Long-lived, high-powered, sharp-tongued woman x loyal, tentacled nonhuman man
Xie Man, the greatest weapon in the Interstellar War, has lost her memory and become a bounty hunter on a remote planet, taking jobs every day to make ends meet.
Other hunters always use mechs on missions and work in teams, settling for the lowest-grade Yan bugs to stay alive and earn their rank.
When Xie Man goes on a mission, she charges straight into a nest of Yan bugs that devour every living thing, knife in hand. She goes after the highest-grade samples, always aiming to save as much effort as possible.
Everyone says she bought her reputation as the top hunter by spending all her savings. Only the legendary hunter from a century ago could pull off feats this outrageous.
Then she rescues trapped hunters and survivors from a high-risk mission zone, and brings back a rare, super-grade sample that sells for a fortune. She becomes financially independent in one stroke and proves herself the top hunter.
But less than a day later, high-grade Yan bugs invade headquarters. The Star Abyss is on the brink of disaster, and the money she hasn't even had time to enjoy is about to go down the drain.
She looks at the survivor she picked up, a jinx who never stops predicting doom. "Why don't you try wishing a King-class bug would show up?"
Cheng Yun, a King-class bug whose true form she once killed, struggles to keep his tentacles tucked away and says nothing.
Later, his interstellar enemies come looking for him. The Yan bugs launch a sudden attack, and Xie Man, relying on muscle memory, pilots the classified mech bonded to the Star Abyss. Alongside the tentacled monster who shares her senses, she cuts her enemies to pieces.
Only then do the people of the Star Abyss realize that she is the legendary hunter who fought across the stars, holding her own against entire star systems.
Xie Man, now recovered her memories, shakes her head. Her reputation in the interstellar world is the exact opposite of her reputation in the Star Abyss. She was a weapon of war that attacked indiscriminately. Before she defected, she made no distinction between friend and foe: she blew up another star system's headquarters, then the interstellar port.
The people of the Star Abyss cautiously ask, "Would you care to explain?"
Xie Man, who took all the territory and supplies of another star system for herself and won her freedom: "Oh, I did it on purpose."
With a name like Man, what kind of good temper could she possibly have?
Cheng Yun, who shares her senses, nods and follows her, all aggrieved, quietly defending himself about the three rules for using his tentacles: "I've already been very restrained with them."
Xie Man: "Try taking them off me first, then we'll talk."
Theme: Let go of prejudice and start over.
