Chapter 27: The Relocation of the Base and the New Stronghold

By noon, the sun blazed fiercely in the sky, and the team from the Liu Residence, who had come to help Zhang Desen relocate his base, finally arrived.

To Zhang Desen's surprise, the young lady Liu Yuting, whom he had once rescued, was among them. He paused for a moment, turning to Zhao Chengming at his side, who could only shake his head in resignation. It seemed this young lady had caused quite a headache for the head of the Liu Residence's guards, obsessed as she was with her hero; naturally, Master Liu must have agreed, perhaps letting Liu Yuting confirm if Zhang Desen was indeed the mysterious hero in strange attire she had encountered that day.

Though Master Liu did not come himself, many arrangements had been made. The relocation began immediately. Master Liu had already contacted a group to meet them. For some reason, since morning, there had been few people entering or exiting West Capital City; coupled with Master Liu’s preparations, everything went smoothly.

Zhang Desen wore an extra coat over his uniform, prepared by Master Liu to make him less conspicuous. He handed a compact communicator to Zhao Chengming, now the chief commander of the Liu Residence's guards, for coordination on the road, as Zhang Desen would need to operate the spaceship from its cockpit.

The relocation plan involved Master Liu bringing a large wagon to carry the spaceship, covered by a massive cloth, and declared to outsiders as merchandise purchased by Master Liu. However, the ship was so heavy that Zhang Desen had to activate its anti-gravity device to ease the burden for those pulling the wagon, thus requiring him to remain inside the ship for operation.

Liu Yuting insisted on seeing how the ship was moved from inside, and Zhang Desen could not refuse her. Besides Zhang Desen, Liu Yuting, her maid, and several guards from the Liu Residence were inside the ship, assigned to assist.

Zhang Desen had already packed up the base, moving all its supplies into the spaceship. With the guards watching in astonishment, he piloted the ship out of its old base, landing it precisely on the prepared wagon as requested.

Zhao Chengming then led the team toward the Front Lake Gate. The journey was smooth; after entering the city gates, they arrived without trouble at Master Liu’s residence north of Mount Wu. Yet, unbeknownst to them, when Young Master Qian heard that Master Liu had brought back a large cargo, he became covetous—a hidden threat.

Though Young Master Qian was tempted to seize Master Liu's new acquisition, knowing that anything valued by the richest man in the flourishing nation must be priceless, he suddenly hesitated: "No, as much as I want it, my life is more important. I still have a dangerous task to complete. Even if Master Liu's goods aren’t impossible to obtain, it would take effort. If I miss the deadline set by the Grand Immortal, forget rewards—I might not even survive. I mustn’t waste time."

With this thought, he reluctantly suppressed his greed, resolving to behave for now—after all, the treasure would not escape his grasp forever.

Meanwhile, Zhang Desen’s spaceship was successfully brought into Master Liu’s estate, located north of Mount Wu in West Capital City, its walls towering and wide like those of the city itself. The ship was pulled into the courtyard, and once the gates were closed, the covering was removed.

Only then did Zhang Desen get a clear look at the estate. Without doubt, Master Liu was truly wealthy; the perimeter wall was as grand as a city wall, and the courtyard was so vast that one could not see its end—almost like an inner city, with guards stationed atop the walls.

Due to Master Liu’s arrangements, few people welcomed them, and all windows were covered, showing great caution. Even though Master Liu did not know the true nature of the spaceship, his trust in Zhang Desen made him meticulous—a sign of his kind-heartedness.

In fact, Master Liu had another intention, which he had yet to express. Seeing all this, Zhang Desen increased the anti-gravity device’s power, keeping the ship at a height above the ground but below the wall level, avoiding any collision with estate buildings, and flew toward the cave Zhao Chengming had indicated earlier.

Having activated the plasma stealth technology, there was no risk of detection by enemy radar, nor had the drone circling high overhead noticed anything unusual.

Soon, Zhang Desen, flying backwards, entered the cave arranged for him by Master Liu within the estate, landed, and shut off the anti-gravity engine.

Liu Yuting, seeing Zhang Desen stand up from his seat, cheerfully took his arm and said,

---

"Desen, let me show you around the estate—come quickly!"

Zhang Desen replied,

"Oh, Miss Liu, we've just arrived. I need to set up my base first; without proper arrangements, there could be problems."

Liu Yuting immediately said,

"Alright, I'll help you!"

Before Zhang Desen could protest, Liu Yuting picked up cleaning tools by the door and began sweeping the floor of the ship. Seeing this, Zhang Desen said nothing more.

Still, he felt a warmth in his heart. When he set up the South Screen Mountain base, he had to do everything himself.

He began arranging the new base. Though it was within the city and relatively safe, no one could guarantee there would be no accidents, so he did not lower his standards.

To avoid unnecessary trouble from accidental injuries, he programmed the defense system so that, if there were suspected intruders, the first wave of defensive weapons would use the onboard Aelta rifles, minimizing collateral damage.

Master Liu soon sent a group of trusted aides to help. Zhang Desen immediately took charge, guiding them to avoid mishaps from unfamiliar equipment, such as electric shocks.

During this, Zhao Chengming assured Zhang Desen that these helpers were trustworthy, would not gossip about things they shouldn’t, nor ask questions beyond their station.

With help, everything was arranged quickly and perfectly. Zhang Desen was especially pleased that the base had its own water supply, making the environment even better than before.

It seemed almost purpose-built for him, and there was even a road leading up the mountain some distance to the left of the base.

Zhao Chengming also introduced the most loyal steward, Liu Man, to Zhang Desen.

Judging by his appearance, Zhang Desen guessed Liu Man was around forty-five, with sharp features and smooth skin, indicating he had never done hard labor, yet he did not act superior; his manner was courteous and friendly.

Having spent much of the day moving the base, it was nearly time for dinner. Zhao Chengming led everyone to prepare the meal, and Liu Yuting was called back by Master Liu to dine with the family.

Now the Liu family members could come out and move freely, no longer confined to their rooms.

Unexpectedly, Master Liu assigned Zhang Desen a two-story house beside the cave; unable to refuse, Zhang Desen accepted.

As he was about to cook and eat, Steward Liu Man brought dinner for him. When Zhang Desen started to speak, Liu Man said,

"Please, Young Master Zhang, do not stand on ceremony. Master Liu has said that you are to be treated as family; meals, allowance, everything will be provided as for his own, without exception. This is the master’s sincere goodwill—please do not decline!"

Unable to find a reason to refuse, Zhang Desen accepted. Once the food was set, Liu Man dismissed his attendants and sat down, clearly having something to discuss. Zhang Desen prepared to listen, and Liu Man began,

"I have a few questions, though I am unsure how to ask."

Zhang Desen said,

"Ask freely; whatever I know, I will speak openly."

Liu Man replied,

"Very well, I shall ask."

---

Zhang Desen nodded, and the steward proceeded,

"Young master, where are you from, and why do you dress so strangely?"

Zhang Desen answered,

"This is special forces attire from my homeland. In short, I am a soldier."

"Judging by your skills, who was your teacher?"

"I am a special forces soldier—such skills are required training."

"I’ve never heard of any place training soldiers to such a degree."

"Special forces are the elite of the elite, chosen by strict standards."

"I’ve never heard of such soldiers or seen such attire in the Central Plains."

Zhang Desen replied helplessly,

"I was born in Huaxia. I am the captain of the Flying Dragon Special Forces. Oh, and we are not from the same universe. This is hard to explain all at once; perhaps one day, when we all have time, I’ll explain everything to Master Liu, Miss Liu, and you together."

"That would be best. In fact, there is something I should tell you plainly."

"Go ahead," said Zhang Desen.

"After you rescued the young lady, she told Master Liu everything. Master Liu, piecing together reports from the city guards about a mysterious, oddly dressed figure appearing at the city gate and disappearing during pursuit, concluded that only you could help us."

"If you need my help, just say so."

"For some reason, a few months ago something fell from the sky—no one paid much attention. Yet soon after, a new guard appeared in Qian's government. This man was not only incredibly strong, but moved as mysteriously as you, and killed without blinking."

Liu Man shook his head and continued,

"Moreover, any woman Young Master Qian fancied, regardless of her family, would be stolen away in the night, so stealthily that by morning it was too late. Everyone feared Qian's power, angry but silent!"

He spoke with a hint of anger,

"So every night, all doors and windows are tightly shut, but no matter how careful, nothing can stop that guard. After hearing of your skills and conduct, we did everything possible to find you, hoping you could help."

"No problem. Protecting the people and upholding justice is a soldier’s duty. Such a demon will not escape unpunished."

"Thank you, young master! At last, we may sleep in peace," the steward said gratefully.

"Tell me more about this guard."

Though Liu Man only knew the guard moved mysteriously, Zhang Desen felt increasingly that the man seemed familiar—perhaps someone he was already searching for.

Suddenly, Zhang Desen realized: could it be Tang Shijie, the one he had been seeking?