Sisoli blended into the crowd and chatted with others, seemingly unconcerned about the failed deal.
"Slave trade..." Han Xiao stared at Sisoli's the Sight of Father's Back, his brows furrowed slightly.
"Don't let my lack of money fool you, I have principles." Kerlodd snorted, downed his drink in one gulp, paused, and then continued, "The Shattered Star Ring has hundreds, even thousands, of scavenger factions, identified by tattoos. Some scavengers also run other shady businesses, such as highway robbery, kidnapping for extortion, and slave trading. That Sisoli is a middleman in the slave trade, responsible for finding targets. He belongs to the [Boneless Bird] scavenger gang, a group of ruthless bandits wanted by several star system civilizations, including Goddora, who operate on the run."
"The slave trade involved capturing rare species and superhumans and selling them to customers who wanted them, either for public viewing or for animal fights."
Superhumans are common in interstellar space, but their numbers are far fewer than those of ordinary people. Interstellar people consider superhumans to be equivalent to trained soldiers or exceptionally talented geniuses, and take them for granted.
Superhumans enjoy a higher status, which has led some ordinary people to develop a desire to control them. This has given rise to shows like superhuman gladiatorial combat, similar to watching a more advanced boxing match. Audiences enjoy watching superhumans fight to the death, gaining both visual and psychological enjoyment. Some legitimate gladiatorial arenas hire superhumans at high salaries, while some underground arenas buy superhuman slaves. Therefore, superhumans are always in high demand in the slave market.
"You're being watched, so you'd better be careful. But scavengers won't do anything that costs more than they profit, so you should be safe on the spaceship. I refused him, and he won't keep bothering me," Kerlodd said.
"I don't think he's necessarily interested in us 'natives'."
Han Xiao seemed to be deep in thought.
The spaceship suddenly jolted, breaking free from its warp state. The floor-to-ceiling windows on the side of the hall showed that the Short Horn Star was approaching a gray-black planet. The surface was a continuous range of gray ridge mountains, devoid of any greenery, consisting entirely of some kind of barren rock. Streams of dark water converged into lifeless rivers.
This is the Fifth and Map Star Sector, a place rife with danger. This planet is one of those dangerous places, listed as [moderately high] on the Goddora Star Map, meaning that investigators have a greater than 40% chance of perishing here. Planet Aquamarine is only rated [low] in the database.
The spaceship enters the atmosphere, hovers high in the sky, releases its drop pod, and lands to pick up new passengers. The shuttle ship picks up passengers who board along its travel route; someone on this planet is calling for the Short Horn Star Tour.
On the other side, the VIP passage.
The passenger who had just boarded the ship was wearing a tattered white hooded cloak, and his tall and muscular body was hidden beneath the cloak. He carried a huge shoulder bag, and his footsteps were heavy, accompanied by the clanging sound of metal clashing.
Upon reaching the scanning door, the person removed their cloak, revealing their true form: a humanoid cyborg, heavily modified with mechanical components. Conduits and wires were concealed within the gaps in the armor, and various indicator lights flashed. Only their right arm remained intact. Above the neck, however, there were no modifications. They possessed a cold and stern appearance, sharp eyes, and an aura of icy intimidation, making them unapproachable.
The man's eyes were pale green, as beautiful as Emerald, and his skin was very white. His cyborg body was covered with battle scratches.
After the scan was completed, an announcement came over the loudspeaker. "Welcome aboard Short Horn Star. You have booked a premium cabin. Passenger number is... Please enjoy your journey."
The premium cabin lobby is another place; there are fewer passengers here than in the economy cabin lobby, and the environment is better—quieter than the Tu Shu.
The man made no move to linger, walked through the lobby, and went straight back to his room. The passengers in the lobby caught a glimpse of him and were immediately taken aback.
"That's the [Green Knight]?"
"That's right, it's him. One of the few remaining warriors of the Sunil Race, a high-ranking mercenary in the Mercenary Alliance, a very formidable guy."
"To see him here... Didn't the Sunil Race migrate...?"
The crowd whispered amongst themselves, subconsciously lowering their voices, seemingly not wanting the person to hear them, and were quite wary.
Han Xiao naturally didn't know who had boarded the ship. The announcement stated that the next stop was another star sector, and there would be several stops along the way to the Juberly Hub. He was very patient and not in a hurry.
During this time, Han Xiao gathered information from passengers and the interstellar channel on the communicator. The communicator also functioned as a television; material advancement breeds spiritual enjoyment, and there were many dedicated channels broadcasting various entertainment programs. Han Xiao found quite a few good things in a folder called "Investigator Work Data" in Kerlodd...
After glancing at it a few times, Han Xiao silently turned it off, his eyes burning.
"The people of Goddora really know how to have fun."
Kerlodd drank heavily every day and quickly spent all his pocket money. When he asked Han Xiao for more money, he was unsuccessful. After that, he slept in his room every day, showing no awareness of being kidnapped. Han Xiao couldn't help but marvel at how generous the people of Goddora were.
Life on the spaceship was simple and peaceful; he only wanted to reach his destination smoothly.
However, things took a turn for the better.
In an area along the path ahead of the Short Horn Star, several Scavenger spaceships floated quietly in space. They had unique shapes and showed signs of civilian modification, a style characteristic of the Scavengers. On the sides of the spaceships, the [Boneless Bird] logo was painted.
Inside the main ship's deck, scavengers of different races were reveling. The Boneless Bird chieftain sat on a high seat, gulping down wine from a barrel and laughing heartily.
The leader of the Boneless Bird is called "Snake Braid." He is nearly four meters tall, has the Rock Giant Bloodline, bulging muscles, a layer of stone skin, a big beard, and only a single braid on his head that reaches his waist. This is the origin of his nickname.
Scavengers operate in a gray area, earning money for enjoyment, and parties are their most frequent activity when they have nothing to do.
"Ring ring -- New message!"
A text message flashed on the main ship's control panel, signed by Sisoli.
"Men, we have work to do."
Snake Braid tossed aside the barrel, smashing it to pieces in the corner. He stood up, wiped the liquor off his beard, and revealed a ferocious expression. "This target will fetch a fortune!"
Hundreds of scavengers below erupted in excited howls.
"One against three."
"Bombs, four Ks."
"Five twos."
"I can't afford it... Wait, where did the second one come from?"
Short Horn Star: A group of players huddled together in the room, idly playing cards.
Having spent several days on the spaceship with no more missions to take on and the prohibition of violence, along with the closed nature of many areas, these players had no choice but to find their own entertainment. The fact that the journey could not be skipped was a frequent source of criticism, so some players logged off to rest, leaving only a third online.
Login and respawn points can be linked to vehicles, so you don't have to worry about getting lost. (See 147 for details)
Han Xiao sat down next to him, checked the time, and estimated that they would arrive at the station in a few days.
Now that the Short Horn Star has arrived in the second sector of the Garton Star System, it has become quite prosperous. This region has many planets with civilizations and is one of Goddora's key territories. It is relatively close and easy to manage, so the ship stops here the most to pick up people. Once it reaches the first sector and enters the stable wormhole portal, it can reach its destination.
Just then, the floor shook unusually.
Immediately afterwards, a piercing alarm sounded over the loudspeaker.
Han Xiao's expression changed slightly, and he suddenly stood up. Kerlodd, who had been sleeping in, also woke up instantly. The two hurriedly walked out of the room. The group of players behind them looked blank, but they knew that something must have happened, so they followed the two.
At this moment, chaos erupted in the hall as all the passengers came out, looking out the portholes with terrified expressions.
Outside, various colored explosions flashed, but due to the vacuum environment, there was no sound. The colorful and quiet atmosphere contained a great terror.
The Scavenger ship opened fire on the Short Horn Star. The Short Horn Star had already deployed its high-energy convergence shield, a pale yellow energy shield like an eggshell protecting the ship. The Scavenger ship was much smaller than the Short Horn Star, but this made it very agile, dodging attacks and circling around. The Short Horn Star, due to its massive size, could not dodge and could only rely on its shield to withstand the attacks.