by <unknown>
Liu Li looked at the girls who were bigger than her—"bigger" in every aspect—and looked at Han Te in disbelief. "They are…"
"Oh, allow me to introduce you. They are the big sisters that I've met in the Big Bai Pirate Gang."
Han Te coughed without changing his expression. "This sister is from the bridge, this sister is from the fire control room and half my senior sister, this sister is from the engine compartment, and this sister is an awesome attacker in the space shuttle team!"
Liu Li was stunned for such a long time that her eyes were frozen. In the end, she stammered, "They-They are all your big sisters, then what about me?"
"You?"
Having no idea what was going on, Han Te blurted out, "You are my dearest, dearest little sister, of course! I've always treated you like a biological sister—no, a twin sister. You are my most important family!
"Are you worried that I might have changed after the journey in space? Hahahaha, you are overthinking, Liu Li! Let me tell you, whatever I become in the future, and even if I am completely deformed, I will forever protect you as my twin little sister. Forever!"
Liu Li finally couldn't hold it back anymore. The ice was broken, and the tears of anger ran out.
"Huh?"
Han Te scratched his head. "You don't have to be so touched by what I said, do you? Even though we haven't met for a long time, there is no need to be so emotional. How about you go back and tell Master Fist King that I'll find you after I'm done with the big sisters here. It will be two hours at most, alright?"
"Alright… alright…"
Liu Li's face had been wrinkled into an ugly orange. She tried to contain herself, but she still burst out in fury, "Alright my a*s! Just go celebrate with your big sisters, Han Te! I'll never talk to you again!"
Chapter 2459: Boss' Kindness |
There was often a silver lining even in the greatest catastrophe. Desperation and hope were the two sides of the same coin in the first place. All that mattered was who the one that picked the coin was and from which angle he was standing.
A joke was once very popular in the ancient times among the sailors. When a ship sank after hitting an iceberg, all the passengers on board were killed in the ocean. While it was a disaster for the passengers, for the fish in the kitchen on the ship that was waiting to be cooked, it was undoubtedly "divine salvation"!
The joke described what Zuo Tian was feeling perfectly.
After his spiritual energy was locked, his shoulder blade was pierced through, and three layers of electromagnetic shackles were imposed on him. The deacon of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the manager of the Blue Sky Market twenty-four hours ago had already lost all hope when he was escorted to Eternal Spring, ready to face the excruciating tortures and the final execution.
Little did he expect that Eternal Spring would suffer an ambush during the space jump. Because the prison cell was particularly solid, he survived the fierce battles, and not even his fingernail was cut by the space ripples. He was brought back by the soldiers of the Big Bai Pirate Gang to the Blue Sky Market in one piece.
Although it had been only half a day, looking at the flags of the white mouse with a twisted bottom and the crowned fist, Zuo Tianying couldn't help but feel that it was a different life. He wondered whether he should cry or laugh about it.
The soldiers of the Big Bai Pirate Gang did not seal his senses. On his way, he saw the devastated regular army and the other space pirates who had been kept captives. He also saw the deformed, blackened bodies of the many pirate gangs, as well as the hills of the debris of crystal suits and starships, which almost looked like splendors to demonstrate the winner's power.
From the excited soldiers of the Big Bai Pirate Gang and what he had seen on his way, Zuo Tianying had basically figured out what had happened in the previous half a day and who the new owner of the Blue Sky Market was.
Li Wuji, hahahaha, you didn't see today coming, did you?
Boss Bai… is truly an extraordinary man, and also an out-and-out lunatic!
However, Zuo Tianying was not bothered too much because his outcome couldn't have been worse than being escorted to the territory of the four Kurfürsten.
Very soon, he was escorted by a team of the Big Bai Pirate Gang to the No. 1 dock where a few main-force warships were stopped.
With the warships that were as magnificent as mountains as the background, Boss Bai was chatting with another expert who looked as intimidating as himself.
Zuo Tianying was surprised by Boss Bai's fancy vacation clothes first before he focused his attention on the bronze spiritual puppet or artificial body on the opposite of him. That must be "Fist King" Lei Zonglie who had been quite the star at the peripheral worlds of the Imperium in the recent half a year and who was somewhat even scarier than Boss Bai.
He did not expect that Boss Bai and the Fist King had joined their hands to dig such a giant pit for him. It was not the fault of him or Li Wuji that they fell into the trap without noticing anything wrong.
"Deacon Zuo is back!"
Boss Bai did not notice Zuo Tianying's embarrassment until he talked with the Fist King for a while. He raised his eyebrows and said solemnly, "Why is he still tied up? Do you not know that Deacon Zuo is an honorable guest of the Blue Sky Market? We have to consult Deacon Zuo on a lot of things, such as the operation and defense of the Blue Sky Market, and the features of the docks for maintenance and upgrades. How can you be so rude? Hurry and untie Deacon Zuo and treat his wounds!"
Zuo Tianying warmed up his wrists, which were rigid and strengthless after being tied for too long. He grimaced and moaned while he cursed Boss Bai in his heart. Such a shameless announcement that he was "an honorable guest of the Blue Sky Market" was something that Boss Bai could say out. The reason why he was tied up for so long was exactly because of Boss Bai's doing. Why were you pretending to be the good guy?
"A real man knows when to admit failure."
With thirty percent fury, Zuo Tianying held his head high and said, "Boss Bai, stop being pretentious. Now that I've fallen to your hands, you can execute me however you see fit!"
"What are you talking about, Deacon Zuo?"
Boss Bai couldn't have looked more confused and innocent, almost like a child who did not know what mistake he had made. He went forward and smeared ointments for Zuo Tianying in person as he said in the gentlest and most sincere voice, "Misunderstanding. All is but a misunderstanding!"
Misunderstanding…
His head dizzy, Zuo Tianying looked at the Blue Sky Market where intense black smoke was still popping up and felt like vomiting blood on Boss Bai's face.
Innocence beamed out of Boss Bai's small eyes. "Deacon Zuo may have been greatly offended earlier, but it was simply a trick that had to be played. Without the sacrifices of Deacon Zuo and other people, how could we have won the trust of the twenty-eight pirate gangs as well as Marquess Yongchun and fished all of them?
"Right now, although the Blue Sky Market is destroyed, the twenty-eight pirate gangs and the advanced warships of Li Wuji's fleet, as well as the elite warriors that had been trained for decades, all fell to our hands. What a fatal force it is! It can certainly change the course of the 'battle of Seven Seas' to come, can't it? Isn't it worthwhile to trade for it with the Blue Sky Market?
"Besides, even if I did not do anything, the other twenty-eight pirate gangs and Li Wuji's fleet would still have swept across the Blue Sky Market. Your doom was inevitable. Was there any fault in me when I earned the greatest benefits for you from the destruction?
"Of course, I should've informed Deacon Zuo beforehand and asked for your approval, but in that case, Li Wuji might notice loopholes, and the scheme would fail. So, I would rather risk being blamed by Deacon Zuo, misunderstood by the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, and hated by the reformists, and simply took action without asking for permission. Do you really not understand my consideration, Deacon Zuo?"
As a deacon of the Busines
s Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors, Zuo Tianying had traveled a lot and met the most shameless merchants.
But what Boss Bai said today and his guiltless face still updated Zuo Tianying's knowledge of "shameless".
Holding back the urge of vomiting blood, he panted with a pale face. "Boss Bai, we have no grudge against each other. Even if you are going to occupy the Blue Sky Market, you can simply kill me. Why do you have to humiliate me like this?"
"Humiliate you? I don't know what you are talking about."
Blinking his eyes, Boss Bai said sincerely, "I meant every word I said. Why is it humiliation? I was thinking to ask Deacon Zuo to be an intermediary for my cooperation with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors and the reformists. Why would I humiliate you?"
"Cooperation?"
Zuo Tianying found it hard to believe and exclaimed, "With everything coming to this point, you are still hoping to cooperate with us?"
"Why not?"
Boss Bai curled his lips. "Peace is the most precious thing for us who make a living in the same universe. I am a man who likes to cooperate and make deals best!"
"Then—"
Zuo Tianying was both confused and angry. "One day ago, I invited you to cooperate with the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sector, but you viciously stole my Blue Sky Market and slaughtered tremendous members on my side! Now, the smoke has not dispersed and the blood is not solid yet, and you are hoping to cooperate with us as if nothing had happened? What… What do you want exactly?"
"Cooperation. From the beginning to the end, I only want cooperation."
Boss Bai grew solemn, and his face was covered in frost. Staring at Zuo Tianying, he said, "Deacon Zuo, tell me the truth, was the so-called 'cooperation' yesterday for two parties on equal terms? No, you were just trying to hire the Big Bai Pirate Gang with a high reward to be your cannon fodder and even your dog.
"Listen up, Boss Bai can cooperate with anyone, however infamous and brutal they are, as long as there are enough returns.
"But if anyone wants me to be his dog, hehehehe, even if he is a god that masters the stars and promises me the entire universe, I won't be interested at all.
"One day ago, we were not equal, and the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors did not respect me at all, so our cooperation couldn't work out. But right now, I have proved my sincerity for the cooperation with my strength. Perhaps the calmer and more rational guys in the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors understand the importance of letting bygones be bygones, don't they?"
Zuo Tianying lowered his head in silence, but he began to roll his eyes fast, like a grass revived after being frozen, as he reconsidered every possibility.
"We can talk about the details later."
Observing him, Boss Bai said with a smile, "Deacon Zuo can take a rest for now and consider my proposal carefully."
Boss Bai waved his hands, and Zuo Tianying was taken away in devastation.
Another devastated man, however, was brought over. The two of them looked at each other when they passed by each other, both bulging their eyes hard.
The second person was naturally Marquess Yongchun, Li Wuji.
Li Wuji looked much more miserable than Zuo Tianying who was barely injured.
Not only was his head as swollen as a pig head covered in sauces because of the blasts blown out by the Kleptomaniac and the Fist King, but his face and his body were also stained with tremendous blood, stains, and vomits.
Those things enshrouded him like poisons, making him writhe and moan feebly all the time.
"Boss Bai, Lei Zonglie!"
After being pushed to Boss Bai's feet, Li Wuji struggled even harder, and his eyes were almost shooting out like hammers. He roared crazily, "You are doomed! You are not far away from death! You have nowhere to run to! The four families will annihilate each and every one of you and slap you like slapping flies!"
"My lord—"
Boss Bai sighed and squatted next to Li Wuji before he said unhurriedly, "Save your strength. I truly don't understand why you want us to die so badly. Haven't you discovered that we are now an indestructible team of shared interests and that your position in the Li family is solely dependent on the future of the Big Bai Pirate Gang and the fleet of the Cultivators?"
Chapter 2460: Someone Who's Willing to Be a Dog |
"What are you talking about?"
Blushing, Li Wuji shouted hoarsely and desperately, "My position and future in my family have been completely ended by you two goddamn prisoners. What 'shared interests' are you talking about?"
"My lord, it seems that you haven't quite figured out what is going on."
Boss Bai said with a smile, "Once the news that the 'National Protection Army' rebelled and caused the annihilation of your fleet is back to the territory of the four Kurfürst families, while we will certainly be dead for sure, you will also lose your reputation and never have a chance to make a comeback as the person who was directly responsible for the failure. You will only become a joke and a shame like Li Lingfeng or Li Linghai, won't you?
"However, listen closely, what if the news of your failure does not spread to your family, or even out of this space zone?"
Li Wuji had been on the brink of collapse. Even his soul seemed to have shriveled when his ambitions dried.
However, Boss Bai's words illuminated his forehead immediately like the sunlight in the middle of clouds.
Like a revived viper, Li Wuji tried to sit straight.
"Think about it. Right now, the billions of kilometers around the Blue Sky Market are within our control. Not a single starship has escaped. You never had a chance to ask for reinforcements from your family. Even if you did, the signals must've been disrupted by us."
Boss Bai said in an enlightened manner, "Then, as long as we do not tell the truth, who knows what happened in the Blue Sky Market in the past day?
"Look, the National Protection Army is still organized. It is even more cohesive than before now that the treacherous guys have been removed!
"As for your fleet, it has suffered heavy losses, but attacking the Blue Sky Market comes with a price too. As long as the docks hurry up to maintain the starships, it won't be entirely impossible to cover it up.
"Consider such a possibility. The National Protection Army is still under your command in name, my lord, and what my lord sends to your family is not a cry for help but a report of victory that states you have conquered the Blue Sky Market, albeit with a slightly heavier loss than estimated.
"In such a way, is it possible to preserve your honor and position in the four families for now, my lord?"
Li Wuji was deep in thought for a long time, before he shook his head and said, "You can't cover fire with paper. The lies will be seen through eventually."
"I doubt it."
Boss Bai chuckled, so sincerely and so dauntingly. "Very soon, the coalition fleet of the four families will attack the headquarters of the Business Alliance of Ten Thousand Sectors together. The battle will be at least ten times bigger than the battle in the Blue Sky Market today. Countless fleets will be mired in the swirl of destruction. There will be plenty of opportunities for us to take the advantage. As long as we do the same and try to swallow more fleets in the battle of Seven Seas, the National Protection Army will be expanded incessantly, until nobody is capable of destroying us.
"By then, who will care about my lord's little lie today? As long as you are powerful enough, you can call a deer a horse, and nobody will argue with you. Isn't it the rule of the game?"
Li Wuji's face cramped violently, as if he did not know the space pirate squatting before him at all. He said in disbelief, "You… You are too crazy. I'm an honorable marquess of the Imperium. You are trying to switch our roles and make me your accomplice and a disguise for the National Protection Army!"
"Wrong."
Boss Bai said gently and extended his hand, meaning to pat Li Wuji's cheek. But then he realized that his hand was too dirty. Smiling rather in emb
arrassment, he wiped it on his clothes that were full of stains and blood marks, only to make it even dirtier with all the dust and oil. Finally, he patted Li Wuji's face neither too heavily nor too lightly. "My lord, you are not qualified to be my accomplice. What I need is just an obedient dog."
"You—"
Li Wuji was dumbfounded first, before he burst into fury and tried to fight back.
"Just cut your hypocrisy."
Boss Bai suddenly accelerated his hand and slapped Li Wuji in the face twice as quickly as lightning. "Do you know that there are only two kinds of people in the world? No, no, no, not the Cultivators and the Immortal Cultivators, not the people of the Imperium and those of the Covenant Alliance, and not the good guys and the bad guys, but… those who are unwilling to be dogs and those who are willing to.
"It has nothing to do with strength, position, honor, power, or any other fancy things; it is just a choice of one's heart.
"I belong to the former, and I am not willing to be a dog, but my lord is the latter deep down in your bones. Don't pretend to be tough and deceive yourself when you can't fool anyone. I can see through it easily. Even if I can't, I can still smell the stink of a dog from your bones, my lord. Therefore, I have high hopes for my lord, and I believe that you will certainly do an excellent job in your new post."
"A*shole! How dare you insult a marquess of the Imperium like this!"
Blushing in fury, Li Wuji tried to stand straight and bite Boss Bai's neck, but he had been locked by Boss Bai and unable to move at all. He could only gnash his teeth and say, "In your dream! I will die before I cooperate with you and deceive my family and the entire Imperium. You humble bandit can go to hell!"
"Then, it will be such a shame."
Boss Bai said, unmoved. He drew a handkerchief from Li Wuji's pocket and wiped his dirty hands, as well as the greasy sweat on his forehead and behind his neck, before he tossed it back to Li Wuji's face.
"Right."
He suddenly changed the topic. "I wonder, is someone as knowledgeable as my lord aware of how the excrements of the crew members are processed in a fully-closed starship?
