Chapter 243: Powerful Figure

PS: The transformer is undergoing maintenance at the end of the year, causing a full-day power outage. Sorry about that. I’m already feeling better, just a bit weak. Once I completely recover in two days, I’ll provide a massive update. Thank you, everyone. For today, it’s just one long chapter.

The Fat Boss looked at his own body full of fat, then at Yang Bo, hoping Yang Bo could understand his intention.

At the same time, he envied that Yang Bo didn’t have to wear a collar or take off his clothes. Especially since Yang Bo wore heavy-duty protective gear, which was gear designed for non-superhumans.

“Be careful. Don’t get any ideas.” The other person warned Yang Bo as they pulled out a box containing energy stones, while pointing a laser gun at him..

Yang Bo’s heart sank. He had initially thought about using his light-based superpower to trigger the energy stones and cause an explosion.

After all, it wouldn’t take much superpower to trigger the explosion of an energy stone. But now it seemed the enemy was cautious, as their armor glowed faintly.

“Let it go for now. If things go south, I’ll just kill everyone on this spaceship,” Yang Bo thought, eyeing the nearby mecha as he took out the energy stones from his pocket and placed them in a specialized box. Each box had little compartments.

Next, they handed Yang Bo a handheld detector to check if the Fat Boss had anything hidden in his underwear.

The reason they made the Fat Boss and others remove their outer clothing was that, in space, those clothes could shield against radiation. Using a regular detector wouldn’t work for something hidden beneath them.

Luckily, the Longevity Energy Stone was still secured on Yang Bo.

Only by removing the outer clothing could the detector work.

The Fat Boss’s heart bled, and he felt even more frustrated because Yang Bo didn’t seem to understand his intent.

“I forgot to train Yang Bo on what to do in an emergency.” The Fat Boss gazed at his discarded clothes, feeling increasingly regretful.

The Company had emergency training for situations like this—there were small items hidden in clothes that could serve well at times like this. Unfortunately, Yang Bo hadn’t gone through the relevant training.

Then the Fat Boss was approached by someone wielding a handheld financial device.

“Wow, who would’ve thought you had several billion credits!” The armed enemy exclaimed, astonished at the Fat Boss’s balance.

The Fat Boss nearly spat blood. This was a lifetime’s worth of savings.

Luckily, the Fat Boss had a transfer limit in place; otherwise, everything could have been stolen.

“Lock him in compartment number two. Make him continue tomorrow.” The enemy leader ordered, pointing at the Fat Boss.

Then, the Fat Boss was taken away.

Zhou Zheng, Wu Bing, and the others didn’t have much valuable, though they still had some money.

But since it wasn’t much, the enemy allowed them to dress. They were superhumans, but most weren’t the very attractive type; their plump bodies were quite unsightly.

Everyone looked grim. It was their first time being openly, brazenly robbed. Moreover, this spaceship had internet access, so the money was directly transferred.

Yang Bo’s task was simple: he just had to check the clothes others had removed, sift through them, and use a handheld scanner to check their remaining undergarments.

These third-party forces didn’t have much on them, considering they were on a job. Carrying a lot of extra items wasn’t convenient, and only their leader had tens of millions of credits; the rest barely had anything.

The controller of this spaceship cursed them as paupers out of frustration.

However, when they reached the Bounty Hunter Guild members, things were different. These guys didn’t carry much cash but had many expensive luxury items.

“Look at that, a wristwatch worth millions of credits.” One of the spaceship controllers noted with surprise when a Bounty Hunter Guild member took off their clothes, revealing a crystal clear watch on their wrist.

“You’ll regret this,” the person exclaimed, looking at the watch, their favorite, endorsed by Li Aidu—an exotic luxury brand timepiece crafted from materials from their home planet.

“Haha, on the Black Market, it’ll lose value. But it could be fun to play around with,” the spaceship controller laughed, gesturing for Yang Bo to take the wristwatch from the person.

“Nice, nice. It’s genuine.” The man praised while examining the watch.

Next, Yang Bo found a well-aged tooth inside the person’s clothes. The tooth had some ancient carvings on it.

“It’s an antique piece, crafted by Master Cui from their home planet, right? Master Cui was known for his micro-carvings. A good one indeed.” As soon as Yang Bo uncovered the item, they snatched it from him.

Yang Bo still didn’t know where their ‘home planet’ was, but the three major interstellar nations used to originate from it.

“Keep going.” The enemy leader gestured for Yang Bo to continue.

Yang Bo had no choice but to obediently rummage through others’ clothes. Since the material had radiation-shielding properties, scanners wouldn’t work.

“Your Bounty Hunter Guild members carry all their valuables on them, just in case they need to make a quick escape, huh?”

“Caught off guard by us today, didn’t you? Haha! You’re carrying some valuable and easily sellable goods.”

“Isn’t it your group that’s been inflating the prices of these home planet items?” The enemy leader rambled.

At that moment, the leader turned and left, with two others following. Only two men and two mechas were left behind.

These two were also wearing armor, and their mechas were piloted. Yang Bo weighed the situation carefully but decided to stay put for now. These two mechas would be hard to deal with unless he used his full superpower.

If he were to act, he’d at least need to find a place away from everyone. So, for now, he continued obediently with the looting.

As the Bounty Hunter Guild President took off, Yang Bo couldn’t help but think of what the guy looked like after taking the Camouflage Serum… Everything about him just felt strange.

“It’s best to stay far away from this bunch going forward and avoid getting involved with them privately. Who knows what kind of mental issues they might have.” Yang Bo muttered to himself. Most people in the Bounty Hunter Guild were likely using Camouflage injections—he understood why men disguised themselves as men.

But men disguising themselves as women? That seemed like a mental problem, probably submissive…

And women disguising themselves as men? Perhaps they still identified as women internally…

“Strange. Where’s the Longevity Energy Stone purchased by the Bounty Hunter Guild President?” Yang Bo carefully searched but couldn’t find the energy stone. All that was left on the guy was his underwear.

A troubling thought crossed Yang Bo’s mind—did the President really… well, never mind.

Among the hundreds of accessories and watches found thus far, they were all from the Bounty Hunter Guild members. None of them had much in credits.

It must be related to what the enemy leader said about being prepared to run.

“You. Take off your clothes.” The only one left was Yang Bo. One of the enemies pointed at him.

Yang Bo quickly stripped down, flipping his clothes inside out for the enemy to inspect. After checking them and using a handheld scanner, nothing unusual was found.

They let him put his clothes back on. Just as they were about to verify how much money Yang Bo had, the enemy leader returned and said, “Lock them in the Cargo Bay.”

“Yes.” The enemy drove the captives wearing confinement collars toward the Cargo Bay. Those with significant funds were separated, scheduled for transfers tomorrow.

The Cargo Bay was surrounded by metal walls. You could see that one side of it could open completely, presumably for loading goods.

They came through a small door into a space with a ceiling ten meters high and about a hundred meters on each side. There were ventilation systems and lighting fixtures positioned above.

Yang Bo and the others were herded into this space, and the door they had entered through was shut.

“These scumbags are definitely going to kill us all to silence us.”

“Absolutely. I’ve heard that these big families and powerful factions in the Alliance are utterly ruthless, capable of anything.”

“Of course. Some exploration firms have wiped out entire indigenous populations and used genetically-engineered viruses.”

“I’ve also heard that some of those genetically-engineered viruses mutated and caused the failure of entire colony planets, with immigrants turning into mutants.”

“Kid, what’s your superpower?” Amidst the chatter, the Bounty Hunter Guild President asked Yang Bo.

“I don’t know. Just brute strength.” Yang Bo glanced at the bald-headed man, finding it hard to associate him with the large-busted, long-legged woman from earlier, and quickly responded.

“Kid, there’s actually a way to unlock these confinement collars. Want me to teach you?” A middle-aged man from the Bounty Hunter Guild approached Yang Bo and whispered.

Yang Bo was obviously a bit shocked. At this point, Zhou Zheng, Wu Bing, and Hank also arrived. Their expressions were also quite complex. Each of them had been robbed of at least a million credits, but what they were most curious about was how Yang Bo had managed to hide the Longevity Energy Stone.

“It’s not possible to unlock them, right?” Zhou Zheng asked upon hearing this.

“There’s nothing that can’t be unlocked. With this spaceship cutting off all signals, we’ve actually got an opportunity.” A rather handsome young man from the Bounty Hunter Guild interjected.

“How do you know that?” Zhou Zheng asked.

“Because I’m proficient in warship repair. I used to be an engineer at a warship repair plant.” The youth answered calmly.

Zhou Zheng and the others were speechless. An engineer from a warship repair plant? And here he was, working for the Bounty Hunter Guild.

But Yang Bo understood. Some people simply weren’t satisfied with mundane, stable lives. It was common back on Earth for some to give up secure government jobs, much to the bewilderment of others.

“This collar has a flaw. I checked the version earlier. If we do this right, we could definitely unlock it,” the middle-aged man explained further.

Yang Bo curiously asked, “Why can’t you do it yourself?”

“I can’t. It still requires some strength. If any of us exceed the preset limits, we’ll get shocked with electricity or even injected with something that makes us unconscious,” the middle-aged man shook his head.

“It’s kind of similar to lock-picking, but not quite,” the man chuckled.

Wu Bing looked at Yang Bo and said, “Just give it a try, Yang Bo.”

“Alright then.” Yang Bo reluctantly agreed, feeling a bit curious himself. Could it really be done this way? Unlocking the confinement collar was simple for him; the inside had chips and was made of metal. He could control both with his Optical Ability and Metal Superpower.

“Kid, come here. But first, you can’t share this with anyone else,” the middle-aged man from the Bounty Hunter Guild pulled Yang Bo aside and gave him a word of caution.

“Of course, I won’t! I’m not even sure if I’ll learn how to do it.” Yang Bo nodded, seemingly nervous.

The man then crouched down and began sketching on the ground: “The confinement collar has a retractable mechanism here, a locking structure here, and over sixty sensing devices. It has fifteen shock points here and five injection ports…”

The collar was like a single handcuff that clamped around a person’s neck. It would stick closely to the neck, its insides wired with high-voltage probes. Two high-voltage needles lodged in the spine.

Upon closer inspection, Yang Bo realized it was meant to target acupuncture points on the neck.

Generally, superhumans weren’t afraid of electric shocks, but this device targeted acupuncture points. Shocking those points would cause fainting. If you didn’t pass out, the collar would inject something within a short time…

“Here’s the trick: you just need to jam this part hard enough, and the collar will release by itself.”

“Look closely here…” The middle-aged man plucked a strand of hair from his head, pointing to a particular part of his own confinement collar.

“This is an animal’s hair. It’s soft, but if you’re fast enough, it turns sharp.” He held the five-centimeter-long hair and explained.

Half believing, half doubting, Yang Bo took the hair in his hand, noticing how it felt quite unique.

“Try it. Use your fastest speed,” the man instructed and pointed at Yang Bo’s shoe.

The shoe had a layer of metal on the outside. Yang Bo took the hair in his hand and quickly stabbed at the shoe, intentionally slowing his speed.

“No, faster, faster,” the middle-aged man shook his head, watching Yang Bo’s slow attempt.

“Use force, more strength.”

“Put your whole body into it.” After several failures, the middle-aged man began to lose patience.

Yang Bo was astonished. The animal hair had force-attribute properties. As he squeezed the hair harder, it became as tough as a steel needle.

“I wonder what kind of animal this hair came from.”

“These Bounty Hunter Guild members really have some tricks up their sleeves.”

Yang Bo looked at the hair in his hand, pondering what other treasures these people might have.

Finally, the hair in Yang Bo’s hand pierced through the metal layer of the shoe, and the middle-aged man who had been watching breathed a sigh of relief.

“Remember, only this deep. No more, no less. You don’t need to know the rest.” The man continued instructing Yang Bo, pointing out the correct spot and depth for penetrating the collar’s panel.

He had Yang Bo practice repeatedly on his own shoe for the proper depth and position.

“Ugh. You really have no talent.” After at least a hundred attempts, the man sighed, finally deeming Yang Bo barely adequate.

The Guild President nodded after seeing the middle-aged man’s approval, and the Guild members allowed Yang Bo to try on one of them.

Earlier, Yang Bo had used his Metal Superpower to detect the presence of a circuit point inside the collar, just as the middle-aged man had described.

“Go ahead with confidence,” a young Bounty Hunter Guild member closed his eyes, allowing Yang Bo to try.

Yang Bo acted quickly, stabbing the hair into the designated spot. No one around saw what had happened.

Then with a click, the confinement collar around the man’s neck automatically released.

“…” Everyone around widened their eyes. The collar was opened just like that. Didn’t they say Yang Bo had no talent?

“Well, damn.” Even the middle-aged man who taught Yang Bo the trick was amazed. Piercing the metal was easy, but controlling the hair post-penetration? That was much harder.

This was because the collar had multiple layers of metal, shielding layers, and several types of material. The hair would easily get off course while moving through those layers.

“It seems the best way to handle things is not to rush. These Bounty Hunter Guild members have some real skills. There’s always someone who can handle what you can’t.” Yang Bo thought, reflecting on the fact that there were always capable people out there, and it was better to wait for a solution when one couldn’t be found right away.

Yang Bo then unlocked the collar for the middle-aged man who had taught him the technique. The man quickly pulled out another hair and began unlocking the collars of the others.

As for the hair in Yang Bo’s hand, the man didn’t ask for it back.

Yang Bo unlocked the collars of Zhou Zheng and the others first. Zhou Zheng and the others then began to guard Yang Bo. Previously, with everyone’s superpowers sealed, Yang Bo wasn’t in much danger. But now that the others had regained their powers, Yang Bo’s combat power was too weak to be without protection. Especially since he had the Longevity Energy Stone on him.

“What about us?” The third-party members were dumbfounded as they watched the Bounty Hunter Guild members and An Zhijie’s people get freed while nothing happened for them.

“Pay us.” The middle-aged man who taught Yang Bo the technique said only two words.

“We’re out here risking our lives for money. But of course, you can always issue a task through our Guild’s platform.” The Bounty Hunter Guild President added nonchalantly.

If it were before, Yang Bo might have thought this was cold-hearted. But now, he found it pretty normal. After all, they weren’t allies.

“Fine.” The third-party members could only agree. After all, it made sense. Everyone here was adventuring to make money, and no one was obligated to help without compensation.

The Bounty Hunter Guild members got busy. The engineer who claimed to specialize in warship repair was gently tapping on a section of the wall.

“Are all Bounty Hunter Guild members this amazing?” Yang Bo asked Wu Bing softly.

Wu Bing shook his head, “It’s my first time hearing about someone being able to unlock confinement collars. The guy who taught you this technique probably holds a high position within the Guild.”

Zhou Zheng chimed in, “The Bounty Hunter Guild has all sorts of people, but these kinds of high-level talents are probably quite rare. I’d guess the President might be the descendant of some big shot within the Guild. But what could possibly be on March Planet to attract investment from a Bounty Hunter Guild family?”

Yang Bo thought back to the President’s father, whom he’d seen on the farm, and mused, maybe that old man had an extraordinary background.

“Being able to discover a flaw in the confinement collar’s design means that person definitely isn’t ordinary. Likely, only insiders from the development company would know about this.”

“Exactly. But we don’t need to dig into it. This Bounty Hunter Guild President clearly has an impressive background. Perfect—we’ll stick with them for now.”

“Our boss isn’t that bad either. It’s just that Yang Bo wasn’t properly trained…” Hearing this, Yang Bo’s curiosity grew—there were definitely some interesting items on the Fat Boss’s person as well.

Bang!   The so-called warship repair engineer pointed to a specific spot on the metal wall. One of the Bounty Hunter Guild members stepped forward, his fist slowly turning wooden, and then he smashed his fist into the metal wall. A dent appeared.

On the second strike, he actually broke through the wall.

At this point, the lights on the Cargo Bay’s ceiling began flashing repeatedly—an alarm was clearly going off.

One of the Bounty Hunter Guild members waved a hand, sending a stream of water into the metal wall. Another waved their hand as well.

The wall visibly bulged, then cracked. It turned out the water inside had been frozen.

“Holy crap! Looks like we guessed right.”

“Damn, there are multiple elemental superhumans. Trinity Corporation is in big trouble this time.”

“Not necessarily. Some of these exploration ships from Trinity Corporation are outsourced.”

“That just shows they’re irresponsible.”

“Haha, some of these big powers within the Alliance were involved in writing the laws. Did you really expect them to leave no loopholes to benefit themselves?”

“Privately, though, Trinity Corporation will surely face a huge headache.”

“From now on, I’m killing every Trinity Corporation bastard I come across,” Zhou Zheng cursed, and the others joined in the rant.

In the adjacent Cargo Bay, a group of people flew across once they broke through.

Zhou Zheng and the others, protecting Yang Bo, didn’t rush to fight. Soon, the door to this Cargo Bay was opened—by members of the Bounty Hunter Guild.

Zhou Zheng and his team kept guarding Yang Bo. They weren’t kidding around—one of the Longevity Energy Stones was on Yang Bo and was worth a fortune, and the Bounty Hunter Guild President knew about it.

Yang Bo initially thought the outside was a chaotic battlefield, but when they exited, they realized the Bounty Hunter Guild members had completely sealed off the entrance to the hold and were wreaking havoc on the spaceship’s infrastructure—such as the pipes hidden inside the walls. Yang Bo saw through the observation port that many boxes and other items inside the neighboring Cargo Bay were being forcefully sucked out into the vacuum of space due to a breach.

“That’s a clever move,” Zhou Zheng commented upon seeing this.

“Yeah. We couldn’t win head-on, but any ship will go down if we destroy it. If we die, everyone dies together.”

“People in the Bounty Hunter Guild tend to be a bit mentally unhinged. They enjoy living on the edge.”

“Tsk, tsk.”

After hearing Zhou Zheng and the others chat, Yang Bo finally understood. They were all in the same boat now. Directly confronting the enemy was unrealistic, but they could achieve their goal by sabotaging the spaceship.

“If this were a real warship, it’d be another story. Proper warships are made using modular units.” The man who claimed to have worked at a warship repair company shook his head upon hearing their discussion. His eyes darted around, obviously on the lookout for another system to sabotage.