Lin Xiaohe hid in the alley behind Fortune’s Arrival Cafe.
She gasped for breath, her face burning as if on fire. That had been so socially awkward.
If she had said that to a handsome young man, Lin Xiaohe could have explained it away as being attracted.
But saying it to the burly Brother Cheng? Lin Xiaohe felt her mouth was tainted!
“Xiaohe, I’m connected to the Star Network!”
A wave of dizziness hit Lin Xiaohe. When she opened her eyes again, she was amidst a sea of stars.
[Identity verification passed. User 741741 logged in successfully.]
After the cold, mechanical female voice, Lin Xiaohe felt like she had transmigrated again.
This time, she was wearing a black robe, wrapped tightly from head to toe, with a clown mask on her face.
Xin Bao was stuck in her hair, its two leaves spread out comfortably.
Before Lin Xiaohe was a virtual screen with thousands of selectable channels. Different channels had different content and different fees.
Since she was just mooching anyway, Lin Xiaohe sorted by price and picked the most expensive one!
[User 741741 has selected to enter the Kepler Star System Central Avenue District. Fee: 3,000 star credits per second. We hope you enjoy your time.]
Tsk tsk, so expensive!
Good thing she didn’t have to pay to go online.
The thought had just crossed her mind when Lin Xiaohe felt a pulling force dragging her down.
In the blink of an eye, she was on Central Avenue.
Central Avenue was lined with shops, bustling with people. Things bought here could be delivered via Star Domain courier services.
Lin Xiaohe casually walked into a store selling nutrient solutions, thinking about improving her meals.
The cheapest tube of strawberry-flavored nutrient solution cost 2,100 star credits.
“I’m not worthy. Farewell!” Lin Xiaohe squatted by the roadside like a country bumpkin, looking around everywhere.
She was worried. What business opportunity should she look for?
On the giant central screen, mechas were fighting fiercely, with an excited voiceover: [The 138th Mech Battle Championship, Kepler Star System Division, registration is about to begin! The champion will win a 1 billion star credit prize!]
Lin Xiaohe shifted her gaze disinterestedly. She’d never even touched a mech; this competition had nothing to do with her.
Suddenly, a dazzling, rainbow-colored luxury flying car landed in Central Plaza. A chubby little boy got out and sat alone on a bench by the street.
Such simple, innocent eyes! Clearly someone with more money than sense.
Lin Xiaohe’s heart stirred. Her feet, seemingly of their own accord, carried her towards the little boy.
“Xin Bao, time to show what you can do!”
“Okay, Xiaohe.”
…
“Oh! My poor Xin Bao! You died so tragically! My heart aches, it aches so much I might die.” Lin Xiaohe executed a dramatic slide-kneel, trembling as she used both hands to pick up Xin Bao, which lay sprawled by the kid’s feet.
Under the kid’s panicked and confused gaze, Xin Bao’s two little leaves twitched twice like chicken claws, then went limp, and finally lay completely still.
A very vivid portrayal of unwillingness before death and lingering attachment to its master.
“Ah, my Xin Bao! Who killed you?!”
Thinking about how her whole family would die if she couldn’t pay the debt, Lin Xiaohe’s tears flowed like a river, her sorrow flowing upstream.
Dong Yuxuan pressed his lips together and whispered, “I have a Sky Eye.”
Huh?
Lin Xiaohe’s crying paused. What’s a Sky Eye?
Dong Yuxuan: “It can record everything around me in 360 degrees, no blind spots.”
Holy crap!
Lin Xiaohe was furious. She’d heard of cars having dash cams, but never of a kid wearing a personal recorder.
Your family controls you so tightly, and you don’t even resist a little?!
Dong Yuxuan crouched down and poked Xin Bao’s little leaf with his finger.
So ticklish, but Xin Bao endured and didn’t move.
Emboldened, Dong Yuxuan touched the wheat stalk.
The two little leaves swished up, wrapping the stalk tightly.
Xin Bao wailed in tears: [Xiaohe, this little fatty is harassing me! Wuwuwu, I’m dirty, I’m not clean anymore.]
Before Lin Xiaohe could comfort Xin Bao, she met Dong Yuxuan’s sparkling eyes.
Dong Yuxuan was extremely excited. “A Stellar Plant Controller! You must be a Stellar Plant Controller!”
Huh?
Lin Xiaohe was completely bewildered.
Because of the mask, Dong Yuxuan didn’t see Lin Xiaohe’s astonishment.
His eyes seemed to shimmer with starlight. He clenched his fists, waving them vigorously in the air, his face full of unrestrained excitement.
“Haha, I knew it! I must be a chosen one of heaven. Did you spot me in the crowd at first glance?”
Lin Xiaohe nodded mechanically. Could she not spot him? That rainbow-colored luxury car was the only one of its kind.
Dong Yuxuan seemed injected with infinite energy. He perked up, his eyebrows raised high, his eyes filled with fervor. “Do you really want to get to know me?”
Lin Xiaohe nodded expressionlessly. Of course, she wanted to scam him.
Dong Yuxuan’s eyes brimmed with tears, choking up. “I knew it! Gold shines everywhere. Finally, someone can see my extraordinary talent, my exceptional potential! I’m not useless, not the laughingstock of the Dong family!”
A thought flashed through her mind. Lin Xiaohe asked Xin Bao silently, “What’s a Stellar Plant Controller?”
On the virtual network, Xin Bao was practically a top-tier hacker. After searching for just a second, it provided the answer.
[The Federation’s single combatant system is divided into two main categories: Mech and Controller. Mechs make up ninety-nine percent. Controllers are rare, including Beast Controllers and Stellar Plant Controllers.]
[Mutant beasts and stellar plants are inherently difficult to deal with. Those that develop intelligence are the strongest among the strong. An A-grade mech squad wouldn’t last ten minutes against them!]
In a nutshell, Beast Controllers and Stellar Plant Controllers were the big shots among big shots, requiring at least SSS-grade physical and mental strength.
Immensely powerful, extremely scarce, mysterious, and reclusive. People without high enough status wouldn’t even know they existed.
Lin Xiaohe sighed slightly. Forget it. She couldn’t impersonate a Stellar Plant Controller to make money. It would be too easy to expose, and once exposed, the trouble would be huge.
“Little fatty, I…”
Dong Yuxuan’s face flushed bright red. He straightened his neck and declared loudly, “I’m willing!”
Willing to what?!
Lin Xiaohe spoke rapidly, “You’ve made a mistake. I’m not a Controller.”
A flicker of hurt passed through Dong Yuxuan’s eyes. He sniffled and said firmly, “I know, this is your test for me! Let me introduce myself first.”
“My name is Dong Yuxuan. I live in the Second Star Ring. My family farms; we only have around 2,800 agricultural planets. We supply all the natural fruits and vegetables for the Second Star Ring. There’s an ancestor in my family who’s a Stellar Plant Controller, but he’s been in seclusion for a long time.”
Dong Yuxuan took a deep breath. “I’ve studied farming knowledge since I was little. I have a hundred acres of experimental fields and have once grown B-grade wheat.”
“I’m done, Master. Please take me as your disciple!”
Lin Xiaohe sneered internally. Both were farmers. His family only had a measly 2,000-plus agricultural planets, while her family had a whopping fifty acres!
The Dong family was nothing special.
Lin Xiaohe admitted she was sour, incredibly sour, the kind of sour that turns lemons sentient!
She said coldly and ruthlessly, “You’re mistaken. I won’t take you as a disciple.”
What could she teach him? How to fail at scamming people?
