Chapter 2224 Incorporation! .
"6th Thief Star!"
w.a.n.g Teng looked at the other party in surprise. In this era, even thieves had planets as their main base.
Moreover, he said it was the 6th Thief Star. Didn"t it imply that there might be the 1st, 2nd… and possibly even the 7th, 8th…
"Thief Star is where universe pirates usually gather for transactions. It"s relatively secretive, and universe pirates generally won"t disclose its location unless their lives are under threat," Round Ball explained.
"Moreover, the planet they usually stay on changes frequently and isn"t fixed. So, to find it, you need someone who has been a universe pirate for a long time."
"It"s so secretive." w.a.n.g Teng got interested.
"Of course. I found this information in their s.p.a.cecraft database."
"After all, many forces want to eradicate universe pirates. They"ve offended quite a few people and may even affect the economic development of nearby forces. They are like cancer. The Phantom Drift Territorial Domain is chaotic, making it easier for them to thrive. If not, they have to be more cautious and stay more concealed," Round Ball explained.
"That makes sense. If it were in the Great Qian Empire, I"m afraid sending out a military force is enough to wipe out the universe pirates," w.a.n.g Teng nodded.
The Great Qian Empire surely had its share of universe pirates, but compared to the Phantom Drift Territorial Domain, it would be like comparing a minnow to a whale. At least, w.a.n.g Teng had never encountered them.
As for the Phantom Drift Territorial Domain in the territorial domain, this was his first time here, and he happened to come across them.
This wasn"t luck. It was inevitable.
Because there were just too many universe pirates in the Phantom Drift Territorial Domain. Toss a stone into this starry sea, and you"re bound to hit one or two wandering fish.
"In truth, even if someone knows the location of Thief Star, not everyone would go to exterminate them. Everyone has their purposes. Perhaps they just want to do things they can"t do openly," Round Ball explained.
"The dark side of the universe?" w.a.n.g Teng"s mind flashed with insight as he spoke in a deep voice.
"Yes, where there is light, there is darkness. Places with a mix of good and bad are more suitable for doing things that can"t be seen," Round Ball said.
"Okay!" w.a.n.g Teng nodded.
The universe pirates were similar to the universe mercenary groups, except mercenary groups engaged in legal business.
Many people didn"t know that sometimes mercenary groups would act as universe pirates, as long as no one found out.
"Where is the 6th Thief Star?" w.a.n.g Teng looked at Payne again and asked.
"It"s here, there"s a non-living planet over there. Many pirates set up temporary bases there, changing locations now and then," Payne pointed to the star map.
To save his life, Payne shamelessly spilled all the information. He could tell that the young man before him was definitely not an ordinary person. Resistance was futile, so it was better to cooperate honestly.
"Indeed, a temporary base!" w.a.n.g Teng nodded to himself. It matched what Round Ball had said.
"He"s not lying!" Round Ball found the location of the planet on the s.p.a.cecraft"s navigation map and confirmed their multiple visits. By reverse tracking, they were able to ascertain the accuracy.
"Hmm, this place seems quite close to the Five Burial Stars!" w.a.n.g Teng noticed a detail.
"It"s to the west of the Five Burial Stars. These pirates have some audacity." Round Ball also noticed the issue and nodded.
"Do you have other members in your pirate gang?" w.a.n.g Teng asked instantly with a sharp glint in his eyes.
"No, they"re all here," Payne replied.
"Very well!" w.a.n.g Teng"s lips curved into a slight arc. "Gather everyone, I have something to discuss."
"Uh… some are still unconscious," Payne said, unsure of what w.a.n.g Teng intended to do so he was a little hesitant.
"Wake them up!" w.a.n.g Teng"s gaze turned ice-cold.
"Yes!" Payne"s heart skipped a beat. He nodded quickly and was about to turn away.
"Wait!" w.a.n.g Teng suddenly stopped him.
Perplexed, Payne looked at w.a.n.g Teng, only to see a crimson light flash in his eyes.
"Oh no!"
Surprised, Payne couldn"t react in time. His mind went fuzzy, and his gaze instantly became bewildered.
Bewitch!
w.a.n.g Teng activated the bewitch skill on him. Then, he released his spiritual power and activated the Enchantment skill.
Using both skills simultaneously, Payne quickly succ.u.mbed. When he opened his eyes and looked at w.a.n.g Teng, his expression became extremely respectful.
"Sir!"
"Alright, go ahead," w.a.n.g Teng said.
Payne"s spiritual power was not particularly strong, and with w.a.n.g Teng"s current spiritual realm, dealing with martial warriors below the third level of the heaven stage was more than enough.
Thus, w.a.n.g Teng wasn"t worried that his Enchantment Skill would fail.
Seeing Payne"s respectful demeanor, it was evident that the skill worked even better on him than on others.
Soon, everyone on the s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p was gathered. w.a.n.g Teng used his Bewitch and Enchantment skills to control them completely.
In this way, these universe pirates could now be used to his advantage.
w.a.n.g Teng, being relatively new, didn"t have other hands at his disposal. Although the strength of these universe pirates was mediocre, there were still a few martial warriors among them who had surpa.s.sed the cosmos stage. They could still use them.
"You want to use these universe pirates?" Round Ball watched the proceedings with surprise, unable to contain its astonishment.
"Don"t you think these universe pirates lurking in the dark side of the universe are useful?" w.a.n.g Teng asked.
"That makes sense." Round Ball"s eyes flickered as it nodded.
One had to admit that individuals like w.a.n.g Teng, who took unconventional approaches, often had more options than others.
In the Phantom Drift Territorial Domain, and even in a place like the Five Burial Stars, there might not necessarily be any force more useful than universe pirates.
"This is called having no influence, so you create one for yourself," w.a.n.g Teng chuckled.
"Alright, look at how proud you are." Round Ball rolled its eyes.
"Oh, by the way," w.a.n.g Teng called Payne over again, saying, "Are there any other universe pirates nearby on the route to the Five Burial Stars? If there are, we can recruit them as well."
Round Ball: …
Payne fell into silence.
Such actions were undoubtedly taboo.
Even as universe pirates, there were principles and moral standards to uphold. If they casually sold out other universe pirates, they would find it difficult to survive in the universe pirates community. They would become targets for everyone.
If the news leaked, other pirates might unite to attack and eliminate them.
"Why? Is there a problem?" w.a.n.g Teng asked calmly.
"Sir, if I do this, I will become everyone"s target," Payne honestly expressed his concerns.
"Don"t worry. Do you think, with my abilities, they can escape from me?" w.a.n.g Teng said. " Besides, I"m not asking you to provoke those who are beyond your league."
Payne was stunned.
That"s right!
If others were controlled the way he was, who could disclose the information?
Suddenly, he understood.
"There are many universe pirates in the vicinity, and I can take you to them," Payne immediately offered.
Even he had been recruited. As long as he wasn"t hunted down, he could do anything.
"Very well!" w.a.n.g Teng patted his shoulder, very pleased.
It seemed that this leader of the pirates was quite sensible. Even with the Enchantment skill controlling him, he accepted everything without any resistance, the first one to do so.
Payne felt a bitter taste in his mouth. As a heaven-stage martial warrior, choosing to submit in such a manner was indeed a source of shame. However, for some inexplicable reason, he couldn"t summon the slightest thought of resistance. He felt a deep sadness within.
The other universe pirates on the s.p.a.cecraft quickly learned of w.a.n.g Teng"s intentions. Initially, they resisted, but under Payne"s "persuasion," everyone eventually accepted their fate.
Ultimately, these universe pirates were not exactly n.o.ble individuals. To make them adhere to any kind of code, violent means were necessary. Now that they knew they might not be hunted even if they betrayed their comrades, they chose to compromise.
After all, if they didn"t compromise, they might face death now.
Their lives were in the hands of others, leaving them with no other option.
These universe pirates never thought that robbing a big fat sheep would lead to such a major turn of events. They became captives, losing their freedom.
At this moment, they felt a sudden urge to cry.
Pirates long for freedom!
The s.p.a.cecraft rapidly flew toward the direction of the Five Burial Stars. After about half a day, Payne suddenly ran over with excitement. "Sir, the Red Cat Universe Pirate"s hunting area is just ahead. They have been staying here during this period."
"You seem quite excited?" w.a.n.g Teng looked at him strangely.
"Do… do I?" Payne responded awkwardly.
"Yes!" w.a.n.g Teng nodded.
Payne: o(╯□╰)o
"Don"t worry. This is excellent," w.a.n.g Teng nodded approvingly. Regardless of the underlying motives, the fact that Payne could help him find other universe pirates was beneficial.
"The Red Cat Universe Pirate? Why does this name sound a little feminine?" w.a.n.g Teng asked.
Payne didn"t know what to say anymore. It seemed like the young man before him could see through all his thoughts.
"The Red Cat Universe Pirate? Why does this name sound a little feminine?" w.a.n.g Teng asked.
"The Red Cat Universe Pirate members are all female martial warriors. Their leader, a heaven-stage martial warrior known as Tracy, has the t.i.tle of the Red Cat. She"s like a wild little cat, tough to discipline," Payne explained.
w.a.n.g Teng observed Payne, noticing signs of growing excitement. He couldn"t help but feel speechless. This guy was already quite old, yet he acted so flamboyantly?
Most heaven-stage martial warriors were not young. Some were even a few million years old. He didn"t expect him to be so excited when they talked about ladies.
Indeed, men were all the same no matter what age they were.
"How strong is their group? Apart from Tracy, what are the strengths of the others?" w.a.n.g Teng inquired.
"The Red Cat Universe Pirate team has a few cosmos-stage martial warriors, and the rest are all cosmos-stage martial warriors. Their strength is similar to ours. In this region, the strengths of universe pirates don"t differ much. Those with universe-stage powerhouses are rarely seen in this sector," Payne pondered for a moment before continuing, "As for Tracy"s strength, she"s slightly stronger than me but probably not a match for you."
He glanced at w.a.n.g Teng, unable to deny that the young man before him was truly extraordinary. He was a cosmos-stage martial warrior but he rendered Payne utterly defenseless.
"Very well, let"s go for it!" w.a.n.g Teng commanded.
"My lord, there"s something I need to remind you of." Payne hesitated.
"Speak up. Don"t beat around the bush. I"m not a villain who doesn"t allow you to speak," w.a.n.g Teng said.
Payne glanced at w.a.n.g Teng carefully. If he wasn"t a villain, how could he beat someone into a pig"s head? However, he dared not utter those words. He quickly spoke, "The Red Cat Universe Pirates are known for their cunning. Once they sense something amiss, they immediately flee. So, all this time, no one has been able to catch Red Cat Tracy."
w.a.n.g Teng asked, "How do you seem to know so much about it?"
"To tell you the truth, Tracy is very beautiful and fiery. A wild female pirate like her is the target of many pirates, but I"ve never heard of anyone succeeding," Payne said with a sly grin.
"You guys are unbelievable!" w.a.n.g Teng was speechless.
It turned out that these universe pirates were even more chaotic than he imagined, resorting to targeting their fellow pirates for such reasons.
Payne could only laugh awkwardly. He had once thought of abducting Tracy, but he ended up receiving a thorough beating.
But, such glorious deeds weren"t something he wanted to brag about, so he kept silent.
"Well, in that case, I"ll go undercover myself. You all wait here for me," w.a.n.g Teng contemplated for a moment and spoke.