Chapter 319: Looting a Burning House
Early the next morning, Xia Fei followed Yawei into the secret communications room, where he would soon be in a conference call with the various warlords of the Black Abyss Star Region to discuss what they could offer in exchange for his ten thousand energy-s.h.i.+eld boosters.
Xia Fei had both his hands stuffed into his pants pockets, a Hongtashan between his lips. He appeared not in the least bit anxious; he had already become an A-list supplier of the Alliance Military, so it was no longer the same as before, for now his energy-s.h.i.+eld boosters had been recognized by the military—an organization which would forever need his new products.
These warlords of the Black Abyss were already on the brink of collapse, urgently needing something to turn the tables on their enemies. This new military hardware was tantamount to gifting charcoal in the middle of winter right now.
It was as the saying went: ‘Taking utmost advantage when one is on the verge of a death-inducing sickness.’ Xia Fei had already made his decision to fleece them properly this one chance he got, so they would never suspect that Xia Fei was here as a shrewd businessman. Gifting charcoal amidst winter? He might be giving them the charcoal, but he would of course be here to acquire gold in return.
Turning a corner, Xia Fei and Yawei walked into a building, which looked very much like an astronomy observation deck. A huge metal antenna tower reaching up to the clouds was being used to transmit ancient communication waves. In the Black Abyss, far away from the alliance territory, sometimes these ancient communication devices worked better than the interplanetary internet, owing to the latter’s instability.
With the army already sent to the frontlines, there was hardly anyone else around the military base. After Xia Fei rounded a corner and disappeared from sight, the mustachioed man in an all black outfit abruptly appeared.
“Still not making your move?” the mustachioed man asked.
There was someone in midair, but only a soft voice could be heard. “There’s no rush here. They’ll soon be taking the same route back. I’ll set up the b.u.t.terfly Ten-steps formation before they do, completing this mission once and for all.”
The mustachioed man nodded, disappearing into the corner of a wall, while Clean Knife turned into a soft breeze as he made his way into the center of the corridor.
…
While the ancient communication device provided stable connection, it was a lot more inconvenient to operate, and the communications officer was constantly busying with it. Xia Fei was bored waiting, so he went to the corridor by himself to pa.s.s the time.
Standing by the window, he could very clearly make out the path strewn with fallen leaves below. What Xia Fei did not know was that this path, which he had just walked on moments before, had been turned into one which led straight to a new destination: death.
Xia Fei lit a cigarette once again. He always enjoyed a cigarette every time he had to think. Nicotine could calm a person’s nerves at the cost of their lifespan, and most smart people would rarely partake in it. Xia Fei did not share this notion, however. The harm smoking did to a person’s health in exchange for a moment of calmness was very worthwhile to someone like Xia Fei, for he was a firm believer of the transactional cost theory.
The b.u.t.terfly killer Clean Knife was seated at the center of the path down below. He raised his head up to look up at Xia Fei, whistling as he did. Due to his dust ability, he was so small that no one could see or sense his presence.
…
All this time, Xia Fei still had no idea what sort of danger he was about to face.
No one knew what Clean Knife’s bottomline was, and even fewer truly understood his strength. The only thing certain was that, after Xia Fei returned from the Heritage planet and saw an astronomical leap in his strength, so too did Clean Knife—another person who had been to Heritage Planet.
This was a battle of the unknown, between two warriors who had both visited Heritage planet, meeting out here here in the desolate Black Abyss.
This would be a fight between Sly Thrust and the b.u.t.terfly Ten-steps, with Xia Fei’s Celestial Moon and Clean Knife’s b.u.t.terfly Lifetaker knife; just who would emerge as the victor?
“We’ve connected,” the communications officer reported.
Yawei nodded and gestured for Xia Fei to enter the conference room. There were four screens, each with a man seated, while Xia Fei was beside Yawei. The Big Five of the Black Abyss were all present.
Five men, five faces. All of them were differently shaped, but they all shared the same expression. Each and every one of them looked glum, their eyes revealing their restlessness.
The Big Five was the nickname for the five most powerful warlords in the Black Abyss, and in this Consortium, which they had formed this time. The five of them made up for at least sixty percent of the forces, so their strength was evident. As long as these five men could be convinced, the rest of the forces would fall in line, and all the other smaller warlords were no exceptions.
Yawei first gave a simple introduction to everyone present. Everyone already knew who Xia Fei was and why he had come here, so they immediately dove into the topic of the agreement. With danger right at their doorsteps every second delayed would just result in greater crisis.
A fat, old man in his seventies was the first to speak. “Will this energy-s.h.i.+eld booster really improve our combat strength drastically?”
Xia Fei already knew from Yawei’s introduction that this man was called M’vila, and he owned the most territory in the Black Abyss. He was also the biggest warlord and the strongest of the five. His words weighed greatly among this group of five.
With a smile, Xia Fei loudly offered, “The energy-s.h.i.+eld boosters have already been deployed by the Alliance Military, and will soon be fitted to all the s.h.i.+ps under their command. I’m sure none of you has any issues when it comes to the military’s choices, right?”
The lot was silent. When everyone learned that Quantum Holdings had been recognized as an A-list supplier by the military, it had caused quite a commotion among them, for the military cooperating with a small enterprise was an unprecedented endeavor that no one had succeeded before.
Xia Fei paused before continuing. “My Quantum Holdings is a very small company; does any of you guys know why the military agreed to include it on the list of A-rated suppliers?”
These men all had no idea, and it was M’vila who wrinkled his forehead and asked deeply, “I’m also very puzzled by this. The military always does a strict inspection of any prospective supplier’s qualifications, and no matter how one looks at it, Quantum Holdings doesn’t meet any of the criteria for it to be recognized by the military body as an A-list supplier. Of course, I am merely stating facts and don’t mean to be derogatory in any way.”
Xia Fei answered him seriously, “You’re not wrong; Quantum Holdings does lack the qualifications to be an A-list supplier, but our product qualified, and that’s because the energy-s.h.i.+eld boosters pa.s.sed the military’s level 5 stress test in their secret laboratory.”
“What? The level 5 stress test!”
“Did the energy-s.h.i.+eld booster really pa.s.s the level 5 stress test? That’s simply unbelievable!”
Xia Fei silently observed the reaction of these men. It was clear that they were not only moved but also extremely shocked by this news.
Actually, Xia Fei had exaggerated quite a lot. After all, it was not a single energy-s.h.i.+eld booster that pa.s.sed the level 5 stress test but rather a defensive s.h.i.+eld array of the boosters put together.
Though Xia Fei had not been a shrewd businessman for long, this did not affect his potential to become one. Deceiving them in the guise of revolution, exaggerated bragging and publicity—these were all tricks Xia Fei knew all too well. Even if these people learned the truth later, they could not blame Xia Fei, for he did not specify if it was an individual energy-s.h.i.+eld booster or a defensive s.h.i.+eld array that pa.s.sed the level 5 stress test. Ultimately, they were still products of Quantum Holdings.
“If that’s the case, why don’t you lay out your conditions?” M’vila gave him the floor.
Xia Fei nodded and turned on his microcomputer to display a map of the Death Tri-region. There was already a marked area in red, with also a layer of yellow around it.
Pointing with a finger, Xia Fei stated, “Ten thousand energy-s.h.i.+eld boosters will be gifted to you all, and if you win this war, I want the area I’ve marked on the map. I want full control of the territory, be it in terms of governance or military affairs. The marked yellow area has no habitable planets and will act as a military buffer zone; n.o.body’s army will be allowed entry.”
“That’s a large piece of territory you’re asking for! I’m afraid that there may be over a hundred habitable planets there,” exclaimed a fairly ugly-looking, skinny old man as he looked at the map.
Xia Fei chuckled. “There aren’t many there. This is merely a fairly large territory, but the land’s barren; there are only six life-sustaining planets in that part of s.p.a.ce.”
The skinny, old man nodded, stroking that spa.r.s.e goatee under his chin with one hand. Life-sustaining planets were where humans could survive and live. They would have air, water, and all the other necessary living conditions humans required. In the barren Death Tri-region, every single life-sustaining planet was priceless, for planets that could not sustain life were essentially useless beyond mining purposes. The necessary labor and food all needed to depend on habitable planets for continued living.
Everyone’s heart leaped in their respective chest when they saw that huge territory Xia Fei had highlighted on the map, but when they learned that there would only be six life-sustaining planets in that part of s.p.a.ce, they could not help but sigh in relief.
Planets were the most worthless things in the Death Tri-region, and they were also the most valuable things. Planets that could not sustain life were a dime a dozen, and no one cared about them at all.
M’vila examined the territory that Xia Fei had marked carefully before saying, “Honestly, the area you’ve marked doesn’t seem all that great at first glance. It’s far away, but from what we’ve gathered, it’s one A-grade planet, which is very suitable for human and animal habitation, two B grades, and three C grades. Furthermore, five of these six planets are in the same star system, which makes them a very good and rare find.
“Besides, the minerals are plentiful in the area you chose, with practically large deposits of various ores. There are also those planets that have yet to be surveyed for minerals; don’t you think that you’re being too greedy for swapping ten thousand energy-s.h.i.+eld boosters, given what you’re asking in exchange?”
The location that Xia Fei had picked was in Terminus, not the Black Abyss, which was why none of these warlords from the Black Abyss had too much of an understanding of it.
M’vila’s reminder had caused everyone to hurriedly examine their starmaps, and all of them revealed their distaste after ascertaining the bounties of the location.
This might perhaps be the only location across the entire Death Tri-region with such special conditions in tandem; First was the fact that there were five quality life-sustaining planets in one star system. It was essentially a grace of G.o.d, since closer planets made it easier to develop trade, increasing the convenience for moving and communicating with one another, greatly helping promote the prosperity of the star system.
There was also the precious grade A life-sustaining planet; the higher the grade, the more temperate and beautiful the planet, the more suitable it was for human inhabitation. The relations.h.i.+p of the Black Abyss, Terminus, and Evil Gulfstream had deteriorated to such a point was ultimately because of these few A-grade life-sustaining planets.
If a grade B life-sustaining planet could be exchanged for its weight in gold, then a grade A life-sustaining planet could be exchanged for diamonds.
This was the desolate Death Tri-region, and the value of a grade A life-sustaining planet was practically incalculable.
As for that single grade B planet, which was separate from the rest, it would bear the responsibility of hosting the important t.i.tan that Xia Fei was planning to manufacture. It was a planet close to the boundary of the region, making it the perfect spot for a secret factory to be established.
This price Xia Fei had quoted to these warlords was not just high; it was extremely high.
It was a cut that created a bleeding, open wound.
The Big Five were all hesitant. Xia Fei opened his mouth and viciously bit off their arms with this one move. They had all seen their fair share of shrewd businessmen, but this was the first time that they had actually seen such a ferocious and shrewd businessman like Xia Fei.
“You can all discuss this among yourselves; I’m going to head off to the washroom.” Xia Fei chuckled, leaving the others in this conference room after this one sentence.
“How very ferocious.”
The moment Xia Fei left the room, M’vila could not help but growl in his vexation, “What kind of business is this? He’s practically looting the house while it’s on fire!”