Chapter 83: You Guys Might As Well Fight

"Citizens of Heavenly Desolate Star, through our tireless efforts, we have finally reclaimed Heavenly Desolate Star from the hands of Dark Star..."

On the giant screen, the Archon of Heavenly Desolate Star, who had been missing for days, was delivering a solemn speech. Tears welled up in his eyes. "You have all suffered greatly during this time..."

One by one, the citizens emerged from their homes and walked onto the streets. They raised their heads, gazing at the familiar Archon on the screen...

"During this period, you have all endured countless hardships. Perhaps some of your friends... or family are no longer with us. Perhaps..." He choked back a sob several times.

"But none of you surrendered... none of you bowed your heads!"

"Honorable citizens of Heavenly Desolate Star, you are heroes. Every single one of you is a hero!"

The citizens of Heavenly Desolate Star looked at each other in dismay. 'We were just locked in our houses. It is not like we went through a massacre. What is he crying about?'

Still... this speech sounded incredibly passionate...

Inside the Governor's Mansion, an old man stepped away from the Camera Robot. The emotional expression on his face instantly vanished, replaced by a dark scowl.

"Have you figured it out?" His expression was cold and stern. "What exactly was stored behind that wall?"

After retaking control of the Governor's Mansion, he had conducted a comprehensive inspection of the premises to ensure Dark Star had not left behind any surveillance equipment.

His subordinates had actually found a wall with residual welding marks, but there was no surveillance equipment hidden behind it.

Instead, they found a hollow cavity. This hidden compartment had existed for a very long time; it was definitely not left behind by Dark Star...

Which meant that something had originally been hidden there, and it had now been taken away.

"My Lord, we cannot find any clues. We cannot even determine the timeframe..." someone said, hanging their head in shame.

He furrowed his brows deeply. "Bring Isos here..."

Someone received the order and left. Before long, an old man with a dazed expression slowly walked into the room.

Isos... the Vice-Archon... held very little actual power. His role was merely to assist the Archon, which was precisely why he had managed to stay in this position for so long.

He felt absolutely terrible. 'Where did my massive underground organization go? Three out of the four leaders are dead, and the last one is completely missing.'

Furthermore... before they left, they had actually looted the latest batch of goods from Blue Sky Genetics, forcing the company to pay a massive Breach of Contract Penalty.

Although his relationship with Thorn Flame was highly secretive, someone could still trace the subtle clues back to him.

The board of directors at Blue Sky Genetics still wielded significant influence on Heavenly Desolate Star...

"Isos..." The Archon's call brought him back to reality.

"You were looking for me?" he asked, forcing a strained smile...

......

In the silent Void, a massive, blood-red cross-shaped warship sailed slowly forward, surrounded by numerous frigates. Dark Star stood at the Command Console, looking down at the busy staff members below.

"Liu Xing..." he suddenly spoke, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

"Your Excellency..." Liu Xing replied, her heart skipping a beat.

"I heard you caught someone involved in Underground Boxing?" Dark Star's tone was dark and profound, seemingly carrying a hidden meaning.

Liu Xing's pupils shrank, but she answered with composed calmness, "Yes, Your Excellency. More than one, actually. Just some disobedient fools."

"There is one named Gore among them..." Dark Star's words sent a wave of terror through Liu Xing's mind.

"He once fought against Li Yu, and the other party actually spared his life. Find out if there is any connection between those two..."

Liu Xing secretly let out a sigh of relief. 'Thank goodness... Dark Star didn't find out the truth.'

"Understood..." she agreed...

"After all... that is your father..." Dark Star turned around with a gentle smile on his face and patted Liu Xing's shoulder.

What... Liu Xing's eyes widened in sheer shock...

............

[Pale Land] – [Tango Inn]

This was an interstellar inn run by a Magos Donkey-person. When Li Yu and his two companions walked in, the owner was busy trimming his blackened donkey hooves.

His two donkey hooves rested on a stain-covered metal counter, emitting a foul stench that perfectly matched the rest of the inn.

"What pale and clean interstellar humans..." He glanced up at the trio before lowering his head again, continuing to trim with a massive pair of clippers. At the same time, he said,

"Ten thousand Star Coins per person..."

"That expensive?!" Hunter was startled. "Ten thousand Star Coins? You might as well rob us!"

"Am I not robbing you right now?" the Donkey-man replied honestly, without even raising his head.

"What a fucking scam..." Hunter muttered. He had only heard rumors about how ridiculously corrupt the No Man's Land System was, but now he was witnessing it firsthand.

"We will take three rooms..." Li Yu said, already mentally prepared for this.

"Three rooms?" The Donkey-man's voice suddenly pitched higher as he looked up. "Then it is not that price anymore... Thirty thousand per person, which comes out to a total of ninety thousand..."

Li Yu's eye twitched slightly. 'What kind of bullshit pricing rule is this...'

"Damn it... we are finding another place!" Hunter could not hold back anymore and immediately turned to leave.

"It is the same no matter where you go... Newcomer..." the Donkey-man sneered.

Li Yu paused his steps, turning back to stare at the guy. "Newcomer? What do you mean?"

The Donkey-man scratched at his foul-smelling foot and brought his hand up to his nose to take a whiff, instantly revealing an intoxicated expression.

"It is nothing... It is just that Newcomers rarely show up around here. I just find it a bit novel, that is all..."

'We just got off the spaceship... yet the news has already reached this place... These people really have nothing better to do...'

Li Yu gave him a deep look but did not say anything more. The three of them promptly walked out of the inn.

Just as they stepped out of the inn's doorway, three burly creatures surrounded them. They were a full three meters tall with tiny heads and massive bodies, giving them highly disproportionate figures.

The Gus-person was an interstellar race known for their abysmally low IQ but incredibly powerful physiques, making them perfect candidates for slaves.

Quite a few people had stopped nearby, looking over with mocking expressions, as if they had just stumbled upon some exciting entertainment.

Two Red Fox-people stood together, fully armed. One of them, a One-Eyed Fox, spoke up, "The last time Newcomers showed up was at Port Nine, right..."

"I remember that was two months ago. I heard those last few guys were tortured beyond recognition by Red Rose..." the other fox mused.

"Red Rose? Tsk, tsk... I suppose they were quite lucky, then..."

"What? If you are jealous, just go straight there. They welcome absolutely any species. Just yesterday, a few Manatee-People headed over to Red Rose."

On the other side, a few interstellar humans shook their heads. "What a pity... The Gus Brothers' Gang managed to get a head start on the fun this time..."

"How many pieces do you think those brainless brutes will tear them into?"

"..."

The brazen voices of their discussion fell clearly into the trio's ears, causing Hunter and Mo Duo's expressions to shift slightly.

Newcomers rarely ever came to the Pale Land. This place was far from being a beginner's zone...

"You... come with... us..." one of the Gus-people demanded in a muffled, booming voice.

"Come with you?" Li Yu stroked his chin. "We do not have a problem with that, but... someone else will not let us go with you."

"Who... dares!" The leading Gus-person widened his tiny eyes, looking incredibly comical.

"They do!" Li Yu pointed directly at the two Red Fox-people who had been speaking earlier.

They blinked, still failing to process the situation...

"You will not let them come with me?" the Gus-person bellowed in a dull roar.

The One-Eyed Fox looked as if he had just swallowed a mouthful of shit. 'What a moron,' he thought, shaking his head. "We didn't stop them..."

"They didn't stop us..." Li Yu chimed in again.

"But earlier, they also wanted to take us away with them..."

"Now you want to take us away too. Who exactly should we follow? You are putting us in a really difficult position here..."

He put on a conflicted expression before his face suddenly lit up with joy. "Tell you what. You guys might as well fight. Whoever wins, we will go with them."