Chapter One: Old Man, Just You Wait!

The best and the worst create history, while the mediocre simply propagate the species.

Who knows which bastard said that, but humanity, driven by a powerful will to survive, delivered a crushing blow to the so-called infinitely expanding and reproducing Zago race. As humanity entered the era of interstellar aviation, the population successfully broke the 30 billion mark.

Of course, this included humans, Eventians, Kaitians, and a complex mix of hybrids.

The Pan-Solar System Grand Alliance, upholding the principle of deepening the solar system while constantly exploring, built the solar system into humanity’s home. Earth, due to its special significance and advantageous conditions, would always be the center... though in terms of living conditions, it really had no advantage.

The Moon, as the old stronghold of the Eventians, had withstood the trials of great wars and time, and had now become the center of technology and culture, also known as paradise.

Mars had also become an important human-inhabited planet, and Ceres, between Mars and Jupiter, had been fully developed, serving as Mars’ moon.

But the real breakthrough was Venus. The other planets in the solar system lacked development potential; rather than developing them, it was better to build space cities directly. However, ever since space jump technology matured, after centuries of relentless attempts, failures, and renewed attempts, humanity finally discovered three habitable planets in the Andromeda galaxy, naming them Dawn, Hope, and Alpha. These were Earth-like worlds, and with current technology and explosive population growth, they quickly became humanity’s second home.

In the past hundred years, humanity made another breakthrough. A space exploration fleet called Norton, while jumping to the Sagittarius system, discovered a planet suitable for human habitation. This planet was also named Norton Star, its significance akin to the discovery of the New World in ancient times. The exploration team became overnight billionaires—this was a success that might only happen once in hundreds of thousands of attempts.

"The spaceship bound for Norton Star in the Sagittarius system is about to depart. Passengers, please board as soon as possible."

The space attendant’s enchanting voice was always so captivating.

At the spaceship boarding gate, a crowd was waving frantically, and those on board were cheering, though everyone’s eyes were filled with deep reluctance.

This was the fifth batch of pioneers sent to Norton Star. The three planets in the Andromeda galaxy were a paradise for human immigrants, with three hundred years of construction resulting in complete and advanced living facilities. Welfare, education, and military defense all met or exceeded solar system standards. But Norton Star... was still too primitive, especially with the ever-present Zago race, as tenacious as some kind of ancient cockroach on Earth, evolving alongside humanity.

This was the second phase of Norton Star’s development plan. Most people willing to go were those with tough lives, hoping to improve their situation after two years on Norton Star, mostly in their thirties, forties, or even older.

Yet among the crowd was a figure who looked extremely young, at most fourteen or fifteen. The boy gazed at the farewell area, where an old man with a red nose was waving his hat desperately, his eyes red from crying. What reason could there be to send such a young child onto this kind of spaceship?

As the boarding ramp retracted, the people saying goodbye went wild, crying and waving. The old man jumped up and down, hoping to catch one last glimpse of his child.

Brian Carter looked at the "excited" old man, flashed a brilliant smile, slowly raised his right hand, then solemnly gave the middle finger, shouting, "You old bastard, just wait till I get back to deal with you!"

The old man kept waving, but one finger was raised high, his face full of sly laughter.

In the year 2565 AD, Brian Carter, who had never left Shangjing, left home for the first time to go to some godforsaken place called Norton Star. A boundless and uncertain future—this was a heavy blow for a young man who had just turned fifteen.

Reading ten thousand books is not as good as traveling ten thousand miles, but this trip to Sagittarius was more like ten million miles... This story needs to start from the beginning.

Brian Carter was an orphan. It was said his parents were martyrs, and he was adopted by a kind old man. But after growing up, Brian Carter felt the old man only did it for the government subsidy. Still, with today’s improved welfare system, Brian Carter never suffered any abuse. As an ambitious young man, he naturally wanted to become a warrior, and at fifteen, he had reached the age to awaken his potential.