Chapter Seventy-Five: Return

Chapter Seventy-Five: The Return

The fleet sailed steadily through unfamiliar starfields. Recently, the entire universe had been free of large-scale pirate attacks, as if all the pirates had suddenly settled down. This brought a rare sense of calm, and the tense vigilance that had permeated the fleet began to dissipate.

The entire ship’s hold was filled with ice ore. Before Xu Meng and the others had arrived, Liu Shaoyu had already ordered large, high-strength metal containers and hired robots to transfer all the ice ore into them. The rest of the fleet only knew that their mission was to escort a shipment of cargo; as to its true nature, no one was privy, not even Xu Meng, who had no idea what was actually inside those containers.

Of course, some speculated it might be ice ore—after all, this was a desolate star sector. But such a notion was dismissed as soon as it arose. “That much ice ore? Are you crazy?” became a joke among the crew.

Yet often, the truth lies precisely in what seems most improbable.

All anyone saw was four containers loaded into the flagship carrier’s cargo bay before rumors spread that the fleet would soon be officially handed over to Xu Meng. Attention quickly shifted to this news.

After that conversation with Xu Meng, Liu Shaoyu no longer appeared as captain among the crew. He showed up only during the loading of the containers, spending the rest of his time secluded in his quarters. This was intentional—on one hand, to establish Xu Meng’s image as the acting captain early; on the other, to observe the crew’s reaction and gauge their loyalty. By all accounts, Liu Shaoyu was satisfied.

Xu Meng was certainly qualified to be a good captain—Liu Shaoyu had known this since their academy days. In fact, he believed Xu Meng was better suited than himself to lead a fleet. Yet, due to his impulsiveness, Xu Meng had long served loyally as his first officer and had never made a single technical error during all this time.

Now Liu Shaoyu felt the time had come for Xu Meng and his team to shine. Entrusting the fleet to him would surely take them further than he himself ever could.

The further Xu Meng advanced, the more it would help Liu Shaoyu with his own future plans. As for the four containers, they were a clever ruse by Liu Shaoyu.

Those four containers had cost Liu Shaoyu the last of his savings; his entire fortune now rested on that cargo of ice ore. He could not permit even the slightest loss.

Sometimes, one’s future is entangled by many things. When you wish to move forward, look back at the brothers who depend on you—often, it is these ties that hold you back. So, before Liu Shaoyu could pursue his own ambitions, he first had to settle his people’s affairs.

Once everything was in place, Liu Shaoyu could begin his plan in earnest.

“I’ve found some of what you wanted,” Liu Shaoyu said to the figure on the communicator.

The person on the other end was Wang Weifu. Hearing Liu Shaoyu’s words, Wang Weifu’s face lit up with joy.

“How much?” When they discussed serious matters, neither wasted words; they were both used to getting straight to the point.

“About twenty pieces, each the size of an egg,” Liu Shaoyu replied with a smile.

Wang Weifu’s smile grew severalfold, his astonishment plain to see.

“Heavens! Twenty pieces, each the size of an egg! I can hardly believe it.” Indeed, had it not been Liu Shaoyu speaking, Wang Weifu would never have believed someone could produce so much ice ore at once.

This was not just any coal or rare metal—this was ice ore! A single piece could power a doomsday weapon; the most energy-dense and rarest substance in the universe.

Yet Wang Weifu’s elation lasted only a moment before giving way to gravity.

“Don’t breathe a word of this to anyone. The shockwaves from twenty pieces of ice ore are beyond our comprehension. Remember, last time, only seven irregularly sized pieces sparked a three-way struggle. The so-called pirate attack on the Third Fleet was, in truth, all because they were escorting that ice ore.”

Liu Shaoyu’s smile stiffened. Though he had anticipated a storm over the ice ore, he hadn’t realized these blue crystals held such immense power.

Wang Weifu’s concern deeply moved him. The first thing he thought of was not the fortune to be made, but Liu Shaoyu’s safety—a rare quality indeed.

As for the fact that twenty pieces were just a small fraction of his entire cargo, Liu Shaoyu decided that was a secret he would share with no one. Not for lack of trust, but because the truth was simply too astonishing.

If news of this ever got out, the consequences would be unbearable—not only for Liu Shaoyu, but for the entire Earth Federation.

For the sake of seven pieces, government forces had been ambushed; the allure of ice ore drove would-be predators to madness.

All because of the energy contained within the ice ore.

Energy—a word all too familiar. In the end, every conflict between interstellar powers stemmed from it.

Earth had survived the earliest and darkest resource wars of the cosmos. The battles for resources between factions had erased countless lives from the universe.

Liu Shaoyu had read of these things only in textbooks, never having experienced them, and could hardly imagine the brutality of those times.

Though the advent of warp theory and the star gate had eased the situation, the struggle for high-grade energy grew ever fiercer beneath the surface calm.

This was why, in the territories governed by the Earth Federation—and indeed, throughout the galaxy and the universe—humanoid species dominated.

Other lifeforms had nearly been annihilated in those cosmic wars.

The Battle of Fonta was but the beginning, Liu Shaoyu sensed. Turmoil was about to sweep the universe once again.

Some say troubled times breed heroes. Liu Shaoyu did not consider himself such, but his instincts warned him that perhaps his cargo of ice ore would play an unexpected role in the coming upheaval.

His foreboding was not unfounded.

Far away on Earth, some were already preparing to discuss how best to survive the storm, and if possible, how to secure greater prospects for humanity.

These things, of course, were beyond Liu Shaoyu’s knowledge. What concerned him now was nothing more than Shen Qingyi’s safety and the fate of his ice ore.

Some things can only be called destiny, at least until a better explanation can be found.

The earliest developments of these events may have nothing to do with you, but when you live in such an era, sooner or later, you will be thrust into the very heart of the storm.

You will be forced to choose, to decide.

And when you are unwilling to submit to fate, all you can do is strive to improve yourself, to rise above destiny’s tricks.

But when you stand at a higher vantage point, you realize you have been drawn into an even greater vortex of fate, unable to extricate yourself.

To the reader: With this, this segment of the story comes to an end. The next chapter will begin a new arc. Please recommend and add to your favorites!