At the end of the corridor, a tall figure leaned against the wall, holding a polished wrench, gently tapping it against his boot, producing a low “thud, thud” sound. His name was Jake Riley, an old friend of Ethan Cross and an early mechanic at Federation Corp. His skin was dark, a faint scar marked his face, and the fine lines at the corners of his eyes bore the traces of time, exuding a steady air. His broad shoulders and casual yet solid stance were like a deeply rooted tree—unassuming, but reliable. The mud on his boots and the calluses on his hands told the story of his years—from assembling Federation Corp’s first ship to repairing broken engines in the ruins of colonies, his skills had never rusted.

  Seeing Ethan push the door open and step out, Jake raised an eyebrow, stopped tapping the wrench, and walked forward, his voice low and slightly hoarse. “Done arguing? Judging by your face, I’d say you’ve completely broken ties.” He leaned against the wall, his tone carrying little surprise, as if he had long anticipated this day.

  Ethan nodded, his tone heavy. “He wants to colonize the system, Jake. I couldn’t stop him—I can only do this on my own. What about you?” His gaze landed on Jake, carrying a trace of expectation. He knew Jake wasn’t the type to sway with the wind; no matter how chaotic the situation, Jake had always gotten the job done steadily over the years.

  Jake lowered his head to glance at the wrench in his hand, then grinned, revealing a row of white teeth. His smile held a hint of bitterness but remained candid. “Victor, that guy, his ambition’s too big—he’ll end up ruining himself sooner or later. I’m with you. Back in the workshop when we were fixing ships, you gave me a hand—I owe you.” He patted the wrench, his tone calm yet firm. “Besides, following you gives me peace of mind. At least I know what I’m doing, instead of living on edge every day.” He paused, then looked up at Ethan, a glint of trust in his eyes. “Back then, you said you wanted to make humanity’s lives better—I believed you. Now that you’re taking this path, I still believe you.”

  Ethan gave a bitter smile. “Big plans? We’ve got to survive first. Victor’s colonial army already controls half the system—we’re starting from scratch.” He rubbed his temples, exhaustion tinged with a trace of unwillingness.

  Jake shrugged, his tone light but carrying the confidence of a seasoned veteran. “From scratch, then. My hands can still fix things. That bunch at Federation Corp looks down on me, saying my skills are outdated, but these ‘outdated’ tricks have saved lives more times than they can count—what do they know?” He tapped the wrench against his boot again, grinning. “So, what’s the first step? These tools of mine don’t like sitting idle.”

  Ethan fell silent for a moment, his gaze resolute. “Find people, build a team. I want to show Victor he chose the wrong path.” He patted Jake’s shoulder, just like back in the workshop days—no more words were needed between them.

  Jake nodded, hoisting the wrench onto his shoulder, his voice low. “Alright, let’s do this. I’m good at fixing ships, and I can manage a fight too—we’ve got to show him a thing or two.” He turned and walked toward the end of the corridor, his steps steady, still the dependable old partner who could shoulder any burden at a moment’s notice.

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  The meeting room door slammed shut with a “bang,” and Ethan Cross’s footsteps faded into the distance at the end of the corridor, leaving behind a heavy silence in the room. Derek Voss held a half-cup of cold coffee, his eyes darting toward Victor Kane. He quickly stepped closer to Victor, slightly bowing, forcing a fawning smile as he lowered his voice. “Boss Kane, Ethan really doesn’t know what’s good for him! You gave him so many chances, and he still dares to go against you here—he’s asking for trouble.” He glanced around to ensure no one was eavesdropping, lowering his voice further. “Was my performance today satisfactory, sir? I laid out the advantages of your plan clearly—those board members should be fully convinced.”

  Victor didn’t respond, standing with his back to Derek in front of the large screen, his fingers slowly rubbing the edge of the table. His shoulders slumped slightly, as if suppressing something, the creases on the back of his suit rising and falling with his breathing, revealing a hint of fatigue. After a moment, he turned to look at Derek.

  “How’s the progress in the tech department?” he asked, completely ignoring Derek’s flattery.

  “Everything’s going smoothly, Boss Kane! The new colonial ship prototype has entered its final testing phase, and efficiency has improved a lot. Without Ethan, we can actually speed things up! He was always bringing up those pointless ‘humanitarian concerns’ for every piece of tech, wasting so much time.” Derek grinned, growing smug on his own. “With my technical brain at your service, I’ll make sure the colonial plan goes off without a hitch—who in the system would dare defy us?”

  Victor scoffed, turning to stare at him, a flash of contempt in his eyes. “Technical brain? Don’t overestimate yourself. All you’re good for is running errands.” He waved his hand as if shooing a fly. “Go, clean up the project files Ethan left behind—I don’t want to see a single trace of him.” His voice was cold as ice, yet there was a faint, barely noticeable tremor in it.

  Derek’s smile froze for a moment. This old fox, looking down on me? Fine, I’ll hold back for now—sooner or later, I’ll show him what I’m worth! He nodded hurriedly, turning to rummage through cabinets, frantically gathering Ethan’s old files, though his eyes kept sneaking glances at Victor.

  Meanwhile, in the lobby downstairs, a short-haired woman walked slowly, her steps brisk yet steady, clutching a large stack of files to her chest. Her name was Rebecca Shaw, a technical analyst at Federation Corp. Rebecca scanned her surroundings, noticing her colleagues’ hurried, expressionless faces, and felt a twinge of discomfort.

  She looked up at the lights of the top-floor meeting room, muttering under her breath, “Another argument?” It was the third time in two weeks. She adjusted the weight of the files and continued walking. Just as she reached the elevator, her communicator buzzed—it was a message from Evan: Confirmed departure for the resource planet tomorrow, mission duration about one month. She frowned.

  She had heard from Evan that Ethan had repeatedly opposed aggressive colonial plans in high-level meetings, while Victor pushed for harsher expansion. Now, with the lights still on so late, it was undoubtedly another heated dispute. Rebecca speculated that the rift at the top was growing wider, while ordinary employees like them were kept in the dark, tasked only with carrying out increasingly dangerous missions. How much of the ideals this company was founded on still remain?

  Hearing the sound of arguing from the meeting room, she shook her head. Federation Corp might look polished on the surface, but beneath it, dark currents surged. Everyone played their role in this power game, while the real decisions always happened behind closed doors. She let out a soft sigh, pressed the elevator button, and prepared to return to her workspace to continue working late.