Zhou Tianming racked his brains but still couldn't figure out who wanted to capture him.
But since the feud had already begun, he wouldn't hold back once he found the culprit.
The meeting spot was a sparsely populated park not far from his location.
While walking briskly, Zhou Tianming remained vigilant, carefully observing his surroundings.
Though February's Fibrarius City, like Mendel, was a Satellite focused on medical research, it was much larger with excellent greenery.
After half an hour, he'd already passed through three densely forested areas resembling nature parks.
Giggle-giggle—
An ear-piercing laugh, as unpleasant as nails on a chalkboard, suddenly reached his ears.
Frowning, Zhou Tianming turned to see a group of teenagers dressed in colorful, eccentric outfits wearing masks.
A boy wearing an ugly wizard mask emitted that grating laughter before speaking in a twisted, bizarre tone.
Opposite him, a boy with a hero mask responded in a mature, magnetic voice.
Beside him, another wearing a princess mask spoke in a pleasant feminine tone.
The remaining boys wore wolf, tiger, and lion masks, making corresponding animal noises.
Not far away, a phone was mounted on a tripod, recording them.
Understanding instantly, Zhou Tianming almost laughed at the sight.
They were actually filming their own embarrassing moments—clearly too young to understand life's harsh realities.
Shaking his head ruefully, he quickened his pace.
At a crosswalk, he hit a red light and waited at the edge of the crowd while scanning his surroundings.
The chatter around him made him think back to those teenagers.
Their voices had been so distinctive—it must've been hard gathering such a unique group for their play.
When the light turned green, Zhou Tianming followed the crowd.
But as he walked, his frown deepened. Something felt overlooked, yet he couldn't pinpoint what.
Lost in thought, his steps slowed.
By the time the light started flashing, he was only halfway across, nearly stopping completely.
Inside a nearby car, a young driver in his twenties watched the barely meter-tall Zhou Tianming, amused by how seriously the boy seemed to be pondering life.
About to honk, the driver suddenly grinned, pulled out his phone, maxed the volume, and selected a voice from his AI Voice Changer.
Taking a deep breath, he shouted.
ROAR—!
A sudden dragon's roar blasted into Zhou Tianming's left ear.
Startled, he stumbled back two steps, clutching his ear as he whirled toward the sound.
The young driver laughed heartily, "Kid, don't get distracted when crossing the road. The green light's about to end."
Startled, Zhou Tianming turned to see the green light fading as the red lit up, hastily dashing across the remaining half of the street.
The moment his foot hit the curb, realization struck. He spun around and shouted at the young driver, "Thanks just now—what was that Dragon Shout about?"
The driver didn't respond, merely raising his hand to flash his phone before stepping on the gas and driving off.
Zhou Tianming's expression darkened.
Voice changers—software that had already emerged and matured in his past life. But this was the world of Gundam Seed.
Waiting for the traffic light to change, Zhou Tianming returned to where the teenagers were rehearsing their play. They were now huddled together, staring at a phone.
Using his limited-time skill 'Act Cute,' Zhou Tianming approached and asked.
The teens enthusiastically shared the answer.
An AI Voice Changer—a remarkably powerful software that even allowed manual adjustments to pitch, inflection, and other vocal parameters.
Borrowing the phone, Zhou Tianming racked his brain, recalling Siegel's voice as he tweaked the settings.
Once done, he spoke into the device, and Siegel's voice echoed back almost instantly.
"Thanks," Zhou Tianming said with a smile.
But the moment he turned away, his face twisted into a grimace. "Was it really Siegel who answered the call earlier?"
Things were getting complicated. Without confirming Siegel's authenticity, he couldn't even be sure if the meeting location was safe.
Worse, if he couldn't reach Siegel, leaving the Satellite would be impossible—his age was a major hurdle.
"Once I get to the Junk Guild, I have to secure my own ship. This is too passive."
Zhou Tianming wracked his brain for solutions.
Siegel, Ogsha, Zhou Hanxiang—of the three, his mother Zhou Hanxiang was the first to rule out. She was too far away to help quickly, and if she found out, the nagging would never end.
Neither Ogsha nor Siegel were on this Satellite—calling them required call forwarding...
Call forwarding.
It hit him. The other party had exploited that brief window to tamper with the call.
He'd used a stranger's phone earlier, yet they'd intercepted it precisely. That meant they knew Siegel's private number, allowing them to pinpoint the target.
If they had Siegel's private line, Ogsha's was likely compromised too.
Frowning, he felt the weight of the situation.
He debated whether to ask Zhou Hanxiang for help. But if he did, she'd probably never let him act alone again, citing safety concerns.
Losing his freedom would force him to overhaul most of his plans. The hassle was secondary—the real issue was the preparations he'd made for the future.
Without freedom, those inexplicable, unexplainable tasks would become impossible.
Zhou Tianming decided to keep Zhou Hanxiang as a last resort, carefully reassessing his options.
Contacting Siegel remained the priority—but how to bypass the enemy's blockade?
A dedicated line... a dedicated line... a dedicated line...
The thought looped in his mind until, suddenly, an idea surfaced.
Banks—with their strict confidentiality measures—surely had dedicated lines, right?
Pulling out his shattered phone, he smirked.
A scenario like Siegel Clyne accidentally transferring a massive sum to a 5-year-old ought to warrant an emergency contact.
Zhou Tianming sprang into action, using his charming and handsome looks to hitch a ride with a young woman driver who took him straight to the bank.
Once inside, Zhou Tianming leveraged Siegel's name to quickly gain an audience with the Satellite branch's bank manager, who escorted him to a private office.
The manager initially thought Zhou Tianming was joking—how could someone like Siegel Clyne make such an amateur mistake as transferring funds to the wrong account?
But after verifying the account details Zhou Tianming provided, the manager's jaw dropped. He hurriedly prepared to contact Siegel, their ultra-VIP client, for confirmation.
At that moment, Zhou Tianming said, "I'd prefer you use a secure line—one that bypasses Satellite communications."
The manager feigned indignation: "Nonsense! We're a legitimate institution. How could we possibly have private lines that circumvent oversight?"
"Think carefully. This concerns Siegel Clyne. Certain matters..."
Leaving the implication hanging, Zhou Tianming flashed an innocent smile.
The manager's mouth twitched, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. "One moment, please."
He picked up the landline, dialed a series of numbers, and moments later received confirmation that the line had been secured. Then he connected the call to Siegel.
"Hello, what's the matter?"
Siegel's voice came through the receiver.
Zhou Tianming pressed the speakerphone button: "Uncle, it's me, Tianming."
The manager shuddered, nearly dropping the handset in his panic. He fumbled to catch it, holding his breath as he carefully passed the receiver to Zhou Tianming with both hands.
With a grateful nod, Zhou Tianming took the receiver and disabled speakerphone: "Did I contact you earlier today?"
"No." Siegel's tone instantly turned grave. "Has something happened?"