Weidi Family

"Beep~ Black Dragon Mountain X4396 has entered the gravitational range of the BX10081 Star System. It will exit the Dark Universe in ten minutes. The exit process will cause Level 1 vibrations; crew members are advised to secure their bodies and not leave their cabins unless necessary."

As the intelligent voice in the bridge's main control center faded, Luo Xiaoyu stepped out of the cultivation cabin. Her moon-white combat suit accentuated her upright posture, and her long hair was tied back with a silver ribbon, revealing a smooth forehead. Her gaze was sharp as a blade, carrying an inherently high-spirited demeanor.

Tang Ping was already standing before the porthole. He was also wearing a white training suit, with light blue wind and thunder patterns embroidered on the cuffs. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the nebula outlines becoming clearer outside the window.

The two stood side by side without unnecessary words, only the indicator lights on the control console flickering between them.

"3, 2, 1, exit from the Dark Universe beginning."

Following the intelligent voice's countdown, the starship suddenly experienced a slight vibration, as if passing through an invisible thin film.

The next second, the scene outside the porthole changed abruptly. The ink-black of the Dark Universe instantly faded, replaced by a magnificent pale purple nebula. The nebula looked like torn silk, flowing with tiny, shimmering light spots under the radiance of the star.

Five planets revolved slowly around the central star. The two outermost ones were entirely dark red, like meteorites scorched by raging fire. The middle three were of various colors. On the orbit of the third planet, a massive ring-shaped structure was particularly eye-catching; that was their destination: Storm Port Space City.

"Finally here." Tang Ping walked quickly to the control console, his fingertips sliding over the 3D model of the BX10081 Star System on the panel, his eyes filled with anticipation.

If nothing went wrong, this would be his home from now on.

He leaned toward the porthole to carefully observe the two outermost planets. Gray-brown clouds, like heavy curtains, completely covered the planet's surface. Within the clouds, silver-white lightning constantly tore through the sky. Each bolt was dozens of meters thick, and when they struck the planet's surface, one could clearly see the fiery light of shattering rocks.

Even more astonishing were the tornadoes beneath the clouds. The black wind columns were dozens of kilometers in diameter, extending from the surface deep into the clouds. Rocks and metal slag were spun at high speeds within the columns, emitting a harsh "hissing" friction sound that even the starship's soundproofing system could faintly capture as a violent energy fluctuation.

"The environment associated with the Star Pattern Steel Mother Ore is indeed extreme." Luo Xiaoyu's voice sounded from behind. She walked to Tang Ping's side and pointed at the planets to explain, "The electromagnetic storms churn the underground ore veins to the surface, saving the trouble of deep-level mining, but it also increases the difficulty of mining several times over. Ordinary mining ships simply cannot withstand such storms."

Tang Ping nodded, his gaze turning to the third planet: the scene there was completely different from the outer two.

The ring-shaped space city floated in the planet's orbit, its outer layer wrapped in a pale blue energy shield. The surface of the shield flowed with silver-gray defensive patterns, like a transparent eggshell, completely isolating the storms and radiation on the planet's surface.

Looking from the porthole, the interior of the space city was a scene full of vitality:

The artificially created "sky" glowed with a soft morning light, slightly weaker than Earth's sunlight but warm enough. Along both sides of the streets were planted "Star Leaf Trees" from the Milky Way Galaxy. The leaves were narrow and shuttle-shaped, covered with a layer of pale green fluorescence, swaying gently in the simulated breeze.

The "Fluorescent Grass" under the trees looked like scattered stars, emitting a faint green light that made the streets look dreamlike.

In the center of the city was an artificial ocean. The seawater was a clear, deep blue, with transparent floating platforms drifting on the surface. White alloy chairs were placed on the platforms, and occasionally, people wearing light protective suits sat there, gazing at the distant planet, seemingly enjoying a rare moment of leisure.

Most of the city's buildings were streamlined, silver-white towers. Countless diamond-shaped transparent portholes were embedded in the towers, and sunlight spilled through them into the rooms, creating mottled light and shadows on the ground. The exterior walls of some buildings were covered in "Bio-ceramic," which would transition from silver-white to pale purple as the star's light changed, echoing the distant nebula.

The starship harbor at the edge of the city was exceptionally busy, with dozens of small and medium-sized mining ships entering and exiting in an orderly fashion.

The hulls of these mining ships had been specially reinforced, their exteriors covered in dark golden "Titanium Crystal Armor." The bows were equipped with sharp wind-breaking cones, and the thrusters at the stern spewed pale blue flames, like a flock of steel migratory birds slowly heading toward the planet below.

This was Storm Port Space City. Its energy core was "Universe Crystal," which could continuously provide shield energy and ecological circulation power, enough to support the survival of a million people.

The third planet below had the richest ore veins and was the only one that could be mined directly through energy cables. The other four planets required mining ships to activate "Storm Mode" to break through the storm layers.

Dozens of transparent "energy cables" extended from beneath the space city. The cables were like silver bridges, one end connected to the starship harbor and the other reaching deep into the clouds of the third planet.

The clouds there were relatively thin, being the area where the storms were most gentle. Mining ships could directly dock with the surface mining stations via the cables, saving the energy consumption of breaking through the storm layers.

Meanwhile, in the orbits of the other four planets, several mining ships were deploying their folding energy baffles on both sides. The surfaces of the baffles glowed with a dark red light, forcibly carving out a temporary route through the violent tornadoes to transport the collected Star Pattern Steel Mother Ore to the space city.

"Hum~" A low hum came from the control console, and the intelligent voice sounded again: "Storm Port Space City identity verification passed. Docking at Harbor A3 permitted. Estimated arrival in 10 minutes."

Tang Ping watched the space city drawing closer and couldn't help but feel moved. In this storm-ridden star system, humanity had actually used technology to create such a city that combined a sense of science fiction with vitality.

Greatness, no words needed!

Ten minutes later, the starship docked steadily at Harbor A3.

As soon as Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu stepped out of the cabin door, they saw a group of people standing on the harbor's tarmac.

Leading them was a short, stout alien, less than 1.5 meters tall, but shaped like a round ball. He wore a golden silk robe with complex star map patterns embroidered on the collar and cuffs. His face was full of enthusiastic smiles, and his round eyes were squinted into slits.

He was followed by eight heavily armed bodyguards, all of whom were tall "Rock Race" members with dark gray skin, knotted muscles, and heavy particle guns in their hands, exuding a terrifying aura.

Even more eye-catching was the woman beside the short, stout alien: she had golden curly hair that flowed like sunlight, and her eyes were pale pink, slightly upturned at the corners, carrying an inherently charming temperament.

She wore a pale purple long dress adorned with tiny fluorescent beads. As she walked, the hem of her dress swayed like a blooming violet.

Tang Ping recognized at a glance that this was a member of the "Mengbei Race," famous throughout the universe for their beauty.

However, he had seen in the Luo Family's records that Mengbei women were extremely beautiful and could provide strange pleasure during intercourse, but their cultivation potential was almost zero. Their home planet had been destroyed a thousand years ago, and most of the surviving clansmen had become commodities for slave traders, who used various means to raise them to adulthood before selling them for money.

"Swish~" Ling Shuang instantly blocked the front. The shoulder armor of her dark golden battle suit unfolded, revealing hidden particle cannon ports. Her silver-purple hair moved without wind, and the crystal between her brows glowed with a dangerous light. Her voice was as cold as ice: "Halt! Identify yourselves!"

The short, stout alien was stunned for a moment, then burst into laughter, his voice like muffled thunder: "This Universe Level powerhouse, please do not misunderstand! My name is Gao Sheng Weidi. I am an old friend of the Luo Family, and a close friend of Lord Luo Feng."

As he spoke, he took a black token from his bosom. The token was engraved with the character "Luo" and inlaid with tiny Star Core Fragments at the edges: "This is a token of trust that Lord Luo Feng gave me back then. You may verify it."

Tang Ping's heart stirred.

As far as he knew, when Luo Feng left Earth at the Planetary Rank, the first friend he made in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire was Gao Sheng Weidi. Later, when Luo Feng became a core member of the Virtual Universe Company, Gao Sheng used this connection to make the Weidi Family a top power in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. It was rumored that even the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor had personally received him.

When he had previously posted the mining commission on the "59 Same Star System" platform, he had chosen them precisely because he valued the strength and reputation of the Weidi Family, but he hadn't expected Gao Sheng to come in person.

"Ling Shuang, stand down." Tang Ping stepped forward, cupped his hands toward Gao Sheng, and smiled, "I have long heard of Mr. Gao Sheng's great name. I didn't expect you to come to Storm Port in person."

Gao Sheng put away the token, the smile on his face growing even wider: "Mr. Tang is young yet can be valued by the Luo Family; he is truly extraordinary. As soon as I saw you, I could see your towering spirit and noble bearing—you are destined to be a dragon among men!..."

He spoke with a distinct Earth accent and could occasionally pop out a few idioms, such as "the younger generation is to be regarded with respect" and "heroes emerge from the youth," which made Tang Ping feel a sense of familiarity.

The two chatted as they walked, from the distribution of ore veins in the BX10081 Star System to the latest situation in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Gao Sheng was witty and knowledgeable about the customs and traditions of various places in the universe. The more they talked, the more Tang Ping felt that this alien was not simple.

To be able to see Luo Feng's potential during the early stages of his rise—this kind of insight was definitely not something an ordinary merchant could possess.

Upon arriving at the star-rated hotel in Storm Port, Gao Sheng directly had his assistant bring out the contract that had been prepared long ago.

Tang Ping carefully flipped through the pages, also having the Luo Family's intelligent legal assistant help check for any hidden traps.

The more he read, the more surprised he became; the Weidi Family was not only responsible for recruiting mining staff, facility maintenance, and logistical support, but they only took twenty percent of the mineral vein's profits and allowed him to send robots to supervise the mining process and audit the accounts at any time.

What was even rarer was that Gao Sheng knew the Luo Family did not advocate for the use of slaves, so he specifically emphasized that all miners were Planetary Rank citizens who had signed formal contracts, worked 18 hours a day with double pay for overtime, and were provided with interstellar medical and accident insurance for every individual.

"Mr. Gao, this..." Tang Ping closed the contract, feeling somewhat doubtful.

Gao Sheng smiled and waved his hand: "Since President Tang is the son-in-law of the Luo Family, I naturally must show the utmost sincerity. Besides, although the mineral veins in Storm Port are rich, the mining difficulty is high; only with Mr. Tang here can we mine with peace of mind.

After all, with the protection of the Luo Family, those forces coveting the mineral veins would not dare to act rashly."

Tang Ping chuckled, not believing it at all.

The dignified Weidi Family was one of the top powers in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire, with armed forces that even interstellar pirates would steer clear of; did they really need the protection of the Luo Family?

Even on Earth, businessmen might not tell a single truth in ten sentences, let alone in this universe where the weak are prey to the strong.

For this man to offer such significant concessions, there must be a hidden motive behind it. Either he wanted to use him to climb deeper into the Luo Family's connections, or he had his eye on the future development potential of the BX10081 Star System, or perhaps he even wanted to use this cooperation to probe the Luo Family's resource network.

However, none of that mattered.

Tang Ping considered his own bottom line to be quite flexible; if Gao Sheng were to make any difficult requests in the future, he would simply take the money and pretend he never saw the "goodwill." In any case, the contract only stipulated mining cooperation and was not bound by any other additional conditions, so he wouldn't be afraid to flip the table when the time came.

Tang Ping picked up a pen and signed his name on the contract with a clean, crisp stroke, smiling: "Happy cooperation!"

Gao Sheng also laughed loudly: "Happy cooperation."