Chapter 10: Pirate Alliance? Section 2

Smoke swirled in the cramped room, and the Core’s voice grew increasingly low. Before they knew it, over an hour had passed. Yet amidst that deep voice, Blackhair and Bloodeyes witnessed the joys, sorrows, separations, and reunions of an entire race. The Wanderers’ unique racial nature acted like a magnet, drawing them in deeply.

In truth, this was a race far beyond human comprehension. Unlike ordinary beings, members of this race lacked individual consciousness entirely. Their only way of life was to instinctively devour and split, then form special groups by relying on debris or asteroids floating in the universe. The sole consciousness within such groups was the Core.

In other words, rather than being a race, they were more like cells—a type of enhanced cell capable of devouring, evolving, splitting, and multiplying.

“Our survival requires devouring vast amounts of energy, which is the most precious thing in the universe. This has led to us being rejected by all races. The asteroids you’ve seen are our last group—and the only one.” The Core sighed deeply, a pained expression appearing on its wrinkled face.

“Can you understand the suffering of a race that is rejected and opposed? We have no energy, no minerals, and no solid foundation. My units are gradually weakening, dying one by one. If it weren’t for me learning human behavior and splitting off independent attack units to plunder, we would have long since become dust in the universe—just like those races that were once eliminated.”

“But you are strong,” Blackhair interjected coldly, his icy gaze fixed on the strange face in his palm like a sharp sword.

“You can devour steel, energy, and even minerals. I can’t think of anything you can’t devour. Such abilities remind me of a terrifying kind of cell. No wonder other races reject you—no, not reject, but fear! Panic!!”

“What kind of cell?” The Core was surprised, though inwardly amused.

Could there really be others like them in the universe? If so, then choosing this guy named Blackhair had indeed been a good decision. For the Core, finding kin was clearly something worth striving for. After all, after countless years, the Wanderers had nearly vanished entirely.

Unfortunately, though it had infiltrated Black Hair’s body, it could never truly understand his thoughts.
“Cancer,” Black Hair shook his head and uttered a name that once made all humans tremble with fear.
He stretched lazily. Ignoring Core’s murmurs, he stood up, grabbed two bottles of red wine from the shelf in the room, handed one to Blood Pupil, and then drank it down in one gulp. The entire bottle was emptied in an instant—his eagerness suggested he hadn’t had any alcohol in a long time.
Blood Pupil, on the other hand, became interested after hearing Core’s account. After taking the wine from Black Hair, she took a small sip before eagerly asking,
“So why have you entered Head’s body now?”
“To learn…” Core’s voice was somewhat muffled because Black Hair was holding the bottle with his right hand, pressing his face tightly against it and distorting its shape. Only after Black Hair set down the bottle did Core finally take a deep breath and cast a plaintive look at him.
“I realize that if our race wants to survive, we must learn from other races, especially humans, about their advancements. Drifting aimlessly in space won’t lead to prosperity. After all, resources and energy are extremely precious. If we keep wandering, it’s likely we won’t have enough energy for reproductive division even in another hundred years.” Core frowned, showing a deeply human-like wry smile. Glancing at Black Hair, he added carefully,
“You don’t have to worry that I’ll cause any harm to your body. Just consider me a passerby. Though I reside in your right arm, I’ll only bring you benefits. Your right arm remains yours; I won’t move around recklessly.”
With Core’s words, Blood Pupil’s expression improved slightly. She raised her head and looked at Black Hair as well.
No matter how strange Core’s origins were, his current host was still Black Hair. Without his approval, this strange creature could never be accepted—even if it seized control of the right arm by force, it would still be classified as an enemy. Given Black Hair’s personality, if he decided Core was an enemy, he might even cut off his right arm.
Unfortunately, despite Blood Pupil’s questioning gaze, Black Hair remained indifferent, looking utterly calm. He reached into his pocket, took out a cigarette, and began smoking. The dim flame of the cigarette flickered in the room, mirroring the mood of certain people.

“Black-haired boy, you don’t have to suppress yourself like this, do you? Don’t worry, I really won’t get in your way or anything. In fact, I can even help you. I can provide all the nutrients your left arm needs. All you need to do is give me enough energy and mineral resources, and converting it into biological energy will be a piece of cake. And as for your body…” Core’s voice was full of temptation, but halfway through, it suddenly blinked a few times and fell silent.

Because it had already sensed the fierce killing intent from the black-haired boy.

The moment Core brought up the topic of the black-haired boy’s body, a sharp killing intent surged like a storm, sweeping through the entire room in an instant. Its extreme suddenness and almost destructive nature were suffocating. It seemed almost tangible—the wine bottle beside the black-haired boy shattered with a crack. As for Blood-Pupil, he didn’t even have time to react before rolling off the bed, collapsing to the ground.

By God, even though Blood-Pupil was a killer who made a living by killing, he had never seen such terrifying killing intent before. His face turned as pale as paper, and his voice was barely audible.

“Head!! What are you doing!!!?”

Whoosh… The killing intent vanished suddenly. The room returned to normal. If not for the black-haired boy’s still-pale face, everything that had happened might have seemed like a nightmare.

But Blood-Pupil knew it wasn’t a dream at all. On the contrary, it was very real.

Because his legs were still trembling, and his hands and feet remained icy cold. The shards of the wine bottle reflected a cold glint under the room’s light…

“Alright, alright, you don’t need to be so nervous. I don’t know anything…” Core’s deep voice rang out at just the right moment, filled with helplessness and reluctance.

“I’ll tell you the truth. I was forced into your right arm. Now you should understand, right? Boy, I have no intention of disturbing you. After all, you’re a perfect body I worked hard to select. I hope you can tolerate my presence.”

God only knows what Core’s mindset was. By the standards of the universe, a leader like it undoubtedly held a very high status—almost equivalent to a country’s king! If people knew it would act in such a humble manner, there would be glasses everywhere broken.

The air was so oppressive it seemed suffocating. The black-haired boy remained pale and silent. For a long, long time, until Blood-Pupil felt like he might faint, he suddenly smiled.

“Good. I welcome your presence. I hope we can get along well from now on.”

Huh… Blood Pupil let out a long sigh. She turned over and lay down on the bed. “Head, you really scared me. I’ve known you for so long, but this is the first time I’ve seen you like this. Were you possessed just now?”
“No way, I was just joking. This… um, its name is Core, right?” The black-haired girl raised her right hand, examining the strange face on it that was forcing a wry smile. She curled her lips. “It’s a very strange creature. Luckily, my adaptability is pretty good. But it’s hard to say for others.”
“Don’t worry, I won’t let anyone else see it. In fact, if I weren’t replenishing your body with bio-energy, you wouldn’t be able to see me at all,” Core hurriedly added.
“That’s good. Then we…” The black-haired girl was about to speak when suddenly a scream came from the hallway!
“Stop! No! Shut up!! You little beast!! I’m going to kill you!! Oh! God!! Why won’t you die!!”
Their expressions changed, and the black-haired girl and the others rushed out of the room, immediately witnessing a strange scene.
At the end of the hallway, a thin, dark-skinned pirate was dancing wildly, flailing his arms desperately. No matter how hard he tried to shake it off, a small black shadow clung tightly to his shoulder—like a sticky plaster that wouldn’t come off no matter what.
Blood Pupil’s sharp eyes quickly realized that the black shadow was actually a child. Their clothes were tattered, their body emaciated, and their skin was covered in wounds. Both legs were broken at the knees; roughly estimated, their weight might not even exceed fifteen kilograms. Yet those arm-like limbs firmly gripped the pirate’s shoulder, with a set of snow-white teeth deeply embedded in his flesh. Streams of blood kept flowing from the mouth, staining half of the pirate’s body red.
No wonder the pirate was screaming in agony. Being bitten like that, it would take great resilience not to go mad. Blood Pupil could clearly see that the child biting him had blood-red eyes—how could it possibly be human? It was clearly a little wolf!!
“Hehe, so they’re training elves after all.” Blood Pupil’s muscles relaxed.
“Elves? Elves that ordinary humans use to operate mechs?” The black-haired girl was surprised.

“Yes, boss. Ordinary people can’t withstand the mental pressure of mechs, so they rely on fairies to act as buffers. Authentic fairy creatures are too rare and expensive. So now, most people buy young children from slave markets, cut off their legs to reduce their weight, making them more affordable. After training and erasing their minds, these children become fairies dedicated to buffering mental pressure. But their physical condition isn’t very good, and having to bear the mental pressure of mechs means their lives are usually short—longest maybe just over twenty years.” Blood-Eyed spoke calmly, his expression unchanged. In his view, such behavior was entirely normal and not worth surprising at all.

Survival of the fittest—this is the truth of the world. In such a chaotic cosmic environment, it’s impossible to maintain a pure order. The fate of a weak race is simply to be conquered and enslaved by stronger races. Just surviving is already a great fortune.

At least Blood-Eyed had witnessed human fleets destroying other civilizations while settling new lands. That kind of bloody, inhumane extermination was the most terrifying sight in the universe.

“Something’s wrong,” a voice with black hair came from beside him, startling Blood-Eyed.

“What is it, boss?”

Black-Haired didn’t answer. He just walked straight over and stopped next to the pirate. Perhaps due to the intense pain, the pirate didn’t notice Black-Haired’s arrival and continued to wave his arms frantically. The wind howled, and his fingertips were almost touching Black-Haired’s nose.

With a look of disgust, Black-Haired suddenly swung his left hand, sending the thin pirate flying. With a loud crash, he hit the corridor wall and slid down softly. His eyes rolled back, and he had already lost consciousness. The small black shadow on his shoulder also fell to the ground with a thud.

Uuuuuh… a low, whining growl. The small figure suddenly flipped over, adopting a crouching position. Its arms were slightly bent, its head raised. Though it had lost its legs, it still gave the impression of being ready to pounce at any moment. Beneath its dirty long hair, its eyes were already bloodshot.

But it couldn’t pounce. Because before that, a warm hand had already placed itself on its head.

“Barton. What are you doing here? Why aren’t you sleeping?”

Hei Fa’s voice was soft and steady, as if he were just chatting casually. But to Xue Tong, who was listening nearby, it sounded extremely harsh. Having followed Hei Fa for at least half a year, he had never heard him speak in such a tone before. At first listen, it even gave off a… a… chilling feeling… That peculiar atmosphere made every hair on Xue Tong’s body stand on end.

“Uuuuuh…” The low growls continued. The bloodshot eyes of the small figure were bright red, like those of a wild beast ready to prey on someone. Yet no matter how hard he struggled, he couldn’t break free from Hei Fa’s grip. His thin body writhed and struggled, leaving vivid red marks on the ground.

“Who is he?” Xue Tong seemed to have noticed something. He stepped closer to Hei Fa.

“Hmm, he’s a little brother I met on Bai Yin Xing before. He’s disabled, so he can only survive by begging.” Hei Fa gently stroked the child’s head, as if handling a rare treasure.

“You mean…” Xue Tong’s expression changed. He reached for his waist instinctively, his gaze drifting unconsciously toward the corridor entrance. There, the silhouettes of two pirates could be seen, seemingly watching this place.

“No need to look, Xue Tong.” Hei Fa stood up, holding the child under his arm. With a swift motion of his other hand—

Whoosh! A hidden dark beam shot out. A deep wound appeared on each pirate’s temple, with blood and brain matter flowing out like a red-and-white stream.

“Ahh… ah…” Several cries of shock arose from the corridor, followed by numerous noisy footsteps. The corridor gradually filled with dark heads—all outlaws from this ship. At first, they dared not approach out of fear of Hei Fa’s brutality. But now that he had killed their companion, they had no choice but to show up, or else they wouldn’t be able to stay here anymore.

Pirates also had their own rules. In their life of desperation, loyalty to comrades was just as important to these ruthless men. Although the dead man hadn’t had a good reputation among them, he had at least fought alongside them. In comparison, Hei Fa was nothing at all.

In the eyes of these men, Hei Fa’s reputation probably wasn’t even worth that of a Kari…

“Hehe… hehe… Patton, look, they… are dying…” murmuring like a groan, Blackhair turned around. His left hand slightly parted, and a triangular military dagger emitting black light appeared in his hand in an instant. The sharp tip glowed with a faint, dull blood red.

“What do you think Blackhair is doing now?” In the control room of the Pike warship, the pirate leader Jinli wore a worried expression as he suddenly spoke to a short man beside him.

“Maybe he’s resting,” the short man said, bending over with a flattering smile. Judging from that smile alone, it would be hard to associate him with the most notorious scoundrel in the Pickpocket Pirates’ gang.

“If only that were the case,” Jinli sighed deeply. He took out a cigar from his pocket. “That guy isn’t any good. Do you remember? An entire fully manned Pike warship was destroyed by him and that Blood-Eyed one. When I heard the news, I could hardly believe my ears and eyes.”

“So what? Isn’t he now your subordinate?” The scoundrel smiled slyly as he lit the cigar for Jinli, then bent down again.

“That’s because they had no way out!” Jinli snorted coldly. “I had it checked—their mechs had no energy left at that time, and their ammunition was also exhausted. Even the best mechanics couldn’t extract any more power from them. If they didn’t board our warship, they’d just become trash in space.”

“Huh? No energy? Doesn’t that mean they’re like scrap metal? Boss, then why did you agree to their request to join? Under those circumstances, their mechs couldn’t possibly explode, right?” The scoundrel looked shocked.

“Hmph, it’s all for that upcoming Death Duel of our Pirate Alliance. We’re short on members. For over twenty years, the Pickpocket Pirates have failed to achieve anything, suffering ridicule and scorn. Our territory keeps shrinking, leaving us barely able to make a living in the fringe areas. Allowing those two to join is also for that purpose.” Jinli chuckled and exhaled a large smoke ring, his eyes narrowing slightly.

“I just hope they won’t cause me any trouble before then…”

“Boss!! Something’s wrong!!!” Before Jinli could finish speaking, a shrill cry suddenly came from outside the control room door.