Chapter Seven: Stop—This Is a Robbery (Part One)

After the 78456 ship quietly anchored in the shadow of a planet, the officers on its bridge began to argue heatedly.

As soon as the battleship settled, the deputy captain spoke up, “Captain, given our strength, I believe we should set the location for the special mission on Planet 55963.”

The ship’s staff officer disagreed, quickly interjecting, “Planet 55963 is far too dangerous. Any mining team that manages to survive there is formidable. The profits are relatively high, yes, but it’s simply not worth the enormous risk.”

The bridge split into two factions, their voices rising in dispute. After a long while, the usually gluttonous Kuangchi, who still hadn’t understood a thing, took a loud gulp and, when everyone fell silent, demanded, “What exactly is this Planet 55963? What are you all fighting about?”

Kuang Qingshan, who stood nearby, of course knew Kuangchi had no clue what the Third Corps' so-called special mission entailed. He hurried to explain, “Young Master, Planet 55963 is a major world rich in valuable metals—Azure Crystal, Spirit Color Crystal, Radiant Gold, Luminous Gold. These metals command steep prices anywhere in the universe; thus, Planet 55963 has always been the first choice for powerful mining teams from both nations. But the planet is extremely dangerous. Not only are the mining teams there exceptionally strong, but the planet itself swarms with high-level beasts. While most haven't reached the cosmic beast tier, they often live in packs. Whether for the mining teams or for us carrying out a special mission, the risk is immense.”

Just then, the staff officer suddenly spoke up. “Captain, ten years ago, while on patrol, I witnessed a cosmic-level beast appear on Planet 55963. I strongly oppose choosing it as our mission site.”

Hearing of a cosmic-level beast, everyone on the bridge frowned. After pondering for a moment, the deputy captain asked, “Staff officer, why have I never heard of a cosmic-level beast roaming Planet 55963?”

The officer hesitated, then replied, “Ten years ago, the deputy corps commander—now the corps commander himself—told me personally that, to avoid unnecessary panic among the garrison at Soren Fortress and the Third Corps, this incident must be kept strictly confidential, never to be mentioned to anyone.”

He paused, then continued, “To my knowledge, eight years ago something very strange happened on Planet 55963—all humans disappeared overnight.”

A subordinate officer behind the staff officer suddenly spoke, “Is that why you applied to leave the patrol squad?”

The staff officer shook his head lightly and said nothing further.

But Kuangchi was now truly excited. He’d heard tales of cosmic-level beasts, but never seen one, and he longed for the experience.

After pondering for a while, he suddenly declared, “If there really are cosmic-level beasts on Planet 55963, then yes, the danger is truly too great. Miners may risk their lives for profit, but we cannot afford that—this concerns the safety of hundreds of brothers on the ship.”

Hearing this, both factions—those for and against the mission on Planet 55963—could only nod in agreement.

Yet as soon as everyone nodded, Kuangchi abruptly changed tack, “But lately, we've lost too many brothers. Now that we finally have such a good opportunity, if we don’t secure enough profit, how will we answer to them? Don’t you agree?”

No one quite understood Kuangchi’s reasoning, but after some thought, they found his words made sense. Everyone nodded again.

Kuangchi smiled and continued, “So I’ve decided—we’ll split into two groups. I’ll take part of the crew and a landing craft to Planet 55963, while the deputy captain will lead the rest to find a relatively safer planet.”

At this, the officers on the bridge protested loudly, “No!”

Kuang Qingshan pleaded, “Young Master, Planet 55963 has cosmic-level beasts—it’s far too dangerous. You must not take such a risk. If anything happens to you, how can I ever face the family again?”

Seeing Kuang Qingshan shivering as much as his etiquette teacher, Kuangchi quickly interrupted, “Danger? What danger? If we can’t afford to provoke a cosmic beast, surely we can avoid it. We just need to be cautious. In the eyes of cosmic beasts, we’re nothing but ants—even if we annoy them, they’ll likely see us as flies and ignore us.”

Ignoring all further persuasion, Kuangchi spoke resolutely, “Enough talking. This time, we’re not acting only for ourselves, but for all the brothers on the ship, for those who’ve fallen. With such a prime opportunity for a raid, why shouldn’t we do better—take more? That’s settled. The martial team and Kuang clan members will follow me to Planet 55963. The rest will go with the deputy captain to find a safer planet.”

Seeing Kuangchi’s unwavering resolve, everyone knew from years of experience that he wouldn’t be swayed. All they could do was make careful arrangements.

The 78456 ship had forty-seven Kuang clan members. There hadn’t been so many originally, but a few days earlier, Kuangchi’s father, concerned for his son’s safety, as well as the safety of those tasked to protect him, had sent a dozen more.

These dozen were all experts trained in the Kuang Martial Hall. Each had mastered the sixth layer of the Kuang Dragon Technique, and lately had been diligently practicing the Starry Sky Technique Kuangchi taught them. A few seemed close to breaking through the constraints of the sixth layer.

If not for this level of strength, Kuangchi would never dare split his forces and, without battleship support, lead a team onto Planet 55963. Having once survived the Sea of Death Stars, he knew well how terrifying a deserted wild planet could be.

Ah... Now I finally understand what the most unbearable and helpless thing in the world truly is.

There’s no excuse left to deceive myself or forgive the one I love. That feeling... ah...

Please, don’t forget to throw your recommendation tickets... Thank you...