Zhao Chen halted his steps, looking at the news up on the display.
He could hear, too, the talk of some cadets passing by, pointing at this T1 Wolf-Louse-class Medium Interstellar Destroyer; plainly, T1 ship though it was, this one drew no small share of turned heads.
"The T1 Wolf-Louse is so hot now — I hear if you order one you have to wait half a year to get it!"
"Right, and I hear no few lords have ordered it too; a single one's priced at only 30,000 star coins — economy itself!"
"They say this ship stands a chance of becoming the best-selling T1 ship of 3031 — a chance, even, of breaking past years' T1 sales records!"
Zhao Chen listened to all this, looking at the promotional ad beneath the holographic projection — where there was even Li Yaqi herself, speaking.
"The T1 Wolf-Louse: the highest value-for-money T1 ship there is. Look to the Northern Goose Starship Technology Group — we prepare the finest ships for you, heart and soul!"
By the look of it, in these months since Zhao Chen handed her the T1 Wolf-Louse, Li Yaqi had successfully pushed it to market.
This was an outcome Zhao Chen had foreseen; it was the highest value-for-money combat ship in his system's T1 Store — it could hardly fail to sell.
The build cost was a mere 10,000 star coins.
And Li Yaqi now priced it at 30,000; even counting in the various advertising, operating, and labor costs and the rest—
—the profit on a single unit ran between 25,000 star coins!
If the pre-orders had already reached 500, then merely fulfilling those orders would earn Li Yaqi close to 6 or 7 million star coins.
Set against the 3 million she'd paid Zhao Chen, that figure was fully double!
Though this was on the premise of building and delivering 500 T1 Wolf-Louses — the projected total profit for Li Yaqi over the coming half-year.
At the time, Zhao Chen simply hadn't had the leisure to wait so long.
Only an outright buyout could get him 3 million star coins all at once.
Still, thinking it over now — quote 4 million, and Li Yaqi would likely have agreed too.
"Never mind, never mind. Best not dwell on the shameful past." Zhao Chen put a hand over his face, near enough to weep without tears.
But this time, in coming to find Li Yaqi, Zhao Chen had prepared well.
And it would be a grand move besides!
Just as Zhao Chen was turning all this over, his handheld terminal stirred.
It was a text from Li Wei.
Zhao Chen, come quick — your sister's being bullied!
Zhao Chen's expression shifted; he took Lilith and set off for the address Li Wei had sent.
It was a starship duel arena.
……
No. 1 starship simulation-duel arena.
Within the arena, a T2 Fire-Crow-class Heavy Interstellar Battlecruiser — its hull deformed, one spot still trailing black smoke — was, at this moment, being slowly towed out of the arena by an interstellar barge.
At the same time, several shuttles were ferrying crew out of the T2 Fire-Crow's interior.
And not far off, in the arbitration area, Zhao Wan'er — just down from a shuttle — was glaring in fury at the people across from her.
Across from her was a group in uniforms different from the Northstar Starship Military Academy's.
"What — can't your Northstar Starship Military Academy people take a loss?"
"We won fair and square; if you want to blame someone, blame your own lack of ability."
"So this is all the Northstar Starship Military Academy amounts to — some prodigy girl, and still beaten by us."
A crowd stood there jeering and sneering, and in their midst was ringed a woman with brown wavy hair and a haughty face.
The twin-tailed loli Xue Xiaoxiao sprang out, jabbing an indignant finger at this proud woman. "You cheated! We'd already conceded — why did you keep on attacking! And you, arbiters — surely you saw it!"
The arbiters Xue Xiaoxiao rounded on all shifted their gazes away, guilty.
These arbiters weren't Northstar Starship Military Academy's own; and they were, besides, wary of these noble young lords' and ladies' standing — these little ancestors hailed from the Heaven's Glory Noble Starship Military Academy!
The cadets there were, one and all, rich or high-born.
Not to be provoked, not to be provoked.
The woman spread her hands and said with a cold smile, "I didn't manage to stop it in time; and who'd have thought this T2 Fire-Crow-class Heavy Interstellar Battlecruiser of yours would prove so unable to take a beating? It was my oversight; I apologize to my Northstar Starship Military Academy classmate."
For all the apology on her lips, the woman's face still wore a mocking look.
Just then a shuttle pulled in, several wounded crew carried down from it, blood-smeared all over, one of them fainted dead away.
"How are my crew!" Zhao Wan'er, no time now to bicker with the other side, hurried to see to her crew.
The medic who'd been with them the whole while said, "One gravely wounded, but a heart-stimulant's been administered; her life's not in danger. The other seven are lightly hurt; a few days' rest and they'll be fine."
Zhao Wan'er looked at the gravely wounded crewwoman — a junior of hers.
When she'd recruited her, the junior had said Wan'er was her idol, that she'd longed to join her ship.
The two had gotten on quite well in private.
And now, against all thought, the girl had come to this.
Guilt and self-reproach and fury warred in Zhao Wan'er's heart; she glared at the woman across from her.
"Aiya, what a frightening look. She's only a commoner — so what if she dies? What's there to make a fuss over? Your Northstar Starship Military Academy really is something, recruiting commoner cadets. Not like our Heaven's Glory Noble Starship Military Academy, which takes only cadets of noble birth. As for crew and the like, we just recruit mustered-out soldiers from the imperial navy. Never mind, never mind. I'll cover your crew's medical fees, all right?" the woman said, covering her mouth as she laughed.
"I won't have you insult my crew!" Zhao Wan'er roared at the woman.
The woman's smile vanished; she looked at Zhao Wan'er with cold, mocking eyes. "So what if I insult them? If you've got the nerve, come duel me again — I'll see this starship duel through with you to the very end! Only, when the time comes and your crew are dying and crippled, don't go crying about it."
Zhao Wan'er, of course, longed for vengeance — but she had no ship now.
And her crew were hurt besides.
A deep sense of defeat, of helplessness, welled up in her heart.
And in this moment, of all things, she thought of that brother of hers — the brother she'd always thought so useless.
If… if he were here…
"Want to fight? Then let's go on fighting. We of the Zhao family will see it through to the end."
A voice sounded just then, and every eye was drawn to it.
Zhao Wan'er's body gave a start; she looked over, her gaze alight, and saw a familiar figure.
Once she couldn't abide the sight of it; but now, the moment she saw it, she felt a kind of safety.
Tears spilled, past her holding back, from the corners of her eyes; a rush of grievance filled her chest.
Hands in his pockets, Zhao Chen walked to Zhao Wan'er's side; he didn't comfort his little sister.
He only asked, "Crying?"
"You're the one crying!" Zhao Wan'er turned her head away and swiftly wiped her tears dry.
"If you're not crying, then go duel this vile little witch again." Zhao Chen's words sent the brown-wavy-haired woman opposite straight into a rage.