Zhou Tianming walked while contemplating his current predicament.
Although he had left the research institute's perimeter, the Colony Satellite was inherently a massive cage.
Based on his memories of the previous SEED timeline, Mendel was a satellite dedicated to medical research.
This meant the satellite couldn't be very large—at most the size of a few small towns, supplemented with some living facilities for visiting patients or researchers, making its structure quite simple.
If GARMR&D, the company behind the institute, paid the price for a comprehensive satellite-wide sweep, Zhou Tianming would have nowhere to hide.
Zhou Tianming believed his value as a live specimen of the Ultimate Coordinator was enough for GARMR&D to do exactly that.
Merely escaping the institute wasn't enough; he needed to leave Mendel Colony Satellite entirely to achieve true freedom.
But here lay the problem: Zhou Tianming was only five years old and had no identification—a complete undocumented person.
No matter what, the spaceport staff would never allow a five-year-old child to board a shuttle alone.
Thinking this, Zhou Tianming sighed. "I woke up too late. If only I could've left with Kira, none of this would be an issue."
Speaking of Kira, one had to mention his adoptive parents—extremely inconspicuous in the original plot, but when you thought about it, Kira managing to grow up safely after leaving the institute was remarkable.
Being able to leave immediately after the institute was attacked and covering their tracks so thoroughly that no one could find them—that wasn't something ordinary people could accomplish.
Later, they even had connections with Uzumi, the leader of the Athha family among Orb's upper echelons. A closer look made it clear this was no ordinary family.
Unfortunately, the attack had happened hours ago at least, and Kira's family had probably already left the satellite.
Thinking this, Zhou Tianming, who'd missed his free ride, sighed heavily again.
He lightly slapped his cheeks to perk himself up, deciding to set the matter aside for now—the solution would present itself when the time came.
His immediate priority was getting to the spaceport. Even if the satellite was small, it wasn't something a five-year-old could traverse on foot.
Walking along the road, Zhou Tianming easily spotted a row of Fully Automatic Unmanned Cars waiting for passengers by the roadside.
As he approached within five meters, the vehicle's AI Intelligence began broadcasting route information.
Zhou Tianming stepped forward to check and, unsurprisingly, found that identity verification was required, along with payment from an Electronic Account.
"GARMR&D is really stingy—not even providing free shuttles for their employees? Typical private enterprise."
Having prepared himself mentally, Zhou Tianming wasn't disappointed. He had a backup plan ready—now was the time to test his theory.
Zhou Tianming raised the iron rod in his hand and lightly tapped the body of the unmanned car.
When there was no response, he increased the force, sending a continuous series of banging sounds echoing.
[Warning! This vehicle is property of Mendel Transportation Department. Cease destructive behavior immediately. Continued attacks will prompt defensive measures from the In-Vehicle AI!]
Hearing the AI's voice, Zhou Tianming pulled down the hood of the rabbit plushie to cover his face and continued his assault.
[Your actions are causing damage to Mendel Transportation Department property. We will legally document this incident. Please report to the designated location for compensation or appeal upon receiving the lawsuit notice.]
The unmanned car's camera swiveled toward Zhou Tianming as he swung the iron rod. He stepped forward and smashed the camera with a single strike.
Using the sharp, corroded end of the broken rod, he scraped off the car's paint, shattered the front windshield, and pried at the door...
Zhou Tianming left no method untried. Before long, the unmanned car's engine roared to life.
[Detected that the attacker has not ceased destructive actions. To ensure property safety, the vehicle will initiate Return-to-Base Operation. Please clear the path for safe departure.]
Just as he had guessed—to prevent malicious damage, unmanned vehicles were equipped with self-preservation protocols. This was exactly the outcome Zhou Tianming wanted.
The unmanned car's engine hummed as it swiftly drove away, the electric motor whirring.
Licking his lips and wiping the sweat from his forehead, he flashed a devilish grin at the row of unmanned cars parked behind him.
...
Ring-ring—!
The phone in the research institute's front guardhouse rang.
Will had his feet propped up, flipping through a magazine featuring beautiful women. At the sound, he frowned with irritation.
Glancing at the cowering guard standing silently nearby, he snapped, "What are you waiting for? Should I answer it myself?"
"Y-yes, sir!"
The guard hurried over to pick up the phone, nodding repeatedly as he listened.
After hanging up, the guard cautiously reported, "Sir, it's the Transportation Department. They said some vehicles at a nearby station were vandalized and asked us to investigate."
"Get lost! Do I need to teach you how to handle this crap? Useless."
"Y-yes, sir!"
The guard bowed repeatedly as he backed toward the door.
Suddenly, Will paused mid-page-turn. After a moment, he set the magazine down and stood up, his chair screeching loudly.
His tone turned grave. "You said unmanned cars nearby were vandalized? How nearby?"
The guard pointed in a direction. "Just over there, about 100 meters from the institute."
"Damn it!" Will bolted for the door. "Someone! Get over here!"
A nearby officer strolled over lazily. Will strode up and slapped him, then grabbed his collar. "Send people to check the front! See if there's a problem!"
The officer clutched his red, swollen cheek, utterly confused.
"Goddamn useless!" Will roared, raising his voice. "Move your asses! Check if something escaped! Did you forget what happened last year? You all want to lose your bonuses?!"
The previously sluggish officers instantly snapped to attention, scrambling into action as chaos erupted.
Weber, who had been studying the research institute's structural diagrams, looked momentarily confused before his face lit up with joy. "Finally, it's time for action," he murmured.
He quickly retrieved a black bulletproof vest from his equipped car, loaded his police rifle, and geared up completely.
Before long, a slender police officer came running back from the distance, panting heavily. "Someone escaped! One of the iron railings over there is broken!"
Upon hearing this, Will's eyes turned red with fury. "Get everyone moving! That person must have used the Unmanned Car's Return-to-Base Mechanism to escape! Bring them back at all costs!"
Weber's expression froze, his face flushing with anger as he stepped forward urgently. "Sir! Shouldn't we prioritize rescuing the people inside the institute first? They're still waiting for us!"
"I don't give a damn about those people! Do you have any idea how much bonus I'll lose if even one person escapes? Last year, after one got away, three-quarters of our security team was cut, and our bonuses were docked—an entire year's work down the drain! Otherwise, do you think you'd even qualify to be in this unit?"
After his outburst, Will squeezed his bulky body into a police car and drove off.
Weber stood frozen in place, his grip on the police rifle slackening as he slumped weakly to the side, his eyes dim with disappointment.
"Move, move, move! Let's go!"
"Reports say four or five Unmanned Cars have been tampered with and are heading in different directions."
"Dammit, this guy's clever. The others must be Smoke grenades."
"My bonus! Why does stuff from this institute always escape? Such a pain!"
...
Watching the bustling crowd and listening to their words, Weber leaned weakly against the wall and slid to the ground.
One by one, the police cars drove away, leaving the area in front of the institute suddenly empty. The noise faded along with the sirens.
Only one or two officers remained in the guardhouse, reviewing surveillance footage for clues about the escapee.
"Sigh... My cousin was right. I really don't belong here."
Weber sighed.
Suddenly, his ears perked up.
The faint sound of a child crying drifted in and out of hearing.