Chapter 59: Voyage
The man spoke the last word with a slight emphasis.
His voice sounded like a soft brush brushing against Mingyu's ear, causing the designer to stutter unconsciously.
"Okay, okay." Mingyu couldn't help but get nervous for a moment, and subconsciously said, "When will Brother Mu come? To the capital planet? Or should I go to another planet to find you! I can skip class anytime..."
His eyes wandered around the room, and for a moment they met Cui Xiaoduo's gaze.
Cui Xiaoduo: “…”
His teasing expression brought Mingyu back to his senses in an instant.
Mingyu: “…”
Mingyu looked away as if nothing had happened.
"Come to the Capital Planet." Mu Baixing replied on the screen, "Then I'll take you to the Maze Planet."
Mingyu: “…Ah?”
Mingyu was not familiar with the name Labyrinth Star. He first heard it five minutes ago: from the game introduction column of the first Star Domain Tournament.
Ming Yu hesitated and said, "Do I need to familiarize myself with the virtual mining map for the first Star Domain Tournament match in advance? I don't think the organizing committee will allow it."
"It's a wild resource area where no virtual mining area has been established," Mu Baixing explained. "Over the past few months, people have been discovering hot rock ivy, which can increase the durability of mental power, as well as some other rare materials."
Mingyu blinked.
Hot Rock Ivy, one of the rare plants that can enhance the durability of spiritual power. Mu Baixing didn't need to point it out; he knew he was looking for this plant mineral for his spiritual realm.
Mingyu paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Okay."
Mu Baixing looked through the light screen and saw Mingyu's face showing an expression as if a student vowed to study hard and live up to the training of his teachers and return to serve the country. He couldn't help but curl his lips.
He looked relaxed and added lazily, "It's mainly to make extra money for the exploration team."
Mingyu: “…”
"I don't believe you." Ming Yu was speechless for a moment, then said angrily, "Why would you have to go to the Central Star Region to earn some extra money now..."
He unfolded the star map as he spoke.
The Labyrinth Constellation is located on the edge of the central star field. It is a resource-rich planet, even more remote than the planet he chose to live on, and there are no public shipping routes around it.
The most convenient route is to take a long-distance public starship from the capital star, pass through two space stations, and then find the exploration team at the third space station to take a private spaceship.
If we wait for Mu Baixing to come to the capital star and then take him back and forth... I'm afraid the star navigation competition and star domain competition will have begun soon.
"Why don't we just meet on the Maze Planet? It'll save time and money!" Mingyu then said, "Meet in the Maze City, the planet's settlement?"
As long as you look for an exploration team with official registration information, you don't have to worry about your travel safety.
Mu Baixing: "Maze Planet isn't a virtual map. There are many wild beasts in the wild resource areas, the terrain is complex, and some of the dangers are deadly. Be prepared."
Mingyu said "oh" and nodded.
More than a month ago, Mingyu would probably have been a little hesitant about going to such an undeveloped wild resource planet.
But now, after several interstellar competitions, he has become much bolder.
What's more... he has awakened his spiritual power and will become a true star navigator in the future.
There is no such thing as risk-free star navigation!
"It's okay." Mingyu said seriously. He paused for a moment, then said half-jokingly and half-seriously, "Besides, I have Brother Mu to protect me!"
Even though his actual combat experience is not rich...his pilot partner is Mu Boxing!
The man on the screen responded as a matter of course.
If he wasn't confident that he could protect Mingyu, he wouldn't have come up with this idea.
Cui Xiaoduo, who was watching the interaction between the two, blinked thoughtfully.
Mingyu hung up the phone and sat back at the dining table, no longer in the mood to eat.
He felt both excited and nervous, and even his heartbeat seemed to speed up a lot.
The young man opened the university's learning platform and quickly scanned the upcoming course schedule, calculating how many assignments he would have to complete on the way. He then began to check public airfares, considering whether he should borrow a few data chips from the Designer Library for study on the road, and what supplies he should bring...
Mingyu's brain was working so fast that a light blue cloud of mental power appeared around him subconsciously.
Cui Xiaoduo stopped chewing his pizza and looked at the flowing mental power cloud in amazement. After a moment, he looked away with admiration.
"Is this a cloud of mental power characteristics?" He didn't disturb Mingyu, but leaned close to Mulian and whispered, "It looks like a mental power characteristic like simulation calculation..."
This means that Mingyu's mental power has more than just devouring properties.
Mulan responded.
"That's great." Cui Xiaoduo cut another piece of pizza for himself.
Awakened humans above level A possess psychic characteristics, and the number of psychic characteristics is usually related to the level of psychic power.
Awakened humans in the A-level area usually only have one kind of mental power characteristic, but awakened humans in the S-level and 2S-level areas may have a second kind of mental power characteristic.
Mingyu's spiritual power is only A-level, but it has two properties, which can only mean one thing: his spiritual domain is not yet fully mature, and the level will continue to rise.
"Fortunately, he won't join the Third Legion." Mu Lian whispered, "Otherwise, the Ming family's influence in the military will increase again."
Cui Xiaoduo nodded, holding a pizza in his hand, and said gloatingly, "It's obvious that Ming Zhilang and Zhao Ying are partial to Ming Yan. I don't know why they treat my brother Yu coldly."
"Just wait for the consequences!"
As he spoke, he turned his gaze away from Mingyu's face and turned to his childhood sweetheart beside him.
"Well," Cui Xiaoduo leaned closer to Mu Lian, "that is, although it is unlikely that I will awaken my spiritual realm again to increase my level, and I don't need to look for spiritual power ores, but..."
"Brother Lian, can you talk to Vincent and Brother Yang, or help me?" He asked with some anticipation. "We can team up and go in and look for rare materials for building starships! I've already visited every other virtual mining area on the Star Network, and there are a few materials I haven't found yet! I heard there are some on Labyrinth Star!"
Mu Lian: "..."
"That place is more dangerous than the virtual mining area." Mu Lian politely declined. Seeing Cui Xiaoduo's dissatisfaction, she added, "I can help you find it."
"But I've been teaching you for a long time, and you still can't quite tell the difference between those rare materials!" Cui Xiaoduo disagreed. "If you're the only one who can find anything... you're definitely going to miss out on a lot of good stuff. Now that we have the rare materials, we can build you an even more powerful starship, Brother Lian!"
"After the preliminaries, the Star Region Competition is just the beginning of the Star Navigation Competition!"
Mu Lian: "..."
"The resource area there has not yet been developed. You are different from Mingyu. You are just a starship designer and have no ability to protect yourself..."
"His driver is protecting him, so you're protecting me!" Cui Xiaoduo couldn't be persuaded by this reason. "It's impossible for us to separate!"
"Take me there, Brother Ma Lian! Please!" He looked at Mu Lian eagerly and said, "Go get a routine physical today, and then pack up and take the medicine for the next level."
"Let's not stay in there for too long! Just go for two days to join in the fun! If you get tired or uncomfortable, or if I get tired or uncomfortable, we'll come out! What if we run into each other as soon as we get in?"
Mu Lian: "..."
Cui Xiaoduo, when he set his mind to something, would not give up until he achieved his goal. His expression was pleading, his words sincere, and he wouldn't stop talking for a long time. Mu Lian, overwhelmed by his annoyance, could only send a message to her two observers to discuss the itinerary for the trip to Labyrinth Planet.
The two observers responded very enthusiastically, wanting to go in and broaden their horizons and earn some extra money, so they agreed immediately.
Mulan had no choice but to make arrangements.
He was in poor health, so he had to undergo a series of tests before each voyage and bring bags of spare medicine. Mu Lian wasn't traveling on an ordinary civilian spaceship, but a large, private, long-distance travel vessel designed by Cui Xiaoduo that had autonomous driving capabilities.
This starship is huge and has no gun muzzles, but its defensive performance is excellent. It is like a mobile fortress. It can even be driven across the star line into the black current zone. It is basically impossible for small and medium-sized warships to destroy it.
The starship had few passenger cabins, occupying only the top, front level. The lower level housed a large medical area, while the rear held a massive transport bay with three bays for small starships. These bays were always fully loaded during each voyage, housing the exploration starships, high-speed cruisers, and small warships designed by Cui Xiaoduo based on the preferences of Mulian and his two observers.
Because Cui Xiaoduo and Mu Lian were also going to Maze Star, Mingyu didn't have to buy his own ticket and could just take a ride.
At five o'clock in the afternoon of Kuroshio Day, the capital planet was unaffected by any Kuroshio radiation, and the waterways were bustling with activity. Cui Xiaoduo drove Mingyu from school to the Mu family's starport in a flying vehicle, encountering a traffic jam along the way. It was almost seven o'clock when they arrived.
Mingyu met the two Ranger observers, Vincent Bai and Yang Haoyuan, for the first time.
One of them was of Western descent, the other of Asian appearance. The former was more reserved, the latter more enthusiastic and outgoing. Their movements were very coordinated, and when they saw Mingyu extending his hand to greet him, they raised their arms at almost the same angle.
Cui Xiaoduo and Mu Lian did not reveal Mingyu's identity in the Star Navigation Competition to them, so when they heard Mingyu's self-introduction, they were very surprised.
Anyone who has some connection with the Central Star Region Military or Star Navigation Department has heard of Mingyu's lack of ambition and nickname of "pretty waste".
The two didn't know when Cui Xiaoduo and Mu Lian started hanging out with Mingyu, but they knew Cui Xiaoduo and Mu Lian, and knew that if they were the ones who invited Mingyu to board the starship... then Mingyu must not be as bad as the rumors said.
It must also be different from those other annoying members of the Ming family.
Several people had a meal at a restaurant next to the Mu family, and then boarded the starship.
"Brother Yu, why are you dragging two big boxes?" Cui Xiaoduo walked beside Mingyu and asked him curiously.
They weren't there for long, only ten days at most, and since they weren't going on vacation, they couldn't bring many changes of clothes. The Rangers each carried only a backpack, while Mingyu alone dragged two large suitcases that were half his body.
"Local specialty." Mingyu said calmly, "I brought it to Brother Mu."
He packed half a box with common medicines. These items were more than ten times more expensive in the Free Star Region than on the Capital Star. Although Mu Boxing's genetic disease often meant he could only take specific medications, having these on hand was better than nothing.
Besides, if he couldn't use it, the colorful hair would still be needed. Not to mention that Mu Baixing also had an exploration team, and probably also employed other pilots and observers...it couldn't be wasted.
Cui Xiaoduo didn’t know that Mu Baixing was from Outer Hong Kong. He looked at Mingyu, who seemed to be hesitant to speak. In the end, he chose not to say anything and walked away with a puzzled look on his face.
As a single guy who has never been in a relationship, he doesn't understand the affairs of young couples.
The Mu family’s private starship was very fast, and they completed most of the journey in just three days, approaching the uninhabited star sea at the edge of the star field.
The starship temporarily deviated from its route and headed to the last space city before entering the uninhabited starry sea to replenish its energy cabin.
This three-dimensional cross-shaped Byrd Space City is not large in scale and was built a long time ago. It does not have the latest simulated weather system. It is shrouded in the black universe and has lights on all the time.
It was very similar to the outer port that Mingyu saw on the light screen.
This was once a border city in the central star region.
Heading north from here, one passes through an uninhabited star sea devoid of habitable or resource-rich planets, then crosses the border into a free star region without any government jurisdiction. For this reason, Bird City's public security was once highly worrying. Aside from the relative safety of the center of the cross, the crime rates in the four arms' residential and commercial areas were consistently high.
However, in recent years, the Labyrinth Star was incorporated into the Central Star Region from the Free Star Region. The Labyrinth Star Chief has vigorously developed routes to the Labyrinth Star, established virtual mining areas and transport fleets, and has also cleared the routes along the way and strengthened the security management of Bird City.
Many wanted criminals who had escaped from the Central Star Region could no longer find a place to stay, and therefore sought other routes. The Black and Gray forces originally present in Bird City were also purged time and again, leaving in disgrace.
"This is my first time here." Mingyu found everything new to him.
He had only left the capital planet a few times. Once, during junior high school, for a class practice trip to Satellite Space City No. 1 near the capital planet. Another time was during summer vacation when he first started high school. He had joined the Ming family on their first recuperation tour of the Third Legion, visiting a tourist planet two days away.
He was ridiculed so much in the tour group that he declined any offer of benefits from the Third Legion.
Mulan operated the starship into the starport.
He swiped his communication bracelet to pay at the port entrance, then followed the green indicator light down into the starport, parking the starship in a berth near the center of the upper cross arm. A man-sized energy gun, held by a robotic arm, was inserted into the starship's energy bay, making a relentless rumbling noise as it charged.
It takes at least half a day to fill the energy compartment of a large starship. Cui Xiaoduo was too busy to spare any time, so he searched on the star network and decided to go to Bird City to eat fried noodles.
The closer they got to the edge of the star field, the less delicious food there was. Cui Xiaoduo was afraid that once they reached the Labyrinth Star, they would have to drink only nutrient solution every day, so he absolutely could not give up this last chance.
This is one of the safest areas in Bird City. Mulan had no objection, so she let Cui Xiaoduo go out.
He, Vincent and Yang Haoyuan didn't want to get off the starship, so they simply rested on the starship and waited for the energy cabin to be fully charged.
Mingyu had rarely left the capital star, so it was naturally impossible for him to stay on the starship when he arrived at a space city he had never been to before. Of course, he also left the star port with Cui Xiaoduo.
They took the elevator from the star port below to the pedestrian walkway on the middle level of the space city and walked out of the iron-gray gate of the star port.
"This road looks a bit deserted." Cui Xiaoduo looked around and said curiously, "Didn't they say Bird City has become much more prosperous in recent years?"
"It's because these past two days are special, right?" Mingyu checked the time and surveyed the steel city before him under the light of the white street lamps. "The Black Tide just ended three hours ago. Many people haven't left their homes yet, right?"
Suddenly, a muffled bang was heard from the front.
Mingyu looked up and saw a middle-aged man in the slender gray building next to him quickly boarding his family's aircraft landing platform. He pulled the door hard, and the aircraft door closed with a loud noise.
He carried a little girl of about four or five in his arms as he hurriedly entered the old, dark blue aircraft on the landing platform. His wife, walking beside him, followed him into the aircraft, using her communication bracelet to make a call, her voice uncontrollably amplified and trembling.
"Yes, yes, it's due to excessive Kuroshio energy radiation. Are there many such cases today?"
"Yes... the radiation shielding at home has been corroded... Please, please, doctor... please save her!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
