Chapter 26: Twenty-Sixth Day of Lying Flat Like a Salted Fish

Siming was also looking at Lu Yuan.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked.

“Huh?” Lu Yuan suddenly snapped back to reality. “Oh, I was just thinking… it’s impressive that you’re willing to help Old Fourth overturn his case.”

Siming watched him closely. “Your smile is a bit strange.”

“Is it?” Lu Yuan felt that Siming was the one being strange.

“You could get involved,” Siming said tentatively.

Lu Yuan shook his head. “I don’t want to. Too much trouble. I don’t want to reclaim my identity either. Too much trouble.”

Siming frowned.

In this moment, he actually wished Goudan were present. Goudan was far more sensitive to human emotions than he was; if Goudan were here, perhaps they could have puzzled out Lu Yuan’s thoughts together.

But alone, he couldn’t fathom why Lu Yuan had just shown that particular expression.

It looked like melancholy, yet also like envy.

But Siming couldn’t imagine what he possessed that was worth Lu Yuan’s envy.

Envious of his willingness to help Old Fourth? But Lu Yuan had clearly and proactively refused to help.

Furthermore, did a person as powerful and unrestrained as Lu Yuan really need to envy anyone?

“Why is it that you only have a way to help with this specific case?” Zhu Rong suddenly asked.

Siming’s eyes lit up.

He had long ago discovered that Zhu Rong possessed a unique sharpness regarding certain details. Some things he might eventually notice if he thought about them carefully, but Zhu Rong was always one step ahead of him.

This was perhaps why Zhu Rong could beat Lu Yuan at video games, while he still hadn’t recorded a single victory.

Does Lu Yuan have a connection to this case? Siming’s mind raced.

Though he didn’t know Lu Yuan’s exact age, when Old Fourth’s incident occurred, Lu Yuan likely hadn’t been more than ten years old.

If Lu Yuan was involved in this matter, he certainly wouldn’t have been a staff member at the research institute. In that case…

“It’s a long story,” Siming heard Lu Yuan answer from the side. “And I’m too lazy to tell it.”

Siming: “…”

Lu Yuan gave him a look that clearly said he didn’t care what they thought.

“You…” Zhu Rong started to say something, but she glanced at Lu Yuan and closed her mouth. “Fine.”

Siming thought for a moment, sighed, and fell silent as well.

He probably understood what Zhu Rong wanted to say. He was thinking the exact same thing.

• Old Fourth said his alleged crimes included conducting human experiments.

That research institute was likely performing human experimentation. And Lu Yuan, if one had to guess, was very likely one of the test subjects.

“…There’s no need.” After a brief silence, it was Old Fourth who finally answered Siming’s previous question. He shook his head. “You have your own things to do. There’s no need to waste time on people like us.”

“It’s not a waste of time!” Siming insisted.

Old Fourth’s expression remained calm. “I appreciate the sentiment. But twenty years have passed; all the evidence has surely been erased. It was the Supreme Court that sentenced us. Anyone capable of making the Supreme Court hand down a false verdict must hold a very high status.

“Even if you can leave this Desolate Planet, you’ll be a commoner at best, or even an Unregistered Citizen. You have no way to overturn my case.”

Over the past twenty years, Old Fourth had imagined the possibility of leaving the Desolate Planet, clearing his name, and returning to his former life countless times.

There was no solution.

In his myriad scenarios, not a single method could succeed.

As time passed, he had become numb.

Life is full of unexpected turns. In the beginning, a person always imagines whether life might return to how it was, back to the “right track,” but one day, he realizes there is no going back.

One can only learn to accept it – accept the present, accept the future.

That was how Old Fourth thought. That was why he could settle down here so steadily, acting as a blacksmith who repaired pots and pans.

If Lu Yuan hadn’t appeared, he might never have had the chance to touch a Starship again for the rest of his life.

“So many people live here,” Old Fourth said finally. “One more like me makes no difference.”

“…”

Siming stopped speaking.

A long time passed.

He said in a low voice, “I once met someone who might have been your colleague.”

“What did they say?” Old Fourth asked.

“It was a she. A woman. What she said was similar to you,” Siming said.

“There are so many people on the Desolate Planet. Some are guilty, but the majority are certainly innocent. Especially those born here, the native-born people of the Desolate Planet. They might not be perfect, but they are no different from anyone on the outside.”

He paused. “She said she wasn’t the only one who was wronged. Overturning the case for just one person or one incident wouldn’t mean much.

“She said what’s meaningful is finding a way to make the entire Desolate Planet a bit better, to let everyone live comfortably. To show the Empire that even the people they abandoned can live well.”

Old Fourth asked, “How is she doing?”

“Not bad,” Siming said. “She is also an Awakener. I founded an organization to find like-minded people, to train together and change things together. She is one of the founders.”

–

Evening.

People began to leave Lu Yuan’s shop one after another, Siming and Zhu Rong included.

“Tell me quietly,” Siming whispered to Zhu Rong on the way back. “What do you think?”

“Think about what?” Zhu Rong tilted her head, her voice crisp.

“About Lu Yuan. What do you think he was thinking when he smiled?”

“He told you,” Zhu Rong said.

“And besides that? What else was he thinking other than what he said?”

“Nothing.”

“…?” Siming was bewildered. “Why would he envy me because of that?”

“I don’t know,” Zhu Rong answered bluntly. “But he likes you more now. He’ll probably help you more.”

“Likes me more?”

“Mm…” Zhu Rong thought for a moment. “He probably thinks you’re very beautiful.”

“Huh?” Siming was stunned.

He knew very well that Zhu Rong’s word choices were sometimes strange. For instance, she would use the word “beautiful” in various contexts to express different meanings.

When she wanted to give a positive evaluation of something but couldn’t find the right word, she would pull that one out.

Even so, Siming found it very difficult to understand the meaning behind Zhu Rong’s sentence.

–

Aboard the drafty Garbage Ship.

Goudan was lying in the roofless cargo hold, limbs spread out in a wide starfish shape. The others were also lying there in various postures. They were all fast asleep.

Suddenly, Lu Yuan’s voice rang out in Goudan’s ear.

“Goudan!” he called.

Goudan jerked awake. “Who is it!”

The person next to him rolled over, cracked an eyelid to glance at him, and muttered, “It’s the middle of the night, what are you doing?” before closing his eyes again.

“It’s me,” Lu Yuan said at the same time.

“…” Goudan was dazed for a long while before he fully woke up. “Brother, it’s the middle of the night, what are you doing?”

His words were exactly the same as the man who had just spoken.

“Nothing much,” Lu Yuan’s tone was relaxed. “Just letting you know that from now on, you guys fly during the day, and I’ll help you fly at night. Finish dumping the garbage as fast as possible and come back quickly.”

“?” Goudan froze, his expression turning serious. “Did something happen?”

“Nothing’s wrong,” Lu Yuan said. “Just saving some fuel. It’s a waste of fuel for you guys to just drift in the air every night.”

This Starship model was too old, and the Desolate Planet wasn’t connected to the StarNet, nor did it have various man-made satellites. Consequently, the Starship couldn’t use autopilot. When everyone rested at night, it had to stop.

Taking off and landing a Starship consumed a lot of fuel. By comparison, it was more cost-effective to simply stay hovering in the air. So every night, the Starship remained suspended.

This still consumed some fuel, though not much.

Goudan found this quite perplexing.

He didn’t know how easy it was for Lu Yuan to pilot the Starship using Mental Power, but regardless, given Lu Yuan’s laziness, he certainly wouldn’t do such a thing lightly.

It wasn’t worth the effort. It didn’t fit Lu Yuan’s…

“Philosophy.”

“Why are you suddenly being so frugal?” he asked. “We aren’t short on this much fuel, are we?”

“We are,” Lu Yuan said succinctly. “I want to send Siming and the others off the Desolate Planet as soon as possible. I need to save some fuel for them to use when they leave.”