Chapter 1401 You’ll have to pay for it sooner or later
Somewhere in the Sea of Star Spirits, a large stars.h.i.+p slowly sailed through the universe. In the exquisitely decorated captain’s cabin, Carlozo was leaning lazily on the soft and comfortable captain’s chair, his legs crossed on the table. One arm was leaning on the armrest, holding an expensive bottle of fine hard liquor which he was swinging around, There was a thick cigar in his mouth, burning with green smoke while a virtual screen floated in front of him, playing an entertainment program.
Carlozo had rough brown skin like a lizard. His facial features were similar to a human’s, but the gap between his eyes was quite large and his jaw was protruding, similar to that of a beastman. In addition, one of his eyes was missing, and the empty eye socket was exposed as a black hole just like that. It was like a wound left by an energy gun, lending him a fierce aura.
He looked very rough on the outside, but he was wearing an exquisite and complicated n.o.ble-style dress that seemed to have been carefully ironed without many creases. This was accompanied by a small, n.o.ble-style round hat on his head, covering his spa.r.s.e and messy yellow hair. Only a few locks of hair hung down from the gaps of the hat, giving people a strong visual contrast.
While the slave trade was mostly held in the galactic black market, there existed an independent ecosystem that formed a secret trade chain. Because this industry was unsuitable for the public’s eyes, any seller of a certain size rarely acted in the name of an organization. They usually gave themselves a code name and used this name to make friends with customers, forming a trade network around their ident.i.ty.
As for Calozo, he was a reputable seller of this secret trade, nicknamed ‘Lord’. He had been in the industry for many years and had outstanding results. His business had even crossed several Star Cl.u.s.ters, so it would not be an exaggeration to say that he was a slave-trading giant in the Sea of Star Spirits.
Gulp… Carlozo took a sip of the wine, and the bright red liquid flowed out from his lips and slid down his chin. He ignored the sounds of his subordinates playing outside the cabin, puffing on his cigar as he increased the volume of the virtual screen. He kept changing the channels with hand gestures, looking through one program after another with boredom.
At this moment, an encrypted communication interface suddenly popped up on the virtual screen, and a number marked ‘Buyer 178’ appeared. Carlozo’s eyes flashed. He paused the show and picked up the call. A black shadow with no specific appearance appeared on the screen and gave a string of code numbers. Carlozo also replied with a string of numbers and they conversed like this for a few sentences to confirm that there was no problem with their ident.i.ties. After checking the code, Buyer 178 went straight to the point. “Lord, did you get the goods I ordered last time?”
Carlozo took out a notebook and flipped through it. “Sorry, we haven’t gotten the goods yet.”
“How long has it been? It’s just a batch of Silver Spirits. You weren’t this slow in the past. My master is already impatient from waiting,” Buyer 178 sounded unhappy. Carlozo shook his head. “The environment is different now. As you know, due to the war, the entire universe has been under martial law for the past three years. A large number of races have gathered in the Central Galaxy to take refuge, causing our business to reduce by ninety percent. It’s not as easy to obtain goods anymore.” All along, the slave trade black market hidden under the deep sea of the galactic society had been very prosperous, but with the outbreak of the World Tree War, this industry had fallen into winter. Generally speaking, war should be able to promote the slavery trade, but the current war did not break out on the mainland. In order to prepare for war, the three Universal Civilizations imposed high-pressure restrictions on the various Star Fields. With the large number of people taking refuge, the population of the galactic residents plummeted.
This was equivalent to cutting off the supply of many slave traffickers. The majority of the people captured by the slave traffickers were ordinary galactic residents. They were usually lone galactic travelers, either swindling tourists or buying captives from the galactic pirates. They rarely attacked pa.s.sing s.p.a.ces.h.i.+ps and it was even harder for them to land on a colonial planet to capture people. They did not have such armed forces. Due to the restrictions of the three Universal Civilizations, it had been a long time since Carlozo had opened his ‘store’, and this business was getting more and more difficult. “Although I can’t get the Silvers here, there are still some other goods. Do you want to take a look at the list?” asked Carlozo. “Forget it, forget it. I’ll find someone else.”
Buyer 178 went offline.
Carlozo curled his lips and did not mind.
Although this deal fell through, he did not feel any regret. Because of the war, Calozo had already made up his mind not to purchase any more goods. He only wanted to clear his inventory and wash his hands off this business. As for whether or not he could completely free himself, Carlozo was not worried.
Sellers who had been operating for a long time all had a set of survival rules. They paid attention to their ident.i.ty and kept it a secret. Most of the time, they only worked with regular customers and maintained good relations.h.i.+ps with some armed organizations. Some powerful clients could even provide them with a.s.sistance, so they were able to survive in the underworld… As long as they kept a low profile and did not expose themselves or provoke any big shots, no one would care about them. They could leave after making a fortune. It was very safe. Carlozo closed the communication interface and continued to switch channels. He casually scrolled through the programs, but his mind was not in it. He was immersed in the excitement of looking forward to the future. “When this batch of stocks is cleared, I can retire…”
Carlozo was in a good mood.
The money he had earned over the years was enough for him to live a carefree life for a few lifetimes. As long as he could retire successfully, he would be able to change his appearance and enjoy his life with the wealth he had acc.u.mulated. There were too many such examples in this industry. It could be said that this was every slave trader’s dream, and it was Carlozo’s goal. The thought of his beautiful life finally waving at him after working so hard for so many years made him excited.
However, at this moment, he swiped to a news channel that was broadcasting Black Star’s conference.
Carlozo had also paid attention to the recent invitation issued, and he could not help but pause there.
His eyes grew wider and wider, and his body started to tremble uncontrollably. A thick sense of fear gradually filled his face, and a chill ran down his spine. Looking at the countless large organizations in the image responding to Han Xiao’s call, Carlozo panicked. His mind went blank, and he could not help but recall a sentence that he had once scoffed at…
If you come out to play, you have to pay the price sooner or later! Crack! The subordinates who were playing cards loudly in the cabin suddenly heard the sound of things being smashed frequently from the captain’s cabin. Just from the sound of it, they could almost imagine the hysterical look on his face, like a trapped beast in despair.
Endless Nebulae, a certain galactic free city. A luxurious mansion sat in a scenic area surrounded by green trees and a clear lake. Such a special area existed in the highly man-made galactic capital city. Clearly, the people living there had a lot of influence. In the s.p.a.cious living room, a man in a sleeping robe was sitting on the sofa. A few female Elven creatures were lying on the floor beside him. Their heads were lowered, jaws on the ground, and they had a collar tied around their necks which was connected to a pillar, like leashed pets.
In front of them was a large virtual screen playing a show. The man was eating breakfast while looking up at the screen. He would stroke the back of the elven lady from time to time—which was covered in purple bruisesas if he was simply petting her.
The elven lady subconsciously shrank back, but her eyes were still like a pool of stagnant water. She lifelessly looked at the virtual screen in front of her, like a zombie whose soul had been sucked out.
At this time, the man changed channels and saw the news recording of the Black Star Conference.
After looking at it for a while, he sneered, his face appearing as though he did not give two hoots about it, “This Black Star, he’s always so busy. He should go fight the enemies if he’s bored. That’s his responsibility. What’s the point of worrying about population trade? Does he think he’s the leader of the galactic society? Pfft, what the h.e.l.l.”
As soon as he said that, the bodies of a few elven women lying on the ground suddenly trembled, and their dead eyes suddenly regained a bit of life. Ever since they were captured by the slave traffickers and sold, their lives were only left with darkness. They were like stagnant water without any life, thinking that they would be like this for the rest of their lives. However, at this moment, Black Star was like a ray of light piercing through the darkness, piercing into their despairing hearts and waking up their shattered personalities.
The few of them looked at Black Star on the screen and could not help but feel hopeful.
Will someone really save us…
The man in the robe noticed the looks of his pets and frowned. “Hmm? What kind of look is that?”
As he spoke, the man in the robe glanced at Black Star on the screen and suddenly felt a surge of anger. He picked up a short prismatic whip from the side and threw it out. “It seems like I haven’t trained you guys enough. Are you still thinking of escaping? Why, did you think that Black Star can save you after seeing the news? If so, keep an eye on him and see if he can save you guys now.”
The few female elves were so frightened that their bodies stiffened. They lay on the ground and trembled nonstop, but they did not dare to dodge or beg for mercy. If these ‘pets’ opened their mouths to speak without the permission of the man, it would only lead to worse torture.
The man in the sleeping robe had a dark expression on his face. He raised his whip and looked like he was about to hit one of them.
However, at this moment, the mansion’s door exploded!
Bang!
Fragments flew everywhere, and the wall was covered in dust.
The man in the robe was shocked. He turned around and saw a group of people walking in. They were wearing familiar uniforms. It was the security patrol team of this galactic city. Upon seeing who it was, the man in the robe immediately relaxed. He then roared in rage.
“What are you doing?! How dare you barge into my house?! Do you want to die?!” The captain walked out and showed his electronic arrest warrant. He said coldly, “Your Excellency Anhuso, we have received a reliable report that you have broken the law by raising a galactic resident as a pet. Please come with us.”
The man in the robe opened his eyes wide in disbelief and pointed at himself in surprise. “Arrest me over such a small matter? Do you know who I am?”.
“You have violated the Planetary Universal Law’s life form trading prohibition.” The captain remained expressionless.
“If you capture me, can you bear the responsibility? Go back and ask the feudal lord of this free planet, does he still want the rights to operate his planet?” The man only found it ridiculous and did not know whether to laugh or cry. With his ident.i.ty and background, such a crime was a joke. He had raised many galactic species as pets, and no one had ever dared to hold him responsible for it.
He did not expect such a low-level police officer to dare challenge him. Such a small character did not even have the right to talk to him in normal times.
“Please cooperate with us.” The captain frowned. “What’s your serial number? Do you believe that I will strip you of your clothes tomorrow?!” The man in the robe was so angry that he laughed. He walked up, grabbed the captain’s clothes, and looked down at the serial number on his badge.
Without any hesitation, the captain pushed the man away and said in a deep voice, “If you continue to refuse arrest, we will resort to violence.” The man in the sleeping robe staggered and widened his eyes in disbelief. He did not expect the person in front of him to attack him.
His expression immediately turned extremely gloomy. He picked up the communicator from the table and called the number of the city lord of the planet. He pointed at the captain of the security team and said angrily, “Alright, just you wait. I’ll see who can take me away today!”
Very soon, the call connected.
“Yo, isn’t this His Excellency Anhuso? Why are you suddenly in the mood to look for me?” The Planet Lord appeared on the screen with a polite smile.
The man in the robe immediately vented his anger on the planet’s feudal lord. He sneered and said, “Alright, your people have grown up. They dare to barge into my house, capture me, and even attack me. If you don’t give me a satisfactory answer today, your planet’s management rights will be invalidated!”
“Aiya, why are you so angry? What’s going on?” The planet lord was surprised. “Heh, ask your people.” The man in the robe stuffed the communicator into the captain’s hands and took two steps back with a look of antic.i.p.ation.
The captain of the security team was not afraid at all. He picked up his communicator and reported the situation regarding the few elven ladies.
After hearing, the Planet Lord calmly spoke
out.
“I see… Captain, what’s your name?” “Bell,” the captain replied calmly.
“Is the tip reliable?”
“The evidence is all present.” Hearing this, the planet lord nodded and slowly said, “Then what are you waiting for? Capture this guy. If he refuses to be arrested, don’t bring him back. Just shoot him on the spot.”
As soon as he said that, the man in the robe was stunned. He thought he had heard incorrectly.
Under normal circ.u.mstances, shouldn’t he have ordered the police officers to retreat before firing them to appease his anger? This had always been the case in the past. Why was it different today?
“What do you mean?” The man was stunned.
The Planet Lord shrugged. “I should have expressed it very accurately. You broke the law, so of course you have to be arrested.” “…Are you crazy?” The man in the robe widened his eyes. “Have you forgotten who I am?”
“I know that you have a very strong background…” The feudal lord suddenly changed the topic and stopped pretending. “But so what? It is His Excellency Black Star’s will to not allow population trade. We are working for Black Star. Who do you think you
are?”
“You…”
The man in the nightgown was stunned, and his entire body began to tremble.
It was not fear, but uncontrollable rage.
Ever since he was born, no one had dared to speak to him like this! However, before he could throw a tantrum, Bell suddenly pulled out his gun and pulled the trigger. Bang! A laser beam flashed past, and the man’s head exploded, spilling burnt flesh all over the ground. The headless corpse seemed to be stunned on the spot. It swayed for a while before collapsing to the ground. Its nerves that were not completely dead were still twitching. Seeing this, the planet lord revealed an inexplicable smile. Without his secret instructions, the security team would not have acted so boldly.
“This person has been refused many times. Our team has received orders from our superiors to kill him on the spot!”
Bell put away the gun with a cold face and glanced at the headless corpse, his eyes filled with disdain
“Ptui, sc.u.m.”
It had been a few days since countless organizations expressed their stance in the conference held by Black Star. The chain reaction caused by this conference had already begun. The resources of more than half of the galactic society were activated by Han Xiao. The organizations of the various Star Fields followed the consensus of the meeting and began cleaning up the slave trade within the territory.
The Beyond Grade A a.s.sociation controlled the galactic black market and started from the core. They pulled out many slave trade channels and uprooted them. It was not just the partic.i.p.ating organizations, the other organizations that did not attend also joined in. They were not looking out for Han Xiao’s face, but seeing that so many large organizations had responded, some small organizations tried to make use of the opportunity of attacking the slave trade to connect with the large local organizations. The anti-slave trafficking operation in the entire universe was carried out in full swing. As a large number of organizations worked together, batch after batch of slaves was rescued, groups of human traffickers were killed, and buyers were captured one after another. This included ex-slave sellers who had retired and started anew. Their real ident.i.ties were tracked through the black market by the intelligence department, and they were pursued again. The cooperation of so many organizations was a rare sight. It was like a highly efficient machine. The efficiency made countless galactic residents exclaim at Black Star’s terrifying appeal. This information was naturally transmitted to the many Calamity Grades in the training base.
Training base, dormitory lounge. The virtual screen was showing the results of regional attacks on slave trade. Jotina looked at the screen with excitement.
“You actually have the same dream as me…”
Jotina clenched her fists tightly.
As the daughter of the Beast Ancestor, she hated slave trafficking to the extreme. Her dream of ending the slave trafficking in the entire universe was hidden in her heart and she had never told anyone about it.
However, she did not expect Black Star to have the same thoughts as her!
The difference was that to her, it was just a distant dream; but to Black Star, this was a goal within reach. “Black Star… we are indeed destined partners!”
Jotina’s breathing was heavy, and her heart was in turmoil. At this moment, she only wanted to give birth to a nest of monkeys for Black Star.
Over the past few decades, her admiration for Han Xiao had always remained the same, and it was even stronger now. ‘The rumors kept saying that Black Star and the Dragon Emperor were a couple, but so what? I won’t give up!’ ‘So what if the Dragon Emperor is a Beyond Grade A? When I work hard to reach that level, I will be able to compete with you on equal grounds!’
Jotina’s eyes were filled with a fighting spirit.
“Black Star, wait for me! The Dragon Emperor is not worthy of you. I will definitely s.n.a.t.c.h you from her!”