After hyperspace, people discovered superluminal waves that could propagate within hyperspace. Using superluminal wave transmission, information could be sent rapidly to a designated location, just like a spaceship’s jump. Subsequently, based on hyperspace and superluminal waves, people established the Mustard Seed Sumeru Theory. Guided by this theory, they built the oceanic navigation system and the infinite cosmic internet.

Hyperspace jump technology was the last of the four major challenges faced by humanity in space travel to be overcome. Before this, artificial gravity technology, super-powerful spaceship propulsion technology, and living space technology had all been perfected. After this, humanity officially entered the era of space exploration, while the other three technologies had already been available during the preceding era of exploration.

Abner brought me to the super-brain room—the super-brain is a product of the space age. Even the earliest super-brain’s computing speed was 300,000 times faster than computers from the Earth era, and modern super-brains are countless times faster than those early models. On one wall of the super-brain room was a huge display screen. When we entered, it happened to be showing two 3D photos: one of me, and the other of an Asian man I hadn’t met before, who should be my opponent, nicknamed “Fire Tiger,” James Nelson. I stood in front of the display screen while Abner walked over to the super-brain control console and spoke a few words to the operator. The entire screen changed, and rows of data appeared, showing our basic information. From a distance, Abner called out to me: “Lie Feng, take a look—does anything seem off?” I glanced at it; it looked about right, so I shouted back, “No problem, that’s it!” Abner nodded, and the operator pressed a button. The screen displayed, “Uploading data...”

Thirteen days later, we arrived at the planet Slaite and landed at a civilian spaceport. I disembarked from the ship with Abner, who had arranged for a car to pick us up in advance. Two high-end “Flagship” brand triple-purpose sedans took us to a training center. Abner and I got out of the car. I didn’t have much luggage, just a bag I carried myself, while Abner had a pile of suitcases, with people behind us helping him carry them as he walked ahead empty-handed. As soon as we got out, a tall, burly white man in front of the training center spread his arms wide and laughed heartily: “Hahaha... Abner, old friend, we meet again...” Abner also spread his arms and hugged him: “Oh, my old friend Connor, I’ve come to see you...” After a brief hug, Abner let go, put his arm around Connor’s shoulder, and said, “Come, let me introduce you. This is the most promising boxer I’ve ever seen, in the same class as Marcus...” He lowered his voice and said, “Hurry up and withdraw all your savings and bet on him—you’re guaranteed to make a fortune!”

Connor looked at me doubtfully and said, “Really? Is he that good?” “Of course!” Abner patted his chest and assured him, “When has a boxer picked by Abner ever let you down?”

Connor nodded, “I still trust those sharp eyes of yours...” He greeted us warmly, “Come on in, are you hungry? I’ve got the finest beer from the planet Geft!” “Really!” Abner was delighted, “Haha, then we must have a good drink today!”

The planet Geft produces the best beer in the universe, but I had only ever heard of it before and never tasted it—I couldn’t afford it. Back on the pirate ship, we had a bar, but it only sold cheap beer at half a cosmic credit per glass. The first time I killed a level-three officer from the Zeus Shield Security Company, I got 150 cosmic credits—that’s equivalent to 300 glasses of cheap beer. That’s the price of a life that’s still considered valuable in the pirate world, which also reflects the social reality of this era from another angle.

Connor led us inside. Abner was clearly very familiar with the place, chatting with Connor as they walked without pausing. We passed through the training center, and I saw that the floor was covered with the latest non-slip, elastic synthetic material, and all the facilities were excellent, with changing rooms and showers nearby. Clearly, this training center was doing well and had ample funding. Suddenly, Abner turned back to me and said, “Lie Feng, take a look around. Your match with James Nelson will be held right here.” I suddenly understood: no wonder this training center had so much money to buy all this equipment—it was actually a black market boxing venue, which of course meant high income. After passing through the training center, we arrived at a small building in the back, where Connor and his wife lived.

This was my first time visiting a civilian residence on a planet. Before, I had always lived on pirate ships, and my only long-term planetary experience was at the training camp on the planet Maloka—which hardly counted as a civilian home, at best it was like a primitive resident’s dwelling. Here, I saw a modern home system for the first time: an intelligent kitchen, household robots, a home super-brain, and a whole series of advanced home devices.