Chapter 10: Planet Deployment
“What exactly is going on? Speak up!” Mu Zhenguo asked sternly, putting on the authority of a father.
Mu Lantu responded calmly, “If I had really done something bad, would I dare show up so openly and confidently?”
That made sense. Mu Zhenguo and He Cuifang grew even more curious, but since their son wouldn’t say, they had no choice.
Mu Zhenguo spoke earnestly, “Your old man doesn’t have much education and doesn’t know any fancy principles. But you’ve graduated from university now—you’re a real adult. No matter what you do from now on, make sure you know what you’re doing.”
Mu Lantu, sitting on his suitcase, nodded. “I understand. Oh, by the way—Dad, Mom, if you had enough money to buy a place for yourselves, where would you choose?”
Mu Zhenguo and He Cuifang exchanged a glance.
“Son, are you…”
Mu Lantu interrupted, “I’m saying if. Just making conversation.”
He Cuifang couldn’t help laughing but then grew thoughtful. “Actually, I have thought about that. If we had the money, I’d buy a place in the same community as your brother. We wouldn’t have to live together all the time, but if something happened, we could look after each other. Best if you also bought a place there.”
Mu Lantu smiled and turned to his father. “What about you, Dad?”
Mu Zhenguo had never really considered the question. It was already fortunate that the family could afford to buy homes for their two sons. Buying a separate one for the old folks was like something out of a dream. He thought for a moment before saying, “What your mom said makes sense. We’ve lived there a long time, know the neighbors, and get along well. But why are you suddenly asking about this?”
He Cuifang couldn’t resist asking, “If you really have the money to buy a place, get one for yourself first.”
Mu Zhenguo agreed, “Your mom’s right.”
Mu Lantu replied, “I’m just asking in advance. When I have money later, I’ll buy you one.”
Mu Zhenguo and He Cuifang didn’t think much of it. Even in a small town like Anfeng County, housing cost over 4,000 yuan per square meter. For a larger unit, the down payment alone would be more than 200,000 yuan. Their younger son hadn’t even started working yet—it was impossible for him to have that kind of money.
Mu Lantu checked the time. It was already past eight.
“Dad, Mom, you should head home. I’ll take a cab back to the hotel.”
“Alright. Stay safe.”
“Got it.”
Only after watching the taxi disappear did Mu Zhenguo and He Cuifang leave.
005: [Host, when are we deploying the planet?]
Mu Lantu: [After I return to the Capital. If I deploy it now, do you think my parents would let me travel far on my own?]
005 was surprised: [You’re not planning a stealth deployment?]
Mu Lantu smiled calmly and confidently: [If no one sees it, how can they be drawn to it? Where will I get future tenants from? Since it has to be revealed eventually, the sooner the better.]
Mu Lantu stayed home for three days, visited his sister and brother-in-law, gave them gifts, and even went back to the old house—retrieving four rough jade stones back into his system space.
Before leaving, he privately told Mu Zhenguo about the jade stone gambling, though he only mentioned making one million yuan—afraid the real amount, over twenty million, would give his father a heart attack. His purpose was to reassure his parents that he could afford a house anytime and they didn’t need to overwork themselves anymore. Also, if the family ever had an emergency, they could always reach out.
Even so, Mu Zhenguo was shocked and didn’t dare tell He Cuifang.
He thought about buying a house for his youngest son but gave up. In such a tiny county, news spread fast. The moment a house was bought, the whole extended family would know. Explaining the source of the money would be difficult. He didn’t want people thinking his son had made the money through gambling—it could ruin his reputation.
To ease his father’s worries, Mu Lantu took him to the city, helped him open a new bank account, and transferred 500,000 yuan into it.
That did the trick. Mu Zhenguo felt reassured. If his son ever hit hard times, at least that 500,000 would be a safety net.
With everything at home settled, Mu Lantu finally returned to the Capital. On the day he left Anfeng, Mu Hongtu and Yang Xiurong took time off work to see him off and packed snacks for the road.
Mu Lantu had never received such treatment before.
He was only surprised for a moment before brushing it off and getting in the cab.
Five hours later, Mu Lantu arrived at the Capital Airport and hopped into another taxi.
He told the driver to head back to the hotel where he had stayed after his farewell party. The black-and-white digital pet once again perched on his shoulder.
This time, no one at the hotel was surprised. The digital panda had recently gone viral online. Anyone who used the internet would recognize it as an electronic pet. Still, people snapped photos.
Mu Lantu asked for the same room he had before.
He stood by the door for a while, but when he didn’t see the person he was hoping for, he went in.
005: [Host, when are we deploying the planet?] It was practically bouncing with excitement.
Mu Lantu: [Why rush? I’ve still got some prep work to do.]
005: [Fine, I’ll get back to surfing the web.]
Mu Lantu knew it had been suffering just like him. Two worlds with no internet had driven both of them a little crazy.
[Wait, Xiao Wu, help me search for rental properties first.]
Despite being internet-obsessed, 005 always prioritized the host’s needs: [Of course, Host. Please give me your criteria.]
Eventually, Mu Lantu rented a furnished two-bedroom apartment in a high-end community called Hua Banli. Brand new, fully decorated, 160 square meters, 8,000 yuan per month. After getting it cleaned, he moved in.
005 suddenly shouted: [Host, I discovered something!]
[What is it?] Mu Lantu asked lazily, seated on the carpet in front of the floor-to-ceiling windows. A small table before him held a stack of white manuscript paper. Spring sunlight poured down, casting golden beams across him, like a scene designed by a master photographer—his beauty and charm were in full display.
Pity no one but the system saw it.
005: [Remember I mentioned all the tenants in this building are renters? I just discovered they—and your actual landlord—are all tied to someone named Xu Huazhang!]
[Oh.] Mu Lantu continued sketching and writing on the paper.
005 sighed, undeterred: [I wonder when you’ll become a landlord like him, Host.]
Mu Lantu didn’t reply. He finished his calculations and finally breathed a sigh of relief after nearly an hour.
[Xiao Wu, prepare for planet deployment. Use this location. But are you sure it won’t affect Earth’s orbit, rotation, or its place in the universe?]
This was his only concern. Even a small mistake could cause anything from climate change to cosmic imbalance.
005 reassured him: [Rest assured, Host. The new planet’s mass isn’t significant enough to cause those effects. It’ll blend into the universe like a speck of dust.]
[Alright. Deploy it.]
[Yes.] 005’s voice turned solemn.
The crucial moment had arrived!
[Host, do you want to watch the live broadcast?]
Of course, Mu Lantu wouldn’t miss such a spectacular event.
[Watch.]
A light screen appeared in front of him—only visible to him.
The “camera” pointed skyward. At first, just clouds and sky. Then, in the blink of an eye, a planet materialized—faint at first, then fully visible.
Live broadcast over.
Mu Lantu: […]
He returned to the window, stored the papers and pen in his system space, ordered them destroyed, and sat back at the glass window. His fingers lightly tapped beside his phone. Though the network was now fully under 005’s control and secure, he still refused to leave any trace.
[Xiao Wu, monitor online activity. Leave no footprints.]
005 proudly declared: [You underestimate me, Host. No one in this world will detect my presence!]
[Yes, yes. So what’s happening now?]
[There are already news reports. The new planet is so close that it’s visible to the naked eye—right in broad daylight. Many people saw it and uploaded videos.]
But within three minutes, all content disappeared.
No doubt the government had stepped in.
Exactly as Mu Lantu expected.
He picked up his phone and headed out to find food.
The black-and-white digital panda followed happily behind.
Aside from not needing to be fed, Mu Lantu was now treating it like a real panda—letting it climb him like a tree and perch on his left shoulder.
He shifted it to the right shoulder. If it stayed on one side too long, he feared that shoulder would collapse.
The elevator doors opened. Inside were the man who had given him the panda and his two bodyguards—all with serious expressions.
Both men were surprised to see each other.
Mu Lantu noticed the bodyguards watching him closely but pretended not to care. He smiled and extended his hand to the man. “Hello. We meet again.”
“Pleasure.” The man shook his hand, a smile flickering in his deep eyes.
After the handshake, Mu Lantu cradled the panda and met the man’s gaze calmly. “I’m Mu Lantu. And you?”
“Xu Huazhang.” The man’s eyes fell on the panda—or perhaps the hand that held it. His face was calm, but the tips of his ears were red.
Mu Lantu remained composed but was shocked inside. Xu Huazhang?
005 screamed in his head: [Xu Huazhang?! Host, that’s the landlord guy!]
Mu Lantu felt a pang. Xu Huazhang didn’t look much older than him, yet he was already a landlord. He must’ve gotten incredibly lucky, like hitting the jackpot with urban redevelopment!
[Xiao Wu, I’ve made up my mind. I’m going to pursue this man!]
005 yelped: [Huh?!]
Mu Lantu explained seriously: [Think about it—he’s a landlord. If I marry him, what’s his becomes mine, what’s mine becomes his—then I’ll be a landlord too!]
005 felt like that made a lot of sense… and yet something seemed off.
