In May 2024, the second migration initiative for "Star City" officially commenced, with over two million residents scheduled to relocate from "Star City" to the three major human settlements on Mars.
During this relocation, Liu Hui's parents, along with the parents and elders of several of his wives, were all set to move to Mars. Once these relatives were safely established on Mars, the factions and powers remaining on Earth would no longer pose any threat to Liu Hui.
For this May migration, the initial contingent of one hundred thousand people traveled toward Mars aboard twenty interstellar transport vessels. Liu Hui's family members were among this first wave. Although space voyages carry inherent dangers, under the meticulous preparations made by "Star City," these cosmic threats posed no danger to the starships; they arrived on Mars without incident.
Xiao Bao was now twelve years old. While he had long been aware of the Martian bases, this was his first personal journey into space. Upon witnessing the vast expanse of the cosmos, Xiao Bao resolved that he would become an interstellar explorer, dedicated to uncovering the ultimate mysteries of the universe.
Hearing Xiao Bao’s ambition, Liang Jingyue felt a pang of heartache, wishing for her son to live a life free from such peril, desiring only his peace and safety. However, Liu Hui greatly praised Xiao Bao’s aspiration, believing a true man should set his sights far and wide, especially given the captivating allure of the universe.
At this moment, Hu Xian’er, An Qi, and Shu Yan—three women temporarily unable to conceive—watched Liu Hui and the mother-son pair with envy, their minds already turning to how things might be once they each had children.
After several years of gradual adjustment, although these women still harbored a degree of restlessness, their bonds had slowly solidified. They were no longer maintaining the icy distance of their early days, and consequently, they began appearing together by Liu Hui’s side.
Following the safe arrival of the first immigrant group at the Martian base, these three women requested to return to Earth with Liu Hui. They hoped that during the journey, an intimate moment might occur between them and Liu Hui, ideally resulting in a pregnancy.
Liu Hui, now keenly aware of his wives' profound desire for children, agreed to their request. Space travel, at this point, carried virtually no risk; it was as convenient and safe as taking a train. Seeing these three women accompany Liu Hui back, Liang Jingyue, unwilling to leave him behind, separated from Xiao Bao so they too could return to Earth.
With all Martian affairs settled, Liu Hui and his four wives boarded the interstellar transport vessel to return to Earth first, intending to arrange the specifics for the second wave of immigration.
The return journey to Earth required a week. During the somewhat monotonous flight, they collectively entered the Shenmo (Gods and Demons) game to pass the time. However, after playing for a while, they found it tedious; even though the environment felt real, it was not the reality. They had long since surpassed the age for trivial gaming and no longer indulged in it. They agreed to exit, proceeding to the control bridge of the interstellar transport vessel, intending to admire the magnificent spectacle of the stars outside.
The captain of this interstellar transport vessel was a middle-aged man named Hu Wen. He had navigated a fierce competition, demonstrating exceptional capability to secure the captaincy of this vessel, which served Liu Hui’s flagship fleet. Since taking command, Hu Wen had been diligently industrious, making absolutely no errors in his duties, much to Liu Hui’s deep satisfaction.
Hu Wen, currently commanding the flight path, smiled and greeted them warmly upon seeing Liu Hui and his four wives approach: “Boss, greetings! Greetings to the Bosses’ ladies!”
Liu Hui chuckled, “Captain Hu, please attend to your work; do not mind us. We just came up to view the scenery.”
Hu Wen was perceptive and replied, “Boss, please make yourselves comfortable. I’ll return to my duties.”
Thus, Liu Hui and the four women settled into the chairs on the bridge, gazing out at the stellar panorama through the viewport.
Liu Hui remarked, “The view of the cosmic expanse truly is magnificent; it seems one could never tire of it.”
Hu Xian’er smiled playfully, “Since we can never see enough, perhaps once you conclude the matters of ‘Star City,’ we can explore the universe’s mysteries together?”
Liu Hui’s eyes brightened. “Indeed, Xian’er’s suggestion is excellent. My entire life has been consumed by ‘Star City,’ and I have never truly planned for myself. Once ‘Star City’ and the Martian base matters stabilize, I will hand over this burden and wander the boundless void.”
An Qi chimed in with a smile, “Wherever Liu Hui goes, I go. Don’t think of leaving me behind.”
Liang Jingyue nodded in agreement, “That’s right. Ahui has given enough for ‘Star City’ in this lifetime. Our future days must be lived for ourselves. I too wish to see what the mysterious cosmos looks like alongside Ahui.”
Shu Yan also laughed, “Huihui, if you are going wandering, you absolutely must include me, or I won't forgive you. Roaming the stars—the very thought is romantic!”
Liu Hui looked at the affection his wives held for him, feeling a warmth in his heart. He said, “In my life, Liu Hui’s greatest achievements are having you all, followed by ‘Star City.’ I am content.”
The four women were moved by his words. They nestled close to Liu Hui, who extended his arms and embraced them all. A powerful wave of affection surged around the five of them.
Hu Wen watched the happy family unit of Liu Hui and felt a stirring in his own heart, resolving to treat his wife and children better upon returning home. As he pondered this, he noticed Liu Hui looking toward him and smiling. “Captain Hu, what are you watching?”
Hu Wen startled, quickly averting his gaze from Liu Hui’s group toward a nearby monitor. On the interstellar transport vessel, monitors displayed television programming to alleviate boredom. Because the signal utilized folded-space transmission technology, even aboard the starship, they could watch Earth’s broadcasts in real time.
Liu Hui smiled, observing that some of the operational crew were also looking in his direction. He instantly realized that the posture of embracing four women might be somewhat inappropriate and immediately released his arms from around them.
Just then, the news program on the monitor concluded, giving way to an advertisement. An historical figure with a mouth shaped like a sausage was imitating a duck’s walk on the ground, swaying unevenly while singing: “I am an ugly duckling, yi ya yi ya yo, I am an ugly duckling, *yi ya yi ya yo.” The screen then displayed a roasted red duck, accompanied by a voiceover: “KFC Duck, delicious flavor! Call now and receive a complimentary gift! Phone number: 3838438…”
The historical figure’s clumsy duck walk was exaggerated, and combined with the comical visuals and lyrics, Liu Hui and the women burst into loud laughter. Hu Wen, however, laughed so hard he tumbled to the deck, taking a while to stand up. He looked at Liu Hui, awkwardly rubbing the back of his head.
For the next few days, Liu Hui and his four wives remained on the bridge, watching the cosmic scenery and discussing their future plans for wandering. Hu Wen slowly grew accustomed to their presence in the command area, continuing his work independently. Since that day, the bizarrely amusing “KFC” duck advertisement continued to appear on television, and with even greater frequency.
On the final day, the interstellar transport vessel began its final approach toward Earth, now only 500,000 kilometers away. Liu Hui and his wives watched the increasingly close blue sphere of Earth with excitement. Although they had established human settlements on Mars, for some inexplicable reason, a deep sense of familiarity washed over them upon seeing Earth.
Suddenly, Liu Hui felt a strange uneasiness, yet he couldn't pinpoint what was wrong. At that very moment, he noticed Hu Xian’er looking at him, an identical flicker of confusion crossing her eyes.
Liu Hui immediately asked, “Captain Hu, how long has it been since we last contacted the ‘Star City’ control center?”
Hu Wen checked his log. “Boss, we haven't communicated with ‘Star City’ for two hours now.”
An Qi frowned instantly. “Wasn't the regulation that every starship must check in with ‘Star City’ within ninety minutes?”
Sweat beaded on Hu Wen’s forehead. He profusely apologized. “Boss, I apologize; it was my oversight. I will contact them immediately.”
With that, Hu Wen began hailing ‘Star City,’ but there was no response to his calls. As time dragged on, Liu Hui’s unease deepened. He walked over, took the communicator from Hu Wen’s hand, and attempted to contact ‘Star City’ himself, only to find absolute silence emanating from the device.
An Qi stepped forward and manipulated a few commands on the starship’s main control computer. Her expression changed drastically. She spun around and shouted sharply at Hu Wen, “Captain Hu, what is the meaning of this? Why have you locked down the ship’s main computer?”
As Hu Wen opened his mouth to speak, Hu Xian’er suddenly lunged, kicking him hard to the floor. Hu Wen landed immobilized, an energy pistol falling from his grip. It turned out Hu Wen had stealthily drawn the weapon, intending to fire on Liu Hui, but Hu Xian’er had spotted the move and preempted him.
The surrounding operators stared dumbfounded, unsure of what had just transpired. It was at this point that Liu Hui finally realized the gravity of the situation and roared, “Captain Hu, what are you doing? Are you betraying me? And you others—are you in league with him?”
The nearby personnel, stunned by the sudden upheaval, turned ashen-faced, rapidly protesting, “Boss, it has nothing to do with us! We know nothing!”
Liu Hui glared again at Hu Wen on the floor, noticing that despite being felled, the captain wore a slight smile. He raged, “Hu Wen, after all my trust, why would you do this to me?”
Unexpectedly, though unable to rise, Hu Wen maintained his faint smile and replied, “Liu Hui, I am not Hu Wen. You didn't expect that, did you?”
Liu Hui paused, “Impossible. You are Hu Wen; you cannot deceive me.”
Hu Wen sneered, “Liu Hui, are you really that trusting of your mind-reading instrument? No wonder you couldn’t discern my true identity.”
Liu Hui felt a cold shock. He hadn't expected Hu Wen to know about his mind-reading artifact. The captain of every interstellar transport vessel underwent a monthly scan by this artifact; only after passing the check were they cleared to fly—it was one of Liu Hui’s methods for controlling his captains. Yet, Hu Wen had managed to evade detection, slipping past the mind-reading device.
Liu Hui asked, “Hu Wen, you are truly skilled! To manage to hide from my inspection and successfully infiltrate the starship. But even so, do you think a single energy pistol can harm us?”
Hu Wen ignored the question. “Liu Hui, don't you wish to know my true identity and how I evaded the probe that reads minds?”
Curiosity overriding caution, Liu Hui asked, “If I ask you, will you tell me the truth?”
Hu Wen smiled. “Any question you ask me, provided I know the answer, I will tell you the absolute truth.”
Liu Hui questioned, “What is your real name, Hu Wen? Which organization do you belong to? And why did you infiltrate ‘Star City’?”
Hu Wen replied, “Liu Hui, my real name is Kuang Ye. You know my organization as well—the Dragon Slaying Society. As for why I infiltrated ‘Star City’—it was to kill you.”
Liu Hui frowned. He hadn't expected the Dragon Slaying Society to still be persistent in targeting him; they clearly didn't value their lives. He pressed further, “Kuang Ye, how did you infiltrate ‘Star City,’ and why didn't our instruments detect your true identity?”
Kuang Ye laughed. “Liu Hui, your mind-reading instrument is indeed potent. Every time our Dragon Slaying Society attempted infiltration into your ‘Star City,’ our agents’ true identities were discovered, and they were expelled. This caused every penetration attempt to end in failure.”
Kuang Ye paused to catch his breath and continued, “Unfortunately, while you were clever your whole life, you were foolish for a moment. Precisely because you uncovered the secrets of our infiltrators every time—even knowing the missions hidden in their hearts—we quickly deduced a conclusion: you possessed an instrument capable of reading minds. Although this conclusion was shocking, it was the only way to explain the previously inexplicable phenomena.”
Liu Hui was inwardly startled. He relied on the mind-reading artifact to identify spies, never imagining that this very fact would lead others to deduce his trump card. He asked, “If that’s the case, how did you manage to get in?”
Kuang Ye explained, “Once we realized you possessed the mind-reading device, our Dragon Slaying Society had no recourse against your ‘Star City.’ But at that point, we discovered an opportunity for infiltration.”
Liu Hui asked, “What opportunity for infiltration?”
Kuang Ye stated, “At that time, the Dragon Slaying Society recruited a master hypnotist. This hypnotist was incredibly skilled, capable of completely subduing a person into hypnosis without any possibility of detection.”
An Qi interjected, “So you used this hypnotist to completely put people under, causing them to forget their true identities? Because after being hypnotized, all the memories in their minds were false data implanted by that master hypnotist, our mind-reading instrument read only this fabricated information, and after confirming you posed no threat, you were permitted entry. That’s why you succeeded in planting yourselves, correct?”
Kuang Ye sighed. “Miss An Qi, you truly deserve your reputation as the most intelligent among the Bosses’ ladies. Nothing escapes your observation. You later returned to the family as a housewife for Liu Hui, and it seems your reputation is well-deserved; you even figured out this detail.”
Liu Hui was momentarily stunned. He hadn't realized that the “KFC” advertisement was the trigger that turned Hu Wen back into Kuang Ye. He had been wondering why that strange commercial played so frequently, appearing on almost every channel—it was clearly meant for the hypnotized Kuang Ye to see.
An Qi suddenly warned, “Liu Hui, be careful. He is stalling for time. He surely has another scheme brewing.”
Kuang Ye laughed, “You only just realized? Too late.”
Liu Hui was alarmed. “What have you done? Are you planning to destroy this ship?”
Kuang Ye replied, “I merely locked down the main computer of this interstellar transport vessel. And as you know, your starships aren’t equipped with self-destruct protocols, so I can’t simply blow you up.”
Liu Hui warned, “Kuang Ye, just tell me what’s going on, to avoid unnecessary physical hardship.”
Kuang Ye suddenly laughed, “Liu Hui, did you truly think I was the only one the Dragon Slaying Society managed to plant inside ‘Star City’?”
This time, Liu Hui was genuinely shocked. If Kuang Ye could infiltrate ‘Star City’ through hypnosis, there was no guarantee others hadn't done the same. He demanded, “Kuang Ye, how many of you have managed to get inside?”
Kuang Ye bypassed the question. “Before we entered ‘Star City,’ the Dragon Slaying Society finalized our work distribution. That ‘KFC’ television advertisement was the key item to awaken us, and the phone number shown at the end served as a specific directive for our operation. The reason the commercial played constantly on television was to notify all our sleeper agents to awaken simultaneously, preparing to launch this grand plan against you.”
A sense of impending doom struck Liu Hui. He asked, “What is this grand plan of yours?”
Kuang Ye explained, “Several years ago, the Dragon Slaying Society devised a plan: to eliminate you by surprise, leaving ‘Star City’ leaderless and thrown into chaos. We would then step in, utilizing superior military might to seize control of ‘Star City.’ Back then, while formulating that plan, we dispatched a God-tier expert team, led by Bina, to assassinate you. However, they failed to complete the mission and instead vanished. They must have been eliminated by you, correct?”
Liu Hui nodded. “Yes, that God-tier expert team you mentioned was completely wiped out by us.”
Kuang Ye continued, “Our grand plan now is essentially the same as that previous one: to suddenly kill you, cause chaos in ‘Star City,’ and then take over.”
Liu Hui scoffed, “And how do you plan to kill me? With that energy pistol of yours?”
Kuang Ye glanced up at the time display on the bridge and smiled. “Liu Hui, take a good look ahead. There are at least one hundred nuclear warheads, each exceeding twenty megatons, flying toward this interstellar transport vessel. Do you think a starship whose main computer is paralyzed can withstand an attack from so many nukes?”
Liu Hui’s face finally contorted in horror. The failure of the main computer meant everything on the starship had ceased function. The vessel could neither control its speed nor its direction, having lost all external connection. Even the spiritual energy fluctuation radar had stopped working, rendering them incapable of detecting any incoming nuclear attack.
Hu Xian’er’s eyes sharpened. She looked through the bridge’s transparent glass and indeed spotted over a hundred distant pinpricks of light rapidly approaching the starship.
Hu Xian’er’s expression tightened. “Water Buffalo, there are definitely missiles heading our way. Judging by their speed, they should impact us in about twenty minutes.”
Kuang Ye grinned, his victory evident. "Liu Hui, over a hundred high-yield nuclear warheads—do you truly believe you can escape this? You are trapped now, unable to fly even with wings. To have you and these women accompany me in death... I find it perfectly worthwhile."
Liu Hui frowned deeply. "It should be impossible for these missiles to reach us, right? The Aura Fluctuation Radars on our orbital space station and the lunar base couldn't have missed their trajectory. How could they possibly appear here?"
Kuang Ye chuckled with arrogance. "You have me to thank for that—and my comrades who also infiltrated the 'Star City.' We had a clear division of labor. While under the influence of hypnosis, we forgot our true identities, but we were driven relentlessly toward these critical departments without regard for consequence. Therefore, they must now be leaders in those key sectors, just like me. Though I don't know the exact details, I am certain that the people manning the Aura Fluctuation Radars on the orbital station and the lunar base are ours. With them in place, how could your personnel possibly detect an incoming missile strike against you? Furthermore, these missiles were transported to Earth's orbit long ago. They are being launched now directly from space, silently, completely undetected by your staff. Thus, you are utterly trapped. Your doom is sealed."