Chapter 218: Frustrated Commander

“Bring all of these guys over.”

“Make them kneel in rows.” The moment Yang Bo heard this, he immediately pointed at the captured prisoners.

However, Yang Bo felt a bit frustrated. After an entire battle, not a single person on the enemy’s side died.

Their cockpit had been hit by his warplane, piercing a hole through the front and into the energy system, yet the people inside were perfectly fine. He had to admit, the safety system of this warplane was incredible.

The Fat Boss, standing nearby, heard this and felt a sense of familiarity.

In an instant, he recalled the pirate leader in front of him had once angered the March Planet Chief Magistrate so much during negotiations that the Chief Magistrate’s face turned blue.

Who could anger a planet’s Chief Magistrate to the point of facial distortion? How impressive! When the opposing commander opened video communications with Yang Bo, the scene in front of him almost made him lose composure as well.

The passageway of Yang Bo’s warplane, though not spacious, was filled with his own people all kneeling.

“What is the meaning of this?” The other party’s commander angrily shouted upon seeing this scene.

“It means nothing. The lives of these people are in your hands. Whether they live or die depends entirely on your choice.” Yang Bo held an energy weapon, pointing at the kneeling prisoners.

Some captives who had initially refused to kneel were beaten harshly by the Fat Boss and his crew. Some even had their legs broken.

The Fat Boss saw the constipated look on the enemy commander’s face and nearly burst out laughing.

Everyone aboard the warplane felt relatively at ease, except for the captured prisoners, who gazed longingly at their commander.

In the video, behind the commander’s back, there were many others. Seeing this, the opposing commander regretted opening the communication with Yang Bo.

The commander could foresee that if he didn’t take the prisoners into account during the negotiations, they would likely betray him immediately. Worse, his own people might even begin to question him.

Cursing inwardly, the commander couldn’t believe this group of useless fools had become someone else’s prisoners.

“Let’s start with the first condition. First, restore our communications.” Yang Bo laid out his first demand.

Everyone present found this a bit bizarre. Even though his side was clearly at a disadvantage—despite not having a warplane—the opposing side had a modified spaceship with advanced weapons systems.

If the enemy commander really didn’t care about his troops’ survival, then their only option would be to flee.

“Sir, you seem confused. You have one warplane, but we have a modified spaceship. Our weapons systems are far superior to your warplane.” The opposing commander sardonically replied upon hearing Yang Bo’s demand.

“But you have so many people in our hands. Are you really indifferent to their fate? My request isn’t excessive. Both of us are here on a mission. There’s no need to turn this into a life-or-death situation.” Yang Bo gestured to the captives, as if questioning whether the commander really intended to abandon them.

Just as the commander was about to respond, he realized something and asked, “You’re not one of them?”

“Which eye of yours saw me with them? I was just trying to hitch a ride from this warplane. I had been threatening the people inside when your folks started shooting me from afar with laser guns. It’s only because I’m in a good mood that I didn’t kill everyone here.” Yang Bo responded angrily.

The commander aboard the modified spaceship was stunned upon reviewing the recording of Yang Bo hijacking the warplane. He nearly cursed out loud!

The Fat Boss already knew Yang Bo had come to steal the warplane, though the warplane’s captain seemed a bit embarrassed.

The unexpected turn of events left the opposing commander momentarily at a loss.

“In short, your request to lift the communication blockade is impossible. During the mission deadline, no one is allowed to leave this planet.” The enemy commander finally responded.

“If you don’t lift the blockade, how can we trust you?” Yang Bo fired back at the enemy commander.

Without waiting for a reply, he turned to the kneeling prisoners and said, “Look at your commander. Who knows what he’s thinking? Maybe he already wants to blast us all apart.”

“Without lifting the blockade, no one knows you’ve been captured. And without communications, none of us has a chance to leave.”

“So, it would be best for you to tell me your names and backgrounds. That way, when I leave, I can inform your families.” Yang Bo added.

Upon hearing this, one of the captives, clearly not too bright, asked, “You can leave?”

“It’s simple. Once the mine is back in operation, I can leave when the new Mining Company comes to continue the excavation.” Yang Bo replied nonchalantly.

The Fat Boss and his group fully believed that Yang Bo’s strength would allow him to hold out until the Mining Company resumed operations.

No one truly understood how strong an A-rank Gene Evolver was, but Yang Bo’s recent display of skill had already left everyone in shock.

Upon hearing this, the opposing commander cursed Yang Bo’s ancestors in his mind. If Yang Bo really planned to hide in this mine, the higher-ups would surely make the commander’s life miserable.

“So, to be safe, you’d better tell me your identities. Otherwise, your commander might mistakenly kill you along with us.” Yang Bo warned the prisoners again.

The opposing commander realized he couldn’t let this man keep talking. Otherwise, some of his subordinates might confess everything on the spot.

He immediately replied, “You want unrestricted communications? Impossible. But after we complete our mission, I can let you go, as long as you promise not to harm my men.”

“If you don’t lift communications, you can forget about completing your mission. How do you plan to finish the task in the mine?” Yang Bo questioned.

It was only then that the commander realized a serious issue: being stuck on the spaceship, he couldn’t complete the task in the mine.

This type of modified small spaceship could land on the planet, but once it landed, its interference systems would be very limited.

The warplane could just fly to another part of the planet, restoring communications once out of range.

The warplane crew could then hide inside the mine, and the commander didn’t have enough men to complete the task inside the mine.

Facing someone brave enough to hijack a warplane alone, the commander knew that no one from his side would dare to go down there.

“We can help you complete the mission, but you’ll have to split the reward with us.” Yang Bo spoke again.

The Fat Boss and his crew were stunned. Yang Bo was even asking for their money.

The opposing commander was dumbfounded, asking, “You want our money?”

Yang Bo, trying to sound reasonable, responded, “We’re all adults here. Let’s be rational.”

“As the commander, you should be the most rational. Look at how much you’ve invested this time. You’ve already lost five warplanes. If you lose more men and still can’t complete the mission, you won’t get a penny.”

“You’re just sitting in your spaceship doing nothing, while we help you complete the mission. Isn’t that easy?”

“But nothing in this world is free. You’ve got to pay for services rendered. I’m even being nice, splitting it fifty-fifty because I see you’ve already taken quite a hit.”

Yang Bo’s words almost made the Fat Boss and the others burst out laughing. But they had to admit, Yang Bo had the strength to negotiate.

The opposing commander was at a loss for words. What Yang Bo said made sense. Unless he immediately used the spaceship’s laser cannons to blow up the warplane.

But Yang Bo, who dared hijack a warplane alone, made the commander doubt that he could kill him. If Yang Bo escaped into the mine, the mission would be all but doomed. Anyone willing to single-handedly hijack a warplane wasn’t an ordinary person.

“I’ll give you an hour to think it over.” After saying this, Yang Bo piloted the warplane, positioning it beneath a cliffside in the canyon, where it couldn’t be directly attacked by the spaceship.

The opposing commander watched as the warplane flew to the canyon and disappeared from view.

Yang Bo saw that the enemy commander hadn’t said anything further and cut off the communication.

The Fat Boss wasn’t surprised by this outcome, having witnessed firsthand just how formidable this pirate leader was. He thought to himself, “No wonder he’s a leader in his own right.”

Back aboard the spaceship, the opposing commander felt restless. He was sure Yang Bo was using this time to manipulate his captives.

Everyone involved in this mission was acting in secret. If word of their identities leaked out, the original owner of the mine would surely make trouble for him.

“What tasks are you guys here for?” Yang Bo asked the Fat Boss and the captain of the warplane.

The two of them briefly explained their respective missions. There was little need for the Fat Boss to go into detail.

The Bounty Hunter Guild had been commissioned to inspect the mine and assess its true value.

So, not even ten minutes after Yang Bo cut off the communication, the commander aboard the enemy spaceship signaled for another conversation.

“I will lift the communications blockade and let you leave, but you must return all of my captured men. Also, you cannot leak any information.” The enemy commander said the moment the channel opened.

Yang Bo turned to the Fat Boss and the warplane captain from the Bounty Hunter Guild, asking, “Does this seem acceptable to you?”

The Fat Boss was the first to nod, “We can accept this. Besides, our mission is nearly complete.”

The captain from the Bounty Hunter Guild also nodded, saying, “Our President is currently investigating below. He should be wrapping up soon too.”

Yang Bo nodded, then turned to the opposing commander, “Alright. We’ll release half of your men first.”

The opposing commander let out a sigh of relief and said, “Leave the prisoners over there for now. I’m not letting you approach the spaceship. Also, at the end, you’ll have to drop bait in the mines to poison all of the mutant bugs inside.”

“What do you think?” Yang Bo turned again, consulting with the Fat Boss and the Bounty Hunter Guild members.

“Let them handle that themselves. Don’t they have two mechas?” The Fat Boss didn’t want to deal with the mutant bugs.

These mutant bugs were artificially bred. They would continue devouring metal voraciously, and when all the metal in the mine was gone, they would start eating each other.

In the end, only a small number of mutant bugs would remain, and clearing out the rest would be relatively simple. These bugs were a product of genetic technology.

The final bait used would contain Gene Serum, designed to target the bugs’ own genetic makeup, causing their genetic chain to collapse and resulting in death.

It was similar to how Earth’s herbicides were engineered, targeting the genes of specific weeds.

“That’s what we think too.” The members of the Bounty Hunter Guild shared the same sentiment. They didn’t plan on risking their lives either.

Just as Yang Bo was about to agree, a voice sounded over the warplane’s communication system, “We’re back.”

The captain of the warplane immediately responded, “Our President has returned.”

Yang Bo looked outside and saw the President of the Bounty Hunter Guild returning with a group of people.

Bringing his team into the cockpit, the President of the Bounty Hunter Guild made the small space even more crowded.

The President, still bald, entered the cockpit and removed their helmet. Seeing the bald figure, Yang Bo realized the President was a woman, knowing from the limited time effect of the Camouflage Gene Serum.

The Camouflage Gene Serum lost its effectiveness within a month unless the Camouflage Serum was used. Though avoiding the Camouflage Serum might lead to side effects, using it restored the muscles to their pre-Camouflage state. Without it, who knows what might happen?

“Thank you for your assistance.” The President of the Bounty Hunter Guild said, offering her thanks to Yang Bo after hearing the captain’s report.

Yang Bo nodded, replying, “I was just helping myself. The rest is up to you.”

“Sir, would you be interested in joining our Bounty Hunter Guild? Whatever troubles you may have aren’t a problem for us.” The President of the March Planet branch of the Bounty Hunter Guild spoke up.

Yang Bo’s tone shifted as he asked coldly, “You know who I am?”

“Our Bounty Hunter Guild spans three major countries. We’re not some regional small organization.” The President was confident but still unsure. Given Yang Bo’s strength, it seemed he had a reason for being here alone.

“So me being a wanted criminal isn’t an issue?” Yang Bo asked flatly.

“Of course not. We can even arrange diplomatic immunity for you.” The President truly admired Yang Bo, especially after witnessing his skill in taking on three enemies at once. Yang Bo was undoubtedly an ace pilot.

Had she witnessed Yang Bo’s earlier feats, she would’ve held him in even higher regard.

“But I was planning to rob your warplane.”

“You might want to ask your people what I’ve done, and I’m also a wanted criminal for some serious crimes.” Despite his tone, Yang Bo was keen on joining the Bounty Hunter Guild.

He figured it’d be much easier to obtain or sell rare items through the Guild. He also had his eyes on the knowledge contained within such a large, established organization.

By letting the President know his background, Yang Bo just wanted to increase his own value. After all, the higher his status in this organization, the greater his privileges would be.

“Absolutely!” The President replied confidently, still unaware of everything that had transpired earlier.