Chapter 98

The interstellar port served as a hub for spaceship traffic. Every docking brought at least tens of thousands of passengers, along with the flow of cargo transportation. Add in the staff and shuttling personnel, and tens of thousands of people passed through the port daily.

With such massive foot traffic, it was no surprise that the port boasted all sorts of entertainment facilities and eateries—even hotels.

Mu Chenxing’s flight had a nine-hour layover at the port. Though they couldn’t leave the premises entirely, nine hours offered plenty of time for fun.

They could browse the port mall, snag some Henghe Star specialty snacks and souvenirs. Even if they couldn’t take them to the Military District, they could ship them home to friends and family.

Or visit the natural history museum—yes, even in this steel fortress of a station, there was a museum showcasing the planet’s unique flora and fauna.

Not to mention the movie theaters, amusement parks, and gaming halls.

In short, the port had pretty much every modern entertainment option imaginable.

Mu Chenxing had checked the guides in advance. After they finished shopping and shipped off their souvenirs, he led the group—arms laden with snack bags—to the quieter Stargazing Platform for some Mahjong.

Only two types of people frequented the Stargazing Platform: astronomy buffs and wide-eyed newbies on their first long-haul spaceship ride, still buzzing with curiosity before the grind set in.

Compared to the football-field-sized platform, these folks were a tiny minority.

So, versus the paid attractions, free Mahjong suited them perfectly.

With 40 decks of Mahjong Tiles, everyone got a game going. Mu Chenxing, Shen Mingshu, and Tong Xiao wandered around with the leftovers.

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu stuck to him like glue, never relaxing for a second. Mu Chenxing, meanwhile, sauntered casually, even pointing out tips to the others on how to play.

The 35 new auxiliary soldiers from Henghe Star wouldn’t arrive at the spaceport for another three hours anyway, so Mu Chenxing stayed chill.

After a few rounds, Mu Chenxing announced he needed the bathroom.

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu shot him looks that screamed knew it. They grabbed his arms, one on each side.

Mu Chenxing: “…I really need the bathroom.”

Tong Xiao: “Me too.”

Shen Mingshu: “Same here, and I’m not faking.”

Mu Chenxing had no choice but to drag his two tag-alongs to the restroom.

To his surprise, they took turns guarding his stall door.

The spaceport bathrooms didn’t even have windows, poor things.

Mu Chenxing emerged helplessly after finishing up. He washed his hands and sighed, “You guys really don’t trust me!”

Shen Mingshu washed his hands too and snorted, “You’ve got too many priors!”

Tong Xiao fake-smiled, “Some people pull the bathroom escape tactic every time they skip out—no originality at all.”

Mu Chenxing rubbed his nose.

“Spill it—what are you really up to?” Shen Mingshu shook off the water. “You’re not shaking us today.”

Tong Xiao nodded.

Mu Chenxing: “…I’m not doing anything dangerous. Why so tense?”

Neither bought it.

Mu Chenxing checked the time, gave up, and led them away from the group, slipping out of the Stargazing Platform.

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu tensed up instantly, following him on high alert.

Mu Chenxing took a couple steps, noticed they were moving in perfect sync like mirror images, and laughed. “What’re you doing? Afraid no one will notice you look guilty?”

They loosened up a bit then.

But they still clung to Mu Chenxing.

He let them, guiding his tag-alongs on a loop around the port—skipping shopping and play areas, zeroing in on baggage transfer points, ground-to-port entry/exit stations, and staff passages.

Staff stopped and redirected them multiple times.

Mu Chenxing apologized politely each time, but still peered over fences and barriers for ages until the workers got fed up and shooed them off.

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu had no clue why, but with crowds everywhere, they held their questions.

After the full circuit, their step counters hit twenty thousand—minus the four or five thousand from shopping, still insane. Only Omegas like Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu, who’d stuck to workouts for over three years, could handle it.

The tour didn’t end there. Mu Chenxing led Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu back to the ship.

With most people off enjoying the port during the nine-hour stop, the massive vessel felt eerily empty.

Only then did Tong Xiao whisper, “What’re we doing?”

Mu Chenxing smiled. “Finding some backup for Ming Tao and the others.”

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu: “?”

Mu Chenxing said no more, heading toward the dining area.

At a blind spot with no cameras, he paused. “They shouldn’t be on the ship.”

Shen Mingshu: “?”

“How do you know?”

Tong Xiao frowned too. “Impossible. They said Henghe Star isn’t the end of the line, so they’d load the Lishi onto the ship, right?”

Mu Chenxing asked, “If you were smuggling, would you keep the goods on you the whole time?”

Tong Xiao froze.

Shen Mingshu frowned. “You mean they’re swapping the cargo and stashing it in the port?”

Mu Chenxing: “The port has four ships docked, heading different ways. The goods could transfer to another vessel, stay in the port, or even end up on ours… but that’s the least likely.”

“I said before, they’d make their move at the port. I spotted them when we disembarked, so the first two options are more probable.”

Tong Xiao: “So?”

Mu Chenxing: “I need to check the sublevel one deck.”

Tong Xiao frowned immediately. “But they might’ve left people down there. Whether transferring or swapping, they’d need cover on the ship. Too risky—don’t go.”

Mu Chenxing: “That’s why I’m not bringing you. I’m fine solo, but you two rest somewhere nearby. I know what you’re gonna say—I saw the sublevel layout and Henghe Star cargo display at the transit center earlier. I know the way.”

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu: “…”

So the wandering was to scout the maps?!

Tong Xiao grabbed him. “You nuts? Hundreds of them over there.”

Mu Chenxing: “Relax, I’m not picking a fight. Knowing the layout means I can dodge them. If you won’t let me go, I’ll just loop you around later and ditch you anyway. Better to wait nearby—you can yell for help if shit hits the fan.”

He grinned. “Wanna test if you can keep up?”

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu: “…”

Years together made them cave after mere seconds of hesitation.

Reluctantly, they let Mu Chenxing park them at the restaurant nearest the third-level warehouse. Each ordered a drink and sat waiting.

Mu Chenxing slipped down to sublevel one alone.

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu had zero appetite. To avoid drawing eyes, they mumbled small talk like zombies, eyes glued to their Holo-Screens—refreshing every few seconds, terrified of missing Mu Chenxing’s update or him vanishing too long.

Time crawled.

After just ten minutes, Shen Mingshu was fraying. He opened the small group chat Li Jun had set up, ready to call for help at the deadline.

Tong Xiao dropped the act, holding his breath to watch the clock too.

Right on cue, Mu Chenxing messaged: Heading back now. Time estimate off—might be a few minutes late.

Tong Xiao fired back: No one spotted?

Shen Mingshu: You good?

The process looked routine at first, but the arms misaligned every stack. Crates toppled with a boom, rolling crookedly to the floor.

Mu Chenxing: The real show’s about to start~~

Less than two minutes later, arms jammed fully. Conveyors clogged, screeching in protest.

Tong Xiao: Why jam the cargo line? Repairs will come, but they won’t inspect, right?

Shen Mingshu nudged privately: What’s up?

Shen Mingtao: Your Xing bro hacked some staff monitoring gear. Livestreamed the ship cargo malfunction to the port work groups.

Shen Mingshu: …So?

Shen Mingtao: Big problem! He hit EVERY group—official and random chats!

Shen Mingtao: Main issue: these crates don’t match. Everyone’s asking what’s inside.

Shen Mingtao: Regs say Lishi—dense heavy metal that’d crater the floor on impact. But these roll on landing.

Shen Mingshu: Doesn’t that tip everyone off quick? You can rally the crowd.

Shen Mingtao: We haven’t nabbed those Alphas yet!

Next: Shen Mingtao: Damn, no wonder… We’re getting fined for sure.

Shen Mingshu went to type more—then whap, someone patted his head.

Mu Chenxing popped up grinning: “C’mon, let’s watch the chaos.”

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu jumped up to follow.

Mu Chenxing took them to the ship’s second-floor observation deck.

Docked at port, the curved deck overlooked a chunk of the action.

Before they reached the rail, distant fireworks lit another ship’s conveyor—flames trailing into the dark hold, painting the lower transport layer in gorgeous golden streaks.

“…What the—?” Tong Xiao swallowed.

Mu Chenxing chuckled, explaining, “Didn’t know this? Lishi’s used for ship coatings, but it’s highly flammable—needs stabilizers for safety.”

“I slipped some ‘gifts’ into staff pockets at the transit points.”

“Not sure where it’d ignite, but our conveyor glitch would draw checks everywhere… Looks like I nailed it.”

He sighed wistfully. “Li Lieutenant and crew are in for fines. That much Lishi burning? Huge loss~~”

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu: “…”

If only he didn’t sound so gleeful.

“Wait—Ming Tao and them haven’t caught the guys yet!!” Tong Xiao panicked.

Mu Chenxing beamed. “No worries. Think my Mahjong Tiles are freebies?”

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu: ?

Mu Chenxing: “Forgot I’m just a fragile Omega with connections?”

He winked slyly. “Teacher Zhang hooked me up with test-batch gear: Pheromone Disruptors… Not to harm, but to calm overstimulated Alpha Pheromones. Safety in a pinch.”

“They handled tiles for hours— even low dose’ll wipe ’em out.”

Tong Xiao and Shen Mingshu: “…”

Mu Chenxing: “Oh yeah, thanks Shen Mingshu baby. Without your beauty session crew, I never would’ve thought to mix it into lotion.”

“And shoutout for the lotion donation. No military merits maybe, but I’ll expense it with the big boss~~”