Chapter Thirty-Four

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Ha~ We've already passed through the Three Rivers! I'm so happy—here's an update! Everyone, please support me!

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Jing Mo took a sip of sweet grass juice and asked Fedi, "What do you think of these people?"

Fedi was the captain of the warrior group Jing Mo had hired. He was tall, his unsmiling face chiseled like stone, and his coarse, bristly hair stood upright like steel wires. A scar two or three centimeters long slashed across his eyebrow, yet it didn’t make him look fierce—rather, it accentuated his heroic appearance. His robust physique gave a strong sense of security; on the Tianluo Star Domain, many local young women were quite taken with him.

But none of this was the reason Jing Mo valued him. Fedi possessed astonishing insight, was prudent and cautious, deft in command and coordination, and upright in character—qualities that made Jing Mo trust him deeply. If only Fedi were willing, Jing Mo would have wanted him to work permanently under his command. This was a man who could handle matters single-handedly! It was thanks to Fedi’s careful strategy and adept leadership that their journey had been perilous but not disastrous.

Fedi’s posture was reminiscent of a soldier, his back perfectly straight, eyes unwavering. Once seated, he could remain motionless for hours, something Jing Mo deeply admired.

After pondering for a moment, Fedi answered clearly and forcefully, "That young man is likely the son of a powerful family. The three of them don't show any major flaws. Hmm, his bodyguard seems quite formidable, though I can't be certain. According to their story, their starship was severely damaged by a meteor collision. But I examined the damaged section myself—the hull had clearly been reinforced. If it was a meteor strike, I found no trace of debris in the vicinity—this is impossible!"

Jing Mo's eyelids twitched. "Do you think there's something wrong with them? Could they be spies sent by the pirates?"

Fedi continued, "Pirate spies? I don't think that's likely. There were many bodies found on the starship, most equipped with light armor." At this point, Fedi’s expression turned strange. "And their light armor was peculiar."

"Peculiar?" Jing Mo asked, curiosity piqued. Even a warrior group captain found the armor unusual—how could one not be curious?

Fedi paused before speaking, "Yes, very peculiar. Their light armor was undoubtedly high-grade. Imagine, if over fifty people were equipped with advanced armor, what strength they must have! Judging by the bodies, the musculature showed that these individuals must have been highly skilled—likely all advanced warriors."

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"Over fifty sets of high-grade armor? And more than fifty advanced warriors?" Jing Mo exclaimed in disbelief. The title of advanced warrior implied formidable strength; everywhere, such individuals were courted by all factions. Even Fedi's renowned 'Oak Leaf' warrior group possessed only ten advanced warriors, with Fedi himself among them. So, one can imagine Jing Mo's shock upon learning that the starship had over fifty advanced warriors equipped with high-grade armor.

Fedi nodded solemnly. "Yes, without question—I examined them myself. As everyone knows, when the owner of light armor dies, the armor automatically resets, turning into white armor. The peculiarity here is that all the owners had perished, yet the armor did not reset. Instead, it entered a self-protection mode—no one can use it or extract any information from it."

"Self-protecting armor?" Jing Mo was dumbfounded.

"As far as I know, only a handful of great families and the military use such technology," Fedi revealed honestly.

Families were one thing—perhaps Jing Mo could profit from that. But if it was the military, his scalp tingled. That would be trouble. Jing Mo would rather die than get involved with those cold-blooded types.

"And..." Fedi began, seeing Jing Mo's face turn ashen.

Jing Mo was sure he was about to go insane. He’d thought he’d stumbled upon a tremendous windfall, only to discover it was a colossal headache. Jing Mo panted, unsure if his frightened heart could withstand Fedi’s full explanation.

After several deep breaths, Jing Mo steadied himself, his face slowly regaining some color, and signaled Fedi to continue.

Fedi glanced at Jing Mo, then went on, "Moreover, there are no identifying marks on their armor—no manufacture date, no place of origin, and the model doesn't match any known type. Similarly, the starship has no markings, no production date or place of origin. But, without a doubt, it’s highly advanced—more advanced, in fact, than any civilian starship available on the market!"

"More advanced than all civilian starships? What do you mean?" Jing Mo asked, confused. After half a minute, his face turned pale as death. "Is it a military warship? Impossible! Military starships have been strictly banned from production for ages—even the military can’t manufacture them! All five star domains have outlawed the production and research of military starships! Are these people insane? Do they have no fear of death?" Three hundred years ago, the Great Star Domain government issued a joint statement: all organizations and individuals, including the military, were strictly forbidden from owning or developing any type of warship, with violators facing the harshest penalties. From then on, warriors became the primary combat resource.

Fedi was silent for a long moment before replying slowly, "Your assumption is correct to a certain extent, but..." A trace of pain and struggle flickered in Fedi’s eyes, unnoticed by the agitated Jing Mo.

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Seeing Jing Mo teetering on the edge of collapse, Fedi felt obliged to reassure him. "Don’t worry. Although it’s advanced, it’s not equipped with any weapon systems, so it’s not a warship."

Jing Mo breathed a sigh of relief. "Phew, you scared me on purpose! Next time, don't joke like that—I can't guarantee my fragile heart won't burst!"

Fedi smiled bitterly inside. Although the starship was unarmed, it had already surpassed the boundaries set by the government.

Fedi’s expression grew solemn. "There's one more crucial point!"

Jing Mo was nearly slumped on the table, lamenting, "Heavens, do you want me dead?"

Fedi ignored him and went straight to his thoughts. "Judging from the damage to the hull, they were indeed struck. For fifty advanced warriors to die almost simultaneously speaks to the energy of the impact. As for how those three survived, I won’t speculate. But at the site, I found no debris except fragments from the hull itself—not a single speck of anything else. What I want to know is, what exactly did they encounter? Was it manmade, or some incredible natural phenomenon? If it was manmade, would the perpetrator, knowing there are three survivors, attempt another assassination? If so, I wouldn’t believe for a second they’d show mercy or spare us, and I doubt our ship could survive even half the impact theirs did. If it was a natural event, will it happen again? That’s what I’m interested in."

Jing Mo was speechless, his face ashen.

If only he hadn’t rescued those three, he thought, regret swelling in his heart.

The fleet sailed quietly onward, steady as ever. Yet, what awaited them in the boundless darkness ahead? Jing Mo and Fedi no longer dared to contemplate the answer.