Chapter 4193: The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (11)

Don't let the fact that Jeff is just a shark, seemingly lacking any offensive power, fool you; this guy is a comedic character. After a puff of smoke animation, he can bite six hundred times in three seconds. No energy shield is effective against him; he'll chew you right down into a bald chicken.

The group of Shi'ar Empire people screamed as they ran outside, shedding feathers all over the room as they fled. Yet, Pikachu's solemn expression didn't relax in the slightest. He said, "The nobles of the Shi'ar Empire have private armies. Every time they come, they bring two capital ships, and there are regular troops on board. My tavern has been trashed by them twice already; I reckon they'll be coming again this time."

"You've messed with them before?" Schiller asked.

"Of course. Do I look like the type to swallow my pride? After they finished causing trouble in my tavern, I turned around and poisoned them, or found some tough characters to ambush them; I've messed with them a few times. But they aren't stupid; they just turned around and trashed my bar."

"To think you could cause such a stir in just a few months. If you don't leave, I'll be seeing your wanted poster on the Interstellar News Network sooner or later," Schiller said, shaking his head.

"The two of us definitely have to leave now." Pikachu jumped onto the stair railing, waved at Schiller, and said, "Let's go out the back door; there's no need to have a direct confrontation with them."

Schiller followed him, bypassed the stairs, and arrived at the back door. To his surprise, there was a small garden in the backyard, planted with rows upon rows of hops. Schiller said with some surprise, "You're brewing Earth beer?"

"Of course. You have no idea how lethal Earth's alcohol is around here. I was even thinking of getting some grain to brew white spirits."

"Don't aliens know how to brew alcohol too?"

"Don't you know? The three great empires all prohibit alcohol. Brewing isn't allowed in the star sectors under their rule; only in lawless zones like Centaurus can you get alcohol. And most of it is handmade, resulting in some murky, weak beer. Only I have modern industrial-grade spirits here; this is a unique monopoly business. Why do you think those nobles come to bother me every day?"

Schiller understood immediately. These people couldn't compete with their own kind in their home countries, so they were relying on their technological gap to try and make some money. Pikachu's tavern had fine liquor, and the place was filled with pirates and mercenaries—professions that lived on the edge of a blade—so no one could refuse alcohol. Naturally, business was booming, and that's why they were being targeted.

They crossed the garden, followed the streets heading north, and then circled onto the rooftops from a small alleyway. Sure enough, two small spaceships landed directly on the street, and a group of Shi'ar Empire people came charging into the tavern, shouting and smashing things.

"They're looking for where you brew the beer, right?" Schiller asked, watching the chaos. "This tavern isn't worth much; what's valuable is your brewery."

"Exactly. I got a beer production line from Earth, but I've already hidden it; they won't find it. Let them smash it if they want; I wasn't planning on staying open here anyway."

"Is that all the force they have?"

"Pretty much. They didn't bring this many people before. I reckon they know I'm about to run, so they're desperate and planning to expand their search range."

"Then what are we waiting for? Get on their starship," Schiller said, looking up at the sky. "Getting your hands on a Power Spear is enough to buy you ten taverns."

"Follow me," Pikachu said. "I have a small spaceship."

Pikachu led Schiller to find a small spaceship in an alleyway. After the two took off, they soon spotted the two Shi'ar Empire capital ships. Schiller transformed directly into gray mist, bypassed the ships' alert systems, and began rummaging through everything on board.

After circling around and returning, he said with some regret, "It's a pity this ship can only be driven by dual-god power; dragging it back wouldn't be of much use, otherwise I would have taken it along."

"Heh, who doesn't know you? You just like watching sheep run naked. You're leaving this ship behind because you want to fish for a big catch, right?"

Schiller didn't deny it, just smiled. Pikachu also laughed with schadenfreude, then said, "These people are all second-generation rich kids, out wandering in their elders' ships. Now that they've lost so much military equipment, let's see how they explain this!"

When they returned to the tavern, the place had been searched inside out, and everything had been smashed to pieces. Pikachu sighed with some regret and said, "I really can't stay in this place for another day. Let's head back first."

"Don't be in such a hurry. They didn't find what they wanted, and when they go back, they'll find their home base has been cleaned out. The sunk cost is too high; they won't let it go."

"You mean..."

"As long as they catch you, all their problems are solved. They should have tried to make a move on you before, right?"

"Yes, but I have this." Pikachu pulled a ring from behind him. Schiller saw it was actually a Sling Ring. He remembered that when he and Pikachu were stealing electricity before, they had obtained some faith power; Pikachu had kept a portion for himself, and he also had the power of the Yellow Light. During the Multiverse War, the compatibility of the codes of two universes had been adjusted, so he should be able to use a mage's portal now.

"No wonder," Schiller said. "But you aren't a real mage after all; relying solely on the ring to open portals still has its limitations. They might take the risk."

"What do you plan to do?" Pikachu asked.

"They're coming for you, so you pretend you're no match for them and stall them first. I'll find a way to capture them alive."

Pikachu nodded. So the two went up to the second floor. Schiller stood by the window and soon felt people surrounding the direction. He brought Torik out directly.

The little black cat was completely unaware, still licking its paws in Schiller's arms. Schiller brought him to the innermost room on the second floor. Soon, noisy footsteps sounded on the first floor.

"Quite a big investment," Schiller said. He felt the magnetic field of an energy-blocking device. This thing could basically block all forms of energy-impact attacks and should also be able to guard against Pikachu's 100,000 Volts, but it was useless against people who could control magnetic fields and mages, so it basically hadn't appeared on human battlefields; it was specifically aimed at civilizations that used energy weapons.

Soon, Pikachu's screaming was heard. This guy was cursing up a storm, a string of East Coast rap flowing like water, its power undiminished from years past, but unfortunately, the bird-men didn't understand the language and came up wanting to grab Pikachu.

Schiller took this opportunity to rush out, holding Torik, as a large cluster of tentacles burst out from his mouth. With a "slurp," the leading nobles were swallowed directly.

These empire people were considered well-informed and immediately recognized this as a Flerken. They screamed and threw down their weapons, running outside.

People from the three great empires knew best the danger of creatures like Flerkens; otherwise, they wouldn't have hunted them across the universe, almost driving them to extinction. But even hunting them required a large army to surround and intercept, and there might still be casualties. With just the few of them here, if they didn't run now, they might be excreted by this time tomorrow.

Pikachu breathed a sigh of relief. He looked down from the atrium and said, "These people are truly stupid to the core; the leaders all came. But what do you plan to do? Kill them?"

"If I wanted to kill them, I wouldn't have gone to so much trouble. Let's go, we're going to visit an old friend."

Half an hour later, with a "retch," several bird-men were vomited in front of the gate of the Ravager base tent. Yondu turned into a statue, petrified.

"God's shit!" Yondu cursed. "What is this situation?!"

"Isn't this your old line of work?" Schiller said.

"What kind of bullshit is this! I've never done kidnapping work!"

"Then this is equivalent to your first order," Schiller said. "Go ask their parents for money."

"You motherfucker, just say it if you want me dead!" Yondu spat. "These are people from the three great empires; what kidnapper would dare kidnap them and ask for money! This is taking my life!"

"That was before, now it's different. The Queen's new policy, heard of it? Now their country is undergoing major reforms, but would anyone who could make a name for themselves come here at such a critical time?"

"Even if they're nothing, they're still nobles of the three great empires!"

"That's why I'm not asking you to contact the Queen, but to contact their family members privately and have them take them back. It's precisely because it's a critical time that their families wouldn't dare to make a scene; shouldn't they give you some hard-earned money?"

"Forget it, this is kidnapping. Even if they swallow their pride for a moment, what if they come back to settle scores later?"

"Go hide from the wind in another place."

"Where else can... you don't mean the Milky Way, do you?"

"You have an adopted son living on Earth, so logically speaking, you can apply for a family visit visa. Earth welcomes friendly aliens. Get a visa and hide on Earth; what can they do to you?"

"Even if I can go, my old buddies can't. I can't just watch them be wiped out by the three great empires, can I?"

"I can say a word to Loki and let you hide in the Nine Realms. Both great empires have suffered defeats there, and the Shi'ar Empire wouldn't dare get close. Don't worry."

Yondu narrowed his eyes and stared at Schiller, saying, "Why are you so kind? What are you plotting again?"

"You don't really plan to be a bandit in this backwater for the rest of your life, do you?" Schiller asked.

"What else can I do?" Yondu sat on a stone stool nearby, looking a bit discouraged. "If I leave, Centaurus might fall into their hands too. This is my home..."

"Look at them, do they have the energy now? To tell you the truth, the center of interstellar politics is about to fall to the Milky Way. What is Centaurus compared to that?"

Yondu stood up with a "whoosh." He stared at Schiller for a while, but soon sat back down and said, "But even if I go to the Milky Way, what can I do?"

"The Grandmaster wants to set up an entertainment city there, so it's inevitable that all kinds of people will come to support it. The Asgardians look down on people with their noses in the air; they're fine for patrolling or standing guard, but you also know that if there's no one to settle things in such a place, it's bound to get rowdy."

"You want us to help look after the place?"

"Exactly. I know your skills. Centaurus being able to become a fish that slipped through the net of the three great empires' control, you deserve most of the credit. Although becoming a lawless zone means you won't be controlled by others, you know in your heart what the public security situation is like here. It's not a solution to keep going like this, is it?"

Yondu looked a bit troubled. Of course he knew what Schiller meant. Escaping the control of the three great empires had a price; this was the center of cosmic crime, and the most dangerous wanted criminals in the universe were all wandering in one star system, which wasn't a good thing for low-level civilizations.

After sitting and thinking for a long time, he slapped his thigh and said, "Fine! I'll do it with you! I'll pack my things and be over soon."

"Don't forget to ask those nobles for money. Although we will provide you with a base, there are many places to spend money. You can't do it without startup capital."

Yondu gritted his teeth and stomped his foot, shouting outside, "Come here! Tie these guys up! Go contact the informant of the Shi'ar Empire. I must cut a piece of meat off them!"