Chapter 306 – The Gate of the Haenden Star System Appeared
Qi Tongda answered without hesitation, “Everyone who arrived before me has a share.”
Tu Ran’s expression darkened. “Who arrived after you?”
“Ding Naiqing, Yao Bei, and Li Wenchuan,” Qi Tongda counted on his fingers. “Just those three.”
“Ding Naiqing? He’s here too?” Tu Ran looked a bit surprised and turned her head to look forward.
In front of her were rows of towering mechas. Around each mecha, there were groups of twenty or thirty people—some standing on the ground, others suspended mid-air by ropes hanging from the factory ceiling—busy repairing and maintaining the machines.
“He’s up ahead. I’ll go get him,” Qi Tongda said, pointing ahead before quickly running off to find Ding Naiqing.
Before long, Ding Naiqing followed Qi Tongda back.
The moment Ding Naiqing saw Tu Ran, his dim eyes lit up. He strode forward, wrapped his arms around her shoulders, and happily lifted her into the air, spinning her around in circles.
Tu Ran hadn’t expected this at all and didn’t have time to react before she was suddenly lifted off the ground.
“Sister Ran, this is amazing! I finally get to see you!”
He had already forgotten when the last time they met was.
Tu Ran, now forced to endure the spinning, thought, “…” This humiliating posture.
Qi Tongda watched their interaction, his face contorted into an expression of utter disgust, as though he had just swallowed something foul. The sight was too much for him to bear. He covered his eyes and turned away.
“Put me down,” Tu Ran ground out through clenched teeth, suppressing the urge to punch Ding Naiqing away. She feared she wouldn’t be able to control her strength and might accidentally kill him.
Sensing her displeasure, Ding Naiqing quickly set her down. “Sister Ran, I was just a little excited to see you in this world. Please don’t mind me.”
Tu Ran stared at him.
No, she minded. She minded very much.
Ding Naiqing squeezed out two tears, wiped them away with his hand, and looked at Tu Ran with a pitiful expression. “I knew Sister Ran would come for me. Sister Ran, you’re truly my own sister—no, even my real sister wouldn’t go this far. You’re practically my second set of parents!”
Tu Ran: “…That’s entirely unnecessary.”
Still sniffling, Ding Naiqing was overwhelmed with gratitude. “When we get back to the Federation, I’ll wander the galaxy with Sister Ran. I’ll stick by Sister Ran’s side no matter what, even if we’re wanted criminals, I won’t—”
Tu Ran raised a hand to cut him off before he could continue.
At the same time, she did her best to erase the previous scene from her memory.
She turned and walked toward the minister, who had been standing dumbfounded nearby. Taking a piece of paper from her pocket, she handed it to him.
“This is from General Ye. The people I’ve chosen from the Manufacturing Division can leave with me directly.”
The minister, surprised that it was a handwritten paper order, carefully examined it to confirm that it was indeed written by Ye Hongci. Once he was certain, he looked up at Tu Ran, glanced at the two people standing behind her, and stepped aside. “You may go.”
“I, Young Master Qi, am finally leaving this place!” Qi Tongda cheered, jumping three feet high. Ignoring the fact that their supervisor was still present, he took off his protective gloves, tossed them to the ground, and strode out, stepping over the gloves as he went.
Tu Ran said nothing, following him out. Ding Naiqing quickly caught up, leaving behind Zhou Ming, who remained where he was, half-sitting on the ground, staring at their departing figures.
Zhou Ming gritted his teeth in frustration. Did they think he couldn’t leave without them? Just wait. When the gate appeared, he would escape for sure. This miserable place couldn’t trap him!
…
The day after taking Ding Naiqing and Qi Tongda away, Tu Ran felt the energy fluctuations of the gate.
She immediately led the two men in the direction her [Sense of Direction] guided her.
They arrived at a dilapidated residential building and stopped in front of it.
The six-story residential building had partially collapsed, leaving only half of it standing, and that half was leaning precariously. Cracks spread like veins across its surface, with only one wall remaining relatively intact.
Energy fluctuations shimmered faintly on the wall—it was undoubtedly the gate.
Qi Tongda’s face lit up with joy as he looked at Tu Ran.
“This time, Young Master Qi can leave this place thanks to your help. When we’re back in the Federation, I’ll gift you a luxury car!” he declared, waving his hand grandly, his tone full of bravado.
With that, he nearly leaped into the vortex of energy fluctuations, unable to contain his excitement.
Tu Ran’s raised hand lowered slowly.
She had wanted to tell him not to get too excited too soon. On the other side of the gate, it might not necessarily be the Federation.
Unfortunately, Qi Tongda couldn’t hear her now. By this moment, he should already be in another world. Whether it was the Federation or not was something only he could discover.
A sound of uniform footsteps echoed from behind her.
Tu Ran withdrew her gaze from the gate and turned around.
A fully armed squad was advancing toward her, encircling her position. Leading them was none other than Tang Ying.
Standing with her back to the gate, Tu Ran crossed her arms and scrutinized Tang Ying. “I just got here, and you show up fully armed. Have you been tailing me these past few days?”
Tang Ying, standing at the front, was dressed sharply in her military uniform, complete with a hat. Her expression was neutral, her demeanor crisp and efficient. Her voice was as cold as ever. “Don’t overthink it. I’m just here with my team to study what this ‘Gate’ is about. You’re free to go.”
Tu Ran’s eyes swept over the heavily armed group behind Tang Ying. A sudden realization struck her. “You’re planning to go inside?”
Tang Ying remained silent, but her lack of response made her intent clear.
Tu Ran let her hands fall to her sides and stared at her directly. “You’re sending them to their deaths.”
“The Haenden star system cannot sit idly by,” Tang Ying replied firmly. “This is a decision made after careful consideration by the general. With alien beasts already in the Haenden star system, we can’t just wait for another enemy to come knocking at our door.”
Tu Ran’s voice faltered for a moment as her gaze swept over the soldiers behind Tang Ying. Each one wore the finest gear the Haenden star system had to offer, their faces resolute with the determination to face death head-on.
For the past decade or so, the Haenden star system had been focused on combating the alien beasts, with all their research and resources poured into fighting those creatures and improving their mecha. They had not invested heavily in their own military forces. Looking at the soldiers, their equipment seemed ordinary, unremarkable.
If any of them were to end up in the Federation, with their limited strength, they would be swiftly subdued by the Federation’s guards stationed at the Threshold.
Ding Naiqing, who had been standing beside Tu Ran, stepped forward. He wasn’t familiar with these people, but the people of this world had been kind to him, and he felt the need to warn them.
“The Federation has lost over 160,000 people in the past two decades just trying to explore the Threshold. This was all for the sake of investigating a world inhabited by lower-tier creatures. Now, what you’re facing are countless worlds. You, just a few of you, are not enough to die for.”
Tu Ran quickly added, “By recklessly venturing into other worlds, you’re more likely to expose the Haenden star system. The Federation already has memory readers. If they capture even one of you, they could access your memories and learn all about the Haenden star system. This is a huge risk.”
“As soon as you were allowed to leave the Haenden star system, its information was already exposed,” Tang Ying took a step forward, forcing a polite smile. “We appreciate your good intentions, but the decision has already been made. There’s no need for further discussion.”
