The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 112

“What kind of look is that? Don’t overthink it. We’re just friends.”

“I didn’t say anything.” Jiang Xian smiled again and leaned closer, asking softly. “So, who is he?”

“The president of the Student Council at the Central Mecha Academy,” Jiang Momo replied.

Jiang Xian waited for a more prestigious introduction but none came. For a moment, she was stunned. “That’s it?”

Jiang Momo tilted her head, noticing Jiang Xian’s expectant look. Of course she knew what Jiang Xian expected but Jiang Momo shook her head. “That’s all.”

“I see.” Jiang Xian’s enthusiasm visibly cooled as her expression visibly changed. She pointed to the breakfast on the table and said to Jiang Momo, “Eat your breakfast first. Let us know if you need anything.”

After saying that, she ignored E Mingjun and left.

E Mingjun, hands in his pockets, didn’t spare Jiang Xian a glance.

After the door closed with a slam, Jiang Momo looked at E Mingjun and caught his gaze.

She shrugged. “Do you understand now why I was so sure before?”

“I get it.” E Mingjun nodded.

As Jiang Momo’s biological mother, the way Jiang Xian looked at Jiang Momo had no hint of familial affection, only calculation. Seeing that, one couldn’t help but calm down.

“When I heard that you were with the Jiang family yesterday, I was worried that my previous actions might have been too extreme and would affect our relationship once you found out.” E Mingjun smiled.

Jiang Momo shook her head. “I should thank you. If you hadn’t acted, I wouldn’t have succeeded so smoothly.”

“Actually, there was a better way to take out the energy core without leaving any trace but time was too tight.” E Mingjun rubbed the corner of his clothes with his fingers, feeling a little embarrassed.

Jiang Momo patted his shoulder and handed him a bottle of nutrient solution from her bag. “I meant the incident. If we hadn’t pressured them, they wouldn’t have handed me the factory so hastily. The production line was already shut down. If we had waited, the energy core might have been moved.”

E Mingjun took the nutrient solution, unscrewed the lid, and drank it in one go, before looking at the neatly arranged sumptuous meal on the table. He picked up the plate and dumped most of it into the waste bin.

E Mingjun felt a little guilty hearing Jiang Momo’s words. After all, there were more things he had done that Jiang Momo didn’t know.

“Are you planning to make a mecha with this energy core? Its origins are hard to trace,” E Mingjun said, changing the subject.

“The desolate planet I lived in before shouldn’t be under Federal surveillance. I’ll research it there,” Jiang Momo replied as she glanced at the box tucked inside her bag.

“Good idea. If you can really develop the legendary mecha, you don’t have to worry anymore. The Federation will probably worship you instead of making trouble,” E Mingjun joked and he began thinking of plans he could use to build momentum for Jiang Momo.

Jiang Momo thought E Mingjun was teasing her, so she chuckled and asked a different topic, “You slept here the entire night. Did you feel refreshed now?”

“Actually… yes, I did feel a bit refreshed,” E Mingjun replied, a bit puzzled.

Jiang Momo smirked knowingly. “Let’s go for a walk.”

The two of them walked around the factory area and Jiang Momo’s gaze occasionally swept over the hardworking workers.

It seemed that Jiang He had already told them that Jiang Momo would be the new owner of the factory because quite a few workers greeted her proactively when they saw her.

Jiang Momo nodded in response to each of them.

E Mingjun followed Jiang Momo closely without missing a step. Seeing this, he couldn’t help but tease, “Quite the presence, Boss Jiang.”

Jiang Momo smiled and was about to speak when she suddenly felt a shadow looming behind her. She turned around to see Jiang Zhang deep in thought.

“What’s wrong?” Jiang Momo looked up and asked.

Jiang Zhang had been wearing a neat formal suit since leaving the Capital Star, completely out of place with the factory’s atmosphere. He lowered his head slightly, his eyes dimmed and appearing pitch-black. “They never greeted me before.”

Jiang Momo was full of confusion. “So? Why are you telling me that you’re unpopular with the workers?”

“It’s not that they didn’t have the awareness before but they didn’t have the energy,” Jiang Zhang replied.

Jiang Momo frowned. “Are you speaking in riddles? Just say it directly.”

“Since you came, their spirits have improved significantly,” Jiang Zhang stated bluntly.

Jiang Momo’s heart skipped a beat but her expression remained unchanged. “Really? That just means I’m a lucky star.”

“Let’s hope so.” Jiang Zhang gave a half-hearted smile and turned to leave.

Jiang Momo watched Jiang Zhang’s back disappear around the corner and then glanced at E Mingjun.

E Mingjun lowered his head and said with certainty, “They went to check the energy core this morning and now they’re suspicious of us.”

Jiang Momo: “…Is it possible that the thing also drains their mental power?”

Before taking action, she had asked Little Eight to thoroughly study recent surveillance footage.

The Jiang family members had never come into close contact with the energy core. Whenever they visited the factory, they would notify the staff three days in advance to have the energy core removed from the fully automated production line and placed in an isolation safe on the morning of their visit. After they left, it would be put back on the line.

This time, the same procedure was followed and the operator had already taken a week off for a physical examination. This meant that even if they were suspicious, they would stay far away and have someone else check. For some unknown reason, surveillance showed that the appearance of the energy core varied each time it was shown, so her initial plan was to take a small piece and leave rather than take the entire block.

Now, the entire energy core was in her hands and logically speaking, it should be the only one. It was the perfect outcome of killing two birds with one stone. Her goal was achieved and the factory workers’ health was also ensured.

The only remaining problem was how to leave the Jiang family’s grasp unscathed.

“This factory and its shares shouldn’t be accepted,” Jiang Momo muttered.

“Why not accept them?” E Mingjun asked.

Jiang Momo frowned. “Firstly, it’s too deeply tied to the Jiang family. Secondly, the Jiang family’s negative reputation…”

Speaking of that, she suddenly paused and looked up at E Mingjun who wore a relaxed expression.

“If it’s yours, take it. The other problems will be resolved,” he said.

Jiang Momo didn’t know what to say for a moment and rushed out with her head lowered.

At that moment, the four Jiang family members were at the spot where the spaceship had been parked the day before, supervising workers loading the energy core. Seeing Jiang Momo rush over, they immediately stopped what they were doing.

“What’s wrong? Is there a problem?” Jiang He asked.

“No problem. I’ve finished inspecting this area,” Jiang Momo replied.

From the beginning, Jiang He knew it was unlikely that a child like Jiang Momo would notice anything, so he smiled proudly. “Then shall we head back?”

“No rush. I heard that the energy industry is the Jiang family’s pillar industry. Take me to see the energy processing factory,” Jiang Momo said, crossing her arms.

Jiang He hesitated for a moment. “Fine.”

***

In the afternoon, the group took a spaceship to another factory.

Jiang Momo followed the Jiang family members with a blank expression. She didn’t think there would be any issues there but she suggested the visit to pry some resources from the Jiang family.

However, upon seeing the workers at the factory, Jiang Momo was startled.

She moved closer to E Mingjun and whispered in his ear, “Why do these people look worse off than those at the previous factory?”

“Indeed,” E Mingjun whispered back.

“Could it be that the raw materials for this factory’s energy come from people’s vitality?” Jiang Momo joked, looking at the Jiang family members walking ahead. “Why do they all look drained?”

Jiang He’s face stiffened but he forced a laugh. “How could that be? We use raw energy stones mined from the energy planet. This factory only performs basic processing and provides raw materials to other energy core manufacturers.”

“Our energy supply leads the industry, so the raw materials must be special, right?” Jiang Momo feigned interest.

Jiang He hesitated and Jiang Zhang helped explain, “Our energy materials have a conversion rate two to three times higher than the market average, with an annual net profit in the billions.”

“So, with the same volume and price of raw materials, we can supply three times the energy as others?” Jiang Momo asked.

Jiang Zhang nodded. “That’s one way to put it.”

“Our energy is really that special?” Jiang Momo continued.

“Yes,” Jiang Zhang said with a smug smile. “That’s our trade secret, most people can’t figure it out.”

Jiang Momo shrugged and continued to follow them, her body instinctively sensing a familiar feeling. She turned her head. “Is this factory running on energy cores produced from the previous factory’s production line?”

Jiang He shot a warning glance at Jiang Zhang, whose smile froze.

The smile reappeared on Jiang Momo’s face as she pretended not to notice the reaction of the Jiang family’s father and son, curiously inspecting the surroundings. She roughly concluded that the extra two to three times the energy might be supplemented by the workers’ mental power.

No wonder the students were drained after just three days on the tourist planet, while the workers lasted a year. Initially, she thought the experimental animals were stronger than the finished energy cores. Now it seemed that the long-term mental power extraction medium was just a diluted secondary product.

When Jiang He claimed there was only one fatal accident at the raw materials factory, he likely wasn’t lying. The accident most likely happened while they were removing the energy core before and after the Jiang family’s inspection.

Jiang Momo’s eyes glinted as she made a simple conclusion in her heart. She darted to Jiang He, her eyes sparkling. “Dad, is this factory mine too? It sounds really profitable!”

She couldn’t actually take over the factories. The main issue hadn’t been resolved and the previous factory’s deadly incident still posed a risk. Moreover, the factory’s human-powered operation could fail at any time, so she couldn’t risk it.

But she couldn’t openly reject it either, or the Jiang family would become suspicious, making it harder to continue her plans.

Seeing Jiang Momo’s sudden enthusiasm, Jiang He assumed greed had blinded her and he lifted his chin slightly. “Of course, it’s yours.”

“Thanks, Dad, you’re the best!” Jiang Momo forced down her nausea and said sweetly.

Jiang Zhang frowned and stepped forward to say something but Jiang He stopped him.

“But there’s a condition. Only when we succeed in becoming nobles will the transfer of shares and factories take effect,” Jiang He said.

Jiang Momo lowered her head, as if pondering, and then solemnly nodded. “Alright, but you have to cover the gift money and application fees.”

“No problem,” Jiang He replied. “As long as you help with the application, we understand the rules. We’re family, so you’ll do your best to help us, right?”

Jiang Momo nodded. “Of course.”

Of course not. There’s no public announcement of the application process, and it’s normal for it to take years without success.