Chapter Twenty-Six: Accepting the Invitation

In truth, Zhang Desen was somewhat hesitant as well, but given the current circumstances, he had no other choice. As Zhao Chengming pointed out, without a secure place to settle, even if he found Tang Shijie, their safety couldn’t be guaranteed—they would only be escaping together rather than separately. Furthermore, with all contact lost with the headquarters of his original universe, it was likely that, assuming he and Tang Shijie were beyond rescue, all travel and relief operations had been canceled. Zhang Desen now needed a place to firmly establish himself in order to survive.

Moreover, according to Zhao Chengming, this Master Liu seemed to be a great merchant. Such a position might allow Zhang Desen to make better use of opportunities to travel the world and accomplish more, and also be more accommodating of the peculiarities stemming from his origins in another universe.

However, what worried Zhang Desen most was the conversation he had overheard between the Terran invaders, suggesting that Tang Shijie might have already fallen into their hands—preparations would need to be made for such an eventuality.

Yet, if Zhang Desen were to join a family’s retainers, his spaceship would need a safe place to be housed. Since Zhao Chengming did not appear to be someone who would break his word lightly, Zhang Desen decided to reveal the location of his base to him, so that after joining the Liu household’s retinue, he could move his spaceship there as well, ensuring its safety.

After some travel, Zhang Desen finally led Zhao Chengming and his men to the entrance of his base. Turning to face Zhao Chengming, he said, “Brother Chengming, what I am about to show you is a tremendous secret. I ask that, no matter what happens in the future, you never speak of it to anyone except those you trust implicitly.”

Zhao Chengming thumped his chest in assurance, replying, “You have nothing to worry about, Brother Desen. No one in the Liu household is loose-tongued. I can guarantee, no matter what happens, your secret will never leave my lips. The men with me today are my closest brothers; not one will utter a word to outsiders.”

Zhang Desen nodded. “Very well, I trust you, Brother Chengming. Come in.”

He then removed the camouflaging cloth at the base entrance and led them inside. Upon seeing the spaceship and the rest of the equipment, Zhao Chengming and his men were struck with awe—they had never witnessed such things before and had no idea what they were.

Zhang Desen gave a brief explanation of these items, then asked, “Brother Chengming, if I join the Liu household’s retinue, would it be possible for me to have a cave like this to store my belongings?”

Zhao Chengming replied, “That’s absolutely no problem. In fact, it’s quite fortuitous—we do have just such a place. Our Liu estate is backed by Mount Wu within the city, which perfectly suits your needs. Moreover, our master holds you in high regard; there will be no issue. I’ll report back to him in the city tomorrow.”

Zhang Desen responded, “There is one thing. My spaceship cannot be seen by others. It would be best to use a large cart, cover it with cloth, say it’s cargo, and transport it into the city that way.”

Though Zhao Chengming still didn’t truly understand what a spaceship was, he replied, “That won’t be a problem at all. Let’s discuss the details.”

They began to confer over specific arrangements—such as the size and style of the cart, accommodations, and so on.

...

Meanwhile, within the command room at the coastal base of the Terran Ormei Empire, the Supreme Leader, Yuri Gotne, sat in his office. Across from him was the recently returned Director of Intelligence.

After hearing the report, Yuri Gotne’s expression was one of shock and anger, though outwardly he remained composed. After a pause, he spoke: “Duer, my friend, can you confirm what you’ve said? You must know how much we despise that bastard Goba Xiaofo, but he currently controls the Mountain Base—you understand? The Mountain Base is our most populous base.”

His tone grew sharper. “Furthermore, it’s the base with the most abundant basic resources, and the first of our three remaining bases to reestablish a surface settlement. The others—including this coastal base—are still underground, unable to return to the surface. Do you understand?”

The Intelligence Director replied, “I understand perfectly, my Leader. But I fear it’s the truth—the alien human may already have been captured.”

Yuri Gotne frowned. “Is that possible? What benefit would he gain from this?”

The Intelligence Director explained, “My Leader, have you forgotten? When we captured the first alien human, Goba Xiaofo happened to be here at the coastal base. He desperately petitioned you to hand over the alien—someone capable of advanced technology—into his exclusive custody.”

He continued, seeing Yuri Gotne’s lack of response, “At the time, we planned to fully re-engineer the alien, so you firmly refused him. Do you remember that, my Leader?”

Yuri Gotne reflected. “You’re right. Our purpose in re-engineering the alien human was not only to prevent him from leading primitive humans in restoring high technology, but also to use him for our own ends.”

He grew slightly smug. “Once he is entirely under our control, we can gradually enslave the outside humans. When we have total power and restore the glory of the surface civilization, then we’ll see.”

The Intelligence Director nodded. “Exactly, my Leader. We can now safely assume that Goba Xiaofo has a similar plan—he wants to accomplish this himself. Don’t forget, he’s always believed he’s the only one fit to be Leader, and has never submitted to Central Command.”

Yuri Gotne’s voice grew anxious. “If that’s the case, we have a real problem. As we said, Goba Xiaofo has turned the Mountain Base into the best-supplied, most economically developed, and most populous of our subterranean bases. He now commands vast forces and his influence is growing—he’s nearly a match for Central Command. If we move against him, it could cause massive instability. Before those bastards under the sea can attack us, or before humanity restores its technological civilization to counter us, we might destroy ourselves in civil war.”

The Intelligence Director responded, “My Leader, there is no need to worry. Even if Goba Xiaofo has captured the new alien human, he cannot make use of him so quickly. We should send out the alien human we previously captured to stir things up. Meanwhile, we may need to abandon the coastal base for now.”

Yuri Gotne was startled. “Why would you suggest that? The coastal base may be weaker than Goba Xiaofo’s Mountain Base, but at least it works in conjunction with the Prairie Base, allowing us to check his power.”

The Intelligence Director replied, “This is only my suggestion, my Leader. First, the number of humans near the coastal base is increasing, restricting our activities. We cannot fight the humans yet—we still need them to check our primitive kin. Second, the Prairie Base is surrounded by fewer humans and is near Lake Baikal, providing ample water. This is ideal for gradually returning to the surface and concentrating all our resources for development. In this way, our basic supplies can recover and even generate surpluses. Third, by moving away from the coast, we can temporarily avoid those creatures beneath the sea and catch our breath. These are my reasons, my Leader.”

Yuri Gotne fell into contemplation. After a moment, he said, “Very well. I will discuss with the Chief of Staff about transferring some resources to the Prairie Base. As for the rest, we’ll decide later. Also, the new alien human may not yet have been found by Goba Xiaofo’s people—continue searching for him. As for Goba Xiaofo, send more agents to monitor him. I want to know his every move. Is that clear?”

The Intelligence Director answered, “Yes, my Leader!”

Yuri Gotne added, “I will call Goba Xiaofo personally soon and probe him for useful information. I’ll also remind him not to expect anything from our primitive kin—they are nothing but savage simpletons. He must not attempt reconciliation with them, but let them continue fighting with the primitive humans. You may go.”

The Intelligence Director saluted. “Yes, my Leader!”

...

Meanwhile, Zhao Chengming was overjoyed by Zhang Desen’s agreement. After settling all arrangements with Zhang Desen, he recounted some amusing stories from Western Capital. At dawn, Zhao Chengming hurried back to the city to report to Master Liu, leaving behind some men to help Zhang Desen pack his things.