Volume One: The King of Three Horizontals and One Vertical

Prologue: No Time to Explain, Get in the Car

　　“Reporter Evan Clark from Huaxia Daily reporting for you at the Tiantong-7 Spaceport: At 3:30 a.m. Tianjing time, a female corpse was discovered by staff in the port’s general warehouse db201. After identification, the deceased was found to be the renowned special-appointed professor Holly Parker from a prestigious Huaxia university. The cause of death is currently under investigation…”

　　The news broadcast, laced with electronic static, crackled hoarsely from an old-fashioned miniature radio, sounding especially desolate in the empty, lifeless warehouse.

　　Beside the radio sat a black-and-white photo in a copper frame and a small incense burner. A young man, with a respectful and devout expression, placed three sticks of incense into the burner and bowed with his hands together.

　　“Ms. Parker, it’s been years since we parted after graduation. I had planned to visit you on a good day, to drink and chat together. Who would have thought that today we’d be forever separated by life and death. Though our teacher-student relationship lasted only a few months, and though we found each other disagreeable at school, I have never dared to forget the kindness of your teaching. I will definitely avenge you. Everyone in the Galactic Society involved in this will pay with their lives as your burial companions… Ms. Parker, may you rest in peace.”

　　The young man’s tone was low and desolate. He took a sip of light wine at his lips, then casually poured it out.

　　Outside the warehouse, the night was as thick as ink. As the young man walked, his footsteps made no sound. In the silence, suddenly a girl’s voice sounded beside him.

　　“Were you close with that woman?”

　　Her voice could be heard but she was nowhere to be seen. The girl’s voice was ethereal and elusive, suddenly appearing in the darkness like a ghost.

　　But the young man was unfazed, not even turning his head. He answered as he walked, “On the contrary, we got along quite poorly. I’m not used to being serious, and she was too used to being serious. I sneaked into the school out of sheer boredom, but she insisted on grooming me to be some pillar of the nation. Those months were a mess—she’d catch me red-handed even if I played Dota in the middle of the night, and would directly hack my terminal… Of course, as revenge, I hacked her terminal afterward and replaced all her treasured romance dramas with adult videos of the same name, causing her insomnia and depression for over half a month. But in any case, during those months, she really did teach me a lot of real skills for causing trouble in the world, and I can never forget her kindness as a teacher. Besides, putting all that aside, someone like Ms. Parker should never have died so young, and certainly not at the hands of those bastards from the Galactic Society. My master once said, there are people in this world who may not be likable, but are worthy of respect.”

　　The girl was silent for a moment. “I don’t understand.”

　　The young man shrugged and sighed. “Of course you don’t understand human affairs. By the way, aren’t you always claiming to be an observer? Why did you suddenly show up today?”

　　“Just curious about what you’re doing. Are you going to avenge that woman? You seem so serious—are your opponents strong?”

　　“Anyone who could kill Ms. Parker must be strong. Before she became a university professor, she was a special forces soldier in the Huaxia military, and at the top level. Even I’m not sure I could have killed her. The one who did it is Benjamin Franklin, a senior officer and ace enforcer of the Galactic Society, infamous for years. He’s probably stronger than me.” As the young man spoke, a smile appeared on his face. “But I’d have to be crazy to take on that kind of scum head-on. I have a friend in Tianjing who’s recently had some trouble with the Galactic Society. He’s strong and honest—the perfect guy for this kind of dirty work. We haven’t seen each other since the Sirius battlefield, so this is a good chance to help him relive some old hardships.”

　　As he spoke, the young man arrived at the parking lot beside the warehouse. A slightly old, yellow-and-green hover taxi sat quietly under the dim streetlight, its yellow roof light displaying the word “TAXI.” He opened the door, sat in the driver’s seat, started the engine, and the glow from the control panel instantly illuminated his face.

　　At some point, it had become the weathered, stubbly face of a seasoned old driver.

　　“Hey, what are you playing at?” the girl asked curiously.

　　The young man snorted and said in a hoarse voice, “No time to explain, get in the car.”

Chapter One: Is This a Car You Can Get On or Off Whenever You Want?

　　“Recently, the Tianjing City Public Security Bureau discovered multiple corpses in a low-rent apartment in the lower city. The deceased ranged in age from 18 to 32, and the cause of death was carbon monoxide poisoning. Reportedly, all the dead were members of the Galactic Society. The police say gang-related revenge cannot be ruled out.”

　　A shaky voice struggled out from the battered taxi’s radio, echoing inside the cramped hover car.

　　Right after, the driver’s rather gloating sigh followed.

　　“The world’s getting more and more chaotic these days.”