Ma Lu searched all over but couldn't find a single person who could make a decision, and even the guards on the spaceship were noticeably fewer than when he first arrived—no one knew where they'd gone.
The remaining people were busy enjoying life and wanted nothing to do with troublesome matters. Asked who to find, the unanimous answer was: Dalia.
But no one could say for sure which loungy host club the Minister-of-Everything was patronizing now.
Ma Lu ran through several rooms in a row, only to be bounced around like a ping-pong ball.
Up and down he went, lost in the ship's winding corridors, until a sudden glance upward revealed the energy core chamber right in front of him.
This area was supposed to be the most tightly guarded place on the entire ship, yet now its doors were wide open.
Ma Lu tried shouting a greeting—no response.
He peeked his head in but saw no one. What he did notice, however, were some strange noises, and a thong lying on top of a coolant tank.