Arriving at Black Abyss
* Whoosh! *
* Whoosh! *
The fleet consisting of the Assassin, two Iteron-class industrial ships, two Catalyst-class destroyers, and four Kestrel-class frigates flew out of the Alliance's border, heading straight for Black Abyss.
"Everyone, have you received the route map I sent?" Xia Fei stood on the Assassin's bridge, asking the several captains on the screen.
"Got it!"
"Got it!"
Xia Fei smiled, solemnly ordering, "Great. Brother Butcher will lead the two destroyers as the vanguard, while the others will act as support. Let's go, our destination is Black Abyss! "
Butcher nodded. "Alright, just watch me. As long as this Bat radar of yours is good, I guarantee that I'll complete the mission!"
Xia Fei replied, "It's called the Black Bat radar. Though it's not perfect yet, it's not too weak. In any case, send a signal when you land, and the rest of the fleet will follow."
This escort mission was unusual, so Xia Fei had no choice but to proceed with caution. Though the interplanetary internet was still working, there was no telling when it would lose its function, and he would have to rely on the Black Bat radar for long-distance communication.
The nine ships lined up, and a wormhole suddenly opened in front of the two destroyers. Butcher said to Xia Fei, "We'll make a move first. I'll send you a signal once we're out of the wormhole."
Xia Fei nodded. "Alright. I'll leave it to you."
The two ships quickly disappeared into the vast sea of stars. Xia Fei crossed his arms and waited. Based on their normal speed, the Catalyst-class destroyers should be out of the wormhole in about ten minutes, and communications would be restored.
* Beep beep beep! *
Ten minutes later, Xia Fei indeed received a call from Butcher, reporting that it was safe ahead. Thus, all the ships entered warp mode, and the fleet headed off into the distance.
…
Less than five minutes after Xia Fei's fleet left, an Amarrian Ccrusader-class interceptor appeared where the fleet had just anchored.
Clean Knife was sitting in a chair, using the butterfly knife in his hand to trim his nails. His fingers were very slender, as slender as a woman's, but the difference was that Clean Knife's nimble and delicate hands were covered in blood, a stark contrast to his elegant demeanor.
The mustached man sat in the command deck. He and Clean Knife were the only two people in this ship, so he still had to take on the role of captain.
"Aren't you afraid of losing them if you don't chase after them?" Clean Knife asked without looking up.
The mustached man snorted. "Shake them off? This is the newest model interceptor, a second-generation elite warship in the Alliance. It's equipped with a long-range warp engine. I've already installed a tracking chip on Xia Fei's warship, so I'll be able to catch up to him even if he's at the ends of the earth. "
Clean Knife said nonchalantly, "I don't know much about warships, I only know how to use knives. Anyway, it's not my fault that I can't catch up to him. As long as you give me the money I deserve, the rest is up to you."
The mustachioed man glared at Clean Knife a little angrily. "I haven't seen you for a few years, so why have you become obsessed with money?"
Clean Knife retorted, "I haven't seen you in a few years, and you've become a watchdog."
The mustached man was speechless. He sighed in annoyance and said, "Stubborn! If you were willing to kill Xia Fei before leaving the Alliance, would there still be so many problems? Now, I can only make a trip to the cursed Black Abyss. "
Clean Knife whistled happily. "I've said it before, Black Abyss is a very interesting place. I really want to go there for a spin."
"But I don't want to go!" the mustachioed man said angrily.
Clean Knife continued to whistle that little tune he had picked up from who knew where, grinning cheekily. "I don't care if you want to go or not."
…
This journey was surprisingly peaceful. Even the famously fragile interplanetary internet was working smoothly, not to mention those rumored hordes of pirates.
Twelve warps away from their destination, the fleet came to a halt. Two small shuttles, carrying Sarah and Butcher, took off and landed on Xia Fei's Vampire.
The three of them sat together, and Xia Fei opened the star map and said in a deep voice, "Big brother Butcher, Sarah, there's an asteroid belt here. Lead the fleet and wait there for now. I'll go and discuss the details with the Black Abyss Coalition Army. Once we reach an agreement, I'll use the Black Bat radar to inform you."
Butcher nodded. "Xia Fei, aren't you being a little too cautious?"
Xia Fei closed the star map and said in a deep voice, "Something's wrong when something's out of the ordinary. This journey has been far too peaceful. You must know that this is a war zone. There's no wreckage, no pirates, not even the shadow of an army. Don't you think there's something strange about this?"
"This …" Butcher paused. "Now that you mention it, I really do feel that something's off. I've seen the news in the Alliance exaggerate the war in the Death Trio Star Region, but I didn't expect it to be so peaceful. Alright, we'll do as you say.
"Give me three days. If I don't get in touch with you in three days, leave this place immediately," Xia Fei very calmly said.
Sarah was stunned. She had no idea what Xia Fei meant by that, so she looked at him with a puzzled expression.
Xia Fei pretended to cough twice and smiled. "This is just a precaution. Don't worry; I'll be fine."
Butcher expressed his understanding of Xia Fei's arrangements. Everything had to be prepared for the worst. Caution, caution, and even more caution.
Patting Xia Fei on the shoulder, Butcher laughed heartily. "Don't worry; I understand what you mean. Just go. If anything happens, I promise to bring you back safely."
Sarah was even more confused. She was a girl, after all, so she had no idea that this was how men did things. She bit her lip as if she wanted to say something, but she held it in.
…
Xia Fei felt a little emotional when he arrived at Yawei's military base once more. The spacious hangar was empty, with only a few old warships left here to serve as a facade. Most of them could not even fly. The military base was silent. The weeds were beginning to sprout. It would not be long before these tenacious little lifeforms would grow wildly and occupy large swaths of land.
Xia Fei met Yawei in his office. The man had a lot of white hair on his head, and he looked a lot older than before, though he still wore his well-ironed military uniform.
"Sit." Yawei tossed down the document in his hand and asked in a deep voice, "How's the teacher?"
Xia Fei smiled. The first thing Yawei asked was not about the firearms but about his teacher, which showed how much he cared about Qin Mangs.
"Oh, the old man has recovered from his serious illness. Now his appetite is very good, and he can eat half a cow in one meal. Now he is recuperating in my hometown, Earth, and living a leisurely life. Don't worry, with me around, the old man's daily life will be well taken care of."
Yawei nodded and said to Xia Fei, "Sigh. As his disciple, I wasn't able to stay by his master's side when he needed him the most. What a sin. Brother Xia Fei, it's all thanks to you this time. Master already told me that you risked your life to retrieve the medicine and saved his life."
Xia Fei waved his hand. "I have a good relationship with the old man, so it's only natural for me to do this."
After a few moments of silence, Yawei went straight to the point. "Why are you alone this time?"
Xia Fei replied, "Don't worry; the goods will be safely delivered after we sign the contract."
Yawei frowned. "Brother Xia Fei, don't you trust me?"
Xia Fei laughed heartily. "Of course not. It's just that my warship is faster, so I came here first to set up an advance and ask for a drink. The cargo is still on its way and will arrive in a few days."
Yawei was a little skeptical. He said to Xia Fei, "How about this: I'll contact the alliance command right away and try to get you to meet with the main leaders of the alliance tomorrow morning. We can all sit down and discuss the details of the contract."
Xia Fei took out a cigarette and lit it. "I'm in no hurry. Brother Yawei, you can take your time to contact them."
Yawei's expression changed again. Xia Fei, of course, was not in a hurry. If the negotiations failed, he could just leave, but where could the natives of the Wild Star Region go? After all, this was their base. They were the local tyrants in Black Abyss, but no one would care if they returned to the Alliance.
The alliance army of Terminus and Evil Gulfstream Star Region was very aggressive. They had already occupied a third of Black Abyss's territory. If the war continued like this, it was only a matter of time before the people of Black Abyss were swallowed by the enemy.
This was a war where there was no way out. It was either win or lose everything.
"Don't worry. The five permanent council members will surely discuss the details of the contract with you tomorrow morning. As long as it's reasonable, the alliance army will surely reach an agreement with you as soon as possible," Yawei said.
Xia Fei laughed. "I hope so, too. I recently reached an agreement with the military. They're urging me to speed up the production of energy-shield boosters to equip the Alliance army. How annoying."
Yawei knew very well that Xia Fei was now an A-list supplier of the military. His words naturally carried a lot more weight than before. He was afraid that Xia Fei would demand an exorbitant price in the negotiations tomorrow.
"Let's go. I've prepared a banquet for you to celebrate your master's recovery and your becoming an A-list supplier of the military. It's a joyous occasion," Yawei said.
Xia Fei subconsciously looked around as he walked out the door. "Phantom, I've sensed it again. It feels like someone's following me."
Phantom shrugged. "All I can say is that the senses you've always been so proud of have become weaker recently. Anyway, I didn't sense anything."
As he spoke, a gust of wind blew, stirring up a cloud of dust and quickly disappearing over the horizon.
…
"You didn't make a move this time?" The mustached man frowned as he looked at Clean Knife, somewhat reprimanding him. "You're the one who said that I would make a move the moment we reach Black Abyss."
Clean Knife nonchalantly twirled the butterfly knife in his hand. The knife danced in the air, nimbly twirling in his hand. "What's the rush? I still want to see more of the Death Trio Star Region." I've already picked the time and place. I'm going to have a good rest tonight. Tomorrow, I'll use the Butterfly's Ten-steps to personally take off his eyes and hands, giving you a satisfactory explanation. "
The mustached man was stunned. "Butterfly's Ten-steps Flight! Ten Steps to Kill a Thousand Lives! You actually want to use the Butterfly's Ten-steps Flight against Xia Fei? That's the strongest martial technique you're famous for! Do you need it to do that? "
"Yes." Clean Knife's eyes flashed coldly as he coldly said, "For those warriors who crawled out from hell, we must send them off with the highest standards."
"Hell?"
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