Somewhere in the Sea of Star Spirits, a large starship slowly sails through the universe.
In the beautifully decorated captain's cabin, Calorzo leaned lazily against the soft, comfortable captain's chair, his legs crossed and propped up on the table. One arm dangled casually from the armrest, holding a bottle of expensive craft liquor that was swaying with its inertia. A thick cigar dangled from his mouth, emitting bluish smoke. A virtual screen floated in front of him, playing an entertainment program.
Calorzo has rough, brown skin, like a lizard's. His features are similar to a human's, but his eyes are wide-set and his jaw protrudes, making him resemble a half-orc. In addition, one of his eyes is blind, and the dark hole is exposed like a scar left by an energy gun, adding to his fierce aura.
He appeared quite rugged, but his attire was an exquisitely crafted aristocratic formal suit, seemingly carefully ironed with few wrinkles. He wore a small, round aristocratic hat that covered his sparse, messy blond hair, with only a few strands hanging down from the hat's seam, creating a striking contrast.
Human trafficking is mostly conducted through Interstellar Black Market, but it also has its own independent ecosystem, forming a clandestine trade chain. Because this industry is not meant to be conducted in the open, human traffickers of any significant size rarely operate under the name of an organization. They usually adopt a code name and make clients in their own name, forming a trade network based on their identities within the underworld.
Calorzo is a well-regarded major seller in the black market for human trafficking, nicknamed "Lord." He has been in the business for many years with outstanding performance, and his business even spans several star clusters. It is no exaggeration to say that he is a human trafficking giant in the Sea of Star Spirits.
"Gulp..."
Calorzo took a sip of his drink, the bright red liquid flowing from his lips and sliding down his chin. Ignoring the playful noises from his men coming from the cabin outside, he puffed on his cigarette, turned up the volume on the virtual screen, and idly flipped through one program after another with gestures.
Just then, an encrypted communication interface suddenly popped up on the virtual screen, and a number labeled "Buyer No. 178" called.
Calorzo's eyes flashed, he paused the program, and answered the call.
A shadowy figure with no defined features appeared on the screen and uttered a coded code. Calorzo replied with a code, and after exchanging a few words, they confirmed each other's identities.
After exchanging the password, buyer number 178 got straight to the point:
"Lord, did you manage to get the goods I ordered last time?"
Calorzo pulled out a notebook, flipped through it, and said, "Sorry, we haven't gotten the goods yet."
"How long has it been? It's just a batch of Silver Spirit People. Your efficiency wasn't this slow before. My master is getting impatient. And Tu Shu," Buyer No. 178 said with dissatisfaction.
Calorzo shook his head. "The situation is different now. As you know, due to that war, the entire universe has been under martial law for the past two or three years. Large numbers of races have flocked to the Central Galaxy for refuge, and our business has decreased by ninety percent. It's not as easy to get goods as before."
The black market for human resources, hidden deep beneath the surface of interstellar society, has always been thriving. However, with the outbreak of the World Tree War, this industry has fallen into a deep freeze.
Generally speaking, war should promote human trade, but currently the war has not broken out on our home planet. In order to prepare for war, the Three Universal Civilizations have implemented high-pressure control over various star systems, and a large number of people have concentrated in refuge, causing a sharp drop in the mobility of interstellar citizens. This is equivalent to cutting off the supply of many human traffickers.
Human traffickers mostly capture ordinary interstellar citizens, usually lone interstellar travelers, or those they swindle and kidnap tourists, or those they buy prisoners directly from space pirates. They rarely attack Luffy indiscriminately, let alone land on civilized colony planets to kidnap people indiscriminately; they do not have such armed forces.
Due to the restrictions imposed by the Three Universal Civilizations, Calorzo hasn't been able to open for business for a long time, and this business is becoming increasingly difficult.
"Although I can't get Silver Spirit People here, I do have some other goods. Would you like to see the list?" Calorzo asked.
"Never mind, I'll find another place."
Buyer #178 has logged off.
Calorzo curled his lip, unconcerned.
The deal fell through, but he wasn't disappointed at all.
Because of the war, Calorzo has made up his mind to stop buying goods and only wants to clear out his inventory and then retire from this business.
As for whether he can safely withdraw from the game, Calorzo is not worried.
Long-established human traffickers have a set of survival rules: they pay attention to keeping their identities secret, mostly do business with regular customers, maintain good relations with some armed organizations, and even provide conveniences to some powerful clients, so they are well-connected in the underworld... As long as they keep a low profile, don't expose themselves, and don't provoke big shots, no one will bother them. They can make a quick buck and then leave the scene. In fact, it's quite safe.
Calorzo turned off the communication interface and continued changing channels, idly swiping through programs, but his mind wasn't on them; he was immersed in the excitement of looking forward to the future.
"Once this batch of inventory is cleared out, I can retire..."
Calorzo was in a good mood.
The money he's made over the years is enough for him to live a carefree life for several lifetimes. As long as he retires smoothly, he can change his life and enjoy life with his accumulated wealth. There are too many such examples in this industry. It can be said to be the dream of every human trafficker, and it is also Calorzo's goal.
The thought that after so many years of hard work, a wonderful life was finally beckoning to him filled Calorzo with excitement.
But just then, he casually switched to a news channel that was broadcasting footage of the conference held by Black Star.
Calorzo had also been paying attention to the recent invitation incident, and inexplicably stopped.
Soon, his eyes widened, his body trembled involuntarily, a deep terror gradually spread across his face, a chill ran through his bones, and cold sweat poured down his face.
Seeing countless powerful forces responding to Han Xiao's call on the screen, Calorzo panicked. His mind went blank, and a phrase he had once scoffed at involuntarily surfaced in his head...
What goes around comes around!
crackling and popping--
The crew, who were shouting and playing cards in the cabin, suddenly heard frequent smashing sounds coming from the captain's cabin. Just from the noise, they could almost imagine the hysteria, as if they were trapped beasts in despair.
Infinite Nebula, a free interstellar city.
A luxurious mansion villa is located in a scenic area, surrounded by lush forests and a clear lake. The existence of such a special area in a highly artificial interstellar city clearly indicates that the people living here are very powerful.
In the vast living room, a man in a bathrobe sat back on the sofa, while several female creatures of elven Bloodline lay sprawled on the floor beside him, their heads bowed, chins touching the ground, collars around their necks, and leashes tied to a nearby pillar, like domesticated pets.
In front of them was a huge virtual screen playing a program. The man ate his breakfast while glancing at the screen, occasionally stroking the arched back of the elven woman next to him, which was covered with purple bruises, as if he were simply petting a pet.
The elven woman instinctively shrank back, her eyes like a still pool, devoid of any emotion. She stared blankly at the virtual screen in front of her, like a walking corpse whose soul had been ripped out.
Just then, the man in the bathrobe changed the channel and saw a news broadcast of the Black Star Conference.
After watching for a while, he scoffed, his face full of disdain:
"That Black Star, he's always causing trouble. If he's so bored, he should be fighting foreign enemies, that's his job. What's with worrying about the human trade? Is it any of his business? Does he really think he's the leader of interstellar society? Bah, what a piece of trash."
As soon as the words were spoken, the bodies of the several elven women who were lying prostrate on the ground trembled violently, and their lifeless eyes suddenly regained a bit of life.
Ever since they were captured by human traffickers and sold into slavery, their lives have been plunged into deep darkness, like stagnant water devoid of any hope, and they thought that this was how their remaining years would be.
But at this moment, the Black Star was like a ray of dawn piercing through the darkness, suddenly shooting into their despairing hearts, piercing their numb souls, and awakening their shattered personalities.
The group stared blankly at the Black Star on the screen, a glimmer of hope rising in their hearts.
Will someone really come to rescue us...?
Just then, the man in the bathrobe noticed the gazes of the pets, and his brows furrowed immediately.
"Huh? What kind of look is that?"
As he spoke, the man in the bathrobe glanced at the Black Star on the screen again, and suddenly felt a surge of anger. He picked up a short, electrified, spiked whip from the side and crackled it.
"Looks like I haven't trained you enough. Still thinking about running away? What, you saw a news report and think that Black Star can save you? Keep watching him, see if he can save you now."
The elven women were so frightened that they froze, trembling on the ground, but dared not dodge, much less beg for mercy—without the man's permission, these "pets" would only suffer even more torment if they spoke.
The man in the bathrobe looked grim and raised his whip as if to strike.
But just then, the mansion's front door suddenly burst open!
BOOM!!
Debris flew everywhere, and wall dust filled the air.
The man in the bathrobe was startled and quickly turned around to look. He saw a group of people walking in, wearing familiar uniforms. They were the security patrol team of this interstellar city.
Upon seeing who it was, the man in the bathrobe immediately relaxed, then roared in fury:
"What are you doing?! Trespassing on my property, are you looking for death?!"
The squad leader stepped forward, displaying the electronic arrest warrant, and said coldly, "An Huso, we have received reliable intelligence that you are keeping interstellar citizens as pets, which is a violation of the law. Please come with us."
The man in the bathrobe stared wide-eyed, his face filled with disbelief, and pointed at himself in astonishment, "You arrested me for such a trivial matter? Do you know who I am?"
"You have violated the Interstellar General Law's prohibition on human trade." The security squad leader said expressionlessly.
"You arrested me? Can you take responsibility for that? Go back and ask the lord of your free planet if he doesn't want his planetary operating franchise anymore?"
The man in the bathrobe found it all absurd, neither laughing nor crying.
Given his background and status, this charge is a joke. He has kept countless interstellar species as pets, and no one has ever dared to hold him accountable for such a crime.
He never expected that such a low-ranking police officer would dare to challenge him. Normally, such a nobody wouldn't even have the right to speak to him.
"Please cooperate with our law enforcement." The security squad leader frowned.
"What's your police officer number? Believe me or not, I'll strip you naked tomorrow!" The man in the bathrobe laughed angrily, stepped forward, grabbed the squad leader's clothes, and looked down at the number on his name tag.
The security squad leader didn't mince words, shoving the man in the bathrobe aside and saying in a stern voice, "If you continue to resist arrest, we will resort to violence."
The man in the bathrobe stumbled as he was pushed, his eyes widening in disbelief, seemingly never expecting that the person in front of him would dare to lay a hand on him.
His expression instantly darkened. He picked up the communicator from the table, dialed the number of the lord of this planetary city, pointed at the security squad leader, and roared, "Fine, you just wait, I'll see who can take me away today!"
The communication was established very quickly.
"Oh, isn't this An Huso? What brings you here all of a sudden?" The planetary lord's figure appeared on the screen, his face full of polite smiles.
The man in the bathrobe immediately vented his anger on the planetary lord, sneering, "Fine, your men have gotten bolder now, daring to break into my house, trying to kidnap me, and even daring to lay a hand on me. If you don't give me a satisfactory answer today, your planetary operating franchise is null and void!"
"Oh dear, why are you so angry? What happened?" the planet lord asked in surprise.
"Ha, ask your people."
The man in the bathrobe shoved the communicator directly into the security squad leader's hands, took two steps back, and wore an expression of anticipation.
The security squad leader remained unfazed, picked up his communicator, reported the situation, and showed the elven women.
After listening, the planetary lord said calmly:
"I see... What's your name, squad leader?"
"Bell," the security squad leader answered calmly.
Is the tip reliable?
"Both witnesses and physical evidence are available."
Upon hearing this, the planetary lord nodded and slowly said:
"Then what are you waiting for? Arrest this guy. If he resists arrest, don't bring him back; shoot him on the spot."
As soon as he finished speaking, the man in the bathrobe froze, thinking he had misheard.
Normally, shouldn't the police officers be ordered to retreat, and then dismissed to appease his anger? That's how it's always been done. Why is it different today?
"What do you mean?" the man in the bathrobe asked, taken aback.
The planetary lord shrugged. "I think I've been quite accurate. You broke the law, so naturally you had to be arrested."
"... Are you crazy?" The man in the bathrobe stared wide-eyed. "Have you forgotten who I am?"
"I know you have a powerful background and a lot of influence..." The planetary lord suddenly changed his tone, dropping the pretense, "But so what? It's His Excellency Black Star's will to prohibit the human trade. We're working for Black Star. Who do you think you are?"
"You..."
The man in the bathrobe froze, trembling all over.
It wasn't fear, but an uncontrollable anger.
No one has ever dared to speak to him like that since he was born!
However, before he could erupt in a rage, Bell suddenly drew his gun and pulled the trigger without saying a word.
Bang!
A laser beam flashed, and the man in the bathrobe's head exploded, splattering charred flesh and blood all over the ground.
The headless corpse seemed to be frozen in place, swaying twice before collapsing to the ground with a thud. Its nerves, which were not completely dead, were still causing the body to twitch slightly.
Upon seeing this, the planet lord revealed a strange smile.
Without his tacit instruction, how could the security forces have dared to act so boldly?
"This person resisted arrest multiple times. Our team received orders from higher command to kill him on the spot!"
Bell coldly holstered his weapon, glanced at the headless corpse, and a look of disdain flashed in his eyes.
"Pah, scum."
Several days have passed since the numerous factions made their statements at the conference held on Black Star, and the chain reaction caused by this conference has begun to emerge.
Han Xiao has leveraged almost all the resources of the interstellar society, and the forces in various star regions, following the consensus of the meeting, have begun to clean up the population trade within their territories.
The Beyond Grade A Association controls the Interstellar Black Market, directly targeting the core and dismantling numerous human trade channels, achieving significant results.
Not only the participating forces, but also other forces that were not present joined in to make the event a grand occasion.
Their actions weren't entirely out of consideration for Han Xiao; rather, seeing so many powerful forces responding, some smaller forces were trying to use the opportunity of jointly combating human trafficking to establish connections with local giants, thus creating a reason for such contact.
A massive human trafficking cleanup operation is underway across the universe. With the cooperation of numerous forces, batches of slaves are being rescued, groups of human traffickers are being killed, buyers are being arrested, and even retired human sellers are being tracked down and recaptured by the Intelligence Department through their connections in the black market.
Such a grand scene of cooperation among so many forces is a rare sight, like a highly efficient machine, with its daily efficiency leaving countless interstellar citizens in awe of Black Star's terrifying appeal.
The relevant intelligence naturally reached the ears of many Calamity Grade at the training base.
Training base, dormitory and rest area.
The virtual screen broadcasted the results of the crackdown on human trafficking in various regions. Jotina stared at the screen, her eyes sparkling with admiration.
"You actually share the same dream as me..."
Jotina clenched her fists, unable to contain her excitement.
As a child of the Beast Ancestor, she deeply abhorred the human trade, and ending the human trafficking throughout the universe was a dream she kept hidden in her heart, which she never told anyone.
But she didn't expect that Black Star would have the same idea as her, and they would be like-minded!
The difference is that for him, this was just a distant dream, but for Black Star, it was a goal within reach.
"Black Star... we really are destined partners!"
Jotina was breathing heavily, her heart pounding. At this moment, all she wanted was to give birth to a litter of babies for Black Star.
For decades, her admiration for Han Xiao has remained constant, and now it is even stronger.
Rumors have been circulating that Black Star and Dragon Emperor are a couple, but so what? I won't give up!
So what if the Dragon Emperor is only Beyond Grade A? Once I work hard enough to reach that level, I can compete with you on equal footing!
An unparalleled fighting spirit ignited in Jotina's eyes, shining as brightly as a star exploding.
"Black Star, wait for me! The Dragon Emperor is not good enough for you. I will definitely snatch you away from her!"