85: Shadow Hive

"Alarm! Alarm!"

The piercing buzz tore through the silence of the bridge, and red lights flashed urgently on everyone's faces.

"Boss!" A soldier in charge of the radar stood up abruptly, his face pale, pointing at the screen with a voice distorted by fear. "At three, seven, and eleven o'clock, three unidentified signals are approaching at high speed! Their flight paths... are... are a pirate pincer formation!"

"All hands to battle stations!" Reno's roar drowned out the alarm. His burly figure stood like a mountain in front of Chen Feng. "A Yong, shields to maximum! Everyone else, weapon systems charging!"

"Yes, sir!"

"It's no use, Captain!" The soldier operating the weapons said with a trembling voice. "The enemy's firepower is more than three times ours! We won't last a minute in a head-on collision!"

Inside the bridge, the air seemed to freeze, leaving only the hum of the equipment and the heavy breathing of the soldiers.

Chen Feng remained seated in the Commander's chair, calmly watching the three rapidly approaching red dots on the star map as if they were merely harmless fireflies.

"Reno," he spoke, his voice not loud but exceptionally clear.

"Boss, give the order! I'll take the men and fight them to the end!" Reno's eyes were bloodshot, radiating murderous intent.

"No need," Chen Feng said indifferently. "Execute the 'Skunk' plan."

"...What?" Reno was stunned. This term wasn't in any of their combat protocols.

"That little gadget Lao Mo installed." Chen Feng pointed at the communications console. "Activate the signal camouflage module and switch the identification code to 'Giant Star Mining-G7-Medical Waste Disposal Ship'."

Although Reno was full of doubts, his trust in Chen Feng was bone-deep. He immediately roared, "Do as the boss says! Fast!"

The operator's fingers flew across the keyboard.

The identification signal of the needlefish underwent a bizarre change in space instantly.

Almost simultaneously, a coarse curse rang out over the public communication channel, accompanied by heavy metallic static: "Damn it! What bad luck! I thought we caught a fat fish, but it's just a Giant Star Mining junk ship hauling 'cans'!"

Another voice chimed in, "Boss, forget it. These ships are smelly and tough, no profit at all, and you get covered in radiation that won't wash off. Last time, the Black Fang Squad raided one of these, and half the crew went mad from the residue of undead crystals!"

"Pah! Turn around! Let's go! What a waste of time!"

On the star map, the three lethal red dots traced three arcs without hesitation, turning away while grumbling, and soon disappeared from radar range.

There was dead silence on the bridge.

Everyone stared at Chen Feng in disbelief. A suicidal armed conflict had been resolved with just a few words and a fake identity.

"Boss..." Reno opened his mouth, his eyes filled with awe and confusion. "How did you know..."

"Pirates are businessmen too, Reno." Chen Feng stood up, his gaze fixed on the distant region composed of countless points of light and wreckage. "They only do profitable business. And a 'medical waste disposal ship' is the least profitable business of all."

Twelve hours later, the needlefish arrived at its destination.

A giant creation made of countless scrapped ships, asteroid debris, and space station modules welded together haphazardly floated in the dark universe like a deformed honeycomb. This was the Shadow Hive.

The needlefish carefully entered a filthy spaceport. As soon as it docked, a man with only one eye—the other replaced by a crude prosthetic—approached with several subordinates.

"Newcomers?" One-Eyed Dragon tapped the hull of the needlefish with a metal crowbar, making a piercing sound. "Know the rules? Ten thousand credits for safe passage."

A Yong and the others behind Reno instantly gripped their weapons, their cold murderous intent causing the surrounding temperature to drop. Reno even took a step forward, his hand already on the grip of the gun at his waist.

"That's fine." Chen Feng pressed down on Reno's shoulder and smiled at One-Eyed Dragon. "Money is a small matter. We're just here to find a friend."

As he transferred the ten thousand credits, he asked seemingly casually, "His ship is very special, with a silver family crest that looks like a griffin. He claims to be from the 'Lopez' family. Have you seen him lately?"

"Lo... Lopez?" One-Eyed Dragon's single eye widened, and the flesh on his face quivered.

He knew better than anyone what that name represented in the high-dimensional universe. They were rising nobles who held a significant position even within the Omni-Dimensional Trade Alliance.

"N-Never seen him! Definitely haven't!" His attitude immediately did a 180-degree turn, and he smiled obsequiously. "Please come in, my lords. If you need anything, just find me, 'One-Eyed', I have some influence here in this spaceport!"

Chen Feng smiled noncommittally and led Reno and the others off the ship.

Watching their departing backs, One-Eyed Dragon wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and growled at his subordinates, "Be smart! Don't mess with these people; they might be working for a big shot!"

In the space station's main thoroughfare, the "Hive Corridor," glaring neon lights and flickering holographic advertisements formed a sharp contrast with the filthy, greasy floors and dried blood in the corners.

Reno, in his crisp combat uniform, exuded the stern aura of a soldier, looking completely out of place among the lazy, decadent outlaws filled with prying eyes.

"This place is filthier than the mines," Reno whispered, scanning the surroundings warily.

"But the 'ore' here is more valuable," Chen Feng replied calmly.

They walked into a pub called "The Leaking Valve." The murky air was thick with the smell of cheap alcohol and synthetic fragrances.

"Looking for someone?" The bartender wiped a glass that would never be clean, lazily lifting an eyelid. "I only sell booze here."

Chen Feng pushed a credit chip over.

The bartender expertly took it, his smile widening. "Oh, I remember now. You're looking for an information broker, right? Go out and turn left, take the third alley, and look for the red door at the very end. His name is 'Fang.' He's the most well-informed person in this area."

"Thanks." Chen Feng nodded and led his men away.

As soon as they left the pub, Reno whispered, "Boss, it's a trap. When that bartender spoke, his pupils dilated for 0.3 seconds—a classic sign of an excited lie."

"I know." A cold smile touched the corner of Chen Feng's mouth. "Let's go meet this 'Fang'."

They intentionally walked into the dark, damp alley.

Just as they turned the corner, the path ahead and behind was blocked by seven or eight thugs holding weapons.

"Listen up, kids! If you're smart, hand over everything valuable!" The leader, a man with a face full of scars, grinned maliciously. "Don't make us get rough!"

Chen Feng acted as if he hadn't heard, simply saying to Reno, "Leave one alive for questioning."

"Yes, sir!"

Reno didn't even draw his gun.

He was like a tiger charging into a flock of sheep. In less than ten seconds, only painful groans and the crisp sound of breaking bones remained in the alley.

The leader of the thugs was now being pinned against the wall by Reno, who had a hand around his neck, while his other leg was twisted at a bizarre angle.

"Aaaargh!" He let out a blood-curdling scream.

"Now, can you tell us where the most reliable information broker is?" Chen Feng walked up to him and asked condescendingly.

"I'll talk! I'll talk!" The thug leader cried, tears and snot flowing. "It's 'Echo'! A dwarf! His black market is deep inside the B-7 pipe of the waste processing zone! Please... just give me a quick death!"

"A quick death?" Reno tightened his grip and said coldly, "The boss only said to leave you alive; he didn't say I had to leave you in one piece."

Having obtained the information he wanted, Chen Feng led his men away, leaving behind a trail of wailing in the alley.

In theLike a maze waste processing zone deeps, they finally found the compartment hidden inside a massive sewage pipe.

Inside the compartment, an extremely short dwarf sat in front of a pile of flickering data screens, nervously tapping on a keyboard. This was "Echo."

"Looking for someone?" Echo didn't look up, his voice raspy. "I don't look into personal matters here. I only sell data."

"I'm not looking for someone," Chen Feng said calmly as he walked up to him. "I'm buying data."

"Oh?" Echo finally looked up, a hint of interest flashing in his cloudy eyes.

"Shadow Hive, the last six months. Personnel movement records, financial anomaly reports, and flight logs for all registered small merchant associations... every single one." Echo was stunned by Chen Feng's request.

"You want that much?" Echo narrowed his eyes, re-evaluating the man before him. "That won't be cheap."

"Money is no object."

Echo was silent for a moment before quoting an exorbitant price.

Chen Feng paid the deposit without hesitation.

"The data will be sent to you in one standard hour." Echo took the money, his expression turning meaningful.

He grinned, revealing a mouthful of yellow teeth. "The first half of the data you want is quite ordinary. But as for the second half... the last person who tried to buy those things has already become a piece of space junk outside the station."

"Good luck, big spender."