Chapter 21: Blazing Eye Past

The status hierarchy among the group roughly went like this: Li Yu at the top, followed by Claptrap, then Mo Duo, and finally Hunter at the bottom.

Hunter had no choice but to follow Li Yu now. He only had himself to blame for not stabbing Li Yu in the back in time to defect to Third Fatty. At this point, he could only follow Li Yu down this dark path to the bitter end.

As a seasoned veteran, he lacked the naive notion of trying to contact Third Fatty right now. Fence-sitters usually died horrible deaths.

The group couldn't come up with a proper name. Right then, the System Log refreshed. The Idiot Avatar had just lived through his ninth day in The Matrix.

[Day Nine: Perhaps due to the main body's incessant nagging, or perhaps because you covet the girls in the Matrix World, you do not want to be treated as the Savior.

Through your deliberate guidance, Morpheus finally turned his attention to Neo. When the red and blue pills were placed before him, you knew everything was about to begin.]

'Thank goodness the Avatar wasn't brain-dead enough to actually impersonate the Savior.' Being targeted by the Matrix was no joke. It was best to delay it for as long as possible.

The facilities here were quite comprehensive. With the press of a single button, delicious food and drinks were delivered. The synthetic pork knuckles, dripping with golden grease, were incredibly appetizing.

No wonder some people thought Li Yu was just impersonating an E+ rank to enjoy a full meal.

"Yes, Master, there is an open network here." A glowing blue screen projected from the center of Claptrap's inverted triangular body.

"Look up the Blazing Eye Gem for me," Li Yu muttered, sprawling lazily across the sofa. His powerful stomach churned, digesting the relatively non-nutritious food.

Upon hearing those words, Mo Duo immediately looked over. Her expression shifted slightly as she vaguely sensed the curiosity and confusion within Li Yu's emotions.

"Right away, Master," Claptrap obediently replied. In just a few moments, a massive amount of data was projected on the screen.

"...The Blazing Eye Gem is created from the eyes of a Burning Eye Star-person through a special manufacturing process. By looking through the Blazing Eye Gem, one can perceive the vague inner emotions of biological organisms."

"There are even rumors stating that it allows the user to control the organism itself based on those emotions. Therefore, the Blazing Eye Gem holds extraordinary value."

"Oh?" Li Yu raised an eyebrow. 'Perceive the inner emotions of organisms? Even control them? That does sound quite extraordinary.'

Mo Duo pursed her lips, her expression remaining calm. She did not stare at Li Yu, and Li Yu did not look at her.

"Pull up the data on the Burning Eye Star-person," Li Yu ordered.

The screen flickered continuously as a buzzing sound echoed from Claptrap's shell. Massive streams of data flashed rapidly across its single eye.

"Master, most of the information regarding the Burning Eye Star-person cannot be found on the Interstellar Network within the borders of the Star Glory Empire. However, we can connect to the Black Hole Network from here."

"...Burning Eye Star-person: a humanoid species. Their primary characteristic is their red eyes. They resided on the Blazing Eye Star, a citizen planet of the Star Glory Empire."

"But it seems they have now vanished..."

"Vanished?" Hunter was taken aback. How could a citizen race of the Star Glory Empire suddenly disappear?

"According to information on the Black Hole Network, the disappearance of the Burning Eye Star-person is inextricably linked to certain high-ranking figures within the Star Glory Empire."

Claptrap continued searching through the data. "Currently, the price of a single Blazing Eye Gem on the Black Market is generally over ten million Star Coins. If two Blazing Eye Gems undergo DNA comparison and are confirmed to be a pair, the price multiplies several times over."

"And during its prime, the Blazing Eye Star had a population exceeding one million."

The group fell silent. This was a staggering number, representing terrifying profits that were enough to drive many to take desperate risks.

"Thank goodness your eyes aren't red," Li Yu sighed, turning to Mo Duo.

Mo Duo nodded, showing a trace of relief. "Yes, thank goodness they aren't red."

"Even if they were red, I would accept it," Hunter's poorly timed voice rang out.

"How many Star Coins do two mechanical eyes even cost? This trade would be a guaranteed profit."

Hunter couldn't stop shaking his head, seeming to resent the fact that his own eyes weren't red.

Mo Duo silently stared at Hunter, and Li Yu's expression turned subtle. Hunter suddenly shuddered for no apparent reason. 'Danger!'

Startled, he glanced around in bewilderment, shocked that he couldn't even sense where the feeling of danger was coming from.

Fortunately, Gugu's arrival bailed him out. This Goblin carried the mercenary nature etched into his race, an adaptability surpassing most species, and a boundless respect for the strong.

Upon first encountering Interstellar Society, he had immediately packaged and sold out his entire species to the Star Glory Empire. Now, they were active in many places.

"The testing equipment is ready. Please follow me."

Li Yu had no objections. He only needed to go alone this time, so neither Hunter nor Mo Duo followed him.

Exiting the Lounge and continuing deeper into the hall, they could see several fighters warming up. There were quite a few people here—in fact, one could even call it a crowd.

Every organism was unique. There was a member of the Fishman Race with a shark head, a muscular man lifting a massive barbell, and a guy wiping down his own modified mechanical prostheses.

The area for testing strength was simple. When the mechanical doors opened, the surroundings revealed stark white walls. It was extremely spacious, and because the walls were so pristine, the space almost seemed to stretch on infinitely.

He was not alone; quite a few people were waiting in line here, all of whom were fighters who had registered today.

The test itself was also simple, measuring just two aspects: speed and strength. There were no Espers here, as testing Espers required special instruments that were quite expensive.

"Hah!"

Right as Li Yu entered the door, he heard an explosive shout. A guy with a lion's head and a human's body smashed his fist into a humanoid target.

A number surfaced on the screen above the target: 4.4. Rating: F+.

"Strength matches the record. Next," the recording staff member on the side stated routinely.

Under normal circumstances, opponents of a corresponding strength rating were arranged for everyone. Only an evenly matched, brutal fight was worth watching; nobody wanted to see a one-sided slaughter.

Only those organisms capable of becoming top-tier attractions—like an E+ rank such as Li Yu—received a specialized process. They wouldn't face opponents of the same rank right off the bat.

Their reputation needed to be cultivated slowly in order to bring sufficient profits to the Tyron Chamber of Commerce.

"Make way, all of you make way! You bunch of F-rank trash shouldn't be wasting time here."

A cacophony of noise drifted from the back of the line. A familiar face forcefully shoved past quite a few people, aggressively pushing his way to the very front.

He possessed a silvery-white mechanical arm with five incredibly sharp fingers. A spiked metal thorn jutted out from the elbow, turning the entire limb into a massive lethal weapon.

It was the exact same person who had mocked Li Yu at the entrance. He marched to the front of the line and directly shoved aside the man who was about to take the test.

"Who the hell do you think you're pushing?!" That man, who was heavily muscled and possessed a fiery temper, glared furiously and immediately shoved him right back.

However, to his surprise, the cyborg remained completely unmoving. He glanced down at the large hand pressing against his chest and revealed an amused, playful smile.