Chapter 20: The Terrifying 31st Star Region, Section 8

Monkeys always kept their word. In fact, by the time the Black-Haired Fleet returned, the botanist had truly disappeared from the ranks. No one knew how he vanished—even under the protection of numerous pirates. It was as if he had never existed at all.

Simple. Discover it, and claim it. Black-Haired never intended to hand over such a planet. Unpreparedly revealing it would bring no benefit to the 31st Star Region; instead, it would attract many eyes. Although the Blood Wolf faction was already quite powerful, Black-Haired didn’t want to expose itself so easily. As for the botanist, since he was a science enthusiast, he could just focus on his work. Participating in power struggles was beyond his capabilities.

Selfless? Ridiculous. This wasn’t the old China anymore. The world was pragmatic—what wasn’t yours was mine. Everyone wasn’t thinking about their own pockets but rather others’ possessions. Plunder and possession were the true essence of interstellar society.

Yet, even if Black-Haired wanted to claim those six planets, it wouldn’t be that easy.

Where was that mysterious civilization that had once blocked all radiation sources?

The answer came quickly. As Black-Haired strolled through the forest, a pirate rushed up to him and handed him a device.

“Twenty-six kilometers to the northeast. A distorted energy field has been detected. The device can’t penetrate it, but the coordinates have been obtained.”

“Northeast?” Black-Haired was stunned. He looked in that direction…
It was a landscape of rolling mountains, stretching endlessly with no end in sight. Could the planet’s inhabitants live among those mountains? But why couldn’t any man-made structures be seen from above?

“Set off immediately. We don’t have much time,” Black-Haired ordered.

The floating ships in space were still waiting. Delaying here too long would surely worry them. Although Baroka left behind could handle things on his own, Black-Haired still couldn’t relax.

After all, this was an unknown galaxy—full of uncertainties.

Thick layers of debris covered the ground like carpets, making a rustling sound underfoot. Black-Haired and his group moved swiftly. Nearly a hundred small exploration mechs were deployed from the landing ships and climbed up agilely. Soon, a fully mechanized squad was formed.

These small exploration mechs are specifically designed for initial reconnaissance on planetary surfaces. Compared to traditional vehicles, they boast extremely high mobility and more advanced defense systems, plus they are much smaller in size—usually no more than three meters tall. Their specially designed six-legged spider-like limbs enable them to adapt easily to various terrains. Their larger, more robust long-range impact modules ensure speed, though this comes at the cost of reduced firepower.

In fact, the only weapon these small mechs have is a short-range pulse gun, which is mostly used for clearing paths. However, to suit the jungle environment, Black Hair specifically equipped them with knives this time. Clearly, in such a dense jungle setting, knives are far more useful than guns—a fact that was proven during subsequent operations. Along the way, they encountered numerous dense bushes and tangled roots, and it was only with these knives that they could clear a path. It took them a whole day to cover 26 kilometers, and by the time dark fell, they still hadn’t arrived.

With no other choice, they had to set up camp in the mountains. They cleared a few hundred meters of space in a mountain hollow and surrounded it with mechs, using it as their camp for the night. After assigning enough people to guard, Black Hair and Monkey returned to their tent and exchanged glances.

“It seems we’ll have to spend a bit more time. The environment on this planet is more complex than I thought,” Black Hair said helplessly.

“It’s like a picnic. After being under constant stress, it’s good to relax occasionally. Too bad there aren’t any cute girls here,” Monkey said philosophically. But his last remark made Black Hair smile.

“All these years, you’re still the same. Didn’t Bear tell you? With your build and personality, you’re not attractive to girls. Stop dreaming.”

“Tch, that brute knows nothing. Brevity is the soul. Don’t judge me by my thinness—I’m rich. Every time we teamed up, it was always for millions. With money, it’s easy to get some beauties to keep me company. Ugh, you’re talking nonsense again,” Monkey said dismissively, waving his nail clipper before snapping it back to his waist. After thinking for a moment, his expression suddenly darkened slightly.

“Still, I wonder what happened to those guys. I remember they were with me.”

“Oh?” Black Hair’s eyes narrowed as he sat down on the ground and patted the space beside him.

“Come. Sit down. It’s been several days since you returned to me. I never asked what happened to you. I was worried, afraid of hearing bad news. But it seems it was all just a dream. What’s meant to happen will happen eventually. Tell me, Monkey, tell me everything you know.”

“Well… I’m not hiding it from you, Boss. It’s just… just…” The Monkey’s voice suddenly softened, his lips twitching slightly as if recalling something. After a brief silence, he gritted his teeth tightly.

“Fine, Boss. Since you insist on knowing, I’ll just tell you straight. There are too many things I don’t understand either. Many gaps seem to be missing from my memory. But one thing I do know is that the one behind me, the one in control, is…”

“Sister Hongyan!”

“Bang!!” Hei Fa crushed the wine bottle in his hand. His eyebrows shot up sharply. In an instant, a terrifying aura appeared out of nowhere, sweeping through the entire space. The temperature inside the tent dropped rapidly, turning icy cold.

“Who do you say it is!?”

“Sister Hongyan! Boss, you heard right. It’s the woman you once loved the most. Our sister-in-law!” The Monkey wasn’t afraid at all despite Hei Fa’s change in demeanor and continued to speak honestly. Yet, a hint of pain flashed in his eyes.

If there was anyone in this world who knew Hei Fa’s past, it was undoubtedly him. He understood all too well what the name Hongyan, which seemed like a nickname, meant to Hei Fa.

Friend, companion, lover, partner, comrade… All these terms could apply to this woman. For Hei Fa, her existence might well be his only weakness. Any companion who had fought alongside him in the past knew this name.

Hongyan… just a woman’s name.

Unlike her name, she wasn’t particularly beautiful. But anyone who was Hei Fa’s companion always held her in the highest regard.

At just twenty years old, she was originally a top spy from Huaguo. She had contacted Hei Fa as an observer. But through long battles and countless life-and-death struggles, their relationship underwent drastic changes—from hostility to mutual understanding, through countless twists and turns. Yet one thing was clear to everyone: her presence was absolutely irreplaceable.

“Black Hair, Red Beauty.” This was a name well-known throughout Earth in the past. Countless nations suffered because of their existence, and many more endured hardships due to their tactics—too many to count. But how many people truly know what lies behind this name?

Black Hair handled combat, while Red Beauty planned. Only when the two were together could they be called Black Hair, Red Beauty. Every success of Black Hair came after countless calculations by Red Beauty; many famous politicians and conspirators had been manipulated by her at will. Only those who had experienced it firsthand could understand.

It could be said that Red Beauty was not just a figurehead in Black Hair’s team—she was truly irreplaceable. Her combat skills were also extraordinary. In one-on-one battles, most of his companions, aside from Black Hair himself, would have to admit defeat. This was one of the reasons why everyone respected her.

Such a woman, even without peerless beauty, was still a precious treasure. For Black Hair, her existence was a sacred place in his heart—a place no one else was allowed to touch! Once, a conspirator, after failing against Black Hair, sighed and said that if there really was a way to make Black Hair bow, it would be through Red Beauty alone.

He was right. In fact, during that final mission, the high-ranking officials of Huaguo gambled on Red Beauty’s fate, forcing Black Hair into a trap with no choice but to become material for others’ genetic research. Yet he never imagined that in this world, in this realm, the name of Red Beauty would be heard again!!

“She… is she okay? If I remember correctly, I seemed to see her when I was put into the modification chamber… Back then… she…” Black Hair’s lips trembled as he reached into his pocket for a cigarette, trying to light it but failing.

Seeing his nervous state, Monkey couldn’t help but sigh. He took out a lighter and lit the cigarette for Black Hair.

“I don’t know if she’s okay. My memories are hazy. But one thing I’m sure of is that every time I received orders, it was her who gave them directly. We could never mistake Sister Red Beauty’s voice.”

Black Hair froze, his expression stiffening.

“Not… the Moore tribe?”