Though it was only a single encounter, it was deeply etched into Wang Dong's mind.
A middle-aged man in a black combat suit lay slouched in the commander's chair.
Suspended in mid-air was a compact, silver-white spherical medical drone, performing emergency life support.
Both the green status indicator and red emergency light were flashing rapidly.
The man didn't move at the sound of footsteps.
Only a weak voice rang out: "Apologies, I'm not in a condition to move. Please, come closer."
Wang Dong complied and stepped up to the commander's chair.
The man's left eye had become a bloody crater. A long gash stretched across his brow above the right eye, revealing glimpses of white bone. His eye was narrowed to a slit, unable to open.
More critical was his chest—a black dagger was embedded to the hilt. The drone's surgical arms were focused on this wound.
"Still alive and conscious… That's a miracle."
Wang Dong could tell at a glance: the dagger had pierced directly through the heart—or at the very least, destroyed more than half of its tissue.
"Sir, I don't know why you brought me here like this, but I advise you to be brief."
Wang Dong gave a small bow, his tone tinged with restrained frustration.
The man curled his lips into a grim smile. "Military-grade stimulant from the Levistan Civilization. For one hour after injection, unless you cut off the head, the user stays conscious."
"If you can get to a proper hospital in time, maybe there's still hope," Wang Dong said, glancing around the bridge.
Besides the wounded man, the command cabin was empty—except for two armed droids.
"No need to look. I'm the only one left on this ship. Also, the Jin family's Heart piercer Dagger isn't something any backwater hospital can treat," the man replied softly.
"If you need a witness to your death, then I suppose you can begin now."
Wang Dong turned back to him, speaking seriously.
"I only ask that when your purpose is fulfilled, you let me leave. I'm just an ordinary interstellar miner. I don't have a family to support, but I have my own goals and dreams."
"You're an interesting young man," the man said. "Unfortunately, it's useless. You're not likely to return to your old life."
"There's someone nearby, from the Jin family of the Dingyuan Galaxy.
I killed three of their collateral relatives and was placed on their kill-on-sight list.
Once they learn you boarded this battleship, they'll treat you as an accomplice. Death without mercy."
"The Jin family of the Dingyuan Galaxy… That notorious clan known for their ruthless vengeance?" Wang Dong asked uncertainly.
The man let out a laugh that sounded more like a sneer. "You've got some knowledge, kid. That's right—'touch a blade of our grass, and we'll erase your bloodline.' That's the Jin family for you."
Wang Dong had heard of them before.
Although Wang Dong lived in the Mining Star Region under the Zijing Kingdom, and the Jin family hailed from the neighboring Golden Sparrow Federation, their reputation—or infamy—had long crossed borders.
Zijing Kingdom had nobility: barons, viscounts, and so on.
The Golden Sparrow Federation had aristocratic clans known as "great families," ranked by tier.
The Jin family was a top-tier great family in the Golden Sparrow Federation, feared across nearby nations.
There was once an infamous incident:
A collateral member of the Jin family was caught drugging a female student in a girls' academy. Her classmates, aware of his family background, didn't dare confront him.
They quietly escorted him away.
But the Jin clan member felt humiliated.
That very night, he gathered some cronies, stormed the dormitory, and abducted all four girls from that room.
They were never seen again.
The school reported the incident to the Ministry of Education, sparking outrage across the academic world and eventually drawing the attention of the federal parliament.
The Jin family member was harshly punished.
But later, the school's principal and three vice-principals were arrested for unrelated charges.
Even the victims' families in distant systems suffered one "accident" after another—paralysis, disfigurement, even a baby niece barely one year old was maimed.
The entire cover-up was brazen.
Though a mercenary was caught and tried, everyone knew who had pulled the strings—yet no one could touch the Jin family without evidence.
They were terrifying.
Even a backwater miner like Wang Dong had heard of their name.
"I see. Looks like I don't have much of a choice," Wang Dong said, his pupils narrowing as he nodded slowly.
This book comes from：m.funovel.com。