Chapter 287: Eden

Hook no longer had his lofty bearing now that he was all tied up in the middle of a hall, with even a few needles stuck to his nose—courtesy of someone who had wanted to humiliate him in this way, which were so tightly packed they were blocking his airways and forcing him to breathe through the mouth.

While his nose was large, his mouth was small, so he was currently panting laboriously like a dying man, for the air he was getting through the mouth could seemingly not supply his body with enough oxygen.

The battle was one-sided. Hook’s men easily outnumbered the once-imprisoned warriors in the Blood Matrix. Hook’s men were well-equipped and well-trained, whereas many of these warriors from the Blood Matrix were injured, with most having scrawny physiques and gaunt faces from long-term suffering and imbalanced diet, which had led to severe malnutrition.

However, these just-freed warriors had managed to take out Hook’s elite force in such an unfair battle, and the key to this was their mentality. The mentality of fighting to earn money was completely different from the mentality of fighting to regain freedom. When death was around the corner, no one was willing to risk their lives for a monthly wage. The majority of Hook’s men had, thus, surrendered without even putting up a fight.

Xia Fei pointed at the badly battered Hook and asked, “Don’t tell me that you’re planning to give him to me? I’m not interested in him at all, but he’s tortured you all for so long, so I think it’s better for him to be left in your hands.”

Butcher smiled. “I shall gladly take him if you say so. Brothers, take him out there and deal with him as you please!”

Butcher already sounded like a leader among these warriors.

“I’ve long waited for this day!”

“You *ssh*l*, it’s payback time for all the sufferings you’ve given us!”

The group carried Hook out of the hall and threw him onto the ground in an uproar. A bloody feast soon took place. The warriors needed to vent out their anger and hatred, and Hook was the perfect target for them.

Only Xia Fei, Chen Dong, and Butcher were left in the hall.

Xia Fei said, “If there’s nothing else, I’d like to head back. Butcher, you should contact your family as soon as possible, too. It’s been so many years. Your family must be worried about you.”

Butcher nodded. “Of course, I’m going back, but it can wait. Come with me first.”

The three went to the backyard. Hook’s mansion was nothing but big. Xia Fei was surprised to find a hill in the backyard. It was not just a rockery for decoration purposes but an actual hill with flowers, plants, and a flowing stream.

A clear spring was flowing down the hill, forming a little waterfall, which was less than half a meter wide. There was a pond of clear water at the bottom of the hill, too.

Butcher brought Xia Fei and Chen Dong to the side of the pond. He pointed at the water and said, “Under here is where Butcher keeps his wealth. Most have already been taken, but we still found some nice things. We only managed to escape because of your plan, so everyone agreed to repay your kindness. Please don’t complain that it’s not enough for you.”

Xia Fei smiled. “There’s no way I’m going to turn down money and valuables. Should we go down and take a look?”

The three took a deep breath and jumped into the water. The pond was around thirty-seven meters deep. There was a secret door on the wall which was big enough for only a person to pass through at a time. A faint light was coming from it.

They swam through the door and found themselves in a small artificial pond. Xia Fei reached the surface and observed his surroundings. He saw a copper statue over ten meters embroidered with various kinds of jewels, but someone had already taken the jewels, leaving nothing but holes on the statue.

The place was already empty. Only the ventilation system was still working as it had no idea its master was dead.

“Hook’s men looted this place as soon as something went wrong with the Blood Matrix. They took most of the stuff. Luckily, we found some of his men in time, or else there wouldn’t be anything left here,” Butcher said.

Xia Fei nodded. “It’s more or less the misery of a ruthless man like Hook. He was too powerful and thought everyone would be willing to obey his order, yet his men were only listening to him out of fear. Once Hook lost his power over them, his end was all but guaranteed.”

Butcher only understood half of it. He patted Xia Fei on the shoulder and said, “Here, let me show you what the others agreed to give you.”

Butcher jumped onto the statue’s shoulder and took out a red wooden box from its head before jumping back down. It turned out that the statue’s head was hollow and was hiding something inside it.

“It’s something we found coincidentally. We believe that it’s very valuable, considering the effort put in hiding it,” Butcher said.

Xia Fei put the box away and nodded, “Thank you. Chen Dong and I will be going back. What are you planning to do?”

Butcher replied, “Many among us need some rest. After all, most of us are injured after having been trapped in the Blood Matrix for so long. Besides, we are trying to contact the Admiralty’s headquarters to get rid of this drug-producing base. We don’t want more people falling victim to the Bliss Powder.”

Xia Fei thought for a second before taking out his notepad and writing his email address on it. He tore the page off and gave it to Butcher. “Here’s my contact; I own a company in my hometown. It’s not too big, but feel free to contact me if you need any help.”

Butcher put the paper away and nodded. “Xia Fei, until next time.”

Xia Fei smiled. “You haven’t told me your real name yet.”

Butcher laughed. “Name is just an identification. You can just call me Butcher like everyone else.”

“Very well.” Xia Fei smiled. “We’ll meet again.”

…

Chen Dong’s Tristan-class frigate flew into space. He left the control room after putting the warship on autopilot and saw Xia Fei brewing tea in the pantry.

“It’s done. The destination is the capital ring. Hook’s base is hidden in a unique space. It’s impossible to search for it without the specific coordinates. Luckily, I’ve memorized them. We can leave the area in just two warps and will be able to connect to the interplanetary internet by then,” Chen Dong said.

Xia Fei poured Chen Dong a cup of tea. “Get some rest. What are you planning to do when you arrive at the capital ring?”

Chen Dong said with a grim expression and sighed, ” There are so many things to do. Do you remember me promising Moon Song to look for those strange things?”

Xia Fei nodded. “I do, but Moon Song is at the capital, too.”

“What is she doing there?” Chen Dong asked curiously.

Xia Fei replied, “Apparently, her family is preparing for her marriage with Bai Ye; it’s against her wishes obviously, but she can’t just turn her family’s request down, so she’s in a pinch.”

“Bai Ye from the training camp?”

“Yeah.”

Chen Dong shrugged. “I already knew that something was up between those two. The way Bai Ye looked at Moon Song has never been normal. I heard the Bai family and Planet Conglomerate are pretty close. I bet Moon Song isn’t afraid of the Bai family but the Li family, instead.”

Xia Fei said, “Exactly. The Li family is worse than I thought. Perhaps it’s a common issue with the upper class. They think they own everything just because they’re wealthy.”

Chen Dong frowned. “What happened? Did they do something to you?”

“No.” Xia Fei did not want to involve Chen Dong in his trouble, so he said, instead, “I heard it from Moon Song.”

Chen Dong did not think too much of it. It was unlikely that Xia Fei would have any dealings with the families at the top of the food chain.

“You did great in the Golden Finger Cup. Maybe I should rest for a while in the capital ring, too. I’ll be on my way again after the tournament. I feel exhausted from going between places lately,” Chen Dong said.

An unyielding man like Chen Dong rarely whined about hardships, but humans were not machines after all. They would feel tired eventually. If Chen Dong said that he was tired, it meant that he was seriously overwhelmed by fatigue.

Chen Dong said after a brief silence, “I can now relate to you after I’ve visited many places alone. The truth is, you don’t have to carry all the burden yourself. Moon Song is right; her illusion, my ice, and your speed are one of the best combinations. Just say it if you need my help; after all, I’ve already decided to go around places. I’m not planning to settle down any time soon.”

Xia Fei smiled. “Sure.”

He chatted with Chen Dong for a little longer and went back to his room. He was preparing to contact the others. It was already part of the standard procedure. Every time he was back, he would report to Avril first before asking about the company and Qin Mang.

There was some time left until the next warp, and right now, the interplanetary internet was still out of range, so Xia Fei decided to check the little box Butcher had given him.

There was an old-school combination lock on the box. Xia Fei simply broke the lock since he could not be bothered cracking it.

A thick smoke suddenly burst out of the box. It took Xia Fei by surprise. He quickly left the room and activated the ventilation system on the wall to draw the air within the room and cast it into space.

“What happened?”

Chen Dong came right away after the alarm went off.

Xia Fei said, “The box that Butcher gave me contains poisonous gas. Luckily, I was quick enough to leave the room in time, or else I would be poisoned by now.”

Chen Dong frowned. “Did Butcher do it on purpose? Did he give you the box because he knew it’s filled with poisonous gas?”

Xia Fei smiled. “You are being overly suspicious. He gave me the box without taking a close look at it. There’s no way for him to know that the box is booby-trapped. Besides, he wouldn’t even cooperate with me if he had any ulterior motives. He would have set me up when he had had the chance. Why would he wait until now?”

Chen Dong found Xia Fei’s analysis reasonable, so he did not ask any further.

The two went back to the control room to monitor the condition of Xia Fei’s room through the surveillance system. The warship belonged to Chen Dong’s family, so the decorations were more opulent than a commoner’s spaceship. It had everything that one expected to find, but the room was now in a total mess. The bed was ruined, even the titanium wall had holes of different sizes due to corrosion.

Xia Fei had already turned on the ventilation system right away. If he reacted any slower, the poisonous gas might even damage the warship, resulting in unimaginable consequences.

Xia Fei smiled. “I’m sorry; I’ve messed up your room.”

Chen Dong let out a sigh. “My goodness, what the hell did you even trigger? The poison is insane. Luckily, your reaction speed is on point. If it were me, there would be nothing left of me by now.”

Xia Fei shook his head helplessly. “It’s just that box Butcher gave me. How would I know it’s so dangerous?”

Chen Dong’s eyes glittered. “To think that that ordinary-looking box contains such a deadly trap. It doesn’t make sense if it only holds something ordinary inside. Perhaps Butcher did give you something valuable.”

“Let’s hope so,” Xia Fei said.

…

As a matter of fact, not only was the room damaged, the ventilation system had severely been corroded, too. Luckily, it was not too serious to influence the warship’s operation, but Chen Dong would have to spend a fortune to repair the warship. That being said, money was never a problem for the Chen family’s Empire of Frost.

Xia Fei could not enter the room for now, so he had no choice but to find another room. He was planning to tell Avril his whereabouts first.

The microcomputer finally connected to the interplanetary internet; it was showing ‘network busy’ previously.

The interplanetary internet was not the same as the one on Earth, but its nature was more or less the same, despite the large difference in technology and quality. To think that the interplanetary internet would have a problem like the network being too busy… Xia Fei was very surprised. He could not even remember the last time he had experienced something like it. It must be the first time the interplanetary internet was having congestion issues since he knew about it.

Countless notifications were popping up like a series of explosions. It was not scary to receive notifications in the Pan-Human Alliance considering the amount of information being shared every day. The scary thing was when thousands of notifications popped up at the same time.

Xia Fei frowned. It had only been three days since he boarded Lucien’s freighter until he left Hook’s territory and returned to the capital ring. What had exactly happened in such a short time for the ever-reliable interplanetary internet to have congestion issues?

He visited the biggest news website, EEC Media. It took the computer a few minutes just to load the page. Xia Fei kept seeing the same news on the page. Even the latest politics news was nowhere to be seen.

…

Over ten minutes later, Xia Fei lit a cigarette and took a deep puff from it. “It seems that something serious happened while I was away. Eden? Phantom, have you heard of it before?”

Phantom shook his head. He was just as shocked as Xia Fei was.

Chen Dong came into the room without knocking at the door. “Xia Fei, something big happened.”

Xia Fei pointed at the screen with a smile. “Are you referring to this?”

Chen Dong nodded. “That’s right; who would’ve thought that the world would have a new place called Eden in just over ten hours?”

Xia Fei said, “The universe is filled with wonders. We still know too little about it, so even the slightest whiff of trouble is enough to startle us.”

“What do you think about it?” Chen Dong asked.

Xia Fei said, “The news is mainly about the warship called Hope and the hundred and sixty-five crew members onboard it. Although the ship doesn’t belong to any of the known organizations in the Alliance, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they’re indeed from a place called Eden.

“It’s not entirely impossible that someone purposely built a strange-looking warship to trick the world. After all, in addition to the four main ship manufacturing companies, there are many others that are capable of building a warship, so I think we should wait until the official confirmation. It’s too early to assert that they’re indeed from Eden.”

Xia Fei was being rational with his analysis, but Chen Dong was slightly disappointed in it. After all, who would not want to communicate with humans from ancient times directly?

The whole incident started when the Omist star region, which was far away from the capital ring, received a strange SOS signal. The signal was not being transmitted with the usual frequencies, which the Alliance normally used, but consisted of a message asking for help in an entirely different ancient human language.

Omist was close to the boundary of the Alliance, so it was stationed with fleets of the Admiralty. The headquarters decided to send a fleet to investigate the signal and look for its source.

After searching for a few months, the search team found a strange-looking warship quite a distance away from the Alliance. The ship was in extremely bad shape as if it had gone through some of the harshest conditions.

The hundred and sixty-five crew members onboard the ship were all humans, communicating in ancient writings and languages. They claimed to have come from Eden.

According to them, Eden was mankind’s greatest discovery since ancient times. It was a rich and colorful region—a quiet and peaceful place—that did not belong to any known space and existed solitarily in the universe.

It did not have any known intelligent creatures, so humans immediately became the ruler of the region.

Thousands of humans embarked on a journey to Eden, hoping to live a better life, using an unknown wormhole.

Unfortunately, good times never lasted long. The wormhole to Eden unexpectedly became unstable and eventually collapsed. The brave migrants and adventurers were stuck in that place forever.

Since Eden was a solitary system, there were no routes to it. It was like an enclosed room that existed somewhere in the universe. The people could only navigate with their eyes, yet they could not reach other places other than Eden.

A long time had passed since then. The humans on Eden had been living alone in an unknown corner of the universe. They did not go through the period when mankind was rebuilt after it was destroyed by machines.

However, the humans in Eden had never forgotten their roots. They formed countless expeditions, trying to find a way back to where they had originated, the Venal Galaxy, but the distant trip was more difficult than anyone had ever imagined. The efforts of several generations were in vain, and countless lives were lost in every journey.

These hundred and sixty-five crew members were the first batch of residents from Eden who had succeeded in reaching the Pan-Human Alliance. The whole Alliance burst into an uproar after their arrival and subsequently resulted in Eden entering the limelight.

“The information we have is too limited. We will have to wait until our Alliance’s fleet returns with them, but for the time being, I will remain cautiously optimistic,” Xia Fei said.

Chen Dong was confused. “Isn’t it a good thing for us? The humans of ancient times have reunited with the humans of today; we should rejoice since we are of a common origin.”

Xia Fei smiled. “First, we still haven’t verified if those people are telling the truth. Second, they’re saying that Eden is a perfect place with no wars and sins. I only believe that conflicts exist wherever humans are, same with wars and crimes. The more perfect they describe Eden as, the more doubtful I become.”

Chen Mo said after a brief silence, “I can only say that there’s seriously something wrong with your way of thinking. You don’t believe a perfect world exists.”

Xia Fei smiled. “There’s nothing wrong with my thought process; it’s you being too optimistic with everything that has a problem. Let’s go; the poisonous gas should be gone by now. I can’t wait to see what’s inside the box after seeing the poisonous gas.”