Chapter 4: Partners? Section 2

Completely different from when they set out, the severely damaged little monster took a full hour to return to the warehouse of the dismantling factory. When it appeared, almost all the scavengers were shocked by the massive wounds covering its mechanical body.
“Black Hair truly is relentless. Every battle he fights is so reckless. Doesn’t he know that this mech is assembled from the best parts in our factory? With these injuries, what can we use to repair it?” an engineer with gray beard sighed deeply upon seeing the little monster.
Yet, despite his sighs, as an old man who had worked at the dismantling factory for half his life, he certainly knew everything Black Hair had done to the little monster before this mission. Even with such enhanced heavy combat mode, it ended up in such a state, showing just how fierce Black Hair’s battles were. Moreover, Black Hair was particularly careless with his equipment in battle. The fact that the little monster still retained its basic structure was already quite good. If not for UncleBuick’s abundant resources, they might not have been able to cope.
But for the little monster, now with only one arm left, its auxiliary engines completely destroyed, and over 47% of its torso damaged, even UncleBuick’s vast resources might be insufficient. Of course, considering Black Hair’s achievements, the little monster’s injuries were hardly a concern. After all, the reward UncleBuick was about to pay would more than compensate for everything.
“I am a thug…”
UncleBuick deeply regretted not remembering those words clearly. Doing business with a thug was probably the biggest mistake of his life. Unfortunately, even though he understood Black Hair’s intentions, he still had no choice but to make this decision.
In this invisible war over control of the town of Kukare, Black Hair, as a powerful warrior not under the control of the Warriors’ Association, was UncleBuick’s only hope. And Black Hair himself was well aware of his role in this conflict.
In short, he was just a gun being used by others.
But so what? For Black Hair, who had gradually gotten used to this world, UncleBuick’s demands were exactly what he wanted. Through this mission, he could obtain his first capital since arriving in this world—well-equipped puppet bugs and plenty of mech parts. And for the kind of drama he loved, the stage of Kukare Town was still too small.

It took a whole day to complete the handover. By the time Black Hair stepped out of the dismantling factory again, his employment relationship with OldBuick had ended. Of course, as someone who didn’t like to suffer losses, Black Hair certainly didn’t forget to ask OldBuick for some money as fare before leaving—just a tiny, pitiful amount… fifty thousand Kari. So now, in high spirits, Black Hair was driving the Puppet Worm alone, racing through the vast and endless desert of Loss. The scorching heat, the gravel hitting the motorcycle’s shell with a clattering sound, and the air so dry it could burn one’s lungs—everything stimulated every nerve in Black Hair’s body. “What a relaxing feeling. The red wine after each battle is truly precious,” he murmured, downing the wine in his glass in one gulp before taking a deep sigh of relief. OldBuick truly was someone capable of great things—every feature on this Puppet Worm had reached the pinnacle of what Kucaire Town could offer. Even the most advanced automatic navigation system was fully equipped. Aside from the fact that weapon operation couldn’t be automated, there were hardly any flaws. All Black Hair had to do was set the route and then sit back and enjoy the ride. As a planet dominated by magic civilization, Kucaire Town actually had weekly flights to other cities. But obviously, Black Hair didn’t like that. He had already set his next target: Berlin, known as the paradise of merchants. Just from its name, one could tell of the unique style of this medium-sized city. As the largest commercial center on the Shek Planet, it not only had almost all the goods available on the market but also operated a massive black market. Its vast area of hundreds of square kilometers provided ample room for development. Most impressively, to trade goods with other planets, the city even had the second-largest airport on Shek Planet. The daily volume of goods handled was astronomical. Where there is light, there must be darkness. As a paradise of merchants, Berlin perfectly combined these two extremes. The entire city was circular, divided down the middle—half belonged to light, half to darkness. Whether you were the most honest merchant or the most unscrupulous swindler, there was a place here for you to thrive. Of course, there were also many passersby like Black Hair, seeking their fortune.

Although the Puppet Worm’s speed was already quite fast, it was far from sufficient for a vehicle designed specifically for transportation to meet Black Hair’s needs. Thus, it took him a full month to reach Berlin. In this vast desert sea, it moved forward like a lonely small boat.
Fortunately, loneliness wasn’t something that troubled Black Hair. He had plenty of time to learn everything about this world. The widespread use of the mental network clearly suited him like a glove. It was also because of the mental network that Black Hair unexpectedly discovered information about himself.
“Wanted? One hundred thousand Kari?”
He rolled his eyes in surprise upon seeing this message from the Warriors Association.
From this information, it was clear that OldBuick’s second negotiation with the Warriors Association had begun. As a former gunman, Black Hair, as expected, was assigned to handle it. None of this came as a surprise to him. But the Warriors Association’s reaction was rather boring.
“One hundred thousand Kari? They really think highly of themselves. It seems they still haven’t been properly punished.” Black Hair smiled slightly before closing the message window.
In his past, being wanted was almost routine. But he had never encountered a bounty of just one hundred thousand Kari before. If the people from the former Earth Federation knew about this, they might laugh their heads off. Yet this made his status as a thug even more confirmed. Like countless other unfortunate people wanted on Xieke Planet, he became a target for pursuit. As long as he didn’t die, the pursuit would continue forever.
But wasn’t that fine too? Black Hair tilted his head back and looked at the blue sky through the skylight, a gentle smile appearing on his face.
You’re all watching too, right… the beginning of my career… mine…
My companions…