Chapter 20: The Terrifying 31-Star Region, Section 3

The incident on Black Prison Planet shocked the entire universe.
Almost everywhere, except for the 31-Star Region controlled by Black Hair, people were discussing it.
Over 600 prisoners escaping from Black Prison Planet was already hard to believe. What’s more astonishing was that they not only escaped but also engaged in a small-scale battle against the Bone Guards of Black Prison Planet and won!! The Bone Guards suffered heavy losses—reports said their corpses covered the entire plain. Their overall strength dropped by over 60 percent!!
Oh, God!! What kind of concept is this? Anyone who heard about it became panicked and unable to control their emotions—whether commoners on the streets, high-ranking officials, or even those who commanded powerful forces and resources.
What were the Bone Guards? These bloodthirsty nobles knew them all too well. Every year, they sent an astonishing number of people to Black Prison Planet, so they had plenty of contact with these terrifying beings. It could be said that the terror of the Bone Guards originated from them. One reason was to maintain their rule better, and the other was to boost their own confidence. They were well aware that in terms of overall strength in the universe, the Bone Guards might not even be counted, but when it came to mecha battles, these guys were top-notch fighters—far surpassing even interstellar fleet landing teams!!
Yet such a massive organization suffered 60 percent losses in just one day—who would believe it? Although the biggest loss was the death of Manager Mari, it still showed the severity of the situation.
Even Manager Mari, who possessed the most advanced subspace systems and was a Golden Warrior, was killed. Those prisoners were truly terrifying. Then, weren’t those who had offended them before and thrown them into prison in great danger now?
Suddenly, a panic spread among the elites of all star regions. Those with strength greatly strengthened their defense forces, while those without sought allies everywhere. In just one month, the star regions seemed even more united and harmonious. Many small, scattered organizations were absorbed and merged, clarifying the overall situation.
The power of the prisoners from Black Prison Planet was so intimidating!?
Of course, Madaro, as the leader of the prisoners, hadn’t considered any of this.

A long period of imprisonment had worn away all his ambitions. For these prisoners who had managed to escape, their only wish now was to find a place to settle down. Revenge seemed a distant dream. It wasn’t until they were free that Madaro realized his initial estimates had been far too optimistic. If they really followed his original plan of letting the prisoners create their own planet, they would likely be destroyed by the dangers everywhere in the universe before even arriving. Moreover, because of their status as prisoners, no one dared to welcome them, leaving them without food. Prisoners without food were no different from dead men!!

Fortunately… fortunately, they met Blackhair. And fortunately, Blackhair’s power was truly immense.

Filled with gratitude toward Blackhair and curiosity about the Thirty-One Star Systems, the prisoners finally saw Death Star. The moment they saw the paradise-like scenery, they all fainted instantly.

It wasn’t that they weren’t strong enough—it was just that they never imagined such a beautiful place could exist in the world.

Years of imprisonment had kept them from seeing the light of day. Even the harsh conditions of Prison Planet excited them, so to remain conscious upon seeing Death Star’s beauty was nothing short of divine!

The air was so fresh it seemed to drip with moisture, there were vast green forests, rolling mountains, and mirror-like lakes. Death Star embodied nature!! All mechanical structures were placed underground, and even the cities built there were designed with extreme environmental awareness. Amidst the greenery, any traces of metallic color were covered by plants like ivy. At first glance, there was nothing but green!! An overwhelming sense of vitality could be felt even from afar in the universe!!

“This… this… is your planet!?” Madaro pointed tremblingly below, too excited to speak.

“Wrong,” Blackhair shook his head. “This isn’t my planet.”

“Oh, thank goodness… thank goodness… such a beautiful planet must belong to some royal family. Thank goodness it’s not yours, otherwise I would die happy…” Madaro muttered, his face pale.

“Well, it’s not mine. It belongs to all of us,” Blackhair said calmly.

“Guh!” Madaro also fainted. (Huh? Why did I say “all of us”?))

The development of events was rather amusing. After the warships landed on Death Star, more than six hundred prisoners were carried out—most of them foam at the mouth yet with expressions of extreme satisfaction on their faces. Others acted like madmen, scrambling outside without caring about Baroka and the others who came to welcome them, bursting into tears the moment they arrived and frantically hugging the soil as if it were the most precious treasure.

This place… this paradise… would now be their home… Could there be anything happier in the world? If this was a dream, never wake up… never wake up at all…

The prisoners’ behavior was insane, yet no one laughed at them. Baroka simply watched quietly, then sighed.

Who wouldn’t? Everyone had witnessed Death Star’s transformation. No one had expected it to become so beautiful—so much so that some still thought they were dreaming.

A beautiful dream…

At that moment, that thin but sturdy figure finally appeared before Baroka’s eyes. He immediately set aside his emotions, rushed over to the dark-haired man in a few steps, and without even saying a word, tightly hugged him.

“Captain!! I’m so glad to see you again!!”

“Nonsense! Why wouldn’t I be here? I’m not dead,” the dark-haired man replied irritably.

“No… it’s not that… When Li Feng brought the news that you were trapped in the Black Prison, I couldn’t believe it. I was planning to lead everyone in a forceful attack. Just as I finished preparing, you returned. Captain, it’s great to see you!!” Baroka’s chubby face twitched, clearly excited.

Blood-Pupils, however, disapproved. He snorted disdainfully.

“Tch, fat guy, don’t make it sound so nice. You used to be a sand bandit—don’t you have any thoughts of acting on your own?”

“Of course!!” Baroka replied firmly, turning his head to glare at Blood-Pupils.

“But only after I’ve taken action!! If the captain is truly gone, I’m not afraid to take on that responsibility!! Things aren’t what they used to be. With such a wonderful place like Death Star and so many people here, I certainly can’t leave! But now that the captain is back, there’s no need to say more. I, Baroka, still know my own strength.”

“Enough, stop talking,” the dark-haired man said with a bitter smile as he watched the two bicker. Finally, impatiently, he waved his hand. “Get these prisoners settled down quickly. Baroka, then come to my room. I want to know what’s happened recently.”

“Understood! Captain!!”

Baroka’s actions could definitely be described as swift and decisive. Soon, all the prisoners were settled in. The news of Black Hair’s return spread throughout Death Star! This news caused a sensation, like a cosmic storm.

Alien races naturally have their own ways of passing messages, and the incident on Black Prison Planet was no exception. Now that they heard that the culprit behind this incident—the one who personally killed Mari—had returned to Death Star, how could they not want to see him with their own eyes? Instantly, Death Star was packed with people. Leaders from almost all races flocked to Black Hair’s residence, desperate to see this formidable human man.

Black Hair hadn’t expected this at all and was caught off guard. Just dealing with them was already overwhelming. These alien leaders were all strange folks with peculiar customs and preferences. Figuring out what they wanted wasn’t easy at all. Fortunately, Black Hair’s status was special, so they didn’t dare offend him; otherwise, it would have been a tough task.

Only after finally sending these odd-looking creatures back did Black Hair realize that many of them weren’t even natives of Death Star. As Death Star continued to develop, its environment improved, and its military strength grew. After the warships belonging to the five major families, the Warriors’ Association, and the Hunters’ Guild were all assigned, Death Star’s reputation grew even louder. Its influence now extended far beyond the five surrounding star systems. Even creatures from many unexplored regions submitted applications to live on Death Star.

Although this was a good thing, Death Star was still just a planet, not very large at that, with limited capacity. This led to a situation where there were more people than space. During the short time Black Hair was away, residence permits on Death Star had become rare treasures in the eyes of alien races! They were no longer just for convenience in transactions but had become symbols of status and prestige! Among the five races that Black Hair had approved to settle there first, many must now be filled with envy and jealousy. Even on the streets, they were stopped by people from other races who tried to flatter them—truly living in glory.

In fact, Black Hair’s room was already piled with residence applications. These had been sorted by Lily and Baroka and were waiting for his approval. The purpose of those flocking over from other races was obvious.

“Ugh, this is so troublesome… The space is still too small. Maybe… choosing such a small planet was a mistake.” Black Hair rubbed his temples, looking distressed.

He really isn’t someone skilled in domestic affairs. He simply has no idea how to handle such things. For him, perhaps only combat is the most direct part of life.
Combat!? A spark of inspiration flashed in the black-haired man’s mind.
“What if we create two more planets!?”