Chapter 12: Exiting The Junkyard

There were at least forty people here. It was not a small number, but compared to the massive base of Scavengers, it was still far too few.

The fee of fifty thousand Star Coins was not something every Scavenger could afford.

After every Shelter Day, at least hundreds of people would drop from the sky here. When a war broke out in the No Man's Land System or a new Interstellar Pirate Lord appeared, this number would double.

Out of all these people, some would be killed by Veteran Scavengers because they were unfamiliar with the environment, while others barely managed to eke out a miserable existence, only to be swallowed by a Black Hole because they couldn't scrape together the Protection Fee.

Only those with real skills and cunning minds could survive.

Fifty people was the absolute limit Third Fatty could bring out. Taking people out of The Junkyard required tedious procedures and bribing officials at every level.

Too many, and he wouldn't be able to get them out; too few, and he wouldn't make a profit...

Everyone brought out their hard-earned Star Coins, bitterly stuffing them into their pockets.

Third Fatty, chewing on a Cigar, held the woman in his arms and reached into his own pocket again.

This was the peak of his life. Every time he savored this feeling, it brought him the ultimate thrill.

That was, until he saw the dead-eyed Li Yu carrying a brown Leather Suitcase.

"You damn fatty, if I can't leave, you can forget about leaving too!"

In this harmonious scene of a Capitalist exploiting his slaves, a discordant voice suddenly rang out.

From a Garbage Pile near the Metal Apartment, a figure holding a Scrap Iron Knife charged out. With bloodshot eyes and ragged clothes, he roared as he lunged at Third Fatty.

"A surprise bonus?" Li Yu felt somewhat delighted. He pulled out one hundred thousand Star Coins and tossed them into his pocket—this included Claptrap's share.

The Scavengers in the crowd remained completely unfazed, with some even showing looks of ridicule. They were all Veteran Scavengers who had lived here for more than half a year.

Third Fatty was also a little surprised, but this quickly shifted into a vicious sneer. He gently pushed the woman in his arms out of the way and took the blade head-on without dodging or evading.

Clang!

The decayed iron blade chopped onto Third Fatty's head, instantly snapping the iron edge, yet Third Fatty calmly and composedly smoothed out his ill-fitting Suit.

"Did you not ask around about my Strength here?" He grabbed the man's arm and violently twisted it into a mangled mess.

"Ahhh!" The miserable wail was agonizing. The man dropped to his knees, his entire body trembling.

Crunch!

With a muffled snap, his head burst apart like a crushed watermelon. Red and white matter splattered everywhere. Third Fatty pulled his foot back, wiped it on the corpse's tattered clothes, and spat on the ground.

"Idiot."

The woman turned her head away, unwilling to look at the nauseating scene.

"What a pity..." Li Yu shook his head, sighing over the death of a Warrior.

The Metal Apartment began to fold. The massive structure let out a hum, and the clashing of mechanical gears wove together into a melodious symphony.

In less than a moment, the giant Metal Apartment folded down into a silver-white Briefcase. It was an astonishing display of Technology. A sharp glint flashed in Li Yu's eyes. He wanted it.

This kind of spatial folding technology was generally assisted by anti-gravity tech, making it quite light. Third Fatty's woman could lift it with just one hand.

The edge of The Junkyard was bordered by a smooth iron wall standing a full hundred meters tall. Fierce electrified fences extended from it, with quite a few dried-up corpses hanging off the wires. An army unit was stationed here for inspections.

This was to prevent Stowaways from entering the Core Region and causing sabotage.

A thick, heavy Metal Gate was the only authorized exit from the entire Junkyard, and the entire five-hundred-meter radius around it was littered with corpses.

They gave off a putrid stench, swarmed by buzzing flies.

"Damn it, I warned them that this place is dangerous, yet they still came here seeking death." Third Fatty's face was grim as he ordered his men to clear a path through the pile of corpses.

In the past, this gate had always been tightly shut, but today was different. The entrance was wide open, with soldiers in black Combat Suits lined up on both sides.

The gun ports overhead were also open. The dark, eerie muzzles left one unable to shake the fear of a bullet suddenly firing out.

"Major Qika, long time no see, my Friend." Third Fatty wore a face full of smiles, spreading his arms wide as he walked toward a Middle-Aged Man among the soldiers.

Thick gun barrels were pointed right at him. There were at least a hundred heavily armed soldiers nearby, ready to snuff out any potential riots.

The Middle-Aged Man was not wearing a Combat Suit. The hair at his temples was turning white, the wrinkles on his face were deep, and his eyes were incredibly sharp. He completely ignored Third Fatty's open arms.

The people backing Third Fatty had a cooperative relationship with the High Echelon of Heavenly Desolation Star. Both of them were merely Pawns, just taking what they were owed after the fact.

"Routine inspection. No weapons of mass destruction are allowed. Violators will be shot on sight," Major Qika stated coldly.

Third Fatty's hands, frozen in midair, smoothly came together as he rubbed them. He reined in his smile a bit, turning his head to declare coldly, "Cooperate with the inspection. Otherwise, if something goes wrong, you bear the consequences yourselves!"

His gaze landed on Li Yu for a brief moment. 'Where is that sniper rifle?'

He was deeply curious about this. He refused to believe that the people backing Li Yu were willing to invest spatial folding equipment on a piece of trash like him.

But he also did not believe that Li Yu would throw away that precious sniper rifle. The only possibility was that the people backing him had taken it back.

'To be able to come and go freely here... I wonder if Major Qika knows about this...' Third Fatty pondered inwardly. His eyes flickered past Claptrap's thick mechanical right arm, and the corners of his mouth curled up slightly.

Melee Weapons would not be confiscated since they couldn't cause large-scale casualties, so these guards simply turned a blind eye.

Otherwise, wouldn't Master Kuhl suffer an epic-level nerf?

Li Yu frowned and scanned his surroundings. Ever since he was standing in front of the Metal Apartment, he had felt a faint, lingering sensation of being watched.

Yet, he couldn't figure out who was spying on him.

'Has my handsomeness finally been discovered by someone?' He narrowed his eyes.

The soldier in charge of the inspection walked up to Li Yu, and Li Yu cooperatively raised his arms.

"Open the case," the soldier ordered. Li Yu frowned slightly. The case was full of Star Coins. If he opened it just like this, it would probably attract some trouble.

"Did you not hear me? Open the case!" The soldier repeated, raising his Gun and aiming it at Li Yu.

"We cannot start a conflict..." Hunter whispered in warning.

"No problem..." Li Yu shrugged and blatantly opened the case. The stacks of Star Coins inside immediately caused quite a stir of gasps.

"Damn, what is that? Star Coins?"

"An entire suitcase full of Star Coins! How much is that?!"

Greedy gazes instantly locked onto him. Even though some people knew Li Yu had killed the Dog King, they all knew he had relied on the power of a sniper rifle to do it.

But once they left this place and entered the Black Market, there would be nowhere for him to mount a sniper rifle.

The soldier was also stunned. He wore a half-face black helmet with his eyes concealed behind a dark visor, but his slightly trembling lips were visible. It was clear he was undergoing a fierce internal struggle.

"Close it..." Ultimately, he moved his muzzle away. After all of this was over, everyone here would receive a hefty payout.

And taking what one shouldn't take only led to a dead end.