Kolev spun around and saw the figure behind him. His face lit up with delight.
"Han... Hahaha! It really is you!"
Yang Ming put away the silver-white remote in his hand.
Then Kolev furrowed his brow, pinched one of his mustaches, and gave it a gentle tug.
"Ow. This isn't a dream—you're really standing right in front of me!"
Kolev quickly calmed down, though.
He sized up Yang Ming's appearance.
He wore a light blue maintenance uniform, and his face was scruffy with stubble. The fatigue of a long journey showed in his eyes, and he didn't seem to be in the best shape.
"Oh, how did you end up down on your luck again? What should I call you now?" Kolev asked warily.
"Just call me Yang Ming," Yang Ming said gently. Then he patted his gaunt stomach. "An old friend shows up and doesn't even get a proper meal? Don't worry, I'm using my real identity now. I'm still using the passport you gave me."
"Of course you'll get a meal! Just wait... Oh, have all my robots crashed?"
Yang Ming tapped his watch twice and said evenly, "Lü, have you finished modifying their programs?"
A three-inch-tall projection of Molly Two appeared on the watch. Wearing an elegant evening gown, she spoke softly. "I've finished, boss."
"Good. Activate it."
Kolev keenly sensed that something was off about Molly Two's projection.
She was meticulous and lively, and her expression seemed much closer to Molly One's.
Lü?
Even her name seemed to have changed.
As Molly's creator, Kolev of course knew Molly Two wasn't equipped with any functions beyond controlling the ship. Nor had he added a learning module that would require powerful computing and energy resources.
"Two, do you remember me?" Kolev called softly.
The girl looked up at him and gave him a polite smile. She spoke quickly.
"Hello, Mr. Kolev. I should address you as Mr. Haddon now. My boss often talks about you. Your generosity accounts for one ten-thousandth of his brilliance. But I'm not Two—or rather, I'm Two's advanced form. My name is Lü."
Kolev stared in astonishment. "Yang Ming, did you redesign her?"
"More or less." Yang Ming didn't want to discuss it right now. "First, get me something to eat. Let me taste the lavish lunch of a rich old gentleman!"
The robots that had shut down moments ago—in the sunroom, the reception hall, and all around the estate—woke up at once and resumed their assigned tasks as if nothing had happened.
The butler came over and ignored Yang Ming completely. "Master, are you speaking to the air? I'm concerned about your mental health."
Kolev was stunned.
He turned to glare at Yang Ming, then at the butler robot whose program he had personally modified. The corner of his mouth twitched.
Yang Ming smiled. "Don't worry. Lü modified them so they can neither hear nor see me, to prevent information from leaking. It won't affect their normal duties."
"Oh? How did you manage that?"
Kolev's eyes were full of amazement as he stared at Yang Ming's watch as though it were a monster.
It was the watch he had given him before.
The old man's life really had turned decadent.
Yang Ming gnawed on a juicy roasted beast leg, savoring the smooth texture produced by the chef robot's precise knife work. After a few mouthfuls, he couldn't help letting out a few groans.
"Six months," Yang Ming sighed. "I finally don't have to eat synthetic biscuits anymore!"
A girl's muttering voice came from his watch. "Synthetic biscuits are much more nutritious. You've consumed excess fat and protein."
"Shut it," Yang Ming teased. "You have no idea how awful your synthetic biscuits taste. That stuff's pig feed."
"Understood, boss. In the future, you can press the start button on that machine yourself."
"Give me a little face, Lü! I'm with an old buddy!"
"If the price of pleasure is self-degradation, I recommend maintaining self-discipline to keep your mind sharp," Lü said seriously.
She added, "Even though your life level has already surpassed that of an ordinary member of your species, you still have a lot of room to improve."
"You can stay quiet while I eat. That's an order."
Lü fell silent at once.
Yang Ming speared a small fruit that looked like a cherry tomato from Earth. It burst with juice in his mouth, and he sighed with satisfaction.
At last, the world was quiet.
Yang Ming then looked at Kolev, who was watching him with suspicion.
"Surprised, my dear old buddy?"
Kolev gestured for the attendant robots to leave. Then he took a fountain pen from his breast pocket and twisted its cap. A pink isolation field enclosed the two of them.
Kolev's eyes flickered as he asked, "Who is Lina?"
"A spy who tried to lock me in a transparent can."
"Where did she die?"
"In Orhaifu's synchronous orbit."
"Is my daughter's mole on her left shoulder or her right?"
"Your daughter has a mole on her shoulder?" Yang Ming looked utterly confused. "How would I know? I've never seen her shoulders."
"Oh." Kolev narrowed his eyes with a smile and set down the Laser Pistol he'd been hiding beneath the table. "You really are my old buddy. What have you been doing for the past six months? Where's the Feinan?"
"It's not here. It's parked outside your secret base and can pick us up anytime," Yang Ming said. "Your base was deserted. Where did Milili go?"
Kolev's expression dimmed. "Children all grow up eventually. We had a falling-out, and she chose to keep pursuing her dream of becoming the freest pirate in the stars."
Yang Ming wasn't surprised in the least. "Let her be."
"Yes," Kolev sighed. "But she has one problem: she isn't ruthless enough."
Yang Ming downed a cup of warm, sweet beast milk and felt his energy returning.
"All right, Kolev. We need to talk business."
Kolev pursed his lips and crossed his legs like a lord.
"Yang Ming, if business means starting a pirate crew, I can tell you straight out that you've missed your only chance. I like my life as it is. I have enough money for people to respect me."
"I'll have to win you over for a second time," Yang Ming said with a broad smile.
Kolev smiled confidently, already prepared to defend himself.
"My goal was never to become a pirate," Yang Ming said breezily. "I need your help this time because you're the only person I can trust. And what I need now is an experienced, exceptionally wise assistant, as well as a legitimate rich man's identity to use as cover."
Kolev waved impatiently. "Save your sweet talk for some naive young girls! Working with you once cost me dearly, let alone becoming your long-term assistant!"
Yang Ming's expression turned serious.
He rested both arms on the table, interlaced his fingers, and leaned forward. His gaze was sincere.
"Do you remember, Kolev?"
"Do you have to play the heartfelt card?" Kolev asked with a frown.
Yang Ming suppressed a laugh and returned to his earnest expression. "Why did I come to you? I could work alone and have Lü handle all the technical matters. But something you once said made me think I should bring you along for this great undertaking."
"Something I said?"
"Eternal voyages," Yang Ming said. "You're an explorer at heart, Kolev. You may have become a pirate scoundrel later on, but that doesn't erase your thirst for knowledge."
Kolev didn't know whether to laugh or cry.
Yang Ming's voice gradually softened.
"You've spent most of your life traveling along the edge of the Milky Way Galaxy. You know the galaxy. But do you know the vast universe beyond it?
"Don't you want to find out how life forms in the Higher dimensional world operate, or what they're striving for?
"Your time may be running short. But don't you want to find fulfillment on a higher level, beyond piracy? To chase the thrill of satisfying your thirst for discovery?"
"No!" Kolev answered firmly and without hesitation.
"Hey, you're no fun!"
Yang Ming rubbed his brow in frustration.
"Fine, Kolev. I admit I need your help. Lü's intelligence is a little too advanced. If I rely on her too much, she'll start taking liberties. And she could easily end up exposed to all the major factions, which might trigger another crisis."
Looking at Yang Ming's watch, Kolev couldn't help asking, "How did you do it? She..."
"An inheritance from a higher-dimensional civilization."
Yang Ming kept it brief. "I can share the secret with you, but I can't tell you how to reach the location. That's one thing I have to keep to myself."
"Oh." Kolev's eyes lit up. "You've obtained a vast trove of technological knowledge?"
"Not yet. I still have to pass a test."
Yang Ming sighed.
"I came into contact with administrators left behind by a higher-dimensional civilization. They aren't living beings, but I've gained a lot from them. Lü—formerly Two—is now their goddaughter. You'd better not mess with her."
"Tell me all about it!" Kolev said. "I'm very interested."
"Not unless you agree to help me." Yang Ming's lips curved slightly. "That's the condition, Kolev."
"Hey! You can't torture an old man's curiosity like this!"
Kolev ground his teeth.
Yang Ming wore the triumphant look of someone who knew he had the old man in the palm of his hand.
"I couldn't care less!"
Kolev stood up, leaning on his cane. He yanked away the device that projected the isolation field and headed toward the dining room doors ten yards away.
Lü's holographic projection appeared beside Yang Ming. Frowning, she said, "Boss, if he can't become your assistant, you should erase his memories."
"Don't be so heartless to my old partner," Yang Ming said. "You can count down from three now."
"Why?"
Lü was confused, but she had to obey all of Yang Ming's orders. So she began counting down.
"Three, two, one."
Kolev stopped in front of a display of priceless oil paintings.
The old man fell silent.
He turned around and studied Yang Ming carefully for a long while.
"I need to know what you plan to do next, or what you're trying to achieve at this stage," Kolev said calmly. "I don't have much time left, young man. I don't want to waste it on something meaningless."
Yang Ming thought for a moment, then replied slowly, "Our goal is to achieve something at this stage—in other words, within the next five years."
"Mm-hmm?"
"To get a habitable Administrative Planet that belongs to me and me alone."
Before you continue