Who Was the Wolf, and Who Was the Sheep?

Jiang Yun and the others were still relaxing and enjoying themselves, unaware that a tiny Hoi-Poi Capsule had stirred up someone else's greed.

The next day...

Jiang Yun and his group arrived at the Mercenary Guild early. People on the street watched them pass and whispered among themselves.

"Are these the people who arrived yesterday?"

"Their Battle Suits look so cool. I want one too!"

"They're... heading to the Mercenary Guild!"

"Let me see how strong they are."

As Jiang Yun and the others passed by, some people even secretly used Scouters to check their battle power.

"What? They're all over two thousand! Some are at three or four thousand, and that cool young man beside the kid even has a battle power of eight thousand!"

The burly man who had scanned them was astonished. There weren't many people with that kind of battle power. On this planet, he could even rank among the top ten.

Looks like a mighty dragon from across the river has arrived!

The news spread quickly, reaching the leaders of several mercenary groups. However, the Lone Wolf Mercenary Group's leader had taken his men on a long-term mission, so his younger brother Xiuka was temporarily in charge.

"Big sister, I heard the newcomer is pretty strong. I wonder if they'll pose a threat to us!"

"I heard there are a few handsome guys, too. Those people who claim to be from the Nine Provinces are quite similar to our big sister's race!"

"Shh! Keep your voice down. Don't you know how much she hates people bringing up her race?"

"Ah! I just forgot for a moment!"

Two women whispered to each other.

"Don't worry about the newcomers. I heard Frieza and Slug have started fighting again. Keep a low profile for now!"

The speaker was a woman dressed in red armor. She had a graceful figure and a heroic air about her. She looked very much like a human from Earth, but her skin was exceptionally fair.

Her eyes were clear and bright, her brows were delicately arched, and her long lashes fluttered ever so slightly. Her flawless fair skin carried a faint rosy hue, and her delicate lips were as tender as rose petals. She was breathtakingly beautiful.

But when she mentioned Frieza, a rare glint of hatred appeared in her eyes. Clearly, she had a story she didn't want anyone to know.

Planetary Administration...

"I hear an interesting young fellow has arrived?"

Batu sat in a chair, speaking with his back to the others.

"Lord Batu, should we keep an eye on him?"

One of the people hesitated before asking cautiously.

"There are plenty of things happening in the universe. Do you expect me to get involved in every one of them? As long as they pay their dues, that's all that matters. They're helping me make money, after all."

Batu took a deep drag from his cigarette and spoke without a care.

"Yes, Lord Batu."

"Lord Xiuka, that group is quite strong. With Captain Xiusi away, shouldn't we avoid picking a fight for now?"

One of his underlings spoke up.

Smack!

"You idiot!"

"Do you get to decide, or do I?"

Xiuka slapped his underling across the face and snapped angrily.

"Yes, yes!"

The underling covered his cheek and didn't dare say another word.

"I have to get that thing. Maybe I can use this chance to get on King Frieza's ship!"

"Hahaha!"

Xiuka's laughter rang through the room.

His underlings couldn't help thinking that Xiuka was a complete idiot. If not for his brother, they wouldn't even bother with this scheming fool.

By then, Jiang Yun and the others had registered a mercenary group called the Blazing Flame Mercenary Group.

They had even accepted a high-difficulty quest from the Mercenary Guild. It was a tough mission by other people's standards, but not especially difficult for Jiang Yun and his group.

That was because every one of them could raise their battle power several times over in an instant.

They hadn't hidden their strength. The only exception was Jiang Yun. If he revealed his true battle power, it would be utterly shocking in this part of the universe, so he kept his ki around five thousand.

The others didn't hide their strength. They needed to show what they could do to deter small-time troublemakers from coveting them.

They had taken on a difficult quest to eliminate space pirates. The most challenging part was that the pirates' leader had a battle power of eight thousand five hundred.

The pirate leader was clever and didn't wipe out everyone who passed through his territory. Anyone who paid could travel through the stretch of space he controlled.

But how could those shrewd merchants be willing to accept being fleeced? They joined forces and put up a huge bounty on the pirates, who were known as the Heilai Bandits. Their leader was supposedly named Heilai.

The Heilai Bandits were furious when they learned a bounty had been placed on them. Whenever a merchant's cargo came through, they raised their toll by another ten percent. Anyone who refused to pay was killed outright.

The merchants had no choice but to comply if they wanted to stay alive.

Although the Heilai Bandits knew they were wanted, they couldn't go too far. If they did, they would surely draw the hostility of some powerful figures.

For the sake of their long-term interests, they had no choice but to let the merchants live, though they could raise the toll a little to appease the pirates' anger...

"Lord Xiuka, I have good news for you!"

One of Xiuka's men hurried in, looking excited.

"Hahaha! What's the good news?"

Xiuka sprang to his feet and looked at him eagerly.

"Lord Xiuka, do you remember Heilai?"

The underling eyed Xiuka with a sly grin.

Smack!

"Don't look at me like that! Just spit it out."

Xiuka slapped him again. The look in the underling's eyes made Xiuka shiver and sent a pang of discomfort through his backside.

"Yes, Lord Xiuka."

The underling covered his face, looking aggrieved. But when he saw Xiuka raise his hand again, he hurriedly said, "Lord Xiuka, the group you told me to watch has accepted a quest to eliminate the Heilai Bandits. This is extremely good for us!"

"You mean Heilai, who's been hanging around the asteroid belt? Heaven had a path, but you refused to take it. Now you've walked straight into hell!"

"If that's true, notify Heilai and have him make sure that kid doesn't leave alive. But keep him alive—there's something on him that I want!"

Xiuka wore a vicious expression. That ruthless Heilai was connected to the Lone Wolf Mercenary Group.

It turned out Heilai had known Xiuka's older brother before. The two had once shared a bond forged through life-and-death experiences. Later, Xiusi became a mercenary, while Heilai became a space pirate who lived by plundering others.

Eventually, both of them made names for themselves. But because Heilai was a pirate, he was often targeted by mercenary groups.

So Heilai approached Xiusi, who had become a mercenary, and asked him to report the movements of anyone coming after him.

In return, he promised to give Xiusi a share of the spoils. Xiusi readily agreed when he saw there was something to gain.

From then on, the Heilai Bandits became a notorious group of space pirates in the region. Heilai wasn't especially strong, but he was still not to be underestimated.

With Xiusi's help, Heilai flourished. Few people could catch him. Every time they went after him, he managed to escape. After a while, nobody wanted to pursue him anymore, since the effort wasn't worth the trouble.