The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 155

Jiang Momo only thought for a moment before boarding the spaceship Yan Chang had arrived in.

The ship looked familiar and she recognized it at a glance. Sitting down on the sofa in the middle of the spaceship, she accepted a glass of juice from Yan Chang and lifted her chin slightly. “Same model as Wu Yue’s ship?”

“Yes.” Yan Chang leaned lazily against the sofa back. “Last time, I had to borrow Wu Yue’s ship to go to the desolate planet to find you and it was such a hassle that I just bought one myself. I’ve parked one at each of your properties in case of emergencies.”

Jiang Momo picked up on the key phrase and questioned whether she’d heard him right, “One at every property?”

Yan Chang nodded. “Yep.”

“Why?” Jiang Momo blurted out.

There was a teasing smile on Yan Chang’s face. “Don’t get the wrong idea. I don’t have any weird intentions. It’s mostly to thank you.”

Jiang Momo scratched her head. “But that energy core wasn’t worth that much.”

“But my future is worth far more.” Yan Chang took a sip of tea and then suddenly looked up. “Momo, do you have any dreams?”

He had never thought he’d have this kind of future. Now, even if Jiang Momo wanted to become president, he’d find a way to push her up there.

Jiang Momo tapped her cheek with a finger and thought for a while. “Not really. I’m pretty happy with my life now.”

Yan Chang lowered his eyes slightly.

He’d forgotten that Jiang Momo had never tasted the allure of power, so of course she didn’t long for it.

Seeing Yan Chang fall into sudden silence, Jiang Momo looked around idly. Urged by Little Eight, she opened her light brain.

The Star Network was still bustling. For some unknown reason, more families of the research institute’s victims were coming forward again, exposing the unspoken ‘rules of survival’ within the institute including rigid hierarchies, corporal punishment, and more. This time, the posts remained up instead of being deleted.

Oddly, even as the public demanded answers on the research institute’s official site, no response came. In fact, the number of comments was visibly decreasing.

Little Eight spoke up as Jiang Momo was absorbed in reading, [The research institute is a confidential place, so the public doesn’t know where it is and can’t parade there. The President has already publicly condemned the research institute, so people can’t protest at the Presidential Palace either. That’s why most of the outcry is stuck online.]

“They really don’t plan to respond.” Jiang Momo clicked her tongue in disbelief. “The director got arrested, sure, but there must be others involved.”

[The President cut the research institute off from the network. All light brain signals inside were restricted, so no messages could get out,] Little Eight explained.

Jiang Momo shifted her gaze. “And?”

The Siamese cat flicked its tail.

[Now that the fear of the alien beasts destroying the Federation has faded, a lot of suppressed discussions are flaring up again, including the previously ignored Population Purge Plan.]

Something clicked in Jiang Momo’s mind. She looked up at Yan Chang. “People online are saying the President interfered with the judicial system again.”

E Mingjun had told her the President acted unaware of Ge Qing and Shi Qin’s acquittal. That only left one possibility; the man in front of her had enough power to pull it off, although it was hard for her to believe.

Yan Chang looked conflicted. Resting one hand against his neck, he tilted his head and offered, “I don’t know if you’ll believe me but even though the President took all the blame, it wasn’t really his doing.”

“I know. Thank you,” Jiang Momo said directly.

She still remembered how Yan Chang suddenly couldn’t make it to the court hearing that day. She’d thought he ran into trouble, but now she understood he’d been acting as the behind-the-scenes hero.

“No need to be so polite.” Yan Chang waved it off, trying to look relaxed, but the flush on his ears betrayed his discomfort.

Jiang Momo pretended not to notice and continued scrolling through her light brain.

***

Soon, they arrived at the Yan family’s ancestral residence.

Calling it a residence didn’t do it justice. With its opulent exterior and vast grounds, it was more like a palace.

Jiang Momo’s eyes went wide before they even landed. “This is on the Floating Island 1, right?”

“Yes. Property here is worth more than on the Floating Island 2. So while the main building’s a bit nicer, the garden area is pretty small,” Yan Chang said, clearly dissatisfied. “I don’t usually stay here.”

Jiang Momo looked up blankly. Was this guy serious?

“You think it’s small too, right?” Yan Chang mistook her expression for agreement and nodded confidently. “You used to own an entire planet, remember?”

“Half a planet,” Jiang Momo corrected weakly.

“Details.”

Yan Chang walked forward a couple of steps. A beam of light enveloped him from above and a mechanical voice rang.

[Yan family’s genetic scan complete. Identity: Yan Family Head. Please confirm your destination.]

“Library,” Yan Chang said.

[Momo, close your eyes,] Little Eight suddenly piped up.

Jiang Momo was still curiously touching the stone pillar near the door when her vision flashed. The next second, she was in a towering room filled with shelves that stretched up beyond sight.

“What’s going on?” Startled, Jiang Momo grabbed a nearby shelf for support. She was dizzy and had to shake her head and blink at the stars in her vision.

“Spatial transfer device,” Yan Chang said. “It was left behind by our ancestors.”

Jiang Momo gave her head another shake. Once her vision cleared, she looked up and pointed. “How do you even get books from up there?”

“There are mechanical arms and small spatial transfer devices,” Yan Chang said. He picked up a tablet-like device from a corner and handed it to her. “This is the book inventory. You can select what you want and the book will appear on the nearest shelf.”

Jiang Momo looked at the ancient script covering the device’s screen. “Let me guess, they are also passed down by your ancestors?”

“Yeah. No one can read it anymore,” Yan Chang said, then looked at her. “Unlike those other books from before, you can read these freely. The family library is open to all Yan family members. Anyone can bring friends to read here, as long as the books don’t leave.”

Then he added, “Of course, you can take them out.”

Jiang Momo gave a big fake grin that showed all eight of her teeth, doing her best to ignore the obvious subtext. “Thanks.”

Yan Chang truly didn’t mean anything more by it. He always relaxed around Jiang Momo. Ever since the last treatment, he barely even used his light brain around her. He happily set her access level to the highest tier, pulled out a recliner, flopped onto it, grabbed a modern book from a nearby shelf, and fell asleep in no time, face covered by the book, all dignity gone.

Jiang Momo sat cross-legged on the floor, listening to the snores from just a few feet away, utterly baffled.

“Isn’t he a bit too trusting of me?”

The things in here basically count as national treasures!