Triangle Star, located in the Beta Galaxy, sits on the very edge of the Federation’s sphere of influence. Beyond it lies the vast, untamed expanse of the cosmos, a place where the reach of the Federation’s authorities has yet to fully extend.
The planet itself is a melting pot of the disreputable and the desperate, known more widely by its notorious alias: the Chaos Zone.
With nearly ninety percent of its surface covered by water, Triangle Star’s only spaceport is situated right on the coast. Stepping out of the terminal, Feng Zhixi took a deep breath. The breeze carried the briny scent of the sea, a smell so familiar it felt like returning to a second home.
"Sir, is this your first time on Triangle Star? Do you need a guide?" a voice called out from beside him, sounding noticeably young.
Feng Zhixi turned toward the speaker. It was a boy who looked barely into his teens, dressed in clothes that were worn but exceptionally clean and tidy.
The boy’s face was plain, marked by an obvious sincerity and warmth. He looked exactly like the students one might find at spaceports on tourist planets, working part-time as guides to earn tuition—the kind of person who made it difficult to maintain one's guard.
However, this was Triangle Star, the Chaos Zone. And as luck would have it, the boy standing before him was an old acquaintance from Feng Zhixi’s future.
Seeing a familiar face on his very first day saved him the trouble of searching for one. Feeling quite pleased, Feng Zhixi said, "I do. Here is the deposit." With that, he tossed an object toward the boy.
The small, metallic item traced a graceful arc through the air before landing firmly in the boy’s hand. When the youth saw what it was, he let out a sharp, audible gasp. He moved with sudden agility to shove the item into his pocket, not daring to let even a sliver of it show again.
What Feng Zhixi had given him was no ordinary tip; it was a spatial button, an item incredibly difficult to obtain in the Chaos Zone and a rare luxury even in the Federation’s Central Systems.
The boy, Meng Jia, tucked the item away and instantly adopted a much more solemn expression. He bowed slightly and asked, "Sir, what do you need me to do?"
"I need a room on the tenth floor of the Rose Hotel."
Meng Jia’s heart skipped a beat. He realized then that this man was no "fat sheep" to be easily swindled. He did some rapid mental calculations before answering respectfully, "Please, follow me."
Not far away, the other local fixers and guides watched as Meng Jia led the newcomer away, unable to hide their disappointment. They lamented missing out on such a prime target. Once the moment passed, however, these sharp-eyed brokers turned their attention back to the other travelers emerging from the spaceport, and the air was soon filled with the sounds of their practiced solicitations.
Triangle Star was a unique place. It served as the headquarters for the Interstellar Explorers' Guild and hosted underground auction houses that operated in the grayest of areas. It was also home to every "game" prohibited by Federation law.
The reasons for Triangle Star’s current state traced back many years.
When the Federation’s High Council was defining the boundaries of legal jurisdiction, an oversight—the cause of which remained a mystery—resulted in this planet being excluded, despite it not yet belonging to the Beta Galaxy at the time.
Five years later, when the Beta Star Province officially incorporated Triangle Star into its territory, the provincial governor discovered a legal loophole: according to the High Council’s definitions, Triangle Star was not subject to Federation regulatory oversight, yet it essentially belonged to the Federation’s Beta Galaxy.
Back then, the Beta Galaxy was the neglected runt of the Federation’s star systems—economically backward, resource-poor, and far from the Central Systems. It was left to fend for itself. The newly annexed Triangle Star was a desolate wasteland with nothing but water. Its only advantage was that, under Federation law, it was exempt from taxes.
The governor of the Beta Galaxy had a sudden stroke of genius. He realized that Triangle Star’s status as a Federation territory exempt from Federation law made it the perfect playground for the entire galaxy’s most decadent and illicit activities.
Naturally, there were plenty of vested interests willing to turn a blind eye and speculators eager to fan the flames.
Thus, with the silent acquiescence of the Federation government, a planet operating in a legal gray zone was born—a mask of shadow worn in the light of day.
In the vast hall of Triangle Star’s spaceport, brokers continued to hunt for targets.
"I need a guide."
The voice spoke directly into the ear of a middle-aged broker, accompanied by a powerful scent of amber pheromones. The man, who had been frustrated after losing several targets to his colleagues, turned around in surprise. He saw the person who had approached him: a Beta who made no effort to hide his pheromones?
The man before him wore an exquisite, ornate vintage suit. The high, ruffled collar was buttoned all the way to his Adam's apple, and the cuffs of his long black coat were edged with intricate gold thread. The broker also noticed a subtle, almost hidden pattern on the chest of the coat—a crest that looked like a family coat of arms.
*A massive fat sheep!* was the broker’s first thought. Seeing how the man’s astronomical attire only served to make his mediocre features look even more plain, the broker immediately put on his most enthusiastic attitude. He bowed and scraped, saying, "Your Excellency, it would be an honor to serve you!"
Ji Yeran, hidden behind a bionic mask, allowed a smile to touch his lips, which only made his face look more unremarkable. "Lead the way. I’m going to the Rose Hotel."
***
In a luxury suite on the tenth floor of the Rose Hotel, Feng Zhixi placed two vials of potion in front of the young boy. "I believe you recognize these."
Meng Jia recognized the names on the vials, and his brow twitched. "Sir, what is the meaning of this?"
On the table sat a vial of High-grade Gene Strengthening Fluid and a vial of High-grade Omega Suppressant. Compared to the value of these two items, the spatial button Feng Zhixi had given him earlier was a mere trifle.
Looking at the guest he had personally brought to the Rose Hotel, Meng Jia began to regret his lack of caution. This man had come prepared. Meng Jia was self-aware enough to know that the price for these two potions was more than he could currently afford to pay. But...
He forced himself to look away from the vials. No matter how much he needed them right now, he had to remain rational. That was the survival rule that had kept him alive in this place for so long.
"You don't want them? As I said, the previous item was just a deposit." Seeing this old acquaintance who still seemed so young and naive compared to his future self, Feng Zhixi tapped the table lightly. The rhythmic sound of his knuckles hitting the surface fell on the boy’s ears like the temptation of a devil.
"Sir, what do you need me to do?" Thinking of his sister, Meng Jia knew he had to get these items. He clenched his fists and asked.
"It’s simple," Feng Zhixi said. "I want entry into tomorrow’s auction."
Meng Jia, who had been bracing for a far more dangerous request, breathed a small sigh of relief. It was indeed simple. As a free planet and the base for interstellar explorers, Triangle Star held countless auctions every day—public ones, secret ones, legal ones, and those that were slightly less so. Many people like Feng Zhixi traveled across galaxies just to bid on a few items that weren't exactly fit for the light of day.
All of these clandestine auctions required a specialized invitation from a local broker. This was a tacit agreement formed over years on Triangle Star, and so far, no one had broken it.
"You’ve come to the right person," Meng Jia said with a relaxed expression. "I daresay no guide on Triangle Star has more invitations than I do. Which auction do you wish to attend?" As he spoke, the boy began mentally cataloging his invitations, waiting for the guest to speak.
Seeing the boy playing dumb, Feng Zhixi raised an eyebrow and stopped beating around the bush. "The auction I want to attend is, of course, the Rose Heart." He intended to go to the underground auction held beneath the Rose Hotel itself, which was exactly why he had chosen to stay here.
"!" The boy was shocked. He had lucked into a single invitation for the Rose Heart, a fact known only to him and his sister. What terrified him even more was the underlying threat in Feng Zhixi’s next words.
"I know you have one. Giving it to me could save both your lives," Feng Zhixi said calmly. To the boy, it sounded like a threat, but Feng Zhixi was remembering the adult Meng Jia, who had once wailed in a drunken stupor about how a single, flimsy invitation had utterly ruined their difficult lives.
The current Meng Jia was not yet the "Smiling Fox" who would eventually crawl out of the abyss after years of suffering. Still young and green, he accepted the two potions and handed over his only Rose Heart invitation under the pressure of Feng Zhixi’s "carrot and stick" approach.
Finally holding the invitation, Feng Zhixi smiled. He offered a word of advice: "I suggest you use that immediately."
He was referring to the High-grade Gene Strengthening Fluid. It could safely and effectively enhance a Beta’s physical constitution. While it couldn't compare to an Alpha’s, it would give the boy a better chance at self-preservation. More importantly, the absorption process took at least half a month, which would be just enough time to—
When the light of the star crested the horizon, a new day officially began on Triangle Star.
As the holographic curtain wall turned into transparent glass, revealing the golden-red light flooding the room, Feng Zhixi slotted the invitation he had been idling with into the optical computer he had purchased on the black market. A string of code and a corresponding address appeared before him.
It was the access code for the Rose Heart auction.
Unlike the Star Network auctions common elsewhere in the Federation, the Rose Heart followed an ancient tradition. Despite the advanced technology that allowed the Star Network to reach almost anywhere, many who walked in the gray zones believed that while technology progressed, human nature did not. Even though humanity had seemingly conquered the stars and become all-powerful, they still trusted traditional, face-to-face interaction above all else.
The Rose Heart auction was an offline event that adhered to these ancient rituals.
Leaving his room, Feng Zhixi navigated the hotel’s labyrinthine corridors with practiced ease. After rounding an uncountable number of corners, a pair of massive, deep-black double doors blocked his path.
Sensing movement, the doors opened silently. Feng Zhixi stepped inside and pressed the rose-patterned card into a perfectly fitted slot on the inner side of the door.
Recognizing the data on the card, the black doors slid shut without a sound. Only then could one see the massive rose pattern on the interior—blood-red and blooming with a mesmerizing, decadent splendor.
At the end of the hotel corridor, the black doors remained shut. The person who had entered had vanished.
When the doors finally opened again, a figure draped in a large black cloak stepped out into the clamor of the night.
Wrapped in a cloak integrated with a miniature mecha’s biological cloaking system, Feng Zhixi looked around. The hotel corridor was gone, replaced by a bustling street shrouded in night, filled with neon lights and extreme extravagance.
This was another world entirely. To be precise, this was the true face of Triangle Star. This was the reason he had chosen the Rose Hotel; it possessed a direct passage to the core of the Chaos Zone.
Unlike the surface of Triangle Star, which teetered on the edge of Federation law for the sake of pleasure, the world hidden beneath the sea was the planet’s true essence.
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