Chapter 14: Mechanical Civilization, Section 1

The conversation took place in a friendly atmosphere. To be honest, even Black Hair never expected there to be such hospitable races in this universe. Though they lacked intelligence and advanced technology, they possessed something that all humans dreamed of having—innocence.

Since the Gold-Eating Insects fed on ores, they had nothing to offer Black Hair and his companions. Out of the queen’s sense of guilt, one of the Gold-Eating Insects voluntarily approached them, using its sharp claws to tear open its chest plate and reveal the warm flesh inside as food for the pirates. It was an unimaginable sight. When they saw the green, writhing flesh, their first reaction wasn’t disgust but shock.

Ordinary Gold-Eating Insects had little intelligence and could barely be considered sensible beings. Yet it was precisely this simplicity and directness that struck the pirates deeply. For they knew that everything these insects did was simply because of their queen’s guilt.

“A terrifying race…” Black Hair immediately concluded. If possible, he really didn’t want to confront such a race—not because he couldn’t defeat them, but out of reluctance.

With this mindset, Black Hair returned to his warship and decided to settle in this star system. Thus, the top priority was to find a suitable settlement. Although the Queen’s Planet was suitable for human habitation, Black Hair didn’t want to disturb the peace of that race. Of course, there was also a hint of caution—Black Hair was still not accustomed to the simple lifestyle of the Gold-Eating Insects. Having experienced countless life-threatening situations, he knew well that while such simplicity might be an advantage for them, it could be fatal for him.

With these thoughts, he once again approached the Gold-Eating Insect queen to explain his purpose.

“You mean to find a suitable settlement near a neutron star, Mr. Black Hair? I actually hope the same. It would be an honor for our race to be neighbors with such a kind-hearted human as you. But I must say, finding such a planet is very difficult.” The queen’s tone was heavy, perhaps because she was sad at not being able to help Black Hair.

“Due to the gravitational influence of the neutron star, the space around here is extremely unstable, and there are no stars either. My Queen’s Planet might be the only exception. So I suggest to you, honorable dark-haired sir, that you might use my Queen’s Planet as a base. We, the Gold-Eating Insects, are more than willing to share this planet with you, as long as you promise not to destroy the landscape here. Those are our ancestors.”
“Huh…” The dark-haired man felt a headache coming on. He had been looking for a base precisely because he didn’t want to get too close to the Gold-Eating Insects. To think it would still end up like this. He immediately felt a pain in his head.
“Is there really no other choice? Your Majesty, it’s not that I don’t want to be neighbors with such a warm-hearted race, but we simply can’t adapt to a peaceful lifestyle like yours. You may not know, but my subordinates and I make a living by plundering. All we have is destruction and ruin. Do you really want your children to be tainted by our bloodthirst?”
The dark-haired man’s words instantly created a tense atmosphere in the palace, leaving the queen speechless.
He was right. Despite the Gold-Eating Insects having hard shells and sharp mandibles, they were actually a peace-loving race. Their lives revolved around minerals, similar to herbivores on Earth. Although they had a certain number of combat units, they were only used for self-protection.
But the dark-haired man was different. Just from his heavily armed warships, one could see how destructive he was. The terror of human fleets was the most widely talked-about topic among all cosmic races. Otherwise, the queen wouldn’t have asked for his help as soon as she saw him, nor would she have sent such a large welcoming delegation. If keeping the dark-haired man meant her children would also become destructive, she simply couldn’t imagine how terrifying that would be.
However… she suddenly jumped up.
“Oh, right! It can be that one!! That planet that moves on its own!!”
“Hm?” This time, it was the dark-haired man who was confused.

“You may not know this. Besides my Queen Star, there are other planets around neutron stars as well. It’s a planet that can move on its own. From the moment I saw it, it kept trying to escape the gravitational pull of the neutron star, but without success. Yet I’m sure it can meet your requirements. My child once told me that beneath the surface of that planet lies a very special metal, very similar to the material used in your human warships!!”

“What!!” Hei Fa immediately stood up, his eyes wide open.

He knew what that was. It must be the artificial planet that Baroka had used to escape the neutron star’s gravity!!! He had been too busy with the raw materials from the neutron star to pay attention to it, and he also thought that the space distortions caused by the warships’ jumps might have destroyed that planet. How could he not be excited upon hearing about it now?

An artificial planet!! His own base!!

Hei Fa made up his mind almost instantly—this was it!!

“Is it still at its original coordinates?” Hei Fa asked urgently.

“That’s not certain. Mr. Hei Fa, that planet can move on its own. Though I can’t understand its behavior, it’s clear it has its own will. I’ve long suspected it might be a living being. As for my child, they’ve tried many times to use that planet as food, but every time they get close, they’re driven away by some strange oscillating waves. Although those waves can’t hurt them, I still suspect they’re a form of attack.” The Queen’s voice grew dim.

“Oh?” Hei Fa’s interest grew even more. He quickly asked about the approximate location of that planet, then hurriedly bid farewell to the Queen and returned to his warship.

“Take off immediately! Tell all the ships to follow. We’re about to make a huge profit this time,” Hei Fa announced excitedly to everyone.

“What? Boss, did you find a suitable landing spot?” Xue Tong replied lazily, his cigarette flickering on and off. The others stared at Hei Fa in confusion, not understanding why their captain was so excited. Given Hei Fa’s usual calmness, his behavior was clearly abnormal.

“Hurry up and take off!! Didn’t you hear me? The artificial planet that Baroka discovered!! We’re going to take it!!”

“Ah!!!!” The pirates finally realized what was happening, and cheers erupted. Countless figures rushed to their positions. Li Feng’s massive body, like an ancient beast, surged upward from the ground and shot into the sky. Behind it, the other eight Spearfish-class warships followed closely. The dark silhouettes of the ships covered the sky, stirring up clouds of dust.

The space of the universe is always so serene. Under the dim starlight, the huge fleet suddenly tore through the tranquility, racing across the sky. Their long wakes resembled meteor trails, leaving beautiful, brilliant purplish-red streaks in space. Due to his black hair, the fleet’s speed was nearly maximized, and it only took an hour to reach the predetermined coordinates.

But looking around, where was the trace of that strange planet? Everything around was gray and hazy; apart from the neutron star, no other planets could be seen.

“Baroka, was this the coordinate where you last encountered an artificial planet?” In the control room, the man with black hair had calmed down. He sat quietly in his chair, resting one hand on his chin, his eyes occasionally flashing with a cold glint.

Although artificial planets held immense temptation for him, the universe was not a playground for children. The dangers here were beyond description. The man with black hair wasn’t a novice—he would never lose caution for fleeting excitement. So, Li Feng’s fleet didn’t even enter the neutron star’s gravitational range but conducted surveys from a distance.

“That’s right, Captain! It’s here!!” The fat man replied immediately, wiping the sweat from his forehead. “But last time, we used it for a short-distance jump. It was done in a hurry, and we didn’t have the energy to activate the stabilizers. I doubt it could have survived those sudden spatial turbulences.”

“No, it definitely can,” the man with black hair interrupted Baroka, waving his hand calmly. “Even if it’s just a planet, if it’s artificial, it must be equipped with stabilizing devices. A warship’s jump shouldn’t cause it any fatal damage.”

“But… Li Feng’s situation is a bit special…” Baroka still seemed unconvinced.

“No need to say more. Inform the fleet to search widely. There’s no need to hide our traces—give them full access to active scanning. I want answers within thirty minutes!!”

“Understood!!” The entire fleet responded in unison.

Watching the people get to work, the man with black hair slumped back in his chair and stretched lazily. His eyes narrowed slightly.

Is that artificial planet… still there?