Chapter 58: So You Won

Star Annihilation Energy Cannon?

Most people present wore puzzled expressions. They had never heard of this name before and furrowed their brows as they looked at each other’s faces.

The entire hall fell silent in an instant, with no one speaking up.

The City Lord had already anticipated this, but he still clung to a sliver of hope.

“It doesn’t need to be repaired to full power. Just fix the self-diagnostic system, or make it able to fire—that’s enough.”

Finally, someone raised a hand and asked, “City Lord, we’ve never seen this thing before. Can we take a look first?”

…

That batch of mysterious weapons was finally unearthed from the depths of the warehouse and saw the light of day again.

Once the dust was cleared away, everyone shoved and jostled to get closer and examine their structures.

It was obvious that these were Federation-specialized Energy Cannons.

But unexpectedly, their bases and some circuits were badly damaged, as if they had been forcibly dismantled without proper maintenance or care afterward.

There were eight small cannons and one main cannon in total. The small ones were still relatively intact, just lacking energy infusion— a bit of repair and they’d be usable.

The most important main cannon was enormous and complex. Simply observing its circuits made people’s heads spin, leaving them speechless in awe of its intricate structure.

Seeing that they weren’t speaking, the City Lord opened his mouth. “Everyone, can it be fixed?”

None of the repair technicians said a word.

The City Lord felt rage burning in his chest. His mouth went dry as despair and anger surged together, assaulting his nerves—so many people, yet not a single one had a solution?!

Finally losing his patience, the middle-aged City Lord exploded in curses. “You bunch of useless trash! Golden City feeds you and raises you, and this is how you repay us—completely worthless!”

“Useless! Useless!”

Someone retorted, “City Lord, this is Federation weaponry! Repair techs from a backwater place like ours—how could we possibly fix something this advanced?”

“Yeah, even if you killed us, we couldn’t do it!”

“City Lord, you have to be reasonable too.”

The City Lord paused for a moment, then calmly waved his hand. “Fine. Guards, lock the doors!”

Chaos erupted on the spot. The guards blocked the entrance as shocked voices rose from behind. “City Lord, what are you doing?”

“Even as City Lord, you can’t illegally imprison us! Let me out!”

But the City Lord no longer cared.

He said coldly, “Then please hold a nice, long meeting and figure out how to fix them. Once they’re repaired, everyone can leave.”

With that, he sauntered toward the door to leave. Behind him, countless guards held back the panicking repair technicians, preventing them from escaping.

A soft voice called out to him. “City Lord.”

The middle-aged City Lord halted and slowly turned back. “…And now you can fix it?”

Delin’s hand froze halfway extended.

He hadn’t grabbed the person and exclaimed in shock, “Holy shit, big shot, what the hell!”

The City Lord brushed off the guards trying to block him and walked up to Xie Jianxun. He sized up the young man’s youthful features and couldn’t help rolling his eyes.

So young—how many years old was he?

He warned, “No fancy talk. Just tell me: can you fix it, or can’t you?”

Xie Jianxun looked at him, his expression calm and resolute. He had come up with the best solution and made his decision accordingly.

If this could free these poor wage-slave repair techs and save Golden City, it would make the trip worthwhile.

“This batch of Energy Cannons is too complex. I can’t fix them.”

The City Lord was utterly disappointed and waved for someone to drag him back.

But Xie Jianxun continued lightly, “But I know someone who can, and he definitely will. City Lord, you just need to open the communication permissions so I can contact him.”

…

“I never knew that we couldn’t contact the outside world because the base station’s comms permissions were shut off! Damn it, how many years behind the Federation is Golden City?!”

The young man hurried after Xie Jianxun, unable to believe it.

Everything that had happened these past few days was shattering his worldview one after another. He swore that no matter what happened next, he wouldn’t be shocked anymore.

He declared firmly, “Golden City being at the forefront of development? Total bullshit… parasites! Parasites!”

Xie Jianxun tugged at his sleeve and shot him a look to keep quiet.

Delin sullenly shut his mouth, muttering curses under his breath.

First time facing a massive insect disaster, first time being forcibly conscripted for unpaid labor, first time realizing his world could be so much bigger.

It was all because someone sat in the top City Lord seat, keeping them all in the dark.

…Damn it all!

Xie Jianxun pressed his hands against the door and said helplessly, “We’ve wasted too much time in the bathroom already. They’ll probably send someone to drag us back soon. Once we’re inside, don’t mouth off to their faces.”

Delin: “Fine, fine, big shot. You can count on me to keep my mouth shut.”

He patted his chest in promise, then suddenly remembered something. “Right, big shot, how did you know the base station wasn’t damaged but just had comms permissions disabled?”

Xie Jianxun paused, crossing his arms unhappily.

“I’m not an idiot,” the young repair tech muttered softly. “If someone could contact their fleet from outside, there has to be a way to communicate… and what place is more likely than the City Lord’s Mansion?”

He pushed open the door.

Blinding indoor lights spilled out from the widening gap, illuminating Xie Jianxun’s face.

The middle-aged City Lord stood with arms crossed, glaring at him darkly.

Several guards stood silently nearby, both upholding the City Lord’s authority and intimidating the repair techs against wandering off.

After Xie Jianxun returned, the repair technicians visibly relaxed.

When the guard behind Xie Jianxun reached to close the door, Xie Jianxun stopped him.

The City Lord narrowed his eyes coldly. “What are you doing?”

Xie Jianxun politely gestured toward the repair technicians.

“The repair process is complicated, and I don’t think he’ll want it spread around. Can you let them go?”

It was clear he wanted to send these frightened quails back to their nests to eat, drink, and rest.

The City Lord stared fixedly at Xie Jianxun for a moment, then signaled the guards to release them.

The repair technicians filed out.

Before leaving, they glanced back at Xie Jianxun with worried looks. He smiled and shook his head.

He sighed and turned to Delin. “You going back too?”

Delin refused righteously. “No! Where the big shot goes, I go!”

Xie Jianxun reminded him, “Then stand in the corner later and don’t make a sound.”

Delin stood at attention. “That gentleman doesn’t like noise?”

Xie Jianxun sighed. “He just doesn’t like seeing me too close to other, uh, adult males.”

As they spoke, the City Lord impatiently interrupted. “Does that person you mentioned have a repair tech certification?”

Xie Jianxun: “No.”

City Lord: “…What?! You’re actually trying to fool me—”

Xie Jianxun’s gaze fell on the massive Energy Cannon as he said softly, “City Lord, don’t be so hasty. He may not have a repair certification, but I guarantee no one in the entire Federation is better at it than him. Probably.”

The City Lord stared at him intently, growing more convinced he was being scammed.

What an idiot he was—blind as a bat.

To actually believe him!

What was this kid? At his age, how many skilled repair techs could he know?

“I’ve paid such a high price for this. If it doesn’t get fixed, I’ll consider giving you a quick end before the King Insect eats you—like tossing you out that window.” He threatened.

Xie Jianxun spread his hands. “I’m very confident about this. My Light Brain?”

The City Lord lifted his chin, and a guard handed over the unique, expensive Light Brain, passing it to Xie Jianxun.

The middle-aged City Lord hadn’t seen this Light Brain model before, but it looked pricey and distinctive… perhaps it really was the turning point he needed.

Xie Jianxun gripped the Light Brain tightly and took a deep breath.

The next second, his expression turned deadly serious as he raised his voice. “Sirs, from here on, try not to make a sound.”

The City Lord frowned. “What are you doing?”

Xie Jianxun muttered, “That’s why I chose indoors. Outside, one glance would reveal my location—how many desert planets are there in the Federation… cough, I mean, don’t interrupt.”

The City Lord grew increasingly irritable. “Get on with it!”

Xie Jianxun stared at the Light Brain.

With it in hand, opening it might be the last path fate offered him: his journey ending here.

…Before he left, could he get one last serving of Asa’s Golden Fried Rice?

He thought quietly and activated the Light Brain.

A familiar light screen projected from the display—the interface Xie Jianxun was used to, along with a pinned contacts list.

His gaze drifted briefly to one chat window, lingering for a moment before snapping back.

He tapped settings, connected to the local network, lifted the restricted comms permissions, and reconnected to Star Net.

Beep beep beep beep beep!

The instant it connected, all sorts of news pop-ups flooded in. Xie Jianxun had no mood for news and swiped them away one by one.

Delin stared in stunned awe.

A vast, brand-new world unfolded before him. The Federation—a realm of tantalizing new worlds and opportunities, far beyond what tiny Golden City could match.

Why had he been so complacent before?

If he learned some real skills, saved up money, and caught a transport ship with space, he could leave this barren Desert Planet and roam the Federation.

Instead of staying cooped up in one corner.

The young man’s fists clenched quietly.

Club dancing wasn’t his future, nor were a few meager blueprints and repetitive repair work.

The hall was utterly silent, save for the sounds of Xie Jianxun dragging messages to the recycle bin.

Finally, he entered a string of numbers he knew by heart.

Without hesitation, he decisively hit the dial button.

Everyone present held their breath.

Before pressing it, Xie Jianxun knew full well the other side would pick up instantly.

If not, it meant they were angry, making him wait a few seconds… Angry about what?! Shouldn’t he be the angry one?

Inwardly, Xie Jianxun pouted unhappily.

He hoped it wouldn’t exceed ten seconds—that would mean there was still hope. The other would bend his pride for Xie Jianxun’s sake and save this soon-to-be insect-ravaged city.

His finger tapped voice comms. The moment it touched the screen, the Light Brain vibrated unusually.

“Wait—”

Before he could react, the voice comm forcibly switched to video. The surroundings darkened like nightfall!

Everyone panicked, unsure what was happening.

Shouts and calm orders filled the air. “Don’t move! Everyone freeze!”

“Protect the City Lord!”

“Help! Who the hell stepped on my toe?!”

Everyone’s first thought was that the hall lights had failed, but it wasn’t that. It was a special holographic projection dimming the environment, cast from that small Light Brain.

Now, Xie Jianxun stood in the center.

Holding the Light Brain, its light screen was the only illumination, casting his face in pale, glaring white.

Particle effects cascaded down, piling on the floor and stretching into a full human silhouette.

The advanced virtual tech simulated it so realistically, as if a real person had gracefully stepped out from the data streams of the network, descending into the world.

The voice came first. “So, I really did get a comm from you personally.”

Xie Jianxun said calmly, “So you won, Julius.”