Qin Shi’s mouth twitched, little Zhou is as filial as ever.
"Anyway, I don’t have big ambitions in this life, but recently, hanging around with old Qin, my horizons have broadened. I’m starting to fantasize about entering the Specialized Level, having the Zhou family open a whole page in the family tree just for me."
Zhou Ning said cheerfully.
"Ambitious! I’ll talk to Senior Brother Ren later, ask him to intensify your training, make sure to build a solid foundation, and sprint towards the Specialized Domain!"
Qin Shi gave a thumbs-up, indicating his willingness to help.
Just sitting up, Zhou Ning immediately fell back again, lying flat.
After resting for a short while, Qin Shi recovered, the exhausted life essence began to replenish slowly from the vitality of his flesh, gradually filling his entire body.
Once the life essence concentration reached halfway, he patted the dust off himself, turned away from Zhou Ning, and walked into the backyard.
"Third Senior Sister, when will Master Zhang be back?"
Qin Shi happened to run into Yu Weiwei, who was wearing an apron, in the wind and rain corridor. He couldn’t help but miss old Zhang, who was cheerfully traveling through the Star Sea with his Divine Machine, despite his advanced age and without a permit.
"Who knows. Every time Master goes out, it’s at least half a year, or as long as three to four years. Little Brother Qin, the Star Sea is vast, the Divine Machine isn’t a battleship, it can’t make multiple leaps..."
Yu Weiwei shook her head and served the freshly made nutritious meal in front of Qin Shi.
"Don’t worry about Master, he pilots that King Level Divine Machine, can stride through most places within the Galaxy."
In the Black Xie Star Domain, a civilian cargo ship swaggered into the infamous "Scorpion Corridor."
It wasn’t equipped with powerful weaponry, nor did it have escort ships by its side. Such a high-profile act was akin to a child carrying gold in a crowded market, making the space pirates lurking there unsure of its origins, causing them a bit of hesitation.
"Boss, could it be a bait set by the Sequence Army of the Ninth Battle Group?"
Armed plunderers inside the spaceship exchanged glances, awaiting orders from their leader.
Scorpion Corridor is in the middle of the Black Xie Star Domain, a colossal asteroid field.
A large-scale high-intensity battle once raged here, a fierce confrontation between the Ninth Battle Group and the Star God’s followers, with the former utilizing orbital strikes to pulverize several highly polluted planets.
This area, now called the "Scorpion Corridor," became a death zone.
Many individuals who couldn’t obtain Dongxia citizenship or had their lifelong rights revoked due to offenses formed plunderer bands using this place as a hideout, frequently coming and going for illegal trades or to fence stolen goods.
Larger destroyers or cruisers from the Ninth Battle Group can’t enter here, making it relatively safe.
Typically, experienced merchant vessels either choose to bypass it or hire escort fleets.
Of course, there’s a more direct method: pay a toll to the plunderer groups for safe passage.
"Let’s wait and see! Careful! If it’s some young master pretending to be a pig to eat a tiger, there’s no need for us to take the bait!"
The plunderer group leader thought briefly and opted for a conservative choice.
To survive among the Star Sea, compared to gambling on a risky adventure to make a fortune, doing nothing is often the wisdom for survival.
That civilian merchant ship was like a fish entering a school of piranhas, in the dark waters, with unknown numbers of vicious carnivorous creatures lurking.
The captain and first mate were not as calm and composed as other plunderer leaders might think, their cargo hold lacked heavily armed and well-trained Sequence Army soldiers ready to strike.
"This is exhilarating! I swear, I’ve never experienced anything this exciting in my life!"
The bearded captain held a pipe with his robust stature paired with a rough voice, clearly someone well-versed in the ways of the world.
However, under his burly exterior, his thick legs were trembling slightly, with a hint of quivering in his rough voice, as if he was nearly scared to death.
"The radar is full of red dots! Captain! At least seven or eight plunderer groups are lurking nearby!"
The first mate held a portable detection device that synced the display screen with the radar.
With a mournful face, he looked as if he was ready to write his will in advance.
"Don’t panic! We might become the first merchant ship to pass through the Scorpion Corridor without paying a toll!"
The bearded captain forcibly cheered himself up, as if brainwashing himself, continuously uttering encouraging words.
They left the command room and took the elevator down to the launch bay below, where the escape pods were located. If the merchant ship got hit and couldn’t navigate properly, passengers could use it for emergency evacuation.
But as the elevator clanged to a stop, the first mate discovered all the escape pods had vanished as if they had been moved away.
The thick dust pressed on the ground showed evident marks, as if heavy objects had been dragged, leaving traces behind.
The further they walked, the stranger the first mate felt, and when the hatch opened, revealing the innermost space of the launch bay, a colossal shadow loomed like a mountain.
The first mate looked up in utter astonishment.
Even though this Divine Machine had shrunk to its regular size, not exhibiting its legendary formidable stance, the flesh-like pale contours, its Celestial Being form, and the energy particles emanating... all indicated that this Divine Machine’s level wasn’t low.
"Captain! How did we end up with a Divine Machine on our ship?"
The first mate didn’t feel any hope; instead, he thought this might be the source of their troubles.
It’s worth noting that piloting a Divine Machine requires exceptionally high standards. Even among the Battle Group’s Sequence Army, only the finest Vanguards could match them and become pilots.
"Don’t ask too much!"
The bearded captain turned around, casting a severe gaze to prevent the first mate from further probing.
He took a deep breath, the temperature at the bottom of the launch bay was low, with a biting cold energy swirling around.
"Mister! As per your request, I haven’t altered the course, passing through the Scorpion Corridor directly to the Fourth Satellite Fortress of the Ninth Battle Group..."
The bearded captain spoke with humility, as if a servant before his master.
He and the first mate hadn’t progressed into the repair room deep in the launch bay. Tension and uneasy voices mingled, swinging back and forth like a seesaw, notably loud.
When the echoes faded, a tall, slender silhouette emerged from the darkness, standing before them.
A bald man with emaciated features and long limbs.
His face was quite haggard, with deep dark circles under his eyes, as if he hadn’t rested well for weeks or months.
"Don’t worry about those plunderer groups. You are the bait. If any fools do take the bait, it’ll just be something to pass the time during the long journey."
The bald man’s voice was deep, like that of a baritone singer.
However, under his burly exterior, his thick legs trembled slightly, with a hint of quiver in his rough voice, as if he was nearly scared to death.
"The radar is full of red dots! Captain! At least seven or eight plunderer groups are lurking nearby!"
The first mate held a portable detection device, its display screen synced with the radar.
With a mournful face, he looked ready to write his will in advance.
"Don’t panic! We might become the first merchant ship to pass through the Scorpion Corridor without paying a toll!"
The bearded captain forced himself to cheer up, as if self-hypnotizing, continuously speaking encouraging words. ʀᴇᴀᴅ ʟᴀᴛᴇsᴛ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀᴛ N0veI.Fiɾe.net
They left the command room and took the elevator down to the launch bay below, where the escape pods were stationed. If the merchant ship got attacked and couldn’t navigate properly, passengers could use it for emergency evacuation.
But as the elevator clanged to a halt, the first mate found all the escape pods disappeared as if they had been packed away.
The thick dust pressed on the ground showed visible signs, as if heavy objects had been dragged, leaving trails behind.
The further he walked, the stranger it seemed to the first mate, and when the hatch opened, entering the innermost launch bay space, a massive shadow loomed like a mountain.
The first mate gazed up in complete astonishment.
Even though this Divine Machine was shrunken to its regular size, not displaying the legendary menacing posture, the flesh-formed pale contour resembling the attention-catching form of a celestial being and the energy particles emanating from it... all indicated to the first mate that this Divine Machine was not of a low level.