Chapter 32 – Zhang Shitou
Hua Mian had never bothered with what unimportant people thought. Right now, all she wanted was to call the police or find a way to expose this organization that trafficked females.
“You want to save them?” Nangong Zheng quickly sensed what she was thinking.
“Yes. Every day we delay increases their danger. And if they realize someone escaped, they’ll likely kill to silence witnesses and destroy evidence. Even if they don’t kill them, they might move them.”
Nangong Zheng gave her a look of surprise.
She really was smart.
It wasn’t that he underestimated females; it was simply that every female he had met was a pampered young lady, whose mind held only clothes, jewelry, and beast husbands — useless in a real crisis.
But this little female in front of him was truly different.
“So what do you plan to do?”
Hua Mian thought for a moment. “Expose it directly on the StarNet. If it gets enough traction, the authorities will definitely see it. After all, this is a serious crime committed under their rule.”
A vein twitched in Nangong Zheng’s forehead.
Good thing he had asked — otherwise this girl would probably try to blow a hole through the sky by herself.
“You have no evidence. What are you going to post? No one will believe your claims.” He tried to extinguish her dangerous idea.
“Zhang Shitou, don’t tell me you’re an undercover agent sent out to lure people in.”
Nangong Zheng was stunned by the name “Zhang Shitou” (Stone Zhang).
For the first time, confusion flickered in his mist-blue eyes.
“…Are you talking to me?”
“Who else?”
Hua Mian grabbed a fruit from the coffee table and bit into it before he could stop her.
Crunch.
“Peh! Peh! Peh!” She spat repeatedly.
Nangong Zheng couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Who puts fake model fruit here? Do you have water in your brain?!”
“Hahaha…” He bent over, laughing uncontrollably.
“What’s so funny!” Hua Mian threw the bitten model fruit at him. Luckily her strength was small, so it didn’t hurt.
“Don’t be angry. I’ll have someone bring real fruit for you.”
He caught the fake fruit, smiling.
Hua Mian twisted her body away, turning her back to him.
“Zhang Shitou! I want the most expensive ones!”
“Don’t call me Zhang Shitou.” His expression darkened slightly.
“You are Zhang Shitou!” she said deliberately to annoy him.
His face sank completely, those misty blue eyes staring coldly at her.
Hua Mian hugged her knees, looking wary.
“Nangong Zheng. That’s my name.”
She nodded casually, and seeing her indifference made him frown in displeasure.
But he couldn’t say anything more. In the end, he went upstairs with a gloomy face.
Once he left, Hua Mian quickly got up and went to the window.
Outside was an extremely ordinary residential building — all gray and dull. The white walls had yellowed, with large patches of peeling paint, looking like it might collapse at any moment.
There were no distinctive landmarks, and she wasn’t familiar with Ilika Star, so she had no idea where this was.
And her optical computer had probably triggered its self-destruct program long ago — all data gone.
“What, planning to jump?”
Without turning around, she replied, “Mm-hm, yes, I’m going to jump. Best if I splatter into tomato sauce.”
Nangong Zheng had intended to warn her to be careful, but her answer only made him feel slightly sick.
Tomato sauce was considered a noble food in the Interstellar Era — natural food was precious.
Unfortunately, he had eaten some just two days ago.
Thinking of that, he rubbed his forehead.
“Come eat fruit.”
Just as Hua Mian was about to ask where, a knock sounded at the door.
Soon, she was eating fruit that looked identical to the model one — but tasteless and not very good, merely pretty on the outside.
“I want to leave.” Hua Mian’s expression showed clear impatience. She didn’t want to stay here.
“If you post this on StarNet, it will damage the Empire’s reputation and make the Federation laugh at us.”
“Oh? And so what? As long as I can save people, that’s enough.”
Hua Mian noticed that “Zhang Shitou” cared a lot about this issue. Otherwise, he wouldn’t keep trying to persuade her to drop it.
His darkening expression on that ordinary, honest-looking face was almost amusing.
“I’m not interested in your political motives. I only want the gemstone auction house to collapse,” she said coldly.
“I promise you, but now isn’t the time.”
“Then when is the time?” She crossed her arms and glared at him.
Nangong Zheng had never been questioned like this before. He even wondered if he’d treated her too leniently, giving her the courage to climb over his head.
“This isn’t something a female should concern herself with.”
At that, Hua Mian felt a surge of anger.
“Aren’t you born from a female? Why do you have such prejudice against females?”
“I didn’t mean it like that. I’m saying this matter is complicated. If you act rashly, even if you cause an uproar, they might still suppress it.”
Hua Mian took a deep breath, realizing she had been too impatient.
“Sorry… I just want to act quickly.”
“Alright. I’ll consider it.”
“Who exactly are you? Why were you there?”
“I was sent by the authorities to investigate. Once the situation is clear, the Empire will send people to wipe out those vermin.”
Hua Mian looked into those mist-blue eyes. They were firm, filled with genuine disgust toward the criminals, with no sign of lying. She believed him a little more.
If he was a fraud, she would just have to accept her loss.
But those six beastmen earlier — their posture and gait were textbook military.
Because of that, she was willing to trust him a bit.
She then recounted everything she could safely say — including how she escaped, the auction items, and the half-broken label.
Nangong Zheng nodded repeatedly. For a female, her observational ability was remarkable.
“Oh, and the staff there mentioned someone.”
“Who?”
“They called him ‘Mr. Jin.’”
“Tell me everything.” Nangong Zheng clasped his hands, elbows on his knees, listening intently.
Hua Mian repeated the exact sentence mentioning Mr. Jin.
“‘From far away…’”
Nangong Zheng murmured. Suddenly, something clicked in his mind.
A few days ago, Jin Yang — young master of the Hongda Spaceship Company in the Imperial Capital — had indeed arrived on Ilika Star. He had even avoided the public eye, which was unlike his usual flashy behavior.
So he came all the way here… to search for beauty.
Coldness flashed through Nangong Zheng’s eyes.
Last year, Hongda refused to transport medicine to the border-star soldiers, claiming it wasn’t profitable and they “couldn’t help.”
Yet now they had money to buy sky-priced beauties from an illegal auction…
Hua Mian felt the killing intent radiating from him and shivered.
“I’ll handle this. Stay here for a few days — there will be results soon.”
He finally had a breakthrough; his next moves would be fast.
“They also kidnapped my beast husband — his name is Enzo. When you find him, please let him come get me.” Hua Mian used Yu Jin’s alias, her eyes filled with real worry.
Nangong Zheng’s expression changed the moment she mentioned a beast husband.
“…Your beast husband shouldn’t be useless enough to need rescuing, right?”
Meanwhile, on the other side—
Yu Jin, wearing a white lab coat, hid his pale face behind goggles and a respiratory filter.
With cold precision, he twisted the neck of the guard standing at the lab door.
The knife wound on his abdomen was still bleeding — it had been cut too deep.
But he had no time to care.
Thinking of the documents he had just seen inside the lab, the fire of worry in his heart burned hotter and hotter, scorching him from the inside.
