Chapter 5: Black Gold, Section 4

Under the brilliant starry sky, the desert appeared eerily deserted. The scorching heat of the day dropped rapidly, turning into extreme cold that was utterly unbearable for living creatures. On Planet Shek, such extreme temperature differences were often the main cause of death among wild animals. Without proper preparation, even humans, the masters of all creatures, dared not venture into the wilderness at night.

Yet, under such a night sky, a dragon formed by sand and dust was racing at terrifying speed. In front of it, a steel monster-like vehicle head emitted a deafening roar. Countless sand particles sprayed out from its sides, forming beautiful “wings” that, from afar, resembled actual wings.

There was no need to guess—this was Black Hair and his group.

After a long hunt, Black Hair had acquired sufficient resources through violent means. After another round of thorough preparation, they returned to the outskirts of Berlin, hoping to exchange what they needed on Berlin’s black market.

Of course, to any sensible person, such behavior could only be described as madness. Given their actions so far, even Berlin’s notoriously ruthless black market might find it hard to accommodate them. Not to mention, the bounty offered by Black Gold alone had reached a staggering one million Kari—enough to motivate any mercenary group to risk their lives for it. Moreover, Black Gold controlled 23% of Berlin’s black market. Black Hair’s actions were nothing short of sending sheep into the tiger’s den—it was simply unimaginable.

But Black Hair naturally had his own plans.

After all, he hadn’t come to this planet to do nothing. And his goals could not be achieved without sufficient resources. Though this raid was insane, Black Hair had made thorough preparations. In every battle, he would immediately destroy the transport teams’ communication devices, cutting them off from the outside world. Coupled with his ruthless tactics and quick decisions, he managed to keep his true identity and that of Blood Pupil hidden. All the outside world knew was their title as “Locusts” and those two machines—one black and one red. Even the goods they carried were modified through mechanical engineering; apart from using special instruments to read their internal core codes, there was no way to determine their origin.

As for the appearance of their mechs, that was easy to explain.

After intense and continuous battles, the black-haired kid and the demon with blood-red eyes had long lost most of their original mechanical parts. In their place were the spoils they had plundered, resulting in huge changes in both appearance and performance—making it impossible for them to be detected.
“Head, what exactly are your plans this time? Do you really intend to pay off Black Gold’s debts for Sulei? That doesn’t seem like your style.” Inside the carriage, the demon with blood-red eyes lay lazily on the sofa, unwilling even to open his eyes. If it weren’t for the wine glass in his hand still swaying slightly, one might think he was talking in his sleep.
As a once-famous assassin, he had been utterly shocked by the black-haired man’s tactics during this period and was also very glad about his earlier choices. His question now was less about doubting the black-haired man’s abilities and more about inquiring about his plans so he could cooperate fully.
“Pay off debts?” The black-haired man chuckled lightly, turning to glance at Sulei, who was working in the mental network beside him, a faint smile appearing on his face.
“Have I ever owed any debts?”
“Hmph, I knew you’d say that.” The demon with blood-red eyes laughed and then opened his eyes. “Then give me a plan, dear boss. I don’t want to end up surrounded by dozens of combat mechs without even realizing it because of your whim. I think even a god wouldn’t be able to get out of that situation.”
“They can’t have dozens of mechs.” A timid voice interrupted the demon’s question. When he turned around, he saw Sulei removing the mental network connector from her head.
“I know more about Black Gold’s situation than you do. Even at their peak, Berin’s private army only had ten mechs as guards. Generally, they prefer to use money to solve problems. Berin’s mercenaries would love these kinds of missions.” Though the girl still had a gentle expression, her tone was very firm, almost like that of a country’s diplomat.
“So what if that’s the case? There are only me, Head, and two others who can fight here. It might be okay in the wilderness, but this is Berin—Black Gold’s territory.” The demon with blood-red eyes glanced sideways at Sulei.
Unfortunately, his rebuttal didn’t have the desired effect, as the black-haired man’s voice interrupted him again.
“What about two mechs?” The black-haired man stood up, walked to the window of the carriage, placed his hands on the windowsill, and gazed at the endless desert in the distance, his expression calm.

“A skilled technician should never show signs of fear, no matter when. Calmness is the only mindset that can lead to victory. As a killer, shouldn’t you understand this better than I do?”
“…” Blood Pupil didn’t respond, but a thoughtful expression finally appeared on his face.
“I don’t think Black Gold needs your reminders anymore. But what I want to say is that no matter how powerful they are, one must experience it firsthand before drawing any conclusions. How do you know they won’t suddenly show kindness and cancel those unreasonable debts imposed on Sulei?”
“That’s impossible!!” Blood Pupil replied loudly.
“Black Gold is one of Belin’s major landowners; they would never make such a compromise. If I were you, I’d abandon those unrealistic ideas now and focus on making thorough preparations.”
“Unrealistic?” Blood Pupil’s argument only drew a cold sneer from Black Hair. The scar on his face twitched slightly, giving him a ferocious appearance. “Well, we’ll see then.”
“That transport vehicle, stop and be inspected…”
A voice suddenly came from afar, interrupting their conversation. As the vehicle shook, the Puppet Worm quickly slowed down. Black Hair looked ahead and saw Belin’s massive city gates clearly in sight. About fifteen huge magic mechs were neatly arranged in two rows at the entrance, like a welcoming procession, waiting for their arrival.
Amidst the roaring noise, the Puppet Worm stopped… between those two rows of mechs.