Chapter 37: Visiting the Empire, Section 4

Bubbles were visible.
However, it wasn’t until everyone got closer that they realized their excitement was unfounded. It was just a small bubble, attached to the surface of a celestial body. From a human perspective, its diameter of hundreds of meters might seem spacious enough, but it was by no means large enough to accommodate a giant like Li Feng.
Yet, the gas inside the bubble was undeniably real. The people on Li Feng immediately became excited.
Finding just one meant there was hope. Since this area of water was as vast as entire star systems, there must be many such bubbles. Moreover, through the portholes, they saw that such large bubbles could actually attach directly to celestial bodies in the water, which filled them with amazement.
The universe is full of wonders. They had seen many strange sights before, but bubbles growing on the surface of celestial bodies were something they had never encountered. Could that mean life also existed here?
As their moods improved, their expressions also brightened. Warriors from various races returned to their posts, while the idle crew members gathered in groups, eagerly observing the outside world through the portholes.
Putting aside their heavy psychological burdens, this area of water posed no real threat to them. On the contrary, it offered them opportunities they had never experienced before. The chance to roam through the endless waters was incredibly fresh and exciting for these crew members who spent their lives traveling among the stars. Especially when Li Feng passed by that celestial body, allowing them to clearly see its surface, bursts of admiration arose one after another.
The surface of that celestial body, covered with bubbles, was a deep green, resembling countless jungles. Only upon closer inspection could one realize that they were actually giant seaweed plants. They clung tightly to the surface of the celestial body like a coat, enveloping it completely. As Li Feng moved, their branches swayed in the water waves, looking orderly and strikingly beautiful.
It was just like an actual underwater world!
Everyone marveled together. If not for not knowing where they were, they might have couldn’t help but shout in excitement. Look at those tiny green dots floating beside the green plants—weren’t they like free-floating creatures in the sea? In this underwater forest formed by seaweed, it added a touch of vitality.

“The life detection results are in. Captain, the baseline here is extremely high. The results show countless signs of life within tens of thousands of kilometers around Li Feng. Although they are all low-level, intelligent-less creatures, their numbers are astonishing. Based on our assessment, the waters here are highly active and very suitable for life to thrive.” A Black Prison technician aboard the ship stepped forward to the black-haired man and handed him a document. He added confidently at the end, “Most of the water sample analysis is done. We can already draw preliminary conclusions: the water here is rich in salt and oxygen. It may not be beneficial to humans, but it’s definitely harmless. With just a simple respirator, humans can swim freely in these waters.”

“Wow, isn’t that real seawater?” Everyone was thrilled by the technician’s findings, with cheers rising one after another. Eager eyes, free from earlier tension, stared at the black-haired man from all angles.

The black-haired man knew this was what the crew wanted. After living under constant stress, encountering such a wonderful place finally allowed them to release their pent-up emotions. They desperately needed a place to relax, and clearly, the external water environment was good.

Thinking this, he didn’t mind being a considerate captain. He simply nodded at the technician, then smiled at his subordinates who had been staring at him, revealing his snow-white teeth. “You brats, why are you all staring at me? I can only keep Li Feng here for half an hour. If you want to play, hurry up. We’ll set off soon—don’t blame me if I don’t give you another chance.”

“Oh……Long live the captain!!!”

“Damn, he’s really our captain. So thoughtful.”

Cheers filled the cabin. The Blood Wolf Pirates and warriors from the five major families surrounded him, cheering as they rushed outside. The crowd surged forward as if afraid of falling behind, leaving the black-haired man alone in the cabin. Only a few girls from the Beth family remembered their captain before leaving. They hopped over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. “Thank you, Captain Uncle…”

Captain… Uncle?? Watching the girls hop away from the cabin, the black-haired man touched his cheek where he had been kissed, a wry smile on his face. He asked the lazy monkey leaning beside him, “Hmm, Monkey, am I that old already?”

“You?” The monkey lazily glanced at the black-haired man. Then he lay back in his comfortable seat again, stretching widely.
“Not really an elder. But with your thousands of years of age, I think it’s not quite appropriate for those little girls to call you uncle.”
“Oh? Then what should they call me?” A sense of foreboding arose in the black-haired man’s heart.
“Call you Grandpa Taizu.”
His smile froze instantly. The black-haired man opened his mouth but couldn’t say a word.
Li Feng stayed by this aquatic planet for half an hour. During those thirty minutes, it turned into a sea of joy.
The muscular Blood Wolf pirates, wearing only small shorts, proudly displayed their strong muscles. They rushed into the water alongside warriors from the five major families, striking playful poses and occasionally winking at the beautiful girls from the Beth family. The Beth girls weren’t to be outdone either. Though not yet fully developed, they wore colorful swimsuits and swayed in the water, throwing playful yet endearing glances.
Indeed, Li Feng was truly worthy of being Hua Guo’s heavy assault ship for long-distance voyages. Its facilities were astonishing. Especially after the black-haired man lifted the restrictions, numerous and diverse functional areas appeared before the crew.
Take the clothes the crew was wearing now, for example. They weren’t brought from Death Star but were products of Li Feng’s living factory. This factory could collect all waste generated during voyages and process it using special technologies to produce clothes of any design. Even rare alien species like octopus people could get custom-made clothing.
Of course, this factory, usually used to handle soldiers’ daily needs, had now become a playground for these Blood Wolf warriors. As long as they wanted, they could design clothes, toys, or even small vehicles to their liking. In their eyes, this was probably even more fun than piloting mechs.
So those thirty minutes turned into a wild celebration for the Blood Wolf pirates.
The clear seawater, the green planet, and the distant starlight from unknown origins made the place resemble a dream. The warriors’ joyful laughter could be heard from time to time through their respirators, revealing their happiness openly.
Unnoticed, fewer and fewer people remained working on Li Feng. Everyone took advantage of the black-haired man’s rare tolerance to relax thoroughly.

In the cabin, only Black Hair and Monkey were left. Two men staring at each other fiercely. Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye. The crew members who had gone out also returned to their posts one after another. It was only then that they noticed their two top leaders were playing a staring game. Curious, the girl from the Beth tribe, fearless due to her ignorance, walked over to them holding a huge doll. She shook her wet long hair and blinked her innocent big eyes. “Uncle Black Hair, Uncle Monkey… Are you two playing a staring game? Why didn’t you invite Uncle Octopus to join?” Uncle Black Hair, Uncle Monkey, Un… Uncle Octopus? Hearing these innocent words, both men’s foreheads furrowed simultaneously as they shared a wry smile. It seemed that in the eyes of these little princesses from the Beth tribe, the term “uncle” had a truly broad meaning… It seemed that aside from the handsome guys from the Li Cha family, there wasn’t a single creature they didn’t call uncle. “Hmm, enough.” With a slight cough, Black Hair glanced around. Seeing that the crew had returned on time as he had ordered, he nodded in satisfaction. “Everyone had fun, right? Then let’s continue our search. You brats, show some energy now. We still have a lot of work to do.” “Ohh, got it, leader!!” Everyone in the cabin cheered in unison and got to work quickly. Though their faces were still red, they were extremely energetic at work, completely different from before. This was the positive effect of proper fun on work. As an experienced thug leader from Earth, how could Black Hair not know this? A little encouragement could yield a hundredfold increase in efficiency and high morale. Mastering the art of leading subordinates was sometimes really that simple. But, um, it seemed there was a slight side effect… Black Hair frowned as he saw a group of light dots suddenly appear on the screen. At this moment, Li Feng had just gathered the crew back. What were these suddenly appearing light dots? And judging by their distance indicated by the scale, they were already quite close. Why hadn’t his scanning system issued any alerts? “Activate the holographic image, coverage range: 15485, 56842, 14547, 5223,” Black Hair ordered decisively, the smile fading from his face. “It seems we have guests.”