Dark Universe & Forbidden Love Read Free Page A

the crystals.
    “Oh,
John wanted to say thank you for your gift.” Mark grinned. John was Jason’s
older brother. He had a health situation requiring medical attention all the
time. He was in coma for most of the time and only woke up occasionally.
    “You
talked with him?” Jason asked excitedly.
    “No,
it’s hard to catch that moment. But he is good. He left me a message that he
likes the gift.” Mark said happily.
    “Dad,
don’t you worry. After I graduated from here, we will have money to cure John.
He will be all right.” Jason said confidently.
    “Man, I
am counting on you. You keep that in mind!” Mark said and patted Jason’s
shoulder.
    “I am
the man! You remember that as well.” Jason said in a hard tone and punched on
Mark’s chest. Later they talked about other stuff such as new movies,
footballs, the upcoming games and so on. Before they realized it, one hour flew
by and their time was up.
    “It is
the time.” Mark said slowly.
    “Yea, it
is.” Jason said sadly, casting his eyes down.
    “Listen,
you be good and don’t get caught using those crystals.”
    “Man,
you need to trust me more than that.”
    “I know.
But just be careful. Learn more stuff with them. OK?”
    “All
right.” Jason said as he gave Mark a big hug. They walked together to the
doorway and said goodbye. Jason stood there until he couldn’t see his father
any more.

Chapter 5
     
    Mark took another transport
vessel and headed to planet M13. Orbiting around a red dwarf, M13 was a small
planet that was known as the black market. Due to the tidal forces, it did not
rotate and had the same side facing the star all the time. Small business
owners from second class species turned the dayside of the planet into a huge
marketplace with all kinds of companies and markets. Sharp eyes and a fat
wallet could get you goods ranging from spacecraft to deadly poisons. The night
side planet was colder and quieter. Brothels, bars, hotels and mysterious
buildings clustered like molds and spread all over the area. There was no
regulation on M13. Robberies and murders happened all the time. All species did
businesses on their own risks.
    Mark got
off the vessel on the night side of the planet. He headed to the sailor bar,
one of the oldest bars on M13. The bar was actually an abandoned spacecraft. It
looked like a dagger sticking on the ground. Mark checked around as he walked
to the entrance. There was no streetlight and the only dim lights came from
billboards on each building. Few were walking cautiously on the street. Mark
took a deep breath and entered the bar.
    The bar
was well lightened with beams of yellow lights. In the middle of the room, a
big robot with more than thirty arms was busy with filling glasses. Some 30
tables scattered around, occupied by different species.
    “Still
too early.” Mark said to himself. He wandered among those tables, looking for a
familiar face.
    “Want a
drink?” A robot waiter asked as it passed by.
    “No
money.” Mark said coldly. He suddenly recalled what Jason said today. Mark knew
he was doing everything he could to make money. But that was still not enough.
He reminisced about his past. Before snagging a job in Latianium as a mine
worker, He worked in intelligence agency which was shut down later due to the
tight budget. Then he served in the special force in Human Infantry 23rd
division. If he wasn’t injured and lost his left kidney in the last mission, he
could still stay in the special force and might even be promoted to the captain
rank. But now he had been working on the mine site for two years. Thinking
about this, he felt depressed and heavy.
    A Human
stepped into the bar. Mark recognized the guy right away even though he was
wearing some kind of shield over his eyes. He walked to Mark and said, “Wait
for the game?”
    “The
game number is 30304987299. What is yours?” Mark said.
    “Mine is
20293884721.” The guy said patiently as he sat down.
    “Have a
good