123: Chapter 123 Dark Matter Trade

The Interstellar Black Market was never a city, a station, or a fixed region of space.

It was alive.

It was formed from hundreds of scrapped warships, abandoned transport ships, dismantled space stations, and modified smuggler hulls, randomly pieced together, welded, and bound within the shadows of abandoned space lanes.

The massive metal ruin rotated slowly in the void, its surface pockmarked and covered in bullet holes and scorched burn marks; from afar, it looked like a dead beast abandoned by the universe, lying quietly in the darkness, exhaling countless unspeakable desires and sins.

Here, there were no Alliance laws, no interstellar treaties, no moral bottom lines, and no right or wrong.

There was only trade, plunder, betrayal, and dog-eat-dog.

And—the desperate rule of trading one's life for things.

Lin Fan tucked the Dark Matter Stabilizer, filled with dark purple liquid, into his inner pocket, sealing it tightly with a layer of energy film to ensure it wouldn't be easily scanned.

He donned a gray-black, universal black market camouflage cloak, pulling the hood low to cover most of his face, revealing only his taut jawline and eyes as cold as cold iron.

After doing this, he tilted his head slightly and looked at Little Kate beside him.

The little girl also wore a cloak that was clearly too big, almost wrapping her entire body in it, revealing only a sharp chin, taut lips, and a pair of eyes that remained startlingly bright in the dim light.

Those eyes held nervousness, vigilance, stubbornness, and a trace of—fear—that even she didn't want to admit.

Lin Fan softened his voice, lowering it to a whisper that only the two of them could hear:

"Remember three things. First, look less, listen less, talk less; every gaze here could be a knife. Second, no matter what happens, do not leave within three steps of me. Third, no acting on your own, no showing off, no... risking yourself."

With every sentence he spoke, his tone grew heavier.

Little Kate pursed her lips and nodded gently: "I know, I won't hold you back."

Though she spoke obediently, the small hand hidden under her cloak sleeve quietly gripped the miniature energy dagger that AKai had left her.

The hilt grew warm in her grip.

It was one of the few things in this world that could make her feel at ease.

From the communicator behind his ear came Franklin's voice, slightly distorted by static, maintaining that same steady, calm, and mechanically indifferent tone, yet in this environment, it seemed exceptionally reliable:

"I have forged black market access IDs for you, with your status set as lone smugglers, with no affiliation, low threat level, and not easily targeted. The local forces currently entrenched here are primarily the 'Bone Crusher Pirate Gang,' led by a captain codenamed Karon, two-thirds of whose body is replaced with combat-type cybernetics. He is cruel, greedy, and has no integrity, famous for dog-eat-dog tactics. I will monitor the area's signals, energy fluctuations, and personnel movements throughout; once any abnormality occurs—"

"Then you help us blow this place up," Lin Fan replied flatly.

"No," Franklin corrected calmly, "I mean, I will immediately initiate the emergency jamming protocol and begin preparing a nursery rhyme playlist."

Lin Fan: "..."

Little Kate was stunned for a moment, then couldn't help but let out a "pfft" of laughter, quickly covering her mouth tightly, her shoulders trembling slightly, afraid that the laughter would attract unnecessary attention in this deathly silent passage.

But no one was truly relaxed.

They both knew it clearly.

Carrying the black market's most sought-after, most dangerous, and most likely-to-attract-death Dark Matter Stabilizer, with no backing or protection from any faction, diving headfirst into the black market like this—was no different from walking across a wasteland swarming with hungry wolves while holding a whole, high-purity energy core.

Every step was like walking on the tip of a knife.

The two, one in front of the other, slipped into the entrance of the black market, which was narrow, dim, and reeked of a strange mixture of rust and machine oil.

The passage was low and oppressive, the metal walls on both sides worn shiny, covered in scratches, bullet holes, and old, dark red stains that no one wanted to think about what had left them.

The emergency lights overhead flickered on and off, the yellow light stretching their shadows, making them long and short, twisted and deformed.

There weren't many people in the passage, but every one of them exuded an eerie air.

Someone leaned against the corner, silently wiping a menacingly shaped energy blade, the blade reflecting cold light, while their gaze, like a viper, slowly swept over Lin Fan and Little Kate, assessing their combat power, wealth, and—whether they were easy to rob.

Someone squatted on the ground, quietly trading cybernetic organs, contraband agents, and expired military narcotics; a cloyingly sweet and eerie scent drifted through the air.

Others huddled in the shadows, wrapped tightly from head to toe, revealing only eyes filled with vigilance and despair, as if ready to pounce and perish together at any moment.

Little Kate subconsciously leaned closer to Lin Fan, her small hand gently grasping the hem of his cloak.

She wasn't afraid of not being able to beat enemies in a head-on fight.

AKai had taught her combat, evasion, sneak attacks, and escape; she was far stronger than children her age.

But she feared this surveillance hidden in the dark, the suffocating feeling of not knowing when an enemy would pounce from which corner, the atmosphere where everyone held ill intent and everyone wanted to devour you.

This place and the sunny academy were two different worlds.

"We're almost there," Lin Fan said in a low voice, his tone as steady as a rock, "Turn right at the third intersection ahead, and that's the rendezvous point agreed upon with the masked person. Once we get the remaining supporting reagents, we'll withdraw immediately."

Little Kate gave a soft "mm."

She didn't dare to speak much, just followed closely in Lin Fan's footsteps, her eyes fixed forward, ears pricked, paying attention to every subtle sound around them.

However, some things, the more you don't want them to happen, the more unexpectedly they arrive.

Just as the two were about to reach the intersection—

Boom—!!!

A deafening noise, as if the entire metal passage had been ripped apart!

The alloy ceiling overhead exploded, and twisted steel plates, gravel, and wires fell like rain, dust instantly filling the air.

Blinding searchlights shot down fiercely from the breach, like two rays of judgment, instantly locking onto Lin Fan and Little Kate.

Following that were heavy, rhythmic, oppressive mechanical footsteps.

Thump.

Thump.

Thump.

Closing in from the front, back, left, right, from all directions.

The passage ahead and behind was instantly blocked tight.

A hoarse, grating laugh, like a broken gong, drifted slowly from the shadows, carrying undisguised greed and cruelty:

"Hehehehe... finally waited for you."

The dust slowly cleared.

A man nearly two meters tall, covered in black-silver combat cybernetics, with his chest and arms covered in gruesome bullet holes and scars, and half his face replaced with mechanical parts, slowly walked out from the crowd.

His right eye was a red-glowing electronic prosthetic eye, carrying a cold, mechanical feel as it scanned, his mouth stretched into a wide arc, revealing a mouthful of yellow, sharp teeth.

The leader of the Bone Crusher Pirate Gang—Karon.

"Dark Matter Stabilizer..." Karon's gaze, like a magnet, was glued to the spot on Lin Fan's chest, his tongue greedily licking his dry lips, "Really good stuff, good stuff. Originally, I wanted to do some business with you and make a little money... but now it seems, robbing is obviously much easier than doing business, right?"

The surrounding pirates burst into laughter.

Everyone held standard military energy guns, the muzzles glowing with a dangerous blue light, all aimed squarely at the two in the middle.

The air instantly froze.

A chill shot from their feet all the way to their heads.

With an almost instinctive reaction, Lin Fan lunged sideways, shielding Little Kate tightly behind him, his back slightly arched, every muscle in his body taut to the extreme, dark matter energy surging silently in his palm, causing the air to warp slightly.

One-on-one, he didn't fear Karon.

One-on-ten, he could still fight.

But now, the opponent was an entire team of fully armed pirates, occupying the terrain advantage, surrounding them front and back, with firepower suppression.

Once they opened fire, he might be able to barely hold on with his dark matter constitution, but Little Kate... would absolutely not last three seconds.

"Hand over the item." Karon slowly raised his hand, his cybernetic arm making a "click-clack" sound of mechanical friction, "I can give you a quick end, otherwise..."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over Little Kate with a sinister look, the malice in his tone almost overflowing:

"I don't mind playing with this little girl first."

Little Kate stiffened behind Lin Fan, her nails digging deep into her palms.

Anger, fear, and helplessness all surged up together.

Lin Fan's eyes were as cold as ice, his voice low and dangerous: "This is a public area of the black market; if you make a move, it's equivalent to breaking the rules of the black market."

"Rules?" Karon laughed, as if he had heard the funniest joke in the world, looking up and laughing until his whole body shook, "In this ruin, I—am the rules! If I say you should die, you won't live to the next second!"

He waved his hand violently, his tone instantly becoming ruthless:

"Do it! Kill the man directly, catch the girl, and take her back to play with slowly!"

"Yes!!"

The pirates responded in unison, the light at their gun muzzles flaring, looking like they were about to open fire!

Just at this critical moment—

A small, thin figure suddenly rushed out from behind Lin Fan!

The speed was as fast as an afterimage!

"Little Kate!" Lin Fan's expression changed drastically, he roared in a low voice.

He couldn't catch her in time at all.

"Want the reagent—get past me first!"

Little Kate's voice was crisp, stubborn, and carried a trace of trembling, but there was no backing down. She didn't rush toward the pirates, nor did she hide behind Lin Fan, but instead, she bolted toward a narrow, complex passage with many intersections on the side!

While running, she deliberately pulled out an empty test tube that was identical in shape, size, and color to the Dark Matter Stabilizer from her pocket, held it high above her head, and shook it vigorously!

In that instant, everyone's gaze, all the pirates' attention, and all those greedy eyes were firmly drawn to that "test tube"!

"It's in that little girl's hands!!"

"The reagent is on her! Chase!"

"Don't let her run away!!"

The pirates instantly fell into chaos, eyes red, howling as they rushed to chase after her.

Karon's face sank, and he roared sternly: "All of you, chase her! Catch her and bring her back to me! If she dares to play tricks, tear her apart!!"

"Yes!!"

Most of the pirates immediately turned, like a pack of hungry wolves, swarming in the direction Little Kate had fled; heavy footsteps, curses, and the sound of firearms colliding instantly filled the entire passage.

The scene was chaotic to the extreme.

As Little Kate ran wildly, she suddenly turned her head and took a look at Lin Fan.

That look was clear, resolute, and without a shred of hesitation.

—You take the reagent and go, hurry to save Sister Kate.

—I'll lead them away.

Lin Fan stood in place, his heart felt as if it had been punched hard by an invisible hand, the pain making him almost unable to breathe.

He wanted to chase.

He wanted to rush up immediately, drag that reckless little girl back, and scold her severely.

But he couldn't.

As long as he moved, the remaining pirates would immediately surround him, and the stabilizer would definitely be snatched away.

Kate was still waiting on the cliff.

Kate's crystallization was still spreading.

Kate's life was held in this small test tube in his arms.

He couldn't gamble.

He couldn't gamble with Kate's life for a moment of impulse.

"Franklin!!" Lin Fan gritted his teeth, his voice suppressed to the extreme, "Keep an eye on her!! Full-time tracking!! Share her location with me!!"

"Locking on! Signal synchronized!"

In his ear, Little Kate's real-time location, movement trajectory, and the number of surrounding pirates were immediately transmitted.

Lin Fan took a deep breath, suppressing all the panic and self-reproach in his heart, his eyes becoming cold and firm again.

He turned around, and taking advantage of the moment when the main force of pirates was lured away and the remaining ones were in chaos, his figure flashed, rushing into another passage like a ghost, withdrawing from the encirclement one step ahead, and then taking a detour to rendezvous with Little Kate.

This was the only choice he could make.

Little Kate was running wildly through the narrow, twisted, maze-like black market passages.

She was young, small, and agile, specifically choosing gaps that adults couldn't squeeze into, narrow intersections, and steep metal stairs to run through.

The pirates were big and burly, and carrying heavy energy guns, in such complex terrain, they actually couldn't catch up to her for a while.

But she knew clearly.

She could run for a while, but not for a lifetime.

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

Her physical strength, speed, and power were limited, and her experience was far inferior to these pirates who spent their lives rolling through life and death.

Being caught was only a matter of time.

As expected.

A few minutes later, after turning through seven or eight forks and squeezing through three narrow gaps, a dead end lay ahead.

A cold, heavy, welded alloy wall blocked all paths forward.

Behind her, footsteps, angry curses, and heavy breathing drew closer and closer.

Little Kate leaned against the cold wall and slowly stopped. Her small chest heaved violently as she gasped for air. Cold sweat from her forehead slid down her cheeks and dripped onto her collar.

She gripped the energy dagger in her sleeve until her knuckles turned white.

She couldn't run anymore.

There was no escape.

"Hehehe... Running? Why aren't you running anymore?"

Karon's voice, filled with mockery and cruelty, drifted slowly from the passage entrance.

The pirates slowly surrounded her, sealing the small dead end tight. Their hideous, greedy, and indifferent faces looked particularly terrifying under the dim light.

Karon walked slowly to the front, looking down at Little Kate huddled in the corner like a small beast cornered with nowhere to run.

He lowered his head, his electronic prosthetic eye flashing red as he let out a sneer:

"Little girl, didn't your teacher tell you not to try and be a hero?"

Little Kate pressed her back hard against the wall. Her small body couldn't help but tremble slightly, yet she still stubbornly raised her head to meet Karon's gaze without flinching or begging for mercy.

Her voice carried a hint of a tremor but was exceptionally clear:

"My teacher taught me... never to leave a companion behind."

"Companion?" Karon snorted as if he had heard a joke. He kicked the nearby metal wall with a loud "clang." "In this hellhole, companions are meant to be sold! You actually believe that bullshit?"

He slowly raised his modified right arm.

*Click—*

With a soft sound, two sharp alloy blades shimmering with a cold light popped out from the side of his arm, their tips pointing straight at Little Kate's chest.

"Since you want to be a hero so badly... then go die for your companion."

A murderous aura rushed toward her.

Little Kate slowly closed her eyes.

She wasn't afraid of death.

Since the day AKai died, she knew she would eventually step onto the battlefield and face death sooner or later.

But she was so unwilling.

So very unwilling.

She hadn't found the truth behind AKai's death yet.

She hadn't seen Sister Kate recover her health yet.

She hadn't even cursed that idiot Lin Fan yet.

She hadn't taken a good look at this world that AKai had fought so hard to protect.

She didn't want to die like this in a filthy, dark, unknown corner of the black market.

She didn't want to.

The sharp wind from the blades instantly approached her chest.

Sharp pain exploded without warning.

"Ugh—"

A muffled groan suppressed to the extreme.

The little girl slumped down softly.

Blood gushed from the wound in her chest, quickly staining her thin clothes and flowing slowly along the cold metal floor.

Her vision began to blur.

In her ears were the pirates' laughter, curses, and footsteps.

Her breathing grew lighter and colder.

Her consciousness was like a lamp about to go out, darkening bit by bit.

So tired...

I really want to sleep...

Just sleep...

At the moment her consciousness was about to sink completely into darkness and be swallowed by the boundless cold.

The light and shadows before her eyes suddenly distorted, shattered, and reorganized.

The filthy, dim, and bloody black market passage vanished.

The cold walls, the hideous pirates, and the pungent smell of blood were all gone.

In their place was the academy's sun-drenched, grassy training field.

The sky was blue, the breeze was light, and the sunlight was so warm it made one want to squint.

A youth wearing a casual jacket, smiling roguishly with curved eyes, leaned against the training field's railing. His hands were in his pockets, and he looked at her with a helpless yet doting expression.

It was AKai.

It was the AKai she longed for day and night, the one she had seen in her dreams countless times.

"Idiot," AKai cursed softly. There was no blame in his tone, only heartache, and his eyes were incredibly soft. "Who told you to work so hard? Who told you to run here and throw your life away?"

Little Kate's tears instantly welled up, rolling down in large drops that she couldn't stop.

"Teacher..." she sobbed, her voice hoarse. "I was afraid... I was afraid the potion would be stolen, I was afraid something would happen to Sister Kate, I was afraid... I was afraid the people you protected would all die..."

"Even if you're afraid, you can't throw yourself away." AKai squatted down to eye level with her and reached out. Just as he had done countless times before, he gently rubbed her hair with movements so tender they could melt water. "You're still young, your future is long, and you still have many, many things to do."

"But I... I can't make it..." Little Kate reached out, wanting to grab him, but could only pass through a phantom of light and shadow. "I think... I'm going to find you..."

"No." AKai looked at her, his gaze suddenly becoming exceptionally serious and grave. Every word was clearly carved into her heart. "Listen, Little Kate, you must live."

"Live, so you can continue to curse me.

Live, so you can see for me what this broken world finally becomes.

Live... so you can protect the things I failed to protect."

His figure began to turn transparent, dissipating bit by bit in the sunlight.

"Teacher..." Little Kate cried out, reaching out desperately to grab him, but she could catch nothing. "Teacher—!!"

"Don't sleep."

AKai's voice grew lighter and more distant, yet it carried an incredible power, piercing through the darkness and striking deep into her soul.

"Live."

"You must... live."

The light and shadows shattered.

The hallucination vanished.

Little Kate snapped her eyes open.

She coughed up a mouthful of sweet, metallic blood.

She was still in that cold, filthy, and desperate dead end.

The pirates were still there.

The wound still throbbed with sharp pain.

Blood was still flowing.

But that sentence just now, that ray of light, and that bit of tenderness had forcefully dragged her back from the brink of death.

She couldn't die.

She couldn't.

Just as the pirates thought she had completely lost consciousness and were about to step forward to finish her off and loot the "potion"—

*Zzzzt— Zzzzt—*

A strange and piercing static noise suddenly rang out from inside every energy gun.

"Hmm?" Karon frowned and impatiently slapped his primary weapon. "What's going on? Is this piece of junk broken again?"

The next second.

A voice—childish, sweet, crisp, and innocent, completely out of place with the bloody and brutal atmosphere—exploded wildly from the speakers of all the energy guns!

Volume at maximum!

A demonic sound piercing the ears!

"Twinkle, twinkle, little star~"

"Flying in the sky so bright~"

"Like many little eyes~"

The interstellar universal version, the most classic, ancient, and widely spread interstellar nursery rhyme that almost everyone had heard in their childhood.

Total silence.

The pirates were collectively stunned.

Each one held their energy gun, dumbfounded and bewildered. They looked at each other, completely unable to react.

"...What the hell is this?!"

"Who turned this on?! Who turned on a nursery rhyme?!"

"My gun... is playing a nursery rhyme?!!"

After a brief silence came the collective rage of a mental breakdown.

The pirates scrambled to slap, dismantle, and roar to turn it off, but the weapon systems had been completely hacked, locked, and controlled; they couldn't stop it at all. The demonic nursery rhyme looped over and over, echoing through the passage and shattering the originally tense, bloody, and murderous atmosphere.

Karon's face was as black as the bottom of a pot. He trembled with rage, his electronic eye flashing red as he pointed at the weapons and roared: "Turn it off! Turn it off!! Turn it off for me right now!!"

But no one could turn it off.

In the communicator, Franklin's calm, steady, and emotionless voice rang out softly:

"Emergency Interference Protocol C, successfully activated. Code name: Childhood Shadow. Interference effect assessment: Excellent. Enemy command system, weapon system, and emotional system are fully paralyzed."

Little Kate lay on the ground, trembling with pain, but listening to this demonic nursery rhyme and seeing the pirates' fuming and bewildered looks, she actually forgot the pain for a moment and almost couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Is this... the nursery rhyme playlist Franklin mentioned?

This is way too ridiculous!

Now!

Little Kate's pupils shrank as she instantly seized this fleeting opportunity.

Enduring the sharp pain from her chest, she suddenly ducked and, like a nimble little beast, darted through the gap between two pirates! Her movement was so fast people couldn't react in time!

"She's running!!"

"That little girl is escaping!!"

"Chase her! Quick, chase her!!"

The pirates chased after her in exasperation.

But the moment they stepped forward—

Boom—!!

Boom—!!

Boom—!!!

Three violent explosions rang out in succession at the passage entrance!

Heavy alloy plates, twisted steel, and rubble crashed down, instantly sealing the entire passage shut! All the pirates were trapped inside!

Dust filled the air.

A tall, familiar figure carrying a cold aura slowly stepped out from the dust.

Lin Fan.

He rushed to Little Kate's side in a few steps, knelt on one knee, and carefully yet swiftly scooped her into his arms. His movements were as gentle as if he were holding a fragile treasure that would break at a touch.

"Sorry," he said, his voice hoarse with unmistakable self-blame and lingering fear. "I'm late."

Little Kate leaned in his arms, her face as pale as paper and her lips devoid of color. The wound on her chest was still bleeding, and her consciousness was starting to blur. Yet she still forced herself to raise her hand and, with all her strength, quietly tucked the real Dark Matter Stabilizer she had been hiding back into Lin Fan's hand.

She smiled weakly, her eyes curving into crescents as if seeking credit, yet also looking at peace.

"The potion... is safe..."

"Sister Kate... is saved..."

As soon as she finished speaking.

Her vision went black, her head tilted to the side, and she completely passed out.

Lin Fan's arms holding her suddenly trembled.

He looked down at the pale, dust-covered, and blood-stained little girl in his arms. At such a young age, she was covered in injuries. His heart felt as if it were being squeezed hard by a hand, hurting so much he could barely breathe.

He gently brushed away the stray hairs on her forehead, his fingertips trembling slightly.

"Franklin," he said in a low voice, suppressing an overwhelming surge of emotion. "Locate the extraction point."

"Locked onto the nearest docking port. No patrols, high safety rating. temporary rendezvous ship arriving in three minutes."

Lin Fan no longer hesitated. He picked up Little Kate and turned to step into the deeper, dark passage.

Behind him, in the sealed passage, were the pirates' enraged, frantic, and desperate roars accompanied by the demonic nursery rhyme.

Before him was the still dim, still dangerous, and still obscured black market path.

But Lin Fan's gaze grew deeper and colder.

Something was wrong.

All of this was just too wrong.

That masked man appeared at just the right time, gave them the potion at just the right time, and gave them the black market coordinates at just the right time.

They had barely arrived when they were ambushed by pirates.

Time, location, and people—it was all frighteningly precise.

Was this really an accident?

Was it really just greedy pirates looking for a double-cross?

Or—

From the very beginning, did someone deliberately send them into the lion's den?

AKai's death wasn't that simple.

Looking at it now, their entire trip to the black market was a setup from the start.

A meticulously arranged trap to lure them in.

Lin Fan carried the unconscious Little Kate, his steps steady as he walked deeper into the darkness.

The stabilizer was secured.

The person was also safe.

But from this moment on, some things had completely changed.

The mist hadn't cleared; instead, it grew thicker.

And they, unable to help themselves, had stepped into the center of this deeper, colder, and more dangerous mist.