Zhou Hanxiang rented a factory building in a remote corner of the Junk Guild, covering an area of about three to four hundred square meters.
She cleaned and decorated the side rooms—originally meant as break rooms and staff quarters—into bedrooms, leaving a large open space in the center.
"This should be big enough. You'll have room to do whatever you need. I don't know what equipment you'll require, so if you have the money, buy it yourself."
Zhou Hanxiang led Zhou Tianming around as she explained.
Zhou Tianming inspected the place like a lord surveying his territory. Though the factory looked somewhat run-down, the structure was intact. It would be spacious enough to accommodate all the equipment needed for building a Gundam in the future.
"Perfect," Zhou Tianming praised sincerely.
At his words, Zhou Hanxiang's face briefly lit up with a smile before she quickly schooled her expression back to sternness.
Zhou Tianming stole a glance at her, frowning when he saw his efforts had little effect. He wracked his brain, trying to figure out how to cheer up his mom.
Time passed, and the sky gradually darkened.
Having only rested briefly on the shuttle, Zhou Tianming felt exhaustion creeping in. Today had been nothing short of thrilling.
By around 7 p.m., Zhou Tianming had already retreated to his room and fallen into a deep sleep.
Zhou Hanxiang came to his bedside, gently stroking his head. After watching his sleeping face for a moment, she leaned down to kiss his forehead before quietly leaving.
The next morning, Zhou Tianming woke up and checked the time—10:11 a.m.
Stepping out of his room, he spotted a white rice cooker, a silver thermos, and a note on the table.
Opening the rice cooker revealed steamed buns and eggs, while the thermos contained milk.
He picked up the note and read: "Mom has to handle some paperwork for the factory. Don't wander off—this place isn't as safe as PLANT."
Zhou Tianming took a bite of the bun as he recalled PLANT's security situation—kidnapping innocent patients, hackers hijacking unmanned cars, snipers targeting defenseless children.
A smirk tugged at his lips. "Let's see if this place can top that."
Half an hour later, having ignored the warning and ventured out alone, Zhou Tianming found himself cornered in a narrow alley by several towering, grimy thugs.
One of them, his brows furrowed in a menacing scowl, barked, "Brat! Hand over anything valuable!"
Zhou Tianming rolled his eyes. "I'm five. What could I possibly have that's valuable?"
"No money? Then you're our hostage. Call your family and tell them to bring a ransom."
Unfazed, Zhou Tianming was about to retort when someone entered the alley.
The newcomer was a man in his forties, with a black buzz cut and a scar running from his forehead down to his chin across his left eye. Tall and muscular, his bulging arms were exposed under his short sleeves.
The men surrounding Zhou Tianming were already considered tall, but they still stood half a head shorter than this newcomer, who appeared to be around 1.9 meters tall.
"You're giving our East Asian folks trouble?"
His voice was deep and powerful, making the burly men tremble.
One of them turned his head and immediately let out a shrill scream that didn't match his tough appearance: "Wei Jun!!"
Wei Jun raised his arm, his massive palm clamping over the screaming man's face, instantly silencing him.
"You're giving our East Asian kid trouble?"
His tone rose, anger simmering.
The men immediately shook their heads in unison, sweat beading on their foreheads as they chorused: "No, no! We just saw the kid wandering alone and got worried, so we followed to check on him."
"Yeah, yeah!"
"Scram!" A thunderous roar made the men flinch before they scrambled toward the alley exit, pressing their backs against the wall and tiptoeing past Wei Jun.
The shout left Zhou Tianming's ears ringing, his head buzzing.
Only after watching the men flee did Wei Jun turn to Zhou Tianming. "You alright, kid? What are you doing alone in a place like this? Separated from your family?"
Zhou Tianming shook his head. "No, I came out alone. I made my mom angry, so I'm looking for a gift."
Wei Jun burst into laughter. "Learning to charm women at such a young age—impressive, impressive."
"Thanks for earlier, mister."
"No problem. Us East Asians abroad stick together. If you ever need help, just ask for me. Name's Wei Jun—anyone around here knows me."
Remembering the men's reactions, Zhou Tianming grinned. "I can tell. I'm Zhou Tianming."
"Zhou Tianming?" Wei Jun frowned briefly before his expression cleared. "You're Hanxiang's kid?"
"Huh?" Zhou Tianming blinked. "You know my mom?"
Wei Jun laughed heartily. "What a coincidence! Hanxiang got targeted when she first arrived too—I stepped in then as well."
Zhou Tianming's expression darkened, his voice turning icy. "Targeted? By who?"
Wei Jun stopped laughing, studying him before nodding approvingly. "That's our East Asian spirit—filial. Don't worry, I already taught those guys a lesson."
Zhou Tianming nodded and thanked him with a smile, but he filed the information away.
With Zhou Hanxiang as their common link, the two quickly warmed up to each other.
From Wei Jun, Zhou Tianming learned that his mother had faced many challenges when she first arrived, often targeted for being alone and seemingly vulnerable.
But though Zhou Hanxiang appeared gentle, her methods were sharp—she'd turned her adversaries against each other, leaving them in chaos. When they resorted to violence after their schemes failed, Wei Jun had intervened and dealt with them.
"Your mom's something else," Wei Jun said admiringly, giving a thumbs-up. "Clever! Reminds me of an old friend—also sharp as a tack, and also surnamed Zhou. Funny coincidence, huh?"
Zhou Tianming paused, then reasoned that Zhou wasn't an uncommon surname—the odds weren't that low. "Yeah, pretty funny. Must be fate."
"Exactly—fate."
Chatting and laughing, Wei Jun, having nothing else to do, began showing Zhou Tianming around the area.
The entire Junk Guild was essentially a massive processing plant, with various factory zones distributed across different areas—some for smelting metal materials, others for equipment disassembly and breakdown, and still others dealing in all kinds of cutting-edge goods.
Seizing the opportunity, Zhou Tianming asked what concerned him most: "I want to buy a used spaceship. Do you have any for sale?"
Wei Jun gave Zhou Tianming a surprised glance and nodded. "We do."
They boarded a rugged, large-wheeled off-road vehicle, and Wei Jun drove Zhou Tianming to a spaceport.
As they walked down a corridor, they could see through the glass walls rows of small spaceships of varying sizes and designs neatly parked outside.
Passing through a large gate, they arrived at a vast square. At its center stood a massive circular 3D projector, continuously displaying rotating models of different spaceships.
The square was bustling with people, their chatter filling the air as they gathered around small display booths, examining the specifications of the ships on show.
"This is where spaceships are bought and sold. Never seen anything like it, have you?"
Zhou Tianming nodded. He truly hadn't.
Wei Jun picked up a tablet near the entrance, and Zhou Tianming followed suit.
The tablet displayed a map of the square, along with basic ship models and the locations of their respective booths.
As Zhou Tianming carefully browsed through the spaceship details, Wei Jun widened his eyes. "You're actually serious about buying one?"
Without looking up, Zhou Tianming nodded. "I really want to. Can't afford a new one, so I'm checking out used ones."
"How much money do you have?"
Zhou Tianming didn't answer, frowning as he scrolled through the prices—most ranged between 800 million to 1.3 billion USD. "Used ones are this expensive too? They're barely cheaper than new ones."
"You think these people buy used ships because they can't afford new ones? They're not like you. Spaceships are strictly controlled and scarce commodities."
Hearing those terms made Zhou Tianming's head spin. "Isn't there anything cheaper?"
Wei Jun shrugged and spread his hands. "Spaceships don't break down. Unless there's a special circumstance, no one's going to lower the price."
"What do you even want a spaceship for?" Wei Jun asked curiously.
"I want to become a Junk Dealer."
Wei Jun's eyes nearly popped out of his head. "Are you insane? No sane person becomes a garbage scavenger."
"..."