Chapter 93: No One Gets to Act Tough in Front of Me!

Dock No. 13 was a port belonging to the Black Skull. A massive number of spaceships were parked here, but in reality, very few actually belonged to the Black Skull themselves.

They only stopped here for resupply when passing through. After all, their own people were exempt from docking fees, making foreign spaceships their primary source of income.

When Li Yu and his three companions arrived, several Marauders belonging to the Black Skull were yelling, cursing, and acting incredibly aggressive. Some were even firing their guns into the sky, causing colorful bursts of energy to explode in the air.

They were heading deeper into the facility.

"Are these the legendary Marauders? How adorable..." Li Yu wore a bizarre expression as he watched the Black Skull Marauders march forward with united purpose.

Not a single person spared him a glance as they marched toward the Warehouse under the watchful eyes of everyone else.

"A bunch of idiots," Hunter scoffed.

They looked like they were fired up and ready for battle, but in reality, their top priority right now should have been locking down the port to prevent the enemy from escaping.

Instead, they were yelling and shouting on their way to the Warehouse, which accomplished absolutely nothing.

"Rumor has it that the Black Skull's Warehouse was attacked, and the manager in charge has completely disappeared. The place is a total mess right now. I heard a fight has already broken out!" a fat catfish-like alien explained enthusiastically.

"Who is so badass? They actually started a fight with the Black Skull?" The listeners were quite surprised.

"Haha!" The fat catfish roared with laughter. "That guy left a long time ago. The ones fighting right now are just Marauders scrambling to loot the Warehouse's inventory!"

Hearing this, Li Yu was instantly taken aback. He immediately opened the local Black Hole Network, and sure enough, a massive number of Marauders were discussing the incident.

There were even a few blurry videos from the scene. The deafening roar of explosions was continuous, and a towering figure stood in the center of the battlefield. It seemed to be that powerful Troll boss.

"Like I said, these Marauders are truly adorable."

Weren't they basically allies at this point? They were perfectly distracting the Black Skull, creating the perfect opportunity for their escape.

Li Ping opened the port's heavy metal doors, and a sleek, silver-white hull instantly drew the attention of both Li Yu and Hunter.

Li Yu's eyes were filled with sheer amazement, but Hunter's expression was far more complex. Was it infatuation? Nostalgia? Longing? Fear?

A whirlwind of complicated emotions flashed across his face, resembling a man who had not touched a woman in years suddenly finding a gorgeous, naked beauty lying right in front of him.

"Mr. Li Ping, who might these people be?" a few staff members asked in confusion.

"These are the inspectors sent by Mr. Mavi. Start up the spaceship, and then you may leave," Li Ping replied, his expression completely normal.

"This..." one of the men hesitated, looking troubled. "This doesn't comply with standard procedures."

"The client must be present in person to initiate the inspection process, and... we need to accompany you the entire time."

Li Ping stared hard at the man. "Are you trying to force an infamous Marauder to come down here and listen to you ramble on for two whole hours?"

"You can notify him yourself!"

The man immediately fell silent. Marauders... to people like them who lived deep within the territory of the Star Glory Empire, such ruthless criminals were a terrifying, albeit distant, concept.

After the staff members were chased away, Li Yu promptly dragged the dying Mavi out and snapped his dislocated jaw back into place.

"So it was... you!" Mavi wheezed weakly. He lay in the metallic cabin like a dead dog, his limbs completely limp. Only his head could barely turn.

Seeing the Goblin's miserable state, Li Ping felt a deep sympathetic resonance, and his fear of Li Yu intensified.

"I need to borrow your body for a moment," Li Yu explained politely to Mavi.

"You damn traitor, aren't you afraid of Karmon's punishment?" Mavi barked at Li Ping, then glared coldly at Li Yu. "Keep dreaming. I would rather die than cooperate with you."

"What a tough guy." Li Yu gave him a thumbs up. Finding a true hard-ass among Goblins was incredibly rare, considering they were a race known for literally packaging and selling themselves for the right price.

"But aren't you misunderstanding something? I am merely informing you, not asking for your con— Hmm?" As Li Yu was speaking, he caught sight of Hunter wandering around aimlessly out of the corner of his eye.

The man was acting like a total creep, stroking the spaceship all over. Every inch of cold metal seemed to send a tremor through his scarred heart.

"Hey, baldy! Stop touching everything. Don't break my ship!" Li Yu scolded.

Hunter let out a long sigh, yet another fresh wound added to his already battered soul.

A metallic cylinder rose from the center of the cabin, displaying a metal control panel on top. "Verification process initiated. Please scan fingerprint."

Li Yu lifted Mavi's limp arm and, ignoring the Goblin's pained wails, successfully scanned his fingerprint.

"Please scan iris pattern."

"Please scan genetic profile."

"Please provide voiceprint." At this step, the process stalled. Enduring the agony, Mavi sneered coldly, "Forget it. I will absolutely never cooperate."

"You are too dramatic." Li Yu shook his head and glanced at the cold beauty beside him. "Are you feeling better?"

"I am fine." Mo Duo shook her head, her amber eyes shimmering with a faint light. Mavi was instantly gripped by inexplicable terror. "The Blazing Eye..."

Before he could finish his sentence, he lost consciousness and fell completely under Mo Duo's control.

'No wonder they knew I was hiding earlier...' Li Ping suddenly realized. He had been too terrified to notice before, but everything made perfect sense now.

"*" Mavi mechanically recited a string of voice passcodes, completing the final verification.

Accompanied by a low hum, the entire spaceship lit up. "Welcome, honorable Mr. Mavi. The Mavi is at your service."

"Transfer control authority... designate target..." Mavi continued to speak mechanically. Since he possessed the highest level of clearance, he could naturally transfer it.

"Designated target, please scan fingerprint... iris pattern... genetic profile... voiceprint."

Li Yu stepped forward and repeated the steps, successfully acquiring the maximum authority over the Mavi.

"Load Artificial Intelligence... take over the Mavi." Li Yu placed his Smart Terminal onto a metal sphere, and streams of data cascaded down like a digital waterfall.

"Artificial Intelligence loading..." The lights throughout the ship began to flicker, and shortly after, a familiar voice echoed through the cabin.

"Master, I have assumed control of all the ship's systems." A brilliant glow flared as Claptrap's inverted triangle form projected into the cabin, looking exactly as it had in the Junkyard.

The cabin's holographic projection capabilities were merely basic infrastructure for this billion-coin vessel.

"Long time no see." Seeing the familiar projection, Li Yu could not help but feel pleased.

"Reattach one of his arms," Mo Duo told Li Yu. "I will transfer all the Star Coins from his Black Hole Network accounts to you."

"You really do know me best, my dear Mo Duo." Li Yu cheerfully snapped one of Mavi's arms back into its socket.

Mo Duo's expression stiffened slightly, but she remained silent. A glowing blue Holographic Screen appeared in front of Mavi, and he began initiating the transfers.

"Seventy million Star Coins? That is it?" Li Yu's eyes went wide. The amount was surprisingly small.

"He probably spent everything commissioning this spaceship," Li Ping whispered.

"Fair point." Li Yu nodded. Then, as if suddenly remembering something, he asked, "What about the Black Skull's accounts? With such massive amounts of Star Coins flowing through the Warehouse, there has to be a master account."

"That might be quite difficult," Li Ping explained carefully, eager to prove his worth.

"Accounts of that magnitude are likely partnered directly with the Black Hole Network. Mavi probably doesn't have the authority to move those funds."

The Black Hole Network, the dark side of the interstellar web, was the fertile soil in which all criminals thrived.

Some claimed the Black Hole Network was a naturally occurring byproduct of the interstellar network, like a lingering glitch or a systemic bug.

Others argued that it was manipulated by hidden string-pullers possessing unimaginably advanced technology.

Black Hole accounts offered practically zero security guarantees. As long as someone had the password, they could instantly transfer the assets.

However, once the flow of capital reached a certain threshold, the Black Hole Network would provide higher-tier security services.

"What a shame," Li Yu sighed.

"Claptrap, power up the ship. Let's get out of here."

"Yes, my honorable Master." Claptrap immediately executed the command. The entire vessel began to shudder as a series of warning alarms blared.

The metal docking bay opened, revealing the sleek silver-white spacecraft as blazing purple exhaust flames erupted from its thrusters.

As the vessel slowly lifted into the sky, it caught the eyes of countless Marauders. The pristine, brand-new spacecraft filled every onlooker with unbridled greed.

"Whose ship is that? It looks incredible."

"Incredible doesn't even begin to cover it! See that logo? That is a Karmon Custom. They don't take orders for anything under half a billion Star Coins."

"Half a billion..." The Marauders' eyes gleamed with raw avarice, and a few of them secretly began powering up their own ships.

"Wait... isn't that the port Lord Mavi ordered us to secure? Oh no!"

Someone finally realized what was happening. Bearing the Black Skull insignia on his chest, he quickly pulled up his Smart Terminal and fired off a rapid string of messages.

Over in the Warehouse, Baal, who was busy brutally suppressing the riotous Marauders, felt his Smart Terminal vibrate. Glancing at his wrist, his pupils violently contracted, his expression shifting erratically before he instantly barked out a series of commands!

"Everyone, follow me to Dock No. 13!" he roared.

Back at Dock No. 13, a Marauder suddenly let out a shocked cry. "Damn! The Black Skull's Troll commander just issued a kill order for that ship!"

"That belongs to Mavi! Finders keepers, boys!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Get it!"

Swarms of Marauders scrambled onto their dilapidated vessels and, driven by pure greed, launched themselves toward the silver-white spaceship that had just taken flight.

"Master, I am detecting a large number of incoming vessels," Claptrap reported.

Li Yu, who had been studying the ship's various functions, frowned at the dense swarm of Marauder ships buzzing toward them like locusts. "They are here to intercept us?"

"Baal has issued a bounty. Whoever captures this vessel gets to keep it." Claptrap pulled up Baal's broadcast from the Black Hole Network.

Li Yu immediately flew into a rage. "Those complete idiots! This is my ship! Why are they taking Baal's word for it?"

"Claptrap, let them taste your power!"

"Yes, Master!"

The Mavi had just exited the docks and entered open space. Since it had not yet initiated a Warp, its speed was relatively slow, and multiple colorful beams of energy were already tearing through the void toward them.

These Marauders were utterly merciless, opening fire without a second thought.

The energy beams slammed into the ship's exterior, causing rippling patterns like stones thrown into a pond. The blasts were completely absorbed by the Flexible Energy Field, an advanced defensive mechanism vastly superior to a standard energy shield.

Square hatches slid open across the ship's silver-white hull, launching numerous metallic cubes into space. The cubes swiftly unfolded, transforming into swarms of miniature autonomous drones—the Swarm Floating Cannons.

Streaks of silver-white lasers shot out, striking the dilapidated Marauder ships with pinpoint accuracy. The vessels equipped with shields managed to survive one or two hits.

But the ships lacking shields exploded instantly, blooming into silent fireworks against the backdrop of the starry sky.

"They don't even have shields! How did they have the guts to attack?" Li Yu was left speechless, forming a newfound respect for the sheer, suicidal bravery of these Marauders.

"Master, there are too many of them. I advise immediate evacuation."

More and more Marauder ships were taking flight. It wasn't just Dock No. 13 anymore; neighboring ports had noticed the commotion and were launching their own fleets to join the fray.

"Begin Main Cannon Charging! Let's teach them a lesson they won't forget!" Li Yu commanded, glaring at the overwhelming swarm of ships.

"Understood!"

"Wait..." Hunter, who had been sitting quietly in the corner, finally spoke up. He slowly rose to his feet. At some point, he had put his Cowboy Hat back on. Tugging the brim down slightly, he spoke in a low, gravelly voice.

"Let me handle this. Firing the main cannon wastes far too much energy."

Li Yu narrowed his eyes. The sheer stench of someone trying desperately to act cool was suffocating.

"You just want to fly the spaceship, don't you?" Li Yu asked bluntly.

"Energy Blocks are very expensive right now... The interstellar situation has been turbulent lately, so prices have skyrocketed... There's no need to waste them," Hunter offered a stoic explanation.

"You just want to fly the spaceship." Li Yu was absolutely certain now. Since when did Hunter care about saving him money?

"You..." Hunter was momentarily speechless, shaking his head. "Forget it."

"Resume charging," Li Yu ordered, completely noncommittal. Looking at the locust-like swarm of Marauder ships, he sighed deeply. "What a beautiful spaceship. It is a shame we can only flee in disarray from these bugs."

"If only she had a perfect pilot. Someone who could dance through the stars as gracefully as a butterfly, transforming her into a scythe-wielding grim reaper that harvests lives without letting a single drop of blood stain her hull..."

Hunter's genetic instincts flared to life. He abruptly stood back up, his face entirely devoid of emotion. "You win. I just want to fly the spaceship."

"Hahaha!" Li Yu burst into uncontrollable laughter, then suddenly deadpanned, "Beg me."

"You little fu—" Hunter glared furiously, only to see Li Yu start laughing again. "I'm just kidding. Claptrap, switch to manual mode. Let's see just how much skill this former Imperial Captain has left."

Nobody gets to act tough in front of me! Not even Jesus himself!

Hunter let out a cold snort, but a fierce, burning excitement surged in his chest. The Cockpit slid open, and he settled into the pilot's seat. His heart pounded rapidly as his fingers traced over the complex array of controls.

He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he spoke again, his tone was completely different.

"Claptrap, unless you calculate an incoming attack capable of depleting the Energy Field by thirty percent, do not attempt to wrest control from me."

"Understood."

"Hold on tight!" Hunter slammed the thrusters forward. The purple exhaust flames instantly doubled in length, and the ship's speed skyrocketed. With a sudden barrel roll, the Mavi flipped around, turning its rear thrusters away to face the massive fleet of Marauders head-on.

If not for the spacecraft's high-end inertial dampeners, that single maneuver would have made everyone in the cabin throw up instantly.

"Why did that ship turn around?!"

"What are they trying to do?"

Panicked and bewildered shouts echoed across the Marauders' public comms channels.

"Oh no... it is charging right at us!"

In the boundless expanse of space, the silver-white ship left behind trails of vibrant purple light. Moving at the absolute maximum speed achievable outside of a Warp state, it became a literal blur.

Boom!

It smashed straight through the nearest Marauder vessel, blowing it to pieces. From the silent clouds of debris and smoke, a sleek silver streak shot forward unabated.

"Fire!"

The Marauders screamed, unleashing a chaotic barrage of countless lasers, electromagnetic pulses, and fluctuating energy waves right at the ship's nose.

"Heh." Hunter chuckled coldly. His hands flew across the console like phantoms. The Mavi bobbed wildly up and down like a ship riding violent ocean waves, smoothly stringing together high-difficulty maneuvers like lateral drifts and sharp barrel rolls.

Of the sky-blackening volley of attacks, only about ten percent actually managed to scrape the ship's hull.

Under such violently erratic movements, even the advanced stabilizers were not enough to save Li Ping. He started dry heaving as stomach acid rushed up to his throat, making him dizzy and faint.

Hunter had fully plunged into the enemy fleet like a wolf among sheep, beginning an absolute massacre. He fired no weapons, simply relying on the sheer kinetic force of the Energy Field to ram the fragile Marauder ships to pieces.

"The force of these collisions is actually lower than the damage from their focused energy attacks. Utilizing this method saves an enormous amount of power while simultaneously dealing catastrophic damage. Therefore, wasting fuel to charge the main cannon is a highly irrational move," Hunter explained smoothly.

However, he was met with dead silence. There was not even a half-hearted response to validate his incredible skills.

Glancing out of the corner of his eye, Hunter's face darkened. Li Yu and the others had retreated to the very back of the cabin, deliberately putting as much distance between themselves and the Cockpit as possible.

"You absolute bastards!" Hunter roared in frustration, instantly cranking the ship's speed up another notch.

Li Yu knew exactly how to completely ruin a man's attempt at acting cool.

Defying his previous evasion tactics, Hunter suddenly began flying in a perfectly straight line, prompting a massive swarm of Marauder ships to give chase, relentlessly firing at their thrusters.

Seizing the perfect opportunity, Hunter executed a violent drifting U-turn, whipping the ship around once more. At the Mavi's bow, the massive Cannon Barrel was now visibly surging with dense, blinding energy.

Because of the varying speeds of the pursuing ships, the enemy fleet had naturally clustered into a tight, arrow-like formation, lining up perfectly in a neat row.

"Fire!" Hunter bellowed, his eyes wide as he smashed his fist down on the glowing red button. In that split second, it felt as though he had been transported back to the glorious days of the Augu fleet.

A blinding flash of light illuminated half of the Pale Land. Countless Marauders had absolutely no idea what had just hit them.

When the survivors looked up, all they could see was a magnificent chain reaction of exploding Marauder ships, violently blooming in a scene of terrifying beauty.

"Bleurgh!"

Li Ping finally could not hold it in anymore, vomiting violently all over the deck.

"Claptrap, initiate Warp..." Hunter muttered, his eyes vacant and devoid of focus, exuding the profound emptiness of a man who had just finished climaxing.

The silver ship shuddered violently before spacetime warped around it, vanishing completely into the void.

...

Deep within a fractured Asteroid Belt, the environment was shrouded in a gloomy twilight. Only the faint, dying glow of a distant star managed to penetrate the darkness.

A silver spaceship abruptly materialized...

Li Yu glared unpleasantly at the heavily retching Li Ping, genuinely debating whether killing him right now was worth the hassle.

Hunter stood up listlessly. All he needed was a cigarette dangling from his lips to complete the post-coital aesthetic.

"Didn't you say we needed to save energy? Why the hell did you fire the main cannon anyway?!" Li Yu redirected his intense irritation onto Hunter.

"The atmosphere was perfect. It just felt wrong not to push the button," Hunter explained weakly.

"Why do I feel like you just blasted your entire life force away in that shot?" Li Yu suspiciously eyed Hunter's crotch. Truly, a man's fetishes knew no bounds.

Hunter merely crouched in a corner, too lazy to grace Li Yu with a response. It was impossible to tell what he was brooding over.

Li Ping finally managed to recover slightly. Staring at the mess of vomit all over the floor, he felt incredibly anxious. He cautiously glanced at Li Yu, only to find the man staring blankly at nothing, seemingly lost in thought.

"L-Lord Claptrap, could you please clean this up?" he asked hesitantly.

"Deploying cleaning Robots now."

Li Ping immediately breathed a heavy sigh of relief.

Li Yu was currently browsing through his newly updated System Log.

[Day 7 - Dune World: The Fremen revere you as a deity, and some have even begun hailing you as the Savior.

This slowly caused Paul's mother to grow deeply vigilant. The Bene Gesserit transmitted the news of the Savior's arrival throughout the entire empire.

They refused to let you reap the fruits of their labor. During House Atreides' pursuit, she deliberately left a trail of clues that forced you into a bitter, grinding battle. Ultimately, you died by the hands of House Atreides...

Vital Signs lost: Clone deemed deceased...]

[Acquired Special Item - Saint Mother's Cost. Would you like to extract it?]

[Survival Reward - 7 Days - Acquired Special Item - Juvenile Sandworm.]

[Clone retrieved... Cooling down... Cooldown time: 24 hours...]

'Dead?' A massive question mark practically appeared over Li Yu's head. 'And killed by a literal backstab? That is ridiculous...'

'If I had sent Clone One, none of this would have happened. He probably would have just conquered Paul's mother right then and there. Hell, they might have even had a kid by now.'

'No wonder the system rewarded me with Saint Mother's Cost. How utterly ironic.'