Chapter Twenty-Four: Slow Down

“Stop, stop, stop! What use is any of this?” Li Daoran interrupted, his head spinning from the barrage of words.

David was in the midst of a grand performance, gesticulating wildly and speaking so rapidly it seemed as if he might soon breach the boundaries of quantum mechanics, reverse the flow of time, and invade the Daoran World itself.

Natasha nodded in agreement from time to time, offering David approving smiles. One had to admit, Natasha truly knew how to play her part; otherwise David would never have been carried away so thoroughly. In truth, her mind was elsewhere—she had no idea what David was even talking about. Her gestures were pure instinct.

Tam appeared to stand firm as ever, but in reality, his eyes had closed and he’d drifted off to sleep. Only Li Daoran’s shout pulled him from his dreams, jolting him awake with eyes wide as saucers.

Charles lounged against the sofa, eyes closed, nodding now and then as if in approval. If not for the faint sound of snoring, Li Daoran would never have guessed he’d also dozed off.

As for Chen Ming, he slept openly and comfortably, curled up on the couch, snoring away, oblivious to the world. Even as the others stirred at Li Daoran’s voice, Chen Ming merely shifted, not waking at all.

“How can you say it’s useless?” David protested, visibly annoyed.

Li Daoran rolled his eyes. “The first part was somewhat useful, but everything after that was just you rambling. What’s the point?”

“Direction! Do you understand direction? This is the trajectory of our research,” David pressed on defensively.

“I want you to solve my problems. You can research whatever directions you like, but after all you’ve said, can you teach me to pilot a mech? Can you help me easily complete my daily tasks?” Li Daoran retorted.

David mumbled something under his breath, but Li Daoran ignored him. Instead, Chen Ming rolled over, sat up, rubbed his face to wake himself, and stretched.

“Are you finally done? I’m exhausted—I haven’t slept well in days.” He yawned, then got up and tossed a bottle of juice from the fridge to each person.

He cracked his open and downed it in one gulp.

Stretching and popping his joints, he said, “You’re too impatient, Li Daoran.”

Li Daoran took a sip of juice. “What do you mean?”

Charles spoke up, “You can’t say that, Glutton. It’s not just him—everyone here, in fact, all humanity is impatient.”

Natasha chimed in, “But we’re allowed to be anxious. Mr. Li can’t afford to be.”

But Li Daoran’s attention was caught by the word “Glutton.” He turned to Chen Ming, puzzled. “Glutton?”

Chen Ming grinned. “A nickname, nothing more.”

Natasha covered her mouth and laughed. “Nickname? Sounds more like an alias. What, Black Widow can be mentioned but Glutton can’t? You’re famous, you know. The archives have expanded twice for you alone.”

Chen Ming glared at her, but Natasha was unafraid. She even winked and blew him a kiss.

“You’re all formidable people, and I have no intention of prying into your pasts. But it seems each of you has a codename. Black Widow—” Li Daoran pointed at Natasha.

“That’s my sister,” Natasha replied.

“It’s all the same. Let’s not fuss over details. Glutton—” He pointed at Chen Ming, then looked at Charles.

“Gentleman,” Charles said with a smile.

Li Daoran nodded, then turned to the guardian, Tam.

“Tam,” Tam said gruffly.

Li Daoran pointed at himself. “You all call me Mr. Li or Li Daoran. It sounds awkward, and I’m not comfortable with it. Why don’t you give me a nickname too?”

David leapt up. “Me too! I don’t have one yet. You haven’t asked me what to call myself.”

Li Daoran rolled his eyes. “You’ll be called the Leaky Fish. That’s settled.”

David accepted the title with delight, though the others glanced at him surreptitiously. In truth, David was the only one whose background remained obscure. Some speculated he was the one known as Hades, but his behavior didn’t quite fit. Still, among these old foxes, none were easily deceived. The fact that the Pigeon Kingdom had sent him meant he was no fool.

The group fell into a lively debate, throwing out suggestions for Li Daoran’s nickname—Azure Dragon, Banished Immortal, God, Satan—each more exaggerated than the last.

In the end, Li Daoran decided to forgo any nickname. He would simply go by Daoran, feeling that any grand title would only invite ridicule.

“Hey, are you all just going to keep me company like this? No more training?” he asked, lying on the sofa after dinner, watching a movie while the others sat with him.

Chen Ming replied, “Didn’t we just say? You’re too impatient. You need to slow down.”

David added, “The ratio of time is one to three. It’s been less than three days since the Event at 2:30. In these three days, you’ve been pushing yourself with intense physical and mental exertion, and the consequences are serious—even if you haven’t noticed.”

“You might not be aware, but after you collapsed outside the basement, the entire world went dark for ten hours. It’s estimated you can stay in the Daoran World for about nine hours at a time—the average person’s sleep duration. Except for your last collapse, you’ve rested less than six hours. That’s not sustainable. We’re all too anxious,” Natasha said, pursing her lips.

“So, it’s not just you or us. The entire human world needs to slow down. In three days, the entire Bluewater Star fell into chaos. With the government’s strict oversight, there were no major incidents, but society ground to a halt. Preliminary losses are estimated in the trillions. We need time—for the people to regain their composure. That’s why we can’t be hasty. If you panic and we panic, order will collapse. Then, even if nothing happens to you or the Daoran World, Bluewater Star will crumble,” Charles said quietly.

Tam nodded in agreement.

“But…” Li Daoran understood, but couldn’t help revealing his anxiety.

“There is no ‘but,’” Chen Ming continued. “Did you forget what I told you before you went last time? Stay confident—we’re your support. Don’t be timid.

You were doing well at first, and people were starting to return to work. But you got ahead of yourself with the mechs, and your collapse triggered another wave of unrest.

Only when you are confident will the people not panic, and only then can society recover. The moment you show uncertainty, that doubt spreads to billions and becomes a catastrophe. Tell yourself to slow down, don’t panic—everything is under control.”

“The best thing you can do is be strong. Restraint isn’t for you—be bold if you can, joke if you must. Even if you have to act, you must remain composed.

Incidents like your exhaustion and collapse must never happen again.

Your plan’s overall direction is sound, but your steps are too big. The latest plan—take it slow.

Time is on our side,” Charles said, setting down his juice and twirling his cane.

Natasha tossed a flirtatious glance. “When it comes to women, you men are all clueless. Liu Meng doesn’t actually like you—don’t flatter yourself.

She’s no simple woman, and my intuition is rarely wrong, little brother. She’s no weaker than my sister.

But one thing is certain—you’re someone special to her. Why? I don’t know yet, but I have a plan. We’ll take it slow. As for my war with her—it's only just begun.”

With that, she burst into a fit of wild laughter.

The men in the room shivered involuntarily, averting their eyes and exchanging awkward smiles.