Chapter 23: Twenty-Third Day of Lying Flat Like a Salted Fish

Goudan froze. “Maybe I should take the starship with me when I go to dump the trash?”

“Not every part of a starship is useful.” Siming already had the ship’s schematics memorized, and he spoke with absolute confidence. “I’ll leave the essential parts for you. I’ll strip the unnecessary ones first and keep them here to process slowly.”

“Is that so?” Goudan thought about it and decided there didn’t seem to be anything wrong with that, so he raised no objections.

Lu Yuan tilted his head slightly but said nothing.

Over the next two days, both Goudan and Siming became extremely busy.

Goudan was busy leading his people through the trash sorting process.

Goudan had no grand pursuit of fairness or equality. Although he had followed Lu Yuan for over a year, the part of him that was once a local tyrant still remained.

He might have a kind side, but he wasn’t that kind.

So, even though Goudan knew the trash included portions meant for the other five sectors, he had no intention of dividing it into six equal shares. He meticulously calculated the types and quantities of the refuse, keeping as many good things as possible for his own people.

As for the other five places…

As long as they were guaranteed enough to survive, that would suffice.

Lu Yuan offered no judgment on this.

People from a certain place have their own way of survival and their own set of values.

The people of the Desolate Planet were accustomed to the law of the jungle. As a strongman, the fact that Goudan was willing to consider the survival of the weak was, in a sense, already an act of mercy. Lu Yuan respected his choice and held no higher expectations for him.

There was no need to.

After all, Lu Yuan’s efforts to renovate this place and guide Goudan were essentially just to make his own life more comfortable. He was that kind of selfish person.

He would try to change certain things, but the goal would never be “for the good of others,” but merely for his own comfort and convenience. He had always been too lazy to bother with people or matters that had nothing to do with him.

Everyone has the right and duty to manage themselves, but no responsibility to manage others. This was Lu Yuan’s code of conduct.

–

Siming was also busy.

Busy dismantling the starship.

Dragging Blacksmith Old Fourth along, the two of them set to work on the already aging starship. In just two days, they had stripped away a significant number of components.

Perhaps “components” wasn’t the right word.

They were massive sections.

The two escape pods were removed entirely.

Seeming certain that nothing could happen to Goudan as long as Lu Yuan was around, Siming was incredibly bold and didn’t hesitate for a second when he yanked the escape pods out.

Since the escape pods were gone, the defense system was useless too.

Once the defense system was dismantled, the communication system, various lighting systems, climate control, and more were stripped away one by one.

…

Consequently, when Goudan saw the Garbage Ship again, it had practically become a literal, oversized piece of junk.

Almost nothing remained but the propulsion system and a skeletal frame.

Goudan: “?”

What the hell is this?

My massive starship… how did it suddenly turn into this?

Siming gave him a bright, sunny smile. “I left all the essential parts for you.”

Goudan: “???”

“Essential parts”?

The conversation from two days ago echoed in his ears. Goudan suddenly realized how naive he had been.

Siming ordered the nearby workers to start loading the cargo.

Goudan: “…”

Goudan didn’t want to speak.

Goudan couldn’t speak.

Siming smiled.

Seeing the loading completed, Siming patted Goudan on the shoulder. “Brother Gou, have a safe trip and come back soon!”

“Go to hell!” Goudan snapped irritably. “You… you’ve stripped it down to this! How am I supposed to go anywhere in this bucket of bolts?”

“It’s fine,” Siming reassured him. “I had Lu Yuan inspect it. It can fly.”

“What good is Lu Yuan’s inspection!” Goudan’s voice grew louder. “He crossed half the universe to get here in a piece of junk that had lost control! Is that something a normal person can do? Is that something I can do?”

“Brother Gou, you can do it!” Siming said with a face full of trust. “Besides, at least yours hasn’t lost control yet.”

“You even stripped the ceiling panels! If this thing flies, the wind will kill me!” Goudan grabbed Siming and leaped onto the starship. He looked up and saw nothing but open sky.

“Cough,” Siming almost couldn’t hold back his laughter. “We specifically left you a mimetic canopy. Isn’t it refreshing to be able to see the sky just by looking up?”

Goudan raised a fist to punch Siming in the face. Siming laughed and dodged to the side. Goudan was about to follow up with another punch when he suddenly froze.

“Don’t worry.”

Was that Lu Yuan’s voice?

Goudan was stunned. He looked around but couldn’t see Lu Yuan anywhere.

“As long as there’s a propulsion system, it’s enough,” Lu Yuan’s voice said, sounding as if he were standing right there. “I’ll handle any other issues. Don’t worry about safety.”

“Are you talking to me with Mental Power?” Goudan asked. “Mental Power can be used like this?”

“Most people can’t,” Lu Yuan replied. “I only learned because my Mental Power is strong enough and I had a friend help me. It’s a bit of a hassle, so I don’t use it often.”

“…But you’d rather choose a ‘hassle’ like this than just walk over here yourself?”

“Mm…” Lu Yuan hesitated strangely for a moment before explaining, “I’ll be keeping in touch with you via Mental Power for the next while. If there’s any danger, I’ll do my best to handle it.

“If there’s a danger I can’t handle, then the Garbage Ship’s original defense system probably wouldn’t have been much use anyway.”

“So you really were just too lazy to walk over and tell me this in person!” Goudan complained.

The Garbage Ship hadn’t been moved; it was still in the middle of the junkyard where it had first landed. The distance from Lu Yuan’s little shop was indeed not short.

Lu Yuan stopped talking.

Goudan could do nothing about him. He rolled his eyes at Siming. “Aren’t you leaving? Or are you coming with me to dump the trash?”

Siming smiled. “I’m going now.”

Goudan: “…”

Watching him disembark, Goudan took several deep breaths to calm himself. Looking at the ruins around him, he felt caught between tears and laughter. He shook his head helplessly.

Waiting until the original captain and crew were aboard, and confirming once more that Lu Yuan was still “present,” Goudan watched as the captain pressed the takeoff button.

As the dilapidated starship wobbled into the air, Goudan completely pushed aside the shock and speechlessness Siming had caused. Gazing at the sky and clouds drawing closer, a sense of liberation actually did rise in Goudan’s heart.

On the ship, several people Goudan had brought along to help—curious about the other sectors—let out cries of delight.

Goudan’s filming crew had already set up their cameras, capturing this historic moment.

And there stood Goudan—the new Captain Gou—standing in the control room with his hands behind his back, trying his best to look like a towering, dignified figure.

–

When Siming returned to Lu Yuan’s shop, the place was lively.

Lu Yuan and Zhu Rong were playing a mecha game Lu Yuan had designed himself, linked up in co-op.

This had become a common sight. Zhu Rong was very talented, especially at this mecha game. She picked it up quickly, played well, and had a lively mind, always coming up with novel maneuvers that impressed Lu Yuan.

In the past month or so, she had become Lu Yuan’s regular gaming partner. He was even more satisfied with her than with Siming.

Nearby, the teenagers from the small band were laughing and chatting as they pulled out one record after another to listen to.

A bit further away, Blacksmith Old Fourth had built a new structure near Lu Yuan’s shop. The parts stripped from the Garbage Ship were piled there. Old Fourth was holed up inside, the sound of his clanging tools constant as he worked on who-knows-what.

Everyone was busy with their own things. No one paid Siming any mind when he walked in.

So, he walked over to the counter on his own and looked at Lu Yuan curiously. “Splitting off your Mental Power to follow Goudan… it doesn’t seem to affect you at all?”

“It doesn’t.” While playing the game, Lu Yuan easily spared the attention to answer. “Why would it? It’s no big deal.”

“I thought normal people needed to concentrate when using Mental Power,” Siming said.

In fact, he had always assumed Lu Yuan needed to as well. Whenever Lu Yuan used Mental Power, he would usually focus visibly, sometimes even closing his eyes.

But now it seemed that wasn’t necessary?

“I do need to for delicate work,” Lu Yuan thought for a moment. “But right now I’m just following the starship. It’s not that much trouble.”

Siming shook his head. “I’m envious.”

“Well… I suppose it’s innate,” Lu Yuan replied nonchalantly. “There’s no use being envi—”

“—ous.”

Mid-sentence, a flash of surprise crossed his eyes as he stared at the game console, and the last word came out sounding a bit strange. Rather than the “ous” that completed the previous word, it sounded more like a startled “Oh?”

Siming blinked, only to hear Zhu Rong suddenly shout, “I won!”

Sure enough, accompanied by the victory announcement, she pressed the final few buttons.

On the screen, Lu Yuan’s mecha crashed to the ground.

Siming froze. Could Lu Yuan actually lose?

Lu Yuan had already set down the game console and offered his praise. “Not bad!”

Though he had lost, his expression was cheerful as he tossed Zhu Rong a bag of snacks from the garbage ship. “Congratulations.”

Zhu Rong didn’t catch it. Still holding the console, she kept her head slightly bowed, rapidly replaying the battle in her mind. Her mental fortitude was excellent; in just a few short minutes, she had completely calmed down from the joy of victory.

“You were distracted,” she finally concluded.

“Even so, you’ve made great progress.” Lu Yuan lazily reached out and ruffled her hair. “Keep it up.”

Despite telling her to keep working at it, his eyes already shone with admiration. Not arrogant in victory, nor discouraged in defeat—this child’s mindset was truly impressive.

“Mm!” Zhu Rong looked up, her eyes sparkling.

Watching from the side, Siming let out a small smile.

However, his gaze was thoughtful.

So, using his Mental Power to follow Goudan really did have an effect on him, didn’t it?

As it turned out, there were times when he was willing to do things, even when they were such a hassle.