MPWATMBC Chapter 106

“What do you mean by that?” Bandner struggled to keep his facial expression neutral as he leaned closer to Ryan, pressing for more information.

Ryan maintained his smile, but his calm tone delivered the cruelest of messages. “The literal meaning. It’s a fact that will happen in twenty years.”

Bandner was stunned, looking around at the familiar surroundings, unable to imagine that this place, which had sheltered their people for centuries, would one day collapse. Logically, he trusted Ryan—his experiences with the Cranberry Planet and everything that followed had given him the impression that Ryan was reliable and trustworthy. Ryan would never resort to deception to achieve his goals; lying was beneath him. But emotionally, Bandner couldn’t and didn’t want to accept the reality of the cave’s eventual collapse. Outsiders could never understand his attachment to the cave. Despite its darkness, stuffiness, and dampness, it was their homeland. No matter how imperfect it was, it was still worth cherishing.

In Bandner’s mind, two opposing voices fought fiercely, and in that fleeting moment, he felt frustrated and agitated. “No! It’s impossible!” he gritted his teeth, forcing himself to counter, as though trying to force Ryan to retract his words, to claim that it was all a lie, a vile tactic to manipulate him into cooperating—nothing more.

But Ryan was destined to disappoint Bandner. “I’m sorry.”

Bandner’s tense back collapsed as if he were walking toward the collapsing cave. He felt like crying but also wanted to laugh, his expression a mix that left the small child, Qin Feng, in his arms, confused. “I… I understand,” Bandner said, his voice steadier as he regained his composure. He even began to feel grateful for this cooperation and Ryan’s warning, which prevented the tragic possibility of them all becoming underground ghosts in their sleep twenty years from now. “I’ll talk to the elders.”

The tribe members moved slowly, one by one.

Everyone in the cave town had fragile nerves, unable to bear too much.

Ryan nodded. “I have the data and photos. It’ll make your case stronger when you speak to the elders.”

Bandner nodded dejectedly, taking a deep breath before slowly exhaling. The words his grandfather had passed down about Emperor Qin Feng echoed in his ears, giving him the strength to fight against the twists of fate. He forced himself to be brave; as the leader of the tribe, he could not afford to break. “Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” Ryan’s gentle expression remained unchanged as he gazed at the rushing underground river. His tone was calm as he spoke honestly, “With this, our cooperation will be smoother.”

Bandner smiled weakly, “Without this, our cooperation would still succeed; it just gives us more reasons.” The town’s population was limited, and with the imbalance in the gene sequence, a polygamous system might be bearable, but the propagation of bloodlines within close relations could emerge. This would be a regression for human civilization, and he didn’t want to see such a distortion in the place he called home.

He saw the two small robots break through the water, each holding a white fish, about the size of a palm, its slender body wriggling. The fish struggled desperately but couldn’t escape from the tiny robots’ even smaller hands. It could only helplessly open its mouth, desperately gasping for more oxygen. Behind them, the tribe gathered, unaware that the dome overhead was on the verge of collapse. As they saw the robots pull the fish from the water, a surge of excitement erupted from the crowd, their joy so pure.

The two robots, Yuan Chu and Code Zero, tossed the fish onto the ground. There were already five fish lying there. The goal had been achieved, and there was no need to go back into the water. Beneath the surface, there were many undercurrents and swirling eddies where the white fish loved to play. If one wasn’t careful, they could get sucked into the whirlpools and dragged deep into the underground. Standing on the shore, the robots activated their drying functions. Visible steam rose, and in no time, they were completely dry, their dampness evaporating.

The people of the cavern town were not only amazed by the sudden appearance of five fish, something so difficult to catch, but also in awe of the two robots and their remarkable technology. This was something they had never encountered before.

“Bandner always says how amazing the outside world is, but I never believed it. If it’s so great, why haven’t the pirates seen it? Now I believe.”

“Is that high technology?”

“It’s incredible. I really want to see the outside world now.”

“Daddy, what’s the outside world like?”

“I don’t know either, my child.”

“Does the outside have a sun?”

“It surely does.”

“…”

Such conversations rippled through the crowd. The two robots had ignited an unprecedented yearning for the outside world. The people, who struggled so hard to catch even one white fish, were amazed that the robots could effortlessly catch four or five in such a short time. This was the power of technology.

Bandner’s gaze shifted abruptly toward Ryan. He noticed that Ryan remained calm and composed, without a trace of pride or satisfaction over stoking the flames of desire in the crowd’s hearts. Ryan held the small Qin Feng in his arms, patiently explaining how to handle situations like the one earlier.

“When you’re faced with challenges like that, it’s not just about brute strength,” Ryan said gently. “Strength is important, but so is strategy. Most importantly, you need to understand your limits—recognizing what’s beyond you is the key. Acting within your capacity is how you truly succeed.”

Young Qin Feng gazed up at the gentle Ryan, feeling the solid warmth of his chest against his back. Is this what it feels like to have a father?

Qin Feng nodded earnestly. “I understand.” These words planted a deep impression in his mind, one that would shape his life.

Bandner couldn’t help but marvel. Ryan was truly an exemplary father—what a blessing it must be to have him as a parent.

During the fish-catching process, Yuan Chu had already analyzed the whitefish. The results revealed that its flesh was rich in fats and nutrients, making it an excellent source of nourishment for pregnant women, the frail, and young children. It was no wonder that whitefish had been a treasured supplement in the underground town for centuries.

With a population of just over 3,000, the town currently had only three pregnant women, one of whom was Qin Feng’s mother. Ryan suggested Bandner distribute the whitefish to those in need. He then knelt to Qin Feng’s eye level, gently placing a hand on the boy’s shoulder.

“Child,” Ryan said softly, “what Bandner and I discussed earlier is a secret. It’s a pact between us men. Can you keep it?”

Qin Feng’s small chest puffed out with pride as he promised, “Yes, I understand. I won’t tell anyone—not even my mom.”

Ryan smiled warmly. “Good boy.”

Little Qin Feng, holding the fish, happily ran to his mother’s side, looking up excitedly and telling her about what had just happened. Having a father feels so cool.

His mother, a thin and pale man, looked at Ryan with gratitude. Ryan returned a smile and said to Bandner, “Next, it’s up to you.”

“Mm.” Bandner nodded firmly. The step the elders dared not take was now forced upon them by reality.

With the data observed and photos taken by Yuan Chu and Code Zero presented in front of them, the elders became even more silent, unable to deny the facts. The cooperation they had opposed was now openly on the table.

Young people handpicked by Bandner gathered excitedly, fervently discussing the upcoming actions. They occasionally glanced at Fan Lanting, trying hard to showcase their physical fitness, intelligence, and linguistic talents—like peacocks spreading their colorful tails, proudly flaunting their brilliance.

When Ryan saw Fan Lanting, he noticed him carrying a bundle of things, which left him momentarily silent: “…”

Fan Lanting cheerfully said, “The people here are just too enthusiastic. Everywhere I go, they give me food. If I don’t take it, they seem unhappy, which makes me feel bad, so I don’t dare to walk around too much anymore.”

Ryan: “Uh, do you know why?”

Fan Lanting, genuinely oblivious about his genetic sequence, replied, “What else could it be? Everyone here is just really hospitable.”

Ryan really wanted to make a snarky remark, like you’d only realize your genetic sequence when you’re in front of Connor, but thinking about how saying that would make Fan Lanting awkward and upset, he wisely chose not to. Instead, he explained calmly, “From what you’ve observed yourself, the people here have an imbalance in their genetic sequences, and there are very few Xs capable of reproduction.”

Fan Lanting hesitantly nodded. “Mm.” He lowered his head to look at the things he was carrying in his arms and started to understand.

“There’s one thing they didn’t mention.”

“What?”

“They’re different from us. The genetic sequence differences are visible on their bodies. People with the X genetic sequence have birthmarks.”

“I know that…” Fan Lanting looked again at the men and women passing in front of him. Where he’d previously thought they were just being hospitable, he now understood—this was the males showing off their abilities! orz

Ryan said, “Y genetic sequences can detect Y solely by scent. Among them, you’re a hot commodity.”

Fan Lanting: “…” Silently, he put down the food he was carrying, suddenly feeling like those items had turned into a dowry.

• ··

The elders finally nodded in agreement to the cooperation. Bandner was thrilled but also started feeling nervous about the upcoming actions. After all, he was still young and lacked experience in major events, though he had the ability. His eyes naturally turned to Ryan—he trusted him.

Ryan stood up, his smile gentle yet commanding, instantly calming everyone in the room and stopping their movements. Once the room fell silent, Ryan nodded in satisfaction and said, “Three days from now is the day to ‘work’ with the pirates. What we need to do is actually very simple: use this opportunity to infiltrate, spread the military’s drill information, gain a chance to meet the pirate leader, and persuade him to rein in his men and return to this planet. Then, we wait.”

“Wait?” Bandner asked, puzzled, and the others were equally confused.

Ryan replied, “Wait for the pirates to return, and then catch them all in one sweep.”

No matter how complicated something was, it sounded light and easy when Ryan spoke of it. He had the confidence and the strength to lead everyone in completing the mission, a strength that naturally inspired trust and obedience.

Bandner, as a logistics and supply officer for the Red Spider Inner Fleet (a position held by more than twenty people), could use his role to find an opportunity to meet the pirate leader.

Bandner felt the weight of the mission heavily, but at the same time, he realized that in this cooperation, Ryan didn’t seem to need the people from the small town that much. The townsfolk provided him more with cover than actual assistance. No, no—perhaps what Ryan really wanted was just the coordinates of the Savage Star. Even without the cover, he could likely still enter the “West Side” on his own.

Bandner stared at Ryan in confusion. Could it be that all Ryan wanted was to give the Solitude Cave Town a chance to gain merit with the military?

“Why?”

As he was deep in thought, pondering his own value, a man with a bleeding shoulder came stumbling over, running as he shouted, “Boss! The ‘West Side,’ the ‘West Side’ is here! They’re taking the supplies! Audie discovered it and tried to stop them but… but was also taken away!”

The East and West sides of the Savage Star had always maintained a delicate balance. Supplies left outside had never been raided before—this was the result of efforts by previous generations as well as Bandner’s active mediation. But now, that balance has been shattered.