The sound of the launch was not loud, just a faint rumble, but the acceleration was terrifying. Jiang Ye was pressed firmly into the bed, his chest feeling as if a large pig was sitting on it, unable to move.
He could see the small circular window from the corner of his eye. The rocket was approaching the clouds at an astonishing speed, passing through them, then approaching the second layer of clouds. It passed through three layers of white clouds consecutively, leaving only the sea-blue sky, deep and distant.
The pressure on his body lessened slightly. He sat up, panting.
The rocket's flight was very regular, with periods of intense acceleration followed by periods of slow acceleration, in bursts. When accelerating rapidly, Jiang Ye would lie on the bed and space out. When accelerating slowly, he would sit up and move his limbs.
An hour later, subtitles appeared on the television, accompanied by Jenny's voice:
"Good morning, passengers. The rocket has entered uniform speed flight with a spin gravity of 0.97g, allowing for free movement. Our next stop is the Elias City Interstellar Rocket Port. Arrival is expected in 48 hours. We wish you a pleasant journey."
The television screen returned to the initial interface, with four options reappearing: [TV Channels] [Sleep Mode] [Room Service] [Contact Jenny].
Jiang Ye didn't rush to watch TV. He sat up and opened his suitcase to organize his clothes.
It would be two more days until arrival, and wearing a suit would be inconvenient. He neatly folded his suit from the armchair and packed it away, then took out a set of comfortable sportswear to change into.
He took out his pistol and repeatedly checked the spring by cocking it. Fortunately, it hadn't been affected by the rocket launch and should fire normally.
Two cards suddenly flew in through the gap in the door, shoved in with force.
Jiang Ye jumped, his pistol immediately pointing at the door.
After a few seconds, there was no movement.
He cautiously crouched down and picked up the two cards.
"What the heck, what era is this, still playing these tricks?" Jiang Ye was startled.
The cards were filled with images of voluptuous women, bare flesh, every inch of the front and back covered in maid outfits, sailor suits, teacher uniforms, black stockings, white stockings, suspenders, and high heels.
"Long night ahead? Feeling lonely? Sexy little wildcat, call 7291015 from your room phone. I'll be waiting for you!"
Jiang Ye crumpled the cards and threw them into the trash can.
He was very familiar with this scam. He had heard about it since he was a child. If you called, they would ask you to transfer money, and after you transferred it, they would block you, and you wouldn't get anything. The worse ones would even set up a honey trap. Whoever called would be fooled; it was all about preying on naive young men.
His stomach rumbled; he was a bit hungry.
Jiang Ye got up and walked to the television, clicking on [Room Service].
A long list of dishes appeared, both Chinese and Western, as well as some unheard-of bizarre dishes, such as Stir-fried Angora Aliens, Cassiopeia Bullfrog Hot Pot, Black Hole Exploding Eggs, and Braised Node Penguins.
He tried clicking on Stir-fried Angora Aliens.
A vivid image popped up, showing many creatures resembling Minions, lying on a clean white plate, covered in chili powder, with oil droplets dripping down. These should be the Angora Aliens on the plate, only palm-sized. Their arms and legs were visible, as were their stir-fried, shriveled eyes.
The dish had a rating of 4.7, and a plate cost 600 yuan. Despite the high price, this item had been ordered over 20,000 times on this flight, making it a popular choice.
Jiang Ye stared, dumbfounded. He scrolled down to read the customer reviews, and after reading them, he was even more dumbfounded.
Passenger 1001: A bit overcooked, but the taste was okay. Giving it four stars.
Passenger 0812: Too oily. Angora Aliens' bodies can already produce oil, and the chef added lard to stir-fry them. I don't know what they were thinking. I don't recommend it; it can lead to fatty liver.
Passenger 1204: What the heck! Why weren't the eyeballs removed! Who stir-fries Angora aliens without removing the eyeballs! One star for the bad review!
Passenger 0715: Stir-fried well, crispy outside and tender inside, but why no vinegar? Don't you eat Angora with vinegar?
Passenger 0404: These Angora Aliens are not wild; they are clearly farmed. I raised these things for three years, I know them inside out. You can tell by their anuses. Wild Angora Aliens from Angora have their anuses turned outward, but these are turned inward. And they sell them for six hundred a plate, it's simply heartless.
Jiang Ye quietly closed the interface.
Indeed, times had changed; room service now offered stir-fried alien dishes.
He found it hard to accept eating aliens, at least for now; it felt too strange.
Based on his experience, hotel room service was often expensive. He decided to go to the restaurant at the bottom of the rocket himself to find something to eat.
He washed his face in the bathroom, tucked his pistol into his waistband, covered it with his sportswear jacket, and pushed the door open.
The door was smart and locked automatically, so he didn't have to worry about anyone barging in.
Many passengers had already come out to stretch their legs, both men and women. Most were East Asians, with a few Caucasians and Black people occasionally seen.
After so many years, people's appearances hadn't changed much. Even their hairstyles and makeup were common. Jiang Ye felt a sense of relief.
He took the elevator directly to the first floor.
As the elevator doors opened, he was met with a throng of people!
Jiang Ye stepped out, looking around blankly. This floor was a shopping mall, mainly selling clothes, all from brands he had never seen before. Mannequins stood in glass display windows, their white faces illuminated by colorful neon lights.
He casually entered a few shops. The clothing styles ranged from normal to abnormal. He saw everything from street vendor goods to haute couture.
To confirm his financial standing, Jiang Ye also inquired about the prices of some clothes.
Cropped pants: 5,000 yuan
Baseball cap: 4,000 yuan
Men's trench coat: 38,000 yuan
After asking around, there wasn't a single item of clothing under a thousand yuan. The cheapest started at four thousand, and the most expensive could go up to hundreds of thousands.
Jiang Ye's smile grew brighter and brighter.
The prices of this era were much higher than when he was a child, but only about ten times more, not outrageously so.
And he had over a hundred million in his account!
This was equivalent to having over ten million yuan in savings in 2021 and spending it freely, with over 400,000 yuan in passive income coming in daily.
He was definitely a rich man.
When Jiang Ye first entered the shops to ask for prices, he was somewhat timid and didn't dare to speak loudly. Now that he realized he was a rich man, his back straightened immediately, and his face was filled with the smile of a magnate!
After browsing the first floor for about ten minutes, he went up to the second floor.
The second floor was filled with restaurants, selling all sorts of things. The air was filled with the aroma of food.
Jiang Ye didn't want to try any "underworld" foods like alien stews, fearing he wouldn't get used to them and get diarrhea. So, after looking around, he strode into a noodle shop.
Various noodle names were written on the wall, and a few people were queuing at the cashier.
The cashier was a young man with a cold expression, looking bored and not wanting to work.
He tapped on the ordering screen, handed customers their tickets without looking up, and immediately waved them away, impatiently saying, "Next!"
Jiang Ye waited patiently in line, and it was finally his turn.
"What do you want to eat?" the cashier asked rudely.
"A bowl of braised beef noodles," Jiang Ye replied.
The cashier tapped the camera on the counter with his finger, frowned, and impatiently urged, "300 yuan! Scan your face!"
Jiang Ye leaned his face closer.
With a "ding" sound, the ordering screen in front of the cashier displayed the payment information:
[Payer: Jiang Ye]
[Amount Paid: 300 yuan]
[Account Balance: 1-1500-6700 yuan]
The young man glanced at the balance, and his expression changed drastically!
He looked at the account balance several times in shock, then looked up at Jiang Ye, his eyes almost bulging out of his sockets.
In his six months as a cashier, most customers had balances of tens of thousands of yuan. A balance of over a million was considered impressive. This was the first time he had seen a tycoon with over a hundred million in assets!