The Real Daughter Just Wants to Pilot Mechas - Chapter 99

“Are you heading over now? We’ll escort you and you can meet our captain.” The vice-captain was extremely excited.

“…No need. He doesn’t like me getting too close to others. I’ll go by myself,” Jiang Momo replied smoothly.

The vice-captain didn’t doubt it. After all, that man hadn’t even let them see her frontal photo and he was always tight-lipped about their relationship. He was definitely a possessive type. Besides, after witnessing what happened to other interstellar pirates who angered the captain, the vice-captain didn’t dare test his temper.

“We have other matters to attend to anyway, so we won’t see you off. Take care!” The vice-captain left the spaceship with a grin as wide as a blooming flower.

The ship door closed again.

Wu Yue and Ling Yelin silently stared at Jiang Momo who was still fiddling with the gun.

In the end, Wu Yue couldn’t hold back and carefully asked, “Momo, you and their captain…”

“I don’t know him.” Jiang Momo tucked the gun into her belt and pinched her chin with one hand. “I think they’ve mistaken me for someone else.”

She had an unbelievable thought in her head but it wasn’t something she could tell anyone. So, she planned to investigate it once she was alone.

“It’s probably mistaken identity,” Ling Yelin added. “From the interstellar pirate’s tone, the captain only showed up recently. Momo lives a pretty simple life, so there’s no way she’s crossed paths with someone of that level.”

Jiang Momo nodded repeatedly. “Exactly. I just have one of those common faces.”

All three knew that wasn’t true. Jiang Momo’s looks and aura were one of a kind even across the whole Federation. But neither Ling Yelin nor Wu Yue pushed the matter and moved on to the next topic.

“When I was signing the contract, I realized the cost was way lower than what you reported to me. I even suspected you were pocketing the difference. Only now I realized the money was used here,” Ling Yelin said. He had never been more thankful for his habit of not questioning women’s decisions. Otherwise, he’d be thoroughly embarrassed.

“So what now? Have you finally grown a conscience and decided to give me a raise because my work’s too dangerous?” Wu Yue teased.

Ling Yelin nodded. “You deserve one. I always thought you handled things so easily, I figured it was smooth sailing.”

“How much?” Wu Yue immediately scooted closer.

“Double. We’ll draft a new contract when we get back.” Ling Yelin adjusted his collar a bit awkwardly.

Wu Yue cheered and then immediately flew back to Jiang Momo’s side like a baby bird returning to its nest. Holding her hand, she grinned brightly. “Thanks for coming with me this time. Otherwise, I would’ve missed out on a big paycheck! You’re my lucky star. I’m treating you to dinner later!”

She didn’t quite know why but Wu Yue had long noticed that Ling Yelin was much more generous whenever Jiang Momo was around. So when Ling Yelin said Jiang Momo was going too, she had agreed on the spot.

True to her word, as soon as they landed, Wu Yue led Jiang Momo toward a restaurant.

The buildings there were low, no more than three stories high, and the area gave off a sense of decay. Many ragged, skeletal people huddled under eaves to avoid the rain, their eyes sunken.

“There’s nothing good to eat out here. Let’s go to the central district,” Wu Yue explained to Jiang Momo. “It’s a bit of a walk from the landing point but it’s better equipped than the outer-ring planets in the Central Star System.”

“You used to live in the central district?” Jiang Momo asked.

Wu Yue had mentioned before that she was neighbors with E Mingjun.

Wu Yue was quiet for a moment. “No, I lived in the outer city. The Beast Arena is out there too. I’ll take you guys after we eat. E Mingjun’s adoptive father picked him up the arena.”

“It seems the Beast Arena was not for battles between two beasts,” Jiang Momo said.

“Of course not. That’s why I say rich people are cruel. Tons of wealthy folks from the Central Star System come to watch the beast fight. I thought Ling Yelin was different but he went straight for that too.” Wu Yue laughed bitterly.

Jiang Momo felt her smile was a little forced. She patted Wu Yue on the shoulder. “Trust me, Ling Yelin probably didn’t expect what it really was.”

“No way. Boss Ling, you—” Wu Yue turned to ask, only to find that while they’d been walking and chatting, Ling Yelin had fallen behind. “Where’d he go?!”

The two of them turned back to find him and finally spotted him on the previous street, surrounded by children and handing out money.

“Form a line! Everyone gets some!” Ling Yelin shouted to keep order.

His clothes looked like they’d been tugged on, his expensive fabric stained with fingerprints and mud. He held a wad of cash in one hand, handing out five bills per child. With the golden sunlight falling on his shining blond hair, he practically sparkled.

Wu Yue leaned against a low wall, arms crossed. “He’s always going on about ‘lower-class people’ and now look at this.”

“He’s not a bad person,” Jiang Momo said.

“Five hundred star coins is a huge sum for folks around here.” Wu Yue shook her head. Then she clapped her hands and walked over. “I’ll help him out.”

“Me too!” Jiang Momo followed.

After handing out all the money and waving off the grateful kids and parents, the three looked at each other and burst out laughing.

Wu Yue teased, “Isn’t our Boss Ling the guy who always pays by check or card? What’s he doing with cash?”

Ling Yelin looked a bit embarrassed. “I saw you withdraw money yesterday, so I brought some just in case. I thought I shouldn’t always make you pay. I had to prepare something for me and Momo too.”

Then he turned to Jiang Momo. “By the way, I didn’t expect our Teacher Momo to be such a force. You actually got everyone to line up.”

Jiang Momo gave an awkward chuckle. “I didn’t have any money to hand out. All I could do was keep things orderly.”

The three of them laughed and headed toward the restaurant Wu Yue recommended.

After dinner, Ling Yelin enthusiastically suggested going to the Beast Arena.

Jiang Momo glanced at Wu Yue and winked.

“I forgot to tell him about that.” Wu Yue smacked her forehead and solemnly grabbed Ling Yelin’s wrist. “Boss Ling, there’s something I need to explain. The Beast Arena isn’t about two beasts fighting.”

Ling Yelin’s smile faded. “…What do you mean?”

“It’s humans versus alien beasts,” Wu Yue said seriously. “If you still want to go, I’ll buy you and Momo tickets, but I’ll wait outside.”

She would never forget the condition E Mingjun was in when his adoptive father brought him home. She’d never stepped foot in the arena since.

Ling Yelin swallowed. “Forget it. I avoided hand-to-hand and mecha fights because I didn’t want to see blood. I didn’t think this would be worse.”

“If you’re afraid of blood, we can go to a mecha match,” Wu Yue suggested. “It’s similar to the official matches in the Central Star System but there’s gambling too. It’s very exciting.”

Ling Yelin raised his hand. “Let’s go! I’ll place some bets!”

After just two steps, he stopped and looked at Wu Yue. “If I lose, they’re not going to come for my kidneys, right?”

“Don’t be ridiculous. What would they do with your kidney, cook with it?” Wu Yue shot back. “Stop watching so many dramas. The Federation banned organ trading centuries ago.”

“Alright then. Let’s go.” Ling Yelin strode out.

***

The planet’s Mecha Arena was packed and the stands, which could hold 50,000 people, were completely full. Wu Yue led Jiang Momo and Ling Yelin through the crowd and finally found three empty seats.

“We’re really lucky, this spot has a great view.” Wu Yue sighed in relief and then turned to Jiang Momo, who was looking around. “Momo, what are you looking for?”

“No big deal.” Jiang Momo didn’t know what exactly she was looking for. She just felt it was a bit suspicious that in the packed crowd, the spot with the best view still had three open seats. But since there was nothing else unusual around, she quickly accepted that maybe she just had good luck today.

Jiang Momo looked at the two mechas below, which had clearly been fighting for a while already, then glanced at the roaring crowd and asked Wu Yue, “Is this the only arena for mecha battles here?”

Wu Yue nodded. “It’s just this one. There are matches every day but there aren’t that many mecha pilots.”

Jiang Momo nodded as well.

While the two of them were talking, Ling Yelin had already placed his bet and held the ticket in his hand.

Jiang Momo noticed and asked, “You already placed your bet? You didn’t assess their strength first?”

“No need.” Ling Yelin was full of confidence. “Gambling isn’t about objective facts. It’s all about personal ‘luck.’”

“Who did you bet on to win?” Jiang Momo asked.

“The black one,” Ling Yelin said.

Jiang Momo observed for a bit and hesitantly said, “Judging by condition, capability, and skill, the blue mecha has a higher chance of winning.”

Ling Yelin wagged a finger and leaned close to Jiang Momo, whispering, “In this kind of gambling, you’re betting on the house’s intent. The house wants to make money, so whoever they let win, wins.”

Jiang Momo didn’t quite believe it because based on the black mecha’s performance, it would be eliminated in under five minutes.

But the outcome was exactly as Ling Yelin had said. Near the end of the match, the blue mecha made a ‘critical mistake’ and the black mecha narrowly won.

Jiang Momo looked over at Ling Yelin who raised his chin proudly. His golden curls bounced along with the motion. “I told you.”

In the following rounds, Ling Yelin kept winning.

Jiang Momo couldn’t figure out the trick no matter how hard she thought. According to her calculations, if she bet purely based on skill, her win rate could hit 70%, but she’d still lose 50% of her original capital.

Ling Yelin could tell what she was thinking but didn’t say much. He stood up. “Come on, let’s go wander somewhere else. I’ve got a bunch of unexpected winnings, so let’s go spend them.”