Though they had already considered printing as an alternative, rendering the mountain of books practically useless, the two still painstakingly carried all the retrieved notebooks back home.
Upon returning, Zhou Hanxiang urged Zhou Tianming to shower first while she meticulously cleaned each notebook. After finishing, she changed clothes and went out again.
When Zhou Tianming finished showering and returned to his room, he found the cleaned notebooks neatly arranged on the desk.
Not seeing Zhou Hanxiang in the workshop after looking around, Zhou Tianming knew from the empty space that she must have gone to acquire a printer. A ripple of emotion crossed his heart as a gentle smile appeared on his lips.
Back in his room with nothing else to do, he began flipping through the notebooks. His eyes soon lit up with delight - though the notebooks belonged to different owners, those who preferred writing by hand shared a common habit of casually recording insights and techniques they conceived.
There were techniques for accelerating learning speed, notes about which mechanical structures performed better in practical applications, even programming tricks for creating undetectable backdoors...
Each notebook contained at least a dozen useful techniques after removing irrelevant content. Looking at the remaining dozen notebooks on the desk, Zhou Tianming's eyes sparkled: "This is truly a treasure mountain."
He resolved to thoroughly search for more treasures later. Just then, Zhou Hanxiang returned carrying a somewhat worn black printer in her arms.
Hearing the door open, Zhou Tianming went to help but Hanxiang sidestepped him. "No need for help. Be careful not to get hit - step aside."
Forced to retreat, Zhou Tianming could only watch as she set it up. With everything prepared, he eagerly resumed his studies, immediately becoming engrossed in the printed materials.
His eyes raced across pages as his brain absorbed information at astonishing speed. Watching him study, Zhou Hanxiang smiled before suddenly covering her mouth to cough lightly twice, then quietly left.
Lost in the joy of learning, Zhou Tianming mastered all the foundational knowledge within just a few hours. Closing the materials to catch his breath, he stood and stretched, his joints cracking softly.
Checking the time - 9:11 PM. He paused, puzzled. Why hadn't his mother called him for dinner?
Exiting his room, he found all lights on but no sign of Zhou Hanxiang. Peering into her dark bedroom illuminated by hallway light, he saw her lying asleep on the bed.
Frowning, Zhou Tianming stepped forward and examined her closely. Her face looked even paler than in the morning, with an extremely uncomfortable expression as she slept, her brows tightly knitted together.
Without making a sound, he pressed the back of his hand against her forehead.
Slightly warm, but not feverish.
Though Zhou Hanxiang looked unwell, she was already asleep, so Zhou Tianming decided not to disturb her and let her rest.
But he didn't leave either. Instead, he pulled a chair to the doorway and sat down, blocking the light with his body as he continued reviewing study materials.
The night passed quietly. Hanxiang slept relatively peacefully, while Tianming stayed up all night studying without feeling too tired.
Around 5 a.m., he went out to buy some porridge and medicine.
By 7 a.m., Hanxiang groggily opened her eyes. Staring blankly at the ceiling for a moment, she suddenly sat up and hurriedly threw off the covers, trying to get out of bed.
The moment her feet touched the floor and she stood, dizziness overwhelmed her, and she plopped back down onto the bed.
"Mom, take it easy. If you're sick, you should rest properly."
Zhou Tianming walked in holding a tray, which he placed on the bedside table. On it were a bowl of vegetable porridge, a glass of water, and a blister pack of capsules.
"Sorry, I suddenly felt unwell last night and ended up falling asleep without realizing it."
At this, Tianming raised an eyebrow, his expression stern. "You should apologize to your own body. Rest properly for a while. If you don't recover, you should find a place to recuperate, just like I did."
"But—"
"No buts. PLANT..."
The first place that came to mind for recuperation was naturally PLANT's hospital. But remembering the Holy Order there, Tianming didn't feel comfortable sending Hanxiang—a Natural—to that place.
"Forget PLANT. Mom, didn't you say our family is in East Asia? You should go back there and rest properly."
Hanxiang fell silent, a nostalgic look crossing her face as she murmured, "Home... It's been seven or eight years since I last went back."
"Perfect timing, then. Go and see it." Tianming hesitated before cautiously asking, "Is anyone still there?"
Hanxiang shot him a glare with her sharp, dark eyes. "Your grandparents are still alive and well."
He chuckled awkwardly. "I didn't know. You never told me."
"But if I leave, what will you do by yourself?"
"I can take care of myself. I'm not stupid. If I run into trouble, I'll go to Uncle Wei Jun."
"I'll think about it."
"Alright, then rest these next few days and don't worry about anything. Let me show you how capable I am."
Several days passed, and Hanxiang recovered—but she refused to leave.
"Why not? Haven't I been doing just fine these past few days?"
Hanxiang's face remained expressionless. "Your definition of 'just fine' is reading all day, skipping meals or barely eating, staying up all night..."
The more she listed, the more embarrassed Tianming looked. He weakly defended himself, "I was just absorbed in studying."
Hanxiang stared at him without speaking, then sighed after a long pause. "How can I possibly leave you like this?"
Hearing the hint of willingness in her tone, Tianming quickly said, "I promise to return to a healthy routine—but you have to go back and recuperate properly too."
Finally, Hanxiang nodded.
A few days later, Tianming adjusted his schedule, and his whole demeanor became much more energetic.
Zhou Hanxiang finally felt relieved.
At the Spaceport, near the shuttle boarding area.
Zhou Hanxiang repeatedly reminded Zhou Tianming, "I'll keep my word and not interfere with your actions, but you have to keep yours too, understand?"
"I promise."
Zhou Tianming watched the shuttle depart until it disappeared from sight.
Unable to suppress it, a grin spread across his face.
Freedom at last~
With light steps and a spring in his stride, he left the Spaceport.
Though he reveled in his newfound freedom, Zhou Tianming still adhered to their agreement by maintaining a healthy daily routine.
After finishing his notes, he repeatedly asked Wei Jun to take him to the junk book warehouse to hunt for treasures.
And sure enough, he found something valuable.
From a yellowed, crumpled newspaper, he learned about the origins of the Junk Guild—this Satellite was far older than imagined, built in CE16.
Back then, Satellite design was still in its experimental stages. This one was a spherical Satellite modeled after Earth, but as technology and design advanced, it was eventually abandoned.
Later, a Junk Dealer salvaged it and repurposed it into a distribution hub. Over time, seasoned space travelers, trusting the Junk Dealer's reputation, began gathering here, turning it into a dedicated rest stop.
There was no central authority—everyone minded their own business. The Junk Dealer acted more like a property manager and developer, collecting fees to maintain the Satellite and leasing space to others. Thus, the Junk Guild had no ordinary residents, only those tied to related industries.
Many unused spaces were left untouched, neither renovated nor demolished.
Among his finds was a notebook containing a hand-drawn map of a structural void beneath the Junk Guild, which the notebook's owner had used as a secret hideout.
The most significant discovery was the blueprint of an MS—though it was only the earliest version, an Exoskeleton Assisted Powered Spacesuit. Still, later MS models evolved from this very design.
With this, Zhou Tianming's plan to independently develop a Gundam took a massive leap forward—a fundamental breakthrough from zero to one.
And on the very day he uncovered the MS materials, he finally applied his knowledge to uncover a 'small website' online, which indeed had a bounty mission section.
Zhou Tianming's money-making scheme was gaining traction, though Zhou Hanxiang hadn't called him once.
She only sent a text: "Arrived in East Asia. Don't worry."
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