Sin Capital Intelligence
Their gazes met, and a smile spread across Guilliman's face as he took the initiative and walked over.
"Thank you very much for bringing Xiao Xi back. Starfire Camp will remember this kindness. If you ever need anything, as long as it's within my capabilities, I'll do everything I can to help!"
Jiang Xiao nodded slightly.
"No need to thank me. I think any human being would lend a hand upon seeing a fellow human child suffering."
Whether he meant it or not, Guilliman's favorable impression of him increased greatly.
"Good, good, good. If all humans were like you, Mr. Jiang, the Interstellar Alliance would have no need to worry about securing a place for humanity. Allow me to introduce myself. I'm Robert Guilliman, chief instructor of the Spark Gang, and I also manage Starfire Camp."
The Spark Gang, Starfire Camp... Are they the core Pan-Human faction on Prison Star?
Jiang Xiao mulled it over, and his expression relaxed.
He replied, "Jiang Xiao, a wanderer."
Guilliman glanced at the crowd still immersed in their joy, then immediately gestured invitingly. "Mr. Jiang, please come with me."
Seeing this, Jiang Xiao thought for a moment before following him.
The two of them passed through the crowd amid thanks and cheers and arrived at the large tent in the center of the camp. Guilliman motioned for the guards to leave, then personally lifted the curtain.
The tent was simply furnished, with a rectangular metal table, several chairs, and several crates of ammunition and weapons stacked in the corner.
"Please sit." Guilliman poured two glasses of purple liquid and pushed one toward Jiang Xiao. "It's a specialty of Prison Star. It can replenish a small amount of Source Energy. Of course, it can't compare to the special liquor sold outside."
"Outside" naturally referred to the galaxy.
"Mr. Jiang returned to Starfire Camp together with Xiao Xi. I assume something's happened?"
Guilliman got straight to the point without any unnecessary words.
Jiang Xiao wasn't surprised. He set down his glass and said seriously, "I want to enter Sin Capital, but I have no connections. I thought I'd take this opportunity to see whether the Spark Gang had a way in, and also ask about the situation and intelligence concerning Sin Capital."
Based on the scraps of information he had obtained from the network terminal, Sin Capital wasn't somewhere one could enter at will. To settle there for an extended period, one needed at least some form of identity certification.
It either had to be issued by the Sin City Council or by a gang recognized by the Sin City Council. There was no other way.
Sin Capital naturally had black-market channels for obtaining such certifications, but the effort and price required would certainly be considerable. Otherwise, there wouldn't be so many wanderers outside Sin Capital.
Compared with that, Starfire Camp was much more convenient.
Since he had brought Xiao Xi back, they probably wouldn't ask him for payment.
No choice. I'm broke.
Guilliman understood and answered readily, "No problem. The Spark Gang will be sending someone to the camp in the next couple of days. When she arrives, you can enter Sin Capital with her directly. I'll explain the specifics to her."
The words for "she," "he," and "it" in the Interstellar Common Tongue had slightly different syllables, making them easy to distinguish.
"Then I'll be troubling you for the next few days."
"Not at all. Compared to Xiao Xi's safety, this is a small matter. As for the situation in Sin Capital, there's actually no need to ask specifically. You'll be able to sense it easily once you enter." Guilliman shook his head.
"To sum it up, the Black Mech Gang and the Sin City Council are evenly matched. The former has formidable force and abundant funds, while the latter has greater numbers. Gangs such as the Viper Gang and the Blade Armor Gang are all lackeys of the Sin City Council.
"The two factions frequently clash in Sin Capital and the wilderness. Most of the other conflicts, large and small, also revolve around these two factions. There's nothing especially complicated.
"If you insist on calling something complicated, the Pan-Humans might count. The Sin City Council has always wanted to eliminate the Spark Gang and the Pan-Human population. Ultimately, it all comes down to conflicting interests."
What interests worth fighting over could there be on Prison Star?
Jiang Xiao caught the important point. It seemed that the Spark Gang was not simple.
"When you enter Sin Capital, it's best not to expose your human identity in places with many aliens, especially for a Tier 1 Martial Artist like you, Mr. Jiang." Guilliman's expression was solemn.
"I understand."
Jiang Xiao remained calm, revealing nothing unusual.
A city where twenty million convict criminals have gathered, with the core ruling institution hostile to humans. If I were an ordinary Tier 1 human Martial Artist, I'd indeed have to keep my tail between my legs.
Unfortunately, I was in Class Two back in high school...
What a perfect hunting ground. As long as I'm careful, I should be able to rapidly increase my psionic power and Source Energy Intensity. Of course, I'll have to see the actual situation for myself.
Seeing Jiang Xiao deep in thought, Guilliman said, "In that case, Mr. Jiang, stay in the camp for the next two days. Although Blackstone Settlement is under the camp's control, aliens still operate there."
Jiang Xiao didn't refuse.
"Alright, then I'm sorry for the trouble."
Dusk fell.
As the sun slowly sank toward the horizon, the orange-gold sunset completely flooded the rift valley.
A bonfire was lit in the open space before the camp.
Jiang Xiao sat atop an Armored Jeep, calculating some data as he considered what kind of metal could replace FT Alloy in the manufacture of bullets. The bullets for the X-21 sniper rifle couldn't be made carelessly. Otherwise, even with Origin Data overclocking, its lethality would drop drastically.
After failing to reach a conclusion, Jiang Xiao raised his head and looked toward the lively camp.
Unlike the disorder and chaos of Rosaka Settlement, Starfire Camp had a strong sense of everyday life. People carried dried meat and canned food out of large vehicles and heated them, while several children earnestly followed a Martial Artist in swinging wooden swords.
Two men who seemed to be mechanics were crouched before a vehicle, hammering and tinkering with it. The clanging sounds mixed with the wind.
It looked like a thriving survivor camp in the wasteland.
This aroused a trace of doubt in Jiang Xiao's heart.
The Pan-Humans of Starfire Camp didn't seem like ordinary criminals. Neither their bearing nor their behavior was the least bit crude or vicious. They spoke clearly, and the group's cultural level was surprisingly high.
"Brother Xiao~" Xiao Xi's voice came from below. Jiang Xiao lowered his head.
The little girl was hugging a metal lunchbox and stretching up on tiptoe to offer it to him. "Mom and the aunties stewed this meat."
Jiang Xiao looked toward the bonfire and saw a gentle, beautiful woman watching him. When she noticed Jiang Xiao looking over, she bowed deeply.
When he turned back, Xiao Xi's bright eyes were fixed intently on him. Jiang Xiao smiled. "Then I'll accept it."
He took the metal box. When he opened it, a rich fragrance rushed toward him.
Seeing Jiang Xiao take it, Xiao Xi immediately hopped happily toward her mother.
He wolfed down the food in a few bites. It wasn't particularly delicious, and it certainly wasn't enough to fill him, but he still felt deeply satisfied.
It had been a long time since he had eaten human-style food.
If this weren't Prison Star, perhaps this kind of life wouldn't be bad.
"Mr. Jiang." A voice came from behind him.
A young man wearing earmuffs and carrying a sniper rifle walked over and handed him half a bottle of some unknown liquor. His words were filled with gratitude, along with a hint of embarrassment. "I'm Al, one of the camp's guards. I didn't get a chance to thank you earlier. I made the tracker in Xiao Xi's hair clip."
Jiang Xiao searched his memories, then smiled. "I thought an alien had planted it, so I tossed it away. Nicely done. It's very well concealed. If I hadn't happened to be sensitive to that sort of thing, I really wouldn't have noticed it."
"Thanks. I still have to stand guard, so I won't bother you." The young man was somewhat bashful. He raised his drink in a toast before hurrying away.
With a smile, Jiang Xiao turned his gaze toward the distant sunset.
I'll get some proper rest over the next two days.
Time passed, and his peaceful life soon came to an end.
Noon on the third day.
Jiang Xiao was skillfully disassembling a pistol when he suddenly heard Guilliman calling out to him.
"Mr. Jiang, someone from the Spark Gang has arrived. We'll be heading back in an hour, so please get ready."
His spirits lifted, and he quickly reassembled the scattered pistol.
They're finally here. Sin Capital!
Jiang Xiao's Strange Competitive Spirit
The center of the camp.
A Ling, dressed in a black robe, listened attentively to Guilliman's instructions, nodding slightly from time to time.
"Please rest assured, Instructor. I'll make all the arrangements."
A Ling spoke with great seriousness.
She was extremely grateful toward this Mr. Jiang whom she had never met.
She had watched the children in the camp grow up. Every one of them was like a younger brother or sister to her. When she learned two days ago that Xiao Xi had been kidnapped, she had nearly gone frantic.
After dealing with matters in the gang, she had hurried back as quickly as possible. Unexpectedly, she learned along the way that Xiao Xi had returned safely.
Since she had already traveled quite a distance, and she also wanted to return to the camp for a look, she simply didn't go back to Sin Capital. She hadn't expected to be able to help Xiao Xi's savior by coincidence.
However, she was actually somewhat hesitant. According to Guilliman, that Mr. Jiang was only a Tier 1 Elite, with a small chance of being a Tier 1 Peak.
Under normal circumstances, someone with that level of strength could live quite comfortably in Sin Capital. The problem was that this was only under normal circumstances.
A Pan-Human Tier 1 Martial Artist who entered Sin Capital would most likely be relentlessly targeted by the enforcers of the various gangs. The Viper Gang in particular would never allow a human Martial Artist to live openly in Sin Capital.
For the Pan-Humans, the area outside Sin Capital was far safer than Sin Capital itself!
If not for the resources, the Spark Gang would never leave the camp and enter Sin Capital.
The situation in Sin Capital had grown increasingly dire. The tension between the Black Mech Gang and the Sin City Council was growing stronger, while the latter was also tightening its suppression of the Pan-Humans.
Most fatal of all, the Spark Gang's strongest combatant was currently missing and presumed dead. It would be no exaggeration to say that the Pan-Humans were in an utterly terrible situation.
I wonder where that god of slaughter went after leaving the Old Capital.
"Mr. Jiang, let me introduce you. This is A Ling, the Spark Gang's internal affairs officer. She'll take you to the Old Capital next, and she'll handle your identity certification as well."
Guilliman's voice brought the downcast A Ling back to her senses.
A Ling looked up and saw a young man who appeared quite sunny approaching rapidly with a brilliant smile.
His fresh temperament and youthful appearance left A Ling momentarily disoriented.
He's actually this young?!
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