The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 113

“Remember to label it as a technical consulting fee when you transfer it to me.” Jiang Momo was a bit worried about the Jiang family’s trustworthiness, so she added an instruction.

After all, it was hard enough to get some money from the Jiang family, she didn’t want them to take it back later.

Jiang He clearly heard the distrust in her words and a surge of anger rose in his heart. He forced it down with reason, replying stiffly, “Of course, I’ll have someone transfer it to you right away.”

***

By the time Jiang Momo received the notification of the transfer, it was already evening. She was on E Mingjun’s spaceship, glanced at it, and gasped, “As expected, when it comes to their own interests, the Jiang family sure doesn’t hesitate.”

“How much?” E Mingjun, who was peeling fruit for Jiang Momo with a small knife, leaned forward slightly and asked.

Jiang Momo held up three fingers. “Thirty million.”

“Not much,” E Mingjun commented, handing over the peeled fruit.

Jiang Momo took a bite. “It’s good enough. This is the first time I’ve gotten that much money from the Jiang family.”

After negotiating the transfer arrangements with the Jiang family that afternoon, they parted ways and left the planet where the factory was located. The Jiang family went back to the Capital Star, while Jiang Momo and E Mingjun headed to the desolate planet she used to live on to prepare the area for energy core research.

Initially, Jiang Momo only planned to ask E Mingjun to drop her off but he said he’d never seen her old place and wanted to check it out. Thinking it wouldn’t hurt to have some free labor, Jiang Momo agreed.

“So, how much are you planning to spend to help them with the application?” E Mingjun wiped his knife casually as he asked.

“Zero,” Jiang Momo blurted out.

E Mingjun chuckled. “Then you’re not planning to take over the factory?”

“Why would I? We already took the core of the industry.” Jiang Momo waved the box that E Mingjun had given her earlier, wearing a victorious smile.

However, E Mingjun sensed a hint of heaviness behind her smile, as if it wasn’t entirely genuine. “Do you feel burdened? Because you took that thing from them?”

Jiang Momo thought for a moment before answering, “My instinct tells me I should be happy, but my morals seem to disagree.”

The sudden moral dilemma lasted only a second before Jiang Momo wiped it away, shrugging it off, and stated, “Never mind, I’ve already taken it anyway.”

E Mingjun nodded approvingly.

It was just the first step. In the future, he would make the Jiang family pay back every bit they owed him.

“By the way, I noticed the address you just entered. Your home planet seems to be in the Chaos Star System?” E Mingjun changed the topic.

He remembered asking Jiang Momo several times before and she always said she was from the Border Star System.

“Is that so? I never really knew where my planet belonged.” Jiang Momo suddenly recalled their previous conversation and patted the back of her head with one hand, smiling sheepishly. “But I should warn you in advance, the planet I used to live on has alien beasts. I’ll take care of them when the time comes, so don’t worry.”

A faint smile appeared on E Mingjun’s face. “I’m not afraid of alien beasts. I brought my mecha.”

Yan Chang lent him an A-grade mecha as a trade for a match when he returned. Although A-grade mechas didn’t suit him well, they were more than enough to handle ordinary alien beasts.

“Anyway, just don’t stray too far from me or my residence.” It was the first time Jiang Momo had brought someone to the desolate planet, so she emphasized it repeatedly.

E Mingjun nodded. “Got it, I’m really not afraid of alien beasts.”

He thought it was simple enough. After all, it was Jiang Momo’s hometown and according to her, it was a desolate planet. In the Federation’s classification, habitable planets wouldn’t have more than 300 alien beasts.

***

The spaceship traveled for about a day before landing on the desolate planet.

When Jiang Momo left before, she hadn’t expected to return. The warship where she used to live had long been dismantled into parts and taken to the Capital Star, leaving only a cave at the foot of a mountain that she originally dug to ambush the alien beasts.

The moment E Mingjun stepped off the spaceship, he felt his body grow heavy. He barely had time to take in his surroundings before his legs sank into the mud, as if filled with lead.

He tried to lift his arm but both arms felt like they weighed a thousand pounds.

“The gravity here…” E Mingjun muttered, only to see Jiang Momo skillfully putting on an exoskeleton mecha suit.

“It’s my fault. I got used to the gravity on the Capital Star and forgot about the gravity difference here.” Jiang Momo, having fastened the last joint, looked at the motionless E Mingjun, realizing something. “You didn’t bring an exoskeleton?”

“I did.” E Mingjun took a deep breath and pulled out a spare exoskeleton from the compartment of his mecha’s space button.

Usually, he didn’t notice it, but on the desolate planet, the exoskeleton felt so heavy it was almost impossible to lift. Seeing him struggle, Jiang Momo took it and helped him put it on quickly.

“Done.” Jiang Momo clapped her hands lightly. “Try moving around.”

E Mingjun lifted his leg cautiously and was shocked to find that his legs still felt heavier than usual. He could normally jump five meters high after equipping the exoskeleton!

It meant that on the desolate planet, a normal person would need the exoskeleton just to barely reach the living standards of a habitable planet.

Once the gravity issue was solved, E Mingjun looked around and was taken aback by the primitive view in front of him. They were on a small mountain covered in dense vegetation with no trace of human habitation, full of the beauty of wild nature.

Jiang Momo pulled out a machete, cleared the vines and leaves, and revealed a cave tall enough for several people to stand.

Inside the cave, there was a bed and basic furniture, although they were covered with a thick layer of dust, indicating long abandonment.

“I dug out this cave before. We’ll stay here for a couple of days.” Jiang Momo patted the dust off her hands. “Did you bring your mecha?”

It took her a long while to push the alien beast population to the dark side of the planet before she could settle down. Now that Jiang Momo hadn’t been around for two or three months, she was not sure if the alien beasts had crossed the boundary to reclaim their territory. So she had to check and chase them away first.

“I did.” E Mingjun released his mecha.

Jiang Momo looked at the familiar A-grade mecha and fell silent for a moment. “…That’s the mecha I gave to Yan Chang.”

“Yes, I borrowed it,” E Mingjun explained.

“Alright, you stay here. I’ll clear the perimeter and come back.” Jiang Momo quickly gave up the idea of taking E Mingjun with her for a round.

A-grade mecha’s performance was far worse than S-grade mecha’s. Having E Mingjun with her won’t help piloting the mecha better, let alone helping with eradicating the alien beasts. It’s better for her to go alone and not be burdened.

“Alright.” E Mingjun didn’t insist to follow, preparing instead to clean up the dusty cave while Jiang Momo left to scout. The spaceship they brought there was small in size, good enough for accommodation, but a far cry to produce and research mecha.

Jiang Momo left him with a few instructions before piloting the mecha away.

***

After tidying up, E Mingjun couldn’t help but feel a bit melancholic looking at the barren, cold environment of the cave.

“She grew up in a place like this… It must have been tough.” He gently touched the marks on the stone walls, taking a few photos with his light brain.

Afterward, he sat on the stone stool in the cave for more than half an hour. Once the coldness from the stone seeped into his body through his tailbone, E Mingjun stood up again. Seeing that Jiang Momo still hadn’t returned, he stretched his legs and walked outside.

He wanted to take a better look at the environment Jiang Momo had lived in and learn more about her past.

As he walked, he noticed that the vegetation around him was becoming denser and the surroundings were getting more primitive, with the traces of human activity almost disappearing.

Sensing something was wrong, E Mingjun stopped and started walking back.

“I’ve only walked for less than five minutes, so it shouldn’t be that far,” E Mingjun murmured in confusion. Could it be that no one else lives around here?

Just then, E Mingjun heard a rustling sound from behind. Turning his head, he saw a massive alien beast’s head emerging from the foliage.

Realizing that there was a human present, the alien beast seemed startled and shrank back slightly with a wary gaze, as if it wanted to run away.

For the first time, E Mingjun saw a nervous expression in the eyes of an alien beast, leaving him momentarily puzzled.

The alien beast only hesitated for a moment before realizing that the human was not the one it was familiar with. Its demeanor immediately turned fierce, baring sharp fangs and roaring menacingly at E Mingjun.

Now that looked like the typical alien beast he was used to seeing.

E Mingjun reached into his space button, intending to pull out his super S-grade mecha.

‘Good thing Jiang Momo wasn’t around,’ E Mingjun thought.

At that moment, Jiang Momo’s voice appeared from nearby, “E Mingjun, where are you?”

E Mingjun’s heart skipped a beat. He noticed the alien beast slightly tilting its head, seemingly trying to identify the direction of the voice. Immediately, he shouted, “Don’t come over, it’s dangerous.”

He then heard Jiang Momo’s footsteps approaching rapidly. E Mingjun’s mind went blank, no longer worrying about exposing his abilities. He immediately summoned his mecha, preparing for battle.

But before he could jump into action, a strong hand pressed firmly on his shoulder, as heavy as a small mountain, accompanied by a thick, bloody scent.

“Momo!” E Mingjun almost shouted, his voice breaking.

Jiang Momo didn’t bother to calm E Mingjun down. She glared at the alien beast, which had already taken a half-step back and tucked its tail, and commanded in a low voice, “Go!”

The alien beast immediately turned and fled.