Borlborlu sat smugly in the cockpit of his ancestral smuggling vessel, cruising forward with glacial slowness, barely exceeding a casual outing pace.

A glass of expensive Silver Grain brew, bubbling gently, rested securely on the armrest of the pilot's seat, emitting a subtle, enticing aroma.

Within the cramped cockpit, a mere two feet from Borlborlu’s left hand, a fresh slab of prime beef—weighing a solid three standard pounds—slowly rotated on a mechanical arm inside a slightly malfunctioning convection oven. A rich, thick, natural meat scent, potent enough to make Borlborlu nearly spray saliva from his nostrils, permeated the entire cabin.

"Absolute bliss! Woo-hoo, once I wrap up this run, I can finally give my most beloved 'Old Grandfather' a full overhaul."

Borlborlu scratched his long, wolf-ear shaped auditory appendages, tilted his slightly protruding snout, and vigorously rubbed his belly, which seemed overly bloated for his small frame. He glanced with a touch of worry at his rapidly expanding midsection over the last few days, sighing with helpless happiness, "The Yafik Kingdom is a wonderful place. I love it here; I love doing business with their people. Ah, but every time I visit, I pack on another layer. How will I ever find a wife at this rate!"

"Still, with heaps of glittering Alliance gold coins, even if I got three times fatter, the beauties of my clan would come rushing, weeping and shouting, wouldn't they?"

Squinting his deep blue eyes with smug satisfaction, Borlborlu vigorously scratched the fine downy fur covering his body, and then broke into another foolish grin.

"Hmm, when was the Old Ancestor last overhauled? I think it was when Father first started smuggling and successfully mugged some unfortunate merchant caught in a space magnetic storm? Yes, my dear Old Grandfather has served our family for six generations; it’s high time I gave her a proper overhaul.

Looking back with a moment of hesitation at the cockpit crammed full of various cargo, and then recalling the cargo hold, equally stuffed with precious goods, Borlborlu felt a fresh surge of ambition. "Perhaps... I should consider upgrading my smuggling ship? The latest model—the 'Star Police Annihilator VII' ultra-high-speed smuggler. Now that is quality hardware. Five times the speed of the Old Grandfather, and ten times the carrying capacity! But... damn it all, it's too expensive. This entire run's profit would need to be dumped into it, plus selling the Old Grandfather, plus liquidating every credit my father left behind, and even dipping into the private savings Mother left me, and Grandmother's, and Great-Grandmother's pin money..."

Borlborlu narrowed his eyes, wavering in indecision. After much deliberation, he couldn't make up his mind, finally letting out a deep sigh. "Ah, let the civil war in the Yafik Kingdom rage on! They’ve been fighting for three years, and my savings in the Alliance Bank have increased thirty-fivefold! Oh-ho-ho, you couldn't ask for better fortune!"

The Old Grandfather, drifting forward at a crawl slower than thirty meters per second, silently skimmed the surface of a rocky planetoid. Borlborlu sighed again. There was no help for it; the Old Grandfather’s power core had developed a slight glitch: every time he fired up the grill to cook, the engine assembly power plummeted from full capacity to less than 0.3 percent. It was a critical flaw, but this sector of space was remarkably safe; a slow pace wouldn't hurt. A crisp sound emanated from the oven. The beef, sourced from the Yafik Kingdom’s most lush pastures—completely natural, free of pollutants and artificial additives—was done! And sprinkled liberally with the spores of Borlborlu’s favorite hallucinogenic black mushroom, it released an intoxicatingly rich fragrance! "Mmm! I love the Yafik Kingdom! May all the deities bless them to continue their civil war! Bless the rebels led by that adorable princess to hold out, hold out until the lovely Borlborlu retires!" Borlborlu carefully retrieved the steak from the oven, extended his pinkish-blue tongue, and delicately licked the thick coating of spore powder on the fragrant meat. "Well, of course, by my aesthetic standards, that princess is slightly plain, but she is generous. Ah well, generosity can cover a multitude of sins!"

Satisfied, he gently rubbed his small palms together and murmured, "Generous? Such a noble virtue is incredibly rare in a female creature!"

Slowly, mimicking the demeanor of nobility, he pulled a crumpled handkerchief made of natural fiber from his pocket and vigorously wiped his two protruding incisors. Borlborlu swallowed hard, opened his snout, and took a savage bite out of the steak, which was nearly the size of his own head.

Thud! After a violent shudder, the Old Grandfather suddenly stopped. Borlborlu’s body pitched forward, and the three-pound slab of natural beef flew up before his eyes. It struck the edge of the control panel with a slight rebound and bounced perfectly into the waste recycler located in the corner of the cockpit.

The heavy recycler lid slammed shut with a snap, followed by a blast of high-temperature plasma flame, and the richly scented beef vanished into a wisp of blue smoke.

Borlborlu froze. Instinctively, he scanned the surroundings through the viewport; everything appeared normal. The ship hadn't crashed into a mountain peak. So why did it stop? He kicked the control console in exasperation, then swiftly ran a diagnostic check on all ship systems via the main optical computer.

Everything normal. Everything normal, except for the engine assembly slowly regaining nominal power. Everything else was functioning perfectly.

"What the hell is going on?"

Crying out in frustration, Borlborlu roared helplessly, "Father was right. Smuggling alone is dangerous. But... hiring sufficient crew members... that's just too expensive!"

Four vividly colored, grotesque, and terrifying faces suddenly pressed up against the transparent canopy of Borlborlu’s cockpit. One of the mottled faces tapped gently on the window, which was made of high-strength transparent ceramic.

Tap-tap, a few knocks sounded, causing Borlborlu to shriek and shrink as tightly as possible into his pilot seat. He watched in horror at the four monstrous faces outside the window, screaming hoarsely, "Gods, what are these things? They aren't wearing any protective gear—how can they survive in space?"

With clanging sounds, the five members of the Xing Jia brothers, standing on the surface of the rocky planetoid, roared loud chants, dragging the hundred-and-fifty-meter-long smuggling vessel with immense force down to the ground. Zhao Yi and the others swarmed the ship, brutally kicking and punching the Old Grandfather. Several even drew glowing spirit-grade flying swords and began wildly hacking and slashing at the hull, swiftly severing the rear propulsion module of the Old Grandfather.

Mo Liqing unleashed a gout of crimson Samadhi True Fire from his palm, melting the cockpit viewport glass, and then hauled Borlborlu out with one hand. With a thwack, a small airbag on Borlborlu’s belt automatically deployed, completely enveloping him in a sealed environmental suit. Mo Liqing touched the protective suit on Borlborlu with surprise, then, dangling him by one finger, calmly regrouped and returned to the Primordial-class battleship.

Inside the command bridge, Gu Xichen had just used brute force to crush the automatic lock of a life support pod, releasing Du Kaha. The surrounding walls of the command bridge had been studded by Gu Xichen with dozens of fist-sized luminous pearls, bathing the vast chamber in daylight-bright illumination.

As soon as he tumbled out of the life pod, Du Kaha forcefully spat out several mouthfuls of viscous nutrient fluid, cursing furiously, "Next time, I am absolutely getting in stripped naked! Ptooey!" Click-clack, with a few sounds, Gu Xichen opened the lock on Holm and Linghu’s life pods and hauled both of them out. The temperature inside the pods was extremely low, and both Holm and Linghu were in a state of hibernation. Gu Xichen vigorously worked their limbs to promote circulation and fed them several Yuan-Gathering Revival Pills. Soon, both stood up, their complexions flushed with renewed color.

Just as Holm and Linghu were being revived, the lid of a nearby life pod suddenly dissolved into a puddle of silver liquid and slid away rapidly. The green nutrient fluid inside splashed noisily onto the deck, and Ducat, clutching Lily, leaped out, heading straight for the command bridge exit without a word.

"Damn it!" Du Kaha cursed, leaping into the air and kicking towards the back of Ducat’s head.

Lily turned back, a flash of green light in her eyes, and a whirlwind erupted from nowhere, swirling Du Kaha’s body around and slamming him against the command bridge wall. Caught off guard by the gale, Du Kaha swayed precariously in the air for a moment before finally slamming his feet down hard, shattering the whirlwind, and landing lightly on the deck.

Seeing Ducat about to bolt out of the command bridge, Gu Xichen snapped, "Ducat, where do you think you're going? We are trapped!"

Ducat’s frantic run halted abruptly. He turned back, regarding Gu Xichen cautiously, and sneered, "Don't try to fool me. I know we are back in normal space! I am confident enough to destroy your battleship and leave safely!"

"Suit yourself!" Gu Xichen spread his hands and mocked, "Let me give you some unwelcome news: the Primordial-class battleship is now an empty shell. Stealing the smaller craft it carried is impossible. We are currently on a barren rock of a planetoid with no sign of civilization. I doubt you can leave here."

Ducat paused, and Du Kaha was already sweeping over with an eerie wind, blocking the passage from the command bridge to the outside world. Sinister black-and-red demonic energy surged around Du Kaha’s body. He bared two rows of gleaming white fangs and made a grotesque face at Lily. "Little girl, you’ve got some talent, haven't you? Come, let your brother Du Kaha cherish you properly, tsk tsk, the blood of a Spirit Clan maiden!"

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