room and the environment outside the window.
His gaze followed Ling Yan's upright figure as it disappeared into the snowy night, and the corners of his lips curved upwards.
What kind of fate was this, that he could unexpectedly meet Ling Yan again in this absurd dream?
That's right.
The Mu Yuan at this moment was none other than the interstellar bandit Y, whom Ling Yan had just captured and brought to Prison Star.
Although he couldn't understand what had happened to inexplicably find himself tied to a bed, becoming this Guardian General Mu Yuan of the Xingling Kingdom, seeing Ling Yan here brought him a strange sense of peace.
As long as Ling Yan was there, nothing else mattered.
Everything that had just happened on the bed, with seven parts truth and three parts acting, could be considered fulfilling a long-held dream of his.
Perhaps, all of this was just a dream he was having.
A beautiful dream that could never happen in reality.
Ling Yan and he were worlds apart: one a majestic interstellar law enforcement officer, the other a notorious and shameful thief.
Although many on various planets respectfully called him "Hero Thief Y," who would listen to the words of those living in the slums?
Round and round they went. This time, being captured by Ling Yan and brought to Prison Star, he had thought it was all over.
Unexpectedly, it was like a dream.
Heaven had actually given him a new opportunity, a new identity.
A fresh start, a chance to begin again.
Mu Yuan picked up the red gauze on his body and walked towards the clear window.
The window reflected a flawless face.
This face was exactly the same as his own.
Looking down at the reflection of his body through the clear window, every scar on his body was exactly the same as his own from before.
If it were a coincidence, it was far too coincidental.
There was also one point that had to be mentioned.
That was his current identity.
General Mu Yuan of the Xingling Kingdom.
The name Mu Yuan (慕渊) was strikingly similar to his own real name—Mu Yuan (慕远).
How alike they were.
His mind was filled with doubts.
He raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction where Ling Yan had disappeared, remaining silent for a moment before letting out a soft chuckle.
Mu Yuan (慕渊), Mu Yuan (慕远), or even the interstellar thief Y—it was just a name.
In the vast galaxy, with countless planets, there was no place for him to belong.
But his principle was simple: as long as he was alive, that was enough.
He was quite satisfied with his current identity, at least it was similar to Ling Yan's, both bordering on "justice."
"Captain Ling, you've been chasing me for so long. Now, it's my turn to chase you."
Mu Yuan withdrew his somewhat longing gaze and turned to look at the middle-aged man behind him.
He slowly walked over to the man and kicked him over with one foot, a cold glint now evident in his eyes.
The man on the ground was the Xingling Kingdom's Imperial Advisor, King Qi Lin's number one lackey—Wang Quan.
According to the memories in his mind, usually, the original Mu Yuan didn't have much interaction with Wang Quan.
Moreover, he himself led the Mu family army and had been stationed on Snowgate Island, the southernmost part of the Xingling Kingdom, for nearly two years, not returning to the mainland of the Violet Gold Continent.
Wang Quan's sudden visit, though ostensibly to show concern for the Mu family army and bring fresh supplies, actually had ulterior motives. He had added something to Mu Yuan's tea, plotting against him.
He didn't know how the original owner of this body would have dealt with this Imperial Advisor, but since he was now Mu Yuan, well, too bad.
Mu Yuan placed his foot on the Imperial Advisor Wang Quan's oily, shiny face, his eyes slightly narrowed: "Imperial Advisor, you are the person closest to the King."
After Ling Yan left the wooden hut, the corpse on the ground was already covered by heavy snow.
Following Mei's guidance, he quickly reached the cave on the cliff.
The cave wasn't large, but it was enough for him to take shelter alone.
[Mei, activate stealth mode.]
[Understood, Boss.]
Ling Yan leaned against the stone wall of the cave. Before long, his figure vanished without a trace.
Stealth mode was a standard ability for every star police officer on Prison Star, intended for better infiltration and apprehension of interstellar criminals.
It could be used among rocks, trees, and even clouds.
Prison Star was the gathering place for all the strong individuals in the entire galaxy and the final resting place for all its criminals.
Every star police officer was powerful. This was because to become a Prison Star officer, you must first have excellent physical qualities, after passing the examination to finally become a star police of the Prison Star, each person's body will be upgraded and remodeled to a greater or lesser extent.
Regardless of their planet of origin, Prison Star officers typically had an average lifespan of over ten thousand years under normal circumstances.
However, being a star police officer was a high-risk profession, and over half of them didn't live that long.
In addition to the extension of their physical lifespan, each officer had a chip implanted containing a special police system.
After the chip was implanted, they could use the police equipment space and had functions like switching combat modes.
Ling Yan was special because he was personally brought up by the previous captain and had always lived on Prison Star, unlike the talented individuals from other planets who came seeking fame.
Moreover, just as he passed the star police selection and became a formal officer, the chip containing the Prison Star system was implanted into his psychic beast residing in his consciousness—Mei.
At this moment, Ling Yan entered his consciousness space, his arms crossed over his chest, a hint of displeasure between his brows as he looked down at the fat, multi-colored cat that was obediently squatting on the ground, licking its paws.
Mei's manifested form was this appearance.
However, while it looked like a cat, it wasn't a true cat.
To be honest, even Ling Yan had never seen Mei's true form.
Ling Yan had lost most of his past memories.
His memories began when the previous star police captain, Bai Qi, rescued him from a sea of fire.
Since that time, Mei had always existed within his consciousness.
He hadn't even told Bai Qi, his savior who later became his mentor, about Mei's existence.
It was a secret only he knew.
And ever since he had memories, Mei had always looked like this: short and thick limbs, a tiger-like head, completely resembling a large, fat cat that ate too much and didn't exercise.
A thin layer of mist always shrouded Mei's body, obscuring the original color of its fur. Three erect black tufts of fur grew from the tips of both its ears.
It had a pair of large eyes, like a color palette, made up of seven different colors.