Super Gene Hunting Ground-Chapter 649 - 649: Elder Qin (3 more)

The Colonial City of Karachi is surrounded by mountains on three sides, with an opening facing the plain.
The sky above the mountains on three sides is enveloped by a Defense Light Screen, while the opening is separated by a defense light screen that's several meters high and thousands of meters long, with only one entrance and exit.
After disembarking from the spaceship, David, accompanied by Yang Xiao and four guards, entered the valley entrance checkpoint. David took out a Jade Token, which served as an identity card for the base, as well as a pass to enter the colonial city.
At the entrance stood a dozen men in black cloaks and several dozen Iron Tower Guards.
One of the burly and tall men glanced at David, chuckled, and said:
"Station Chief Dai, you've arrived. No need to check, please come in."
"Thank you, Captain Lin."
David said, then gestured to Yang Xiao and the four guards behind him,
"These are my five attendants."
The person known as Captain Lin waved his hand,
"Please come in."
David nodded,
"Thank you, Captain Lin. By the way, could you tell me how many people have arrived for the contest?"
"Almost everyone is here. You're among the later arrivals, but the official contest hasn't started yet; people are just hanging around for now."
After bidding farewell to Captain Lin, David led Yang Xiao and the others along the street ahead.
Yang Xiao noticed that aside from being quite large, the valley was akin to a small town with tens of thousands of people like those on Earth in terms of its overall prosperity.
After walking for about ten minutes or so, David arrived at an inn called "Valley Sunset."
The three-story inn was built with a closed quadrangle layout, with an open courtyard in the center.
Four rows of rooms in the quadrangle enclosure formed a courtyard, with approximately twenty rooms in each row. With three floors, there were 60 rooms per row, adding up to more than 200 rooms in total.
The interior was quite modern, with a grand and bright lobby and clean rooms.
The six members of David's party booked three rooms.
There were two Iron Tower Guards at the entrance of the inn's lobby, four service ladies inside, and a woman who seemed to be the supervisor.
At a glance, Yang Xiao recognized that the girls bore some resemblance to Leia, Lucy, and others, and surmised they were probably slaves brought from Gamma Star, bought by the innkeeper to serve as waitstaff.
David was familiar with this place, having come here often before.
After registering at the counter, everyone went to their respective rooms.
Yang Xiao shared a room with one of the men in black cloaks, David had a room to himself, and the other three guards shared a room.
The three rooms were adjacent to each other. David and the others took a brief rest in their rooms before coming out together for lunch.
The ground floor of the inn was designated for dining.
Yang Xiao followed David into the dining hall and saw that it was bustling with activity, with at least twenty groups of people eating and chatting.
"Ah, Station Chief Dai, you're here?"
An elderly man spotted David from afar and stood up to greet him.
David walked over,
"Station Chief Qin, you're here too."
"Come, join us for a meal, we've just started. Let's order a few more dishes."
At Elder Qin's table, there was only him and another young man, with four dishes and a soup placed on the table.
The young man was handsome, with a proud bearing between his brows.
Elder Qin immediately introduced:
"Qin Lu, this is Station Chief Dai, haven't you met Uncle Dai before?"
The young man stood up and gave a slight bow to David,
"Uncle Dai, I have seen you before."
David chuckled and said:
"Old Qin, this must be your son? He's quite handsome. Indeed, the younger generation is to be feared. You can retire with peace of mind now."
Elder Qin laughed and replied:
"Thank you for the compliment, Station Chief Dai. My boy came over from Witch Star three months ago. I'm getting on in years and would like him to take over the business at the base. It's definitely better than hanging around Witch Star all day without serious employment, don't you think?"
Young Qin Lu said with a bit of defiance:
"Father, how am I idling away my time? I'm making friends and learning skills. Look, haven't I already surpassed you in Go? I learned it from my friends."
Elder Qin chuckled and responded:
"Right, you're not wrong. Your father has nothing against you making friends.
However, the base on Purple Origin Star is the Qin family's largest enterprise. While I'm still capable, you should work with me for a few years,
inherit this business well, and manage this base. That's better than anything else!
Your Uncle Dai has been through it, he understands."
Yang Xiao could tell from Elder Qin's tone that Qin Lu was probably not too keen on taking over his father's base.
That's understandable, too. Witch Star must be much more prosperous and fun, while starting from scratch on Purple Origin Star would mean lesser entertainment options despite the chance to make money.
David chuckled and said:
"Old Qin, Qin Lu is still young; young people naturally enjoy having fun. He'll settle down in a few years.
Your base is different from mine. Yours is a private investment, and apart from paying a share of the earnings, most of the profits are your own. You've made a tidy sum over the years, haven't you?
Even if Qin Lu doesn't take over, you could just sell the base and wouldn't have to worry about retirement funds, ha ha!"
Old Qin replied with a wry smile:
"Station Chief Dai, it's easy for you to say since you don't bear the burden. How can I compare with you? Your base is essentially supplied by the higher-ups, you don't have to bear any losses or risks, and you still get dividends. You have it made regardless of the season,
Whereas my base might seem prosperous, I have to bear all expenses and risks myself. Taxes are heavy, and there isn't much left over at the end of the year."
Yang Xiao listened and barely held back a laugh. Just now, Elder Qin had painted the base as a treasure pot to persuade his son, but now in speaking with David, he was playing poor, claiming there's barely any profit to be had all year,
the same old tactics as people from Earth.
Elder Qin and David shared a few good-natured laughs, both understanding the unspoken.
Elder Qin glanced at Yang Xiao, who was beside David,
"Who is this? He seems unfamiliar to me."
Elder Qin had gotten to know most of the people around David over time.
"Ah, look at me, busy talking and I forgot to introduce you. This is Yang Xiao, my Go teacher."
"Your Go teacher?"
Elder Qin was taken aback and looked at Yang Xiao with a slightly unusual expression.
Hearing this, Qin Lu seemed excited and immediately looked at Yang Xiao, saying:
"Uncle Dai, where did you find your Go teacher?"
David was caught off guard and honestly replied:
"Master Yang came over from Earth. Originally, he was a miner under my command, but since he has good skills in Go, I acknowledged him as my master and started learning from him."
"Oh!"
Qin Lu's expression, having been excited, immediately faded, and he turned his head to look at his father.
"Father, let's have Uncle Dai order a few more dishes. I'm hungry."
Old Qin quickly said:
"We've been so busy chatting, we forgot about eating."
He gestured to summon the restaurant staff and said:
"Set up another table next to us, for their five people."
Old Qin gestured towards Yang Xiao and the four guards standing behind David.
(There will be another update in the evening)