Chapter Five: Old Man Wang Next Door

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After spending 100,000 universal cosmic credits at the space station to purchase a small galactic shuttle, Wang Weifu entered the coordinates into the control console. Two intra-system jump gates needed to be traversed. The waiting was interminable, so he enabled autopilot. Liu Shaoyu continued reading his book.

The shuttle vanished into the vast expanse of the starry sky, its return uncertain. Liu Shaoyu had pondered who they were going to meet, but the number of people he knew could be counted on one hand. So he decided not to dwell on it, and let Wang Weifu pilot the shuttle through the cosmos as he kept reading. The thought of the bounty guild brought to mind Miss Dong, but with a shudder, he banished the image of that fiery red figure from his mind—part-time jobs were far too daunting, Liu Shaoyu reminded himself.

Virgo Supercluster, Angedin Star System of the Milky Way

This was another star system located on the edge of the Milky Way. The Angedin star emitted a blazing, fiery light, bathing the cosmic expanse in a warm hue. The dark gold armor of the shuttle now glimmered with a reddish glow.

"Autopilot disengaged. Arrived at target destination," announced the shuttle’s AI.

"We’ve arrived," Liu Shaoyu lifted his head, following Wang Weifu’s pointing finger. Before them was a massive space station, formed by three conical structures joined together, quietly lurking outside a satellite of the Angedin system. Beneath the central cone was a rectangular port deck, where numerous ships of all sizes came and went.

"This is the temporary operations headquarters of the bounty guild," Wang Weifu said.

"Docking request approved. Please shut down engines and await tractor beam," instructed the shuttle’s voice.

The shuttle waited silently to be drawn in by the space station.

The entire station was immense; each docked starship had its own exclusive port. Under the guidance of the tractor beam, their shuttle was gently brought to a dedicated port for small craft.

Upon disembarking, Liu Shaoyu saw several figures clad in unfamiliar uniforms, their faces fully obscured by helmets.

"Gentlemen, please come with us," spoke one of them, distinguished by a golden stripe on his shoulder.

Wang Weifu nodded lightly, signaling Liu Shaoyu to follow.

Liu Shaoyu, used to following guidance lines, found it novel to be personally escorted and was curious about the person they were meeting. As he walked, a private message from Wang Weifu popped up on his communicator—a single word: "Clones."

The revelation surprised Liu Shaoyu, though he kept his expression neutral as he followed the clones. If they were clones, then the person they were about to meet must be military, and of no small rank, for only someone of high status could dispatch clones to receive guests.

Who could it be? Liu Shaoyu's curiosity only grew, but he would soon find out. All he hoped for now was to meet this mysterious figure as soon as possible.

Their walk was brief; the clones led Liu Shaoyu to an elevator. Three other uniformed figures stood guard at the elevator doors. Seeing them approach, they stepped aside and opened the doors.

"This is as far as we go. Once inside the elevator, you’ll arrive directly at the officer’s quarters," the lead clone explained.

Liu Shaoyu entered the elevator with Wang Weifu, and finally, after holding back, whispered, "Can you tell me who it is now?"

Wang Weifu found Liu Shaoyu's cautious demeanor amusing, as if glimpsing his childhood friend’s timid side, but kept up the air of mystery. "Don’t worry, you’ll know soon. Besides, you know this person."

Wang Weifu’s words only deepened Liu Shaoyu’s confusion. Someone he knew? Rapidly, he reviewed everyone he could possibly think of, but none seemed to fit the situation. Lost in thought, he barely noticed the elevator doors opening.

The doors revealed a spacious chamber. From the entrance, one could see a floor-to-ceiling window at the far end, offering a view of the stars. The interior resembled a living room.

Indeed, it was a living room. This chamber occupied the entire top floor of the conical station. While the station itself was vast, to have an entire floor to oneself as a private residence… that went beyond mere luxury.

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Standing at the elevator was a young woman, just under six foot three, only slightly shorter than Liu Shaoyu and Wang Weifu. She wore a black uniform, her hair neatly coiled at the back, a lock falling over her forehead.

"Welcome, Mr. Wang. The chairman asks that Mr. Liu proceed alone. You are welcome to rest here in the lounge," she said with a professional smile.

"Thank you, Secretary Shen," Wang Weifu replied, his own smile equally courteous.

"Mr. Liu, this way, please." Secretary Shen gestured and led Liu Shaoyu down a corridor to the right.

Soon, she paused at a door, knocked, and announced, "Chairman Wang, Mr. Liu has arrived."

A frail, aged voice answered from within. "Let him in."

Startled by the familiar voice, Liu Shaoyu opened the door to see, behind a desk, an elderly man in a decorated uniform, medals adorning his chest.

He really knew this man—it was Old Wang from next door! Liu Shaoyu thought in disbelief.

This was indeed the man who’d lived next to Liu Shaoyu’s villa in the capital—a man he’d always called Master Wang.

"You rascal, get in here! Standing at the door as if I put you in time-out. Wait a moment, let me finish signing this," Master Wang gestured him to sit while he perused his documents.

Liu Shaoyu, about to greet him, could only settle into a chair near the door.

Looking at the old man after months apart, Liu Shaoyu was filled with questions—how had his chatty neighbor become a chairman? The old man had changed: his once unruly hair was now neatly arranged, and his uniform made him look much younger and more spirited. The desk blocked his view of the old man’s legs—something Liu Shaoyu had been curious about.

"Why are you sitting so far away, boy? Get over here," Master Wang called as Liu Shaoyu admired the room’s plants.

"Yes, Chairman Wang," Liu Shaoyu replied, moving to the chair by the desk. At his words, Master Wang’s smile vanished, replaced by sternness.

"Chairman Wang? Did you forget what I asked you to call me last time?" The old man’s voice was tinged with annoyance.

Liu Shaoyu stopped, testing, "Master?"

The old man’s face instantly relaxed. "That’s better. Come, have a seat."

Liu Shaoyu sat down in front of the desk.

"Let me have a look—yes, just the same as before. How does the new body compare to your old one?" the old man asked, nodding approvingly.

Liu Shaoyu knew what he meant—his rebirth. After some thought—since in his previous body, daily morning routines had kept him in peak condition—he realized he was not as fit as before. If he tried now to pilot a mech, he probably couldn’t pull off those aerial acrobatics and perfect landings anymore.

"It doesn’t feel as good as before," Liu Shaoyu admitted, meaning he’d lost the martial skills he once had. The old man, misunderstanding, grew anxious.

"Not as good as before? In what way? Look after yourself, don’t squander your youth—treasure it!"

Something about the old man’s concern struck Liu Shaoyu as odd, and he quickly clarified, "No, it’s because I used to practice martial arts every morning. Years of habit—the old body was just more capable."

Even though the old man had seemed to doze, Liu Shaoyu knew he’d noticed his routines. He didn’t bother hiding it.

Relieved, the old man said, "Martial skills can always be retrained, though it is a pity to lose decades of practice. But you have plenty of time now—just start again. Back then, your skill was so refined, our entire mech unit couldn’t match you."

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As the old man reminisced, Liu Shaoyu grew restless. He had never forgotten—this old man was perhaps the only one who knew his true origins. His nerves grew taut.

"I know what you want to ask, but I can’t tell you. Best not to ask. Let’s talk about why I called you here," the old man said, dousing his hopes.

Disappointed but resigned—he couldn’t very well grab the old man by the collar and demand answers, especially not from someone with health issues.

"You heard them call me chairman. I’m here because I’m the chairman of the Cyclops Bounty Guild of the Milky Way."

Only then did Liu Shaoyu realize the real name of the galactic bounty guild. Though the guilds were loosely organized, the title of chairman still carried considerable weight.

"Since you call me master, I’ll get straight to the point about why I summoned you," the old man said decisively.

Liu Shaoyu sat up, attentive.

"As you saw last time, my legs are not what they once were," the old man began. Liu Shaoyu nodded, remembering his earlier curiosity.

"When the war with the Fengtower System broke out, I was young and reckless, led a fleet into a broodmother’s lair. You know what kind of psychic attacks the Fengtower Swarm uses. That broodmother had the ability to launch psychic assaults, and most of our clone troops died on the ground. Those of us on the command ship survived, but each of us was left with lingering afflictions. This kind of psychic damage breaks the core of one’s mind. I’ve seen countless doctors since, to no avail. Not long ago, I met your friend Wang Weifu, who explained that such psychic attacks would spread, and I haven’t much time left. But if someone could capture a broodmother alive for study, and analyze the psychic frequencies for treatment—and with your work on the ‘God’ project—it could be cured. I’m old; with this bounty guild and my entire family depending on me, I can’t just die and leave this mess behind. This is my only hope."

After this long explanation, the old man leaned back, sipped his tea, and cleared his throat.

"You want me to capture a broodmother alive?" Liu Shaoyu asked directly.

"Exactly. Alive."

A single broodmother was the equivalent of an interstellar fleet; destroying one was costly enough, let alone capturing one alive. And who knew if the very broodmother that attacked the old man was even still alive?

"Don’t worry. That kind of broodmother is just an evolved form of the regular Fengtower broodmothers—distinguishable by color. Any secondary-level broodmother will do," the old man explained quickly, seeing Liu Shaoyu’s concern.

Even so, the mission seemed impossible. But what Liu Shaoyu most wanted to ask was—

"Why me?"

"Because I trust you," the old man replied, a hint of pride in his voice. In truth, he trusted Liu Shaoyu, but not enough to risk his life absolutely—he could have assigned someone of much higher rank. Yet Wang Weifu’s help with the ‘God’ project came with one condition: that Liu Shaoyu be the one to undertake the mission.

There was little the old man could do. Besides, he’d noticed that Liu Shaoyu had managed to capture a pirate leader during an escort mission, and risked his life to save hostages during a rescue. Perhaps, just maybe, this assignment would yield unexpected results. At worst, he could always send backup if needed.

When Liu Shaoyu left the room, the conversation had taken a strange turn. After agreeing to the mission, the old man added that his granddaughter had always wanted to see a battlefield in another star system, but he was too old to accompany her—so Liu Shaoyu should take her along. As he spoke, he winked suggestively.

Liu Shaoyu was alarmed—this was a mission to the very heart of the Swarm, not a leisurely tour! He protested, objecting that he didn’t know her, wouldn’t be able to take care of her, worried their personalities wouldn’t mesh, their ages weren’t appropriate… The more he tried to explain, the stranger it all sounded. He nearly blurted out childhood secrets in his desperation.

To all these protests, the old man said only, "Refuse, and give me back the ship."

Liu Shaoyu fell silent—there was no refusing under someone else’s roof.

He could only hope—well, perhaps she’d at least be pretty.

Never in his wildest dreams did Liu Shaoyu imagine that the very girl he was so desperate to avoid would become the most important person in his life.