Chapter 91

The girl, feeling down, sat at the head of her neatly made bed, her fingers caressing the soft bedding, gazing out the window at the setting sun. Since she could remember, her life seemed to be a constant series of moves. The only exception was the time she spent in this ancient Eastern country, from the mid-summer of 1994 to the Grain Rain season of 2000—those not quite six years of her childhood.

In this country, she met her first friend. Two people who were completely different, a wild boy and a well-behaved girl, unexpectedly clicked. Gradually, he influenced her, and she changed him.

It was like her favorite classic cartoon, "Lady and the Tramp." Perhaps there was only a slight difference: they were childhood sweethearts, going to school together, playing pranks, reading comics, playing games, running around in the fields and alleys, talking about everything until the sun set and the stars rose. Time passed without end, and the carefree two never thought such days would come to an end.

Even a super disaster like the fall of a starship did not separate them; instead, it deepened their bond, turning them from best friends into inseparable family. The girl shared her mother with the boy, and the boy shared with her unimaginable alien products. They started as best friends, then classmates, and then siblings. Perhaps in the not-too-distant future, they would naturally become a couple.

Until her father's sudden appearance disrupted everything. And to achieve his goals, he planned to use her relationship with the boy.

If it weren't for her father's words a few hours earlier, she might have already been eagerly searching the entire campus for the person she had most wanted to see in recent years.

But everything was part of her father's plan. Whether it was her mother, herself, or Li Pu, they were all pawns in his scheme.

China, which had hit a bottleneck in the research of alien heritage, would soon ask her to assist in the decryption and development of the alien heritage. Whether she chose not to cooperate or asked Li Pu for help, information about the alien heritage and their relationship would leak out.

Option one: If she refused to cooperate or only translated the language without any real action, then Di Tianxia, who already knew about the standard God Warrior equipment on Li Pu's chest, might directly reveal this information, making Li Pu a target for all major forces around the world—her father had already hinted at this.

In that case, Li Pu, without any background, might be "imprisoned" by China. Her father's main opponents, upon learning this news, would likely come to China to seize the only boy who could possibly activate the "alien heritage," leading to a conflict involving the Qianlong faction.

Result: Di Tianxia, win.

Option two: If she cooperated but only translated the language, the activation of the alien heritage might still leak, just a bit later.

In that case, if she were in the open and Li Pu in the shadows, she might have a little privilege due to her family background. But once her father's main opponents learned this news, they would still likely come to China to seize the only boy who could possibly activate the "alien heritage," leading to a conflict involving the Qianlong faction.

The result would be the same: Di Tianxia, win.

What frustrated her most was that once this information was revealed, there would be no place in the world where Li Pu could truly be safe. The boy with the God Warrior equipment was a key that all countries wanted to obtain—the only key to unlock the alien heritage. Even if "killing" him wouldn't transfer the God Warrior equipment to others, any force trying to obtain alien technology would not hesitate to try other means.

The main reason her father did not choose this path might not be due to any moral considerations, but because of her.

—Through her, he could better utilize and control Li Pu.

This made the girl particularly sad and angry.

"Aili, you're a smart girl, you'll make the best choice," her father said confidently, gently touching her cheek as she glared at him.

Chen Xian took a deep breath, her delicate chest rising and falling. Yes, she was a smart girl, and even if she was angry, she knew what was right.

She picked up a few photos scattered on the bed, her amethyst eyes scanning the sealed objects in the photos. These photos were of part of the alien heritage successfully salvaged by China, information obtained with great effort by the Wisdom Snake.

Chen Xian could read the alien script on the sealed objects. When her father asked her to translate it, she deliberately threw a tantrum and didn't speak, but her eyes had already memorized what the differently sized boxes represented.

The alien spaceship that fell into the Pacific four years ago seemed to be a cargo ship. The sealed boxes salvaged from the sea clearly marked the brand, production planet, and model of various products. Civilizations that had joined the Pan-Civilization Commercial Alliance, most of which had adopted personal terminal modules (fitness, medical, internet, finance, transactions, personal information records, and even weapons) provided by Wan Zong Mo, allowed any legal user equipped with such a terminal to access various Alliance products through the terminal system, based on permission levels.

The clear spy photos showed smaller boxes containing luxury space elixirs "Dale Wu Handmade Ice Burst Liquid." The largest box contained self-governing micro-engineering units produced by the Zelians. Another box contained the "Five-Faced Venerable Triangular Star Gate System" from the planet Kunteisa (with a small advertisement: a portable star gate system developed and improved by the Kunteisa technology master "Five-Faced Venerable," Pan-Civilization Commercial Alliance quality certified, popular in the Orion Star Cluster, usable by carbon-based, silicon-based, and even etheric life forms, with adjustable door sizes. Five-Faced Venerable Star Gate System, safely connecting you, me, and him!). There were also several boxes of various medical products, such as anti-aging agents and gene stabilizers.

Her father had said it was "comparable to another industrial revolution." Chen Xian thought, but he still underestimated these alien technologies.

This was an opportunity for the human race, still at the late stage of the Enlightenment Civilization, to advance significantly into the Expansion Civilization, with deep space exploration barely reaching the nearest satellite or moon. They could directly use the advanced technologies of space civilizations that had dominated the stars for countless millennia, without the need for painstaking research and development.

Because of this obvious conclusion, she fully understood why her father chose China.

It wasn't just because of her or "trust in China." Only by choosing China did her opportunistic father have a chance.

The Wisdom Snake, no matter how powerful, was ultimately a profit-driven transcontinental organization with fewer than a hundred core members. They could meddle in the shadows, but they couldn't directly confront the military power of China, the United States, or the European Union. Even if they possessed the alien heritage, they might not be able to keep it warm before being taken down by the combined efforts of various countries.

So, even the Wisdom Snake had to choose a country to rely on.

On this planet, the countries with the capability and resources to develop the "alien heritage" were, in order, the United States, the European Union, the Russian Federation, and China.

The problem was that the location where the alien spaceship fell a few years ago was too delicate. The European Union and the Russian Federation were too far away, only able to watch helplessly from afar. As for Japan and South Korea, they had mostly given the salvaged alien heritage to the United States. This meant that the only countries with the potential for independent development were China and the United States.

If it were the most powerful United States, and they made significant progress in the research of the alien heritage, other countries could only envy and hate. In front of the strongest empire in Earth's history, her father would have no room to maneuver. The United States might take all the benefits, securing their position as the dominant power in the solar system for the next thousand years.

As for China, if they didn't make any significant progress, it would be fine. But if they did, the immense pressure from the United States and its allies would suddenly appear. Countries that had been eager to get involved in the alien heritage but had no chance would likely support China in exchange for a share of the research.

At that point, China might use other countries to counter the United States. When all the countries were arguing over the alien heritage, her father, as part of this interest vortex, would have more opportunities to speculate.

China could not refuse, because even in the worst-case scenario, it would still be better than letting the Americans have the heritage. Other countries, besides the United States and Raven King, would also be happy to see this. Only in this way would they have a chance to get a piece of the pie.

This was her father's strategy, satisfying both sides' interests and even considering the potential neutral parties, with only the United States and Raven King losing out. As for why her father was so focused on targeting Raven King and the United States, that was another question.

The fifteen-year-old girl suddenly clenched her fists, her beautiful face with cherry lips tightly pursed, her starry eyes flashing, as if she had made a decision.

She pushed open the door and walked out. The tall, young soldier with a cold and elegant appearance immediately approached.

Chen Xian remembered his name, Ji Wangyue, responsible for protecting her safety at school.

"Do you want to go somewhere?" Ji Wangyue asked the girl gently with a somewhat neutral, clear voice.

"I want to find someone. He should be a new student here. His name is Li Pu," Chen Xian said, her hands clasped in front of her chest, not very skillfully hiding her anticipation.

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"Aunt Xin, no matter what, the best thing is that we've reunited," Li Pu shrugged carefree and said sincerely, "As for any schemes or strategies, I can deal with them as they come. Xiao Xian really has nothing to worry about." He chuckled, "When I see her, I'll definitely rub her face and tell her I'm her big brother, and an awesome one at that, and I'll be even more awesome in the near future! So she really has nothing to worry about."

As long as he could reunite with the only family he cared about, he didn't care about Di Tianxia's schemes or the power struggles over the alien heritage. If they wanted to use him, let them. He wasn't a prude, and from compromise to mutual exploitation, who was afraid of whom!

To cooperate with the government? No problem. To help Di Tianxia gain benefits? It could be negotiated. His bottom line was simple: he didn't want to live alone anymore. The warmth and intimacy of having a mother and a sister, the feeling of being needed and needing, he absolutely didn't want to lose again.

"Even if you say you're awesome, Xiao Xian has grown up. You might feel a bit awkward rubbing her face when you see her," Chen Xin always liked Li Pu's openness, "Xiao Xian and I live in the teachers' apartment. By the way, I'm temporarily the school nurse. If you ever want to skip class, come to the nurse's office to sleep."

"Uh, the nurse's office?" Li Pu's expression was strange. This special school had far more injuries and illnesses than other schools. If Aunt Xin was in the nurse's office, it might be packed.

Following Chen Xin to the teachers' residential area, she stopped and looked at her room from a distance, "Xiao Wang is not here. He must have taken Xiao Xian to find you."

"Xiao Wang?" Li Pu blinked. Could it be that genius who was the top in physical fitness, rarely at school, and always interned with the Qianlong commander?

"Yes, he's a rare combat genius, responsible for Xiao Xian's safety at school. Without you, he might have been the best in Asia. Your skill in using soft force to shatter leaves is on par with his in terms of technique, but you're younger," Chen Xin smiled and glanced at Li Pu, pleased to see the child she had watched grow up excel.

They walked back to the student dormitory and saw many people gathered and chattering from a distance.

Among them were Yan Xiaoyan and Tang Youyou. She seemed a bit down and didn't come to greet Li Pu, just giving him a forced smile.

Tang Youyou, however, ran over excitedly and said, "Oh no, Xiao Wang has a new girlfriend!"

"Uh?" Li Pu's facial muscles twitched in annoyance.

"She's a beautiful foreign girl! Like she stepped out of an anime," the young Tang Youyou, with poor language skills, was clearly excited about the prospect of monopolizing her sister, "She's so perfect for Xiao Wang, even Sister Yan is afraid to talk to him... Wow!"

The little girl hugged her head, tears welling up in her eyes, pouting, "Why did you hit my head again..."

Li Pu ignored the unfortunate百合小萝莉 (young girl with a百合 (yuri) inclination) and looked toward the building below. About a hundred meters away, a beautiful girl in a British-style summer dress, with a cool, minimalist style that perfectly matched her classical hairstyle, and wearing white Greek sandals, stood next to a tall, handsome young man in a military uniform.

They noticed each other at the same time.

Seeing Li Pu from a distance, the handsome young man raised an eyebrow, his eyes flickering, as if he had recognized something. The girl's eyes widened, and she gradually quickened her pace, then ran over.

The girl ran up to Li Pu, stopping very close to him.

If they hadn't grown up together; if they didn't share the same comic book interests; if he hadn't protected her during the disaster; if they hadn't shared the most wonderful secrets; if they hadn't been siblings under the same roof; if they hadn't been separated at the height of their close relationship...

All these "ifs" intertwined into an unbreakable bond. All the worries that had been swirling in her mind disappeared, and Chen Xian took a deep breath, gently punching Li Pu's chest, playfully saying, "Brother... long time no see."

—Long time no see, my only star.

The girl didn't say these words, but she looked at the boy in front of her with eyes full of affection. She had inherited the best features of her parents, combining the delicate beauty of an Eastern girl with the more defined features of a Western girl. Although she was still a bit smaller in some aspects compared to Class President Xia'er, she was just right. The beauty that had been evident since childhood was now beginning to bloom.

Li Pu's heart skipped a beat, his nostrils flaring. With his heightened senses, he could clearly smell the unique, gentle scent of Xiao Xian, similar to the one in his memory but with a new, slightly disconcerting quality.

He raised his hand and then subtly lowered it.

Aunt Xin was right; he felt a bit awkward about naturally rubbing the face of the girl in front of him, as he used to do when they were younger.

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