Don't Panic, It's Within the Plan

No one knew how Kolev had spent the past three sleepless nights.

He had already vaguely seen it before:

That transparent spaceship, that transparent spaceship with particle transmission, that Feinan that he had poured five to six years of effort into building!

It had effortlessly breached the Kashi Federation's trashy planetary defense system.

Kolev was desperate to board it and see what strange technology this spaceship, "blessed" by a high-level civilization, possessed.

"It's like the best Pirate Ship in my dreams."

Kolev repeated the thought in his mind.

But three days later, in the manor's reception hall, Kolev watched Yang Ming enter through the main door, dressed in a decent suit, and hand him two metal ship tickets...

"Aren't we leaving on your ship?" Kolev blinked.

Yang Ming smiled, "This isn't a secret operation; we want our tracks to be clear. And from now on, I'm your nephew, Uncle Haton."

"Oh, this!"

Kolev clutched the metal nameplate and shouted in exasperation, "Let me go up and take a look!"

"Go where?" Yang Ming asked knowingly.

"Your ship!"

Kolev's eyes shone with fervor. "Let me broaden my horizons; I won't steal from you."

"Oh, that," Yang Ming smiled at Kolev. "Don't rush, Uncle Haton. When we get there, we'll have plenty of time. We should head to the spaceport now; the automated taxi I hailed will pick us up in an hour."

"Oh!"

Kolev gritted his teeth. "Can't we just transmit directly up? What's so difficult about that?"

"There are difficulties."

Yang Ming explained in a low voice:

"Only I can complete the particle transmission; that machine can only bind one person. There haven't been many changes inside the ship, just an added transmission machine, a main unit to house Lü's photon brain, and a few instruments to increase stealth. Everything else is the same."

"Fine," Kolev shrugged. "I'm not that eager anyway."

"They... they don't want to directly disrupt the balance of the galaxy," Yang Ming explained. "The benefits they've given me are actually quite limited. The real benefits are yet to come, after I can officially inherit this legacy."

Kolev perked up, examining the metal tag in his hand.

"Let me see where you want to go, my dear nephew. Tsk, the Luofeng Empire? What kind of place is that?"

"It's a subordinate state of the Sherman Empire, located in the first spiral arm of the galaxy. It has eleven Administrative Planets and one hundred and two Resource planets. Six of the Administrative Planets are highly impoverished, the political environment is extremely complex, and there's a possibility of a coup. It's a battleground between the New Federation and the Sherman Empire."

Yang Ming introduced them as if reciting a familiar list:

"I've already planned the route on my way here. From here, we'll have to change planes twice."

"Where are you going to get an Administrative Planet?" Kolev pondered seriously.

"Yes, and we don't necessarily need an Administrative Planet; a Resource planet that's barely habitable would also work. That way, we'll have more options," Yang Ming replied cheerfully, walking to the full-length mirror and examining himself.

A decent suit, neatly trimmed short hair, a face that was quite pleasant-looking without stubble, and lean muscles temporarily suppressed by the suit, making it bulge.

"Do I look like a rich second-generation heir?" Yang Ming asked.

"No," Kolev replied glumly as he programmed his butler robot. "Your eyes are too fierce, Yang Ming. There's no sign of your body being hollowed out by excessive drinking and women in your expression. This will make other young men instinctively hostile towards you. You need to tone down that sharpness."

Yang Ming frowned slightly, constantly pondering this crucial issue.

Kolev asked, "Do we need to buy new Potions?"

"I've prepared a two-year supply for myself," Yang Ming said. "With that transmission machine, going to the black market is very convenient."

Kolev thought for a few minutes. "We need a perfect identity to conceal ourselves. There's about to be unrest there, and smart investors won't be pouring money into it."

"The Luofeng Empire should be very wealthy," Yang Ming explained. "Its Capital Star produces a special composite mineral used to produce core components for coating machines and shields. Merchants flock there for this composite mineral. It's been exploited by the Sherman Empire for years and has recently become a dumping ground for New Federation goods. Their royalty is corrupt and incompetent."

"Oh! Right!"

Kolev immediately thought of something. "The Rhodium-6 ring used in the flow pipes!"

Yang Ming smiled. "There are always merchants trying to get a piece of the pie. We're no different, but I suggest, Uncle Haton, that you invest in building a downstream supporting factory."

"Yes, we don't have the capital to shake the existing market for the Rhodium-6 ring," Kolev thought carefully.

He suddenly realized and glared up at Yang Ming. "Wait, why am I the one investing? I'm working for you, and you still have to pay me a salary!"

"This is an investment suggestion," Yang Ming shrugged. "My funds are limited. If you don't want to invest there, I'll return that million to you later."

Kolev's face immediately lit up with a smile.

Yang Ming chuckled. "And then I'll borrow another three million New Federation currency from you to invest in building the factory."

"No way! Don't even think about it!"

Kolev shouted, brandishing his walking stick. "I'm the one who robs others; no one has ever robbed me! No one!"

Then;

Half an hour later.

Ding-dong!

Yang Ming looked at the successful payment interface on his watch face and winked his right eye at Kolev.

Kolev raised his hand to cover his forehead, missing the previous project a little.

The Son Robot was really quite good, really.

In the spirit of saving expenses, Yang Ming bought a standard seat ticket from 'Star Alliance Aviation' (Galactic Interstellar United Aviation).

But Yang Ming never expected that Old Kolev had now transformed from a brave and thrifty pirate leader into a luxurious and decadent black-hearted capitalist.

Old Kolev frowned, looking at the economy class in front of him.

Hundreds of passengers were crammed into a narrow space, with two extra rows of seats installed illegally, making the aisle extremely narrow, almost requiring one to walk sideways.

"What's wrong, Uncle?" Yang Ming asked in a clear voice.

Kolev, however, turned to a nearby flight attendant:

"Get me two upgrades... Yes, upgrade all three flight segments. Standard business? No, no, no, better... Medium private suite? What would my nephew and I do with a private suite for couples? Is there anything higher? Oh, the Royal Hall, that's the one. I pay here, right?"

Yang Ming, carrying his suitcase, came over, ready to swipe his card, but Kolev's finger flicked and he had already completed the payment.

"This is my treat," Kolev clicked his tongue, "My good nephew."

"Uncle, we should save a little."

"Oh, no need," Kolev smiled proudly, "Since our last trip, I've tallied my assets. As long as I don't mess with business or make big investments, I can live luxuriously for two hundred years without being short of funds."

Yang Ming could only shrug at this.

They walked from the middle of this six-hundred-meter-long passenger ship towards the front section.

This area was directly above the bridge, with several huge windows in front, offering a panoramic view of the magnificent universe during navigation. The spacious area had only sixteen egg-shaped seats, each equivalent to a small private cabin, capable of comfortably accommodating two or three people for games and fun.

The 'Independent Escape Pod' was also one of the components contributing to the expensive ticket price here.

Besides them, there were four or five other guests.

'Luxurious.'

Yang Ming pursed his lips and shook his head.

Kolev calmly and confidently sat in his seat, turned to look at Yang Ming, and chuckled, "Want to chat about investment plans together? My good nephew."

"It's not too late to investigate when we get there, Uncle."

Yang Ming stretched lazily, walked to the adjacent cabin, hung his suit jacket on the wall, casually picked up an e-book projected by a device, and lay down in his seat.

Kolev hummed a simple tune and took out a square piece of glass, fiddling with it.

Yang Ming was a little afraid the old man's professional habits would kick in, so he directly exercised the authority of the passenger ship's captain.

"Where is my cousin developing now?" Yang Ming asked.

"She hasn't gone far," Kolev smiled, "Since she wants to start her career from scratch, I can't interfere too much."

"You wouldn't know Molly's location?"

Yang Ming asked with suspicion, then opened the projector on his watch, staring at a diagram with a slight daze.

"Alright, I do know," Kolev said, puzzled, "What are you looking at?"

"A self-made Attribute Board."

"Attribute Board? What's that?"

Kolev wanted to get a closer look, but Yang Ming had already turned off the watch projector.

Yang Ming smiled, "It allows me to understand myself intuitively, and it's also one of the functions of my assistant Lü. Alright Uncle, if you don't have any valuable questions, I'm going to start studying."

"Study your own business! You don't care about old people at all!"

Kolev huffed and closed his cabin door.

Yang Ming glanced at the two fellow passengers who had been drawn by their conversation, gave an awkward smile, and lowered his head to continue reading the book on industrial development.

If he was going to start a factory, he needed to understand some professional terms.

The first two-thirds of this voyage were very peaceful, so peaceful that Yang Ming was almost drowsy.

After two galactic days, two Warp Jumps, two smooth navigations, and passing by two bustling space stations, the ship accepted passengers for the third time, and two new members joined the Royal Hall in the front section.

Yang Ming, who was reading, was attracted by a fragrance that entered his nose. He looked up at a graceful silhouette passing by him.

She was a young woman of enchanting beauty, her figure accentuated by a slim-fitting tea-length dress; she had slightly curly brown long hair, a sharply defined face, and full lips that she would purse from time to time.

She seemed uneasy.

Yang Ming keenly noticed that this beautiful woman seemed to be afraid of something, her eyes constantly darting left and right.

"None of my business."

Yang Ming put on his headphones and lay down slowly, letting himself focus on the ocean of industry.

Soon, the spaceship set off again, heading for the directional Warp Jump channel. The next stop was the Luofeng Empire's Capital Star.

Yang Ming keenly noticed that the beautiful woman diagonally in front of him and to his left seemed increasingly uneasy.

She kept checking the time on her network terminal, opened variety show videos a few times, but quickly and irritably closed them. Whenever someone walked by behind her, she would immediately look over, her eyes full of tension.

What the heck?

An uneasy feeling also arose in Yang Ming's heart.

I hope nothing strange happens.

Normal Navigation wouldn't involve blood tests, but if they were up to something fishy, who knew?

Moreover, they were going to the Luofeng Empire to cause trouble. If they attracted extra attention right from the start, it would easily lead to unnecessary problems.

I hope she's just hiding from a love rival.

Yang Ming prayed.

Two hours later, the spaceship entered deep Navigation. The lights in various cabins dimmed slightly, and the starry sky outside the portholes became exceptionally brilliant.

The woman stood up, holding her network terminal, and walked past Yang Ming's seat with her head down, heading towards the back.

Yang Ming hoped it was just a normal trip to the restroom.

Even though Yang Ming knew it was impossible.

Yang Ming had already detected breathing sounds hidden behind the door of the forward passenger cabin. There were two well-trained men there, and they had been observing the woman for a long time.

The woman entered the shared washroom at the front, which had three private toilets and two single shower stalls.

The two men rushed in!

Yang Ming raised his hand and rubbed the corners of his eyes.

He keenly picked up various faint sounds from the shared washroom: knocking, shouts that weren't called out, the scraping of high heels on the soft carpet, and hurried low growls.

They were strangling her.

Didn't those two perpetrators have any high-tech agent equipment?

I can't get involved. I can't create any more trouble. I'm not some justice seeker. All actions now must be within the plan.

Yang Ming repeated to himself in his heart.

He decided to remind Kolev as well.

"Uncle Haton," Yang Ming called out, turning his head, "Are you asleep, Uncle Haton? I think we might..."

Yang Ming shot up.

Kolev's "egg pod" was closed. His breathing couldn't be heard. Looking inside through the gap, it was empty.

When did he disappear?

He had been monitoring the external environment for the past half hour and hadn't noticed anything unusual here at all. Kolev definitely hadn't moved in the last half hour!

Yang Ming frowned and looked at the public washroom. Could this old man have...

"Oh, finally."

A soft groan escaped Kolev's nose.

Old age constipation was truly a torment.

Kolev sighed softly, pressed the button for the automatic toilet, and the last traces of odor were neutralized.

He pulled up his pants, sighed softly while holding his waist, hummed a cheerful little tune, opened the latch, and pulled open the soundproof door of the restroom.