Joe woke up strangely tired. He's usually the kind of guy who falls asleep at the first command, and he'll stay outside like a broken light bulb until he's completely rested. However, that morning, his first thought after regaining consciousness was that he really didn't want to get out of bed. That's not to say he didn't get enough rest. One glance at the clock on the wall showed that he had slept for ten hours, much more than the usual six to eight hours. The accumulation of mental or physical fatigue may explain his condition, but given his effortless lifestyle, it is definitely not the cause.

The culprit for Joe's occasional listlessness was none other than the king-size bed. The mattress consists of a highly adaptive, intelligent foam that can adjust its shape and temperature to ensure maximum comfort. It wasn't until a week ago that Joe experienced such extreme comfort in real life, and he quickly became addicted to it. The natural light pouring in from the windows also tints the room with a soft, relaxing glow. Last but not least, Maggie sits at the foot of the bed with her eyes closed. In addition to being eye-catching, she also hums melodic tunes under her nose.

Overall, the master bedroom was immersed in an almost idyllic calm atmosphere, and Joe felt that his movement would somehow spoil it.

"Good morning, Master Mulligan."

And then the Gievs went straight through like a proton torpedo.

"Your breakfast is ready, and I suggest you eat it before it gets cold."

The robot butler silently walked to the bedside, holding a special plate in both hands, with an incredibly enticing fragrance wafting from the plate. Even Joe's senior laziness couldn't resist the tempting smell, so he sat up and leaned back on the rebound. Steaves placed the small table on his lap so he could take a look at his meal. There were two sausages and two pieces of bacon, both grilled just right. An omelette, seasoned with spices, is placed on another plate. Two slices of freshly toasted bread smeared with marmalade await him, which, judging by its pale pink color, are starberry flavored and are the "dessert" part of breakfast. Of course, no English meal is complete without a cup of hot tea.

"Ahh Did you burn the fuse or what?" Joe said, suddenly feeling completely awake. "I can't eat so much."

"My daily diagnostic scan shows no faulty components, sir. Shall I run another one?"

The man winced as he was subtly reminded that he was talking to something, not someone.

"There's no need," Maggie interjected, standing at the foot of the bed. "That's enough for now, Gives."

"As you wish, ma'am." The butler bowed before leaving the room.

"Seriously, that's too much," Joe turned to Maggie.

"I advise you to eat as much as you can. If necessary, press it down. ”

“…… What?"

"Your body is fragile and skinny to the brink of being unhealthy. Now that I have more control over your food intake, I've designed a diet that should alleviate this in a natural way. ”

"Ahh That's right. ”

They did talk about it yesterday. Joe felt a little guilty because he couldn't thank Maggie for the luxury he had given them. Of course, he had reservations at first, but once he settled down, everything was too good to be true. The girl assures him that his presence and the continued presence as her anchor is enough in return, but he doesn't feel that way. So, he came up with an idea of how he could do a better job with this "anchor" thing, and everyone decided that he was going to work his poor physique. This way, the pressure on his body will be greatly reduced, in case Maggie has to regroup again.

So Joe ate a hearty breakfast to his heart's content. After he ate the last slice of toast, his little belly was at its limit. The girl happily and happily completed the task for him. Watching her chew bite by bite of marmalade-coated toast, Joe realized two things. First, she probably thought there would be leftovers for breakfast, which is why she instructed Jeffs to make candy with her favorite starberry flavor. Another thing is that Joe does have room for one last piece of "dessert".

In other words, Maggie gave me a good morning kiss, and she readily agreed. Just an ordinary one. The first cosmic kiss was a special moment. Everything after that is normal. That's not to say they're unobtrusive. Contrary. Greeting Maggie with her own lips is the most important thing Joe's day. It made him feel dizzy, excited, and optimistic to the point of unbearable optimism. His only complaint is that he wants his girlfriend to take the initiative to kiss him every now and then. Of course, the first time was when she started, but that was after he forced her. Lip. Whatever. The crux of the matter was that Joe had to do it every time, which made him feel embarrassed and greedy, so he subconsciously held back.

After breakfast was tied, Joe went into the automatic closet to get dressed, leaving Maggie in the bedroom and letting her continue working. The girl has a whole bunch of new responsibilities that require a lot of calculations and analysis. As a result, she usually spends 8 to 12 hours a day doing "unfathomable intellectual" things. She usually sorts out her duties while Joe sleeps, but last night's puzzle seemed particularly challenging. The man didn't know what the hell she was doing, and even though he asked her to explain, he didn't understand, so he wasn't in trouble.

As Joe walked past the living room, he noticed that their semi-permanent guests were inside. Agent Johnson did not wear his usual military uniform, but wore a very unfeminine white and blue tracksuit. Obviously, this is the only set of casual clothes she bothered to bring. The reason she's wearing it now is because she's exercising. As an active-duty soldier, she must maintain a certain level of physical fitness at all times. She is also a psyker, which means that her mind muscles must be just as strong. That's why she works out two aspects of herself every morning. At that particular point in time, she did one-handed push-ups while using telepsychic telepathy to move a 20-kilogram dumbbell up and down. Her upper body swayed up and down in time with her "brain representative", a scene that never left a lasting impression on Joe.

"Good morning," he greeted her happily.

"Good morning." She replied gasping. "Are you still busy with the third shift?"

"Yes, but don't do that, AJ. She has a name. We talked about it. ”

The woman refused to respond and continued to stubbornly carry out her daily workout, and Joe sighed deeply. He tried several times to make her relax a bit, but she refused to admit that Maggie was alone. She has always treated his girlfriend as a thing, a potential enemy to watch out for. This passive-aggressive hostility is one of the many reasons why Joe never had luck with a human woman. He just doesn't know how to deal with this attitude, so he usually just backs off and runs away. However, every time he and Maggie kissed, he was full of confidence, so he decided to push the matter a bit.

"Well, let's hear it. What did she do to make you angry this time?"

Agent Johnson's movements stopped. She sighed heavily. She didn't have any particular grievances against Joe. He's just a naïve fool caught up in the maelstrom of madness, Marasrak the Watcher. If anything, she kind of appreciated his nonchalant attitude. This helps her to stay mentally stable, otherwise the Level 3 course would drive her crazy. Or, it will do it faster than it does now.

"I was asked to write 42 haiku poems by noon today," she shared.

"Ahh What is a haiku?"

"It's an archaic format with a strange specific number of syllables. I guess it turns out that it doesn't have to rhyme, but that only makes it weirder. Who has ever heard of a poem that doesn't rhyme?!"

"Apparently Maggie did it."

"I think at least it's better than the counting exercise she asked me to do. I mean, seriously, what kind of assignment is "start counting and see how far you've come in six hours?" What's the point?"

"Maybe it's like those cheesy martial arts movies. You know, teachers have students do seemingly random chores to build muscle, and they don't realize it. ”

"I didn't really think about it. I mean, I was told I'd be going to participate in the experiments, so what I was expecting was more experiments. For example, strange machines, intrusive mind-reading, or being bombarded by the brain every day. Stuff like that, you know?"

And so on. Do you want to get your brain pumping?"

"Not particularly good, but it's better than giving you a piece of wood and having you carve it into a toothpick. Where did it get a piece of wood?"

"Hmm. That's where one of the dining room chairs goes. Either way, try to think on the bright side. At least when you're done with your daily routine, you can drink as much tea as you like from Gives. ”

“…… The tea made by Giffes was so delicious. ”

"I know, right?" Whatever you want to say about the cunning director, but he knows his accomplices. ”

"Hey. Don't let me mention Millington, or I'll be court-merial, and you won't have time to talk about medulla." ”

"That's ...... Is that French or what?"

"Electronic warfare. In the name of the Queen, no. This is a scientific term for a part of the brain. ”

"Ahh In fact, it reminds me. ”

Joe walked into the living room, not standing in the doorway. He turned and waved at the rather large portrait of the mecha Elizabeth II. He fulfilled his civic duty and left Agent Johnson to return to her fitness center and step into his new favorite place, the games room. There is a multi-purpose entertainment table in the middle that can accommodate any casual activity, including but not limited to poker, snooker, chess, and a large number of board games. The walls are lined with monitors, terminals, arcade machines, holographic projectors, and other forms of electronic entertainment devices.

However, Joe was not interested in any of this at the time. As a man of the habit, he walked straight to the four cutting-edge virtual reality pods at the other end of the room. One of them was strictly his old, worn-out, possessed pod, but that didn't mean it was inferior to those smooth and shiny pods next to it. At least in Joe's humble opinion. He climbed in and logged into V-Life, just like he does every day.

As usual, the first thing he does is check his email. It doesn't have much other than a few hundred new ads. There's one from Culle

mainly praised some obscure shooters, which he called "disgusting!" Joe wasn't particularly into this type of game, so he wanted to let it go until he read its core tips. The main feature of this game is that the player needs to control a giant shape-shifting robot to suppress the original inhabitants of the alien world who are hostile. It was aptly titled Colony Mission 3: Director's Cut X-T

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ed", evoking the ancient spirit of the original British Empire. That is, absolute control over large tracts of land using advanced military technologies.

Joe doesn't particularly care about this morally offensive subject, though. He didn't understand it at all. He just wanted to be a giant shape-shifting robot, so he added the title to his to-do list. There were about 180 books before that, so there's a good chance he wouldn't have the time to read it at all. He also received an email from his mom, he added. Nothing special, just a routine greeting and asking him how he was doing. He thinks it's a good opportunity to tell her that he's finally found a stable girlfriend. He hadn't done it before because he didn't want his mom to have much hope. Or his own. However, his relationship with Maggie has grown to the point where he doesn't hesitate to call it romantic, so he sends the woman a long, endless message about how awesome the girl is.

Then, he felt it was time to tell his buddies that they had both moved into the incredible accommodation. At first he found it embarrassing, mainly because the decoration inside was too fancy. However, over the past week, he and Maggie have done a thorough inspection of the place. In fact, most of the work was done by this girl. Instead of throwing away the old furniture, she used her space magic to transform it into a more comfortable and simple style. Of course, there is a proper official term for this technique, but Joe is a simple man, so "space magic" is enough for him. In any case, his only contribution to the redecorating work was to give Maggie a vague aesthetic to take care of the rest. Apparently, she just reworked the furniture she found online, as it was easier than if she were on the fly to create a new design.

Still, the end result was pretty good, so Joe felt he deserved at least some of the credit. What's more, the new apartment is now the kind of place where he can show off without hesitation, so he sends a message to Cullen and Benny inviting them to come over when. The two responded almost immediately, saying they were excited to check it out, while also congratulating them. It was only then that Joe realized that he had to explain where and how he and Maggie were, and why they didn't know where to get so many things. He felt that revealing her true cosmic self might not be a good idea, but at the same time he didn't want to lie to his best friend. He was sure Maggie would figure it out.

After processing the personal letter, Joe quickly skimmed through the community message board. There was a discussion that had just ended that caught his attention. It seems that some of the more rebellious residents are laughing at the stern female inspector. Joe didn't like to tease her because she was just doing her job, but he had to admit that some of the stuff in it was funny. The other new topics are nothing of note, just ordinary neighborhood arguments. Like the strange smell coming from an apartment, someone occupying an elevator, or a heated discussion between fans of rival sports teams. There weren't any official announcements to keep residents' attention to, either, so Joe decided to stop browsing the public forums and instead entertain himself with a little game.

Especially in Interstellar Engineer, he wants to express his creativity by building an entire space station from scratch. Although he chose to do this on a whim, it was actually a serious time investment, and it would take solo players more than 60 hours to complete. Joe was determined to put in the effort because he had a special idea in mind. He wanted to design a rugged industrial unit with a focus on efficiency, which he could proudly present to Maggie. The girl loves this kind of thing, so he has a feeling that she will appreciate his ideas and efforts in this regard.

However, as soon as he starts planning things, a slight beep rings from the back of his head, reminding him that his presence is needed in the real world. There was no other way, so he abandoned his project for the time being and came out of the pod to find Gilves waiting for him.

"Please forgive me for interjecting, Master Mulligan. There was an uninvited guest outside the door, and I was given strict instructions not to disturb Mrs. Wu unless absolutely necessary. ”

"Oh yes, that's good. Who is it?"

"Sir, this gentleman claims to be Officer Grant Maloney."

"Hmm. Okay, I'll go and bring him in. Go and boil the kettle in the meantime, okay, Jeffs?"

The robot butler just stands there, its camera face flicking and clicking as it tries and fails to parse requests.

"I mean make some more tea, you damn fool," Joe changed his request.

"Right now, sir."

The man shook his head in disbelief and shuffled towards the front door with heavy steps. He always forgets that Gievs's program doesn't understand circuitous words like "put the kettle on." Just two days ago, the butler was stuck in a logic loop of an hour because he was present when Joe tried to explain to Maggie how he "turned off the TV". Thankfully, an old method of technical support solved the problem, which was to turn it off and back on, but the man began to worry that he might one day accidentally break the Jievs forever.

"Good morning, Mr. Mulligan."

"Good morning, sir."

As soon as Joe's face appeared behind the front door, the two men greeted each other.

"I'm a little surprised you've found this place. Looks like your dream of being a detective isn't far away, isn't it?"

"Haha. No, Mr. Mulligan. It's a simple matter of finding your new residence. I also happened to notice that Miss Wu had been granted citizenship, so congratulations to her. I think a lot has happened since we last talked. ”

"yes, it's kind of mental. We even have a robot butler named Jeffs, how perverted is that?"

"Oh, that's a butler?" That explains a lot. ”

When Maloney looked up Joe's new address, he couldn't help but notice that "Mags Oh" was also listed as a resident. Based on the facts, he deduced that the non-aggression pact between the girl and the servicemen had entered into force. But there's clearly more to it than that. First, Maggie was granted diplomatic status, just like an ambassador or a foreign dignitary. Between the new apartment and the robot butler, he deduces that the deal has gone far beyond the original scope. Judging from the current situation, it is developing in a good direction.

"So, you're here for Maggie?" Joe asked.

"Definitely. If it's not too bothersome, I'd like to hear her thoughts on the case we're working on. ”

"It's not a hassle at all, but you'll have to wait a bit. She's doing some heavy mental work right now, but she should be done soon. ”

"It's okay, it doesn't matter. I'll come back later. ”

"Are you sure? If you don't have anywhere else to go, I'd be happy to show you around. ”

"Well, okay. If you insist, then I will accept your offer. ”

After a painful exchange of politeness, the officer walked inside. Joe immediately began to show the place, starting with the games room and the renovated living room. The police were really impressed and praised the couple's décor for being simple and welcoming. Later, Joe led Maloney into the drawing-room and told him to go and see how Geeves was making tea. Unfortunately, his host did not mention that there was a third occupant in the apartment. The police also did not know because the person's name was not on the list of permanent residents. The person was likewise unaware that there were guests in the house.

So, when Maloney walked into the living room and almost hit Agent Johnson, both of them fell into a panic. The woman's first instinct was to elbow the stranger's solar plexus, knocking him unconscious. Then she grabbed his arm, twisted it behind his back, and pressed his face against the wall. The officer took a few minutes to recover from the surprise attack, and then did not hesitate to retaliate. He kicked the attacker back and grabbed her leg with his foot. This caused her to lose her balance and loosen her grip on him. Maloney broke free and deftly grabbed Johnson. He pinned her to the ground and pressed her back with his knees, making sure to hold her down. The woman struggled, but as expected, in a physical race, she could not defeat the man who was much heavier than her.

However, this is far from the main resource of the elves. Although she was a little tired from the workout, she mustered up enough mental strength to invoke her psionic energy. A large, invisible hand grabbed Maloney's torso and lifted him from the woman's back. It lifted him into the air and hung near the ceiling. The man tried to break free on instinct, but the only thing he accomplished was knocking over a vase with his foot. At least it didn't hit the floor, as the soft carpet cushioned the impact. Realizing that further resistance would be futile, the police stopped waving and quietly activated the distress beacon on their belts, calling for support.

Meanwhile, Agent Johnson struggled to his feet and looked up at the mysterious intruder. Their eyes met a second time, and they both froze a little. They were awkwardly silent for a moment, but they recognized each other almost at the same time. Their confusion is understandable, as they had only met once by chance about two weeks ago. Even then, they didn't speak, let alone say it was in extraordinary circumstances.

"For the Queen's sake, what's going on?!"

The physical confrontation happened so quickly that Joe only showed up now to see what all the commotion was.

"Uh......" Agent Johnson grimaced. I'm so sorry. I didn't recognize him at first, and I was a bit overreacting. ”

"A little? The master raised his voice. What kind of madman would suddenly attack someone?!" Or a cop?!"

"I said I'm sorry, okay?!" I was excited as soon as I finished the workout, and my arms moved before my brain was active. ”

"That's great, but you shouldn't apologize to me!" Joe pointed to the police officer who was still suspended.

"I want to come down now," Ma pleaded.

The woman gently lowered him down while he quietly canceled the signal for reinforcements. As he lay firmly on the floor, AJ grunted again and retreated to his room to hide his embarrassment.

"Oops. What's going on with her? The policeman asked.

"Oh, she's just a little nervous because Maggie has put her through some complicated psionic training. Please don't think too badly of her. ”

"Ah, that's an explanation. Miss Wu does have a way of throwing people off balance sometimes. What's her name?"

"Agent Sarah Johnson, but I'll just call her AJ"

"Well, well, in case I don't get a chance to do it myself, please tell Agent Johnson that I totally understand and don't have any bad feelings. or accusations. ”

"That's it. Well, please don't be inhibited. Jeffers will be bringing tea shortly. ”

"Thank you."

Both men walked gracefully through the violence, chatting happily about something inconsequential as the butler poured them tea. Subsequently, the topic gradually turned to Ma Hongsheng's case. The cop was a little hesitant at first, but he felt it would be okay to share it. After all, the matter isn't that sensitive, and sharing some interesting details won't cause any trouble for Joe or himself. He wasn't even sure if his suspect was really a criminal. Thus, Maloney gave a general explanation of the case he was working on while avoiding details such as name, time and place.

Long story short, there is a suspicious person who regularly travels between four adjacent galaxies, and Bart Pound-4 is his stop. He came about every two or three months, each time carrying a bucket-sized storage container filled with sand. The suspect would then transport this container to somewhere on Earth via a private space shuttle and return a few days later with slightly different sand. It was clear that he was smuggling something, but no one knew what it was. The authorities have meticulously tested these strange cargoes time and time again, but all the results show that it is just ordinary sand that can be found on any wild beach. As per the regulations, it was also sterilized, so they couldn't even blame him for it.

"So, yes, the docking authorities have gone crazy trying to figure out the guy's deal," Maloney further explained. "I didn't have anything else to do, so I decided to give it a try. My luck wasn't very good, so I kept looking to Mr. Wu for guidance. ”

"Wow, that sounds complicated. Has there been any progress so far?"

"Not much, I'm afraid. I sent an inquiry to other systems, but the same situation everywhere. Just a sand movers. ”

"Maybe it has something to do with religion?"

"I thought so too, but even then, it was blurry to the point of almost non-existent."

"So he's a fool. I said, "Let him go." He didn't hurt anyone. ”

"I don't know...... I watched some interviews with him from colleagues. He seems to have complete control over his abilities. He also had his own space shuttle. You will need to undergo a detailed psychological evaluation before you are allowed to conduct one of these trials. ”

"Hmm. It's weird that you mentioned this. In fact, Maggie wanted to get a space shuttle license herself. ”

"Really, now?"

"I know, I'm shocked, but apparently she wants to go for a romantic ride in space. She's already starting to pick out what models she'll buy once she's made enough money. ”

"That's good, but we'll have to wait a bit. The space shuttle is too expensive. ”

"Oh, it can't be that bad. I mean, you've got one of your beach nuts, right?"

"No, I'm serious. Even a semi-decent economy car costs around 500,000 pounds. ”

"Ahh Joe's eyes widened in shock. "It's insane! I might have to talk to her about it. ”

The simple-minded man shook his head, not believing the ridiculous number, and his words gave the police a rather strange idea.

Didn't his suspect change planes every time he crossed customs?