Ch 104: The Cannon Fodder Won’t Play Along Anymore [QT]

ARC 7: After Inheriting the Family Business and Competing for Succession, I Became the Interstellar Superstar

Ice-Blue Galaxy, Red Moon Star.

A starship streaked across the sky like a meteor, a massive black drop pod thrown out like garbage, descending to the ground.

Two hours later, the drop pod opened from inside. A man with smooth, flowing golden hair and a face dazzlingly handsome sat up, coughing.

He looked around blankly—yellow sand stretched in all directions.

The man suddenly thought of something and quickly turned back to open the other rest pods.

Inside three rest pods were: a black-haired, black-eyed Eastern beauty, and two younger kids.

The older girl was eighteen or nineteen, with golden curly hair like the man’s. The younger boy looked twelve or thirteen, with slightly wavy black hair, still asleep with eyes closed.

Mu Rongrong, seeing the boy still unconscious, grew anxious and softly called his name: “Xingxing, Xingxing?”

No response.

The man’s face showed concern: “Xingxing has always been frail. Being stuck inside the pod for so long must have made him unwell.”

He bent down and lifted his younger son. “Let’s first find a place to settle, then get a doctor for Xingxing.”

*

When Mu Xing woke up, the sky was already dark. Crimson moonlight spilled through the window, where the curtain had not been drawn…

Wait, crimson moonlight?

Mu Xing was instantly awake.

He sat up and found a coat draped over him.

The light orb had arrived unusually early this time, squatting in the sea of consciousness for quite a while. The moment it noticed him wake, it began knocking at the door.

Mu Xing let it in, then continued curiously looking outside. Sure enough, through the window, he could see a red crescent moon hanging in the sky.

The light orb explained, “I got lost earlier, so it took me a while to find you.”

As it spoke, it began transmitting Mu Xing’s identity and experience in this cycle to him.

Not surprising at all—once again, a cannon fodder.

To be precise, this time the entire Mu family were cannon fodder.

This world was again a futuristic one, its technology even more advanced than the last. The Human Federation had already conquered several star systems.

Mu Xing’s mother, Mu Rongrong, was the eldest daughter of the Mu family, one of the three great houses of the Ice-Blue Galaxy—a status undeniably prestigious.

As the eldest daughter, Mu Rongrong was greatly favored by her father. If she wanted, she could even contend for the position of next family head.

Unfortunately, Mu Rongrong was a fool.

Since childhood, she was a wastrel who knew only indulgence, never caring about anything else.

Later, when she came of age, she fell in love at first sight with a commoner and rejected the marriage alliance arranged by her family.

That commoner was now her husband, Lan Xi.

Lan Xi was known throughout the Ice-Blue Galaxy as a useless beauty—aside from a face so strikingly handsome it made men and women alike marvel, he had no other notable abilities.

The two secretly registered their marriage, and soon Mu Rongrong became pregnant, giving birth in succession to Mu Yue and Mu Xing, the siblings.

As for the siblings, they indeed inherited the best of their parents’ looks, standing out as the most beautiful of their Mu generation.

But the elder sister, Mu Yue, inherited her parents’ foolishness, interested only in eating, drinking, and shopping.

The younger brother, Mu Xing, was born frail, often bedridden and in need of doctors.

The Mu patriarch was vexed whenever he saw this family. Translated on Hololo novels. He banished them to the farthest corner of the estate, providing them a large allowance each month, just to keep them out of sight.

This suited Mu Rongrong’s family perfectly: money to spend, nothing to do, living idly in comfort.

But being a parasite wasn’t so easy after all. In recent years, the old patriarch’s health declined, and family power gradually shifted into the hands of Mu Rongrong’s younger brother, Mu Lin.

Soon after, Mu Rongrong was caught in a mistake and promptly exiled to the Ice-Blue Galaxy’s border world—Red Moon Star.

Clearly, whether her father or her brother held power made all the difference.

In the original story, the weakly Mu Xing, unable to adapt to Red Moon Star’s harsh climate, died within two years.

Mu Rongrong, after repeatedly pleading with her father to send family aid and being refused, finally blackened.

She schemed to contact her convalescing father, pitifully complained, and brought her husband and daughter back to the Mu household to contend with Mu Lin for power.

Unfortunately, after decades as a fool, one could not simply become clever overnight.

Mu Rongrong was quickly suppressed by Mu Lin and locked away.

Mu Xing’s sister, Mu Yue, chose a scumbag as her lover. At first, he flattered and doted on her, but once he learned her mother had fallen out with the current family head and lost all standing in the Mu clan, he immediately turned on her.

Heartbroken, Mu Yue collapsed. Confirming her parents would at least remain safe in the Mu household, she bought a starship ticket to another system and vanished without a trace.

Mu Xing finished reading: “…”

He couldn’t help but glance at the light orb. “What do you think?”

The light orb blinked, then commented, “This family is… indeed quite stupid.”

“And then?”

The light orb smacked its lips. “Mu Rongrong should have gone crying to the old patriarch long ago. With her identity, she was bound to be resented. If she wanted to be a parasite forever, she shouldn’t have stayed in the main house. If she had cried to the old man earlier, even if scolded a few times, she could have demanded to split the family, received a huge sum, and then lived a peaceful salted-fish life. Perfectly happy.”

Mu Xing: “…”

He asked slowly, “You weren’t like this at the beginning.”

The light orb blinked blankly, then suddenly remembered what it was supposed to be doing.

A miscalculation!

It coughed once and said: “Actually, that was just the last resort, the last resort! Mu Rongrong is the clan head’s eldest daughter, the rightful heir. I think your mom still has a chance to be saved. With our foreknowledge, we could seize the Mu family’s power from your uncle! You become the clan head, then keep raising your useless dad, mom, and sister—wouldn’t that be even more delightful?”

As it spoke, the light orb felt something was off again. Why did its thinking always circle back to being a salted fish?

It must be the host’s problem!

Mu Xing almost wanted to laugh when he heard that.

At that moment, the door was gently pushed open from outside. The newcomer saw Mu Xing, started in surprise, then said happily: “Xingxing, you’re awake?”

It was this body’s father, Lan Xi.

Lan Xi was already in his forties, but with the interstellar average lifespan over two hundred, he was in his prime.

He truly was beautiful—delicate features without being effeminate, a gentle aura, and a pair of blue eyes like two clear springs, carrying deep affection.

No wonder Mu Rongrong had fallen for him at first sight.

Lan Xi hurried toward Mu Xing’s window but stumbled on something. Only then did Mu Xing notice the room was cluttered with many random items, obviously not yet tidied.

Lan Xi didn’t care about that, only asked: “Are you feeling unwell anywhere?”

Mu Xing shook his head. He had already checked his body earlier. Indeed, he had some congenital weakness, but nothing life-threatening.

With technology this advanced in the interstellar age, he refused to believe such a condition couldn’t be managed.

It seemed there were still things about the Mu family he didn’t know.

Looking at his sweet but foolishly innocent and beautiful father’s concerned face, Mu Xing chose to keep the matter to himself.

Hearing he felt no discomfort, Lan Xi was overjoyed: “Then let’s go eat. Your sister has already made dinner. She was waiting for you to wake so we could eat together.”

He helped Mu Xing up and out of the room.

Only after stepping outside did Mu Xing realize this place was actually quite a large villa.

Of course, to be precise, a half-old villa that hadn’t been lived in for years.

Outside, fallen leaves lay in thick layers, and inside, the house was filled with dust and clutter.

It was a property the Mu family had bought who knew how many years ago, not even equipped with service robots.

He went to the dining room and saw on the table four dishes… in which it was hard to even identify the original ingredients.

Mu Yue said with some worry: “Xingxing, it’s the first time I’ve cooked. If you don’t like it, don’t force yourself—we still have nutrient solutions.”

She had already tasted her own cooking just now. Well… let’s just say, if she hadn’t made it herself, she would never have taken a second look.

Mu Xing calmly picked up a piece with his chopsticks and put it in his mouth.

His brows knit slightly, then smoothed out as he swallowed slowly.

“For a first try, this is already very good. Thank you, sister.” He smiled at Mu Yue with his eyes.

Mu Yue immediately clutched her chest, smiling in satisfaction: “Xingxing is always so sweet. If you like it, I’ll cook for you every day from now on!”

Mu Xing: “…That’s really… not necessary.”

Mu Yue burst into laughter: “I knew it, I was teasing you!”

Though the taste wasn’t great, the family still finished dinner happily together.

It was late already, so they quickly cleaned up their bedrooms and went to rest.

*

The next day.

When Mu Xing woke in the morning, he instinctively looked toward the window—the sky was gray and hazy.

Red Moon Star was a forsaken border world, with poor environment and poor economy. Anyone with ability had long since emigrated.

It was said most of the planet was covered in yellow sand, a testament to its harsh climate.

The Mu family’s villa here had no neighbors left, and the nearest market was dozens of miles away.

Fortunately, transportation was convenient. Mu Rongrong had dug an old, obsolete hovercar out of the warehouse and gone out with Lan Xi.

An hour later, they returned with the car packed full of goods, followed by a team of workers in uniform.

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