Huo Jing: “Do you two have blood relations?”
Under the flickering neon lights, not a single grain of rice remained on the fried rice plate. Xie Jianxun had eaten it all clean, leaving only some oil stains that reflected the ceiling lights.
Xie Jianxun shook his head quickly. “No. He’s my butler.”
This piqued Huo Jing’s interest even more. He set his wine glass back on the bar with a crisp clink, and the bartender at the other end looked over at the sound, only to be waved away by him.
“Just a mere butler, and you’re this scared?” A glint of intrigue appeared in his eyes.
A normal butler certainly wouldn’t have such authority, let alone say such outrageous things in front of his employer… Even thinking with his toes, it was clear this was no ordinary butler—probably more like a regent king.
Xie Jianxun thought, that’s no mere butler.
His father and brothers had been absent since childhood. It was he who had raised Xie Jianxun from a young age, handling every detail of his life, big and small, and accompanying him through all of his early years.
His teacher, his brother, his friend.
His guardian.
Xie Jianxun closed his eyes and let out a heavy sigh, full of worry.
He gave a particularly vivid example: “It’s like if your dad suddenly said to you, ‘Son, I love you. Marry me.’ What would that feel like?”
Huo Jing: “…” The young man wore a look of disgust. “If he dared say that, I’d be the first to twist his head off.”
Xie Jianxun: “That’s exactly what I thought. What’s more…”
Huo Jing: “What’s more?”
But Xie Jianxun didn’t continue.
He tried sipping the clear liquor again. Fortunately, with the mental preparation from the first time, the spiciness was now within his tolerance, and he could even taste a hint of sweet aftertaste.
What’s more, that was a ruthless bionic person.
Ruthless in the physical sense.
The broadcast chime rang out, followed by a sweet female voice: “All passengers, please return to your seats and fasten your seatbelts. The ship’s first warp jump is about to begin. Please do not panic—ear ringing and dizziness are normal.”
The two left the bar under the neon lights. Xie Jianxun walked ahead, while Huo Jing followed leisurely behind, still holding his unfinished glass of wine, his gaze fixed unwaveringly on Xie Jianxun’s back.
He had finally hooked his interest, only for him to stop talking. It made Huo Jing’s heart itch a bit.
The young man hooked the corner of his lips into a slight smile.
After three days of steady flight, the vibrations caused by the star streams gradually subsided.
Xie Jianxun had also grown familiar with the ship’s layout by then.
Where to eat, where to play—it was all places Huo Jing had taken him.
It seemed like only that first meal had been paid for by him. After that, this kind-hearted gentleman had covered all the bills in advance.
In the end, Huo Jing had raised an eyebrow with a grin, telling him he wasn’t allowed to leave until he’d had his fill of fun.
So they played all sorts of billiards, spent one hundred bucks an hour in the arcade battling intense two-player games, or booked a private theater to watch movies.
Huo Jing asked what he wanted to see. Xie Jianxun thought for a long time and picked a film about the Far Voyage Army brutally beating the Star Pirate Leader. Huo Jing actually agreed.
They ended up discovering it was a trashy flick, with third-rate effects that looked like the neighbor’s dog rolling on a keyboard. When the pirate ships clipped through walls, both of them couldn’t hold back—they curled up in the soft seats and laughed hysterically for half an hour.
Huo Jing took off his spliced block outer jacket and tossed it on the floor, revealing his lean, muscular upper body in a black fitted shirt. His waist tapered tightly, with a thin cord tipped by a copper buckle looping around his neck and dangling at his chest, swaying with his movements.
Xie Jianxun’s eyes widened too, not slacking off in the slightest.
He gripped the arcade controller, dropped defense after Huo Jing’s character went into cooldown from an attack, unleashed a combo, and defeated him in one go.
Xie Jianxun leaped up from the floor with a loud cheer: “I won! I won! I won!!!”
Huo Jing drawled lazily: “Congrats. You finally won one out of ten games.”
He held up a single finger and wagged it in front of Xie Jianxun.
Xie Jianxun wasn’t discouraged at all. He was thrilled as if he’d won a hundred battles: “Winning once is enough. I’m not greedy—”
Both of them looked up at the same time as static crackled from the overhead broadcast speaker, accompanied by a slight vibration.
It was the broadcast again, the female voice sweet:
“Dear passengers, the ship is about to enter the Eastern Border Territory. In five minutes, it will dock with the space station. Please return to your seats, fasten your seatbelts, and prepare for handover.”
The female voice repeated it once, sounding somewhat mechanical.
The two left the arcade. Huo Jing walked ahead this time, with Xie Jianxun chasing two steps behind. They returned one after the other to the Central Hall.
He sat in his seat and pulled the seatbelt across, snapping it into the device. Click. Xie Jianxun froze—it felt somehow different.
He looked up and met Huo Jing’s dark gaze.
Huo Jing said coldly: “The seatbelt won’t unlock.”
Xie Jianxun hurriedly pressed the release on the seatbelt lock. Sure enough, there was no response.
Huo Jing was far calmer than him, stretching out his legs nonchalantly. “I’ve never seen a space station docking where they lock the seatbelts dead.”
Ship seatbelts were complex to prevent passengers from being flung during warp jumps, but docking with a space station wasn’t a violent maneuver. High-end airlines even allowed passengers to move freely.
Now, though, it felt more like they were being restricted.
The overhead lights blazed brightly. Many passengers noticed their seatbelts wouldn’t open and frantically called for the crew.
“Is it broken? Why won’t it open!”
“Crew! I need to use the bathroom—help me unlock this seatbelt!”
“The kid’s crying—his clothes are caught in the seatbelt! What’s wrong with this ship? No hot water, ignoring people! I’m filing a complaint!”
“I’m complaining right now… Huh?”
Soon, almost everyone realized the ship had no signal. Their Light Brains couldn’t connect to the Star Net anymore.
A beautiful crew member walked out from the front cabin, drawing all eyes to her.
She spoke softly, but with a hint of contempt: “Please remain calm, passengers. Our ship is docking with the space station, and the seatbelts have been locked to prevent accidents.”
The passengers fell silent for a moment, then erupted: “I’ve flown interstellar so many times—since when do they lock seatbelts for space station docking?!”
“As expected of a second-class civilian liner—a bunch of scammers! Are you trying to extort us? No money, no unlock?!”
“Once we land, I’m contacting a lawyer. I’m suing you all!”
A loud boom sounded from the ship’s side, followed by the grinding of machinery. The ship had finally docked with the space station for cargo exchange, waste disposal, routine maintenance, and the like.
But the ones who entered weren’t space station staff… it was a notorious gang of star pirates!
Each carried thermal weapons and wore menacing iron masks. They hunched over as they rushed in through the passage—no one could mistake them.
In less than half a minute, the villains had surrounded all the passengers!
“Star pirates!!!”
A passenger screamed, whipping her head toward the crew: “Help!”
However, the pretty young woman at the front merely smiled, showing no other reaction.
“I see,” Xie Jianxun heard the young man beside him remark with a sigh of admiration. “Smart move.”
Xie Jianxun turned to stare at him. Huo Jing grinned back: “Little young master out for the first time—scared silly?”
Indeed, running into star pirates on his first trip out felt like winning the unluckiest lottery.
He took deep breaths from nerves, instinctively quieting his breathing to avoid drawing attention.
He whispered: “How is it smart?”
The young man tugged at his seatbelt, saw it was still locked, and arched one brow.
“Disguising as crew to seize the ship, lying in wait at the space station ahead of time—pretty solid method,” Huo Jing said without lowering his voice. Nearby pirates immediately turned, glaring daggers at them. “They won’t kill anyone. They just want money, not lives. Even if the Expeditionary Force catches them, it’s only robbery and endangering aviation safety… nowhere near the death penalty, and life imprisonment’s a stretch.”
Hmph. A nearby pirate snorted: “You seem to know a thing or two.”
The Star Pirate Leader stepped out from behind the crew member, one hand holding a weapon while two more were tucked at his back—like a nouveau riche flaunting his wealth.
“Ladies and gentlemen, good afternoon.”
The Star Pirate Leader said, “We’re just here for money, not lives. Please take off anything valuable on you, open your Light Brain transfer page, and we’ll scan it quick. Leave some ‘life-saving money,’ and our captain will let you all go.”
The cabin full of passengers, strapped to their seats, stayed perfectly still, quiet as chickens.
The Star Pirate Leader unholstered his gun and fired a burst at the ceiling.
Rat-tat-tat.
The cabin erupted in chaos. Trembling, passengers fumbled to remove jewelry and accessories, opening their Light Brains’ permissions, terrified of getting a bullet to the head.
From front to back, the pirates collected payments one by one. They just needed to scan an unknown account Light Brain over the passengers’ wrists to siphon everything away.
They drew closer and closer until they reached Huo Jing.
“Hey,” a pirate prodded him. “Open your Light Brain. Don’t be unwise.”
Huo Jing raised his hands indifferently, showing the pirate his bare wrist: “Sir, I didn’t bring my Light Brain. Just this cash.”
Pirate: “What backwater planet are you from, no Light Brain? Bumpkin.”
The pirates behind swarmed him, scanning his body with a device.
No reaction. He wasn’t lying.
Pirate: “Pah, penniless loser… Hey, hand over your Light Brain. What model’s that?” He suddenly turned to Xie Jianxun’s Light Brain.
In an instant, the surrounding pirates’ eyes lit up, like starving wolves spotting fresh, tender lamb, drooling.
“No way… The latest… most expensive model!”
“Last time I saw a cheaper one—still twenty million, and it hasn’t depreciated!”
The Star Pirate Leader beelined straight for it: “Show the total balance!”
His short blade slashed over, roughly cutting Xie Jianxun’s seatbelt. The pirate grabbed his wrist and yanked him out, forcibly pressing his thumb to unlock the Light Brain.
The screen flickered, displaying an ordinary amount.
Four thousand seven hundred bucks.
The Star Pirate Leader frowned, sensing something off.
He glanced down and spotted a mysterious bound bank card inside. He demanded Xie Jianxun log in and unlock the funds.
Xie Jianxun himself froze—he hadn’t even noticed that unfamiliar card.
This is bad, he thought, but he was forced to tap it open.
A glittering, golden nine-digit number leaped out, blinding everyone.
“…Holy! Shit!”
The pirates, the Star Pirate Leader, and even the passengers around who’d never seen so much money—all gaped in unison.
“Damn it, th-this much cash!!!”
“Can’t transfer it outright—too noticeable, can’t spend it easy… But this is one fat sheep.”
The Star Pirate Leader stared hard at Xie Jianxun. “Be good and come with me. We’ll demand ransom straight from your family. I’m rich… Hahaha! With this score, the boys can eat for three years!!!”
“Thanks, boss! Hahaha!”
The entire ship hall filled with the pirates’ brazen cheers and wild laughter.
The pirates crowded in, snatching the pricey Light Brain and shoving Xie Jianxun forward.
But the slender young master merely staggered twice before steadying himself. He furrowed his brows and fixed the Star Pirate Leader with a hard stare.
“Let the others go,” he raised his voice, as if oblivious to the danger these thugs posed. “I know how much my family can pay and what to say to get the money fastest. Let them go, and I’ll… cooperate obediently.”
The Star Pirate Leader snorted: “Relax. I’ve pulled off plenty of these without a hitch or a single death. Of course, the disobedient are another story. No tricks!”
“Wait a second.”
Under everyone’s gaze, Huo Jing suddenly spoke up, slowly raising his hand.
The surrounding pirates reacted swiftly, jamming gun barrels into his shoulders. Any wrong move, and they’d turn him into a pincushion.
“I’m the young master’s servant. You’re taking the young master hostage—why not bring me along to run errands for you.”
Huo Jing’s voice was low and steady, his eyes fixed on Xie Jianxun.
“Two hostages wouldn’t be easier?”
