Chapter 167: Country Bumpkins

"Captain! Look quickly!" A crew member of the interstellar long-range passenger liner *Nocturnal Glow* suddenly pointed at a holographic screen and shouted to the captain.

In an instant, everyone's gaze converged on that holographic screen.

A ball of fire, like a mesmerizing fire lotus, bloomed silently in the darkness.

"It's a spaceship explosion!"

"Yes!"

"Alas, the people on that ship are so pitiful!"

For a moment, everyone in the captain's cabin chattered animatedly.

Clearly not expecting a spacecraft to explode, especially since this route had always been extremely safe, the captain was slightly stunned before immediately roaring, "What are you still standing there for? Go rescue people!" Only then did the crew snap out of their daze and scurry outward. The captain did not forget to add, "Watch out for those debris!"

Every such spacecraft was equipped with escape pods. The outer layer of these pods used a special metal that was extremely hard and capable of resisting various rays in space, while the interior contained oxygen, energy rations, and water sufficient for thirty days. The escape pods also had built-in signal transmitters that continuously broadcasted distress signals to the surroundings. These escape pods were meant for crew members to escape in emergency situations. However, the psychological role of these escape pods far outweighed their actual utility! Any experienced crew member knew that the universe was simply too vast, and the probability of being found and rescued within thirty days was vanishingly small!

Nevertheless, all spacecraft were still equipped with escape pods, and any spacecraft receiving distress signals would actively dispatch personnel to conduct search and rescue operations.

In an instant, dozens of light mechs roared out from the hatch, though not a single one of them was a combat-type light mech.

Ye Chong had spotted these light mechs early on and carefully avoided them. The scanning systems of these low-level mechs were simply incapable of detecting Shang.

Carefully, Ye Chong approached a hatch near the bottom of the ship. For Shang, cracking the control system of a civilian passenger vessel was as easy as pie. Shang quickly infiltrated the *Nocturnal Glow*'s control system, yet he did nothing to alert anyone else, simply unlocking the hatch right in front of Ye Chong.

Just like that, Ye Chong slipped into the *Nocturnal Glow* without a sound. Guided by Shang, he evaded all the crew members and entered the passenger lounge. Shang generated Ye Chong's information within the ship's optical brain, and in the blink of an eye, Ye Chong became a legitimate passenger of this interstellar liner. Moments earlier, Shang had retrieved their route map; the *Nocturnal Glow* was not heading to Blazing Wind Star, meaning Ye Chong would have to disembark at Rich Star and take another vessel to reach his destination.

Ye Chong quickly found his assigned room.

Closing the door, Ye Chong finally let out a sigh of relief and began to inspect the room. The living and entertainment facilities inside were fully equipped, and the space was quite generous. The wardrobe even held a few spare outfits prepared for passengers. Ye Chong immediately took out a set and changed out of his own clothes—the attire from the orbital ring was far too bizarre, and he had no wish to be stared at like a monster.

Meanwhile, having found no escape pods, the bewildered crew members returned to the ship. Although the captain felt suspicious and wondered why a spacecraft had exploded for no apparent reason, since no escape pods were discovered, he decisively issued the order to proceed.

Dinner time had arrived. Although there was no division of day and night in the deep cosmos, most people still retained their old habits, usually dining during these traditional intervals.

To be frank, the food aboard the *Glinton* was hardly worth praising. Since most of them were battle personnel undergoing rigorous training, they only cared about the energy provided by the food and paid no attention to its taste.

The *Nocturnal Glow* was a civilian passenger ship, and in this regard, it was vastly superior to the *Glinton*. Not only was the food varied in selection, but the flavors were quite commendable. This allowed Ye Chong, who had not tasted such delicious food in a long time, to indulge himself heartily. Most people preferred to dine in the dining hall. Interstellar travel was long and lonely, and most travelers felt a deep urge to communicate with others, making dining halls and bars the most popular places on civilian passenger ships.

Ye Chong occupied a table all by himself. Unlike before, he did not feel nervous about the people around him. By now, he understood many things. For instance, within the Five Major Federations, the laws they spoke of held considerable binding power over ordinary people. Compared to the orbital ring, the people of the Five Major Federations were much more peaceful, and the probability of sudden attacks and the like occurring was exceedingly low.

Ye Chong poured his heart into the delicious meal, oblivious to the world around him.

The surrounding people cast sidelong glances at him. After eating these foods for days on end, even the most delicious dishes would taste like sawdust to them. Yet someone was actually eating with such relish—what a weirdo! But soon, people shifted their attention away and began chatting with those around them.

Suddenly, a wave of fragrant wind wafted over. Ye Chong lifted his face, which had been practically buried in his food bowl, and was startled to find a woman sitting directly across from him.

A trace of caution arose in Ye Chong's heart, though his expression remained completely unchanged.

"Whoa, a beauty! Leaf, your luck with women is seriously amazing. Why do you always run into beauties?" Shang cried out excitedly in Ye Chong's mind.

To be fair, the woman before him was indeed a beauty. Her delicate, rounded face was matched with a pair of large, watery eyes, and her jet-black hair cascaded down like a waterfall. Her plump, full figure made one's mouth water uncontrollably, and even more fatally, the top two buttons of her crisp white shirt were undone, instantly causing the surrounding men's eyes to glaze over at the glimpse of hidden scenery.

Of course, Ye Chong remained completely unmoved by all this, but feeling the gazes darting toward their table from time to time, he chose to believe Shang's assessment of her beauty.

A few grains of rice were still stuck to Ye Chong's face, making him look rather comical.

Pfft. Seeing Ye Chong's appearance, the beauty couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Ye Chong's sharp hearing immediately caught the synchronized sound of gasps echoing from the surroundings. One of those gasps belonged to Shang, though Shang's breath-taking sound rang out directly inside Ye Chong's mind.

"Is something the matter?" Ye Chong asked quite calmly. Even though he softened his tone, the chill deep in his bones still faintly leaked through. Ye Chong simply didn't want to stand out too much; he had already realized that his coldness was quite conspicuous among crowds, and to avoid drawing attention, he forced himself to act more ordinarily.

"Leaf, your facial muscles are way too stiff!" Shang couldn't resist throwing in a small jab.

A vein throbbed on Ye Chong's forehead as he instantly recovered his composure. *That damned Shang,* Ye Chong cursed inwardly for the umpteenth time.

Seeing the woman across from him stay silent, Ye Chong had no desire to put on a performance, so he simply ignored her and went back to burying his head in his food.

"Is it really that good?" The beauty finally spoke, her nightingale-like melodious voice instantly prompting another synchronized wave of gasps. Ye Chong had no choice but to lift his head again. The beauty was looking at him with a smile, her eyes filled with curiosity and amusement.

"Oh, it's alright. You'll know once you taste it!" Ye Chong's facial muscles were indeed somewhat stiff, which made his speech sound rather wooden.

"Leaf, the muscles on your face are about to cramp!" Shang continued to mercilessly tease Ye Chong.

"You damned bastard!" Ye Chong cursed furiously in his mind, which only provoked even more unbridled laughter from Shang. Prompted by Shang's words—perhaps due to the power of suggestion—Ye Chong actually began to feel a slight tingling sensation in his facial muscles.

"Hehe!" The beauty covered her mouth and smiled lightly, exuding endless charm. Ye Chong guessed inwardly that the sound of gasping would start all over again! Sure enough, the synchronized gasps rang out in his ears once more, accompanied by the sound of a few people stumbling.

"You're a really funny guy!" the beauty giggled. With that, she reached out a delicate, onion-like finger, picked up a vegetable root from Ye Chong's plate, popped it into her mouth, and muttered indistinctly, "Mhm, let me try!"

Ye Chong stared in astonishment at the so-called beauty before him. Did—did she really taste it?

"Shang, didn't you say that was just a polite gesture? Why did she actually taste it?" Ye Chong questioned Shang.

"She truly is a beauty, even the way she eats is so cute and full of charm. Hey, Leaf, what are you nagging about? Isn't it just a vegetable root? You should feel honored that a beauty is willing to eat something you've touched!" Shang said in a tone of utter intoxication.

"Honored?" Ye Chong sneered coldly in his mind, but he didn't reply, simply lowering his head to devour his food once more.

Seeing Ye Chong eating with such ravenous intensity, the beauty's mischievous streak flared up. She sucked on her finger and chuckled coquettishly, "It really does seem delicious!" With that, her hand reached toward Ye Chong's plate again. At that precise moment, Ye Chong lifted his head, and the beauty was stunned to find his plate had been cleaned to a mirror-like finish. For a second she was dumbfounded, and then, unable to hold it back any longer, she bent over and burst into a fit of helpless laughter.

The people around them froze as well, and soon a chorus of explosive laughter erupted. Ye Chong even heard someone nearby scoff and curse, "Hillbilly!"

Ye Chong remained entirely unconcerned by this. What did it have to do with him? One's food must not be violated—that was the trait of every living creature on the scrap star. Were the people here not like that? Puzzled, Ye Chong asked, "Shang, did I do something wrong?"

"Hahaha... Oh... Hahaha... Leaf, you—you really played that ruthlessly! Hahaha..." Shang laughed so hard he was out of breath.

Ruthless was as ruthless did; the deed was already done, and Ye Chong felt quite at ease. Besides, he didn't even know her; why on earth should he share his food with her?

Right at that moment, a ferocious voice suddenly boomed near his ear: "Brat, get lost!"

Ye Chong turned his head to see a few burly, tough-looking men standing beside him, glaring at him with fierce expressions. Their bulging muscles looked quite intimidating, and one of them even had a scar across his face, making him look exceptionally menacing. The group's gazes toward him were thoroughly hostile, though when they looked toward Shang's so-called beauty, their expressions transformed into something—well, he couldn't quite find the right word for it on the spot! It was clear they were here for the beauty.

Sensing that the situation was turning ugly, the surrounding patrons quickly cleared out of the dining hall, leaving only a few daring souls behind.

"Are you talking to me?" Ye Chong asked calmly. The fact that the beauty across from him could still maintain such a composed expression won a fair bit of internal appreciation from Ye Chong.

"Cut the crap! Do you fucking want to die? Playing dumb with me, dammit!" The leader of the thugs flew into a rage. Clearly, Ye Chong's words caused him to lose a lot of face. He reached out a palm the size of a cattail-leaf fan to grab Ye Chong's collar.

The beauty opposite him let out a cry of alarm!

Ye Chong lowered his head and tilted it slightly, causing the big man's grab to whiff completely. None of them saw the flash of cold intent that crossed Ye Chong's lowered eyes!

"Huh! Turns out he knows a trick or two!" The lead thug looked somewhat surprised, while the rest of his crew put on wary expressions and quickly surrounded Ye Chong in the middle.

Just as the men were about to make a move, a flurry of footsteps suddenly sounded from the side, accompanied by a booming voice: "Nobody move!"

The expression on the beauty's face finally relaxed. The ship's security had arrived; finally, everything was going to be fine!