He Suoli mingled into the crowd and chatted with other people, seemingly not taking the failed deal to heart.

"Slave trading..." Han Xiao stared at He Suoli's back, his brow furrowed slightly.

"Don't think I lack money, I have principles." Kerrlod snorted, drained his glass, paused, and continued, "The Shattered Star Ring has hundreds, if not thousands, of scavenger factions, using tattoos as identifying marks. Some scavengers also engage in other gray businesses, such as highway robbery, kidnapping, extortion, and slave trading. That He Suoli is a middleman in the slave trade industry, responsible for finding targets, affiliated with the Bone Birds scavenger gang. They are a group of ruthless bandits wanted by Godora and several other star cluster civilizations, committing crimes on the run."

"Slave trading involves capturing rare species and Supers, selling them to customers who want them for viewing or beast fighting."

Supers are common in interstellar space, but they are far fewer in number than ordinary people. In the eyes of interstellar people, Supers are equivalent to trained warriors or gifted geniuses, which is taken for granted.

Supers enjoy a higher status, and some ordinary people develop a desire to control them, leading to the rise of Super gladiatorial shows, like watching higher-level boxing matches. The audience enjoys watching Supers fight each other to the death, gaining both visual and psychological satisfaction. Some formal arenas hire Supers with high salaries, while some underground arenas buy Super slaves, so Supers are always in demand in the slave market.

"You guys have been targeted, so be careful. But scavengers won't do anything where the cost exceeds the profit. You should be safe on the ship. I refused him, and he won't keep bothering you," Kerrlod said.

"I think he's not necessarily interested in us 'natives'."

Han Xiao was thoughtful.

The ship suddenly shuddered, exiting warp. The porthole on the side of the hall showed the Short Horn Star approaching a gray-black planet. The surface was an endless range of gray ridge mountains, without a trace of greenery, all barren rock. Streams of dark water gathered into stagnant rivers.

This was the Fifth Star Zone, full of dangerous places. This planet was one such place, with a hazard level of [Medium-High] on the Godora star chart, meaning investigators had a 40% or higher chance of being killed here. Hailan Star's rating in the database was only [Low].

The ship entered the atmosphere, hovering in the sky, and released drop pods to pick up new passengers on the ground. The bus spaceship would pick up passengers along its route, and someone on this planet had called the Short Horn Star tour group.

On the other side, in the VIP passage.

A passenger who had just boarded was wearing a tattered white hooded cloak, hiding a burly figure. He carried a huge shoulder bag slung across his body, and his footsteps were heavy, accompanied by the clanging of metal.

Arriving at the scanning gate, the person removed the cloak, revealing his true face: a humanoid semi-mechanical cyborg. A large area of his body had been mechanically modified, with ducts and wires hidden in the gaps between the armor, various indicator lights flashing. Only his right arm remained flesh. Above the neck, he had not been modified, and he had a stern face, sharp eyes, and emitted a cold aura that kept people away.

The man's eyes were light green, as beautiful as emeralds, and his skin was very white. His semi-mechanical body was covered in battle scars.

After the scan was completed, the broadcast announced, "Welcome aboard the Short Horn Star. You have booked a high-class cabin. Your passenger number is... Please enjoy your trip."

The high-class cabin hall was another place, with fewer passengers than the ordinary cabin hall, and a better, quieter environment.

The man didn't intend to stay, and walked straight back to his room through the hall. The passengers in the hall glanced at him in surprise.

"Is that the Green Knight?"

"That's him, one of the few remaining warriors of the Sunil clan, a high-level mercenary in the Mercenary Alliance, a very powerful guy."

"To see him here... I heard the Sunil clan migrated..."

The crowd whispered, subconsciously lowering their voices, as if they didn't want to be heard by the man, very wary.

...

Han Xiao naturally didn't know who had boarded. The broadcast announced that the next stop was another star zone. They would have to stop several times on the way to the Juberly Hub. He was patient and not in a hurry.

He took advantage of this time to collect information from passengers and the communicator's interstellar channels. The communicator also functioned as a television. Material prosperity gave rise to spiritual enjoyment, and there were many dedicated channels broadcasting various entertainment programs. Han Xiao found a lot of good things in Kerrlod's "Investigator Work Data" folder...

After watching a few times, Han Xiao silently turned it off, his eyes burning.

"Godora people really know how to have fun."

Kerrlod drank every day, quickly spending his allowance. When he asked Han Xiao for money again and failed, he slept in his room every day, without any awareness of being kidnapped. Han Xiao couldn't help but admire how carefree these Godora people were.

Life on the ship was simple and peaceful. He just wanted to reach his destination safely.

However, the turning point came sooner or later.

In a certain area ahead of the Short Horn Star, several scavenger ships floated quietly in space, with unique shapes and traces of civilian modifications. This was the unique style of scavengers. On the side of the ships was painted the logo of the Bone Birds.

Inside the main ship's deck, scavengers from different races were celebrating wildly. The Bone Birds leader sat in a high position, chugging from a keg of wine, laughing loudly.

The Bone Birds' leader was called "Snake Braid". He was nearly four meters tall, with the bloodline of a rock giant, bulging muscles, a layer of stone skin, and a full beard. He only left one braid on top of his head, reaching his waist, which was the origin of his nickname.

Scavengers roamed the gray areas, making money for enjoyment. Wild parties were the most common activity when there was nothing to do.

"Ding ding - new message!"

The main ship's control panel flashed, displaying a text communication. The signature was surprisingly He Suoli.

"Boys, we've got a job."

Snake Braid threw away the wine keg, which shattered in the corner. He stood up, wiped the wine off his beard, revealing a ferocious expression. "This target can be sold for big money!"

Hundreds of scavengers below howled with excitement.

...

"One pair of threes."

"Bomb, four Ks."

"Five twos."

"Can't beat that... Wait, where did the other two come from?"

On the Short Horn Star, a group of players crowded into a room, playing cards aimlessly.

After being on the ship for several days, there were no more quests to accept, and the ship prohibited the use of force. Many areas were not open, so the players had to find their own entertainment. The travel process could not be skipped, which was often criticized. Some players logged off to rest, leaving only one-third online.

The login point and resurrection point could be bound to transportation, so they weren't afraid of getting lost. (See 147)

Han Xiao sat next to them, looked at the time, and estimated that they would arrive in a few more days.

The Short Horn Star had now reached the Second Star Zone of the Garton Star System, which was becoming more prosperous. This area had many planets with civilizations and was one of Godora's key jurisdictions, closer and easier to manage. The ship stopped here the most to pick up people. As long as they reached the First Star Zone and entered the stable wormhole gate, they could reach their destination.

Just then, the floor shook in an unusual way.

Immediately afterward, an ear-piercing alarm sounded from the broadcast.

Han Xiao's expression changed slightly. He suddenly stood up, and Kerrlod, who had been sleeping in, woke up instantly. The two hurriedly walked out of the room. The group of players behind them looked blank, but they also knew that something must have happened, and followed the two.

At this time, the hall was in chaos. All the passengers had come out, looking out the porthole in horror.

Outside, various colors of explosions flashed, but because of the vacuum, there was no sound. The colorful scene contained great terror in the silence.

Scavenger ships were firing at the Short Horn Star. The Short Horn Star had already activated its high-energy aggregation shield. The pale yellow energy shield was like an eggshell, protecting the ship. The scavenger ships were much smaller than the Short Horn Star, so they were very agile, dodging attacks and weaving around. The Short Horn Star was too large to dodge, so it could only rely on its shield to withstand the attacks.