Xiao Ba jumped in fright and smiled bitterly. "Boss, don't scare me. You could find out this stuff just by asking around. At least half the people on our ship know more than I do."
"Is that so?" Lu Yin was noncommittal. He had chosen this man to control the other pirates not for his roguish act, which seemed put-on, but for a different quality he saw—one that wasn't a desperate thug's. But none of that mattered to him. They would part ways at Pirate Harbor. His real headache now was the woman, Zhuo Baiye. He hoped she wouldn't die.
Leaving the command room, Lu Yin went to the treatment room to see Zhuo Baiye. She was floating in a nutrition-fluid tank, her whole body submerged, her heartbeat and vitals normal.
"She won't die immediately, will she?" Lu Yin asked.
Behind him, the ship's doctor replied, "She won't. The injuries are severe, but they've stabilized. As long as she isn't jolted, she won't die immediately. But if she doesn't receive proper treatment within a month, she will undoubtedly die."
Lu Yin let out a breath, gazing at Zhuo Baiye.
He still remembered the first time he met her, saw her murderousness, and the complex emotions in her eyes—despair, regret, helplessness... What was it that intrigued him, that made him unable to just abandon her? The deal they made? Lu Yin himself didn't know. He could have easily left her on the Tước Sĩ's ship to be turned into cosmic dust, but he had saved her without hesitation. Why? He wasn't clear.
In the nutrition fluid, Zhuo Baiye's brow was furrowed. Her pale face was pitiful. Her features were already pure, and now they held a trace of helplessness and vulnerability, unlike the White Night clan expert who could slaughter countless pirates with a sword.
"Please... I beg you... let them go... let my parents go... the Cage Art... I beg you, undo it... I beg you..." Zhuo Baiye muttered unconsciously, relentlessly pleading for something.
Lu Yin moved closer, vaguely catching words like "parents" and "Cage Art." He didn't understand. Shaking his head, he walked to the door, then glanced back. His heart shook. At this moment, a clear tear streamed from Zhuo Baiye's tightly closed eyes, so sorrowful, so desperate.
Lu Yin's eyes narrowed, his gaze flickering. This single tear had touched his heart. After watching for a long time, he took a deep breath and walked out of the treatment room.
...
Pirate Harbor was prosperous. At least in Lu Yin's eyes, it was no worse than True Martial Star, especially the space stations. There wasn't just one or two, but a whole cluster, available for all sorts of people to dock.
The pirate ship docked at a relatively hidden station, as did Lu Yin's own Aurora-class ship.
Lu Yin officially parted ways with Xiao Ba and the others, showing no reluctance. To him, these past few days were only important for the money he'd made.
Xiao Ba and the others were also fortunate to be separating from Lu Yin. They needed to discuss how to handle their former captain and, more importantly, how to get out of the pirate game. They were exposed. Word was that the pirates they had robbed had already formed an alliance to hunt them. They had no choice but to flee.
Lu Yin carried Zhuo Baiye on his back out of the space station and casually hailed a flyer. "To the nearest hospital."
The pilot was a man with slightly long ears and long arms. Hearing Lu Yin, he took off immediately.
Looking at the traffic streaming past, the scenery here was terrible. There was no sun, and the entire sky was a dim, dark color. Occasional dense fog drifted by, making the place feel much gloomier.
Explosions sounded from time to time, but the pilot wasn't flustered in the slightest, clearly used to it.
Lu Yin had hidden Zhuo Baiye's conspicuous hair. Her whole body was nestled against him, her forehead burning hot, her heartbeat very slow.
Lu Yin sighed and leaned back against the cushion.
Soon, only a few minutes later, the flyer stopped. "We're here, sir."
Lu Yin looked in surprise at the short, single-story house in front of him. "This is the hospital?"
"Yes, sir. It must be your first time here. On this planet, all the hospitals are built underground. Not just hospitals, but shops, markets... all public facilities are underground. As for the reason... you've probably heard."
Lu Yin understood. Right, this was Pirate Harbor. It was full of vicious criminals. Fights were all too normal.
After paying one Star Energy Crystal, Lu Yin, carrying Zhuo Baiye, stepped out of the flyer. Just as he was about to leave, the pilot blocked his path, his eyes malicious. "Sir, the fare isn't enough."
Lu Yin raised an eyebrow. "How much?"
The man's lips curled up. "Ten cubic crystals."
Lu Yin chuckled, placing a hand lightly on the man's shoulder. In an instant, the man's face changed. An intense pain radiated from his shoulder, as if a great mountain was pressing down on him.
"Brother, I'm not in a good mood right now. I don't have time for jokes," Lu Yin said lightly.
Cold sweat beaded on the man's forehead. He quickly forced a fawning smile. "My apologies! I've disturbed you! Have a pleasant journey!"
Lu Yin released his hand and walked past the man into the small house.
The man gasped for breath. "Damn it, bad luck! Ran into a tough guy. He's only a Melder, but he's definitely more terrifying than a Limiteer. That guy must be a disciple from some big power, out here for training." With that, he smugly climbed back into his flyer and quickly disappeared.
...
Although that man had tried to extort him, the place he'd found wasn't bad.
When Lu Yin entered the house, he followed the crowd down into the underground hospital. He had to admit, while it looked shabby on the outside, the facilities were excellent, looking even more high-end than the place that had treated Wu Shan.
After all, this was a major junction connecting the Innerverse and Outerverse. No one, not even Innerverse experts, could guarantee they wouldn't get injured. So, Pirate Harbor's medical facilities had to be top-notch. The Leiao family had spent a fortune on them, using the ample medical conditions to attract countless visitors. This was what Xiao Ba had said.
There was a long line for treatment. Everyone looked gloomy and depressed. Some were even hiding their forms, unwilling to be recognized.
Lu Yin did the same, concealing his body, not wanting to expose his identity.
It was a full hour before it was his turn.
Suddenly, a commotion broke out. A dozen men burst in, roaring aggressively, "Where's the doctor? Hurry! Our boss is dying!"
With that, they shoved the crowd aside, carrying a big man covered in blood.
Lu Yin frowned. The stench of blood on these men was thick.
Cough, cough...
Zhuo Baiye suddenly coughed. Lu Yin patted her back. Just then, the men reached Lu Yin and tried to push him away. A cold glint flashed in Lu Yin's eyes. He reached out his own hand. Crack! With a soft sound, one of the men's arms was twisted and broken by Lu Yin, who shoved him back several meters. Everyone turned to look.
"Get lost!" Lu Yin snapped.
The men were enraged and suddenly attacked all at once, clearly not in the mood to talk.
Everyone in the hospital scrambled to get out of the way, including the other patients.
Lu Yin was furious. His palm shifted into a claw. As a void beast roared, the Heavenly Beast Claw descended, killing over ten men in one strike. The others were blasted back, staring at Lu Yin in terror.
At that moment, soldiers arrived—the Leiao family's private army. They all rushed in. "This is a hospital! No fighting! Hands up, all of you!"
The area descended into chaos. Lu Yin frowned, looking around. He needed a doctor. After all that chaos, Zhuo Baiye's injuries seemed to have worsened.
Suddenly, the "dying" bloody man stood up, pulled a fist-sized metal ball from under his body, and slammed it onto the ground. In an instant, the hairs on Lu Yin's neck stood on end. He instinctively used Flash-Step to get away. A violent explosion erupted from that spot. The shockwave distorted the air, shattering the glass lights. The intense force sent the surrounding soldiers flying, killing an unknown number.
Lu Yin used Flash-Step repeatedly, dodging at extreme speed, and finally punched a hole in the ceiling, escaping.
He had just reached the surface when the ground trembled and then caved in. Everyone inside the hospital was buried.
Lu Yin stared in shock. What just happened? He didn't understand.
Dust billowed into the sky. Alarms blared everywhere.
Lu Yin used Flash-Step again, carrying Zhuo Baiye and leaving the scene.
Cough, cough...
Zhuo Baiye opened her eyes. She spoke weakly from his arms, "Don't... get... hit..."
"You're awake," Lu Yin said in a low voice. Everything that just happened was too chaotic; he didn't know what was going on.
Zhuo Baiye breathed faintly. "That... was... a game of chess... between great powers."
"A game of chess?" Lu Yin was puzzled.
"Some... powerful factions... to... gain certain benefits... use... extreme measures..." Zhuo Baiye said intermittently, then fainted again.
Lu Yin exhaled, standing in a dark alley and looking back toward the hospital. A game of chess between great powers? What about those soldiers? Those doctors, those patients... they were all just pawns in the game.
Honestly, Lu Yin admitted to himself that he had never been a saint. Other people's deaths didn't concern him. He, too, could use extreme measures against others for his own benefit. But this was the first time he had watched such a scene from the most humble and direct perspective. It was even more direct than the trial on Earth.
If his strength had been a little weaker, he would have been sacrificed just like them. Power... it really is a good thing. It can influence everything.
He glanced at the weak Zhuo Baiye in his arms. His head throbbed. He had to find another hospital.
But it seemed fate was joking with him. Within a single day, dozens of explosions occurred on the Pirate Harbor planet, and all of them targeted hospitals. The harbor was thrown into an unprecedented panic. The Leiao family dispatched several Star-wanderer experts to suppress the situation, but it wasn't enough to quell the fear.
Without hospitals, what would Pirate Harbor use to attract people? This was Pirate Harbor, a dark place where bloodshed happened daily, where people were injured daily.
The first step was the hospitals. What was the second? Food, clothing, shelter... it had to be one of them.
Lu Yin pondered. He didn't want to get involved, but Zhuo Baiye's injuries were urgent.
Suddenly, Lu Yin thought of Keke. He'd heard that people from Xuanfeng Hall often traveled the universe. If there were Xuanfeng Hall members in a nearby territory, he could take Zhuo Baiye to them. Those people didn't seem to need advanced medical equipment. With that thought, Lu Yin immediately tried to contact Keke.
Outsiders couldn't contact students within the Starry Sky Academy via their personal terminals, but students could contact each other.
Keke was probably in the Trial Zone; Lu Yin couldn't reach her. He tried Zahra. Same result. They were a pair, always together. Helpless, Lu Yin could only wait.
He found what looked like a relatively deserted and abandoned building, and carried Zhuo Baiye inside.