Chapter Five: A Victim of Reputation

Li Daoran stepped out of the car, and the scene before his eyes utterly stunned the entire world.

Truckloads of firearms and military equipment were being loaded up; missiles, each dozens of meters long, were being transported away. Overhead, a dozen planes circled, waiting for landing instructions. The atmosphere was ablaze with activity—buildings were being torn down one after another in preparation for reconstruction. The once well-hidden secret military base was on the verge of being emptied out.

Li Daoran turned to look at Chen Ming, whose face was grim as iron.

Chen Ming roared furiously at the man who looked rather like a monkey, “Hou Liang! I put you in charge of guarding the base, and this is what you call security? If you can’t give me a reasonable explanation, you won’t leave here alive today. How on earth did my base end up like this? Who authorized this?”

Hou Liang forced a smile and replied, “You know how it is, Chief. These are orders from above. This used to be a secret military base, but now that Brother Daoran is here, it’s not so secret anymore. Besides, for safety reasons, firearms are no longer allowed inside, let alone cannons and bombs. It’s too dangerous, don’t you think?

Look at the planes overhead—each one is carrying top scientists from around the world, waiting to land. Imagine if someone lost their mind and blew up the base. Who could bear that responsibility? The higher-ups decided that from now on, our sole duty is to protect everyone here. No more missions. The area for thousands of miles around has been requisitioned—it's an independent territory now, belonging to no nation. It’s to be called the Republic of Ideals, or something like that. The preliminary agreements are set; only the details remain to be finalized.

In the future, this place will house the world’s most elite troops, the top scientists, and the finest laboratories. Every nation is sending their best forces and brightest minds here. We might even have to work alongside our old rivals. That’s the result of negotiations from above. There’s nothing we can do about it.”

The more Li Daoran looked, the more something seemed off. He asked, “Why are there so many nurses at our base? And foreigners too?”

Hou Liang grinned and said, “All because of you! Every country sent some beautiful women. As for the nurse uniforms—don’t tell me you don’t know why? The brothers here owe you their thanks.”

Li Daoran was lost for words. He couldn’t help but protest, “It’s all a misunderstanding—a false reputation! Brother Hou, you don’t actually think I’m some kind of pervert, do you?”

Hou Liang gave him a knowing look, the kind every man understands, and said, “There’s nothing shameful about liking women, or women in nurse uniforms, for that matter. Don’t worry, brother—I get it.”

At that moment, a burly, muscular man in a White Dove Nation uniform, flanked by a team, approached.

“Dear Mr. Li Daoran, I am David Paul from the White Dove Nation. Just call me David,” he said.

“Don’t listen to their nonsense. Our nation has already prepared a place for you. The air here is so foul, but the air in the White Dove Nation is sweet, with the world’s finest wine, the most beautiful women, a land of eternal spring. We will treat you like royalty. There’ll be no threats to your life, like someone here,” he glanced at Chen Ming, “I promise it’s far better than this place. If you’re willing, we’ll arrange for you to move at once.” His Mandarin was fluent as he addressed Li Daoran.

Li Daoran frowned and almost retorted, but he knew that in this moment, every word and action must be measured carefully. So he replied, “Thank you, but I’ve lived here for a long time and am used to it. I feel at home here. This place is just fine—no need for all the trouble. Brother Chen, let’s go.”

Chen Ming gave Hou Liang a kick. “What are you waiting for? Lead the way!”

Hou Liang quickly said, “This way, this way. Slow down, watch your step.”

Chen Ming followed behind Li Daoran. Out of Li Daoran’s line of sight, he turned and made a throat-slitting gesture at David and signaled to his subordinates.

David’s face changed. He was about to speak when the men by the car flanked him, cutting him off.

Li Daoran sensed the commotion behind him, but forced himself not to look back. He realized Chen Ming was no longer behind him, but soon enough, Chen Ming caught up, saying nothing—just flexing his wrists. There would be no killing, of course, but a few days of bruises and humiliation would teach the man whose territory this was.

Soon, they arrived at a cave. Inside, it had been almost entirely hollowed out; people were still transporting weapons, and enormous anti-aircraft guns were being dismantled. They took an elevator down underground, where a villa stood out garishly among the otherwise drab, gray buildings.

“When was this villa built? Why didn’t I know about it?” Chen Ming asked in surprise.

Hou Liang scratched his head. “Just finished. They said it was built with some cutting-edge technology. Took only a few hours, but I don’t really know the details—and didn’t dare ask. Let’s go in; there are a lot of people waiting.”

Chen Ming nodded. They filed inside one after another.

In the living room, over twenty elderly men with gray hair sat in silence, sipping tea, while several dozen attendants stood by.

As the three entered, every gaze fixed on Li Daoran—burning with fanaticism, jealousy, admiration, and hope.

A dozen or more elders, all over sixty, looked at him with such intensity, as if he were a rare treasure, that Li Daoran felt uneasy.

He shivered involuntarily and was about to speak when the room, calm as a lake moments before, erupted like a bomb had been thrown into it. The seated elders, no longer showing any signs of fatigue, sprang to their feet as if on springs and crowded toward Li Daoran, shoving aside their own students without mercy. The scene resembled old women at a street market sale—jostling, arguing, and squabbling.

“I was here first! He’s from Rabbit Nation, so I get to ask him questions first—step aside!” One elder, familiar to Li Daoran, shoved the hawk-nosed foreign elder in front of him, shouting in English.

Shoving and bickering, the whole room descended into chaos. The younger attendants, seeing their teachers pushed aside, dared not challenge these titans. Still, they exchanged glances and then began to quarrel among themselves, even coming to blows, shouting, “How dare you bully my teacher? Don’t worry, teacher, I’ll help you!” before giving a nearby rival a shove.

This was Li Daoran’s first time meeting the world’s top scientists. He’d imagined dignified, unflappable figures—mountains unmoved by even the greatest storms. Yet, here they were, no different from squabbling grannies in a marketplace. The sense of distance vanished, and he even found them rather endearing.

But watching them argue endlessly was going nowhere. He glanced at Chen Ming, who simply shrugged. Even he could not afford to offend these giants—each one a treasure of humanity. He had no solution.

In the end, they both looked at Hou Liang, who wore a miserable expression and suggested hesitantly, “Perhaps we should let them argue it out while we go upstairs and rest? Brother Daoran, you must be tired.”

Chen Ming nodded—an excellent idea.

Thinking no one noticed them, the three tried to slip away around the edge of the room, but suddenly the place fell silent again, and every eye was on them.

Hou Liang was shoved forward once more. “Ahem, Mr. Li Daoran is a bit tired. We’ll take him upstairs to rest. Once you’ve decided who goes first, we’ll come back down.”

The elders exchanged glances and acquiesced, and soon enough, they were preparing to settle matters by force.

“Obviously history and social structure are the most important—do you even understand anything, you old Russian?”

“Nonsense! Biotechnology is key. The secret of human immortality is within reach—it’s a gift from God!”

“Stop arguing! Mechanical technology is what matters. The shortcut to the interstellar age is right before you, and you’re all too shortsighted to see it!”

…

Li Daoran and his companions exchanged helpless glances. Once sure no one was paying attention, they hurried upstairs.