“When this Empire fortress is fully built, this entire great nebula will completely fall under the Empire’s sphere of influence. As a free citizen of the Far Shore Nebula, are you just going to accept this? Don’t you have any desire to resist?” Yu Lian said to a burly Wookiee pirate.
“Ac-accept it? No.” The pirate said with a mournful face, but still helplessly, “But what can we do? Big shots like Morda, Tid, and Sandos have all accepted it. I’m just a small, ordinary pirate with a crew of twenty-something brothers on my ship.”
Twenty-something brothers… Yu Lian carefully sized up the Wookiee in front of him again. He was 1.5 times his height, and at least three times his size and weight. Looking at his subordinates behind him, they were either capable Dorcen mercenaries, or Wookiee companions of the same type as him, with a few Legre Giants mixed in. It felt like these guys would have to duck their heads just to walk around here.
It was clear they were taking the elite squad route. Yu Lian expressed that he liked this type of target the most, and continued, “You just mentioned Sandos, right? Then let’s talk about him… Hmm, do you know that Mr. Sandos is actually a master of space agriculture? The vegetables he grows are famous throughout the entire nebula, and they even sell to the Empire across the nebula.”
“That’s true… I like his Sunwind Radishes the most. One is as thick as my arm, and the purple color is especially beautiful,” a Legre Giant said in a booming voice, then flexed his arm, showing off his thick muscles.
Purple radishes? Can that stuff really be eaten?
“But they’re too expensive!” The Wookiee pirate leader showed a pained expression: “A pot of Sunwind Radish stewed with Rosa meat costs us several outings’ worth of income.”
“Yes, but why is it so expensive? Is this Mr. Sandos’s fault?” Yu Lian seized upon the key point and quickly interrupted the other party loudly: “It takes you several hunts just to eat radish once, but Mr. Sandos has to sell three years’ worth of his radish harvest just to afford a ship, or to hire you for one operation. Don’t you find that strange? Where did the price difference go? Haven’t you ever thought about the unreasonableness of this?”
“Yes, yes!” The pirates thought of this question for the first time and immediately fell into confusion.
“Because the radishes Mr. Sandos painstakingly grew are being exploited by these shameless Empire scoundrels! They exploit the lower end, then the upper end, they exploit the channels, and they even exploit the technology. The Empire constantly boasts about their military nobles being full of martial virtue and honor, and they denounce the Alliance for being run by unscrupulous merchants, but when it comes to exploitation, are they any better than the Alliance? As free citizens of the Far Shore Nebula, the Empire is clearly an outsider, yet now they are sucking the marrow from your bones! This is exploitation! Friends! Can you accept the fate of being continuously exploited by outsiders?”
“Ex-exploitation…” The pirates heard such a term for the first time, but suddenly felt their hearts filled with indignation and passion, and the blood flowing in their souls was about to boil.
Yu Lian felt it was time. The spiritual energy light faintly flowing in his eyes was almost condensing into a fiery red Vanguard Sword. He continued to loudly incite: “Don’t you think about how desperate the deceased Mr. Sandos must have been in the last years of his life! He was clearly the greatest master of space agriculture in the Far Shore Nebula, yet he couldn’t find a foothold! Think about yourselves, when you are old and frail, unable to carry a gun, lift a sword, or pilot a spaceship, what kind of predicament will you fall into? Can you accept such a future?”
“Never!” Perhaps Mr. Sandos’s purple radishes were a rare luxury for these pirates; they could no longer hold back and let out angry roars.
“Break this cage, break these shackles! You will lose nothing, but you will surely win freedom! For Mr. Sandos, for Sun Radishes, for your own future, charge!”
“Waaaah!” The pirates roared and rushed into the back alley, joining the chaotic zero-dollar shopping army on the commercial street.
Yes, such conversations had already occurred seven or eight times in the Past half hour. As a result, more and more fanatical thugs joined this chaotic feast, becoming fuel for the mad chaos.
It should be known that both violence and fanaticism are, in the final analysis, a kind of contagious disease. With these people, the chaos would be enough to spread throughout the entire fortress.
Yu Lian withdrew his Psychokinesis and was very satisfied with the current effect—as his strength reached the Three Rings, this “basic” mass spiritual energy skill also showed more powerful effects, even working on some strong-willed, tough warriors. Of course, the reason it went so smoothly might also be because Yu Lian’s words already resonated deeply with them.
Yu Lian looked at the chaotic situation in the distance, felt the scene was almost ready, then turned his head to his companions behind him and said, “Alright, it’s about time to get down to business… What’s with those expressions, as if you’ve been stepped on by an Argentinosaurus?”
“No, this, it’s just, Commander… I really didn’t expect…” Meng Jiao was stunned for a long time, then seemed startled, fumbling to say, “I, I just feel, this, ah, hiyah… I feel, how should I put it?”
“Brother Meng Jiao, what can I say about you? As a spiritual energy user, as a comrade who will overthrow the old world with me in the future, you must learn to express your opinions frankly,” Yu Lian said.
“Perhaps he feels that your current performance is like the Demon Refining Masters in gaia ol and ‘Chronicles of Crystal Heaven,’ and he can’t quite accept it,” Ina added expressionlessly: “No wonder, these honor students who only know how to train and cultivate every day simply lack imagination.”
Meng Jiao gave a simple, honest smile and did not argue. This open-minded Highlander warrior was not good with words to begin with, and even less so at arguing with pretty girls.
Besides being addicted to games, you’re now starting to read manga and light novels. By the way, ever since you transferred to the naval fleet system and became an officer, your income has soared, but you seem to have become more and more uninhibited! Because of the changes in the world line, will the ‘Blazing-Eyed Witch’ of the future not turn into a shut-in girl after all?
Yu Lian looked at Ina with some concern: “I’m not like those hell lawyers who play word games; what I just said was all from the heart. This unchanging world will sooner or later need to move! And that, of course, requires more passionate burning, more magnificent flames.”
“Yes, what magnificent flames!” Ina looked at the raging battle scene outside the street corner and smiled, “When the big boss of gaia ol’s autumn event, that Hell Preacher, Demon Refining Lord Beoqir, made his appearance, it was pretty much this kind of scene too.”
“Uh, although the target and result are slightly debatable, the content is at least correct. Also, while the actions of the lumpenproletariat can only bring destruction, they occasionally serve as vanguards. Don’t look down on them, comrade Ina!”
“I haven’t agreed to join your strange secret society organization yet, please don’t add strange prefixes to my title,” Ina said.
“How is this a secret society? Since the dawn of civilization, there has been no organization more open and aboveboard than this!” Yu Lian was about to elaborate to Ina when he saw Simon Vayali, who had been silent until now, suddenly nod vigorously: “Indeed… Although what you just said was all rhetoric used in conjunction with Psychokinesis, I think it makes so much sense.”
Seeing everyone look at him, he quickly added, “My own family makes handmade soy sauce. Don’t laugh, my family really makes handmade soy sauce, and has been doing so for generations! My uncles and father are very dedicated, and our products have good sales and reputation. However, even though everyone works hard from dawn to dusk, we can only earn enough to get by. If it weren’t for my spiritual energy user allowance now, even our small family factory wouldn’t be able to stay afloat.”
He continued, “I never quite understood why before, but now… it seems I understand a bit. Hmm, exploitation? So that’s it!”
Yu Lian truly hadn’t expected that among these companions, the one with the strongest revolutionary spirit would be Simon Vayali, who had left no notable name in his previous life. He was instantly filled with emotion.
“Davarish Simon, I still don’t understand why, at least not completely! We can search for it together!” Yu Lian patted the young man’s shoulder. He used to think this kid was a bit slick, but now that he understood his Past, he also understood his choices.
“Understood, Commander! I am willing to fight to find this truth!” Simon stood at attention and saluted, his face full of emotion.
“However, before that, let’s take care of the matter at hand.” Yu Lian then displayed a light screen in front of everyone, which was a holographic map of Kerna City.
“That pirate didn’t lie to us about this. This is indeed the military restricted area of this space station. To destroy the space station’s defense system according to the original plan, we must pass through here. However, there are only four of us here. Although we are all spiritual energy user, we still need to plan carefully.”
Yes, from beginning to end, there were only four of them on the Dark Abomination. What Beel saw were only over a hundred empty powered exoskeletons.
“If only we could bring an elite assault team. We don’t need a hundred people, even twenty or thirty would be good!” Meng Jiao said helplessly.
“No choice, this thing can only take four people for a space jump. Besides, deep behind enemy lines, numbers are not as important as quality.” Yu Lian toyed with the rectangular crystal in his hand, then hung it back inside his lapel.
This item was one of the legacies Yu Lian obtained from Count Salwen’s treasure chest, a treasure named “Azure Sky Holy Jade.” Its effect was to greatly enhance the wearer’s physique, perception, and environmental adaptability, resisting interference from external negative energies such as toxins, high temperatures, and radiation.
Of course, its most potent effect was short-range spatial jumping, regardless of environment or shielding.
He remembered that in his previous life, Shali had used this very item to escape several times from his and the Guerrilla Association’s encirclement. Yu Lian had been coveting this item for several decades.
Because the Holy Jade could only carry four people, Feifei did not come along this time. Of course, she was only a war correspondent to begin with, and had no obligation to participate in combat.
“Besides, Feifei is a fanatic, which is to say, a mage. She’s not good at frontal combat or infiltration, but she’s suitable for group attacks and battles. When the main force attacks later, she’ll be able to play a greater role,” Yu Lian said.
Feifei didn’t object, but she gave Yu Lian a small wooden doll, saying it was an amulet she got from a very effective temple, and that he must wear it well.
Yu Lian felt that his girlfriend was still very cute when she was superstitious, and he naturally accepted her kindness. However, thinking of her kiss when he left, which still lingered on his lips, Yu Lian felt his mind working a few times faster than usual: “Also, this thing has a cooldown of two hours, so we can’t expect to make another jump directly into the restricted area immediately. Before that, we must find a way to create greater chaos.”
“Greater chaos?” Ina asked in surprise.
“Yes!” Yu Lian reined in his smile and his face darkened: “You’ve all familiarized yourselves with the treasures I gave you earlier, right?”
“I’ve tried it seriously!”
“No problem.”
“I haven’t had a chance to thank you yet.”
“Very good! Prepare for high-intensity extraordinary combat!” Yu Lian scanned everyone, slid his Lightsaber into his sleeve, and led them directly out of the back alley corner, avoiding the various thugs who were fighting the security robots. After crossing just one street, they ran head-on into two hurrying figures.
The other party immediately showed a look of shock, as if they had seen a ghost. Yu Lian, however, grinned, revealing two rows of pearly white teeth: “Hello there!”
One of these two, who else could it be but Flores Wanda?