Cheng Xu was very busy today. He went with his colleagues to check out a site that was planned to be developed into a tourist area and even did some fieldwork. The weather was freezing, and by the time they wrapped up, he felt like he was about to freeze solid. It wasn’t until he stepped into a nearby resident’s house and sipped a cup of hot tea that he finally warmed up a bit.

The drafted plans were spread out on the table, and his colleague Ma Liu was still busy jotting down notes, trying to make sure every detail was recorded accurately before finally stopping. Ma Liu was a young man in his thirties with a rather scholarly appearance. He wore wooden-frame glasses perched on his nose, and since he had just taken off his hat, his hair looked a bit messy, with the ends slightly damp. He said, “The hot spring resort covers an area of three hundred and twenty acres, and there’s still room for future expansion. There are seventy natural hot springs, all well-distributed, providing plenty of space to build hotels.”

Cheng Xu replied, “We can hire a professional designer for the specific layout, but I wonder if there are any suitable candidates on the Geothermal Planet?”

Ma Liu shook his head gently. “There’s no design major at our planet’s university. Some students go off to other planets to study that, but most choose to stay on the foreign planets.” He quickly added, “But I can issue a recruitment notice to hire someone.”

“No, that’s too slow,” Cheng Xu said. “We need to speed things up. The application for the tourist passage has already been approved, and the high-speed route connecting to the outside world will be completed in six months. We must finish the supporting facilities on our planet before then; otherwise, even if tourists come, we won’t be able to keep them.”

Ma Liu frowned slightly. “So what should we do?”

“I’ll take care of this,” Cheng Xu said. “I’ll contact the necessary people.” He continued, “But you need to find someone for the construction in Ice City. I heard there’s a tribe deep within the Geothermal Planet where the houses are made of thick ice, but they don’t welcome outsiders and are reluctant to venture out, so you need to reach out to them.”

“Okay, I’ll work on it!” Ma Liu said earnestly.

Cheng Xu said seriously, “It’s not just about effort; it’s a must! Just a hot spring alone won’t attract tourists. After all, the 24th planet has been doing hot spring resorts for decades. We need to create our own unique features to surpass them.”

“I know.” Ma Liu replied seriously, “That’s precisely what I’m working towards! But there’s still a funding gap. Even though I’ve managed to convince a few construction teams to wait for payment until we see profit, some materials must be purchased from other planets, and when all is calculated, there’s still a significant shortfall.”

“Can’t we borrow from the bank?” Cheng Xu asked.

Ma Liu gave a wry smile. “You can see the state of our planet. Every household is already as poor as it gets, with appliances being outdated goods from other planets. Even if the bank is willing to give us a loan, they don’t have that much money. The amount we applied for from the central government was approved at less than sixty percent…”

Cheng Xu understood the situation Ma Liu was describing; he just hadn’t realized it was this dire. He pondered for a moment and asked, “What about borrowing from other planets? If the government steps in, it should be possible.” Each planet is technically independent, managed by the central government of the Imperial Planet, but mutual assistance is common. The governments of each planet often communicate, especially if they want to develop their economies and establish good relations.

Ma Liu looked troubled by this suggestion but replied, “I’ll discuss this with the higher-ups.”

Although Ma Liu looked young, he was actually the second-in-command of the Geothermal Planet, with a boss above him who was the highest authority on the planet, known as the Planet Chief.

After a brief rest, the two hopped back on the snow vehicle to return the way they came. The weather was cold, and the north wind howled, swirling the snowflakes into a flurry, making the world appear as if it was painted in one blinding color of white. The two men used the time on the snow vehicle to discuss details, with Cheng Xu saying, “It would be best to start construction in half a month; ideally, we can open by the end of the year.”

Ma Liu chuckled wryly, “A year is still a bit short.”

“It’s not short; we can do it.”

Seeing Cheng Xu’s confident expression, Ma Liu felt a flicker of hope ignite within him. Suddenly, he smiled and said, “Actually, Cheng Ge, I want to see changes here even more than you do. Since I was born, this place has become so lifeless. The people living here seem like they’ve been exiled. Sometimes I even think that maybe the Hell Planet is livelier than this.” He closed his notebook and turned his head to look outside. “There was a time when I desperately wanted to leave this place and live in the outside world. That’s why I worked so hard to get into a university on Planet Three.”

Cheng Xu was slightly shocked to hear this. “A university on Planet Three? That’s really impressive!” Planet Three, known as the University Planet, hosts many schools. Out of the top fifty universities, all except the military academy are located there. Being admitted to one of them is a sign of exceptional ability, given how many people are competing worldwide.

Ma Liu’s face turned slightly red, clearly a bit shy. “I graduated from there and got a job on the Trade Planet, but before I could start, I received news that my grandfather had passed away.” His voice thickened with emotion as he continued, “My parents died early, and I grew up with my grandfather. He was… a very important family member to me. When I got the news, nearly a week had passed since he passed, and by the time I returned, it was already half a month later… The journey… was so long…”

In the northern star system, there are direct routes to any planet, except for the Geothermal Planet. Travelers must first take a vehicle to the Hell Planet and then transfer to the Geothermal Planet from there. However, trains only run once every three days, and if the timing is off, one might have to wait several days, making it very inconvenient.

Moreover, the Hell Planet has a terrible reputation; normal people don’t want to go there for a stroll. Therefore, unless absolutely necessary, not many people wish to come to the Geothermal Planet.

“I actually advised my grandfather to leave this planet with me before, but he refused. He said this is his hometown. Anyone can give up on this planet, but those who grew up on this land cannot. That’s something my grandfather often told me.” Ma Liu took off his glasses and gently wiped the corners of his eyes. “I used to scoff at that statement, but after my grandfather passed, I began to understand the emotion behind it. So I decided to stay and dedicate my life to changing it!”

“But it’s too difficult. There are no roads, no money, and no unique resources that other planets can’t replace; it’s incredibly tough to make progress. I’ve worked hard, but every time the outcome falls short.” Ma Liu turned to Cheng Xu and smiled faintly. “It wasn’t until you came that I felt a glimmer of hope.”

Cheng Xu looked into Ma Liu’s shining eyes, feeling a stir in his heart. He chuckled lightly and said in a playful tone, “I don’t have such lofty ideals as you; I’m just here to make money.”

“That’s fine too! As long as it helps the Geothermal Planet develop, you can ask for whatever you want.”

Cheng Xu seemed unable to withstand the sincerity in Ma Liu’s gaze, turning his head to look out the other way. “Then let’s work hard together! I’ll contact an architectural designer as soon as I get back. He graduated from the architectural university on Planet Three, so his skills should be top-notch. As long as he’s willing to come, we’ll be one step closer to success. Regarding the funding gap, you need to act quickly. If necessary, consider attracting investment to see if anyone will come to support us. But before that, we need to get a draft plan in place to give people confidence.”

Ma Liu put his glasses back on and nodded heavily. “Alright!”

On the way home, Cheng Xu glanced out the window from time to time. When they reached a certain spot, he asked the snow vehicle to stop, put on his hat, and stepped out. After some experimentation, he had found the best contact point was on a slightly sloped mountain. Standing there, the communication signal would be a bit stronger.

Cheng Xu struggled a bit to climb up. His heavy clothes restricted his movements, and even ordinary walking consumed a lot of energy, making crawling especially challenging. He took a deep breath before activating the communicator on his wrist.

The communicator had been left behind by Fei Li last time. This type of device must be bound to personal ID information to work. Military personnel had a special exception to apply for two devices, so the one in his hand was still bound to Fei Li’s ID.

Cheng Xu switched it on and brought up the holographic screen. After waiting a moment, it finally showed a successful connection, and he received a delayed message from his younger brother Cheng Jin.

It was a series of pictures. Cheng Xu opened the first one at the top and was greeted with a clear image of a fetus. The fetus in Cheng Jin’s belly was already over five months along, and it was almost fully formed, showing distinct facial features. The little fetus curled up looked quite obedient, making Cheng Xu smile involuntarily. Scrolling down, he found a selfie from Cheng Jin. In the photo, he was with Lu Tao, smiling sweetly. Although Lu Tao wasn’t smiling, his expression was gentle, with a hint of warmth in his eyes.

It seemed that his little brother was truly happy.

Cheng Xu felt a bit comforted; his younger brother was the person he cared about the most in this life, so naturally, he hoped he would be happy.

He swiped the virtual screen, and when the next photo loaded, Cheng Xu’s normally calm pupils widened in surprise.

Yan Qi? And he was… kneeling?

The photo was very clear, capturing the disheveled look on Yan Qi’s face. He looked nothing like the man Cheng Xu knew who cared so much about his appearance.

He really didn’t look like he was doing well at all.

And why was he kneeling?

Cheng Xu’s heart raced, and just as he felt panicked, Cheng Jin sent him a video call request. Taking a deep breath, Cheng Xu accepted it.

“Ge, did you see the photos I sent you? Yan Qi came looking for me!” The video call was fairly smooth, and at least Cheng Jin’s voice was clear.

Cheng Xu felt a dryness in his throat as he replied, “I saw.”

“And then he knelt down before me! All just to inquire about your whereabouts. This guy is too terrifying!” Cheng Jin looked at him anxiously. “Ge, do you want him to know where you are? If you don’t want him to find out, I can tell him to give up and not reveal any of your information!”

This question was once again put before Cheng Xu. He thought he would firmly say, “I don’t want him to know.” The harm Yan Qi had caused him had already pushed the man beyond the safety line in his heart, but unexpectedly, after seeing just one photo, he felt soft-hearted.

His silence made Cheng Jin’s expression grow more complicated. After a long moment, he hesitantly asked, “Ge, do you really…?”

“Don’t tell him my whereabouts.” Cheng Xu finally seemed to have made up his mind, interrupting his younger brother. “I don’t want to see him again.”