IBO -Chapter 48 Four-Handed Ladder – Previous Timeline

This novel contains sensitive and taboo content like R*pe, Mu**er etc. Read only if you are comfortable.

So why were these buttons made so hidden? Song Yiran stared at the buttons on the wall, deep in thought.

Maybe for interstellar humans, these were all common knowledge, so there was no need to make the buttons obvious.

Song Yiran first pressed the left button, and a warm stream of water fell from above, drenching him completely.

In this space, a 2m × 2m column of water had formed. The water flowed from top to bottom, but it wasn’t coming from the ceiling—the highest point of the water column was 10 cm below the ceiling.

Song Yiran quickly pressed the left button again, and the water immediately disappeared.

Then he pressed the right button. After he did, the space in the bathroom was filled with warm airflow.

The warm air dried all the water on his body, hair, and clothes.

Song Yiran touched his clothes, then his body and hair in disbelief—it was all dry!

This is the interstellar era? This technology is incredible!

Now that he understood how the bathroom worked, he could happily wash his hair and take a bath today.

But he hadn’t yet changed clothes, so he needed to buy a new set of clothes.

He logged into StarNet and carefully picked out cheap clothes. In the end, he bought a set for 9.9 credit points with free shipping, and also bought laundry detergent, shampoo, and body wash.

He only bought clothes for himself. It wasn’t that he didn’t care about the little ones.

It was simply that he was short on money. He could wear clothes costing 9.9 credit points, but he couldn’t bear to let the little ones wear such cheap clothes.

There’s a saying: “You get what you pay for.” Too cheap clothes wouldn’t have good quality, and might even cause the little ones to have allergic reactions.

Song Yiran sighed. He was still too poor now, but once he earned money, he would buy the little ones better clothes.

Soon, his brain-computer notified him that the delivery had arrived at the door.

Is interstellar delivery really this fast?

Song Yiran happily ran to the entrance of the orphanage. Several boxes were quietly placed at the door.

But he was puzzled by the boxes—they didn’t even have a seam!

He looked left and right but couldn’t find a single seam. How did the packers put the items in?

Soon, though, he discovered a hidden little protrusion next to the boxes. When he pressed it, the box opened automatically.

He carried the boxes inside the orphanage. First, he went to the bathroom door and placed the shampoo, body wash, and laundry detergent inside.

Then, carrying one empty box and the remaining unopened boxes, he returned to the room.

As soon as Song Yiran opened the door, he was warmly welcomed by the little ones.

Song Buli immediately jumped off the bed and lunged at him. He originally wanted to jump into Song Yiran’s arms.

But when he saw Song Yiran holding items in his arms, he changed direction and jumped to Song Yiran’s feet instead.

Song Fu and Song Yang obediently jumped off the bed, then happily ran around Song Yiran.

Song Yang blinked his big Kazi Lan eyes and acted cute, “Brother, we’ve been staying in our room really well!”

Song Fu nodded repeatedly, “Yes, yes! We’ve been super good!”

Song Buli didn’t want to be outdone, “We’re the most obedient!”

Song Yiran placed the boxes aside, squatted down, and patted the little ones’ heads one by one, praising them as he went: “You’re amazing! Brother knew you were the most obedient!”

555, flying in the air, watched this scene of brotherly affection and couldn’t resist teasing, “Yo, yo, yo! Acting so trusting now—who was it that had me watch the little ones in the room before? Who could it be? So hard to guess! Could it be someone surnamed Song, first name Yiran?”

“555, some things are better left unsaid. If you say them, it ruins the fun. As long as the ending is good, that’s enough, right?”

Song Yiran excitedly showed the little ones the freshly delivered nutritional drinks, “Look! Brother bought gulu-flavored nutritional drinks. I heard they taste really good!”

Song Fu’s eyes lit up as he looked at the drinks in the box.

Wagging his tail, he exclaimed happily, “Wow! They look delicious!”

Song Buli tilted his head, a big question in his small eyes, “Brother, what does gulu fruit taste like?”

Hearing this, Song Yang also looked up, curious, at Song Yiran.

Seeing the little ones’ puzzled faces, Song Yiran felt a pang in his heart. Aww, his brothers were really pitiful—they didn’t even know what gulu fruit tasted like!

Although he had never tried gulu fruit himself, he wasn’t interstellar. Converting to Blue Star concepts, it’s like a child not knowing what a lollipop tastes like.

Gulu fruit costs only 5 credit points per pound. Every child has some pocket money, right?

Even on Blue Star, children had pocket money. Surely children in the interstellar world wouldn’t have less than those on Blue Star.

He didn’t dwell on the amount—ten or twenty credit points should be enough.

Song Yiran silently made up his mind. He would work hard to earn money and give each little one pocket money in the future.

He would give them plenty of pocket money so they could buy whatever they wanted, eat whatever they wanted.

Song Yiran smiled at the little ones and softly said, “Brother hasn’t eaten gulu fruit either, but online everyone says it’s very sweet. The gulu-flavored nutritional drinks should also be very sweet. We’ll try them together tomorrow!”

The little ones happily nodded, “Okay, okay!”

Then, Song Yiran took out the construction repair paste and pointed to the hole in the ceiling.

“Big brother wants to seal up the hole in the ceiling of this room. That way, when it rains in the future, water won’t leak into the room anymore.”

The cubs followed the direction he pointed and looked up. Then Song Buli asked hesitantly, “But big brother, how are you going to get up there?”

Only then did Song Yiran suddenly realize—he didn’t have a ladder! Without a ladder, how was he supposed to get up there?

This was truly embarrassing. And to be embarrassed in front of the cubs, no less. Had his reliable big-brother image already completely collapsed?

He set his sights on 555. Before he could even open his mouth, 555 retorted, “Don’t count on me. That spacetime turbulence damaged my body. Right now, aside from you, no one and no object can touch me, and I can’t touch anyone or anything either.”

So what could he do now?

He could only buy a ladder.

Song Yiran logged onto the StarNet, planning to buy the cheapest ladder he could find. He had no choice—he was too poor right now and had to save wherever possible.

But even the cheapest ladder cost 20 credit points. With that money, he could buy 20 bottles of ordinary nutrient solution. He really couldn’t bear to spend it.

Then he thought of a money‑saving trick—he could buy a second‑hand ladder. That would be cheaper.

Interstellar people must have second‑hand online marketplaces too, right? So he immediately went to a second‑hand shopping platform and searched for ladders. After layers of selection, he finally found the cheapest one.

This ladder only cost 5 credit points, with free shipping straight to his door!

Five credit points! Only five credit points!

Song Yiran placed the order immediately. Why was this ladder so cheap?

Because it was a four‑legged ladder.

Even 555 was at a loss for words and tried to persuade him.

“I’m saying, do we really need to save money this much? You even dare to buy a four‑legged ladder? If it’s being sold that cheap, the quality is probably terrible! A ladder concerns your personal safety—maybe don’t buy something this cheap.”

Unfortunately, Song Yiran had already been dazzled by the low price, and 555’s warning went in one ear and out the other.

The seller seemed eager to get rid of the ladder. Just a few minutes after Song Yiran placed the order, it showed that the seller had already shipped it.

By coincidence, the seller was also in C Star, C City. Same‑city logistics were extremely fast—within minutes, Song Yiran’s light brain notified him that the package had arrived.

Song Yiran excitedly ran to the front door to greet the ladder he had been dreaming of—bought for just 5 credit points. The cubs followed behind him like little tails.

This ladder was a folding ladder, so the box didn’t look very big. Song Yiran opened the box, took out the ladder, and unfolded it according to the seller’s instructions.

It was an A‑frame ladder. Once unfolded, it didn’t need anyone to hold it steady—one person could climb it alone.

Carrying the ladder, Song Yiran walked to the wall outside the room.

He leaned the ladder against the wall, then climbed up with the construction repair compound in hand, and smoothly stepped onto the platform on the roof. The cubs obediently stayed by the ladder, waiting for him.

Song Yiran first sprayed a little repair compound nearby as a test. When it first came out, the compound was like light foam. After a short while, the foam became extremely hard.

He kicked it with his foot—indeed very solid. This wasn’t some shoddy construction.

So he squatted down and sprayed the repair compound onto the hole. The light foam covered the damaged area, and before long, it solidified.

Song Yiran pinched it with his hand. No problem—extremely hard!

He turned back toward the ladder. Just as he lifted his foot and stepped onto it, the ladder suddenly fell apart, leaving only a pile of wreckage on the ground.

With one step landing on nothing, Song Yiran lost his balance in midair. His feet completely left the platform. In that instant, he regretted everything.

He shouldn’t have gone for the cheap option and bought a four‑legged ladder. Damn that black‑hearted seller—he was definitely going to file a complaint!

No matter how cheap it was, it shouldn’t be like this. This could really get someone killed!

Luckily, this was only one story high, just a few meters above the ground. Falling wouldn’t kill him—at worst, he’d break a bone. As long as he survived, it was fine.

On the ground, the cubs who witnessed everything let out piercing screams. “Big brother—!”

Even 555 was furious at the black‑hearted seller. “I told you not to be greedy for small bargains, but you still went for it. Well, look what happened now! Quick, protect your head—don’t hit your head! You’re already dumb enough; what if you fall and become even dumber? Damn that black‑hearted seller! Don’t worry—if you end up crippled, I’ll definitely help you seek justice from that black‑hearted seller! I’ll make them pay you compensation for emotional distress, lost wages, and medical expenses!” ╰＿╯

Song Yiran covered his head with both hands, closed his eyes, and prepared to embrace the ground.