When asked how much he had spent on the purchase, Wei Jun smiled without answering.
"1 billion?"
"You think a rough guy like me could come up with 1 billion? I'm 47 – even if I'd worked since birth, I wouldn't have that much."
Zhou Tianming's face darkened, his eyes brimming with envy. "500 million?"
Wei Jun whistled and looked at the scenery nearby.
Gritting his teeth, Zhou Tianming's jealousy nearly materialized into arrows that would pierce the man before him.
"100 million!"
"Heh~" Wei Jun grinned. "Renminbi."
Hearing "Renminbi," Zhou Tianming froze. His envy instantly faded as his eyes narrowed. "You're saying you got this ship for 100 million RMB?"
"Yep." Wei Jun's voice carried a nostalgic tone as he reminisced. "At the time, this ship was actually slated for scrapping. Our crew couldn't bear to see it go, so we pooled all our savings to scrape together 100 million – that was our absolute limit."
"None of us had much hope back then. How could a spaceship be sold so cheaply? But the Master Craftsman who built it couldn't stand to see it scrapped either, so he raised hell with the government."
"Not long after, a document came down ordering our crew to conduct a 20-year decommissioning test on the ship, pushing it to its limits."
Now Zhou Tianming understood. The ship was practically half-gifted. Those first 20 years were essentially just usage rights – likely the Master Craftsman had forced the government's hand into this compromise.
But knowing the backstory only made Zhou Tianming more suspicious. Was this ship really worth 2 billion USD?
"Has the Black Tortoise passed its 20-year mark now?"
"Yeah, just recently. After I submitted the report, the ship officially became ours." Wei Jun sighed. "If not for my grandson being born soon, I'd never sell it. But I'm getting old – I don't want to keep drifting through space anymore."
Great. Now this was 100% guaranteed to be trouble. All the elements were there.
Zhou Tianming scanned the area around the ship. Drawing on his past reconnaissance training, he quickly spotted three or four people whose gazes kept drifting their way.
Frowning, he glanced at Wei Jun. Given their decent relationship, he felt obliged to warn him: "I think there's something off about the buyer. 2 billion is way too high."
"Haha." Wei Jun laughed. "Don't worry, I'm no fool. I had friends investigate the buyer – they've overpaid for ships multiple times before. They're genuinely loaded."
There's no such thing as a fool like that in this world. Having money doesn't mean they enjoy wasting it.
Turning to look at the quietly docked Black Tortoise, Zhou Tianming realized there must be hidden value in this ship that he hadn't noticed. Whoever was buying it stood to profit handsomely.
Repeatedly overpaying to purchase other spaceships seemed more like collecting or searching for something.
Seeing Zhou Tianming's serious, contemplative expression, Wei Jun was visibly moved and slapped him on the back. "Your Uncle Wei isn't a fool. After all these years, there's nothing I haven't experienced. It's not that easy to trick us."
Without turning his head, Zhou Tianming deftly sidestepped the incoming hand and shot Wei Jun a glare. "Good that you know. Don't regret it later when you realize 2 billion wasn't enough."
Wei Jun looked surprised. "Are you saying the Black Tortoise is worth far more than 2 billion?"
"Possibly. If they're willing to spend that much, they must have a way to earn it back."
"Makes sense." Wei Jun glanced at the Black Tortoise and laughed carefreely. "Well, I'm satisfied with 2 billion. If others have the skills, that's their business."
Just then, a notification chimed from Wei Jun's phone. He pulled it out and, grinning, turned the screen toward Zhou Tianming.
Zhou Tianming looked—$2,000,000,000 had been deposited.
His gaze swept over Wei Jun's face, then his forehead, temples, heart, kidneys, and other vital areas.
Should he take a gamble and kill this guy?
Wei Jun shuddered, looked around, and rubbed his arms. "Weird. Feels like someone's out to get me."
Zhou Tianming smirked. "I've already figured out how to kill you, Uncle. Consider this money just temporarily in your pocket."
Wei Jun chuckled. "Then to save my own life, I wonder if the kid would grace us with his presence at our farewell dinner tonight? Maybe I can bribe you a little."
Laughing and chatting, the two walked off together.
Not far away, among the crowd surveilling them, one person followed while the rest stayed behind, observing anyone who approached the Black Tortoise.
The leader tugged his collar and whispered, "Five-year-old boy, black hair, handsome. Send someone to tail him—he's been inside the spaceship."
A male voice responded through the earpiece, "Understood."
Around 8 p.m., Wei Jun reserved his usual East Asian restaurant and generously covered the bill for everyone.
After rounds of thanks, the crowd dispersed, leaving only the Black Tortoise's crew behind.
Zhou Tianming sipped juice and observed.
His first thought was how few there were. He hadn't looked into it specifically, but based on the ship's roles, the Black Tortoise likely needed around 30 people.
Yet only 15 were present, a few of whom he recognized as maintenance and repair crew from the ship.
By his estimate, only about five actually operated the spaceship.
This made Zhou Tianming realize something he'd overlooked: even if he bought a spaceship, he couldn't fly it alone. But bringing strangers aboard felt awkward.
As he pondered, Wei Jun shouted from across the room, "Always frowning at your age? You're only five—what's there to think so hard about? Come eat!"
Interrupted, Zhou Tianming sighed inwardly, regretting his decision to attend the farewell dinner. It was far too noisy.
Time passed, and it was now past 10 p.m.
Even Zhou Tianming, who had deliberately picked the most expensive dishes, was stuffed to the brim.
Sitting to the side, panting and hiccuping, he mentally calculated how much he'd eaten and his contribution to "taxing the rich."
Then his phone rang. He pulled it out and paled instantly—Zhou Hanxiang.
Amidst the surrounding shouts and cheers, Zhou Tianming quickly rushed out while clutching his stomach, only answering the call once the noise died down.
Attempting to act cute to get away with it, he was seen through and endured a bout of silent cold treatment before hastily greeting Wei Jun and hurrying home to rest.
Walking along the dark road, he suddenly felt a gaze upon him. Tilting his head slightly, he observed the source from the corner of his eye.
The corner where the gaze originated was pitch black, revealing no figures.
Frowning, Zhou Tianming quickened his pace, pretending to be in a hurry as he dashed left and right, vanishing into the dark corners in the blink of an eye.
The road fell into complete silence.
After a while, Zhou Tianming peeked out from the rooftop of a nearby building. "Didn't follow me? Their vigilance is too high—what's the point of keeping watch after casually handing over 2 billion?"
Unable to figure it out after much thought, he descended from the rooftop once he confirmed the watchers had truly left.
As he climbed down, he happened to glance through a window into a room—only to find it completely empty.
Huh? Wasn't this shop occupied just a few days ago?
Just as he was pondering, his phone vibrated in his pocket—Zhou Hanxiang was calling.
Answering the call, he hurried home. "Almost there, almost there. I'll rest soon."
On the other end, however, Zhou Hanxiang's voice was laced with worry. "Tianming, I have a bad feeling."
His footsteps halted.
A Newtype's Sense?
"What's wrong?" Zhou Tianming asked as he continued walking. "Something about me?"
"I don't know, I just feel uneasy. A mother's intuition is never wrong. Come back from the Junk Guild tomorrow."
Without arguing, Zhou Tianming agreed immediately. "Alright, I'll ask Uncle Wei to arrange someone to bring me back tomorrow."
"Mm."
Only after repeated reminders did Zhou Hanxiang finally hang up.
Returning to the factory, Zhou Tianming didn't rest. Instead, he used materials from recent practice to set up traps around the premises.
Surveying his handiwork, he nodded in satisfaction. "This should do it. No matter where they come in from, I'll know."
Then he sighed.
Newtype premonitions were like this—mystical and vague. If not for his past-life memories, he'd probably be dismissed as delusional.
His thoughts then turned to his depleted Mental Power, now only at 109. He needed to find a way to raise it above 200 to regain that Newtype-like Sense.
Time passed, and nothing happened.
The quiet surroundings made Zhou Tianming drowsy.
Suddenly, the ground trembled, and the traps inside the factory triggered in a chaotic cacophony of noise.
The next second—
BOOM!!!