Chapter 78: Each Takes a Step Back

"You?"

Ever since Li Yu had delivered Xia En, Hel had not looked him straight in the eye. This was not meant as an insult; there simply was no need to pay him any attention.

In her understanding, locating Xia En was likely the work of the master-level figure behind Li Yu, having little to do with this insignificant nobody.

Her deal was with that master-level figure, not with Li Yu, so there was no need to engage with him much.

Mo Duo and Hunter did their best to blend into the background, trying not to stand out.

Hunter was internally groaning. 'Why is hanging around this kid even more dangerous than when I served in Augu?'

"You have a way?" Hel asked with a hint of skepticism. Even if he had a master-level figure backing him, his personal strength was far too weak.

"Perhaps..." Li Yu gave an uncertain answer, as he honestly did not know if it would work.

Hel immediately frowned. She shot Li Yu a glance and shook her head. "Forget it, let us not waste time. Ten Eyes... engage combat mode!"

"Your Highness..." Li Yu spoke up again, but Hel waved him off, clearly unwilling to listen. He did not even have a concrete plan, so what nonsense was he spouting?

"Heh..." Xia En could not help but chuckle. Having been toyed with by Li Yu this whole time, seeing the man get shut down brought him a fair amount of satisfaction.

Li Yu shot him a side-glance. 'What the hell are you laughing at?'

Seeing Li Yu actually trying to warn him with a look, Xia En instantly doubled down. "A situation like this is no longer something you can involve yourself in. Handing me over is the only correct choice."

'Now you realize your limitations, right? No matter how capable you think you are, you are just a nobody. If my genes had not been extracted, I would have crushed you easily.'

Li Yu shot him another glance, still not saying a word...

"The interstellar situation is not something you can comprehend. Do not get full of yourself just because you had some minor epiphanies." Xia En felt increasingly smug the more he spoke, launching into an endless tirade.

He was finally getting back at Li Yu for all the times the man had looked down on him...

Hearing Xia En's endless rambling, Hel inexplicably found herself intrigued. "Do you hate him that much?"

Xia En immediately choked on his words. An Imperial Noble possessed inherent pride; how could he casually harbor hatred for just anyone?

"No..." He shook his head, feigning a light and carefree demeanor. "I was just making a casual remark..."

'You call that a casual remark? You were practically spitting everywhere,' Li Yu thought.

"Your stubborn pride has not changed a bit..." Hel suddenly let out a soft laugh. She knew Xia En well; he would not easily gnash his teeth in anger at just anyone.

She suddenly found herself slightly curious about Li Yu...

"What do you have in mind?" she asked Li Yu.

Li Yu was inexplicably surprised and glanced at Xia En. 'This kid is pretty effective.' He could roughly guess what was going through Hel's mind.

"Your Highness... we do not have much time left. Could you turn off the engine first and let me go over to negotiate?" Li Yu probed.

"Negotiate?" Hel frowned once more, but she did not outright refuse, because Li Yu specifically asked to go over there himself to negotiate.

This was equivalent to gambling with his own life. Unless the man was a lunatic, he had to have some degree of confidence.

And a person who kidnapped Xia En in an attempt to secure a path to survival did not look like a lunatic in the slightest.

"You should know... there is no possibility for a normal negotiation..." Hel pointed out suggestively. After all, her status as the Princess of the Night was useless here, let alone Li Yu's.

"I understand..." Li Yu nodded. "I possess a special negotiation technique."

Hunter was rendered speechless. 'A special negotiation technique... That is classic you.'

He did not believe Li Yu could actually persuade Dark Star to let them leave without handing over Xia En.

Would that not be asking the other party to betray the Star Glory Empire?

'But this guy... could he be planning to defect?' Hunter's pupils contracted. 'Defecting to Dark Star this way, selling us out to secure his own survival.'

'Damn it... the more I think about it, the more likely it seems...'

Mo Duo stared at Hunter. 'What is this old man overthinking now? Why are his emotional fluctuations so violent?'

'Forget it, I cannot let him cause any trouble.' Mo Duo's eyes flashed, and Hunter's body stiffened, falling completely still.

At that moment, Ten Eyes seemed to sense something, its ten pale eyeballs shifting slightly.

"In that case, go and give it a try..." Hel pondered for a moment. After calming down, she realized that a desperate, life-risking method was indeed not advisable.

As for the possibility of him defecting to the enemy, Hel had never even considered it. In her mind, Li Yu was backed by a master-level figure who was extremely dissatisfied with the Star Glory Empire.

If Li Yu did such a thing, he would likely be unable to escape the wrath of the entity behind him.

As for how she came to the conclusion of this dissatisfaction with the Star Glory Empire... was it not obvious? Returning Xia En to the Empire would have yielded the greatest benefits.

Yet that figure had chosen not to do so...

"Thank you for your trust..." Li Yu nodded. He paused for a moment before looking back at Xia En. "Thanks, man..."

Xia En's face flushed bright red... He was so infuriated he could not speak. All the mockery he had thrown at Li Yu moments ago did not hurt half as much as those simple words.

......

On the Dark Star main ship, Dark Star silently stared at the pitch-black warship. A countdown slowly ticked away on the holographic screen.

Suddenly... the dazzling patterns on that black ship gradually dimmed.

"Your Excellency Dark Star... the engine of the HMS Silence has suddenly shut down, and its main cannon has retracted. They also sent us a negotiation request—a face-to-face meeting?" The speaker wore a strange expression. A face-to-face meeting? What on earth?

"A negotiation?" Dark Star's eyes flickered slightly. "Let their person come over... Also, halt the attack countdown."

A black small aircraft approached Dark Star. As it drew closer, the overwhelming, oppressive aura made Li Yu's heart tremble.

A hatch opened on the Dark Star main ship. After undergoing rigorous scanning to ensure he carried no weapons, the metal tag around his neck was inspected thoroughly, over and over again.

It was the only metal item on his entire body...

"Bro... It is just a pendant I bought on the street, is all this really necessary?" Li Yu felt utterly speechless.

The Dark Star marauders wore dark red armor that entirely encased their bodies, the surface covered in metal plates that resembled scale armor.

Once they confirmed there were no issues, they did not utter a single word. A guard simply waved his hand, signaling for someone to lead Li Yu inside.

Even if Li Yu had never seen other marauders, he knew the caliber of these Dark Star soldiers was highly unusual—they were far too disciplined and professional.

After passing through layer upon layer of security checks, he finally arrived at the ship cabin of the Dark Star main ship. The space was incredibly expansive, with countless holographic screens suspended in mid-air.

One of them clearly displayed a detailed profile on him...

He turned a blind eye to it and gave a slight nod to the tall, straight-backed middle-aged man standing before him. "Greetings, Your Excellency Dark Star... Her Highness Hel sends her regards."

"What is Hel's intention?" A figure completely encased in crimson armor behind Dark Star spoke up. Dark Star merely watched in silence.

A boss had to maintain a certain level of prestige; he could not just speak up casually.

"Her Highness's intention is... that each takes a step back. You refrain from firing, and we will not hand over Xia En. Let us simply part ways," Li Yu said sincerely.