Chapter 24: The Discovery of the Colossal Mech

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Upon seeing Lai Zi again, Liu Shaoyu felt a wave of emotion—this was truly like the saying, “The tree wishes to be still, but the wind will not cease.” He had only wanted a peaceful meal, but trouble had arrived before the food.

After being singled out by Lai Zi, Liu Shaoyu remained calm. He sat in his seat, waiting to see what the other party intended.

“Kid, was it you who did this to my brother’s hand?” The man in the lead couldn’t pretend not to notice, since his own man had been beaten and had pointed out his assailant right in front of him.

“That’s right, it happened just as you said,” Liu Shaoyu admitted without hesitation.

“I, Li Ye, am at least a figure of some standing in this district. You crippled my brother’s hand—don’t you think you owe me an explanation?” Li Ye was clearly the leader here, and from what Lai Zi had described, he was aware this young man possessed some skills. Moreover, something about this young man’s presence made him uneasy.

“Oh? And what sort of explanation do you want from me?” Liu Shaoyu’s eyes remained fixed on Li Ye, his tone cool.

Usually, when people heard his name, they knew what to do. Li Ye had expected to announce himself and watch the other man grovel for mercy. But this young man clearly didn’t know the rules. Well, he thought, he’d just have to teach him a lesson.

“How about this? A hand for a hand. Remove your own arm and I’ll let you off,” Li Ye said magnanimously, as though he were being remarkably merciful.

Li Ye’s arrogance stemmed from the fact that, while there were people he couldn’t afford to cross on Kyushu Island, he could recognize them—and this bustling area was on the outskirts, not the core. The truly wealthy or powerful wouldn’t be caught dead in a shabby barbecue joint. Li Ye felt he could act with impunity here.

“And what if I don’t?” Liu Shaoyu smiled faintly.

Li Ye realized then that this kid had no intention of showing him any respect.

“Hmph, if you won’t do it, I’ll help you! Brothers, get him!” Li Ye called, retreating two steps to let his lackeys handle it—after all, a boss had to maintain his dignity. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Lai Zi standing back as well—understandable, with a broken bone.

But what happened next left Li Ye stunned. His dozen or so men charged at Liu Shaoyu—and in the blink of an eye, where had they all gone?

He looked down, only to see them sprawled out on the floor.

Liu Shaoyu was rather frustrated himself. He’d just tried to have a smoke somewhere and run into a robbery; now he’d come to eat, only to be accosted by a local boss. They hadn’t even exchanged a few words before fists started flying. In just a few swift moves, Liu Shaoyu had dispatched the lot without even breaking a sweat.

Li Ye considered fleeing, but as he prepared to move, he found Liu Shaoyu already standing in front of him.

He’d always relied on his brother’s reputation to lord it over this area, but he’d never encountered someone like this before. Li Ye’s bravado instantly faded.

“B-b-brother, let’s not blow this out of proportion. It’s all a misunderstanding, a misunderstanding.” Li Ye bowed hurriedly, recognizing at once that Liu Shaoyu was no ordinary man.

“A misunderstanding?” Liu Shaoyu repeated, his face split by an enigmatic smile.

Li Ye suddenly broke out in a cold sweat under the killing intent radiating from Liu Shaoyu. The only other times he’d felt this kind of aura were from his own father and brother, both veterans of the battlefield. Could this man be from the fleet as well? As his mind raced, he tried to ingratiate himself. Judging from Liu Shaoyu’s clothing and his fighting style, Li Ye became more certain.

Liu Shaoyu had just returned from space that day, still in his special-issue casual suit—designed for both combat and radiation protection, a habit he’d kept. Against a few street thugs, the army’s close-quarters combat techniques were more than enough.

“Yes, yes, it’s all a misunderstanding. My brother serves in the fleet too—maybe you know each other?”

Liu Shaoyu had planned to teach him a lesson and call it done, but now that he heard this, if the man truly was a comrade from his old fleet, he’d let him go, even if they weren’t acquainted.

“Who is he?”

“My brother is Li Gen, in the Seventh Army,” Li Ye announced proudly.

To his surprise, Liu Shaoyu’s smiling face immediately darkened. When Li Ye finished, Liu Shaoyu spoke coldly, “Oh, so it’s Li Gen. Very well, very well, very well.”

Li Ye was taken aback by the repeated “very well,” certain now that this man really did know his brother. He thought he was about to walk away unscathed.

What he failed to realize was that, in this world, there were not only relationships of acquaintance and unfamiliarity, but also those of enmity.

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“Yes, Li Gen—he’s my brother. So about today, let’s chalk it up to a misunderstanding. We’ll meet again, and when my brother returns I’ll come thank you in person,” Li Ye said, making a show of bowing before preparing to leave with his men.

But the memory of his subordinates who fell on the battlefield—real, living people, not clones like those in Li Gen’s fleet—flashed through Liu Shaoyu’s mind, and anger flared in his heart. These men had not followed him to their deaths so he could return their corpses to their families.

“Stop. Did I say you could go?” Liu Shaoyu’s cold voice rang out behind him. Li Ye, who had barely reached the staircase, halted at once, wondering anxiously what more was in store.

Liu Shaoyu understood the principle of not punishing the family for one’s crimes, so he didn’t intend to blame Li Ye for his brother’s misdeeds. However, any leniency he might have offered was now out of the question.

“You think you can just leave before settling today’s matter?” Liu Shaoyu asked, his smile returning.

Anyone familiar with Liu Shaoyu would know that this particular smile meant only one thing: you were done for.

Five minutes later, Liu Shaoyu walked out of the barbecue joint. Upstairs, Li Ye lay on the floor, his arm broken.

After this incident, Liu Shaoyu had lost all appetite for dining there. He decided to find somewhere else to eat instead. Was it really so hard to just have a meal? he thought.

At that moment, Wang Weifu arrived. Learning that Liu Shaoyu still hadn’t eaten, he led him to what looked like a high-end restaurant.

“Isn’t this a bit extravagant, just for a meal?” Liu Shaoyu remarked. Though he didn’t often stay in the capital, it was clear the bill here would be at least a month’s wages from his days as a miner.

“I wanted you to experience the flavors of the Imperial City. Besides, there’s no computer surveillance here. There’s been progress on last time’s affair,” Wang Weifu said, feigning mystery.

From Wang Weifu’s easy familiarity, Liu Shaoyu could tell this wasn’t his first visit.

Sure enough, as soon as they entered, the server’s attitude toward Wang Weifu was markedly different.

“Mr. Wang, you’re here. Your room upstairs has just been prepared. This way, please,” the young waitress said, turning to lead them.

Seeing this, Liu Shaoyu looked at Wang Weifu with new eyes.

“Well, well, Mr. Wang,” he teased.

“Stop it. Let’s have roast duck—my treat.” Embarrassed, Wang Weifu quickly followed the waitress.

Upstairs, the waitress led them into a private suite. The decor was distinctly antique, reminiscent of ancient Huaxia. The round table outside was made of some unknown wood, surrounded by faux antique vases. Genuine antiques, now rare, were all housed in the military museum; anything displayed here was purely for show. The warm yellow silk curtains divided the suite, and behind them, a faintly visible space served as a lounge.

Once the server left, Wang Weifu pulled up the holographic menu.

“It’s not easy these days to get real farm-raised duck—this place gets theirs through special channels, not cloned,” he remarked as he ordered.

Liu Shaoyu understood the implication. Most poultry now came from standardized, genetically modified clones raised on colony planets for rapid growth, to meet the massive consumption needs of the colonies. Naturally, their flavor was nowhere near that of ducks reared by hand.

The mention made Liu Shaoyu’s mouth water. Soon, the dishes arrived, and after eating and drinking their fill, the two moved to the lounge for conversation.

“I heard you like tea—this is some I borrowed from Old Master Wang,” Wang Weifu said, retrieving a tin of tea leaves and setting it with the tea set on the table.

“I never asked how you and Master Wang met?” Liu Shaoyu ventured. He’d long been curious, but never found the right moment.

“I thought you’d never ask,” Wang Weifu chuckled, pouring hot water into the purple clay teapot, discarding the first steep, and pouring again before continuing.

“Actually, it’s thanks to that girl of yours,” he said, still focused on his task.

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“You mean Shen Qingyi?” Liu Shaoyu immediately thought of her.

“Yes. Why are you so worked up?” Wang Weifu replied nonchalantly.

“It’s nothing—go on,” Liu Shaoyu said, though he didn’t know why the mere mention of Shen Qingyi now made him nervous.

“She knew Old Master Wang. After you all returned, she found out I was a researcher for the ‘God’ Project and asked me to look in on him,” Wang Weifu explained, pouring tea into the scent cups, filling them to seven-tenths full.

With this, Liu Shaoyu more or less understood.

“So, what did you find?” he asked, accepting the cup, transferring the tea from scent cup to tasting cup, flipping the cups with practiced ease, and savoring the aroma before sipping the tea in three measured sips.

Wang Weifu, less formal, simply drained his cup in one go. Once finished, he began.

“In short, the Empress’s files contain data related to giant mechas.”

“Giant mechas?” Liu Shaoyu echoed.

“Yes. Our current mechas are all metal constructs—the kind you’re used to.”

Liu Shaoyu nodded. “I know.”

“But the mechas in the Empress’s files are biological,” Wang Weifu clarified.

“Biological?” Liu Shaoyu was confused.

“Yes. These mechas are created from enlarged human genetic material, then armored. With the increased size, they can carry more equipment while preserving human agility.”

“So, in other words, you take a giant and put it in armor?” Liu Shaoyu summarized.

Wang Weifu considered, then nodded. “Exactly. And the mecha is developed based on the pilot’s own genes.”

Liu Shaoyu began calculating. If such giant mechas could be developed, humanity’s combat capabilities would leap forward. If deployed in space combat, they would transform traditional star warfare.

“But this is only theoretical for now. Setting aside the enormous funding required, even gathering the necessary materials would be beyond the means of any single company,” Wang Weifu added, seeing Liu Shaoyu deep in thought.

Liu Shaoyu knew there was little he could do. While he now had access to more powerful connections, he wasn’t in a position to ask anyone for such vast sums or resources. He sighed inwardly—having money certainly made things easier. But such things took time.

“So what’s your plan?” he asked, knowing Wang Weifu was not a man to raise such topics without a plan in mind.

“I still have access at the research institute. I’ll publish a few papers, open a research topic or two. Sooner or later, interested parties will come knocking,” Wang Weifu said offhandedly. In fact, he already had someone in mind.

The conversation then shifted to Liu Shaoyu’s own plans. Upon learning that Liu Shaoyu intended to journey to the Wasteland Starfield to find Shen Qingyi, Wang Weifu fell silent, knowing that once Liu Shaoyu was set on something, no one could dissuade him. All he could do was help bolster his friend’s strength.

“Come on, let me show you something,” Wang Weifu said.

The two left the restaurant, caught a cab, and headed toward the old continent.

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