When Dreams Come True

If Apple was the most delicious poison to Adam and Eve, then the photon processor and the mecha were the dream country for Mu Fan. When he was sleeping in the middle of the night, he had imagined himself driving a steel monster that belonged to a man. He had imagined himself having a photon processor that could communicate with others. However, when he woke up, he looked at the tattered blanket draped over his body and touched his flat stomach. He was pulled into reality.

But today, Mu Fan, who never slept in, fell asleep in a corner with a torn blanket covering his body! He only woke up when the glaring light of the star shone on his face!

A quick-witted Mu Fan looked to his right. The black egg lay there quietly.

"It was not a dream!" Mu Fan recalled that he had talked to Black Egg a lot last night. When he learned that his long-cherished wish had come true, he felt like his heart was going to jump out of his chest. Black talked about the components he needed while he drooled and looked forward to the future. He fell asleep just like that. He did not know when Black stopped talking.

"Black!"

"Master." A familiar voice came from the black egg.

"Call me Mufan from now on! You are my friend from now on!"

"Okay, Mu Fan." Black paused, as if he was accepting a new definition, or savoring the concept of the word "friend."

Mu Fan used a shell to scoop some clean rainwater from a nearby sink. Then he washed his face and said to Blackie, "Which part do you need the most now? I'll go and get it first!"

"A.I.," answered Blackie quickly.

"What? A photon computer? Aren't you a photon computer?" Mu Fan felt a headache coming on. Even the lowest-level photon computer required 50,000 star dollars. Where would he get the money from?

"Correction, I am a super-brain artificial intelligence, codenamed Black, not a photon processor. I can access any carrier. I need a photon processor to access the current interstellar network. From there, the database will be updated and the data will be converted into the current form."

"Photon processor, photon processor. Okay, I'll go earn some money!" Mu Fan clenched his teeth after listening to Blackie's answer.

"Black, then I'll have to trouble you." Then, without waiting for Black's opinion, he brought a pile of rubbish and piled it on the table.

"Blackie will enter the hibernation self-check correction process. Please, Mu Fan, wake up after you have obtained the processor." An electronic voice came from the wastebasket, but it lacked the feeling of emotional instability. Blackie had entered the self-check.

Color was hard to see in the sky. The sky was still gray, and small transport ships flew in and out of the city from time to time. From time to time, hover cars roared across the city roads.

The 30-kilometer journey from the factory to the city district, from the desolation to the dilapidated to the bustle, formed a sharp contrast. Mu Fan ran for more than an hour and did not see any disorder in his breathing when he entered the city.

Mu Fan's goal this time was clear. He would first ask Old Man Bard, the owner of Bard's grocery store in District 22. He used to go to the store to help. Old Man Bard was a good person and often gave Mu Fan some rice balls to eat. He would also give him some compensation. Mu Fan went there not to work, but to ask the old man if he had any advice. He needed money.

District 22 was not big, but it was unusually lively inside. When Mu Fan left, the others automatically moved a meter away from him. His shabby appearance made him look like a poor person outside the city. The people who thought they were noble in the city would be afraid of being laughed at if they were close.

When Mu Fan passed by the entrance of the Hua Li Food City, he swallowed his saliva. He continued walking ahead. He heard that the Xiuzhe Equipment Store was one of the top outdoor equipment stores in District 22. He looked at the exquisite dagger and combat uniform hanging in the window with envy in his eyes, and his fists clenched again.

They turned right at the front of the road, passed a food store, and finally arrived at Old Bard's grocery store.

"Uncle Bard." Mu Fan greeted politely when he saw Old Bard sitting behind the counter leisurely smoking cheap tobacco.

"Hey, this is our Mu Fan boy. You have time to see me, old man. You haven't been here for more than a month," said Bard cheerfully as he saw that it was Mu Fan.

"Yeah, I was working outside the city before, so I didn't have time to run into the city. I came to ask you for advice," answered Mu Fan with a nod.

"What is it, Mu Fan? Come in and have a seat. I, Old Bard, will tell you everything I know." Old Bard liked this sensible and diligent boy from the bottom of his heart.

"Uncle Bard, I want to know how to earn money as quickly as possible." Mu Fan looked at the old man in front of him with his clear eyes.

"Earn money? How much do you need? Why do you ask all of a sudden?" Old Man Bard was surprised. He knew about Mu Fan's situation. Basically, the money he earned from working would only be enough for him to fill his stomach. Then, this boy would go and buy some books from time to time. His days were tight, but Mu Fan had never asked him how to earn money quickly.

"Are you in trouble? How much do you need? I, Old Bard, have some savings." Old Bard sincerely liked the child and wanted to help him as much as possible.

"Thank you, Uncle Bard. It is a little different this time. I need a processor, so I'm going to earn some money. I can't take your money. I came to ask you for advice." Mu Fan politely refused Bard's offer.

"Hm." Bard blew out a ring of smoke. "Mu Fan, you have worked at my place many times before. There is a way to get more money. I know you are very strong, but I still hope you can consider it."

"What method?"

"The martial arts arena, sparring partner!" Bard looked at Mu Fan sternly. "To put it bluntly, you are going to be a punching bag! The longer you can hold on, the higher your income will be! But I have to remind you that you must pay attention to your safety. It is inevitable that someone will take action heavily in there. I don't want anything to happen to you."

"Thank you, Uncle Bard." Mu Fan's eyes lit up, and he bowed deeply to the old man.

"Don't thank me. If you can't hold on, come to me." Bard waved his hand.

"Well, I'll go then." Mu Fan lifted his head and walked away.

"Hey, you rascal! You're going in the opposite direction!"

Mu Fan stumbled and turned 180 degrees. He scratched his head and chuckled.

…

In the northwestern corner of district 22, there was a huge five-story building. A wooden plaque hung at the entrance—the Starfall Martial Arts Hall. In the interstellar era, humans needed to pilot and operate all kinds of machines, especially the appearance of mecha. The requirements for the physical fitness of humans had been raised further. The martial arts hall was a comprehensive training facility that combined martial arts and combat skills. It became popular again with the development of science.

The parking lots at the entrance were full of hover cars, ranging from more than 100,000 civilian cars to more than a million high-end cars. Four burly men in black uniforms stood at the entrance, giving the building an imposing vibe.

"Hey, boy. What are you doing? Go away if you have nothing to say," said a burly man fiercely when he saw Mu Fan walking straight toward them. Judging from the smell of engine oil, he was not a regular customer.

"The Starfall Martial Arts Hall? Do you need a sparring partner?" Mu Fan stared at the burly man fearlessly.

"You? Haha, a punching bag? Yes! Come with me." He turned and walked toward the hall.

Mu Fan followed the burly man. This was the first time he stepped into the consumption area of the rich. When he entered, he saw bold and powerful words and paintings on both sides of the grand hall! Looking forward, he saw the spacious training ground behind the steel glass. There were strength testing machines that were as tall as two people standing there, and rows of equipment for physical training. It was still morning, and there were not many people in the training ground.

"Stop looking. This is an ordinary training ground. The instructor of the dojo is not here. Your punching bag is on the second or third floor," teased the man in black as he looked at the silent boy. Country bumpkins who had never been to a dojo before would be shocked at first sight. Did this silly boy think that punching bags were easy to make? A young master who came from the central area of the planet of Luojia recently came. He was very cruel and had already disabled three punching bags.

"Thank you!"

"The one who will take you to meet the manager of our dojo later is a middle-level manager. Let me remind you first, it is common for punching bags to be maimed. If you sign the contract, you will not be able to leave." The burly man in black looked at the polite boy in surprise. He stopped teasing him and ordered to go to the fourth floor on the hover ladder. "We are here. My name is Man Kun. Good luck."