170: Touchstone

The completion of the first order was like a stone thrown into a pool of stagnant water.

For the first twenty-four hours, the ripples were faint.

Under Old Knife's hoarse shouting and the pervasive visual bombardment of those blood-red advertisements, some truly bottom-tier customers began to be swayed.

They were scavengers piloting ships that were about to fall apart, small mining teams surviving in the cracks of the asteroid belt, and 'cosmic dust' that even the sub-agents of Giant Star Mining didn't bother to glance at.

To them, Giant Star Mining's energy blocks were a luxury, while Hanhai Trade's energy blocks, even if they were a scam, were a hope worth trying for a few credit points.

Sales began to grow slowly in single digits, finally breaking the deadlock of zero.

It was at this time that 'Fang' Ramos set his sights on Hanhai Trade.

He was a mercenary with a bit of a reputation in the star sectors surrounding Ashen Earth Star. He was famous not for his combat skills, but for his cunning and greed.

In his personal modification workshop, Ramos toyed with a brand-new Hanhai energy block he had just bought from Old Knife, his eyes darting around incessantly.

'Broken? Tenfold compensation?' He grinned, revealing a row of teeth yellowed by low-quality alcohol. 'If this isn't a chance to get rich, what the hell is?'

A vicious yet wonderful plan quickly took shape in his mind.

He was going to commit insurance fraud.

He took down a ruggedly designed electromagnetic pulse gun from the weapon rack. It was the 'Butcher' Mark IV, an urban combat weapon known on the black market for its 'excessive power.'

'Heh heh, little baby, let's have you taste this.'

Ramos carefully secured the energy block to the workbench and then calibrated the pulse gun's power to an extremely tricky value. What he wanted to do was not to blow it up, but to use a precise, over-standard tactical-grade electromagnetic pulse to destroy the biocatalytic structure of its core from the inside while keeping the outer shell intact.

Zzzzt—

A faint, almost imperceptible blue arc of electricity flashed.

He picked up the energy block triumphantly. From the outside, it looked flawless, but inside, it had become a pile of useless waste.

'Perfect!' He admired his 'masterpiece,' as if he could already see the tenfold credit points rolling in.

He used his personal terminal to scan the claim QR code on the energy block's shell, and a simple automated claim interface popped up.

'Product failure... as for the reason, I'll just write "failed for no reason."'

He quickly filled out the failure report, attached his anonymous account for receiving compensation, and then clicked 'Submit' with a heart full of joy.

'Come on, my little money!' He rubbed his hands together, waiting excitedly.

The system's response was almost instantaneous.

But what popped up was not a notification of the compensation being credited.

Instead, it was a line of cold, judgmental red text.

'Claim application rejected.'

Ramos's smile froze on his face. 'What? Rejected?'

Before he could react, more information flowed out like a waterfall.

'Failure Cause Analysis: 37 seconds ago (standard time), the product was subjected to an external attack by an over-standard tactical-grade electromagnetic pulse. The attack source's peak power was 1.7 megawatts, matching the weapon characteristics of the ["Butcher" Mark IV Pulse Gun].'

'The system detected that the weapon arsenal bound to the applicant's personal terminal contains a weapon of the same model with the ID [HH-734-Butcher IV].'

'Judgment: Malicious commercial fraud.'

Ramos felt a chill rush from the soles of his feet straight to the top of his head, and the color instantly drained from his face.

'This... how is this possible?!'

The final verdict followed closely, every word like a heavy hammer slamming into his heart.

'According to Article 73 of the Pan-Cosmic Commercial Convention and the supplementary terms of the Hanhai Trade User Agreement, 50 points have been permanently deducted from your personal credit rating. Hanhai Trade reserves the right to file a lawsuit against you and seek damages for loss of reputation.'

'Have a pleasant life.'

'No—!' Ramos let out a shrill scream. 50 credit rating points! This was enough to make it impossible for him to move an inch in any legitimate port!

He was exasperated, pacing around the room like a crazed beast. He couldn't believe how a little-known new company could have such terrifying technology!

'Liars! You're the ones who are liars!'

In a fit of rage, he posted a screenshot of the entire claim process to the 'Mercenary Home' forum he frequently visited. Of course, he was 'clever' enough to blur out that key weapon ID and model analysis part with a mosaic.

He embellished his account, accusing Hanhai Trade of being a total fraud that not only used unfair terms to refuse compensation but also maliciously colluded with rating agencies to suppress consumers.

'Brothers, look closely! This is the truth behind "tenfold compensation for a faulty product"! Anyone who buys is a sucker!'

He thought this post would receive a massive response, drawing condemnation from everyone who was taking a wait-and-see attitude toward Hanhai Trade.

However, the way things developed was completely beyond his imagination.

Less than ten minutes after the post was made, a mercenary with the ID 'Tech Geek Saves the World' replied with an image below.

That person had actually used professional software to restore the mosaic traces he had blurred out, clearly revealing the words ['Butcher' Mark IV Pulse Gun].

'Pfft, "Butcher" Mark IV? Using this thing to "test" an energy block, Ramos, do you really think everyone is an idiot?' The tech geek also 'thoughtfully' attached the parameters and black market price of this pulse gun.

The entire post exploded instantly.

'Hahahaha! I'm dying! You must be crazy for money!'

'The stupidest fraud of the year is born! Warm congratulations to Fang Ramos!'

'I fucking thought Hanhai was the scammer, but after all that, it turns out you're the clown!'

'Poor "Butcher", having such a stupid owner.'

A wave of ridicule and disdain instantly submerged Ramos. He became the biggest laughingstock in the entire mercenary circle, his credit and reputation completely bankrupt overnight.

And this farce, in a way no one expected, became Hanhai Trade's most powerful advertisement.

In Hanhai Trade's command center, a young public opinion analyst was blushing with excitement. He pointed at the explosive growth of forum discussions and related keyword searches on the screen, his voice trembling.

'Boss... look!'

'The Ramos incident... it... it proves two things!'

Chen Feng looked at the screen calmly and took over, 'First, our "tenfold compensation" is real, otherwise he wouldn't have tried to cheat us.'

'Second,' his mouth curled into a cold arc, 'we have technology that cannot be deceived to back up this promise.'

The analyst nodded vigorously. 'Exactly! Now all the mercenaries understand that only genuine quality issues can get compensation! They... they completely believe us now!'

A peculiar perception that 'only honest people can get a bargain' spread rapidly through the bottom-tier market like a virus.

Trust, that most solid foundation, was hammered into the heart of the market in a comical way by a greedy idiot.

The next second, the order systems of all sales channels were instantly ignited like a bursting flood!

Old Knife's encrypted communication cut in almost with a roar, with the background noise of countless people shouting.

'Boss! Boss, did you hear that! It's crazy! Everyone's gone crazy!' Old Knife's voice was both ecstatic and terrified. 'My cabin door is about to be crushed! They're begging me to sell to them with credit points! Inventory! I need more inventory! Now! Immediately!'

Orders poured in like a tide.

Hanhai Trade had reached a turning point in its life and death.

And in Su Li's office, the numbers representing the company's assets also entered an even crazier, faster burning phase. The flames of victory were consuming their last bits of life at double the speed.