Chapter 7: The Black Contract, Section 7

Koko was a typical Ganluo Star native. He was proud of it. Though he was only one meter tall, with a head as big as a basketball and limbs as dry as kindling like all Ganluo Star natives, he never complained.
Didn’t he? As naturally gifted in business across the universe, Ganluo Star natives had to pay a price for this talent. They couldn’t farm, couldn’t manufacture, and couldn’t engage in scientific research. Their frail bodies couldn’t withstand harsh environments, their dry limbs couldn’t wield any weapons, and their population was astonishingly small. But it was all worth it.
Nature was fair—no one received any favoritism. This was a truth that every Ganluo Star native understood deeply and regarded as an unbreakable rule.
Through a long history of countless acts of slavery, they had finally achieved what they had today. The Krik Trade Guild of Ganluo Star had become the most famous brand in over thirty nearby star systems. Whenever people heard of them, the first things that came to mind were luxurious lives, sweet wines, charming women, and endless wealth.
Unfortunately, destined to be weak, they still hadn’t acquired any true military strength of their own.
Watching the pirate mechs flying outside the cabin, those demons spewing destructive light, Koko felt even more enraged. His dry palms clenched into fists, trembling violently, and nothing could ease the tremor, not even being tightly held by three extremely charming elf girls. His enormous eyes were filled with bloodshot veins, dense and ferocious.
Yet no one feared him. Though he possessed endless wealth, in the face of death, almost everyone would choose survival.
“Is there no one?? No one who can take down those damned bastards outside? The warriors I spend huge sums on every month—tell me!! What use are you guys really!! What can you do when our employer is threatened!!!” Shouting hoarsely, Koko felt like he was going crazy.

“It’s useless, Lord Koko. Those pirates are scavengers. There’s no way we can survive if we go out. They’re too strong. Using excessive force will only provoke even more retaliation from them. Perhaps you should use some crystal coins to persuade them,” replied a young mercenary with a frown. Though his combat suit still looked imposing, his trembling legs clearly revealed his emotions. (Crystal coins are the universal currency in the universe; different from the Kari on Xieke Planet, they are rare minerals of great value.)

“You guys!! You guys!!” Koko almost choked on his anger as he was furious at these cowardly mercenaries. His face turned red and white alternately, but he couldn’t say anything else. Helplessly, he turned his gaze outside the window, hoping for even a sliver of hope.

Just a little bit—he would rather sacrifice this precious Basket Angel cruise ship than stay trapped by the pirates. Those damned mercenaries—he would never trust them again.

Koko thought bitterly…

Suddenly, right outside the window in front of him, a giant mech head appeared. Its inverted triangular metal frame reflected a cold glow, and its two blood-red eyes rotated slightly, seemingly spotting this poor little Ganluo starling. Its mouth opened wide.

Was it smiling?

Almost everyone who saw this scene thought the same thing.

But before they could shift from shock to panic, a blinding blue light, like a meteor from the sky, struck that terrifying head in an instant. As the blue light faded, a similarly huge fist appeared before everyone.

“Boom!!”

A silent explosion erupted. No one knew what that fist had done, but the terrifying mech head exploded right in front of them, turning into glittering metal fragments that scattered everywhere. They hit the window, producing crisp “crack” sounds.

Heaven!! What on earth was that?

In the distance, another blood-red figure stood quietly in the void. It watched the destroyed pirate mech with interest, floating slightly, holding a massive triple-barreled rotary heavy machine gun tightly in both hands, its barrel emitting a cold glow.

“Head, that was way too violent. Don’t scare the kids inside,” said the blood-eyed figure nonchalantly, lying in the cockpit, a still-unburned cigarette dangling from its mouth, looking utterly lazy.

“I just do things my way. There’s nothing wrong with that. I don’t think ending the battle as quickly as possible is a mistake. Blood Pupil, you should know that better than anyone.” The voice of the black-haired man appeared instantly in Blood Pupil’s ear. Immediately afterward, the blue mech on the other side, which had just killed a pirate, turned around.

“Of course. I’m just testing the performance of this new mech. You don’t have to worry that I’m taking your fun.”

“What the hell? Fun?” Blood Pupil gritted his teeth fiercely. “There are only a few pirates in total. You’ve already killed most of them along the way. Not even a dozen are left for me to deal with. What fun is there? Even if you want to test this mech’s performance, it’s going too far, isn’t it?”

After a pause, as if suddenly realizing something, the crimson mech spun around abruptly, dodging a barrage of bullets. Its heavy machine gun unleashed a long stream of flames, instantly turning to pieces a pirate that had tried to launch a surprise attack not far behind. Only then did Blood Pupil speak up. “But I really envy you for having such a mech. With such overwhelming power, I’m green with envy.”

Hearing this, the black-haired man in the cockpit immediately smiled knowingly. Perhaps this was indeed Blood Pupil’s true intention.

Speaking of which, today’s Ghost was completely different from when it was in the mechanical workshop. First, because it was equipped with reactive armor, its entire frame had become much larger. Then, a huge explosive launcher was added to the asymmetrical left shoulder of the mech, capable of firing nearly a dozen combat missiles in an instant. Finally, since it had to fight in space, auxiliary engine nozzles were added to the outer sides of its legs and both elbows, greatly enhancing its mobility. On top of that, the gun module on its wrist was loaded with shotgun shells, completing its arsenal for close-quarters combat.

The pirate mech earlier was killed after being hit in the head by the black-haired man’s punch, followed by a shotgun blast. The extreme violence of that moment even excited a brutal thug like the black-haired man, who was used to killing. No wonder Blood Pupil was so envious.

“If you like it, I’ll make one for you too, but you’ll have to pay for the parts yourself,” the black-haired man replied coldly, though a faint smile appeared on his face.

Sure enough, upon hearing his words, uncontrollable cheers from Blood Pupil’s channel could be heard immediately. The giant demon mech flew around rapidly like a child. Its massive triple-mounted heavy machine gun, as if unconcerned about ammunition, poured down a dense barrage of bullets at the few pirates trying to escape—like a madman.

“Boom… boom…”
Several dazzling flashes erupted one after another in the vast starry sky. The last few pirate mechs simply couldn’t withstand the madness of Blood Pupil’s gaze; after only a feeble symbolic resistance, they turned into debris in space. Those scattered fragments and flying drops of blood sealed the fate of their owners.
“Boss, you must keep your word. Parts aren’t a problem—I’ll even give you all my savings from these years. You have to create for me a child as powerful as Ghost.” It was only then that Blood Pupil’s excited voice reached Black Hair’s ears.
“No problem,” Black Hair replied calmly. With a slight movement of his hand, the blue Ghost stopped abruptly and then turned around.
In the distance behind him, a massive storm was rapidly approaching. Its sharp horns were still adorned with the wreckage of the pike warship, looking terrifying.
A slight disturbance occurred beside him, and Blood Pupil’s demon appeared instantly beside Ghost. The two giant mechs stood effortlessly in midair, both watching the approaching storm. Behind them, the stranded cruise ship seemed unaware of the danger and showed no sign of moving.
“Hey, do you think Baroka will attack us?” Blood Pupil suddenly asked as the storm drew closer.
“I don’t know,” Black Hair replied, his tone much more relaxed than Blood Pupil’s.
“All I know is he’s not an idiot.”
“Hehe, Boss, you’re still so cruel. I wish Baroka would kill you right now. Maybe then I could avoid a year of labor,” Blood Pupil joked.
“Don’t worry. I’ll kill you first.”
As Black Hair had expected, the storm didn’t make any aggressive moves. Even the firepower points that had been visible outside were now hidden within its armor. Its red exterior had returned to its original black camouflage. From afar, it once again appeared to be an innocent freighter.
Quickly docking, retracting, and connecting, Black Hair and Blood Pupil returned to the storm. Facing Baroka and his excited subordinates approaching, Black Hair stopped, stared for a moment, and suddenly said, “You’ve lost an opportunity.”
“No, I don’t think so,” Baroka replied with a smile. “I think I avoided a trap.”
“If you had fired earlier, maybe the storm’s firepower could have killed me and Blood Pupil, avenging your son.”

“If that’s the case, my son and I will likely die even faster. Captain, I won’t forget that you are the real captain of this ship. I’m just a first mate.” Barroca’s smile became stiff, but the confidence in his eyes remained. What he meant was that even if he fired, the ship would probably not attack the black-haired man. He knew better than anyone who was more familiar with everything on this ship.
“Very good. It seems I’ve found a clever first mate,” the black-haired man nodded in satisfaction before turning away.
“Now, we should take a look at our loot. Messieurs the sand pirates, I hope your professionalism will make things easier for me. Compared to you, those cleaning robots don’t seem very professional.”
“No problem, Captain!!!” Barroca and his men replied loudly. In everyone’s eyes… a bloodthirsty gleam appeared.