Chapter 62

Chapter 62

As they approached the P-series planets, Lu Cian was meticulously filling gaps in his schedule when the entire spacecraft suddenly shuddered, and the room began to shake violently.

Caught off guard, Lu Cian’s datapad slipped from his grasp. He reached out to retrieve it, but the ship’s instability threw him off balance. Just as he was about to fall, Nair Inan swiftly caught him.

Before Lu Cian could utter a word of thanks, Nair Inan’s voice cut through the air: "Enemy attack! To the cockpit!"

Lu Cian had initially dismissed the shaking as mere space turbulence, but now he realized they were under assault. His expression turned grim as he followed Nair Inan to the cockpit.

As the two stepped out, other male insects, alarmed by the tremors, emerged from their rooms.

Lu Cian reassured them, "Just a minor issue. It should be resolved quickly."

Though uncertain of the attack's nature, Lu Cian felt a sense of calm with Nair Inan by his side, like a stabilizing anchor. After the initial jolt of panic, he quickly regained his composure.

The five large males were easily placated and returned to their quarters. However, Milo, still uneasy, followed Lu Cian to the cockpit.

Inside, Damon and Wawen stood with grave expressions while Nair Inan worked furiously at the controls, his fingers a blur.

Not wanting to disturb Brother Nan, Lu Cian approached Damon and whispered, "What exactly is going on?"

Damon, eyes still fixed on the screen, explained, "It’s likely those insects from the black market."

Lu Cian was surprised. "Why? We haven’t done anything. Why are they so persistent?"

He recalled that the auction was still ongoing; the black market should be preoccupied. Why would they bother with them?

The forces behind the black market were busy amassing wealth, and the black market itself was swamped. They were just small fry, with no significant value—why would they warrant such a large-scale pursuit?

Lu Cian scrutinized the images on the screen, a hint of doubt in his voice. "Are you sure it’s the black market? The insignia on that ship looks rather high-end… I feel like I’ve seen it somewhere before…"

But no matter how hard he tried, he couldn’t recall where.

Damon nodded. "That insignia is indeed familiar. It’s the crest of a major noble family from the Homeworld."

Lu Cian was stunned. "The nobles of the Homeworld have become this brazen? Openly backing the black market now?"

These must be private military forces. A ship bearing a family crest likely housed their personal guards.

How arrogant! Fighting among their own kind, treating lives with such disregard!

Damon clarified, "It’s not the full crest, but a modified, discreet insignia used privately among nobles. They all understand its meaning."

Lu Cian shook his head, speechless. "So this is an open secret? It seems to be commonplace. These great nobles truly are dens of iniquity."

Wawen scoffed at Lu Cian’s words. "Dens of iniquity? That’s putting it mildly. These nobles are nothing but trash—they should have been thrown into the garbage long ago! Despicable creatures!"

Damon shot Wawen a disapproving glance. Such a short temper, and cursing openly. He’d better be careful the young master didn’t hear him and make a note.

Nair Inan, with his SS-level mental energy, could multitask effortlessly; every word reached his ears.

Their ship was nearing obsolescence—aging parts, barely any functional weapons, and a limited supply of ammunition. In a firefight, they stood no chance.

Wawen sometimes couldn't control his tongue. His intense hostility toward the nobility made him sound like a space pirate. And hadn't he noticed Milo, a stranger, was present?

Their ship was nearing obsolescence—aging components, barely any functional weapons, and a limited supply of ammunition. In a firefight, they stood no chance.

Their ship was nearing obsolescence, with aging parts, only a few functional weapons, and scarce ammunition. In a direct firefight, they stood no chance.

Therefore, Nair Inan had to strike with precision, not wasting a single shot.

Meanwhile, in the command center of the enemy ships, the Guard Captain directed his subordinates to pursue the fleeing vessel.

Guard Alpha eyed the battered ship with disdain. "Are you serious? This scrap heap? And we can't even take it down? Is the intel accurate?"

Guard Beta replied, "It should be. The markings on the ship are identical to the images we were given."

Though the footage was somewhat blurry, identification was not an issue.

Guard Alpha frowned. "The images were too blurry. If we'd known it was just this wreck, we wouldn't have even needed to come!"

They were elite insects, specially trained by the family head. Deploying them against a bunch of nobodies who couldn't even afford a decent ship was a complete waste of talent!

"The family head is wasting resources on those insects if they can't even handle trash like this," Guard Alpha grumbled, annoyed.

Guard Beta didn't explicitly agree, but he shared the sentiment. "They're there to make money. It's understandable if their combat skills are lacking."

Guard Alpha was speechless. "Lacking is one thing, but this is just pathetic!"

Vandela also had insects stationed by other noble families. Each noble family had a stake, and they certainly wouldn't want their "treasure trove" to be disrupted by ambitious insects, so they maintained a military presence.

However, the insects guarding the black market couldn't be completely useless. If other nobles found out, their family head would lose face.

"Did the pilot over there make a mistake and press the acceleration button instead of the deceleration button?"

"That can't be right. What kind of female insect would make such a basic mistake with a common ship? Is the ship out of control?"

Guard Alpha chuckled. "I think their piloting skills are probably terrible, and their luck is even worse. That dilapidated ship should have been scrapped long ago. The fact that it didn't fall apart when they were accelerating so hard earlier is a miracle. It must have malfunctioned now."

He then sighed with a hint of regret. "This mission is too easy. I thought we'd encounter some formidable opponent, but the enemy just self-destructed. What a waste of our mission funds. There's nothing impressive to report back to the family head. This is truly unlucky. I should have applied to take Team Two's mission instead."

Guard Beta frowned upon hearing this. "Watch your mouth. If the captain hears you, you're finished."

Guard Alpha shrugged nonchalantly. "What's there to be afraid of? It's just you and me on this ship. He can't hear us. Are you going to tell on me?"

Guard Beta sighed. "Forget I said anything."

Guard Beta felt that his well-intentioned advice had been ignored. Why bother being a good insect?

Then, Guard Beta looked up at the images transmitted from the ship, his eyes widening in alarm. He frantically shouted, "Stop joking around! Turn now, quickly! We've been tricked by that insect! An asteroid is heading straight for us!"

Guard Alpha also saw the rapidly approaching asteroid and was enraged that he had been fooled by a mere insect, making him feel like a complete clown!

A group of insignificant insects had deceived him with the appearance of their dilapidated ship, and he had fallen for it, believing these opponents were nothing to fear, even thinking their skillful maneuvers were suicidal!

Guard Alpha's face burned crimson with shame as he piloted the ship to dodge the asteroid.

If he had been the only insect on the ship, his arrogant words would have been inconsequential. But with a teammate present, with whom they had just been boasting, the reality exposed his ignorance and foolishness.

Guard Alpha's mind was a whirlwind of complex thoughts. He decided that after the mission, he would treat his teammate to a good meal, hoping to silence him and prevent his arrogant words from spreading.

Guard Alpha's plan was well-intentioned, but just as they dodged the speeding asteroid, a cannonball followed closely behind...

A few seconds earlier.

Lu Cian was talking to Damon, and he had immense trust in Brother Nan.

Although there were several enemy ships, and they might not be able to defeat them, with Nair Inan's superb piloting skills, shaking them off should be no problem.

But unexpectedly, as Lu Cian chatted away, he casually glanced up to check the battle situation, only to be jolted by the sight on the screen.

Sometimes, fright truly strikes out of nowhere!

Watching Nair Inan pilot the ship directly towards a rapidly approaching asteroid, Lu Cian's heart leaped into his throat.

His adrenaline surged. When fear reaches a certain threshold, the scream in your throat gets stuck. Lu Cian could only widen his eyes, helplessly watching as the ship was about to collide with the asteroid...

In that moment, Lu Cian heard his heart pounding wildly, as if it were about to burst from his chest.

Yet death did not claim Lu Cian. In the instant before impact, Nair Inan, relying on his superb piloting skills and precise mental perception, executed an extreme sideslip, narrowly avoiding the collision.

Instead, the pursuing ship behind them failed to turn in time, scraping against the asteroid's side. The ship spiraled downwards and vanished into the vast cosmos.

After regaining his composure, Lu Cian finally regained control of his body, his heart still thumping wildly, and his legs wobbly, barely able to stand.

Lu Cian had seen such extreme stunts in movies, and even in real life. Race car drivers and extreme sports enthusiasts played with a reckless abandon, and many rich second-generation individuals also sought such thrills.

Lu Cian had always scoffed at them. There were so many good things to eat and enjoy; why seek out danger?

Seeking thrills often led to death. Lu Cian couldn't understand what those young people were thinking.

They spoke of pursuing the meaning of life...

Lu Cian felt they were probably still suffering from a severe case of adolescent delusion, only worse.

They were simply too well-fed, with too much money to burn, feeling empty here and empty there... If their credit cards were cut off, they would quickly understand the meaning of life.

For example, he only understood the value of every grain of rice after spending time in prison.

In such circumstances, being well-fed and well-rested couldn't satisfy basic needs. The culinary culture was appallingly bad; only gourmet food could soothe Lu Cian's panicked soul in this alien world.

If those racers didn't constantly show off and push limits, believing they could brake mere centimeters before hitting a wall... Instead of seeking such dangerous thrills, eating coarse food and wild vegetables every day would be far more stimulating.

Braking just before a crash certainly sent adrenaline soaring, but Lu Cian had always found it pointless and insane.

But when he truly experienced that feeling himself...

Lu Cian rubbed his nose. He had to admit, it was indeed quite thrilling.

The problem was, it was *too* thrilling. Lu Cian feared that one misstep could literally scare him to death.