Deep Space Scavenging, Hand Over Alien Warships at the Beginning

Chapter 164 This huge illegal building must be so satisfying to demolish!The single-person shuttle was like a second-hand Alto without a license plate, wobbling as it plunged into the docking port of the Black Shark Fortress.

If anyone were peering through the porthole at this moment, they would notice the metal plating on the ship’s hull peeling away, as if it could be blown off by cosmic rays at any second.

” Lin Yuan, is this piece of junk going to hold up? ” Academician Wang’s voice was still trembling in the earpiece. ” When we passed through the gravity detection belt just now, the dashboard’s red light flashed three times! If they open fire, this thing will truly become an iron coffin. ”

” What are you afraid of? This is called camouflage. ”

Lin Yuan held the control stick with one hand while stuffing compressed biscuits into his mouth with the other. ” If I flew over in a Gundam, wouldn’t they think I was there to blow up their fortress? When doing business, you have to look pathetic to look like a fat sheep. ”

With a teeth-grinding screech of metal, the shuttle slammed heavily onto the landing pad.

This place was less of a port and more of a giant landfill.

The air circulation system was filled with the rancid smell of machine oil mixed with cheap alcohol, and parts stripped from various ships were piled everywhere. A few four-armed alien laborers were dragging a broken keel toward a furnace; if they walked even a little too slowly, the overseer’s electric whip would lash out, tearing their skin open.

In the corner, hundreds of ragged refugees huddled together, price tags hanging around their necks, their eyes as numb as dead fish.

” So this is the so-called ’ toll station ’? ”

Lin Yuan jumped off the shuttle, the metal floor beneath his feet feeling soft due to the rust.

He reached out and touched a nearby pillar, his fingertips feeling the rough texture.

【 Ding! C-grade titanium alloy structure detected. 】

【 Evaluation: Welding technique is extremely crude, internal metal fatigue is severe; recommend recycling and smelting for reconstruction. 】

” Tsk, shoddy construction. ” Lin Yuan mentally crossed this place off his list.

Before he could even pull his hand back, seven or eight pirates with heads shaved like lightbulbs surrounded him.

The leader didn’t even have a nose, just two pitch-black holes, and the high-frequency vibrating blade in his hand was still crackling.

” Hey you, do you know the rules? ”

The noseless pirate poked Lin Yuan’s chest with the tip of his blade. ” First, hand over all the equipment you have on you, especially that... what was it, bio-chip. Also, take off your clothes; we need to check if you’re carrying any micro-nukes. ”

The surrounding pirates erupted in laughter, their eyes leering at Lin Yuan.

” A body search? ”

Lin Yuan swallowed the last bite of his biscuit and brushed the crumbs off his hands. ” I’m ticklish; except for young ladies, whoever touches me is going to have bad luck. ”

” Cut the crap! Once you’re here, if you’re a dragon, you coil up; if you’re a worm, you... ”

Before the noseless one could finish his sentence, his wrist was suddenly gripped.

There were no flashy moves, nor any energy fluctuations. Lin Yuan simply raised his hand, gripped the wrist holding the blade, and twisted it clockwise.

Crack.

The sound was crisp, like a dry branch being snapped underfoot.

The noseless one froze for a second, and it wasn’t until the back of his hand touched the inside of his forearm that the excruciating pain rushed through his nerves and into his brain.

” Ah—! ”

The scream was choked off just as it left his throat.

Lin Yuan kicked him squarely on the shin, resulting in another scalp-tingling sound of bone fracturing. The two-hundred-plus-pound brute collapsed to the ground like a noodle, lacking even the strength to twitch.

The remaining pirates were just about to raise their guns when they saw a blur before their eyes.

Bang, bang, bang!

Three seconds.

All seven men were lying on the ground, either with arms bent at ninety-degree angles or with dislocated thigh bones. No one was dead, but they were all writhing on the floor like maggots, their wails rising and falling.

Lin Yuan crouched down, wiped the grease off his hands on the high-frequency vibrating blade, and casually snatched the communicator hanging from the noseless one’s waist.

” Stop screaming, you’re giving me a headache. ”

He stood up, waved at a nearby surveillance camera, and flashed a grin showing his white teeth.

” Can you take me to see the main guy now? ”

...

The core hall of the Black Shark Fortress was simply a showroom for an upstart’s decor.

The walls were plastered with gold leaf looted from various civilizations, the floor was covered in long-haired animal hides, and in the center sat a massive holographic projection, looping the ” glorious achievements ” of the Black Shark group raiding merchant ships.

In the center of the hall, Black Shark King was half-reclining on a throne built from skulls.

A huge dining table was set before him, with a seal-like creature lying on it. The thing was still alive, emitting whimpering cries from time to time, while Black Shark King held a dining knife, slicing transparent pieces of meat from its body and popping them into his mouth with green sauce.

” I heard you caused a scene at the entrance? ”

Black Shark King didn’t look up, his half-mechanical face smeared with green juice. ” Young people have hot tempers; you don’t know how to exercise restraint when you’re on someone else’s turf. ”

” That wasn’t causing a scene; I was helping you clean up your house. ”

Lin Yuan swaggered in, sweeping his gaze across the hall.

He wasn’t looking at the people; he was looking at the pillars, the floor, and the chandelier on the ceiling.

【 Ding! The chandelier directly above contains high-purity energy crystals, valued at five million points. 】

【 Ding! Three high-voltage power transmission lines are embedded inside the left load-bearing wall; identified as the main power artery of the fortress. 】

【 Ding! The carpet underfoot is ” Cloud Beast ” hide; although not valuable, the floor beneath it is a core component of an anti-gravity device. 】

What a great place.

The smile on the corner of Lin Yuan’s mouth grew wider; this wasn’t a bandit’s den, it was a buffet restaurant prepared just for him.

” Sit. ” Black Shark King pointed to an iron chair opposite him. ” Since you’re here, let’s talk about the specific price. ”

” In addition to the engine blueprints and fuel we discussed earlier, I want to add one more condition. ”

Black Shark King swallowed the meat in his mouth and extended a finger still dripping with grease. ” From now on, every year, Earth must provide me with one hundred million people. ”

” One hundred million? ” Lin Yuan raised an eyebrow. ” You have quite the appetite; aren’t you afraid of choking to death? ”

” There are plenty of mines in this star sector; no matter how many people you throw in, it’s never enough. ” Black Shark King grinned hideously. ” And I see you Earthlings have tender skin; selling some to the entertainment galaxies should fetch a good price. Especially the brains of those researchers; digging them out to make bio-computers is hot property. ”

Academician Wang’s teeth-grinding sound came through the earpiece: ” Lin Yuan, don’t stop me, I’m going to blow this beast into ash! ”

Lin Yuan calmly clasped his hands behind his back, his fingertips lightly brushing across the back of the chair.

A faint, dark gold rune was silently imprinted onto the metal chair.

【 Void Beacon-01, deployed. 】

” One hundred million is a bit difficult to arrange. ” Lin Yuan took two steps forward, looking troubled. ” You see, our population is a limited resource as well. How about this, I send you all the nuclear waste we have in stock? It’s high-energy material anyway, and it can be burned as fuel. ”

As he spoke, he seemingly casually braced himself against a nearby load-bearing pillar.

【 Void Beacon-02, deployed. 】

” Stop playing dumb with me! ” Black Shark King slammed his dining knife into the table, and the poor creature let out a scream before going completely still. ” Don’t think I don’t know you’re stalling for time. Let me tell you, if I don’t see the blueprints in ten minutes, I’ll blow up that continent of yours called... Asia, just for fun! ”

Just then, the heavy doors of the hall slid open again.

The patrol officer Zeta, wearing a silver uniform, walked in with an elegant gait. He was followed by two heavily armed mechanical guards; without even glancing at Black Shark King, he walked straight up to Lin Yuan.

” Black Shark, your way of eating is too ugly. ”

Zeta covered his nose with a handkerchief in disgust. ” Why talk business with a bunch of unevolved monkeys? Wouldn’t it be easier to just snatch it? ”

He turned his head to look at Lin Yuan, his narrow eyes flashing with undisguised greed.

” Where are the blueprints? ”

Zeta extended his hand, looking down at Lin Yuan. ” The technology for the planetary engine belongs to me, and the rest of this planet belongs to Black Shark. This is the distribution plan we agreed upon; you don’t have the right to bargain. ”

Lin Yuan looked at the white glove extended before him, and then at the fleshy-faced Black Shark King sitting above.

” One is robbing openly, the other is stealing covertly. ”

Lin Yuan sighed, and the look of simple honesty on his face receded like the tide.

He straightened his back, his previously somewhat hunched figure instantly becoming upright. His eyes were terrifyingly bright in the light, and deep within his pupils, dark golden patterns began to spin wildly.

” What? Not convinced? ” Zeta sneered. ” You need to understand, this is the gap between civilizations. ”

” Yeah, the gap is too big. ”

Lin Yuan nodded and snapped his fingers in the void.

” So I’ve decided to teach you a lesson. ”

【 Ding! All high-value targets detected as having entered the area. 】

【 Environmental scan complete. 】

【 Fortress structure map uploaded to the ’ Daxia Longque ’ fire control system. 】

【 void engine preheating complete. 】

Lin Yuan looked at the two guys in front of him who thought they controlled everything, his smile becoming incredibly bright, as if he were looking at two roasted ducks that had washed themselves and delivered themselves to the cutting board.

” Captain Zeta, Boss Black Shark. ”

Lin Yuan took a step back and clapped his hands lightly.

” Since everyone is here, can we start... the demolition? ”

Before the two of them could react to what this meant, the entire fortress suddenly shook violently.

It wasn’t an earthquake.

It was the sound of some gargantuan object forcibly ” squeezing ” its way in, in an extremely brutal manner.