Chapter 423 - Star Thieves
Xiao Lou had been worried about the situation of his other four teammates. He hadn’t expected to see Chu Huaying in this way. The woman standing in the starship command room was wearing handsome black clothes and a mask covered most of her face. Only a pair of cold eyes was showing. Xiao Lou almost didn’t dare recognize her. “Is it really Huaying?”
Tang Ci was certain. “It is her. I won’t make a mistake about this.”
Ye Qi couldn’t help complaining. “I thought we had met star thieves and were going to be caught. Then it turns out that the leader of the star thieves is actually a teammate? Sister Huaying is too cool!”
Lu Jiuchuan smiled and commented, “She really has the potential to be a thief. She is performing with her own personality.”
Since Chu Huaying had become a star thief, they didn’t have to worry about their safety for the time being. Lu Jiuchuan looked back at Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang. “What’s next? Go meet Chu Huaying? Or continue to Azure Planet?”
Yu Hanjiang said, “Look at her mask.”
Since Chu Huaying’s face appeared on the screen, Yu Hanjiang had been staring at the strange mask on her face. The silver mask with strange black patterns on the edges looked very familiar.
Xiao Lou was startled. “Isn’t this the same mask the hunters wore before?”
The others also remembered the hunters they had met in the tomb. In their memory, the masks on the hunters who tracked them were like this. There was also the owner of the bar in the City of the Sun. The twin brothers wore the same masks on their faces.
Tang Ci had checked this mask but no clear source had been found. It was sold everywhere on the Internet. If there was a pattern, they could even find a manufacturer to order it at will. A simple mask didn’t mean anything. However, Chu Huaying wearing the mask was enough to make everyone wary.
Ye Qi wondered, “Is it possible that this isn’t the real Sister Huaying but a clone and a hunter?”
Lu Jiuchuan frowned. “We can’t determine whether it is the original or a clone just from the appearance and voice. We have to find her in person to verify it. We are now hiding in Chief Shao’s luxury suite. It is inconvenient to go out so why don’t we pull her over?”
Xiao Lou asked, “Brother Jiu, do you mean to pull her to the Peach Blossom Spring?”
Lu Jiuchuan nodded. “Her starship isn’t far from our ship. It should be possible to use the teleportation of the Peach Blossom Spring, right?”
At midnight, all card skills were refreshed. The Tao Yuanming card was in Shao Qingge’s hand. Once Shao Qingge heard this, he took out the card and returned it to Xiao Lou.
Xiao Lou summoned Tao Yuanming, opened the Peach Blossom Spring and issued an invitation to the designated target.
The characteristic of the skill for the Peach Blossom Spring was that only the user could see the entrance and only the user could decide who could enter the Peach Blossom Spring. Those who entered the Peach Blossom Spring weren’t just limited to teammates. The characters in the secret room could enter with the user’s permission. Therefore, the one who entered the Peach Blossom Spring wasn’t necessarily the original person.
Xiao Lou actively invited her to enter. Even if she was a clone, she could enter.
For the sake of safety, the six people scattered after entering the Peach Blossom Spring. They could catch her at any time if the situation wasn’t good.
Soon, everyone saw Chu Huaying in black appearing under a peach blossom tree. She looked around and saw Lu Jiuchuan. The coldness quickly dissipated and she stepped forward to greet him. “Brother Jiu.”
Lu Jiuchuan nodded to her and asked, “Have you seen any other teammates?”
Chu Huaying shook her head. “I haven’t seen them.” She glanced over the group in a puzzled manner. “What about Xiao Liu, Old Mo and the Long Qu couple? They aren’t with you?”
She was able to accurately say the names of their teammates. It seemed to be the real Chu Huaying and everyone was relieved.
Xiao Lou explained, “Long Sen and Qu Wanyue stayed on the Capital Star of the Locke Empire to follow up on an important clue. For the other three, we have no news. Mr Tang checked the federation database and they weren’t found in the ID or household registration systems.”
Chu Huaying was silent for a moment. “They shouldn’t be in trouble, right?”
Xiao Lou told her, “That isn’t necessarily the case. Their names are still on the contract book so they are still alive.”
Chu Huaying found Tang Ci standing under a tree instead of in a wheelchair and her eyes brightened. She looked Tang Ci up and down and asked, “Your legs have really recovered?”
Tang Ci gave a rare smile. “Ye Qi contributed the Bug King card and I grew new legs.”
Ye Qi, “……”
This line sounded a bit strange. He grew new legs… why did it feel like he was a strange creature?
Chu Huaying was pleased with Tang Ci’s words. “That’s great.”
Xiao Lou looked at the silver mask on Chu Huaying’s face and wondered, “Where did you get this mask?”
Chu Huaying took off the mask and explained, “The moment I entered the secret room, I was locked up on the Dark Night starship. The keepers arranged for me to be the vice-captain of the star thieves. Our boss was a man with blond hair and blue eyes. He asked me to drink to deliberately get me drunk. How could I get drunk so easily? I just pretended and that idiot wanted to take the opportunity to kill me.”
Everyone sweated for her when they heard this. It seemed that Chu Huaying’s start wasn’t smooth.
“Kill you?” Xiao Lou was worried. “Could it be a hunter?”
“Yes, I found this mask in his bedroom.” Chu Huaying handed the mask to Xiao Lou. “Fortunately, I could use cards on the starship. The moment he acted, I went behind him and finished him off with the spider dagger.”
Everyone, “……”
Chu Huaying might be downplaying her experience but everyone could imagine the danger at the time.
The moment she entered the secret room, she was filled with alcohol by the leader of the star thieves. Fortunately, she was cautious enough and deliberately pretended to be drunk. It turned out that the other party wanted to kill her! If she wasn’t sensitive enough and hadn’t reacted quickly enough to complete the reverse kill, she wouldn’t have been able to see her teammates alive.
Lu Jiuchuan looked at Chu Huaying and joked, “The boss of the star thieves tried to kill you but you ended up killing him. So you should be the leader of the star thieves?”
Chu Huaying nodded calmly. “Yes.”
Everyone, “……”
Sister Huaying was really domineering. She directly killed the boss and seized his power?
Lu Jiuchuan chuckled and touched his nose. “The way you intercepted the passenger starship just now really looked like a female demon.”
Chu Huaying raised her eyebrow and made no comment on his evaluation of her.
Ye Qi watched Chu Huaying with admiration. “Sister Huaying, your Dark Night starship looks like a spider magnified by tens of thousands of times. It has teeth and claws and is like the boss in a game. I was ready to fight a boss just now but the leader of the star thieves turned out to be you! Haha, the boss is a friend. I was nervous for nothing.”
Chu Huaying smiled at Ye Qi before turning to Xiao Lou. “I have been looking for your whereabouts over the past few days. As a star thief, I can pilot the starship to wander around the universe. My starship is on the wanted list of all the federal nations so I’m unable to enter the space stations. So the only way to find you was by intercepting passenger starships.”
This was why she intercepted this starship. The robbery was fake but the search for people was real.
Lu Jiuchuan joked, “You are the number one person on the hunter’s wanted list in the City of the Sun and the City of the Moon. Now you have become a star thief wanted in various nations. Why are you wanted all the time?”
Chu Huaying also felt helpless about this. “That’s why I can only hide. I wore this mask in order to avoid suspicion.”
Shao Qingge glanced at Xiao Lou. “What should we do next? Go with Huaying or continue to Azure Planet?”
Xiao Lou asked, “Is Huaying’s starship safe? Now that you are the leader of the star thieves, are your men willing to listen to your orders completely?”
Chu Huaying nodded. “I was the vice-captain and the boss was killed by me. I told them he died of alcohol poisoning and they didn’t doubt me. They listen to me. Moreover, these star thieves are homeless and desperate. Without my protection, they will only die if they try to sneak out.”
Tang Ci thought about it and asked earnestly, “Your starship’s performance should be much higher than that of a normal passenger ship, right? Is it possible to move around the universe at will?”
“Yes, my starship has the fastest speed and most flexible space jump capability. This is why the federal nations have been unable to catch us. Of course, in order to avoid being discovered by patrols, I shouldn’t stay in the vicinity of their routes for too long. We need to make a decision as soon as possible.”
Xiao Lou and Yu Hanjiang exchanged looks.
At midnight, the Heart has a Tacit Exchange of Romantic Feelings connection had expired. Nevertheless, Xiao Lou saw his own thoughts in Yu Hanjiang’s eyes. Therefore, he suggested, “Why don’t we go to the Hilt No Man’s Land first?”
Yu Hanjiang nodded in agreement. “Your identity is the crown prince of the Locke Empire and the invisibility cloak only lasts 30 minutes. If we rashly appear in the Azure Empire and we are discovered, it might cause trouble. Instead, if we act with the star thieves, we won’t be easily caught by the emperor. Moreover, the whereabouts of Liu Qiao’s group of three are still unknown. We have to find them as soon as possible.”
Lu Jiuchuan also agreed with this decision. “Let’s go to the Hilt No Man’s Land. Tang Ci and I might be able to retrieve our memories.”
Ye Qi wondered, “What about the clue on the princess’ side?”
Xiao Lou answered, “My sister Xiao Rou is now the wife of a prince of the Azure Empire. She has been married for over 10 years and there is no hurry to investigate her. Let’s go with Huaying first. It is important to find our other teammates. Huaying was almost killed by a star thief after entering the secret room. I’m worried that Xiao Liu and the others will also be in danger.”
Everyone looked at each other and felt this was the best way at present.
Chu Huaying simply said, “Then it is decided. Come with me first. My starship is 10 times faster than a normal passenger ship. I can also send you back any time you want to go to the Azure Empire.”
Xiao Lou wondered, “Huaying, how will you return to the starship?”
Chu Huaying raised her wrist and pressed a knob on her watch. A small, smart mecha appeared in front of everyone. “I will go back in my mecha and pretend to kidnap you. I need you to cooperate in acting.”
Xiao Lou understood. “The four of us will put on our invisibility cloaks while you kidnap Chief Shao and Ye Qi.”
Chu Huaying nodded. She quickly left the Peach Blossom Spring and drove the small mecha from the escape pod at the rear of the starship. Ye Qi stood by the window and only saw a red light flashing in front of him.
Moments later, Chu Huaying’s face appeared again on the screen of all the cabins.
She took control of the ship’s communication channels and said, “I will give you 30 seconds to open the door of the starship and let my people in to search your belongings. As long as you leave the money, I’ll let you go.”
After all, the passenger ship didn’t carry lethal weapons. After being intercepted by the brutal star thieves, it was like a well-behaved domestic cat encountering a ferocious beast. There was almost no resistance.
The captain was pale and his forehead was sweaty from nervousness. “I-I have been piloting this starship for so many years and this is the first time I’ve encountered star thieves! Hurry and hit the space station’s emergency line.”
Chu Huaying seemed to have guessed his idea and added coldly, “If you dare to ask for help, I will immediately blow up the ship and let all the passengers be buried with the stupid captain!”
The moment she spoke, the spider starship’s claws entangled with the starship once more and the hull started shaking violently again!
The passengers on the starship stumbled and screamed with panic. “Don’t they just want money? Give it to them!”
”I heard these star thieves are evil. We won’t die here today, right?”
”I only brought some jewelry. As long as I can live, I will give it all to them!”
Many people hugged each other and cried. The scene was chaotic. Meanwhile, the hull was shaking non-stop like it had encountered an earthquake or tsunami. There was a balance system failure and there was the danger of falling into the universe at any time!
Under such pressure, the captain had to grit his teeth and open the landing hatch of the starship, caving to their demands.
Chu Huaying took a few men and drove a small airship to land.
They were dressed in black and heavily armed, with submachine guns in their hands. They could kill hundreds or thousands of people casually. Most of the people who took the passenger starship were ordinary people. They saw the star thieves entering the starship with guns and didn’t even dare go out. They all tried to reduce their sense of existence.
Chu Huaying ordered coldly, “Everyone, squat down and hold your head in your hands. Don’t move if you don’t want to die.”
The group of people squatted down in a trembling manner. Chu Huaying quickly led her men to control the scene.
At the end of the corridor, the door of the VIP luxury cabin was closed tightly. She glanced at it before walking over and kicking the door. “The people in there, come out for me.”
The sound of the kick made the passengers tremble as they held their heads.
The door slowly opened and Shao Qingge and Ye Qi walked out obediently with their suitcases in hand. Shao Qingge said, “I only brought cash. I will give it all to you as long as you spare our lives.”
Chu Huaying raised her chin and asked her subordinates to open the suitcase. She saw the cash inside and nodded with satisfaction. Then she stepped forward to look at Ye Qi. The corners of her lips curved up and she gently raised Ye Qi’s chin. “This young man is so good-looking. Take him back to play with you.”
The men answered in unison, “Yes, Boss!”
The travelers, “????”
Chu Huaying then glanced at Shao Qingge. “As for his gentleman, he is very handsome. Leave him to me.”
The passengers, “………”
This demon was taking away two handsome men?
The male passengers were so frightened they didn’t dare to lift their heads out of fear they would be considered handsome by her. Chu Huaying smiled. “There is a good harvest today. I am in a good mood and won’t make it difficult for others.”
She waved to the Shao Ye duo. “Take these two away.”
Shao Qingge and Ye Qi’s expressions were very ugly. They were reluctantly tied up by Chu Huaying’s underlings and taken away.
Xiao Lou, Yu Hanjiang, Lu Jiuchuan and Tang Ci were behind them under the invisibility cloaks.
After the group left in the mini warship, the other passengers were still in shock, especially the young men. They couldn’t help thinking, ‘Those two men were taken by the star thieves because they are good looking? It seems that it is safer to be ugly!’
Proofreader: Paranoid Kitten & Fictional Reality