Zhao Chen walked out of the T3 Blizzard-class Light Interstellar Battlecruiser's berth into the starport concourse beyond — and at once a dazzling shower of fireworks came down from above. They weren't real; they were light-effects. But they looked exactly like the genuine article.
At the same time, the Imperial soldiers ringing the area drew themselves up, weapons in hand, and at an officer's single command all turned to face Zhao Chen, right hands clenched into fists over their hearts.
"Salute!"
The Imperial soldiers opened a lane for Zhao Chen. But several young women in the bloom of youth, who had been waiting there, came forward with fresh flowers to embrace him — one even seized the chance to plant a kiss on his cheek, and slipped an extra note into his pocket besides.
Zhao Chen… so he'd just been trifled with, had he? Should he report it to the authorities? Or… report it to the authorities?[1]
"Zhao Chen! On a comm screen it doesn't come through — but seeing you in person, what an extraordinary bearing you have! Truly worthy of the young hero of this rescue operation!" The Governor of the Azure Star Region came forward warmly and clasped Zhao Chen's hand.
"You do me too much honor, Your Excellency." A flower cradled in his left hand, Zhao Chen spoke modestly. This Star Region Governor before him looked decidedly portly and prosperous — nothing at all like Governor Chu's commanding presence.
"By rights, Zhao Chen, you've only just come out of the Water Lily Star System, and I ought to let you rest first. But I've gone to the trouble of laying on a feast here — to welcome you and wash away the dust of the road. So I'll have to trouble you a little longer; after all, everyone's eager to lay eyes on our gallant young hero!" The Governor of the Azure Star Region smiled, all benevolence.
Zhao Chen returned the smile. "Then I'd best obey rather than stand on ceremony." Let's just see what fine theater you've all laid on for me.
Compared with the treatment Zhao Chen received once off his ship, things were a good deal quieter over on the two academies' side.
"Don't you get the feeling Zhao Chen's changed a great deal from when we first met him half a year ago? Facing a Star Region Governor, his presence doesn't fall the least bit short!" Xue Xiaoxiao gazed over at the welcome scene around Zhao Chen from another spot, rising up on her toes now and then.
"He has changed a lot. But… somehow it all feels a little strange…" Beside her, Su Lan knit her brows slightly.
Xue Xiaoxiao asked, not understanding, "What's strange about it? Zhao Chen saved the teachers and students of both academies — though… what he pulled afterward was a bit baffling… but saving them is a done deal, nailed down. Calling him a hero and giving him treatment like this isn't the least bit excessive, surely."
"You're not wrong. But haven't you noticed — in this whole crowd welcoming Zhao Chen, there's not one single reporter!" Su Lan voiced her misgiving. "Normally, in a situation like this, the appearance of a young hero would draw no end of attention. How could the Empire's media conglomerates possibly not seize on a hot story this big? And yet I've looked all around — never mind reporters, there isn't even one person filming a record of it."
At Su Lan's words, Xue Xiaoxiao looked over again and scanned the scene carefully. Indeed — not a single person with a reporter's credentials was present. It was deeply abnormal. Never mind an affair that had shaken two of the Starlight Empire's great academies; even the recent hive-race crisis in the Water Lily Star System had swarms of reporters watching for the slightest stir every single day, ready to fling any hot item straight onto the net. The Water Lily hive-race crisis was, beyond doubt, one of the very hottest topics across the whole of the Empire's net — and within it, the story of the genius student Zhao Chen, who'd saved both academies' people single-handed, was hotter still.
"Now that you put it that way, Sister Su Lan — that's exactly right. How strange," Xue Xiaoxiao muttered.
Su Lan raised a hand and called up a virtual screen, searching it for news of Zhao Chen — and was startled to find that, on the Starlight Empire net's trending-topics board, the words "Zhao Chen" could no longer be seen at all. The only related item was that the two academies' teachers and students, under Imperial fleet escort, had already left the Water Lily Star System.
"Something's wrong! Zhao Chen may be in serious trouble." Su Lan's expression turned grave.
"Serious trouble?" Xue Xiaoxiao cocked her head, the very picture of not getting it.
Su Lan fixed her eyes on the distant figure of Zhao Chen, now leaving in the Azure Governor's company, and said with some anxiety, "I should have seen it long ago. Yes, Zhao Chen saved us this time — but he's shown far too great a secret in the doing. That T3 Blizzard, with its staggering combat power — what's the story behind it? Before now, we knew nothing whatsoever about a warship like that. Afterward, someone is sure to investigate Zhao Chen in detail, and then some of his earlier, astonishing feats at our academy will be dug up too. A T2 Black Rhino-class Interstellar Heavy Assault Frigate! A starship assembled to reach a cruising speed of 100 star-knots! Any one of those labels, pinned on a single person, is enough to draw no end of covetous eyes. And when they all converge on one man, then beyond any doubt he becomes the mark every interstellar power takes aim at!"
"Even so… surely they wouldn't actually try to do anything to Zhao Chen? He's the hero who saved both academies' people!" Xue Xiaoxiao said naively.
Su Lan shook her head. "A hero? When they need you, you're a hero. And when everyone cares more about the secret you carry, then you become prey hunted by a host of powers. This manipulation on the net right now is meant to lower Zhao Chen's public profile — so that whatever happens later, the ripples it makes can be kept to the barest minimum. The people who've set their sights on Zhao Chen have already begun to move."
"Those people? Who would that be?" Now Xue Xiaoxiao, too, began to worry.
"This is the Azure Star Region — and the Governor of the Azure Star Region himself has come forward! How could His Excellency let an opportunity this good slip past?" Su Lan bit her lip and said urgently, "I'll go find Instructor Qin. I'll have her find a way to contact Northstar Academy — I only hope Northstar will step in and see Zhao Chen safely through this!"
While Su Lan and Xue Xiaoxiao were fretting over Zhao Chen, the two academies' teachers and students around them looked on — some as bystanders, envying the treatment Zhao Chen was enjoying. On a few faces the expressions came and went, dark and complicated.
"Hmph! That fellow fleeced us out of all that money — and now he gets to enjoy treatment like this!" Catching sight of Zhao Chen's reception, Feng Xiaowei ground out the words, seething with resentment.
A man walked up in front of Feng Xiaowei and, without a word, brought his hand down across the back of his head in a slap.
"How many times have I taught you — you don't let your feelings show on your face. Whatever you've got to say, keep it in your gut. With dog-shit luck like yours, why didn't you just die in the swarm and be done with it? Spare the Hurricane Conglomerate the embarrassment."
Faced with this man's scolding and cursing, Feng Xiaowei — youngest young master of the Hurricane Conglomerate — didn't dare so much as bristle. Instead he grinned foolishly and said, "Brother… I understand… I'll be careful next time."
The man Feng Xiaowei had called "Brother" was the eldest young master of the Hurricane Conglomerate: Feng Dawei.
"Come on. Your brother's going to take you to watch a fine show." Feng Dawei said it flatly.
"A fine show? What fine show?" Feng Xiaowei asked, curious.
Feng Dawei fixed his gaze on the distant figures of Zhao Chen and the Azure Governor departing. "That Zhao Chen brat is carrying a lot of secrets — especially that T3 Blizzard! Don't forget: our Hurricane Conglomerate is on close terms with the Governor of the Azure Star Region. Our honored father has already discussed it with His Excellency beforehand — one way or another, they mean to make this brat cough up something of value."
"But… that brat's riding high on his moment right now. Actually moving against him… might not be such a good idea," Feng Xiaowei said, worried.
Feng Dawei gave a cold snort and said with contempt, "He's a Baron at best — and this is the Azure Star Region. However they care to deal with him is entirely up to His Excellency and our Hurricane Conglomerate."
Hearing this, a flash of gloating crossed Feng Xiaowei's eyes. "Brother! Let's hurry — I want to see the look on that brat's face when he eats crow!"