The next second, Sheng Tianze transformed from a majestic tiger back into his human form and gently pulled Jiang Xinli into his embrace.
Then, he raised a hand and gently placed it on her head. A stream of faint golden healing light slowly flowed from his palm.
Jiang Xinli felt as if a skilled masseuse were giving her a head massage. It was incredibly comfortable.
'I can't believe Sheng Tianze's Healing Ability has such a magical effect, even when I'm just faking it,' she thought, amazed.
"There," Sheng Tianze said after a moment, slightly lifting his fingers and withdrawing the stream of light.
"Your body is a bit weak right now. When you get back tonight, remember to absorb those Crystal Cores." After saying this, Sheng Tianze's tone shifted.
"Speaking of those Puppet Corpses... Female Master, do you really not remember anything at all?"
"No." Jiang Xinli shook her head, her gaze clear. "They seem a lot like zombies, but why are they called Puppet Corpses?"
Sheng Tianze reached out and ruffled her hair. "Because zombies can't be controlled, but Puppet Corpses can be controlled by Dark Beastmen."
"Dark Beastmen?" Jiang Xinli vaguely remembered hearing the term before but hadn't paid much attention to it at the time.
Sheng Tianze didn't answer right away.
He lifted his gaze and scanned their surroundings. Not far away was a piece of discarded, mined ore with a very flat surface.
Sheng Tianze walked over, and with a flick of his fingers, he retrieved an exquisite cushion from his personal space.
After sitting down, he smoothly pulled Jiang Xinli onto his lap. Only then did he begin to explain patiently.
"In the interstellar beast world, when Male Beastmen turn 18, they not only awaken their superpowers but also differentiate into Light Beastmen and Dark Beastmen."
"Light Beastmen and Dark Beastmen possess similar types of superpowers, but there are also differences."
"Furthermore, wherever Dark Beastmen use their superpowers, it often triggers dark chaos. They are single-mindedly focused on shattering the existing rules of the world.
On the other hand, places where Light Beastmen use their superpowers tend to become orderly, as they purify all evil.
You could say that Light Beastmen are dedicated to maintaining the world's current rules and order."
"There are over a billion Dark Beastmen, and they usually hide in the dark corners of the interstellar world. They, along with the Insect Clan, are the common enemies of all Light Beastmen."
"In short, Light Beastmen and Dark Beastmen have been irreconcilable enemies since ancient times."
"Puppet Corpses are formed when a Mutant Beast undergoes a second mutation after death. Dark Beastmen are naturally born with the ability to control them.
After a Puppet Corpse is defeated, they are all recalled by the Dark Beastmen. When the time is right, they will be resurrected to stage a comeback."
Jiang Xinli's mouth fell open. She felt like she was listening to something out of a fairy tale.
As for the "Insect Clan"—
As a force to be reckoned with in the interstellar world, Jiang Xinli had heard terms like Insect Clan, Insect Brain, and Insect Mother before.
However, it all felt very distant from her own life.
Perhaps it was because the environment and terrain of the Deserted Star she had been exiled to were too primitive and undeveloped.
As far as the eye could see, there was nothing but desolate mines.
The only thing that looked remotely high-tech was the Light Computer on her wrist, equipped with the interstellar prison's tracking and positioning system.
As for things like Mechas, Warships, and energy weapons... a high-profile criminal like her had no chance of encountering them right now.
Now, she finally understood why the original owner of her body had been arrested and sentenced by the Interstellar Military Court after the cataclysmic disaster on Furao Star 3.
It was a bit like the crime of treason in her original world.
'But for the female lead—a newly adult, good-for-nothing with F-level spiritual power—to actually team up with Dark Beastmen and destroy an entire planet... that sounds completely absurd.'
'Even I, a complete outsider, find it ridiculous. Did no one on the Interstellar Military Court ever have any doubts?'
Jiang Xinli felt her thoughts wandering and quickly reined them in. "Oh, right," she said. "Since Male Beastmen are divided into Light and Dark Beastmen, what about females?"
'That was a stupid question,' she thought. 'Something every interstellar person would know.'
'It was like asking about human genders back on Earth.'
'But since I'm already faking amnesia, I might as well lean into it.'
"Females..." Sheng Tianze glanced at her. "In the entire interstellar world, there is only one Dark Female. Legend says her spiritual power is an extremely rare SSSS-level. Furthermore, she not only has spiritual power but can also awaken a superpower, just like a Male Beastman.
Her superpower is also a rare 10th Rank.
You could say that the Dark Female alone possesses the power to destroy the interstellar world."
Jiang Xinli exclaimed, "SSSS-level?! 10th Rank?!"
'That's insane!'
She stared, dumbfounded. "Then where is she now? Is she a bad person?"
'I also have a superpower in addition to my spiritual power.'
'However, my superpower is a cheat I got from transmigrating into the book, unlike the Dark Female who awakened hers naturally.'
Sheng Tianze didn't give a clear answer as to whether the Dark Female was good or evil. He only said:
"Throughout history, there has only ever been one Dark Female at a time. According to interstellar calculations, the next one should be appearing soon."
Due to genetic modification and super-evolution, the average lifespan of an interstellar beastman is over 200 years.
The higher their superpower and spiritual power, the longer their lifespan.
A Dark Female is born after the interstellar beastmen have gone through hundreds of iterations of genetic optimization and updates.
Jiang Xinli grew even more curious. "The ratio of Light Beastmen to females is 6,000 to 1. If there's only one Dark Female and over a billion Dark Beastmen, doesn't that make their ratio one to over a billion?"
"You could say that," Sheng Tianze nodded. "Dark Beastmen spend their entire lives searching for the Dark Female. They are eternally loyal to her and follow her lead unquestionably."
Jiang Xinli reached up to support her jaw, which had nearly dropped in shock. "Doesn't that mean all the Dark Beastmen are her personal harem?"
'Over a billion of them... the thought alone is staggering.'
"You—" Sheng Tianze let out an exasperated laugh, raising his hand to flick her on the forehead. "Are you envious?"
Jiang Xinli quickly shook her head. "No, not at all." 'As if!'
'Having every member of the opposite sex devoted to you... that's the ultimate power-fantasy plot for a female lead!'
'Even though the Dark Female doesn't sound like a good person, and the whole thing is outrageous, it's still so satisfying to imagine.'
"Oh, right. In that case, wouldn't the Light Beastmen try to... you know... get rid of her while she's still young? It's like cutting off the head of the snake," Jiang Xinli said, making a throat-slitting gesture.
"The Dark Female isn't a Dark Female from the very beginning." Sheng Tianze helped her up from his lap, put the cushion away, and took her hand as they started walking.
"She starts as an SS-level female with incredibly formidable spiritual power. After experiencing despair and Hell-like suffering, she uses a certain catalyst to break free, undergoing a breakthrough that allows her to differentiate into something more."
Jiang Xinli was speechless. "..."
"A certain catalyst?" She suddenly recalled the plot point she'd received about Jiang Wanwan obtaining a catalyst to become an SS-level female. "What is it?"
Hearing this, Sheng Tianze stopped in his tracks. "Female Master, you truly don't remember at all?"
"Nope," Jiang Xinli said, her expression one of pure innocence.
A strange glint flashed in Sheng Tianze's eyes before he reached out and stroked her head.
"It seems my Female Master really has lost quite a few memories. But it's precisely because of this memory loss that you're so much cuter now than you were before."
After he spoke, the man tilted her chin up, leaned in, and gave her a gentle kiss...