Chapter 48: The Greatest Thief in History, Section 5

Mud Ball was a merchant.
He had always believed that.
Although he was a member of an octopus race—whose people were traditionally known as the best sailors in the Moor Empire—he preferred to be a merchant rather than piloting ships for the Moor lords or serving as cannon fodder in battles. Every day, he would get up early, use the little money he had saved through hard work to buy goods at the airport, and then sell them at the space station. Seeing those goods turn back into money filled Mud Ball with immense satisfaction.

However, such behavior was not easily accepted by many, especially among his own people. He had almost become a symbol of being different. Whether it was his father or his relatives, their looks at him were always filled with disdain and pity, as if they were looking at a child who lacked ambition. As a result, Mud Ball couldn’t even find friends. At nearly a hundred years old, he still hadn’t started a family.

But Mud Ball didn’t care. In fact, he was proud.
Because he had money.
Though it was only a few tens of thousands of Mokas, within his family, he was the richest. He didn’t have to struggle as hard as the others or worry about dying in battle. All he had to do was put in some effort, and the rewards he received far exceeded those of ordinary sailors. Every day, his income made his fellow sailors green with envy. At such times, Mud Ball would be extremely proud, stroking his chin with his much thinner tentacles while pretending to be dissatisfied.

But today was a special day for Mud Ball.
As one of the busiest merchants, he was always among the first to arrive at the airport to buy goods, and today was no exception. So he arrived early at the airport of the 76 Triple Star Station, bringing over thirty assistants to purchase goods. Behind him were long trailers, along with hundreds of other merchants waiting eagerly just like him.

The airport was very busy today, with numerous ships coming and going. So Mud Ball was also tired. As a freelance merchant, he didn’t have enough capital to buy large quantities of goods at once, so he could only purchase small amounts of each item. With so many ships arriving, the amount of work he had to handle doubled. His assistants were all slow-minded, so he had to do everything himself. By the end of the morning, Mud Ball was so exhausted he almost vomited blood. His already thin body was trembling violently.

Yet it still couldn’t stop, as its cargo hold wasn’t yet full. Outside the airport, another fleet of ships had just arrived. Mud Ball had sharp eyes and immediately saw that most of them were freighters. Though their appearance was somewhat strange, there was no doubt they were packed with countless goods. Seeing this, Mud Ball became excited instantly—all his fatigue seemed to vanish. He frantically waved his arms, urging his companions to rush forward. He knew well that although there were many freighters, those traded with first usually offered the best goods. With his limited resources, getting even a few good items could bring greater profits. Fortunately, sometimes a single item could equal a day’s earnings. In past purchases, Mud Ball had encountered such good fortune many times. Unfortunately, this time he miscalculated. Though there were many freighters in this fleet, they didn’t open up supply channels like other ships; they merely docked at the airport. Then, a group of Pors came down from the largest freighter at the front. They were all burly, walking like a group of gorillas, with arms thicker than Mud Ball’s waist. Seeing this, Mud Ball was shocked and stopped in his tracks. It wasn’t that Mud Ball was timid. As an octopus species, his status in the Moor Empire was far above those cowardly Pors. But this time was an exception. Although the Pors were known for being timid, there had recently emerged an outlier—Lord Beck, the legendary figure. He started as a space merchant and, through a series of battles, became a favorite of the Grand Duke of Tarot. He later participated in competitive tournaments, earning the emperor’s high regard, and was said to have reached the rank of count. The 76 Three-Star Station was precisely where he made his fortune. Mud Ball had always trusted his judgment. He could tell that these Pors were definitely not timid scoundrels but true warriors. With their fierce looks and terrifying muscles, they were even more fearsome than the best Moorian officers at the space station. Mud Ball had no doubt that each of them could easily take down the strongest guards at the airport. How could such people come down from an unremarkable freighter? And how could they possibly do business?

Mud Ball didn’t know the answer, but that didn’t stop him from staying alert. So he obediently stopped in his tracks and didn’t rush forward like the other merchants. Soon, after a series of shrill screams, those merchants who had rushed forward returned even faster, all dazed and disoriented. This proved Mud Ball’s judgment was correct.

Now, Mud Ball dared not stay any longer. His years of experience in society told him that the safest thing to do was to leave immediately. If those Poles could use force without hesitation in such a busy place, then their backers and whatever they were up to were definitely not something a mere merchant like him should witness. Everything he saw today could become reason for his misfortune tomorrow.

With this in mind, Mud Ball climbed into his trailer at lightning speed and urged his crew to head back right away. His anxiety was so great that he didn’t even care that the cargo hold wasn’t fully loaded.

On the way back, Mud Ball realized that his clothes had been soaked with cold sweat at some point. Lying back in his seat, he collapsed, thinking to himself, “It’s really dangerous. If I hadn’t been careful, I might have ended up like those merchants—punched up and bruised. No, maybe worse. Those Poles must be on some important mission. If I wasn’t wise, I might even lose my life.”

At this thought, Mud Ball felt proud of his vigilance. At the same time, he took pleasure in the misfortune of those beaten merchants. Those damned guys—always competing with him. Now they got what they deserved. Maybe many of them wouldn’t be able to get out of bed tomorrow, or even be summoned by the officials from the Internal Affairs Department for a “tea party.”

Just as Mud Ball was basking in his self-satisfaction, he suddenly heard a sound he could never have imagined. “All personnel on the station cannot guarantee everyone’s safety. Please take action immediately.”

“How is that possible!?” Mud Ball jumped up, screaming in shock. An anomaly in the energy core? Emergency regulations!? Oh, Mother Tiya, this hadn’t happened in the empire for years. What were those damned engineers doing? How could they not even manage a rescue? If such a huge space station exploded, how many people would die? Probably everyone who couldn’t escape would vanish in the energy chaos.

At this thought, Mud Ball could no longer sit still. He howled at his crew in the sharpest voice he had ever used. “You damned fools! What are you waiting for? Run! Go back to the airport!! We must leave now!!”
“But boss, your father is still at home. If we don’t take him with us, he probably won’t be able to get out on his own,” one of the crew members replied cautiously.
“Get lost!! I don’t care if he dies! Can’t you hear me? I said now!! Go to the airport right away!! Can’t you idiots see? It’s a full evacuation—if we don’t leave now, everyone else will flood in and we won’t have a place left. Hurry up. Go back to the airport!! That way, maybe I can still secure a spot in my cargo hold!!” Mud Ball kept howling frantically until he saw the crew members turning the vehicle around as he ordered. Only then did he slump back in his seat, utterly exhausted.
Fortunately, he had brought almost all his wealth with him for purchasing goods. As long as he could secure a spot in the cargo hold, he wouldn’t suffer too much loss. He was glad he reacted quickly—if they returned to the airport first, there would likely be many empty transport ships, and he and his goods would be saved.
All he needed was to bribe the crew a little, Mud Ball thought triumphantly. At this moment, he didn’t care about such a small amount of money.
Meanwhile, outside Mud Ball’s carriage, the entire Seven-Six-Three Star Station was in unprecedented chaos. People were panicked and terrified, with screams of fear heard everywhere. They pushed each other as they rushed toward their means of transportation, then frantically headed for the airport. The station resembled a scene from the end of the world.
It had been many years—so many years—since the Moore Empire had experienced such a major accident. People had long been accustomed to peace. Hearing such news suddenly plunged them into utter chaos. The streets were filled with people fleeing wildly, and shops along the roads were crushed to pieces. Many people stumbled and fell, never getting up again. The crowds trampled over them, turning them into piles of flesh in an instant.
“This is the result you wanted, right? Head, it’s effective, though a bit cruel. This news will kill many people, won’t it?” On a high building beside the street, Blood-Eyed and Black-Haired stood quietly, watching the crowded crowd below with expressionless faces.

“All gains require sacrifice. I knew this outcome even before making plans. But such a sacrifice is worth it compared to a forced attack. At least 80% of the residents will survive. And…” The black-haired man paused, his gaze turning icy cold. “They are all subjects of the Moor Empire. Even if they all die, it won’t be us who will feel pain. We just need to do our part. Bloodpupil, it’s your turn to perform now. Go to work.” “As you wish, dear leader,” Bloodpupil said with a grin, giving a Moorian military salute.