Chapter 44: Counterattack, Section 9

Seeming to notice the strange expression on Black Hair’s face, Madaro smiled cheerfully. One of his mechanical arms patted Black Hair on the shoulder.
“Kid, you’re curious, aren’t you? Why did I bring out the most valuable guy from Black Prison just for you to see?”
“Mm,” Black Hair nodded honestly without hesitation. He also smiled at the elders behind Madaro. “Indeed, every designer is a treasure of Death Star. But it’s a pity I only met you today.”
“It’s also a pity for us that we couldn’t meet in time the leader who saved us from Death Star and created such a family-like place that can accommodate all alien races,” replied Designer Nimida with a smile.
“Enough. No need for mutual regrets. Haha, now that Black Hair is here, all regrets vanish. It’s just right—we should show off our achievements from these days. Otherwise, Black Hair might accuse us of just eating without working,” Madaro laughed heartily and gestured to Black Hair, leading the way inside.
Black Hair smiled silently and slowly followed Madaro. The group first passed through a huge fortress on the surface, then took an elevator downward. After descending nearly a kilometer underground, they switched to a railcar. After changing three modes of transportation in total, they arrived at a massive valve. By then, over half an hour had passed.
Along the way, the group joked and laughed nonstop. But Black Hair noticed that along their route, there were at least hundreds of monitoring or security posts—most hidden in the walls, disguised very well. The armed high-speed vehicles that occasionally flew overhead further confirmed his suspicions.
This was a base with extremely strict security measures. In some aspects, it was even more advanced than similar bases of the Moor race. The people from Black Prison could indeed be Death Star’s most valuable assets—there was something unique about them. Those researchers, who would be considered madmen in the outside world, could unleash terrifying power once given the right environment to grow.
Of course, much of their “great creativity” was inhumane and illogical. In the outside world, they would be seen as heretics and dangerous threats. In the entire human society, only Black Hair was willing to provide these madmen with such generous conditions and opportunities, allowing them to act freely without restraint.

In fact, even if those guys really intended to use living people for experiments, Black Hair wouldn’t mind capturing a few prisoners for them. With enough payment, anything is possible in this world. With that thought, Black Hair smiled at Madaro beside him as if there were no doubt. “By the way, what new tricks have you guys come up with lately? Sorena the Little Girl has been complaining to me for ages. She says you’re making too much noise and disrupting the normal operation of Death Star.”

“Hehe, well…” Madaro smiled awkwardly. “Actually, it’s nothing much. You know, Black Hair, in our line of work, who doesn’t have some sudden ideas? It’s inevitable to cause some noise. Don’t worry, we know what to do.”

“Really?” Black Hair suddenly chuckled. “It seems that incident was quite serious. Don’t hide it from me.”

“Well…” Madaro hesitated, while the Nimida designer next to him grew impatient and snorted disdainfully.

“What’s the big deal? Leader, do you dare do it but not dare tell? The Prisoners of Darkness don’t have such weak cowards.”

“Who!! Who’s the coward!?” Madaro immediately got angry and glared fiercely at the Nimida designer. Then he finally gritted his teeth. “Alright, you’ll know about this sooner or later anyway. Black Hair, do you still remember the wish you promised that little guy last time?”

“What little guy?” Black Hair was puzzled.

“The one who helped you modify the Cobra of the Emperor of Murder.”

“The Snake?” The thin figure with cold eyes and thick glasses immediately came to mind. Black Hair couldn’t help but laugh. “That little guy is good. I really like him. Why do you suddenly bring him up? Is it related to what you’re talking about?”

“Of course it is.” Madaro gritted his teeth angrily, his gaze at Black Hair fierce. “If you hadn’t agreed to his request, he wouldn’t be lying in bed now, and Sorena the Little Girl wouldn’t be in trouble.”

“What, lying in bed?” Black Hair was surprised now. “What exactly happened?”

“Not much. He just completed the task of becoming the Emperor of Murder. You gave him thirty brothers, didn’t you? Well, he really took those brothers back home.”

“Isn’t that good? He must have enough money now. Returning home in glory—make sure he doesn’t embarrass Death Star.”

“He didn’t embarrass us, but he almost lost his life.” Madaro curled his lips. “It’s hard to tell from his cold appearance, but that little guy has a violent temper hidden beneath it. When he got home, he took those thirty brothers to find his enemies.”

“That little local governor?”

“He’s a viscount now.”

“What does that matter? Thirty Blood Moons. We can turn him to dust. Even if he’s a marquis or duke, being turned to dust makes no difference from being mud.” The black-haired man replied nonchalantly.
“Yes. But his guard force numbers nearly a thousand, and they’re well-equipped. For some reason, once he learned that the kid wanted to avenge himself, he hid and ambushed the kid along the way. Five of our thirty brothers were killed on the spot. The rest, seeing the situation was bad, fought desperately to rescue the kid. But they were injured and are still in bed now.” Madaro sighed.
“Young people are just unreliable. Impulsive. They even cost five of our brothers their lives. We still feel uneasy about it.”
“Hm?” The black-haired man’s expression changed then.
Five brothers—his five subordinates. Although this incident didn’t involve the Death Star’s overall operations and was merely a private act, the death of five warriors surely wouldn’t go unnoticed. Why hadn’t anyone told him? And…
“Did Snake say anything when he returned? Why did he act right after returning? I don’t think he’s that impulsive.” With a cold expression, the black-haired man asked slowly.
“Well…” Madaro hesitated, his face turning pale and then yellow.
“His mother died. Killed by that viscount.” Nimida, the designer nearby, interjected coldly, glancing sharply at Madaro. “Coward. There’s nothing you’re too afraid to say.”
Madaro glanced at him but didn’t retort. Soon, Nimida understood why. The moment he finished speaking, the temperature in the entire carriage dropped suddenly. It happened so abruptly—almost in an instant—that people felt as if they were in an ice cellar. The designers sitting behind them shuddered several times.
Amid the biting cold, the black-haired man’s voice sounded as if it came from hell.
“If that’s the case… I think I understand. Madaro, why didn’t you tell me earlier?”
“I was afraid…”
“Afraid of what?”
“No, I’m not afraid. I just didn’t want the Death Star to get involved because of this…” Leader Madaro shuddered and hurriedly spoke.
“Didn’t want the Death Star to get involved in diplomatic disputes? Didn’t want the impact to spread?” The black-haired man replied coldly, finishing his unspoken words. His voice grew louder and louder, until finally, it made the carriage windows tremble.

“We on Death Star work day and night, striving for justice. Many of our warriors are in foreign lands, just seeking a chance. To be honest, sometimes I think I’m an unfit leader. In fact, you don’t ask for much—just to live, to live with some dignity.”

“But who can tell me? While I go to the Moor Empire to seek a chance for humanity to survive, what on earth are those nobles doing?”

“Killing my warriors, humiliating my parents. No matter how high they stand, aren’t they no different from beasts?”

Madaro’s face grew increasingly pale, with sweat appearing on his forehead. Every word spoken by Black Hair struck deep into his heart. Yet he couldn’t retort in the slightest. After all, he was also a leader, in control of the lives and deaths of the Black Prisoners. That’s why he dared not, couldn’t, let Death Star become the target of those nobles over such a ‘trivial’ matter.

So he could only endure—endure little by little, endure painfully. Even if it meant gritting his teeth and swallowing blood, he still had to endure.

Black Hair was all too familiar with such a mindset. In the ancient Huaguo, didn’t there exist a similar mentality? The people avoided conflict with officials, always choosing endurance. Even when disputes arose with foreigners, their own country’s police would help those foreigners oppress their own people. Weren’t all these problems rooted in endurance? What was even more infuriating was that some people glorified this endurance as kindness, as if not enduring meant being heartless…

Disgraceful!!!!!

Black Hair wouldn’t endure—neither toward himself nor his enemies. In his dictionary, there was never such a word as endurance!

“Where is Baroka? Does he know about this?”

“Baroka already knows. And because of this, he personally led a team out. He said he must give Cobra an explanation,” Madaro replied slowly, emphasizing each word.

“Good,” Black Hair nodded firmly.

Baroka was the most bloodthirsty among his men. If it were him, Black Hair could already predict the viscount’s fate. The pent-up frustration in his chest finally eased somewhat. With his mood improving, his tone became lighter.

“Very well. Then let me broaden my horizons and see what wonderful things you’ve prepared for me.”

“Haha, good! I’ll surely satisfy you. Let me show you our research results!” Madaro laughed heartily as his flying vehicle vanished at high speed into the dark passage…