Though it had only happened once, that single meeting had left a deep impression on Wang Dong.
A middle-aged man in a black combat suit lay slumped in the commander's chair.
A small, silver-white, wheel-shaped intelligent medical machine hovered in midair, keeping him alive.
The green indicator light for normal operation and the red one for emergencies blinked incessantly.
Hearing footsteps, the man didn't move.
Only a faint voice sounded. "Sorry, I'm in no condition to move. Please come closer."
Wang Dong did as he was asked and walked up to the commander's chair.
The middle-aged man's left eye had been reduced to a bloody cavity. A long gash above his right eye exposed a glimpse of bone, and the eye itself was squeezed into a narrow slit, impossible to open.
Worse still, a black dagger was buried to the hilt in the man's left chest. Several surgical arms of the intelligent medical machine were working on the wound.
"Being alive and conscious right now is a miracle."
Wang Dong could tell at a glance that the dagger in the man's chest had either pierced the center of his heart or destroyed at least half of its tissue.
"Although I don't know why you went to such lengths to bring me here, sir, I suggest you get to the point."
Wang Dong gave a slight bow, with a hint of indignation in his voice.
The man twisted his lips into a grim smile. "The military stimulants of the Levistan Civilization keep you conscious for an hour after injection. You'd have to be decapitated to lose consciousness before then."
"If you can get to a decent hospital right away, you might still have a chance," Wang Dong said, turning his head to survey the state of the command cabin.
Aside from the severely wounded man, there wasn't another person in the entire command cabin.
Oh, right. There were also two combat robots.
"Don't bother looking. There's no one else aboard besides me. And no hospital in a backwater like this can do anything to ease the effects of the Jin Family's Heart-Piercing Dagger."
The middle-aged man moved his head slightly and spoke in a soft voice.
"If you need someone to witness your death, then I think you can begin."
Wang Dong turned back to the man and spoke in earnest.
"I only hope that once you've achieved your goal, you'll let me leave. I'm just an ordinary interstellar miner. I may not have a family to support, but I have my own dreams and goals."
"You're an interesting young man. Unfortunately, it won't do you any good. You probably won't be able to return to your old life.
"There's someone nearby from the Jin Clan of the Dingyuan Star System. I killed three members of their family's collateral branch, so I've been placed on the Jin Family's kill list. Once they find out you came aboard this battleship, they'll consider you an accomplice too. They'll kill you without hesitation."
"The Jin Family of the Dingyuan Star System... the Jin Clan known for taking revenge over the slightest slight?" Wang Dong asked uncertainly.
"You've got some knowledge, kid. That's right. The Dingyuan Jin, who boast that if you touch one blade of grass, they'll wipe out your entire household."
The middle-aged man's voice brimmed with hatred as he said the words "Dingyuan Jin."
Wang Dong had indeed heard of the Jin Family of the Dingyuan Star System.
The mining region where Wang Dong lived belonged to the Purple Thorn Kingdom, while the Dingyuan Star System, home of the Jin Family, belonged to the Golden Snapdragon Federation.
The two were neighboring countries.
Their political systems differed, but in essence, there wasn't much difference between them.
The privileged class in the Purple Thorn Kingdom was addressed by noble titles, such as baron and viscount.
In the Golden Snapdragon Federation, the privileged class was often known as "clans," which were also divided into several ranks.
The Jin Family was one of the Golden Snapdragon Federation's high-ranking clans.
Their fame—or rather, infamy—had spread throughout the neighboring nations.
There had once been a case.
A collateral member of the Jin Family had drugged a student at a women's college and been caught in the act. The student's companions knew he was from the Jin Family's collateral branch and didn't dare cross him.
They said nothing and simply took the student away.
But the Jin Family member felt he had lost face. That very night, he gathered a gang of lackeys, forced his way into the women's college dormitory, and abducted all four students from that room.
The four students were never heard from again.
The women's college immediately reported the matter to the Federation's Ministry of Education. News spread throughout the education community, rousing the anger of countless students and educators. The scandal grew so large that it even reached the Federation Parliament.
The Jin Family member responsible was severely punished.
But afterward, the college's principal and three vice principals were arrested and imprisoned, one after another, for various reasons.
The families of the victims, who lived in other star systems, suffered all kinds of "misfortunes" for three generations. Some were paralyzed, others disabled. Even a young niece who had just turned one was disfigured.
None of it was concealed. Under public pressure, the mercenary hired to carry out the attacks was soon arrested.
Everyone knew who was behind it, but without evidence, no one could do anything to a high-ranking clan like the Jin Family.
Terrifying.
Even Wang Dong, who had grown up in a remote mining region, had heard rumors about the Jin Family of the Golden Snapdragon Federation.
"I understand. It looks like I have no choice."
Wang Dong's pupils contracted slightly as he nodded.
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