Chapter 165: Beginning the Layout

The commotion here was not small. The expressions of some nearby Interstellar Travelers changed slightly, clearly having noticed the disturbance.

However, no one was willing to step forward and ask what had happened. By tacit agreement, they all detoured around the area.

A nearby octopus mother's tentacles trembled incessantly, proving her unease.

"Baby, how about Mommy takes you to buy some clothes?" she forced herself to say, hurriedly leading the wailing little octopus into the Pinky-Pinky Apparel Store.

Kansa's pupils contracted, and his eyes were gradually covered by a blazing red light. His struggling weakened until he completely ceased resisting.

Yet, at the very last moment, Kansa suddenly let out a miserable wail. White symbols surfaced in his pupils, contending with the blazing red light as equals.

"Not good!" The cloaked figure's expression shifted slightly. He hurriedly stopped his actions, and the blazing red light in his eyes gradually faded.

Kansa also stopped wailing, but his body went limp. His knees buckled, and his arms were forcibly held up. He looked as if he had fallen asleep.

"What is going on?" someone asked in the internal channel. Due to Kansa's wails, many travelers were already casting glances their way.

"Someone put something in his brain. I cannot control him for now," the red-eyed man explained.

"Let us leave first. We have already attracted too much attention." Several people supported Kansa, pushed through the crowd, and headed in a certain direction.

In the shadows, quite a few individuals had already raised their Smart Terminals.

In the warehouse, Li Yu was pondering why his Second Clone was so simple-minded. It really considered itself an agent of S.H.I.E.L.D., genuinely going nowhere without a mission.

"Too erratic is not good, but too steady is not good either..." Li Yu muttered, rubbing his temples in frustration.

"Ah..." Not far away, Mangu let out a flirtatious moan. She was handling some work, all related to smuggling.

Hearing this, Li Yu got goosebumps all over. He kept his head down, pretending not to hear it, but Mangu still swayed unsteadily and walked over to him.

Her face was deadly pale, and her footsteps were slightly unsteady. Bang! She sprawled over the metal crates stacked in front of Li Yu, spilling the drinks and snacks placed on top all over the floor.

"Something happened. Someone attempted to control Kansa," Mangu said, causing Li Yu's expression to change slightly.

Kansa did not know too many things, but he did know their current location. If Kansa was controlled by someone, then they needed to relocate as soon as possible.

Mangu added, "Just now, I sensed an anomaly with the Thought Seal. Someone used Mental Power to invade Kansa's mind, but it was blocked by the Thought Seal."

Li Yu was rather astonished. "Is your Thought Seal that powerful?"

"It is decent..." Mangu's condition recovered slightly, her expression turning peculiar as she said, "Mainly, if the other party forcibly invades, the Thought Seal will detonate first, destroying the host's brain structure."

Li Yu remained speechless. "..."

The security was indeed formidable. Upon encountering an irresistible force, it would just kill the host body first.

Mangu thought for a moment and continued, "The other party did not seem to want Kansa's life, so they immediately stopped the mental invasion upon sensing the Thought Seal's effects."

Li Yu nodded. It was likely that Kansa used the information about the Amethyst Core in exchange for the Amethyst Civilization's protection, which made the Star Glory Empire's people hesitate for fear of collateral damage.

"How long can your Thought Seal hold up?" Li Yu inquired.

"The Thought Seal should have wrapped around Kansa's Mental Power and entered a slumber..." Mangu pondered. "Under normal circumstances, unless I take action myself, almost no one can undo this dead knot... Well... except for lifeforms possessing A-grade Mental Power."

"What do you mean by normal circumstances?" Li Yu caught the uncertainty in Mangu's tone.

Mangu stated frankly, "Because I do not know how many resources the other party is willing to invest. In reality, the Thought Seal can also be unraveled through external forces."

"The Mental Resonance Instrument can simulate the mental fluctuations of others. The Thought Seal is merely an inanimate object and cannot tell the difference."

"The other party can perfectly simulate Kansa's mental fluctuations, making the Thought Seal accept their Mental Power, and undo the Thought Seal from the inside."

There was no such thing as an unsolvable ability. In this Interstellar Society, there was almost nothing that had not been thoroughly researched. Even something as ethereal as Mental Power had been studied to a certain degree.

"Does the Inuit Hub have that machine?" Li Yu really wanted to hear a negative answer, but unfortunately, Mangu nodded. "Yes, but that machine is incredibly expensive to build. There is only one in the entire Inuit Hub, located in the Tyron Tower."

"This is only because the branch manager here suffers from some sort of mental illness and requested it to be allocated from the headquarters."

Li Yu shook his head. "That is truly unfortunate."

"Master, I have collected a video regarding Kansa on the Black Hole Network," Claptrap's voice rang out as the Smart Terminal projected a Holographic Screen.

In the shaky video, a disguised Kansa was held up between two suits of black armor, looking like a walking corpse.

Li Yu did not pay too much attention to Kansa. Instead, he stared at the cloaked figure surrounded in the center. Due to the angle, it was almost impossible to see his full appearance.

"Due to the recent popularity of the Inuit Hub, this video, along with several others from different angles, spread very quickly on the Amethyst Civilization's network. However, they were swiftly taken down."

"This video comes from the Black Hole Network."

Li Yu stroked his chin, his expression thoughtful. Mangu had already started calling her subordinates to relocate their base.

Although Kansa had not leaked any information yet, Mangu would not leave things to chance. Moving ahead of time meant being prepared for any unforeseen circumstances.

"Should we abandon Kansa?" Mangu asked for Li Yu's opinion. Her own inclination was to give up; a cautious way of doing things was the very means of survival she relied on.

If not for the Hunter's sake, Mangu would never have helped a high-risk individual like Li Yu.

The benefits Kansa could bring in the future were indeed substantial, but right now, there was little profit to be had, only one risk after another.

"I will go take a look. If it turns out to be impossible, then we will abandon him..." Li Yu did not write Kansa off entirely just yet. It was not a hopeless situation, so it was not yet time to give up.

Mangu furrowed her brow slightly. "Prince Saster's people are already difficult enough to deal with, and now with the Star Glory Empire's people added to the mix, this..."

She shook her head. Although she did not finish her sentence, her meaning was self-evident.

"I understand." Li Yu nodded, having his own considerations.

"Then be careful. The help I can provide is limited." Mangu did not offer any further warnings.

"Is that Second Brother still alive?" Li Yu suddenly asked. He was referring to the Second Brother among the Prismatic Yellow-Eyed Remnants.

The youngest had been killed on the spot, and the eldest had also died. Now, only the Second Brother remained. Li Yu had not killed him but had left him to be guarded by Mangu.

"He is alive and well, even gained a couple of kilograms," Mangu said, leading Li Yu over before leaving to arrange the relocation of their base.

This Second Brother, named Gebu, was locked inside an electrified Metal Cage. His hands were scorched black, clearly the result of touching the bars multiple times.

He kept his head lowered. He reeked all over, his hair was a mess, and he wore a black Gene Suppressor around his wrist, making him look quite pitiful.

Clang! The Metal Cage rattled slightly, and a few electric arcs crackled around Li Yu's feet, though he paid them no mind.

Gebu shuddered all over and slowly raised his head. Instantly, the nightmare that had been lingering in his mind appeared right before his eyes.

Gebu would never forget the scene in the Villa that day. The three brothers had united their strengths to fight the enemy, yet the result was one dead, one injured, and one reduced to being a lapdog.

A look of terror flashed across his face. His yellow pupils trembled slightly as he shrank backward, instinctively touching the electrified bars.

The crackling sound of electricity was mixed with his miserable wails.

"Do you want to get out?" Li Yu's voice echoed in Gebu's ears, instantly sparking his desire to live.

"I do... I do..." he nodded hastily. Thoughts of avenging his brother were instantly cast to the back of his mind. After experiencing several days of inhuman torment, he just wanted to go out and embrace the light.

After all, he was a C-Class Lifeform. No matter where he went, he could receive excellent treatment, which was far better than being treated like a dog here.

"Very well. I have a task for you..." A strange light flickered in Li Yu's eyes.

...

"...Please tell His Highness Saster that we are searching with all our might..."

Boiling Blood faced the Holographic Screen with a calm and resolute expression. On the screen was Rui Jin. Facing the Sun-Hunter Squad, Rui Jin did not act arrogantly, merely frowning as he said:

"That Gelo is truly too arrogant. To think he actually dared to call and mock us afterward."

Boiling Blood's eyes flickered, and he said in a deep voice, "Rest assured, we will handle that Prismatic Yellow-Eyed Remnant."

Due to the Amethyst Civilization's ambiguous handling of the situation, the Sun-Hunter Squad had not been subjected to any pursuit.

Rui Jin nodded and continued, "There is one more thing. After Satan died, his Adjutant secretly contacted His Highness the Prince, attempting to use his influence to take over Satan's position. If necessary, you can have him assist you."

"I understand..." Boiling Blood nodded. He was not surprised; Saster's influence within the Amethyst Civilization was indeed immense.

If the previous Satan had not been at odds with Saster—or rather, deliberately at odds with him—he would not have been dispatched to garrison the Inuit Hub, which was an extremely lucrative position.

The reason the Amethyst Civilization sent Satan over was specifically to prevent Saster from extending his reach too far.

Unfortunately, he encountered the Sun-Hunter Squad, who lacked martial ethics, and was directly wiped out.

The cost of eliminating Satan was not as casual and effortless as it seemed on the surface. Dark tides had begun to surge among the High Echelon of the Amethyst Civilization; they were merely brewing for now.

Hanging up the communication, Boiling Blood immediately ordered, "Contact that Adjutant. We need to access the Inuit Hub's surveillance system to filter out traces of Kansa."

Several squad members immediately acknowledged the order and went to their respective tasks. Not far away, Nobus fiercely pounded a giant sandbag, his robust muscles constantly bulging.

"Captain, look at this video..." Sanchez walked over holding a Holographic Screen. A video was playing on it—it was exactly the footage of Kansa being taken away.

Boiling Blood glanced at the video, his brows furrowing slightly. "What about this video?"

Claptrap could confirm that the person was Kansa because Kansa's mimicked appearance was registered in its database.

However, the Sun-Hunter Squad had no way of confirming that this was Kansa.

"This video circulated on the Interstellar Network for a while before it was taken down, and it was officially blocked. I suspect..." Sanchez analyzed.

"You suspect that he is Kansa?" Boiling Blood finished Sanchez's sentence. His expression remained indifferent as he continued, "Then tell me, who is that group of Black-Armored Men? Besides us, who else would want to harm Kansa?"

Another squad member added, "This might simply be because the Amethyst Civilization does not want any more public opinion detrimental to the Inuit Hub, so they blocked this video."

Sanchez wanted to say something more, but Boiling Blood shook his head and said, "Let us treat it as a lead for now. Go track down where those people went."

Sanchez's expression lifted slightly, and he nodded. "Yes, Captain!"

Just then, Boiling Blood's Smart Terminal rang. He glanced at it, and his gaze shifted slightly. It was an unknown video communication link.

Very few people knew his contact information. Moreover, at a time like this, why would a stranger suddenly reach out to him?

After pondering for a moment, he chose to connect. A Holographic Screen projected from the Smart Terminal, and Gebu's large face filled the entire screen.

"!!!"

Boiling Blood's pupils contracted as he stared at Gebu in the video. Rui Jin was indeed correct; the audacity of this group was truly extraordinary.

To think he actually dared to contact him!?

The others also instantly noticed something was wrong, their breathing pausing slightly.

Were these Prismatic Yellow-Eyed Remnants really this brave? They actually dared to show up and provoke them.

"Are you Your Excellency Boiling Blood?" Gebu asked with a hint of flattery.

Boiling Blood keenly sensed something was amiss. This guy's attitude seemed a bit too subservient.

"That is correct..." Boiling Blood nodded calmly. "Who are you?"

"I am Gebu..." Gebu hurriedly introduced himself.

"That Second Brother?" Boiling Blood instantly recalled the Second Brother from the information on the Prismatic Yellow-Eyed Remnants. At the time, Gelo had claimed he was out selling materials, so Boiling Blood had not even taken it to heart.

"Yes..." Gebu first nodded, then put on an expression of deep sorrow. "I never expected that my eldest brother would betray the great His Highness Prince Saster."

"Your Excellency Boiling Blood, you have no idea how much pain I felt in my heart when I received this news."

"His Highness the Prince is such a great figure. He has been so good to us Prismatic Yellow-Eyed Remnants, even providing us with work. I truly cannot understand why he betrayed him."

Ignoring Gebu's excessive flattery, Boiling Blood extracted the information he wanted to know and asked impassively, "You did not know he was going to betray the Prince?"

"I did not!" Gebu declared firmly. "He sent both me and my third brother away at the time. We had absolutely no idea about his actions!"

This detail matched up. Boiling Blood did not easily believe Gebu, changing the subject to ask, "Why are you contacting me now?"

"I just want to clarify one thing. What Gelo did on his own has nothing to do with us Prismatic Yellow-Eyed Remnants. I hope Prince Saster will not hold us accountable."

Gebu provided a relatively convincing reason: fearing Prince Saster's retaliation, he had come to explain.

This sort of plot development made sense. The Prismatic Yellow-Eyed Remnants were nothing. Who knew what had gotten into that Gelo to make him dare rebel against Prince Saster—was he not afraid of becoming a sinner who caused the extinction of his race?

Boiling Blood spoke indifferently, "Perhaps, but His Highness the Prince likely does not care. One Gelo or the entire Prismatic Yellow-Eyed Remnants make no difference in his eyes. Since you have become an annoyance, he will simply make you disappear."

"What if I hand Gelo over to you..." Gebu gritted his teeth, seemingly in a deep internal struggle.

"Oh..." Boiling Blood's eyes gleamed. "Go on..."