The Weidi Family

"The Black Dragon Mountain X4396 has entered the gravitational range of the BX10081 Star System. It will exit the Dark Universe in ten minutes. The transition will cause a Level One tremor. Crew members are advised to secure themselves and avoid leaving their cabins unless necessary."

As soon as the bridge's main control center finished its announcement, Luo Xiaoyu stepped out of the Cultivation Chamber. Her moon-white outfit accentuated her upright figure. Her long hair was tied back with a silver ribbon, revealing a smooth forehead, and her sharp gaze carried an air of confidence.

Tang Ping was already standing by the porthole, also dressed in white training clothes. Pale blue Wind-Thunder patterns were embroidered on his cuffs. With his hands clasped behind his back, he gazed at the gradually sharpening outline of the nebula outside.

They stood side by side without exchanging a word. Between them, only the indicator lights on the control console blinked.

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

As the intelligent voice counted down, the starship shuddered slightly, as if it had passed through an invisible membrane.

The next moment, the view beyond the porthole changed abruptly. The Dark Universe's inky blackness vanished, replaced by a magnificent pale purple nebula. Like torn silk, it shimmered beneath the light of the stars, flecked with countless tiny glints.

Five planets revolved slowly around the central star. The two outermost were dark red all over, like meteorites scorched by flames. The three in the middle each had a different hue. A huge ring-shaped structure stood out in orbit around the third planet: their destination, Storm Port Space City.

"We're finally here." Tang Ping strode over to the control console and ran his fingertips across the three-dimensional model of the BX10081 Star System on the panel, his eyes full of anticipation.

If all went well, this would be his home from now on.

He leaned toward the porthole and studied the two outermost planets. Gray-brown clouds shrouded their surfaces like heavy curtains. Silver-white lightning constantly tore through the clouds, each bolt dozens of meters thick. When they struck the surface, flashes of fire from shattered rock were clearly visible.

More astonishing were the tornadoes beneath the clouds. The black columns spanned dozens of kilometers in diameter, stretching from the surface deep into the clouds. Fragments of rock and metal ore spun at high speed within them, producing a harsh, sizzling screech. Even the starship's soundproofing could barely muffle the faint rumble of their raging energy.

"The environment surrounding the Star Pattern Steel Mother Ore really is extreme," Luo Xiaoyu said from behind them. She came to stand beside Tang Ping and pointed toward the planets as she explained, "The electromagnetic storms churn the underground veins up to the surface, saving us the trouble of deep mining. But they also make extraction several times more difficult. Ordinary mining ships wouldn't be able to withstand storms like these."

Tang Ping nodded and turned his gaze to the third planet. The scene there was completely different from the outer two.

The ring-shaped space city hovered in orbit, wrapped in a pale blue Energy Shield. Silvery-gray defensive patterns flowed across the shield's surface like the shell of a transparent egg, completely blocking the storms and radiation around the planet.

From the porthole, the city's interior looked remarkably full of life.

The artificial "sky" glowed with the gentle light of dawn. It was weaker than Earth's sunlight, but still warm enough. Star Leaf Trees from the Milky Way Galaxy lined the streets. Their long, narrow, spindle-shaped leaves were dusted with a faint green luminescence and swayed gently in the simulated breeze.

Fluorescent Grass beneath the trees glimmered like scattered stars, casting a dreamlike glow across the streets.

An artificial ocean lay at the city's center, its clear waters a brilliant blue. Transparent floating platforms drifted across the surface, furnished with white alloy chairs. Now and then, people in light protective suits sat there, gazing at the distant planet and savoring a rare moment of leisure.

Most of the city's buildings were streamlined silver-white towers. Countless diamond-shaped windows were set into their walls, letting sunlight spill indoors and scatter patches of light across the floors. Some buildings were clad in Bio-ceramic. As the starlight shifted, their outer walls changed from silver-white to pale purple, echoing the nebula in the distance.

The starship harbor at the edge of the city was especially busy, with dozens of small and medium-sized mining ships coming and going in orderly fashion.

Their hulls had all been specially reinforced, their exteriors clad in dark gold Titanium Crystal Armor. Sharp breaching cones were mounted at their bows, while pale blue flames streamed from their stern thrusters. Like a flock of steel migratory birds, they headed slowly toward the planets below.

"This is Storm Port Space City. Its energy core is a Universe Crystal, which continuously supplies power to the Energy Shield and the ecological systems—enough to support a population of one million.

"The third planet below has the richest mineral veins, and it's the only one that can be mined directly through the energy bridges. To reach the other four planets, the mining ships have to activate 'Storm Mode' and break through the storm layers."

Dozens of transparent energy bridges extended from beneath the space city like silver bridges. One end connected to the starship harbor, while the other plunged into the clouds surrounding the third planet.

The clouds there were relatively thin, and the storms were gentlest in that area. Mining ships could travel along the bridges straight to the mining stations on the surface, avoiding the energy cost of breaking through the storm layer.

Meanwhile, in orbit around the other four planets, several mining ships unfolded their retractable energy baffles on either side. Dark red light shimmered across the baffles as they forced a temporary route through the raging tornadoes, carrying the Star Pattern Steel Mother Ore they had collected back to the space city.

"Hmm." A low hum came from the control console, and the intelligent voice spoke again. "Identity verification for Storm Port Space City approved. Docking at Harbor A3 authorized. Estimated arrival in ten minutes."

As he watched the space city draw closer, Tang Ping couldn't help marveling. In a star system filled with storms, humanity had used technology to create a city that was both futuristic and full of life.

It was magnificent. Nothing more needed to be said!

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

As Tang Ping and Luo Xiaoyu stepped out of the airlock, they saw a group of people waiting on the harbor's landing pad.

At their head stood a short, chubby alien, less than a meter and a half tall and shaped like a ball. He wore a golden silk robe embroidered at the collar and cuffs with intricate star charts. His face was wreathed in a warm smile, and his round eyes were narrowed to slits.

Eight fully armed bodyguards stood behind him. They were all tall members of the Rock Race, with dark gray skin and bulging muscles. Each held a heavy particle gun, their presence intimidating.

Even more eye-catching was the woman beside the chubby alien. Her golden curls flowed like sunlight, and her eyes were pale pink, with slightly upturned corners that gave her a naturally alluring air.

She wore a pale purple gown studded with tiny luminescent beads along the hem. As she walked, the fabric swayed like a blooming violet.

Tang Ping recognized her at a glance. She was from the Mengbei Race, famed throughout the universe for their beauty.

He had seen in the Luo Family's records that Mengbei women were extraordinarily beautiful and could give their partners an unusual kind of pleasure during sex, but had almost no cultivation potential. Their home planet had been destroyed a thousand years ago, and most of the surviving members of their race had since become commodities for slave traders, who used all manner of methods to raise them until they could reproduce, then sell them.

"Whoosh!" Ling Shuang instantly stepped in front of them. The shoulder plates of her dark gold armor unfolded, revealing concealed particle cannons. Her silver-purple hair stirred without a breeze, and the crystal on her forehead glinted ominously. Her voice was cold as ice. "Stop! Identify yourself!"

The chubby alien froze for a moment, then burst into laughter, his voice like muffled thunder. "This esteemed Universe Level expert, please don't misunderstand! My name is Gao Sheng Weidi. I'm an old friend of the Luo Family, and a close companion of Lord Luo Feng."

As he spoke, he took a black token from his robe. The character "Luo" was engraved on it, and tiny Star Core Fragments were set into its edge. "This is a token Lord Luo Feng gave me years ago. You can verify it."

Tang Ping's heart stirred.

As far as he knew, when Luo Feng left Earth as a Planetary Rank warrior, Gao Sheng Weidi had been his first friend in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Later, after Luo Feng became a Core Member of the Virtual Universe Company, Gao Sheng had used their connection to elevate the Weidi Family into one of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's top powers. Rumor had it that even the Black Dragon Mountain Emperor had personally received him.

Earlier, when posting a mining contract on the 59 Same Star System platform, Tang Ping had chosen the Weidi Family because of their strength and reputation. He hadn't expected Gao Sheng to come in person.

"Ling Shuang, stand down." Tang Ping stepped forward and cupped his hands to Gao Sheng with a smile. "I've heard a great deal about you, Mr. Gao Sheng. I didn't expect you to come to Storm Port in person."

Gao Sheng put away the token, his smile growing broader. "For someone as young as President Tang to have earned the Luo Family's regard, you must be quite exceptional. One look at you tells me you have a distinguished bearing and a noble brow. You're destined to become a great man someday!..."

He spoke with a distinctly Earth-like accent and occasionally threw in a few idioms, such as "The young are to be feared" and "Heroes emerge from the young." Tang Ping found it strangely comforting.

They chatted as they walked, discussing everything from the distribution of mineral veins in the BX10081 Star System to the latest developments in the Black Dragon Mountain Empire. Gao Sheng was witty and knew the customs of countless worlds across the universe like the back of his hand. The more they talked, the more Tang Ping felt there was something remarkable about this alien.

To recognize Luo Feng's potential at the very start of his rise was a kind of foresight no ordinary businessman could possess.

After they reached a star-rated hotel in Storm Port, Gao Sheng had his assistant bring out the contract he had prepared in advance.

Tang Ping read it carefully and also asked the Luo Family's intelligent legal assistant to check for hidden traps.

The more he read, the more surprised he became. The Weidi Family would handle recruiting mining personnel, maintaining facilities, and providing logistical support, yet asked for only twenty percent of the profits from the mining operation. They also allowed him to send robots to monitor the process and audit the accounts at any time.

Even more surprisingly, Gao Sheng knew that the Luo Family opposed the use of slaves, so he had specifically emphasized that all the miners were Planetary Rank citizens with formal contracts. They worked eighteen hours a day, received double pay for overtime, and were covered by interstellar health and accident insurance.

"Mr. Gao, this..." Tang Ping closed the contract, puzzled.

Gao Sheng waved a hand with a smile. "President Tang is the Luo Family's son-in-law, so of course I have to show the utmost sincerity. Besides, Storm Port's mineral veins may be rich, but they're difficult to mine. With you here, we can extract them with peace of mind.

"After all, with the Luo Family's protection, the powers coveting these veins wouldn't dare make a move lightly."

Tang Ping chuckled, not believing him at all.

The Weidi Family was one of the Black Dragon Mountain Empire's top powers. Their armed forces were so formidable that even interstellar pirates gave them a wide berth. Why would they need the Luo Family's protection?

Even on Earth, businessmen couldn't be trusted to tell the truth more than once in ten sentences. There was even less reason to trust them in this universe, where the strong preyed on the weak.

If Gao Sheng was willing to offer such generous terms, he had to have an ulterior motive. Perhaps he wanted to use Tang Ping to gain closer ties with the Luo Family. Or maybe he had his eye on the future development potential of the BX10081 Star System. It was even possible he wanted to use the partnership to learn more about the Luo Family's resources.

But none of that mattered.

Tang Ping had always considered his principles flexible. If Gao Sheng later made a difficult request, he could accept the money and pretend not to see the "good intentions." The contract only covered the mining partnership and contained no additional obligations. If things came to a head, Tang Ping had nothing to fear.

Tang Ping picked up a pen and signed his name on the contract, his handwriting brisk and decisive. He smiled. "A pleasure doing business with you!"

Gao Sheng laughed as well. "Likewise!"