Chapter 89: Future Plans

Second Brother Qian quickly brought Old Qian in.

“Boss, what are your orders next?” Old Qian asked as soon as he entered, showing no politeness at all, and sat straight down on the sofa across from Ma Jun.

“Second Brother Qian, you sit too. Don’t be so serious,” Ma Jun said to Qian Yao-duo.

“Yes.”

“Old Qian, Second Brother Qian has only just arrived, so there are still many things he does not understand.” Ma Jun lit a cigarette. “Our next plan is to establish a large company in both the Infernal Affairs world and the Tuxedo world, and carry out resource plundering. For now, take the second brother to the Infernal Affairs world and handle the preliminary work well. Then you can return to the main world and map out future development. I will go back to the Duke of Mount Deer world and oversee things in person. Once the main-world business is on the right track, you can then go to the Tuxedo world to expand.”

“Yes!” Both subordinates nodded in unison.

“As for the Titanic world, leave it as it is for now. We will attack it by force later. The Avatar world is the same. When the time comes, we will strip Pandora of all its superconducting ore!” Ma Jun continued. “If there are no problems, we will return to the Imperial Capital tomorrow. You two get moving first. I’m going back to see my parents!”

...

The bio-slaves were extremely reliable and efficient, saving Ma Jun a great deal of time.

The ranch in Australia had already served its purpose, leaving only a few local workers for routine maintenance. It was practically abandoned, because Ma Jun no longer cared much about that little enterprise.

After returning to the Imperial Capital, school was nearly on holiday, and Ma Jun took the opportunity to apply for leave of absence. In truth, it was practically the same as dropping out, but the school tried hard to keep him, and in the end only a leave was arranged.

Xiao Hua, together with five lower bio-humans, was wandering and sightseeing all over the world. From the video calls, her excitement and exhilaration made it clear she would not settle down for several months.

According to intelligence reports, Xiao Hua had not yet done anything strange, so Ma Jun no longer worried.

Several days later, he returned to his home in Yue Province.

Ma Jun’s father worked in transport. When he was young, he was away from home year after year; now that he was older, he had finally found himself at leisure and even become a small section chief of sorts. His mother was an accountant, working for a state-owned enterprise. The family’s circumstances were nothing remarkable, just ordinary.

When Ma Jun came home, he was warmly welcomed by both parents, after all it had been a long time since they had seen their son. They had also watched the television series he had acted in, and were immensely proud of him.

Once relatives and friends had learned that the family knew a celebrity, everyone went out together for a meal. At the table, Ma Jun became the model by which each family chastised their children. Inevitably, the subject of marriage and settling down also came up, leaving Ma Jun rather vexed.

In addition, some middle school and high school classmates called to get in touch, and a class reunion was organized. Nothing like a face-slapping incident occurred. Although a reunion inevitably invited comparisons, the pure friendship of those days still remained, and the atmosphere was quite lively.

Only after being busy for an entire week did Ma Jun leave fifty thousand yuan with his parents and hurry back to the Imperial Capital. This time, since he had film and television work, he left more money behind, and his parents did not refuse it.

After returning to the Imperial Capital, Old Qian had already begun to busy himself with the affairs of the main-world company, so much so that his feet barely touched the ground. Ma Jun took on a few advertisements for major corporations, then made some preparations and went alone to the Duke of Mount Deer world.

...

In the Duke of Mount Deer world, near the west coast of North America, a small town stood out conspicuously amid the surrounding desert and jungle.

Ma Jun appeared out of thin air in an open stretch at the center of the town.

The lower bio-humans nearby immediately gathered around him.

“Hello, Boss!”

“Hello,” Ma Jun nodded. “Call A One over to pick me up.”

These fellows possessed only simple intelligence, though they were endowed with different specialized skills according to their trades. For convenience, Ma Jun had merely assigned them serial numbers instead of giving each of them a name.

Soon after, a fully armed squad arrived in anti-gravity vehicles, picked up Ma Jun, and escorted him into the central command post.

At present, most of the personnel in this base were construction workers, with only one thousand combat troops.

Ma Jun carefully read the information on the computer for a long while before finally issuing his arrangements.

First and foremost, the most important task at present was to mine all kinds of resources, including various minerals. Suitable areas needed to be found for planting and for breeding creatures.

More lower bio-humans had to be cultivated first.

Naturally, city-planning matters would be handled by specialized professionals. After issuing the orders, Ma Jun piloted a spaceship back to the governor’s residence on the Asian continent.

After spending several shameless, indulgent days with his young wife, Mu Jianping, Ma Jun gathered the leaders of the Righteous Army and prepared to discuss matters.

With his hair styled like a Han Chinese man’s and clad in a suit of black armor, Ma Jun sat grandly in the seat of honor at the head of the council hall.

Below him sat Mu Jian-sheng, Li Xihua, and the others.

“Gentlemen, since the uprising began, we have campaigned north and south, amassed glorious military achievements, and beaten the barbarians into utter defeat! Yet now the situation has grown stagnant, and such a vast China is still fragmented,” Ma Jun declared loudly. “After a period of stabilization, I think it is time to drive the barbarians completely beyond the passes!”

“The Great General speaks wisely!” Li Shili, an old subordinate, was the first to agree. “My four hundred thousand troops are fully prepared, disciplined and battle-ready, and our food, pay, and supplies are all in order. We are only waiting for your command!”

“The barbarians are still fighting among themselves. They have installed a new little emperor, merely a puppet controlled by several powerful families. They are no longer a threat!” Li Xihua said in a deep voice. “In my opinion, once the barbarians are driven out, the truly perilous situation will begin. I wonder... what decision does the Great General intend to make?”

He had hit the nail on the head. Now that there was no longer a single united enemy, Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and even the Han leaders in Taiwan would truly begin to contend with one another.

As for the earlier talk of restoring a ruler of the imperial house, there was no need to conceal it any longer.

“I wonder what counsel Military Advisor Li has to offer?” Ma Jun asked.

Li Xihua possessed formidable martial skill, and as the descendant of rebels, he had weathered many hardships; both his learning and his abilities were quite impressive. Back then, he had been chosen as the Righteous Army’s strategist.

All eyes turned toward him. Li Xihua swept his gaze around the hall and smiled faintly.

“In those days, I already said that the throne should go to whoever has earned the greater merit,” he said. “That still stands today. The lands south of the Yangtze are the domain of Wu Sangui, Geng Jingzhong, and the others. Though they all fly the banner of resisting the Qing, they once betrayed the Han; how can they command the obedience of the people? As for Taiwan, internal strife never ceases. Commander Chen is loyal to them, yet has been dragged down by Zheng Kexuang and achieved nothing at all. I humbly ask the Great General to raise his banner, lead all Han people under heaven, and reunify China once more!”

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of those present changed in different ways. Ma Jun, however, kept smiling in silence, watching their reactions.