137: Chapter 137 Loot and the Protoss: We're a Legitimate "Logistics Company"

Core of the Chaotic Star Domain, cleanup site of the Black Shark Fleet wreckage.

The starry sky should be silent and profound, but at this moment, this territory that once belonged to the Black Shark Pirate Gang was a hundred times more clamorous than the busiest market in Central Continent. Five hundred pirate warships, devoid of power and with their bridges precisely pierced, floated silently in the cold Void Realm like a herd of dead steel behemoths. And on the corpses of these giants, a textbook example of "interstellar violent demolition" was unfolding.

Countless small engineering vessels, single-man mechas, and Corpse Soldiers clad in exoskeleton armor covered the surface of every wreck like diligent worker ants. Sparks from laser cutting formed a dazzling river of stars in the blackness of space, accompanied by the rumbling vibrations transmitted through solid matter, composing a symphony full of industrial violent aesthetics.

"Be gentle! All of you, be gentle! That's not scrap metal, that's precision equipment!" Butcher Xiao (Director of Tianhe Repair Yard and Demolition Office) stood on the shoulder of an engineering mecha, brandishing a megaphone and roaring at a group of Corpse Soldiers violently dismantling an engine nozzle. His voice boomed through the Divine Sense channel, making everyone's heads ring. "That 'vector thrust nozzle' is forged from Titan alloy! Don't pry it with crowbars! General Gu, tell your brothers not to gnaw on it with their teeth! Use wrenches! Use the hydraulic cutters T-9 made for you! Those are your tools, not chew toys!"

Not far away, General Gu (Corpse Soldier commander) was directing a group of his three-meter-tall, bronze-armored zombie strongmen as they forcibly tore a composite armor plate weighing thousands of tons from the side of a warship. The armor plate emitted a teeth-grating screech of twisting metal, as if howling in agony. Hearing Butcher Xiao's roar, General Gu spat out the half-eaten alloy pipe in his mouth and yelled back in his raspy voice through the channel: "Director Xiao! This thing's too slippery, covered in oil! The cutters can't get a grip! Our Corpse Claws work better, they dig right into the flesh! Don't worry, we won't break it. We know our limits—just taking the metal, not harming the core! What soldier doesn't know how to cherish his equipment?"

On the other side, the robots of the Scrap Iron Clan displayed astonishing micro-manipulation skills, forming a stark contrast to the violence of the Corpse Soldiers. They resembled a group of precise watchmakers, using dozens of miniature mechanical arms extending from their bodies to worm into the cracks of a warship's damaged bridge, carefully extracting high-energy crystals and control chips, each only the size of a grain of rice and emitting a faint blue glow. T-9 worked while tears of excited oil flowed from its electronic eyes: "We're rich... These are 'Black Shark Type IV' navigation chips! They can sell for ten thousand spirit crystals on the black market! And there are five hundred of them! Brand new! With this batch, our Scrap Iron Clan's brains can finally upgrade! No more three-second lag just to calculate 'one plus one'!"

The ship, Tianhe Command Center (formerly the Hall of Ten Thousand Laws).

Li Mo sat upright on the command chair solidified from Chaos fluid, watching the constantly rising material inventory on the holographic screen. He could barely hold his teacup steady. In his eyes, those strings of numbers weren't just wealth; they were the lifeblood for reviving this broken-down ship.

[Real-time Statistics of Materials Inbound:] [Standard-type Fusion Engines: 480 units (90% intact, usable with minor repairs).] [High-energy Fuel Rods: 3000 tons (enough for three months of full-power operation for the entire ship).] [Rare Metals (Stellar Steel, Mithril, Anti-gravity Liquid Gold, etc.): 500,000 tons (the Civil Engineering Department is grinning from ear to ear).] [Miscellaneous: Pirate's private savings, smuggled weapons, unopened snacks, and a large number of pink-painted barrels of unknown purpose.]

"Truly, a horse grows fat on night grass, and a man grows rich on ill-gotten gains," Li Mo sighed, gently blowing the foam off his tea. Although these five hundred warships had been "one-shot obliterated," because it was a Karma-based pinpoint strike (targeting only the pilots), the ship structures were almost completely intact. This round of "looting the bodies" had directly granted the just-started, financially-strapped ship "financial freedom." "Please, let there be more such welcome opportunities in the future."

Just then, Lei Wanjun's (Head of the Physics Department) avatar suddenly popped up, occupying a corner of the screen. His expression was strange, as if he had discovered something difficult to comprehend. "Dean, we've discovered a heavily sealed special compartment on the lowest level of the pirate flagship, the 'Black Shark.'" "That compartment has an independent life support System and is additionally equipped with the highest-level spiritual energy locks and anti-detection coating. After expending tremendous effort to crack it, we found... someone locked inside." "Or rather... an extremely rare fairy creature?"

"A fairy creature?" Li Mo raised an eyebrow, intrigued. On the Starry Sky Ancient Road, anything the pirates took such great pains to imprison was definitely no ordinary item. "Bring it up. If it's a dangerous creature, remember to have Little Black apply a 'Weakened' debuff first."

...

Ten minutes later.

Several fully armed Tentacle Monsters, their tentacle tips crackling with electric sparks, escorted a peculiar creature into the command center. It was a tall, female being with skin the translucent color of starlight and pointed ears. She wore a tattered silver priestess robe, stained with grime and blood. Her wrists and ankles were shackled with spirit-suppressing manacles, the heavy metal chains scraping harshly against the floor. Despite her wretched state, her eyes, which seemed to flow with a brilliant galaxy, still held an innate pride and stubbornness. She looked around, her gaze sweeping over the menacing Tentacle Monsters and Li Mo without a hint of retreat.

[Eye of Truth · Scanning...] [Race: Star Spirit (Star Spirit).] [Talents: Stellar Resonance, Spatial Perception, Gravitational Wave Analysis.] [Identity: Exiled high-level star priestess / Rare-grade star chart navigator.] [Condition: Extremely weak, spirit energy depleted, frightened but feigning composure.] [Value: Extremely high (Living star chart. With her, you'll never worry about getting lost again).]

"Star Spirit Race?" Li Mo's heart stirred. According to the black box's records, this was a highly mysterious, Advanced race living in the depths of the Universe. They possessed an extraordinary innate sensitivity to gravitational waves and spatial coordinates, making them the best navigators in the Universe. In ancient times, they were honored guests eagerly sought after by various Divine-Grade civilizations. But in these chaotic, lawless times, due to their sparse population and lack of powerful protection, they were often sold as expensive "pets" or "living radars" on the black market.

"Don't kill me!" The moment the Star Spirit girl saw Li Mo, her body trembled instinctively. In her eyes, this young human sitting in the high seat was ten thousand times more terrifying than the one-eyed pirates before. The one-eyed pirates were just a bunch of greedy, crude bandits; their desires were written on their faces, easy to understand. But this person before her... he exuded a kind of **"Modifier" aura** that seemed to make even the Laws of the Universe tremble, as if he could casually rewrite reality. It was an indescribable presence that transcended the Heavenly Dao. And look at his subordinates—those drooling Tentacle Monsters (Abyssal creatures), zombies reeking of death (undead), and dilapidated robots (Scrap Iron Clan)... This was practically an **"Evil Villain Grand Alliance,"** even darker than a pirate den.

"I... I am Lumina of the Star Spirit Race," the girl said through gritted teeth, her voice trembling but still trying to maintain the last shreds of dignity. "If it's ransom you want, my people, though exiled, are willing to pay... Just don't sell me to the Titan Race to be used as a battery, or to the Insectoid Race as an incubator..." By the end, a sob had crept into her voice.

"Battery? Incubator?" Li Mo smiled, a smile as gentle as a spring breeze. He adjusted his glasses, casually snapped his fingers, and the supposedly indestructible spirit-suppressing manacles shattered like rotten wood and fell away. "Young Miss, you've misunderstood." "We are not pirates, nor are we slavers. We are lawful interstellar citizens." "Look at our banner."

Li Mo pointed out the window. Following his finger, Lumina saw the enormous blue planet. Outside the planet's atmosphere, hundreds of massive, glowing characters in the universal language of the cosmos, formed from luminescent fungi and holographic projections, were slowly scrolling, dazzling everything within several light-years:

[Tianhe Integrated Logistics and Property Management Co., Ltd.] [Main Services: Interstellar Moving, Abyssal Cleaning, Mecha Repair, Revenge-by-Proxy, Specialty Barbecue.] [Slogan: We'll do anything except good deeds (scratched out)... That is, professional service, fair to all, cash back for positive reviews.]

Lumina: "..." Looking at the hastily scratched-out yet still clearly visible slogan, she felt even more despair. This did not look like a legitimate company at all!

"I am the captain here, also the dean, also the property manager, Li Mo." Li Mo smiled, retrieving a freshly made, steaming cup of **[Abyssal Hot Milk Tea]** from his System space and offering it to her. "We just 'cleared up' a batch of illegally operated vehicles (pirates) that were seriously affecting traffic safety by the roadside and happened to rescue you in the process." "Right now, we are on our way to participate in that legendary 'Multiverse Civilization Speed Race.'" "I hear your Star Spirit Race are the best navigators in the entire Universe?" "Interested in... taking a job?"

"T-taking a job?" Lumina held the cup of milk tea emitting a bizarrely sweet aroma (mixed with Abyssal syrup and Void Realm pearls), her brain somewhat short-circuiting. "You... you're going to the Place of Origin? To participate in the race?" She widened her beautiful eyes, glancing at this "patchwork" warship beneath her feet that seemed held together by tape and glue, then back at Li Mo.

"With... this ball?" "With all due respect, Your Excellency. The route to the Place of Origin is known as **'The Great Filter.'** It's filled with spacetime turbulence that can shred stars in an instant, Karma traps, and higher-dimensional strikes." "Without an S-class pass issued by the 'Star Alliance,' or the protection of a **'True God'**-level entity, any ship entering is courting death! Even the Titan God Clan wouldn't dare charge in recklessly!"

"True God protection?" Li Mo picked up his own teacup, took a gentle sip, his expression as calm as if discussing the weather. "What a coincidence." "While I don't have any True Gods enshrined on this ship." "I do happen to be the one here who specializes in **'managing gods,'** even **'creating gods.'**"

He pulled out that little notebook filled with countless dark histories (the Administrator's logbook) from his pocket and flipped to a fresh page. "Since the road ahead is treacherous, filled with traps." "Your job will be to guide the way, to tell me where the pitfalls are." "As for those roadblocks, traps, or so-called rules that forbid passage..." Li Mo picked up that ancient **[spring and autumn brush]**, twirled it lightly in the air. The brush tip traced through the Void Realm, leaving a trail of golden light. "I'll be in charge of... road construction."

Lumina looked into Li Mo's deep, bottomless black eyes that seemed to contain the birth and death of Universes. A strange tremor suddenly rose from the depths of her Soul. It wasn't fear, but a reverence in the face of a higher-dimensional existence. Her intuition told her this man wasn't boasting. He really could turn that "Great Filter" that countless civilizations dreaded into his own backyard, perhaps even laying down a red carpet inside.

"Alright... I'll do it." Lumina swallowed hard, as if making a firm decision, and took a big gulp of the milk tea. The next second, her eyes lit up. Her pupils instantly dilated, starlight swirling within. **[Delicious! My Soul is trembling! What kind of divine drink is this?!]** (The dopamine effect of the Abyssal syrup kicked in. For a Star Spirit who had never tasted such a high-sugar beverage, it was a Soul-shattering experience).

"That's more like it." Li Mo nodded in satisfaction. "Welcome to the Tianhe family. Our style might be a bit unconventional, but the benefits are definitely top-tier in the cosmos." "Director Xiao, take Young Miss Lumina to the North Sea branch to check in." "Arrange the best dormitory for her (ocean view), and have her do a handover with Heavenly Secret (the old navigator). That old man's been getting a bit senile lately, it's time for him to step back." "Oh, and remember to get her a Supreme VIP meal card. From now on, she can have milk tea and barbecue whenever she wants, on me."

Watching Lumina being escorted away by a few enthusiastic Tentacle Monsters (though she still looked a bit wobbly on her feet—whether from fright or being moved to tears by the delicious milk tea), Li Mo's gaze returned to the profound starry sky. They had a living star chart, travel funds, supplies, and even a guide. Next up. It was time to head to that so-called "Great Filter" and teach those self-important interstellar Laws a lesson.