Chapter 41: Then You Have No Say in the Matter

“Brilliant, truly a prodigy of the business world—Wudu Ban Cheng!” Lin Qiu exclaimed in admiration. Smart people are just different; their minds work so well.

Xu Ban Cheng said nothing, simply watching Lin Qiu.

“I have here a plan for human evolution,” Lin Qiu announced. As he spoke, the images on the computer began to shift, and the materials provided by the system appeared on the screen. Like the pages of a book, they slowly unfolded.

The two instinctively stepped closer, eyes fixed on the information, gradually becoming absorbed. The space fell silent once more.

In the aquarium behind them, Lin Qiu swam leisurely, watching as the two men’s bodies went from slight to violent trembling, a hint of smugness in his gaze.

“Back then, I was just a nobody, but now you have to look up to me,” Lin Qiu mused in that moment, a sudden feeling welling up inside him. “It’s lonely at the top.”

“This…” Liu Changfeng’s voice, hoarse and cracking, broke the silence: “With our current research pace, it would take us another thousand years to reach this level of technology.”

“This is a great technology, a magnificent discovery, this is—”

“Shut up!” The screen on the computer flickered, Lin Qiu’s figure appearing abruptly.

“Why are you so worked up? Is this really so powerful? Not to mention the Karma Star System—even prehistoric technology far surpasses this.”

Lin Qiu’s words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing Liu Changfeng’s excitement.

“Right?! What am I getting so worked up for?” Liu Changfeng, like a defeated rooster, instantly lost all his fighting spirit.

“That’s all you’ve got?” Lin Qiu mocked. “Just a couple of setbacks and you fall apart—what could you possibly accomplish? Useless.”

“You…” Liu Changfeng’s face flushed red. He looked up at the little dolphin, wanting to argue, but when he saw those deep, black eyes reflecting his own miserable image, he instantly fell silent, a bitter smile curling at his lips.

The little dolphin was right—if just two sentences could crush his spirit, what else was he but useless?

He never imagined that, as a celebrated genius of Wudu’s scientific community, he’d one day be lectured by a little dolphin.

“You’re the dolphin my sister saw, aren’t you?” At that moment, Xu Ban Cheng spoke, his gaze sharp and unwavering as he looked at Lin Qiu.

“That’s right, it’s me.” Lin Qiu nodded slightly. “If not for the threat from the Karma Star System beyond this world, your fate would have nothing to do with me.”

“But under the same starry sky, we are kin—and in the future, comrades-in-arms.”

“If I were to abandon you now, perhaps we’d lose a powerful ally in the future.”

“So, you’re giving us this technology so that humanity can rise quickly.”

“Aren’t you afraid we might turn against the ocean?” Xu Ban Cheng’s brows drew together, curiosity in his voice.

“Do you really think you’re capable?” Lin Qiu’s tone was scornful. “Even if you develop, at best you’ll be our equals.”

“As you advance, so do other species.”

“In the future, the most you can hope for is a balance of power, with occasional friction, but never total annihilation.”

Lin Qiu’s words made Xu Ban Cheng nod slightly. This was the survival of the fittest.

Since ancient times, humans had hunted animals for food and warmth, just as animals hunted humans for a meal. Through the ages, this had never changed.

At most, humanity had taken the dominant position, but it was never possible—and never would be—to exterminate all other species. The same would hold true in the future.

As long as humans possess the power to resist, the balance of the ecosystem would be restored.

Only through cycles of destruction and renewal does nature maintain its equilibrium.

“You’ve said so much and provided us with these invaluable materials. What is it that you want?” Xu Ban Cheng asked once more.

“I want to return to the ocean. I want you to take me back. In the future, we are one—comrades sharing honor and loss alike.”

“Me?” Xu Ban Cheng looked at Lin Qiu in surprise, something unreadable flickering in his eyes.

“We can form a contract as described in this technology, but I am an orca—my true domain is the sea.”

“On land, I have no combat abilities.”

“If you ever need me, just follow the contract instructions to summon me. I’ll be able to ignore the constraints of space and appear before you.”

Xu Ban Cheng’s eyes flickered slightly, while Liu Changfeng stared at Lin Qiu in astonishment.

“You say you’re an orca?” He gestured at Lin Qiu’s small size, utterly bewildered.

“I said I’m an orca—do you have a problem with that?” Lin Qiu bared his teeth, the tiny shark-like teeth in his mouth gleaming white.

“Sure, sure,” Liu Changfeng hastily nodded, a sheepish smile on his face, though inwardly he muttered, “A dolphin calling itself an orca? That’s just drawing the wrong family tree.”

It reminded him of the old tale of calling a deer a horse.

Today, he’d seen it with his own eyes.

It also suggested, in his mind, that this little dolphin was actually insecure deep down.

That was what Liu Changfeng was thinking.

“What are you thinking about?” Lin Qiu’s disgruntled voice cut in.

Did Xu Ban Cheng really think he wanted to form a contract with him? If not for the system’s ironclad terms, he wouldn’t even bother.

And now the man was hesitating, as if weighing his options, considering Lin Qiu unworthy of his status.

In fact, Xu Ban Cheng was unimpressed by a little dolphin—no matter what Lin Qiu claimed to be. Even if he was an orca, it didn’t matter.

If, in the future, ancient civilizations returned and mighty creatures appeared one after another, what could a contract with a little dolphin—no, with an orca, as he claimed—possibly achieve?

Xu Ban Cheng was ambitious: either he had the best, or none at all.

But as he questioned, he raised his head and spoke bluntly, “Will forming a contract with you hinder my future progress?”

Lin Qiu laughed, his anger boiling over. “It’ll only affect your bragging rights—and maybe your ability to drive a Ferrari with one hand!”

Xu Ban Cheng’s face darkened. He shook his head again. “Thank you for the technology. I can send you back to the ocean, but forming a contract with you—I can’t do it.”

“You…” Lin Qiu seethed inwardly.

A moment ago, he himself was reluctant—if not for the system’s coercion, he would never agree to any contract.

He had chosen Xu Ban Cheng because of his outstanding qualities.

But now, the tables had turned—he wasn’t wanted.

Lin Qiu was so furious his shark teeth ached.

He felt utterly ignored, looked down upon—a humiliation hard to bear.

“That’s not your choice to make!” Lin Qiu’s voice turned sinister, a sly grin playing across his face as the contract document appeared on the computer screen.

He began to recite the words of the contract, as prescribed.