Chapter 15: Careful, He Bites!
Translated by Addis of Exiled Rebels Scanlations
Editor: Karai
The aircraft landed on the villa’s private platform. As they stepped out, the real estate agent said, “The residential area has two stories aboveground. Inside the mountain, there’s a parking space large enough for forty aircraft.”
“Thanks,” Lu Yao replied, “but I don’t have that many vehicles to park.”
The real estate agent pointed toward a row of houses hidden against the slope. “Those are for the servants—”
“Skip that,” Lu Yao cut him off.
“Of course.” The real estate agent smiled with practiced professionalism and led Lu Yao and Mo Feng toward the main building. “The mountaintop covers about two thousand square meters, with a construction area of one thousand square meters. There’s an infinity-ring pool as well as an indoor pool…”
Lu Yao only half-listened, turning his head to take in the surroundings. The ring-shaped pool shimmered with soft, rosy daylight, circling the mountaintop’s edge. When the wind pushed the water over the brim, it spilled against a transparent electromagnetic wall below, scattering into an aurora-like glow of green light.
The villa’s first floor housed the reception hall, dining room, and other shared spaces. With mostly silver-gray metal pillars and no outer walls, the interior opened directly into gardens and lawns thick with greenery.
The second floor contained the bedrooms and study. Immense glass panes formed the walls, and one section of the study’s exterior jutted outward like the prow of a starship, angled toward distant mountains and ocean. The metal surface seemed to be made of some light-absorbing alloy; in sunlight, it reflected only the faintest sheen.
“The former owner and designer of this villa was the renowned starship engineer, Mr. Carriedo,” the real estate agent explained. “He used starship-grade metal as the building material. Mr. Lu, I imagine you’re familiar with it?”
“Yes, I’ve seen it.” Lu Yao brushed his palm across a square pillar. Though the starship alloy had baked under the sun all day, it remained faintly cool to the touch, its insulation flawless.
The real estate agent smiled again. “Perfect for keeping dangerous pets. You won’t have to worry about their claws scratching the furniture.”
Lu Yao’s hand stilled. He raised a brow at the real estate agent, surprised at such a peculiar selling point.
“Step in a little further, please. Mr. Carriedo also installed force-field partitions.” The real estate agent pressed a switch, and a thin, translucent blue barrier sealed the open space between the pillars. When the breeze hit it, ripples spread like waves. “Not as strong as a military-grade starship shield, of course, but sufficient against wind and rain.”
Although Lu Yao’s expression remained calm, the real estate agent sensed the sale was within reach. He grew more enthusiastic, guiding them through the rest of the villa. Eventually, they returned to the infinity pool. Beyond the green glow of the barrier, the forest swayed gently in the breeze. Farther out lay the sea and the sinking sun.
After watching the distant view in silence, Lu Yao finally asked, “What’s the price?”
“Four point five six billion Federation credits.”
Lu Yao fell quiet. Sweat began to bead in the real estate agent’s palms. The price was undeniably steep. The villa was located in the remote Eighth District, an area dominated by military-industrial research bases. The population density was low, consisting mostly of scientists rather than wealthy elites who could spend without thought.
Carriedo had left to pursue his interstellar travel program four years earlier, placing the villa on the market. Since then, the real estate agent had failed to find a suitable buyer. As his anxiety grew, a sudden flash burst upward beyond the distant mountains. Even in the rose-colored daylight, it shone as brightly as a star in the night sky.
The shockwave tore through the clouds with a roar that traveled for miles, rattling the air around them. The vast forest shuddered in waves like the rise and fall of a tide. The bright point kept ascending. Lu Yao narrowed his eyes against the glare.
“That must be a new launch from one of the research bases,” the real estate agent shouted, holding down his hair against the gale.
“The Federation Academy is testing the new XU-class shuttle,” Lu Yao said precisely. The Academy’s ground testing facility was located right next to the Mecha Research Institute. He turned back to the real estate agent. “You just said—four point five six billion?”
“Yes! And that includes not only the building but also the land from mountaintop to base. You can let your pets roam freely here, and you could also—”
“When can the transfer go through?” Lu Yao interrupted. The real estate agent blinked. “Anytime!”
After finalizing the paperwork, Lu Yao paid the full amount for the villa and moved in on the last day of the holiday. Mo Feng and Chang Jian claimed they were there to help, but in reality, all the work was handled by service robots. They didn’t need to lift a finger. The moment they saw Lu Yao, however, their true intentions became obvious. “Oh, oh! Is that the snow leopard? He’s gorgeous.”
The snow leopard sat tethered at Lu Yao’s feet. The wind atop the mountain rippled through his long fur, giving him a majestic and imposing air.
Mo Feng’s hands itched to pet the great cat. The instant he stepped closer, the snow leopard furrowed his brow. Still, Mo Feng reached out. The leopard bared his teeth, a low growl rumbling from his throat in warning. Faced with the predator’s fierce threat, Mo Feng reluctantly pulled his hand back. “He’s so aggressive. Lu Yao, be careful he doesn’t bite you.”
Lu Yao lowered his gaze, only to find the snow leopard calmly looking back at him, blinking slowly with utter docility. “He might be aggressive toward strangers,” Lu Yao said after a moment’s thought. “Torque’s here too, in the carrier. You can go play with him.”
With a dramatic sigh, Mo Feng left to find Torque. Meanwhile, the service robots carried Lu Yao’s belongings into the villa. Out in the garden, Chang Jian walked with him, the snow leopard following faithfully at his side.
“I heard from Mo Feng that your FL03 mecha model is nearly finished?” Chang Jian asked.
“Mm. I came back to oversee the final assembly and testing of the prototype. It’ll take about a month. If nothing goes wrong, it’ll be ready for production.”
“Your design won’t have problems,” Chang Jian said confidently. “So what’s next? Give me a heads-up so I can fight for the budget in Parliament.”
The Federation’s Mecha Research Institute belonged to the military, but its funding came from multiple sources: not only military appropriations, but also allocations from Parliament and the government, along with commercial investment. The Central Space Planning Department, where Chang Jian worked, had close ties with the military. One of its chief responsibilities was coordinating space exploration and exotic-beast warfare programs between the government and the armed forces. Development of new mecha was part of that mandate.
After a brief silence, Lu Yao said, “I want to design a model with stronger offensive power.”
“FL04?”
The FL series specialized in high-aggression combat, suiting the hot-blooded, battle-thirsty nature of the predominantly alpha pilots. Demand across military legions always far outstripped supply.
But Lu Yao shook his head. “I want to create a new series—improving the power supply system to increase weapon energy output. The usage data from the TL series gave me inspiration. I might base the new design on that model.”
“Call it the NTL series? Since you’d be working off existing data, would it be cheaper to produce?”
Lu Yao stopped walking and turned to look at him. The intensity of his gaze made Chang Jian’s back prickle with unease.
“Designing a new power system will require a lot of preliminary experimentation,” Lu Yao said. “The initial investment won’t be any less than before.”
“How much, exactly?”
Lu Yao thought for a moment, then gave his estimate. “About one hundred and fifty billion.”
Author’s Note:
Not just anyone is allowed to pet the big cat.
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Was Zhao Yun Chen has any role in the house selling? I wonder. Poor Mo Feng, General Zhao would not let anyone other than Lu Yao pet him.