Chapter 30: The Super Invincible Spendthrift

The next day, Zhong Yun boarded the plane home with all his luggage. Tianhai and Chenwen were animatedly discussing the gains from their trip, visibly excited.

Once on the plane, the students calmly sought out their seats. Zhong Yun and his two companions, as usual, took the seats at the very back. After stowing their bags, Zhong Yun settled by the window, while Chenwen and Tianhai sat across from him.

"I'm going to sleep. Don't disturb me," Zhong Yun announced, pressing a button beside his seat. Two soft ear covers enveloped his ears, and the headrest molded itself slightly for added comfort. He closed his eyes, and within two minutes, gentle snores could be heard.

After five hours of flight, the plane landed at Mingzhou Airport. The sweet voice of the announcer echoed through the cabin: "We have arrived at Mingzhou Airport. Please prepare to disembark..."

Tianhai was about to rouse Zhong Yun, who was still fast asleep, when Zhong Yun suddenly raised his hand, removed the ear covers, stretched languidly, and rubbed his sleepy eyes. "We've arrived?"

Passengers began to disembark one after another. Zhong Yun and his friends waited until the crowd thinned before retrieving their bags and leaving.

At the airport entrance, they watched as Liu Yunqi climbed into a luxury shuttle. A driver, clearly professional, closed her door and returned to the cockpit. The vehicle soared into the sky, vanishing in the blink of an eye.

"That car is nice, but isn't it a bit beneath her status?" Tianhai remarked, puzzled.

"You really lack discernment," Chenwen seized the opportunity to mock him. "Is that an ordinary car? Fei Yingming's Swift X can't even compare to one of its wheels."

"Is it really that impressive?" Tianhai was skeptical. "Its design seems pretty ordinary."

"It's called low-profile, understand? That shuttle is said to withstand a particle cannon with an energy level of ten thousand units."

"Damn," Tianhai was speechless. The heaviest armored mechs, dubbed 'turtle shells,' could only withstand fifteen thousand units. So this car's defensive capability rivals, or even surpasses, most mechs. What kind of vehicle is this?

"Even the president's car isn't much better," Tianhai shook his head in awe.

"That's right," Chenwen nodded. "The Giant Machinery Group only produced ten of these vehicles: three went to the military, two to the presidential palace."

"Let's go," Zhong Yun said, stepping to the curb and hailing a passing taxi.

In the car, Zhong Yun pressed his lips tightly, his face long and sullen, saying nothing. Tianhai and Chenwen exchanged a glance, wisely choosing silence.

"He seems down," one thought. "Probably in a bad mood," the other replied. "Let's not upset him further." "Agreed," their eyes conveyed.

Oblivious to their silent exchange, Zhong Yun sat distractedly, all the way to his doorstep without uttering a word.

Seeing him enter without so much as a greeting, Tianhai voiced his concern, "Do you think he might do something drastic?"

"Don't be absurd. Zhong Yun's family is definitely not as simple as it appears—probably not far beneath the Yangs. He's surely troubled by something else," Chenwen declared confidently.

Back home, Zhong Yun didn't even put down his things, storming straight to his bedroom. He flung the door open and shouted, "Zero, come out here!" He was so furious he forgot he wasn't yet connected to the network—how could Zero hear him?

Yet, Zero proved to be remarkable. No sooner had Zhong Yun spoken than Zero's black figure appeared in the room—a full holographic projection, though his room wasn't equipped for such technology.

"You called?"

Seeing Zero appear, Zhong Yun lunged at him, hands passing through the projection, grasping only air. He wailed in frustration, "Where's my money?"

Zero ignored his antics, his mechanical voice devoid of emotion. "It's been spent."

"Spent?" Zhong Yun echoed, his voice rising sharply. "That was five hundred million—you think it's five bucks? You spent it all?"

"Five hundred million wasn't enough for you—you even spent my private stash! That's ruthless!"

His agitation grew. "My mansion, my maids, my luxury shuttle—all gone, every bit of it!" Zhong Yun collapsed onto the floor, utterly bereft.

Zero regarded him coldly with jet-black eyes. "As far as I know, that five hundred million came from trading a low-grade plant."

Zhong Yun froze, staring blankly at Zero. Then he slapped his forehead and cursed.

Of course, five hundred million was an enormous sum, but he'd obtained it by selling a single flower. If he wished, he could grow a hundred such flowers, or even finer ones.

The only issue was how to do so without arousing suspicion. He'd already sold a 'Seven Fairies,' and word had surely spread in the horticultural world. If he produced another exceptional specimen for sale, even a fool would realize something was amiss.

Still, it wasn't a real problem; he would find a way to sell them eventually.

With that realization, Zhong Yun felt embarrassed. Losing composure over five hundred million was truly unsophisticated.

He mentally chastised himself, then resolved to stay calm. He was, after all, a heavyweight figure—five hundred million was nothing. With Zero as his treasure trove, even ten thousand times that amount wouldn't be an issue.

"Well, I've just never seen so much money before—got a bit carried away, sorry," Zhong Yun said sheepishly, then asked curiously, "So, what did you buy?"

Zero ignored his attempt to change the subject. "I purchased a small spacecraft on Freedom Star."

"Freedom Star? Where's that?" Zhong Yun searched his memory; Davo didn't have a planet by that name.

"Intermediate Freedom Star, Omi-class, about twenty thousand light-years from here. It's the trading hub for all intermediate civilizations in the Omi system. According to the Grand Galactic Federation's regulations, civilizations are strictly forbidden from private interaction, exchange, or trade. Only designated areas are permitted for such transactions."

"Each star system establishes an intermediate Freedom Star for inter-civilization exchange."

Zhong Yun couldn't understand. "But why such a rule? Wouldn't inter-civilization exchange benefit their development? Does the Grand Galactic Federation intend to limit intermediate civilizations?"

Zero's eyes flashed with a string of chaotic numbers. "Information incomplete. Unable to answer."

"Probably so," Zhong Yun concluded, then dismissed the matter—it was beyond his control anyway. "Does Freedom Star have a lot of good stuff?"

"Freedom Star offers raw stones, which are urgently needed. However, we lack funds—a great deal of funds."

The conversation circled back to money, and Zhong Yun felt a headache coming on. "I'll figure out the money problem."