The hotel, 9:00 AM—
Zhou Tianming stretched like a kitten, letting out a contented sigh as he woke. Opening his eyes, he found Zhou Hanxiang's bed empty.
While washing up, Hanxiang returned carrying bags of Chinese breakfast. They sat by the small white round table near the window, eating and chatting while watching the bustling street outside.
"You should go." Hanxiang's words came abruptly.
Tianming turned from the window, puzzled. "You're free to pursue what you want now," she clarified.
Initial joy gave way to unease—like a kite string suddenly released, leaving him adrift. His smile faded into silent contemplation.
Noticing his solemn expression, Hanxiang chuckled. "What's wrong? Weren't you always demanding independence? Now you look lost."
Trapped between resenting supervision and fearing its absence, Tianming awkwardly gulped his soy milk.
Gazing out the window, Hanxiang said distantly, "I'll be busy soon—no time to watch over you."
"I don't need watching! I'm perfectly well-behaved," he retorted.
"Remember your past antics," she countered with a glare.
"Ha..." Mouth stuffed with a meat bun, Tianming chewed vigorously.
After swallowing, he asked curiously, "What will keep you busy?"
"Your grandfather connected me with Mr. Hua Bolin. I'll study medicine under him."
"Hua Bolin? Who's that?"
"Ignorant child!" Hanxiang fumed. "Chief of Medical Division Hua! How could you live in East Asia and not know?"
Turning away sheepishly: "I was focused on studies! Mechanical engineering and programming aren't medical fields."
Seeing her open mouth, Tianming hastily deflected: "Study hard, Mom. Then I won't need appointments—doctor's family privileges!"
Hanxiang fell silent, watching him intently. When no reply came, Tianming peeked sideways to find sorrow in her eyes.
"Mom—"
Leaning forward, she touched his cheek. "You've grown so tall without me noticing."
Her cool palm against his face trapped Tianming's question in his throat. Memories surfaced, revealing the source of her sadness.
They were parting ways...
He placed his hand over Zhou Hanxiang's: "Mom, take care of yourself."
"Mmm."
After breakfast, the two headed to the Spaceport.
In the waiting lounge, they shared a tight embrace before parting.
Zhou Hanxiang walked straight ahead without looking back, her gaze resolute as she stared forward. "I will find a way—I swear it!"
Watching her figure gradually disappear from view, Zhou Tianming felt a pang of sorrow, his eyes growing slightly warm.
One minute later, Zhou Tianming bounded out of the Spaceport with a beaming smile.
Not that their bond wasn't deep—it was just that freedom smelled too sweet!
An hour later, Zhou Tianming had the unmanned car take him to the Copernicus City Library.
Stepping out, he shot the vehicle a disdainful look and slapped the door twice with his palm. "The moment we leave East Asia, you forget all the rules. No wonder we can't let White Rabbit get too close to you lot—you're a bad influence!"
[Please refrain from damaging the vehicle. Repair fees will apply for any damages, and we reserve the right to pursue legal action…]
Rolling his eyes, Zhou Tianming ignored it and strode into the library.
The Copernicus City Library appeared old and poorly maintained, with stains splattered haphazardly across the walls.
It was clear some cleaning had been done, but the effort was half-hearted.
At a glance, the building had only two floors and wasn't particularly large, with each floor spanning roughly 300 square meters.
The air carried a musty odor from the books and wooden shelves, sharp enough to sting the nose.
The library was eerily quiet, with only a few uniformed staff members shuffling about—no visitors in sight.
Yet Zhou Tianming was thoroughly pleased. This was exactly the kind of place that felt like a treasure hunt.
Ever since stumbling upon valuable finds in the Junk Guild's treasure troves, he had made a habit of frequenting these old bookstores and libraries.
Rolling up his sleeves, he got to work.
Time slipped through his fingers like sand. By the time Zhou Tianming resurfaced from the sea of books, it was already past 4 p.m.
Having eaten only breakfast, his stomach growled in protest. He set down a yellowed-paged journal and exhaled a long breath.
His findings were… peculiar. He'd need to dig deeper into related materials over the next few days.
Leaving the library, the crisp outside air hit him, making him acutely aware of the musty stench clinging to his clothes.
After a quick shower back at the hotel, he headed out in search of food.
Over the following days, Zhou Tianming settled into a routine, shuttling back and forth between these two locations.
News of the [Spaceship Expo] incident had also broken. The city government was scrambling with PR while collaborating with the Atlantic Space Force to track down Black Tortoise's whereabouts.
Footage of its final Billiard Maneuver had been released, leaving the public in awe.
These days, it was impossible to walk down the street without overhearing discussions about it.
Some outright called it fake, insisting such a feat was impossible.
A faction of younger folks hailed Black Tortoise as a heroic, downright legendary figure, showering it with hyperbolic praise.
Zhou Tianming scrolled through the comments, stifling laughter.
Meanwhile, certain media outlets lambasted the Atlantic Space Force for firing upon a civilian spaceship, interviewing grieving family members of the victims. Seeing their heartbroken expressions, Zhou Tianming sighed.
The whole thing was a mess. Had the ship crashed into Copernicus City, the damage would've been far worse. But since it didn't, the undeniable fact remained—a civilian vessel had been destroyed.
Reports also mentioned that some colonel had directly issued the firing order, though due to confidentiality, their identity hadn't been disclosed.
Zhou Tianming sneered maliciously upon seeing it—Atlantic officers, huh? Not surprising they'd pull something like this.
Amidst the clamor, a week quietly passed.
Copernicus City Library—
Six or seven open books lay scattered across the wooden table in front of Zhou Tianming. He skimmed through them, flipping pages here and there, then copied the contents onto a sheet of white paper before him.
After a while, he plopped back into his chair.
Picking up the paper, he scrutinized it and muttered, "Who would've thought? After going in circles, we're back to that again."
Two days prior, Zhou Tianming had stumbled upon a note buried in a mountain of books—
CE22: We discovered a miraculous substance—metallic in appearance yet liquid in form. Research revealed it to be a synthetic metal with 50% unknown composition. It emits light when living organisms approach.
The description had immediately electrified Zhou Tianming. His Psycho-responsive Framework might finally have a solution.
Yet research materials on this substance were exceedingly scarce. Back then, it seemed there were no viable applications, and its rarity led to the research being abandoned.
Zhou Tianming sought the origin of this material but found no records. The institute that once handled it had shut down over 30 years ago.
The trail had gone cold.
But when he used [Analyze] to organize the data, a new direction emerged—searching for unusual events during the same period.
This substance had never been discovered before, meaning it must have appeared in an unexplored, undeveloped location.
Thus, identifying newly developed areas in Cosmic Space around Earth during those years would likely lead him to it.
Tracing back from CE22, a target soon surfaced.
Records described how, in CE15, a previously unseen asteroid belt suddenly appeared near Earth's L3 point. Investigation revealed most of the meteors contained rare and precious metals, prompting the construction of a nearby Satellite for mining operations.
Following the timeline to the present, a familiar name leaped out—Junk Guild.