After hauling their miscellaneous belongings and bidding a heartfelt farewell to their kind landlady, the Zero Horizon group finally arrived at the address provided by Xie Jingchen.
In stark contrast to their previous shabby and suffocating quarters, Xie Jingchen's private lab was tucked away beneath a modern building. The apartment inside was spacious and luxurious, no different from a high-end mansion complete with all amenities: from a plush leather sofa and a massive curved TV stretching across an entire wall, to a fully automated high-tech kitchen. Most special of all was the dedicated research room located at the end of the hallway.
— "Ohhh my god!" Loona squealed in amazement the moment she pushed open the lab door, her eyes shining brightly. — "Look at this! It's packed with top-tier equipment specifically made for inventing and testing!"
Shin strolled around the living room, scratching his head as he looked up at the surrounding walls, letting out an exclamation:
— "You sure have a lot of pictures of black holes hanging up, little brother! Counting roughly, I've already seen more than twenty of them since we got here!"
Jingchen, reclining on the comfortable sofa, casually shrugged and replied:
— "I'm passionate about black holes, bro! They're the most perfect masterpiece in the universe."
Kento pulled out a premium cigarette, lit it, and leisurely exhaled a plume of white smoke before leaning back into the sofa. Loona was like a child who had just won the grand prize, skipping happily around the lab, touching everything and peering everywhere. With this arsenal of state-of-the-art equipment, she could research and create the most overpowered tech creations to her heart's content. In a corner of the living room, Ling Mo found an interesting manga and quietly sat down in his own chair to read.
Reining in his playful demeanor, Jingchen turned his gaze toward Shin:
— "Now that our group has a temporary base here, do you have any next steps in mind, Leader?"
Shin stopped in his tracks, looking around at his teammates before speaking in a low, sincere voice:
— "I want Zero Horizon to grow and expand into a true power. But to be completely honest, I don't have a concrete plan just yet. We're still critically short on manpower. However, my ultimate goal is for Zero Horizon to be strong enough to change the unfair rules of this generation."
Shin looked out the window, his eyes filled with determination and warmth:
— "I want our Zero Horizon to be a true home. A place without racial discrimination, without class divisions, where everyone is equal. A place where unfortunate souls, no matter where they roam, will always have a shared home welcoming them back with open arms."
Hearing this, Jingchen raised an eyebrow and teased with a soft laugh:
— "Pretty poetic there, Leader!"
Shin blinked in surprise, but before he could defend himself, Jingchen continued in a worldly, reflective tone:
— "But I like the way you think. I used to be very weak too. People used to laugh and mock my weird obsession with black holes. But I proved to everyone that as long as you doggedly pursue your passion, what you get back is a deeply rewarding result. Just like planting a tree day and night and tending to it carefully until you harvest the sweet fruit."
Jingchen smiled at Shin, his eyes brimming with trust:
— "And now, I have a shared home too. We're family now!"
Shin smiled, giving a firm nod:
— "Zero Horizon will never abandon any unfortunate soul!"
The story has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.
— "Though... the reality is that we're pretty short on manpower," Jingchen clicked his tongue. — "So let me give everyone a quick rundown of the current situation in the New Human Central District!"
Shin clapped his hands excitedly:
— "Great idea! Let's get right to it!"
Loona was so absorbed in the modern machinery inside the lab that she excused herself to stay inside and test out some newly acquired knowledge, skipping the living room gathering.
By now, several plates of fresh fruit were laid out on the glass coffee table in the living room. True to his lazy nature, Jingchen didn't even bother standing up. He simply manipulated air currents with a touch of spatial Sophion energy, shaping them into floating miniature models in midair so everyone could easily visualize the details.
— "Currently, the Central District is divided into many different sectors, each possessing a distinct cultural identity." Jingchen explained as he made the model rotate. — "Where we stand right now is the core planet of the 10-Planet Federation, directly managed and ruled by humans. A wide diversity of races lives here, and naturally, it concentrates countless top-tier Sophion-controlling geniuses."
Kento flicked his cigarette ash, raising an eyebrow in curiosity:
— "If that many powerhouses are gathered in one place, how has this city not been blown to bits yet? Are they being suppressed?"
Jingchen waved his hand:
— "No, not quite. Rather, there are 5 guardians here representing the Federation's absolute order. If anyone intends to cause trouble or severe destruction to the city, this group will immediately deploy. At best, you get thrown in prison; at worst, you get executed on the spot."
Shin frowned and asked:
— "If so... are they entirely Federation personnel?"
— "Spot on," Jingchen nodded. — "They all belong to the Federation's military forces. Among these 5, the strongest is Qin Wuhuang—a genius hailing from China, whom people liken to the Solitary Moon Blade."
Hearing that name, Kento narrowed his eyes slightly, recalling something:
— "I've heard of that guy. He showed up at the underground arena once, but because he found his opponent too boring, he conceded defeat and walked out. Nobody knows what he looks like because he always wears a mask."
Jingchen clicked his tongue:
— "Makes sense, he rarely bothers showing his face! But anyway, those 5 Federation figures aren't our concern right now. In the Central District, there are plenty of lone-wolf monsters currently operating who are perfect recruits for our organization!"
Jingchen's spatial projection instantly shifted, displaying images of three potential targets:
— "First, in the hybrid-race sector, there's a name currently making massive waves: Roxy Vance. She's one of the rare elite individuals with peak Sophion control. Word has it she was once the leader of a revolution for disenfranchised weak races, hailed as the Strongest of Galaxy G-3256."
Ling Mo glanced up briefly from his manga, nodding in acknowledgement.
— "Next is the Mikami sibling duo, Mikami Ren and Mikami Rei. Even though they head a well-known gang, the two of them prefer operating entirely solo without taking on any subordinates."
— "And finally..." Jingchen pointed to the third model. — "The Strongest of Galaxy G-7921: Kwon Tae-Joon. He's the successor and direct disciple of the World Muay Thai Legend! These are the three target options I think are extremely prime for us to recruit. What do you all think?"
Without hesitation, Shin stood up and decisively assigned the targets:
— "I want to personally go meet Roxy and recruit her!"
Kento smirked arrogantly, stubbing out his cigarette:
— "The Mikami siblings, huh? Leave them to Kento!"
Shin turned to look at Ling Mo sitting in the corner:
— "Ling Mo, that leaves Tae-Joon for you, alright?"
SWOOSH!
The moment he heard the name of Tae-Joon's master, Ling Mo snapped his manga shut. His eyes, usually cold as ice, suddenly blazed with an unprecedented wave of excitement. He leaped to his feet, speaking with a voice trembling with enthusiasm:
— "I... I can't wait to meet him! That Muay Thai legend is Grandmaster อาจารย์ ยอดพยัคฆ์ เดชาสิงห์ (A-jarn Yodpayak Dechasingha)!"
Shin stared with wide eyes at his teammate's rare expression, breaking into a teasing laugh:
— "Good lord! Is a hurricane coming or something for Ling Mo to get this excited? After hanging out with you for so long, this is the very first time I've ever seen you fanboy over someone!"
Ling Mo made no attempt to deny it, his face displaying unreserved pride:
— "I'm a die-hard fan of his! Now that I have the chance to clash with his personal disciple, how could I not be thrilled?! I'm talking about a World Fighting Arena Legend!"
Shin chuckled, spreading his hands open:
— "Alright, let's do it! Then that locks in our candidate list!"
Kento, Ling Mo, and Jingchen chimed in together:
— "LOCKED IN!"
As the four of them were happily discussing the locations and coordinates of each character in detail, Shin suddenly remembered something and turned to ask Jingchen:
— "Ah, right, Jingchen—do you know who Yoon Chae-Won is? She once covered a massive 700,000 Sophion Coin compensation bill for me!"
Hearing that, Jingchen clicked his tongue and shook his head in surrender:
— "Beats me! This rising figure has very little info on the underground network. But... a young heiress randomly splashing 700,000 Coins just to bail you out... maybe she's into you, Leader!"
Kento immediately elbowed his brother, joining in with a delighted grin:
— "Oho! Sounds like we're getting a sister-in-law soon, Shin!"
Shin's face instantly flushed crimson with embarrassment, his cheeks puffing up as he frantically waved his hands, laughing and scolding them:
— "Whoa! You two are talking utter nonsense! She helped me out just because she found me interesting!"
CLACK... CLICK!
Right at that moment, the lab door swung open. Loona stepped out with her face smudged with black soot, yet her eyes were beaming with joy. In her hands, she held a giant glass syringe filled with a liquid that continuously shifted color from purple to green to pink.
— "Tada! Look, everyone, I just finished making a new experimental medicine!"
Kento stared at the syringe as thick as a forearm, cold sweat beading on his forehead:
— "Uh... Loona... why is that needle so huge? And why is the liquid inside constantly changing color?!"
Loona flashed an innocent yet dangerously sinister smile, raising her chin slightly as she answered:
— "Hehe, the lab is currently facing a severe shortage of test subjects... But no worries! Since you big brothers are right here, you can be my test subjects instead!"
Xie Jingchen stared blankly at the massive syringe, gulping loudly before whispering into Shin's ear:
— "I have a suggestion... I think we should get the hell out of here right now!"
Shin nodded, trembling in agreement:
— "I think... you're absolutely right!"
All three guys turned around to dash for the door, but Loona swiftly pressed a button on a handheld remote, instantly raising an energy wall that sealed off the escape route. Stepping closer, she flashed her trademark smile:
— "My beloved big brothers... where do you think you're escaping to?!"
End of Chapter 36