Paul stood in sharp opposition to Fang Senyan, his voice cold. “Taking this ship, as you said, offers a high chance that we all escape safely! But you neglect to mention the equally high chance that it results in all of us being completely wiped out! Furthermore, now that we have control of this vessel, the probability of each individual being caught has dropped to 1/6. Sacrificing one person so the remaining five can get out alive—what’s wrong with that?”

Fang Senyan fixed his gaze on Paul, saying calmly, “You stepping out to confront me isn't without cause. There must be substantial reasons and significant personal gain driving you, otherwise, making an enemy of MT yields you nothing.”

Fang Senyan spoke with utter tranquility. The cold smirk on Paul’s face faltered slightly, but then he heard Fang Senyan continue in the same measured tone: “I didn’t intend to bring this up, but since you’ve pushed matters this far, I might as well voice something I’ve kept buried for a long time. The only self-interest I can associate with everyone escaping together is that you, Paul, are almost guaranteed to survive that way... which leads me to consider something else—didn’t most of us ask you to modify the starship before we left? What exactly you did during those modifications, I suspect only you can truly explain.”

The moment Fang Senyan uttered those words, the expression on everyone present, including Paul himself, drastically shifted!! Fang Senyan’s counterattack was like a razor-sharp needle, piercing directly into his opponent’s vital point! It left no room for defense. Even if the others outwardly disbelieved, deep within their minds, profound suspicion was inevitably sown.

Paul stared hard at Fang Senyan, who met the gaze without concern, coldly sneering, “What of it? What can you do? It’s permissible for you to derail my thinking and plans, but I’m forbidden from exposing your hidden agenda? My apologies, but I am not one to passively accept abuse!”

Paul’s face turned ashen, his voice low and chilling. “You might be that sort of person, but I am not. The modifications were done under the scrutiny of everyone present. What tricks could I possibly play? Rumors stop with the wise; your words can only wound me superficially.”

Fang Senyan smiled. “I don’t have time for your sophistry. If you insist on leaving alone in the Wasp Scout, then scram quickly. I am definitely taking this starship.”

Fang Senyan’s statement struck Paul where it hurt most. If Fang Senyan stayed, Aldaris and Roni were certainly forced to remain as well. Everyone possessed common sense and could calculate the odds. Even if Paul managed to secure passage with Daldanian and Pokan, the chance of being intercepted was as high as 33%. Moreover, with Fang Senyan having set the precedent, Paul might very well escape, leaving Daldanian and Pokan, no matter how lucky, with an interception probability of 50%!!!

Despite the significant concessions Paul had made to win them over, could mere benefits truly outweigh life itself?

A 50% mortality rate was a figure that no one, unless absolutely cornered, could rationally accept! They might as well stay and travel with Fang Senyan and the others! At least they would all be on the same vessel, sharing their fate, with no possibility of internal sabotage.

To Daldanian and Pokan, they still held considerable admiration for Fang Senyan. In their estimation, the path Fang Senyan chose—traveling on the alien ship—carried only about a 30% chance of death. Thus, they secretly inclined toward Fang Senyan’s proposal.

Time was slipping away rapidly. Fang Senyan gave the others no time for prolonged deliberation, stating coldly, “Android No. 1 has nearly mastered the piloting methods. We start practicing immediately. In five minutes, anyone not coming with me gets out!”

With that, Fang Senyan strode into the interior of the ship.

The interior of the Predator ship would naturally be arranged according to their usual living standards; whatever felt comfortable was how it was done. But what the Predators found comfortable might not be the same for humans.

Fang Senyan’s first impression upon entering was heat!

It was a humid, sauna-like warmth, thick steam swirling everywhere, accompanied by a heavy smell of sulfur.

Strange vines hung from the surrounding walls, bearing clusters of fruit that resembled masses of tightly packed chili peppers, clearly bearing signs of having been picked. They looked suitable both for decoration and, if necessary, for consumption. Relying on his robust physique, Fang Senyan feared poisons little, so he plucked one to taste, finding it a mixture of sour and bitter.

As he walked deeper, Fang Senyan noticed that the Predators seemed to favor a style leaning toward the primitive, vast, and archaic. He touched the inner lining of the ship and found it composed of undulating tissue, structured with a regularity similar to human vertebrae, yet yielding and relatively soft to the touch. The entire inner hull appeared as if manufactured from bone rather than the hardness of steel.

This dim environment, laced with moisture, posed no visual impediment for the Predators, but for Fang Senyan, visibility was significantly reduced.

Out of sight of the others, a strange smile suddenly curved the corner of Fang Senyan’s lips: “I just exposed Paul’s intentions. Even if he’s enraged by humiliation, he absolutely won’t dare to fly off alone now. The situation is clear: whoever is the first to launch into the sky is very likely to become that hapless target. Therefore, if I haven't misjudged, Paul’s only chance to salvage his current predicament… is to sabotage this starship! And he certainly won't dare to openly provoke the general outrage. Thus, acting secretly after I entered the ship is his only viable path!”

At this moment, Fang Senyan deliberately moved further into the ship’s depths to give Paul the opportunity. The vessel didn't look very large from the outside, but its interior spaciousness was unexpectedly vast. The pathways within the compartment were serpentine and convoluted, filled with numerous diverging routes, making Fang Senyan feel as if he were inside a maze.

This architectural design of the Predator ship was intrinsically linked to the species' habits. While they fought as a collective, in private they demanded high standards for personal space, requiring individual resting chambers, training rooms, and trophy display areas. Consequently, the ship had to be partitioned into multiple zones to provide relatively ample private quarters.

When Fang Senyan finally reached the cockpit, he found a sequence of strange red characters flashing incessantly across the main screen.

The Predator script was actually quite simple, composed only of combinations of ‘stroke left,’ ‘stroke right,’ and ‘dot.’ As soon as Android No. 1 saw the text, his expression grew grave, and he immediately reported to Fang Senyan: “Bad news, Master! Those Predators have sent a warning signal to the Mother Ship!”

Fang Senyan’s face immediately darkened. This was another major unforeseen variable he hadn't accounted for! Based on current intelligence, the Mother Ship didn't seem to have successfully landed its subordinate vessel on Aepros either, meaning any warning signal received would likely be met with helplessness.

However, Fang Senyan knew clearly that one absolutely could not gauge the Predators using conventional, or rather, human, modes of thinking. They were entirely different species, and more importantly, Predator technology was at least twenty years ahead of humanity’s.

The Predator ship’s cockpit lacked overly complex instrumentation; gripping the two spheres before him allowed for brainwave control, but the biggest hurdle was activating the control system. Android No. 1 made a cursory inspection and then informed Fang Senyan, “Master, the ship has been damaged. There is an issue with the engine core, but it is not critical.”

Fang Senyan stated calmly, “Paul rushing to do this, of course, wouldn't cause much of a destructive ruckus. He can no longer prove his proposed solution is superior to mine, so his goal is to pull the rug out from under me, destroying this ship to cut off the path I championed. Hmph, the fool doesn't realize I’ve been waiting for him to do exactly this for a long time.”

Android No. 1 hesitated slightly. “Master, I only need about an hour to repair the ship. If we could pilot this vessel back to the Little Hawk base, you would receive significant extra rewards. Are you really going to give up?”

Fang Senyan was pondering without answering when he noticed the screen nearby suddenly flicker several times. Then, rows upon rows of Predator text scrolled across it, shining brightly. Immediately following, a clear image materialized on the screen: from the Mother Ship in the sky, a bomb-like cylindrical object began to descend, aimed directly at the surface of Aepros Planet, followed by a sixty-second countdown. “Damn it, is this the prelude to a nuclear strike?” Fang Senyan sucked in a sharp breath.

Android No. 1, however, stated gravely, “Master, that scenario is virtually impossible. The Predators have invested so much effort on Aepros Planet, even engaging in minor conflicts with us. They wouldn't resort to mutual annihilation over this small incident. This planet is rich in X-element, teeming with life, and transplanted flora and fauna survive here with high viability. They want to abandon this place even less than we do.”

Fang Senyan’s voice turned icy. “Then what exactly are they dropping? It must be something specifically designed to resolve their current crisis. They look incredibly confident that this device will break the deadlock!”