Abyss Solo

Chapter 62: 041 Yang Ming’s Small Goals

“`

Kolev suddenly turned around and, upon seeing the figure behind him, exclaimed in delight,

“Ha… Hahaha! It’s really you!”

Yang Ming put away the silver remote control in his hand.

Then, Kolev furrowed his brow, pinched one of his mustache strands, and gave it a gentle tug.

“Ah, this isn’t a dream. You’re really standing in front of me!”

However, Kolev quickly calmed down.

He scrutinized Yang Ming’s current attire.

A light blue repairman’s outfit, with some stubble on his face, tired eyes from long voyages, and he seemed quite out of spirits.

“Oh, why are you down on your luck again? What should I call you now?” Kolev asked warily.

“Just call me Yang Ming,” Yang Ming replied warmly, patting his empty stomach, “An old friend comes and doesn’t even get a full meal? Don’t worry. I’m using the legitimate identity you gave me with that passport.”

“Of course! Just wait a moment… Oh, my robots have all crashed?”

Yang Ming raised his wrist and pressed his watch twice, speaking slowly, “Lyu, have you modified their programs?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated on ƝονǤο.ƈ0

A three-inch projection of Molly No. 2 appeared on the watch, dressed in a stylish evening gown, speaking softly: “It’s been modified, boss.”

“Alright, activate them.”

Kolev keenly noticed that the projection of Molly No. 2 seemed a bit off.

She was meticulous and lively, and her demeanor was closer to that of Molly No. 1.

Lyu?

Even the name seemed different now.

As the creator of this Molly, Kolev certainly understood that Molly No. 2 did not have functions beyond controlling the spaceship, nor did it have learning modules requiring powerful computing power and energy support.

“No. 2, do you remember me?” Kolev called out softly.

The girl looked up, smiling graciously at Kolev, and spoke quickly,

“Hello, Mr. Kolev, now I should call you Mr. Haton. My boss always mentions you. It’s your generosity that achieved one ten-thousandth of my boss’s brilliance. But I am not No. 2, or rather, I am the advanced version of No. 2; my name is Lyu.”

Kolev remarked in surprise, “Yang Ming, did you redesign her?”

“Sort of,” Yang Ming did not want to continue on this topic, “First, get me something to eat, let me try the luxurious lunch of a wealthy gentleman like you!”

Robots by the windowsill, in the parlor, in and out of the estate, all of which had just stopped, resumed their previous commands seamlessly.

The butler stepped forward, completely ignoring Yang Ming, and said to Kolev, “Master, are you talking to the air? Your mental state worries me.”

Kolev was stupefied.

He turned to glare at Yang Ming, then at the butler robot he personally reprogrammed, slightly twitching his mouth.

Yang Ming chuckled, “Rest assured, Lyu’s modification is so they can’t see or hear me, to prevent any information leaks; it won’t affect their regular duties.”

“Oh, how was this achieved?”

Kolev, eyes full of astonishment, stared at Yang Ming’s watch as if looking at a miraculous gadget.

It was the watch he had given him before.

…

This old guy’s life now was indeed quite decadent.

Yang Ming gnawed at the juicy roasted beast leg, savoring the silky texture brought by the chef robot’s precise knife skills, groaning a little after a few bites of roast meat.

“Six months,” Yang Ming sighed deeply, “I finally don’t have to eat synthetic biscuits anymore!”

A girl’s grumbling sounded from his watch, “Synthetic biscuits are much more nutritious; you’ve just ingested unnecessary fats and proteins.”

“Shut up,” Yang Ming laughed and scolded, “You could never know how horrid your synthetic biscuits taste. It’s just pig feed.”

“Okay, boss, next time you’ll have to turn on that machine yourself.”

Yang Ming cursed, “Give me some face, Lyu! This is in front of my old buddy!”

“If the price of pleasure is self-indulgence, I suggest maintaining self-discipline to ensure agility of mind,” Lyu said earnestly.

She added,

“Though your life level exceeds the standard life forms of your species, there’s still a lot of room for improvement.”

“You may remain silent while I eat; that’s an order.”

Lyu immediately fell silent.

Yang Ming picked up something akin to a cherry tomato from Earth, savoring the full, juicy taste, and sighed comfortably.

The world finally quieted down.

Then, Yang Ming turned to the side, where Kolev sat, looking puzzled.

“Surprised, my dear old buddy?”

Kolev raised his hand to signal the surrounding robots to leave, taking out a pen from his jacket pocket, twisting the cap, enveloping the two in a pink isolation shield.

Kolev asked, eyes gleaming.

“Who is Lina?”

“A female spy who tried to lock me in a transparent can.”

“Where did she die?”

“On Olhaif’s synchronous orbit.”

“Does my daughter have a mole on her left shoulder or right shoulder?”

“Your daughter has a mole on her shoulder?” Yang Ming was full of confusion, “How would I know? I’ve never looked at her shoulder.”

“Oh,” Kolev squinted, smiled, satisfactorily putting down the laser pistol hidden under the table, “You really are my old buddy; what have you been up to in the past six months? Where’s the Feinan?”

“It’s not here. It’s parked outside your secret base, ready to pick us up anytime,” Yang Ming replied. “Your base is deserted; where did Mimili go?”

Kolev’s expression turned a little somber, “Kids will grow up. We had a fight, and she chose to continue pursuing her dream: to become the freest pirate in the stars.”

Yang Ming was not at all surprised, “Respect her.”

“Yes,” Kolev sighed, “But she has one issue: not being ruthless enough.”

Yang Ming drank down the warm and fragrant beast milk in one gulp, feeling energized again.

“Alright, Kolev, we should discuss business now.”

Kolev pursed his lips, sitting like a lord with his leg crossed.

“Yang Ming, if the business is about forming a pirate group, then I can tell you directly, you’ve missed your only chance. I enjoy my life right now; my money’s enough to earn respect.”

“You need me to conquer you a second time,” Yang Ming said with a sly smile.

Kolev smiled confidently, already prepared his defenses.

“My goal has never been to become a pirate,” Yang Ming said cheerfully, “This time, I need your assistance because you’re the only one I can trust, and next I need an experienced, exceptionally wise assistant as well as a reasonable billionaire identity as cover.”

Kolev impatiently waved his hand, “Save your sweet talk for those naive girls! Cooperating with you once already cost me dearly, let alone being your long-term assistant!”

Yang Ming’s expression turned rather serious.

He braced his arms on the table, interlocking his fingers, leaning forward, his gaze sincerely earnest.

“Remember, Kolev.”

“Are you trying to pull the heartstrings move?” Kolev frowned, asking.

Yang Ming held back a laugh, resumed earnestness, “Why did I come to you? Honestly, I could work solo. Technically, Lyu could handle it all, but something you once said made me think I should take you along for this grand scheme.”

“A sentence?”

“Eternal voyage,” Yang Ming stated, “You have an exploratory spirit, Kolev. Though you later became a pirate scoundrel, it couldn’t hide your thirst for knowledge.”

Kolev chuckled helplessly.

Yang Ming’s tone gradually slowed:

“You’ve sailed for most of your life on the Milky Way’s edge. You know the Milky Way. But are you familiar with the vaster universe outside the Milky Way?

“Don’t you want to know how high-dimensional life forms operate and what they pursue?

“Though your life’s remainder isn’t much, don’t you wish to achieve self-worth at a higher level, beyond piracy, and pursue the pleasure of satisfying your curiosity?”

“I don’t!” Kolev earnestly and briskly answered.

“Hey, you’re no fun!”

Yang Ming rubbed his brow, grumbling,

“Alright, Kolev, I admit I need your help; Lyu’s intelligence is too high. If I rely on her too much, it’ll be easy for her to take over, and it’ll expose her to various forces, brewing another crisis.”

Kolev looked at Yang Ming’s watch, couldn’t help but ask, “How did you achieve it, she…”

“High-dimensional civilization heritage,”

Yang Ming succinctly said, “I can share this secret with you, but I can’t tell you how to reach that secret location—it’s something I must keep to myself.”

“Oh,” Kolev’s eyes lit up, “You gained a huge technological fortune?”

“Not yet; there’s still a test to pass,”

Yang Ming sighed,

“I’ve come into contact with custodians left by a high-dimensional civilization. They’re not living beings, but I’ve gained a lot from them. Lyu, formerly No. 2, is now their goddaughter; you’d best not provoke her.”

Kolev said, “Tell me more! I’m very interested in this.”

“Unless you agree to help me,” Yang Ming curved his lips slightly, “That’s the condition, Kolev.”

“Hey! You can’t torment an old man’s curiosity this way!”

Kolev gritted his teeth.

Yang Ming showed a ‘I’ve got you, old man’ victorious look.

“I don’t care!”

Kolev stood up supporting himself on a cane, snatching away the isolation shield emitter, turned, and walked toward the dining room door a dozen meters away.

Lyu’s virtual image appeared beside Yang Ming, frowned and said, “Boss, if he cannot be your assistant, you should erase his memory.”

“Don’t be so heartless to my old partner,” Yang Ming said, “You can start counting down now.”

“Why?”

Lyu was somewhat puzzled, but as she had to obey all of Yang Ming’s orders, she began counting down:

“Three, two, one.”

Kolev halted, facing the luxurious paintings ahead.

The old man remained silent.

He turned to look at Yang Ming, scrutinizing him for a long while.

“I need to know your next move, or what objectives you’re seeking to achieve at this stage,” Kolev said casually, “I haven’t got much time left, lad, and I don’t want to waste it on something meaningless.”

Yang Ming pondered carefully, responding slowly, “Our goal is, at this stage, or within a five-year timeframe.”

“Mhm?”

“To acquire a habitable Administrative Star that truly belongs to and only to me.”

“`