Chapter 242: Robbery

“These guys are so arrogant!”

“Working in an exploration company is dangerous, who knows what you’ll encounter in the endless void?”

“1 million credits? Why don’t these guys just rob us!”

The communications channel at An Zhijie Corporation filled with complaints after hearing that.

Meanwhile, someone from the Bounty Hunter Guild was already speaking in the public channel: “According to Alliance law, even though your company obtained the development rights for this planet, we are currently in an emergency situation. Unless your company arranges something for us, we are not obligated to leave.”

“Exactly, no matter how big your Trinity Corporation is, it’s not bigger than Alliance law! And since you’re charging us, this forms a contractual relationship. Are you sure you want to commit to that?”

Yang Bo felt something off after hearing these comments from the Bounty Hunter Guild. These people rarely follow the law, and now they won’t stop talking about it.

The Fat Boss also spoke: “One million? This sounds like extortion. We could just wait for the Alliance’s warships.”

“Don’t talk about the law with me. This planet is our company’s territory now. Are you sure you don’t want to leave? There’s no network here, no journalists either.” The armed spaceship from Trinity Corporation stopped. The other party’s voice in the public channel became even more arrogant.

It was a naked threat. The message was clear: out here in the middle of nowhere, law didn’t matter. What they said was what went.

In the starry void, law only mattered on planets. Once you’re out in space, law was maintained by force.

On the trade routes, law applied. But leave those, and it’s chaos.

It’s like going on a trip but straying from the main road and wandering deep into a jungle. Who knows what will happen? By the time someone finds you, there might be nothing left but bones.

“Trinity Corporation, do you not respect the law at all?” The President of the Bounty Hunter Guild asked in the public channel.

“This is within Alliance jurisdiction. Why don’t you try pulling this crap outside?”

“We’ve already shown you more than enough mercy. What makes you think we owe you free passage?”

“Let me make it clear. Alliance warships aren’t coming to pick you up. You either pay up and we’ll take you out, or you wait here for however long it takes. Let’s see if you survive that.”

“Of course, maybe your main offices will start mining this place soon.”

Seeing this attitude from the people on Trinity Corporation’s armed spaceship, the Fat Boss grumbled in the team channel: “We’re being extorted.”

“Boss, with their arrogance, aren’t they worried someone’s going to report them?” Yang Bo felt confused.

“The exploration ships from these companies only return to the Alliance once every few years, sometimes even decades. And even if there’s evidence, they could just throw someone under the bus, claiming they were employed by a third party,” the Fat Boss explained in detail.

“Just like when our company handles things?” Yang Bo immediately understood. It was basically blaming it all on temporary staff.

“Basically. But most people don’t bother suing giants like Trinity Corporation. These companies have tons of money and major influence in the government. Have you ever seen someone change the law just to win a case? Some families in the Alliance can make that happen,” the Fat Boss added.

“Boss, then what do we do?” Yang Bo asked.

“We wait for the Alliance’s warships. That idiot says they won’t come, but that’s a lie. The warships always come to clean up these battlefields, especially with those downed warplanes scattered around. Plus, the Bounty Hunter Guild is holding prisoners from the Anti-Government Fighters. The Alliance warships won’t pass on the chance for that reward,” the Fat Boss explained further.

Zhou Zheng spoke enviously from the side: “Those dogs in the Bounty Hunter Guild sure are lucky. They caught so many members of the Anti-Government Fighters, not to mention the cyborgs. They must be making as much as we are!”

“We have our own ship coming to get us,” the President of the Bounty Hunter Guild said in the public channel.

“Your ship won’t be allowed to enter. This area is now a battle zone. Any unauthorized entry will be seen as hostile by the Alliance.” The voice from Trinity Corporation’s ship responded.

“Others may fear your Trinity Corporation, but our Bounty Hunter Guild doesn’t. Let’s see who blinks first.” The Bounty Hunter Guild’s President said coldly.

But halfway through the statement, they fell silent as several laser cannons were revealed.

Normally, the laser cannons stayed hidden within the warship’s armor. If they showed up, it meant they were armed and ready.

“Who doesn’t want to pay now?”

“You fools! With the backing of Trinity Corporation, the military has to show us respect. Your Bounty Hunter Guild only gets a pass because of your top brass, otherwise, we would’ve crushed you long ago.” The voice from the public channel sneered.

“Something’s not right!” The Fat Boss warned in the team channel.

“I feel it too. A big company like Trinity Corporation wouldn’t screw up so blatantly. It’s not like we’re worth that much considering they’re only asking for 1 million per person.”

“Exactly, an exploration company wouldn’t risk leaving a paper trail like that.”

“Do you think they might take us onboard with the intent to make sure we never leave?” Yang Bo questioned suddenly.

“It’s possible!”

“Rumor has it these exploration companies have secret bases. Perhaps they need manpower.” The Fat Boss mused.

“What should we do then?”

“What choice do we have? We’re locked onto by their laser cannons,” the Fat Boss said wearily.

Over at the Bounty Hunter Guild, they also realized something was off but couldn’t do much with the laser cannons trained on them.

“You from the Bounty Hunter Guild, step up and pay one million credits each!” The voice from Trinity Corporation’s warship ordered over the public channel.

The Bounty Hunter Guild had no choice. They lined up twenty people and entered the ship. The outer doors closed, and the inner ones opened.

Inside the ship, they were greeted by a few mechas.

“Everyone, remove your armor and weapons. Anyone who resists will be shot!” A voice boomed over the internal public channel.

“Who are you people? You’re definitely not from Trinity Corporation!” someone from the Bounty Hunter Guild shouted after seeing the interior of the ship.

“Who we are doesn’t matter. You have five seconds to surrender your weapons and armor,” the voice said again.

The twenty people who first entered had no choice but to remove their armor and weapons and were then fitted with restraint collars.

Soon, a second group from the Bounty Hunter Guild entered, and the same procedure was followed.

Yang Bo’s team of five was last in line. They didn’t dare move, seeing the laser cannons clearly trained on them.

“Something big is happening!”

“Do you think it’s Trinity Corporation’s rivals?”

“Wouldn’t be surprising. The previous owner of the energy stone mine probably isn’t happy it’s in their hands.”

“Who knows who’s behind this?” They discussed but came to no conclusion.

Yang Bo and his group entered the ship, facing the same process.

But Yang Bo, wearing heavy-duty protective gear, wasn’t given a restraint collar.

Everyone’s face grew tense. No one knew what was happening, not even the third-party members who were also disarmed and fitted with restraint collars.

“You’re not from Trinity Corporation!” Inside the ship’s cargo bay, everyone was ordered to sit on the floor. If anyone stood up, they’d be shot. A young, sharp officer from the third-party group aggressively shouted.

“We are Trinity Corporation, but at the same time, we’re not. Who we are doesn’t matter!” The crew on the ship wore full armor, with their faces entirely covered. Even if you could see them, no one knew who they were.

“You’ll pay for this recklessness! The Bounty Hunter Guild won’t let you go.” Yang Bo observed the bald man gnashing his teeth. That was the Bounty Hunter Guild’s President, disguised as a man but actually a woman.

“What’s the Bounty Hunter Guild gonna do? No one will know what happened here, and even if they do, they won’t find you!” a man from the other side sneered.

“You best not cause any trouble; otherwise, I’ll just vent the ship’s air system and dump you into the vacuum. You’ll all be space trash,” the man threatened.

“Now, all of you hand over your belongings, including your bank account passwords.” At that moment, the man signaled a few mechas and several armed soldiers with laser guns towards the group.

“You, start searching them,” the man ordered Yang Bo.

Then he threw a box in front of Yang Bo.

“I know there’s good stuff in this mine. Strip, or we’ll turn you into a corpse and undress you ourselves.” The man threatened again.

“Are you pirates?” someone from the group shouted in shock.

“Haha, looks like we’ve got a sharp one here. Yes, we’re pirates.” The man laughed smugly after hearing that.

Yang Bo was surprised. How did it suddenly turn to pirates? “The family running Trinity Corporation started as pirates back on their home planet. I guess they’re still secretly at it,” the Bounty Hunter Guild’s bald President said through gritted teeth.

“Smart. Haven’t you noticed the Anti-Government Fighters members you captured aren’t here?”

“They’ll elevate our family to more powerful positions, thanks to you catching so many of them alive. I’ve got to hand it to you!”

“Our family has several members in the Alliance military, and they’re looking for some achievements.”

“Honestly, we’d rather not get our hands dirty under the Alliance’s jurisdiction!”

“But your bad luck brought you to this planet.”

“Now that you know the truth, cooperate, and there’s no reason you shouldn’t make it out alive. As long as you don’t resist, your lives aren’t in danger.”

“Besides, you’re all superhumans. Even if you’re sold off abroad, you’ll still live well as long as you behave.”

Yang Bo’s heart sank upon hearing this. Their words contradicted themselves. On one hand, they said people shouldn’t have come to this planet, meaning they knew about the longevity energy stones in the mine. Trinity Corporation wanted to keep this secret.

But now, they were telling them they’d be sold off. That didn’t make any sense. The best way to protect a secret like this was to kill everyone.

“They’ll probably take the spaceship somewhere remote or near a star and kill us all.” Yang Bo speculated.

Clearly, Yang Bo wasn’t the only one who reached this conclusion; many others turned pale.

Yang Bo grabbed the box, tossed it forward, and used the resulting sound and vibrations to assess the surrounding area. He detected the Anti-Government Fighters members locked up next door. And another room seemed to hold the ship’s staff.

“What should we do?” Yang Bo’s mind raced. Escape wasn’t an option under so many watchful eyes. Using his Invisibility ability would mean everyone on this ship would die.

But if he didn’t use it, then what should he do?

“Start with him!” The man in armor pointed to the Fat Boss.

Under the aim of a laser gun, the Fat Boss had nno choice but to stand up, remove his jacket, and toss it to Yang Bo. He winked at Yang Bo.

Yang Bo didn’t get what he meant at first. But when he reached into the jacket’s pocket, he suddenly had an idea.

“How do we handle this?” Yang Bo pulled out a bag that contained several smaller pouches, all filled with energy stones.

“I knew some of you had good stuff!” The man in armor exclaimed, looking at what Yang Bo held.

“Get him a container for the energy stones,” the armored man ordered one of his companions.