Hey, Bitch!

The twelve-meter-long transport ship left the pirate ship's belly and slowly cut into the atmosphere of the ocher planet.

Yang Ming, seated in the copilot's seat, gazed at the land below, covered in endless yellow sand. For some inexplicable reason, a sense of belonging welled up inside him.

He thought of his old home, and a deep homesickness rose in his heart.

That homesickness was soon diluted by Milili, who was flying the ship in a tight-fitting spacesuit.

She knew how to show off her figure.

"Here, Hanton."

Kolev, seated in the back, handed over a metal mask fitted with an ingenious air-purification device.

Kolev smiled.

"I just checked the latest news from Kor Port and the Sherman Empire. They haven't made our escape public. They only said there was a riot at Kor Port Prison, resulting in the deaths and injuries of more than a dozen guards and prisoners.

"Later, I'll see if I can buy information about you. If your little lover listed you among the dead or injured prisoners to fool the Sherman Empire Military Intelligence, that would be interesting."

"That won't help. Lina will keep tracking me down. She just doesn't want the other intelligence agencies to notice that her prey exists."

Yang Ming put on the mask, and his voice took on a slightly metallic quality.

"From now on, don't call me Hanton by my real name. Use my alias... call me Yang Ming."

"Yang Ming?" Kolev called out.

"Uncle Yang Ming? Uncle Hanton still sounds better."

Milili's sweet voice slipped into Yang Ming's ears, stirring up a faint itch in his heart.

She's my niece.

And the Star Widow.

Yang Ming reminded himself silently, then said aloud, "Suit yourselves."

A thin Energy Shield appeared around the Transport Ship. It not only blocked the intense heat produced by friction but also kept the ship from suffering excessive vibrations.

This planet's gravitational acceleration was slightly greater than Earth's, but it posed no burden to Yang Ming.

When he stepped onto real ground again and felt the sand enveloping the soles of his boots, Yang Ming couldn't help murmuring, "I've finally set foot on land again."

"Has Uncle Hanton been traveling through space for a long time?"

Milili asked from the side. She had already put on a metal mask, and her wine-red hair was tied into two braids hanging over her shoulders. She also had a Laser Gun covered in stickers with punk designs slung over her shoulder.

"Yes, it's been over a year since I last set foot on soil," Yang Ming said with a smile. "This place just feels familiar."

"Keep up!"

Kolev's voice came from the edge of their masks. Tiny speakers were concealed there, not only altering the wearer's voice but also serving as a squad communications device.

Kolev muttered, "We have to leave before Gimo gets here and avoid confronting him directly. Otherwise, the situation will spiral beyond our control."

"Let's go."

Yang Ming strolled forward with his hands behind his back, unhurriedly shortening the distance between himself and the three people ahead with his long strides.

His tall, upright figure fell into Milili's eyes—

extremely graceful.

This planet was called Orhaifu. It lay near the edge of the middle section of the Milky Way Galaxy's second spiral arm. For now, it was the largest Black Market trading center in this region of space, as well as a temporary intelligence hub for the pirates in the area.

The cunning pirates were always fond of changing the market's location. Orhaifu was merely one of the Black Market's stopping points.

This setup reminded Yang Ming of the communal festivals he had attended as a child in his rural hometown—country fairs. The detestable vendors who had tricked him out of his pocket money with shoddy toys also changed their trading areas irregularly.

This habitable planet had residential districts.

When Yang Ming passed over the top of a sand dune, he spotted two cities on the horizon.

One city stood inside a semitransparent dome, with skyscrapers everywhere, a superior environment, and aircraft constantly passing back and forth.

The other was exposed to the threat of wind and sand. Most of its buildings were embedded underground, with a tall wall around the outskirts to block the blowing sand. Only a few aircraft passed by from time to time.

The Black Market they were heading to had nothing to do with these two cities.

At the foot of this dune was a plaza. Two Transport Ships being loaded with cargo occupied most of it. Crossing the plaza would lead to the Black Market—a man-made canyon covered in sand.

A no-flying sign stood before the entrance, which was only seven or eight meters wide. Twenty or thirty guards in varied clothing, all carrying Laser Guns, were laughing and chatting.

Someone recognized Kolev and shouted his name in surprise. Kolev raised a hand and waved.

It was just like the greeting given to an old pirate leader.

Soon, news that Kolev had appeared spread throughout the canyon. Quite a few elderly people even came out to the sides of the straight street to exchange greetings with him.

Yang Ming also relaxed inwardly.

Kolev had a great reputation, which would be a major help to Yang Ming's upcoming plan to acquire a ship.

Yang Ming saw many children and teenagers here.

Their skin tones varied, and the ambition and desire in their eyes were completely undisguised.

The scattered buildings along both sides of the street were actually ships with their Tail Compartments open. Their main bodies were buried in the sand. If danger appeared, they could blow away the sand, take off, and flee in the shortest possible time.

Those cunning pirates.

They hadn't gone far when Kolev found a familiar old friend in front of a shop with a revolving light cabinet that looked like a barbershop. He embraced the man tightly.

The shop owner was a stout man. A sandproof scarf was wrapped around his head, and he wore thick protective clothing. Sauce resembling ketchup still clung to the corner of his mouth. The moment he caught sight of Kolev, he began complaining.

"Oh, Kolev! I just heard that you escaped, and now you've appeared here! I knew it! The Interstellar Court's birdcage could never hold you!

"But Kolev, handing the Black Dragon over to Gimo wasn't a wise choice. Gimo is too eager for quick success and too brutal. He actually tried to alter the contract we've carried out for more than twenty years, claiming we were earning too much!"

Milili, standing beside Yang Ming, curled her lips slightly, seeming somewhat disdainful.

"Hahaha!"

Kolev laughed heartily.

"There was nothing I could do. Gimo likes taking petty advantages. Handing the Black Dragon over to Gimo was the most suitable candidate I could think of! Come, let me see what new things you have here!"

"If anyone else came, I'd naturally just fob them off with those flashy but useless things. But you're different, Kolev. You saved my life!"

The shop owner spoke dramatically. "You can take anything here that catches your eye. I'll give you fifty percent off everything else!"

Yang Ming raised an eyebrow. This shop owner was quite the businessman.

He surveyed the shop's displays and found that it was essentially an exhibition of personal weapons. The first floor was filled with all kinds of firearms and protective suits. In the corner were personal assault weapons such as Hoverbikes and exoskeleton armor. There were also floors above and below, though he had no idea what treasures they contained.

"Let's follow the rules," Kolev said, patting the shop owner's shoulder. "Bring out your best personal equipment. I want to give this young friend of mine a gift."

Yang Ming stepped forward and gave the shop owner an innocent smile.

The shop owner smiled. "Is this your new disciple? He's a handsome fellow. Good thing my precious daughter is studying in the New Federation and hasn't been staying with me lately."

"No, he's not my disciple. He's my partner," Kolev said seriously. "My most trusted partner at present."

"Oh, what high praise! Come over here, sir! You don't need to waste any thought on those ordinary goods."

The shop owner warmly grabbed Yang Ming by the arm and dragged him to the locked silver cabinet in the corner.

A few seconds later, Yang Ming looked at the neat row of "Flashlights," and a knowing smile appeared at the corner of his mouth.

A man had to wield the fiercest Lightsaber!

"Can I try one?" Yang Ming asked softly.

"Of course! Oh, that robot with a Positronic Brain full of water—hurry up and fetch a target!"

The shop owner bellowed. A humanoid robot in a little skirt shuddered a few times in the corner before hurrying toward the lower floor with heavy, mincing steps.

Yang Ming asked, "What price range are these Lightsabers in?"

"We use New Federation credits as the standard here, and accept the top ten currencies by transaction volume according to the real-time exchange rate. These are all good weapons worth five or six thousand credits."

Five or six thousand New Federation credits? That was thirty or forty thousand Sherman Empire Emperor Stars?

That was more than Hanton's salary for three years.

He couldn't use Hanton's account now, or he would easily expose his location.

Seeing Yang Ming's hesitation, Milili laughed. "Uncle, just pick whatever you like. Consider it a gift from me, bought with my pocket money."

"Compared to you, I'd rather accept a gift from your father," Yang Ming said, picking up a brand-new Lightsaber and playing with it through his gloves. "How could I accept a gift from a junior?"

Milili shrugged and leaned against the doorframe without saying anything else.

Bzz—

Yang Ming pressed the button on the hilt. A containment magnetic field trapped the gaseous plasma into the shape of a blade, while the hilt itself produced a faint vibration.

Yang Ming gave his hand a light flick, and the Lightsaber emitted a buzzing sound.

The shop owner smiled. "You can use it to cut through any hatch that tries to block your way!"

"The energy level is too low," Yang Ming said, shaking his head.

The shop owner's smile stiffened. "The higher a Lightsaber's energy, the harder it is to control. Especially in near-ground environments and simulated-gravity environments, external magnetic fields exert considerable resistance against the containment magnetic field."

"That's a problem with the swordsman," Yang Ming said seriously.

"I understand! Try this one!"

The shop owner picked up the slender, pale-red "Flashlight" resting in the corner. Two words had been engraved on it with a laser: Zhan Mo.

"This seems to be secondhand," Yang Ming said.

"It is, but it's still an excellent Lightsaber. See if you like it," the shop owner said, pushing the energy switch to maximum and handing it over to Yang Ming with both hands.

The moment Yang Ming gripped it, he felt that the Lightsaber was somewhat too heavy.

He took two steps back and turned it on. The Lightsaber dyed the entire cabin blood-red.

The vibration feedback was indeed powerful.

Yang Ming swung it a few times. A buoyant excitement rose in his heart. This Lightsaber was even more powerful than the one he had used when fighting Valkyrie.

Just then, the robot carried over a dummy wrapped in alloy plating and placed it behind the shop owner. The shop owner immediately roared furiously, "Did your protocol for protecting humans get eaten by a dog?"

Yang Ming stared at the dummy, and an inexplicable urge to destroy things rose within him.

He lightly swung the blade forward, and the dummy's shoulder was sliced clean off.

"Oh!" Kolev laughed. "What a fine piece of equipment!"

"Like it?" The shop owner narrowed his eyes with a smile. "I've never seen a warrior handle it so effortlessly. Your muscle fibers seem different from ours, young man. If you like it, take it. Consider it my gift to Kolev."

Kolev laughed. "That won't do. I can't waste a gift allocation so easily. How many credits is a Lightsaber worth, anyway? Especially a secondhand one."

"Hahaha! Clever Kolev, what's wrong with giving you a few more things? Consider it a gift for your release from prison!"

Yang Ming switched off the Lightsaber, set it on a nearby rack, and smilingly stepped aside.

His item was only an extra. Kolev had a major purchasing plan today.

Suddenly, Yang Ming heard a commotion outside the shop.

"Isn't that the number-one pirate beauty, Milili? The Group Leader who was expelled from her own pirate crew by her subordinates and nearly stripped naked?"

Yang Ming turned his head and looked over. Milili was standing by the doorframe, while more than a dozen men and women passed outside.

A busty woman in hot pants and a crop top thrust out her proud chest and delivered a double insult at Milili's back.

"I heard your father escaped prison to help you? He must be in his seventies or eighties, right? He could have enjoyed his old age in prison, but instead he still has to worry about you."

Kolev curled his lips slightly and continued speaking quietly with the shop owner, ignoring the commotion outside.

Milili remained silent. She had noticed that the group outside held an absolute advantage in numbers, and she wasn't going to suffer that kind of loss.

"What's wrong, Milili?"

The busty woman smiled brightly. "Don't tell me you can't even speak Galactic anymore? Did it traumatize you? Wow, you only bring two or three followers with you when you go out now?"

Milili snorted.

"Tch." The busty woman sneered and waved her hand before turning toward the livelier part of the street. "What a coward."

Milili clenched her fists tightly and drew a deep breath.

Suddenly, she felt a tall figure appear before her. That lowered voice spoke softly.

"If you have enough pocket money, buy me that Lightsaber. I'll help you take down those followers. Add one protective suit, and I'll arrange them into a human centipede."

Milili looked up at the young Uncle Hanton standing close in front of her.

"I can give you three!"

She spoke firmly, then turned and ran two steps. She tossed her Laser Gun aside, pulled the paralyzing baton from her waist, and snapped out its metal shaft. She rushed forward swiftly and silently, charging straight into the crowd.

"Hey!" Milili shouted.

The busty woman turned around, her face full of anger. Before the dozen or so pirates beside her could react, Milili's baton had already smashed into her face.

"Bitch!"