28: He's destined for greatness! (4K long chapter! Please read on!)

It was late, and Lin Xiaoyu lay in bed, tossing and turning, unable to sleep.

Her parents had kept her bedroom untouched, cleaning it meticulously, and even the duvet smelled freshly washed.

Her two younger sisters, having played all afternoon, were already sound asleep. Unable to sleep herself, she got up.

"Huh, why is the light on?"

Lin Xiaoyu rubbed her eyes and walked into the living room, only to find her father, Lin Zhenhua, sitting on the sofa, engrossed in his wristband.

"Dad," she walked over and sat next to her father, peering over his shoulder, "What are you looking at?"

"Don't lean on me, it's hot," Lin Zhenhua said with a look of distaste.

"Dad!" Lin Xiaoyu pouted. Once upon a time, she was also a baby.

Lin Zhenhua couldn't stand it anymore. He waved his hand as if shooing away a fly: "Go, go, go. If you want to act cute, go find your Brother Feng. Don't annoy me here."

"Dad!" Lin Xiaoyu became serious: "How did I make you unhappy again?"

"Hmph," Lin Zhenhua sneered, "If I had a grandson, you'd see how happy I'd be."

Lin Xiaoyu immediately felt awkward, lowering her head, her ears turning red: "It's just, it's just that work is busy..."

She secretly glanced at her father's wristband and quickly changed the subject, otherwise Lin Zhenhua would seize the opportunity and never let it go.

"Dad, are you looking at customs declarations again?"

Lin Zhenhua looked at her for a while before sighing: "Not just customs declarations, but also trade data... The tariff war has begun, and the waters are deep here. For some people, it's not just not a bad thing, but a good thing!"

"Good thing?" Lin Xiaoyu herself had worked as a Trade Union employee, so she naturally understood: "Smuggling, right."

"Mm," Lin Zhenhua had been in customs all his life. When this topic came up, he became animated, even forgetting about his grandson.

"Look, recently a large batch of goods came from several friendly alien minor countries of the Terran Union. On the surface, this is an import and export merchant doing transit trade, but in reality, the declared volume of these goods is too small."

"Look," he pointed to a ship and sneered, "This 'Sunshine Express' ship, the 'Unicorn,' is two thousand meters long and can carry six hundred million tons, but the declared volume of goods is only forty-three million tons."

"What does this indicate?" He closed the video window, wanting to test his eldest daughter.

Lin Xiaoyu was very perceptive: "Such a large ship has enormous employee salaries and operating expenses. If it sails empty, it will basically lose hundreds of millions of earth federation coins for every light-year."

"Mm, that's right, what else?"

"So they must be carrying hundreds of millions of tons of undeclared goods, which they will distribute through smuggling channels to cover their expenses."

"Not hundreds of millions of tons, but seven hundred million tons."

Lin Zhenhua grinned, giving an answer that made Lin Xiaoyu's eyes widen.

"That's impossible. Exceeding the load is very dangerous for FTL travel. They have no reason to do that, do they?"

"Silly child, haven't you heard that wealth moves hearts?"

"No, Dad, how do you know this?" Lin Xiaoyu looked at her father suspiciously.

"Recently, four hundred million tons of food suddenly flooded the market from Agricultural Zone 01."

"The price is twice the pre-tariff price and one-third of the post-tax price. Tell me, let alone Agricultural Zone 01, even if you include all the major agricultural zones of Earth, can they produce four hundred million tons of food in one quarter?"

Lin Zhenhua was unfathomable: "One hundred million tons of it is meat, farmed meat!"

"Farmed meat? Wouldn't that consume at least three or four times the amount of grain crops?" Lin Xiaoyu exclaimed.

"Not only that, urban zones 04 and 05, which were major centers for consumer goods production twenty years ago, suddenly exported over two hundred million tons of consumer goods to the Moon, enough to meet the consumption of tens of millions of people for an entire year."

"How did they get it? Did the Monkey King pull out his hairs and transform it?"

Lin Xiaoyu fell silent. Such a huge volume, could the civilian market absorb it? This must involve capital operating behind the scenes.

"Who is it?" she asked.

Lin Zhenhua shrugged helplessly: "Orion Trust, which is the family Great Leader Dong Dachuan comes from."

Lin Xiaoyu clenched her fists. She remembered the day she was fired, the day Jiang Feng was fired, the sight of everything rising in price in the market, and how her simple, happy life had never returned since then... "I even voted for him," she lowered her head dejectedly, "He said he would make the Terran Union great again."

Lin Zhenhua's heart softened. He no longer cared that his daughter and son-in-law hadn't given him a little one to play with. He gently patted Lin Xiaoyu's shoulder and admonished her: "Open your eyes and look at this world. I was in customs all my life, and in the end, I have nothing left."

Lin Xiaoyu was startled. She suddenly remembered the news she had seen yesterday.

Financial markets fluctuated wildly, and the Terran Union Pension Fund suffered heavy losses.

'It couldn't be Orion Trust profiting from it again, could it?' Her question in her heart was already a certainty.

Just then, her wristband made a "ding-dong" sound.

She opened it and covered her mouth. The message was from Jiang Feng.

"After working twelve hours straight, I finally fixed it... Log into my account."

Lin Zhenhua leaned over. He frowned and exclaimed in a low voice: "Jiang Feng is also unemployed?"

Lin Xiaoyu stammered, afraid to answer. Yesterday, she had lied to her parents, saying only she was unemployed and Jiang Feng was fine. Now the truth was out.

"If he tells you to look, then look," Lin Zhenhua snorted, "Good, I'll also see the results of his twelve hours of continuous work."

Lin Xiaoyu softly said "Mm" and nervously connected to the bank information.

"Account balance: 126,254.65 earth federation coins."

The air suddenly fell silent.

Lin Zhenhua pushed open his eyelids, took off his contact lenses, and leaned very, very close, making sure he wasn't seeing double.

Lin Xiaoyu covered her mouth, thinking, 'Brother Feng didn't go into drug dealing, did he?'

"This kid, he didn't go into drug dealing, did he?" Lin Zhenhua's voice was trembling.

Father and daughter exchanged glances, understanding each other without needing to say more.

But the next second, a "ding-dong" sound rang out again.

"Afraid you'd worry, here are photos of what I repaired. The unit price is very expensive, you'll know when you see it — screenshot."

After the message, screenshots loaded one by one: lasers, photon chips, advanced data cables, and a communication center clearly inside a large ship, with traces of disassembly and installation everywhere.

Of course, there was also a photo of Jiang Feng on the skyrail, with Zhao Mingyuan standing next to him, and the Robot Dog Gold-Wrapped Silver prostrate at his feet.

Lin Xiaoyu was also a master repairer and could see the value of these parts at a glance.

She let out a long breath, stating firmly and confidently: "Brother Feng didn't lie to me!"

"This kid, where did he get such amazing skills? Has he been taking extra classes all this time?" Lin Zhenhua stroked the stubble on his chin, looking at the joyful and adoring expression on his daughter's face. He felt a little uneasy, but couldn't help but secretly be happy for her.

"Dad, don't worry. Brother Feng and I will be fine." Lin Xiaoyu proudly shook her wristband.

"See, this is the proof."

Lin Zhenhua rolled his eyes, repeating his old trick: "Ahem, that, grandson... Hey, hey, why are you running away?"

He looked at Lin Xiaoyu's skipping figure and couldn't help but laugh, suddenly feeling as if he had gone back twenty years.

Back when he was still the pillar of the family... "Tomorrow morning at eight, see you at club."

At the entrance of the transfer station, Zhao Mingyuan waved at Jiang Feng. From the excitement on his face, he definitely wouldn't sleep tonight.

Jiang Feng smiled, watched him leave, and lowered his head. Gold-Wrapped Silver's body was a bit wet, and it was vibrating at high frequency.

The water droplets were pulverized into mist. Jiang Feng stepped back, laughing: "Let's go."

The man and the dog walked down the narrow alley. The black box was in his hand, and Jiang Feng's steps were steady, though he was actually reflecting on his performance on the 'snow hamster' today.

'The captain clearly didn't want to show his face. Although I don't understand why, it must be related to the things in the interlayer. Maxim was so easily scared, which means the things they were transporting were unusual.'

'Therefore, if I were to use the scan results as leverage, I might be able to squeeze some extra profit from the captain.'

Jiang Feng narrowed his eyes slightly: 'But this doesn't align with my long-term interests. The current outcome is best for me. Lister specifically left me his number before leaving, which means my abilities have been recognized by these experienced sailors.'

'As long as I continue to maintain my reputation, I shouldn't lack business. There's no need to drain the pond to catch all the fish, and certainly no need to make enemies because of it. As for Zhao Mingyuan, he's a pretty good guy. Although his bargaining ability is a bit weak, no one is perfect.'

'Cooperation is a viable path!'

Jiang Feng made his judgment.

He was looking forward to going home, at least to get a good night's sleep, and hoped Lin Xiaoyu could also sleep soundly, peacefully and calmly.

But when Jiang Feng returned to the apartment, a chill ran down his spine to the back of his neck.

His home had been trashed.

The door lock was violently pried open, and the door panel hung crookedly on its hinges, like a twisted face.

The living room was a mess.

The already old sofa bed had been ripped apart, its stuffing scattered all over the floor, like a battlefield after some beast's rampage. The television screen was shattered into a spiderweb, with half a fragment still hanging from the frame, glinting with a dead light under the outdoor streetlights.

On the walls, ceiling, and floor... everywhere were skull patterns spray-painted in red, menacing and glaring.

All the kitchen cabinet doors were kicked in, and pots, bowls, and utensils were strewn across the floor.

The faucet in the sink was twisted off, and water was still dripping.

The bathroom was even more chaotic. The mirror was broken, the toilet lid was smashed and thrown into the bathtub, and several large holes were smashed into the wall tiles.

A pungent smell, a mixture of rust and paint, permeated the air.

Jiang Feng stood at the doorway, silent and unangered. He simply slowly put down the black box in his hand, his gaze sweeping over every corner. He showed no panic, no shouting, not even a frown.

"Iron Hand Gang."

Jiang Feng shook his head slightly. This was why he insisted on sending Lin Xiaoyu away.

He didn't think much of it, nor did he plan to report it to the Public Security Bureau. This godforsaken place was not the peaceful country of his previous life. The police there served the people; the officers here served money. It was completely different.

In fact, the Public Security Bureau was even less reliable than criminals.

Jiang Feng's gaze fixed on the television wreckage. A waterproof sticky note was attached to the cracked frame.

Beneath the Iron Hand Gang's skull emblem, four characters were scrawled: "Brother Tang says hello!"

'Interesting. It seems this Brother Tang wants to fight me until I give up...'

Jiang Feng sneered, pondering: 'After work tomorrow, I'll build the robot and exoskeleton. By then, I'll go meet this Brother Tang and see if he accepts physical persuasion.'

Thinking this, Jiang Feng picked up the box, closed the rickety door, and commanded.

"Gold-Wrapped Silver, scan for any hidden traps or listening devices."

The Robot Dog began to look around. A moment later, a green light flashed, and it sent Jiang Feng a damage report.

Jiang Feng walked to his safe. The safe, embedded in the interlayer of the windowsill, was well hidden and undiscovered. He confirmed that the contents of the box had not been touched, then restored the scene, nodding with satisfaction.

'I can't stay here tonight. I'll make do outside for a night, and it won't be too late to repair it after things settle down.'

Jiang Feng thought. He was actually a bit tired of this neighborhood. Now that the way to make money was open, as long as he was careful, after some time of development, he could sell the house and elope with Lin Xiaoyu.

At least, he had to move to a safer neighborhood.

He carried the box, preparing to go downstairs. Just as he reached the stairwell, a hunched figure emerged from around the corner.

It was Old Man Chen.

Seeing Jiang Feng, the old man sighed and patted his shoulder: "Kid, your home... is it alright?"

Jiang Feng shook his head: "Just things, not valuable."

Old Man Chen was stunned, then showed a surprised expression.

"You're not angry?"

"Can anger bring things back?" Jiang Feng smiled: "Besides, they don't have the ability to touch what's most important to me."

He was referring to the relic 'Miniature Galaxy' and Lin Xiaoyu.

As long as the people and the relic were safe, anything else that was destroyed could be recovered tenfold, a hundredfold.

"The kids from 202 saw it. Twelve people came, with hydraulic cutters and sledgehammers, making a ruckus all morning."

Old Man Chen explained to him, this was the neighbors' account.

Jiang Feng didn't explain or say much, just thanked him and continued downstairs.

Old Man Chen stood rooted, watching his retreating figure, and recalled his own glorious years commanding warships and traversing the galaxy.

After a long while, he murmured softly.

"This child truly has some of the general's demeanor from back then, neither arrogant nor impatient, taking things step by step."

"If nothing unexpected happens, he will surely achieve great things."

Old Man Chen scratched his head, then showed a look of confusion: "But how did I not notice Little Jiang had such talent before?"

"I'm really old, my eyes are failing me..."