A long string of data scrolled across the holographic screen, with a few lines of small red text in the lower right cornerâQi Ze, male, 18 years old, carbon-based, pure Han Chinese bloodline.
Pure Han Chinese bloodline? Such people were extremely rare in the Black Eye Galaxy. After thousands of years of cohabitation and reproduction, the bloodlines of most humans were mixed with alien genes. Even Yan Junyu himself inherited four different bloodlines, which was considered exceptionally pure.
From this, it appeared that the country where Qi Ze originally lived must have been founded by the Han Chinese, with little to no presence of other races. With this thought in mind, he turned to leave the testing room, only to see Xu Qi leading two cadets inside.
"Second time." As he passed by Xu Qi, Yan Junyu whispered, "This is the second time Qi Ze has escaped under your watch. If I were alive, I would tell you in personânever underestimate anyone."
Xu Qi, who usually showed no emotional fluctuation, actually displayed a hint of anxiety in his eyes, indicating the predicament he was in. A testing personnel member raised their hand and nervously said, "General, the marshal ordered you to urgently send the tribal leader's mecha back to the Imperial Star. He will have Master Mu examine it."
Master Mu was the chief weapons expert in the empire, the only one capable of manufacturing supermechas. His son, Mu Ran, grew up with Yan Junyu and had a deep friendship, also a talented individual with psychic abilities reaching SSS level. His grandfather, Mu Feixing, had an even greater reputation, having personally crafted six supermechas, two of which belonged to the federation, and the other four to the empire. It was because of this that the empire had long been able to outmatch the federation in military equipment and counterbalance the other forces in the Black Eye Galaxy.
Sending the mecha all the way to the Imperial Star for Master Mu to personally examine it suggested that Xu Qi had not detected any abnormalities previously.
Yan Junyu thought about it carefully and confirmed that he had not remembered incorrectly. Just a second before he was seriously injured, his mecha did indeed malfunction. Whether it was an accident or an assassination, the answer to this question might take some time to uncover. But what good would it do to know the answer? The person was already dead, and nothing could be undone.
No, maybe... Shaking his head, he secretly laughed at himself for being influenced by Qi Ze, harboring a hidden expectation for such a ridiculous possibility. He repeatedly warned himself not to dwell on it, to prepare for the worst as soon as possible. He said "goodbye" to Xu Qi and then went after Qi Ze.
Ou Yangye held onto Qi Ze tightly and had long forgotten about the little girlfriend from before.
"What exactly happened just now?" Afraid of being overheard, he dared not speak clearly, only blurting out an ambiguous question, his face flushed with excitement. The inner qi of a martial artist was similar to psychic abilities, capable of binding spatial buttons or entering the star network. Now, his inner qi repeatedly scanned the Interspatial Button, and the iced coffin remained within the range of perception and never disappeared for even a second.
Both times, the spatial scanner failed to detect it. If Xu Qi knew the truth, he might have his nose bent out of shape.
Ou Yangye was still in his rebellious phase and was indeed frightened at first, but now, thinking about it, he found it extremely exciting and fun. He nudged Qi Ze with his shoulder and then secretly gave him a thumbs up.
Seeing this scene as soon as he caught up, Yan Junyu was neither angry nor amused, choking back a sigh for a long time. He had to admit that Qi Ze was very impressive. His corpse in his hands was equivalent to completely disappearing from the world. Unless he voluntarily took it out, no one would be able to find it.
Qi Ze maintained his indifferent demeanor, whispering instructions, "I told you there would be no problem, unless you're foolish yourself. Go back to class, you're safe now."
Ou Yangye was full of questions but did not dare to ask, obediently nodding and heading to the training field.
Yan Junyu followed the teenager, repeatedly lowering his head to scrutinize his youthful face, countless speculations swirling in his mind. He wanted to know what environment the teenager had grown up in, what kind of education he had received, and how many hardships he had endured. He was obviously someone with a story, otherwise, he wouldn't be so composed and experienced at such a young age, playing Xu Qi and the military like fools.
Under his scrutiny, Qi Ze entered the classroom, as usual, sitting in the corner, then opening a shopping website, putting desired items into his cart one by one, preparing to buy them once he had the money.
"I want this, I want this too, this seems quite interesting, I'll take them all..." He muttered to himself, nimble in his actions. Once he finished the selection and calculated the total, he wore a shocked expression, "Seven hundred million credits, how could it be so much? Damn, I can't even afford the cheapest nutrient solution now!"
He seemed extremely annoyed, tugging at his hair and lamenting, "I never thought I, Qi Ze, would come to this!"
Yan Junyu was almost amused into laughter. All the composure and mystery vanished at the sight of this pathetic and pitiful appearance.
"I can't, I have to find a way to make money, and big money at that. Small amounts won't cut it." Qi Ze set a small goal for himself, then looked up at the podium. Yan Junyu also reined in his laughter, following his line of sight.
Since some students were still undergoing testing at the school gate, today's class was changed to music appreciation. The instructor pressed the tuning button, and all the desks slowly moved, eventually forming a circle, leaving space in the middle. A beautiful, graceful girl walked over with a peculiar instrument, bowing slightly. Her impeccable demeanor and exquisite, luxurious attire indicated her distinguished background and extraordinary upbringing.
Upon recognizing the instrument the girl held in her arms, Qi Ze whispered, "A guqin?"
"You recognize it?" Yan Junyu was surprised. The guqin was an extremely ancient instrument. In the Black Eye Galaxy, let alone playing it, few people had even seen it. The empire always emphasized the protection of ancient cultural heritage, and anyone who mastered the method of playing ancient instruments would receive priority training.
But soon, his surprise was replaced by an understanding nod, "Of course you recognize it. In your homeland, this kind of ancient instrument should be quite common, right? The reason you left the empire was because you were unwilling to abandon your bloodline, so naturally, you would protect the things passed down by your ancestors."
He originally thought that those who left had made a wrong choice, but after witnessing Qi Ze's mysterious methods, this notion had become unshakably questioned.
A few students nearby were whispering, "What good luck today, we get to enjoy Meng Yao's performance. I heard she has already received the principal's recommendation. As long as she passes the exam, she can go to the Imperial Conservatory next semester for further studies. Hey, what kind of instrument is she holding, it looks so strange!"
"That's a guqin, something only the nobility can afford to learn." A student from an equally distinguished background said.
"That's right. Meng Yao's guqin is worth seven million, excavated from ancient ruins on Earth. It's said that the older the guqin, the better its tone, and the higher its selling price. Last year, the king of the global auction was a guqin, with a bid reaching three hundred and thirty million." Another well-informed student added.
Gasp after gasp echoed around the room, and everyone looked at Meng Yao with a hint of envy.
Qi Ze, who had initially been somewhat disinterested, suddenly lifted his head at this, his eyes flickering with bright light. Yan Junyu couldn't resist teasing, "Strange, why do I see the symbol of star coins in your eyes?"
Regardless of what Meng Yao performed later, Qi Ze could no longer hear it. He buried himself in searching for information and discovered that in the empire, the three most expensive things were: first, high-level mechas; second, rare energy minerals; third, antiques. The first two had specific price tags, but the last one was difficult to estimate. As long as it was old enough and well-preserved, selling it for an astronomical price was not uncommon.
Finally, after reviewing all related information, Qi Ze let out a long sigh, his eyes and eyebrows radiating an incomparable joy.
Yan Junyu seemed to sense something, asking, "So, you have a few antiques in your possession?"
As soon as he finished his sentence, thunderous applause erupted in the classroom. Unbeknownst to them, Meng Yao had already finished her performance and was walking down with the guqin. The instructor lavished praise on her, then reminded the cadets to pay attention to safety in the near future and announced the end of the class.
Qi Ze, who never socialized with his classmates, surprisingly called out to Meng Yao, softly asking, "Hello, Meng Yao, can I see the guqin in your hand?" He had to compare its quality in order to resell similar antiques.
"Sorry, no one is allowed to touch my guqin." Although she said this, when a classmate next to her asked the same request, Meng Yao smiled slightly, generously handing over the guqin, her intention to deliberately humiliate Qi Ze all too apparent.
"Although Ou Yangye is rich, if you damage this guqin, he may not compensate on your behalf. Seven million, are you worth it?" The person looking at the guqin mocked.
Giggles spread around, no one sympathizing with Qi Ze, nor considering it reprehensible to isolate and humiliate him. They were long accustomed to making fun of carbon-based beings. Without formidable strength, there was no right to existâit was the law of natural elimination.
Qi Ze's cheeks flushed red, his eyes brimming with tears, as if he had suffered a great injury. He lowered his head and ran out of the classroom, but did not go far, standing pressed against the wall for a while.
Suddenly, a faint "click" sounded from the classroom, followed by a series of shrieks. Meng Yao roared in frenzy, "Oh my god, my guqin strings are broken! You broke it! How can I take the entrance exam without a guqin? You ruined me! You bitch!"
Then came the sounds of chairs and tables falling and a group of people fighting and yelling. The two people who had been smug and in cahoots earlier would, a few minutes later, be left with bruised and swollen faces, in a pitiful state. More importantly, modern-made guqins, due to their craftsmanship and materials, had already altered their tone. If she couldn't buy an authentic guqin before the assessment, Meng Yao's music dream would end there.
And now it was nearing the end of the semester, leaving her with little time to search.
Outside the classroom, Qi Ze seemed to be lightly sniffing his palm, but was actually slowly absorbing the last trace of the guqin's spiritual energy, his eyes hidden in his fingers filled with malice and interest.
Yan Junyu stared at him for a long time, shaking his head and sighing, "You're truly full of mischief." Would such a person really spare no expense to save him? The answer seemed uncertain.