Chapter Four

Ye Chong chewed on roasted rat meat, his eyes fixed intently on the schematic of the engine inside Mu Shang before him. It had taken considerable effort and repeated requests before Mu Shang finally agreed to show him this diagram. The complexity and ingenuity of it were astounding; Ye Chong couldn't help but marvel. Raised under his father's influence, Ye Chong was nothing short of an expert in mechanics, yet this schematic left him utterly dazzled. With no other option, he could only analyze it bit by bit, and the more he delved into it, the deeper his admiration grew for the engine's designer.

After studying it for a long time, Ye Chong felt his eyes growing dry and sore. He tore his gaze from the diagram and glanced at Mu Shang, who stood motionless beside him. He couldn't help but say, "Mu, you might as well give it up. The Pulse Transit Station isn't that easy to hack! Back in the day, my old man tried countless times, but he never succeeded even once."

Mu Shang remained utterly still, as if he hadn't heard Ye Chong at all.

Ye Chong's habit of talking to himself resurfaced. While staring at the schematic, he rambled on, "Mu, I'm telling you, there's no point in trying something that's absolutely impossible. If you have time, you might as well come help me with this diagram. I've been staring at it for half the day, and it's making my head spin. Still, whoever designed this thing is a true genius—amazing, really amazing..."

Suddenly, Mu Shang spoke: "Infiltration successful!"

Ye Chong's gaze remained glued to the diagram as he absently replied, "What? Infiltration successful? Mu, since when did you learn to joke around? Not bad, not bad, that's progress! But Mu, if you didn't succeed, just say so. No one would blame you for failing at something impossible..."

Mu Shang ignored him and continued, "This week's top news from the Faer System: The newly established space floating settlement Tanhua began accepting new residents this Monday. The first arrivals will enjoy the following preferential policies..."

Ye Chong froze, his hand stilled mid-air. He jerked his head up in disbelief. "You—you really did it?"

Mu Shang replied calmly, "Without a doubt."

Ye Chong asked cautiously, "Are you certain?"

Mu Shang confirmed, "I am certain."

"Ha, haha, I can finally learn about the outside world! I can finally know what's out there..." Ye Chong leapt up in joy. With a loud bang, he hit his head hard against the ceiling, but seemed not to notice. Excited, he dashed around his tiny home, releasing his pent-up emotions.

Watching Ye Chong's elation, the icy lines of Mu Shang's face softened for a fleeting instant, but quickly returned to their usual impassiveness.

Ye Chong settled carefully into the pilot's seat within Mu Shang, donned his combat helmet, and lay quietly on the soft chair. Yet within him, excitement, yearning, curiosity, and a trace of fear for the unknown world intertwined, leaving him restless and unable to calm down.

Mu Shang's voice sounded by his ear: "Yezi, are you ready?"

Hearing Mu Shang, Ye Chong, inexplicably flustered, gradually steadied his heart. He took a deep breath and replied steadily, "Ready!"

The moment he finished speaking, the world before Ye Chong changed dramatically.

He shook his head, feeling a touch of dizziness, when Mu Shang's voice echoed in his mind: "It's common for first-time users of the virtual net to feel slightly dizzy. It's normal and harmless to the body."

Understanding a little more, Ye Chong began to examine his surroundings.

The first thing he saw was a curtain of light woven from countless colors, the vibrant streams shifting and transforming like living beings, constantly generating new hues.

The intense visual impact stunned Ye Chong as never before! Growing up on the Junk Planet, his world had only ever known the black and white of metal, the amber light of the star, and the endless expanse of rust. He had never imagined colors could be so vivid, so rich!

Ye Chong stood there, transfixed, staring in awe at the mesmerizing colors before him.

Someone walked past him, glanced at his dazed expression, and muttered, "Idiot!"

The insult snapped Ye Chong out of his reverie, and a trace of bitterness rose in his heart. How could those who lived in comfort ever understand his hardships? But Ye Chong was not one to wallow in self-pity; after a brief moment of disappointment, he recovered quickly.

Sensing his mood, Mu Shang, who had been silent, spoke: "Yezi, you can step out of the light curtain now."

Following instructions, Ye Chong moved forward. A vast plaza unfolded before him, filled with all manner of machines whose names he didn't know. In the very center stood a giant electronic screen broadcasting various news and announcements.

"The Central Plaza is the news zone. This is my first time here as well, so you'll have to explore on your own. If you run into any trouble, just call for me in your mind—I can receive your brainwave signals. All right, that's it!"

Mu Shang's voice fell abruptly silent.

Ye Chong could only smile wryly to himself, but his worries were soon replaced by overwhelming curiosity. He looked around eagerly, his feet moving almost of their own accord.

Over a decade of survival instincts kept Ye Chong highly alert in unfamiliar environments. He maintained a two-meter distance from others at all times—the optimal range for attack, ensuring he could respond to any sudden threat. Years of navigating the tangled, chaotic junk heaps at high speed had trained his body, so he seemed to glide through the crowd like a fish, swift and graceful. Compared to the leisurely passersby around him, Ye Chong appeared to be in a great hurry, but in truth, every second on the Junk Planet was precious—it could mean the difference between a good haul and nothing, or even between life and death.

Ye Chong was like a fierce predatory fish weaving through a school of drowsy, meandering fish—conspicuous and out of place.

His father had often said that life beyond the Junk Planet was peaceful and comfortable. There were no countless deadly mutated creatures, no daily storms, no need to scavenge for food among the garbage. There, people wore fine clothes, ate delicious food, and lived unhurried, tranquil lives. They went to school and work every day, had many friends, and there were all kinds of mechas.

Ye Chong had once asked his father if that place was heaven, but his father had said no. Ye Chong couldn't understand it—if that wasn't heaven, what was? Countless times as a child, he had imagined the world outside, that mysterious land of his dreams.

Now, at last, he could experience the place he had longed for all his life.

Ye Chong couldn't say exactly what he felt as he wandered, uncertain of his location.

He stared blankly at the ceiling, lost in thought.

By day's end, he could barely remember how he got home. A strange, indescribable feeling lingered in his heart. He couldn't explain why—everything that had happened today would take time to process.

Mu Shang remained silent, his stillness betraying nothing of the complex calculations running through his intricate mind.

The ceiling was unchanged as always, and the night was as silent as ever.