The massive black transport ship slowly descended.
The blast wave overturned several mangled corpses on the ground.
The hatch swung open, and Old K rushed down with several men, kneeling in unison before Qin Yu.
"Boss! Did you wipe them all out?" Old K stared at the pools of blood on the ground, his voice trembling.
"Take some men and load every Gauss Rifle and Energy Block from the camp that's still usable onto the ship."
Qin Yu stepped over the scattered flesh on the ground and strode up the gangway.
"Five minutes. Leave behind whatever you can't carry."
Old K slapped his thigh, his eyes gleaming with greed. "Brothers! Get to work! Strip them down to their underwear!"
Qin Yu entered the main control room and dropped into the captain's chair.
He slapped the Kiss of Death onto the control console and pulled off his blood-stained gloves.
"System, scan the ship's current status."
[Ding! Black Rhino-class Transport Ship (Reconstructed).]
[Current Energy Reserves: 12%.]
[Armor Damage Rate: 0%.]
[Weapon Systems: Twin Particle Secondary Cannons (Charged).]
[Warning: Insufficient energy for Inter-sector Warp!]
Qin Yu frowned.
"Twelve percent energy. We can't even leave the solar system."
He cast a cold glance at the Holographic Screen and pressed the ship-wide broadcast button.
"Old K! Are you finished loading?"
"Boss! We've cleared everything out! Monkey even pried off the alloy door from their command post!" Old K's excited roar came through the speaker.
"Take off."
Qin Yu tapped the control console.
"Back to Rust Town."
Old K paused for a moment on the other end of the communicator. "Boss, why are we going back to that shithole? There isn't a single enemy left breathing on this planet!"
"This planet is finished."
Qin Yu pulled out a cigar, lit it, and exhaled a thick cloud of smoke.
"The company's higher-ups aren't fools. At the latest by tomorrow, the company's Interstellar Fleet will blast this place into cosmic dust."
"If we're leaving, we're taking everything useful with us."
Qin Yu slightly raised his eyelids, his gaze sharp.
"The ship doesn't have enough energy."
"Go dig up those abandoned nuclear reactors buried under Rust Town. We'll use them as backup batteries for the ship."
Old K gasped sharply and straightened his back. "Understood! I'll get it done right away!"
The black ship emitted a deafening roar as it lifted off the ground.
Ten minutes later.
Above Rust Town.
The massive shadow completely blotted out the twin crimson moons.
The few thousand scavengers remaining in the town all knelt in the mud, staring in terror at the steel behemoth overhead.
The searchlights on the ship's underside instantly lit up, their blinding beams sweeping across the entire square.
The hatch slowly opened.
Qin Yu stood at the edge of the hatch, his icy gaze sweeping over everyone below.
"I am Qin Yu."
His voice, amplified by the ship's speakers, boomed like rolling thunder over Rust Town.
Dead silence fell below, broken only by the heavy breathing of thousands.
"Scar is dead. All the company guards are dead."
Qin Yu's voice held not a trace of warmth.
"This planet will be completely destroyed by the company tomorrow."
Chaos instantly erupted below.
Desperate cries and wails rose one after another.
"Now, I'm offering you a way out."
Qin Yu lifted the black Sniper Cannon with one hand and slammed it heavily onto the metal deck.
A loud clang forcibly silenced all the cries.
"Get on my ship."
"I'll take you through this Wasteland!"
"But once you're on my ship, your lives are mine."
Qin Yu's gaze was as sharp as a blade.
"Anyone who dares disobey orders, I'll personally throw them into space to feed the dogs."
"Understood?!"
Old K, his face flushed red, was the first to raise the Gauss Rifle he had just seized, roaring, "We'll follow the boss to the death!"
"We'll follow the boss to the death!!"
Thousands of scavengers went completely wild.
On this garbage planet where even a mouthful of moldy Nutrient Paste had to be earned with one's life, following such a killing god to leave was a luxury they wouldn't dare dream of!
"Old K, Big Bear, Monkey." Qin Yu turned his head.
"Yes!" The three stepped forward in unison, standing ramrod straight.
"Take people down to maintain order, board the ship in sequence."
Qin Yu coldly issued the command.
"As for the supplies in the town, anything that can be burned, eaten, or used as a weapon, even a scrap of iron, bring it all up."
"Go do it."
"Yes!"
For the next three hours, the entire Rust Town operated like a crazily running meat grinder.
Thousands of people, carrying large and small bundles, swarmed into the ship's massive lower cargo hold like worker ants.
Qin Yu stood before the floor-to-ceiling window in the main control room, coldly watching the chaos below.
[Ding! Energy reserves have risen to 25%!]
[Energy reserves have risen to 40%!]
As the abandoned reactor beneath Rust Town was forcibly dismantled and brought aboard, the ship's energy bar slowly recovered.
Just then.
The door to the main control room was violently kicked open.
Monkey, cursing and swearing, dragged a small, thin figure inside.
"Boss! There's a damn fool of a little beggar here who insists on seeing you!"
Monkey shoved the person to the ground at Qin Yu's feet.
"I said to just shoot her, and she dared to bite me!"
Qin Yu turned around, looking down at the dark, shadowy lump on the floor.
It was an extremely small person.
Wrapped in tattered burlap from head to toe, emitting a strong stench of sewage and machine oil.
The most noticeable thing was the face.
It was smeared thickly with pitch-black sludge and solid grease, making even the facial features indistinguishable.
A perfect image of a mutated wild monkey that had been soaking in a garbage heap for over a decade.
"Looking for me?"
Qin Yu sneered, his bloodstained leather boot stepping directly on the person's shoulder.
"You have three seconds."
"If you can't give me a reason, you'll be thrown overboard immediately."
The small figure on the ground trembled violently.
With great difficulty, she raised her head. The eyes hidden beneath the sludge were surprisingly bright and clear.
"Th-thank you."
The voice was crisp, even carrying a hint of ethereal sweetness.
It didn't sound at all like a rough man's voice.
Qin Yu raised an eyebrow.
"A woman?"
Monkey beside him was also stunned, scratching his head. "Damn, it's a female? That voice... it's incredible!"
The small figure trembled as she pulled out something from her chest, wrapped layer upon layer in tattered cloth.
She raised it high with both hands, offering it to Qin Yu.
"Thank you for... the meat you shared with me yesterday."
"This is... this is what I've saved up."
Qin Yu moved his foot away and used the barrel of his gun to flick the bundle of rags into his hand.
With one hand, he shook open the rags.
A high-purity energy crystal core emitting a faint blue glow lay quietly inside.
"An A-grade Starbeast Crystal Core?"
Qin Yu narrowed his eyes.
On this garbage planet, this thing was absolutely a treasure that would make someone like Scar kill and plunder for it.
This little beggar actually managed to hide something this good?
"Where did you get this?" Qin Yu toyed with the crystal core, his voice cold.
"I... I found it on the outskirts of the waste pit."
The small figure nervously shrank back.
"I never dared to take it out."
"I want to use this to exchange... for the right to stay on the ship."
Qin Yu looked at her face smeared with engine oil and suddenly laughed.
He casually pocketed the crystal core and strode over to the small figure.
Suddenly crouching down.
"Boss, be careful, she might be up to something!" Monkey immediately raised his gun.
Qin Yu raised his hand, signaling Monkey to shut up.
He reached out with his left hand and firmly grasped the small figure's chin.
"Let go of me!" the small figure cried out in alarm, struggling desperately.
But her strength was no match for Qin Yu's, not even as strong as an ant.
"Quite strong."
Qin Yu directly tore off a piece of tattered cloth from his trench coat and pressed it firmly against the small figure's face.
He scrubbed hard!
"Ah! That hurts!"
Tears welled up in the small figure's eyes.
The thick layer of engine oil and mud was roughly wiped away.
Revealing the real skin underneath.
The control room instantly fell dead silent.
Monkey's jaw nearly dropped to the floor, his eyes wide open.
Even Qin Yu was slightly taken aback.
It was a face so fair it was almost translucent.
Features so delicate they resembled a finely carved porcelain doll.
From the pain and fright, her eyes were slightly red, and a tear hung from the tip of her nose.
A top-tier sweet girl through and through.
Completely out of place in this filthy, stinking Wasteland!
"My heavens..." Monkey swallowed hard, "Rust Town actually has such a treasure? Are Scar and his gang blind?"
Qin Yu tossed away the tattered cloth in his hand.
A flicker of realization flashed in his eyes.
"Pretty clever."
Qin Yu stood up, looking down at her.
"Knowing that with a face like this, you wouldn't survive a single night in a place like this."
"So you smeared engine oil and filth on your face."
The sweet girl bit her lip, tightly hugging her shoulders.
"I... I didn't want to be captured and used as a plaything."
"My name is Su Tian."
Su Tian looked up, her eyes reflecting a stubbornness honed in this Wasteland.
"I can not only scavenge, but I can also repair engines!"
"That transport vehicle of Scar's, I secretly modified its fuel system!"
"Please, let me stay on the ship, I'll do anything!"
Qin Yu looked at her coldly.
"Anything?"
"Yes!" Su Tian nodded without hesitation.
Qin Yu pointed outside.
"Monkey, take her to the lower-level bathroom and use the high-pressure water gun to clean her up."
"Then throw her a clean uniform."
Monkey grinned: "Got it, boss!"
"Wait."
Qin Yu's gaze suddenly turned icy, staring intently at Monkey.
"If you dare take an extra look, I'll gouge your eyes out."
Monkey shuddered, his smile instantly vanishing as he stood straight: "Don't worry, boss! I'll do it with my eyes closed!"
Su Tian stood up, her eyes red as she looked at Qin Yu.
"Thank you..."
"Don't thank me."
Qin Yu sat back down in the captain's chair, placing the Kiss of Death across his lap.
"I've taken the crystal core."
"Once you're on my ship, you're my chief ship mechanic."
"From today on, no one but me can lay a finger on you."
Su Tian trembled all over.
In her eighteen years of living on this garbage planet, these were the most domineering, yet most reassuring words she had ever heard.
She nodded heavily and turned to follow Monkey out.
The control room fell silent once more.
Qin Yu stared at the three flickering points of light on the holographic star map.
His gaze grew increasingly profound, and increasingly cold.
Yao Xue.
Yao Qian.
Li Ruobing.
"Wait for me."
Qin Yu murmured to himself.
"Boss! Everything's loaded below! The reactors are all connected to the main control!" Old K shouted through the communicator.
[Ding! Energy reserves have risen to 85%!]
[Minimum conditions for Interstellar Warp are met.]
Qin Yu forcefully pulled down the main Thruster lever on the console.
"System, lock coordinates for the Aurora Fortress in the Sirius Sector."
[Ding! Warp Engine activated!]
"So it's the company."
Qin Yu grinned, baring his white teeth.
"Get your necks ready for me."
"BOOM——!!"
The massive black starship spewed forth blinding, ghostly blue exhaust flames.
Like an enraged beast tearing through the night, it instantly breached the atmosphere of the garbage planet.
And plunged straight into the vast, boundless Death Star-Sea.