Chapter Thirteen: Wealth and Poverty, Section 4

In the vast universe, a fleet of pitch-black warships sailed silently. The starlight around them reflected off their dark armor plates, casting cold glimmers from time to time. Unlike ordinary fleets, the flagship of this fleet was a colossal warship so enormous it shocked anyone who saw it—its terrifying length spanning several kilometers, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression just by sight. If not for its shark-like appearance and the armor coating typical of warships, it would have been mistaken for a bulky freighter.

Undoubtedly, this was the flagship of Black Hair—Li Feng!

It was the thirty-first day since leaving the Alibaba Star Cluster, exactly one month. The pirate fleet led by Black Hair remained in silent voyage, engaging in no hunting activities and even avoiding resupply. They passed by six pirate alliance supply bases along the way without stopping. Aside from Li Feng, the other eight Sanderling-class warships had long run out of energy.

Yet still, no one protested against Black Hair at the helm. Though these pirates from Hell Star appeared unrestrained on the surface, their discipline was likely on par with the strongest interstellar fleets in the universe. After all, piracy was a profession despised by the world, and surviving countless raids and pursuits required strict discipline and unity. Moreover, the pirates recruited by Black Hair numbered just over 2,100, all seasoned veterans with years of experience—none of them novices.

This was precisely why those leaders were enraged and had complained to Black Hair time and again.

At that moment, the control room of Li Feng was quiet. Blood-eyed had already recounted everything that had happened during this time to everyone. Thanks to Black Hair’s influence, not even the existence of the core was hidden. In return, Black Hair also knew about Li Feng’s actions during this period.

It turned out that after getting separated, they did not return to Silver Star as ordered. Under Baroka’s insistence, they forcibly disarmed the other two support warships, added their equipment to Li Feng’s supply depot, and then jumped away to resume searching at the incident site.

This period was undoubtedly extremely tense and dull. With Hei Fa’s departure, discord arose within Li Feng, and Baroka gradually showed his aggressive side. After failing to find him, he finally exercised the challenge authority granted to him by Hei Fa, forcibly taking control of all of Li Feng’s functions and placing Sulei under house arrest.

Of course, this fierce sand pirate leader wasn’t an idiot—he knew his actions amounted to betrayal. Returning to Silver Star would likely make it difficult for him to survive. He was even more afraid that if Hei Fa wasn’t dead, the news of his actions would surely attract deadly threats. So he set off with his men on a long journey, hoping to hide in the farthest reaches of the 30th Star Region for a while.

Yet perhaps it was a joke from fate—there was a minor problem with their jump. Without Hei Fa’s presence, Li Feng’s system suddenly locked down most of its functions, including the most crucial jump coordinate determination device. With no other choice, Baroka had to use the ship’s auxiliary computing core to calculate manually, resulting in significant inaccuracies.

As is well known, jumping through space is an extremely dangerous task, and determining the jump coordinates is of utmost importance—small errors can lead to huge discrepancies. Even a mere millimeter of error, after being amplified countless times during the jump, can result in a terrifying distance of hundreds of kilometers. So when Baroka finished the jump with Li Feng, he was shocked to find himself in a star region he had never seen before.

This was a disaster. The size of star regions is immeasurable—some may consist of just a few star clusters, while others are simply beyond calculation. Moreover, before any exploration, unfamiliar star regions often hold deadly dangers: unknown races, unknown environments—everything could easily bring ruin to Li Feng. Even worse, at this point, Baroka could no longer determine his location. Li Feng was like a lone boat adrift at sea, completely lost.

Fortunately, at this desperate moment, Sulei finally gave up her usual stubbornness and agreed to help Baroka solve the problem. With the special authority granted to her by Hei Fa, she reopened Li Feng’s coordinate calculation system and determined their location. When the result came in, the entire ship was shocked.

They had arrived in the 31st Star Region, a region known for its vastness and numerous races, which the interstellar fleet was about to develop.

The Thirty-One Star Region is a wild land that has never been cultivated. It is extremely dangerous, with threats lurking everywhere. Even though Li Feng is powerful, he cannot survive in this vast and incomputable star region after disabling most of his skills. Their wisest choice is to leave immediately.

But before that, Baroka witnessed a scene they could hardly believe at the moment.

A planet…

A planet with Cymesi minerals that could be observed even in space.

By God, it was simply terrifying. Cymesi minerals are incredibly precious; back on Silver Star, the Warrior Association’s squad was willing to clash with the local government just for a small piece of ore, showing how valuable it is. Although this planet has a diameter of less than ten kilometers, its value is immeasurable. Even all the known Cymesi minerals combined might not equal one billionth of what’s here.

Seeing such a planet is already a sin. Any organization aware of its existence would never miss such a huge opportunity, and anyone who knows about it will become a thorn in their side. Once this news spreads, even the most powerful interstellar fleet in the universe might not be able to cope with the catastrophic consequences.

But that’s not the most important thing. What truly prevents Baroka and the others from leaving is that this planet is actually a neutron star.

As is well known, neutron stars are the products of a planet’s evolution at its end stage, characterized by extremely high density. The mass per cubic centimeter can reach an astonishing one hundred million tons. With such mass, no life could possibly survive there—the extreme gravity would instantly crush anything that dares to approach it into powder. Moreover, neutron stars are not formed in an instant but result from countless years of evolution. During this process, their outer shells expand while their cores collapse. When the core can no longer withstand the immense collapse force, it continues to collapse endlessly, eventually becoming the most terrifying disaster in the universe…

A black hole.

To be precise, a planet that cannot withstand the collapse force cannot be called a neutron star, and once it becomes a neutron star, it can never turn into a black hole.

Unfortunately, Baroka and the others were facing exactly such a planet filled with contradictions. Although it had already become a neutron star, it continued to collapse at high speed. Though this speed, measured in human time, was still on a thousand-year scale, it was still extremely fast. If this continued, it would only be a matter of time before the planet turned into a black hole.

Neutron stars with the potential to develop into black holes far exceeded human common sense. So when Baroka realized they could no longer escape the planet’s gravity, all they could feel was despair.

No one, no technology, and nothing could escape such an almost absolute gravitational pull. Even though the planet’s gravity wasn’t yet strong enough to attract light like that of a black hole, it was still terrifyingly intense. Even at a distance of tens of thousands of kilometers, the fully powered Li Feng couldn’t escape either—it could only be slowly dragged toward the planet.

But they were also incredibly lucky, because just when everyone was at their wits’ end, a small asteroid suddenly came into view.

Asteroids were everywhere in the universe and usually didn’t deserve attention. But this one was different—on Li Feng’s screen, its long tail could be clearly seen. Like Li Feng, it was also trying to escape the neutron star’s terrifying gravity by using the ejected tail stream.

This asteroid turned out to be an artificial planet!!!!!

Good heavens, could there be any fact more unbelievable than this? After all, even though the Magic Civilization had reached its peak of glory, creating a planet as huge as this was undoubtedly a pipe dream. There was no possibility, neither in theory nor in reality. At first glance, Baroka and the others could hardly believe their eyes.

But at this critical moment, every second was precious for Li Feng. To avoid being drawn toward the neutron star, they had to rely on other forces. Undoubtedly, with nearly 30% of its power locked away, Li Feng could only depend on the power of this asteroid now. So in the next moment, Li Feng adjusted its course and gradually approached this mysterious asteroid using its auxiliary engines on the sides.

There’s no need to explain what happened next—Li Feng’s arrival in front of Black Hair said it all. Baroka and his crew had successfully escaped the neutron star’s gravity by relying on the asteroid’s body for a brief yet dangerous ultra-short-distance jump. That asteroid had also become something Baroka desperately wanted. But once again, an accident occurred. At that moment, they discovered the Blaze Pirates.

Baroka didn’t know how much the pirates had discovered, but to keep it secret, he had to pursue them endlessly—until they entered the outer regions of Hell Star, where Black Hair sensed Li Feng’s presence.

After recounting all his experiences, Baroka stood quietly in front of Black Hair. Despite Li Feng’s ship having permanent air conditioning, clear sweat beads could still be seen on his forehead. Droplets of sweat kept flowing down his cheeks before falling to the ground.

To be honest, as the leader of a sand pirate gang, Baroka had indeed fulfilled his duties. Though his actions amounted to treason, his goal from start to finish was to ensure a better life for his children. Human nature—such behavior was understandable in Black Hair’s eyes. If conditions had allowed, he even considered taking advantage of the situation to kill Black Hair, as only then could they permanently possess a powerful warship like Li Feng and secure a place for themselves in this dangerous universe.

But for some reason, from the moment he saw Black Hair on Hell Star, this chubby sand pirate leader suddenly had a strange realization. Perhaps this young man with black hair was the foundation that could give his children a new start. So he completely abandoned all his original plans and personally recounted his experiences to Black Hair.

In the eyes of everyone else, such behavior was nothing short of seeking death!! After all, those who could live on Li Feng knew Black Hair well. They knew that this seemingly unremarkable man, who seemed to have no hobbies at all, was actually a ruthless character. Any enemy who tried to threaten him or his companions would suffer horrific revenge from him. In other words, he had a strong sense of revenge. No one thought Black Hair would spare someone who tried to betray him—Baroka’s fate was inevitable and certain.

Even Baroka’s own subordinates thought so. So when Baroka finished speaking, all the sand pirates in the control room stood up and surrounded the two of them. Everyone’s expression was extremely complex.

“What the hell are you doing!? Get back there!!” At the sight of the sand pirates’ actions, Baroka suddenly roared, using his fists and feet to drive them away. “Stay obediently with the captain—you still have a long life ahead of you!! Go back and work!! I deserved this punishment for trying to rebel!!! Since I exercised my right to challenge, I must accept the consequences!! Don’t get in my way!!”
“Leader!” One of the sand pirates suddenly knelt down.
“Leader!!!” All the sand pirates knelt down.
They said nothing, nor did they need to. Seeing their reaction, Baroka’s movements froze; his raised fist hovered above the nearest pirate’s head, unable to bring it down. Tears gradually appeared in his eyes, rolling down his cheeks.
As a man, he had to bravely bear everything he had done. He had no reason or excuse to escape. What more could he say or do at this moment?
Baroka was a sand pirate, a vicious one at that, but undeniably, he was still a man.
“Clap, clap, clap, clap…” Just then, crisp applause suddenly rang out from the control room. Turning around, everyone saw the dark-haired figure standing up from the captain’s seat.
“Do you still have the coordinates of that neutron star?” The dark-haired man smiled faintly, bringing a lit cigarette to Baroka’s lips, then watched as he mechanically took it and nodded.
“Good. Pass my orders: resupply everyone at the next base, then initiate a long-distance jump. Let’s take a look at this strange planet.”
With that, ignoring everyone’s reactions, he turned and left.