Chapter 273: Stay Away from Trouble

“Acting all mysterious.” Yang Bo had two plans in mind. If the sect was relatively free, he would consider joining.

But if there were too many nonsensical rules, he definitely wouldn’t join.

Anyway, he now had a reason to unlock those smart devices, claiming it was the person from last time who taught him, and the rest he figured out on his own.

“Since I have Metal Superpower, figuring out the structure of those locks is way too easy.” Yang Bo took an Flying Car, spending over 100,000 credits to repair it.

“From now on, it’s better not to go out during hurricane season. Over 100,000 credits, I could have bought out two farms with that.” Yang Bo muttered.

First, he went to the Company to meet up with the Fat Boss and Zhou Rui.

Both were dressed quite formally, and Yang Bo also dressed relatively formally, but his outfit was more like a roomy Zhongshan suit.

Mainly because Yang Bo’s physique had recently increased, his muscles visibly grew larger.

If his clothes were too small, people would easily notice.

“Yang Bo, what are your thoughts?” The Fat Boss and Zhou Rui had conflicting opinions, one wanting Yang Bo to join the sect, the other not.

“I’ll check it out first. If there are too many rules, I won’t join. I used to live in Government Welfare Housing, but there were too many rules, so I got frustrated and left to find a job.” Yang Bo found a good excuse.

“It’s up to you.” Zhou Rui chimed in.

Today, Zhou Rui noticed something different about Yang Bo. She couldn’t quite pinpoint what it was—just a feeling.

Looking closely, maybe it was that he dressed differently now, more formally than before.

The three arrived at the agreed meeting place, a private room in a teahouse near the seaside.

From here, several cleaning robots could be seen sweeping the beach.

The robots were in various shapes, not humanoid. Some were square-shaped, moving forward while extending multiple mechanical arms to sort trash into different bins on their bodies.

Once a bin was full, another transport robot would come and take the trash away.

The cleaning speed was fast, but the beach was piled with garbage up to seven or eight meters high.

After surface-level cleaning, machines would still need to sift the sand and level it out.

After waiting five minutes, a woman appeared. She wore a white suit, along with a white hat and black sunglasses.

Upon entering the room, she took off her hat, revealing long black hair, followed by her sunglasses unveiling a delicate face.

“Sorry to keep you waiting.” The woman apologized, setting down her hat and sunglasses.

Yang Bo’s mind screamed: “Damn it!”

Wasn’t this the woman who was kidnapped last time?  Was she part of the sect?  Yang Bo wanted nothing to do with such a dangerous person. If bounty hunters were willing to travel far to abduct her, he needed to stay far away from this trouble.

Someone like him had to avoid these kinds of disasters at all costs.

“No problem!”

“We just arrived as well. May I ask your name?” Zhou Rui and the Fat Boss were a bit more reserved, but the Fat Boss still asked.

The woman sent a message through her wristwatch, and after seeing it, both the Fat Boss and Zhou Rui nodded.

“Mr. Yang Bo, do you have any questions about joining our sect?” After sitting down, the woman immediately asked Yang Bo.

Yang Bo had already come up with an excuse, but he still asked, “What rules does the sect have? Are there things I can’t do?”

“Our sect has many rules.” The woman studied Yang Bo’s expression carefully.

Hearing this, Yang Bo frowned. “Well, I’m sorry, but I’m a bit sensitive to too many rules. Back when I lived in welfare housing, I became fearful of being controlled by too many regulations.”

“Ma’am, I apologize for wasting your time,” Yang Bo said, looking at her apologetically.

The Fat Boss and Zhou Rui had not expected Yang Bo to refuse so quickly, but they understood that when one dislikes something, they instinctively reject it.

The woman smiled. “Yes, there are many rules, but they don’t really impact personal freedom much.”

“I’m sorry. There’s something else that makes me uncomfortable. You came in without introducing yourself. I was taught from a young age that all parties should be equal.”

“From this, it seems that there might be serious hierarchical issues within the sect. As a newcomer, I’d probably be at the bottom.”

“I know that to you people, equality is a joke, but I still can’t accept it.”

“Ma’am, I deeply apologize!” Yang Bo finished and stood, pulling the Fat Boss along.

“My apologies!” The Fat Boss, hearing Yang Bo’s words, hurried to stand as well.

Zhou Rui, seeing Yang Bo about to leave, glanced at the woman and also apologized.

The three of them left so quickly that the woman didn’t even get a chance to respond.

“Yang Bo, I didn’t expect her attitude to be like that. A sect may be a big deal, but at least introduce yourself when you meet someone, right?” The Fat Boss fully agreed with Yang Bo’s sentiment.

Yang Bo happily added, “Exactly! If you’re not willing to give your real name, at least say your surname.”

Zhou Rui rubbed her forehead. “That’s how these sects are. They always act superior when dealing with outsiders.”

“So I don’t need to join, right? They clearly wanted me to join, and now they give me this attitude?” Yang Bo looked as if he couldn’t understand it.

The Fat Boss wanted to say that this is just how the powerful act. The friendly, approachable side is often just part of the show.

But the Fat Boss understood Yang Bo. After all, his welfare housing education taught him that messing with the rich could make you disappear without a trace.

Yang Bo had already been hesitant about joining, and now with this added trouble, only a fool would still want to join the sect.

“Is it okay if I keep using the unlocking skill?” Yang Bo asked, pretending to be worried.

The Fat Boss quickly reassured him, “Of course, it’s fine. That’s part of the deal we made with them.”

Zhou Rui nodded in agreement as well. “There won’t be any issue with that. The only thing that might change is the design of future spaceships, so the unlocking methods might vary.”

Hearing this, Yang Bo sighed in relief. “Good, I’ve seen movies where people who aren’t in the sect can’t use their skills.”

“No worries. Not joining might be for the best!” The Fat Boss had come to terms with it. If Yang Bo hated rules, there was no point in joining.

“I’ve got some things to handle.”

“Go ahead. I’ll head off with Yang Bo.” The Fat Boss, hearing Zhou Rui’s words, was glad she was leaving.

After Zhou Rui left, the Fat Boss took Yang Bo to another teahouse.

“Be careful with any future missions from Zhou Rui. They have some mysterious ties with the Thief Sect.” Once seated, the Fat Boss warned.

Yang Bo nodded while sipping his tea. “I know. They’re involved somehow.”

“Well, I wouldn’t say they’re fully aligned, but they’re close partners. Still, Zhou Rui wouldn’t expose your background.”

“But it’s good to be cautious.” The Fat Boss also took a sip of his tea.

Yang Bo understood that the Fat Boss meant Zhou Rui had a working relationship with the Thief Sect.

And now that Yang Bo was part of Zhou Rui’s family, it was unlikely they’d sell him out.

Zhou Rui needed to report all of this to her father. When her father heard about today’s events, he laughed heartily during the video call: “That’s just how sect people are, with their heads in the clouds.”

“The common folk in the Alliance are so easily misled by the rich and powerful. That’s the result of their years of propaganda.”

“Just look at the state of the Alliance. Pay attention to those nauseating speeches the politicians keep giving.”

Zhou Rui understood why her father said that. The Alliance prided itself on freedom and human rights, but those who kill have more rights than the victims.

That was exactly why Zhou Rui chose to develop her career here. In the Alliance, even those with a death sentence are treated quite well in prison.

It’s different in the other two nations. The Federation’s laws are chaotic; every Capital Star has its own legal system. And the Azure Blue Empire is even worse—they still hang or behead criminals.

“Should we explain this to the Thief Sect?” Zhou Rui mainly wanted to ask this question.

Her father shook his head. “No need. Our family’s relationship with their sect is purely collaborative. They came to notify us, but didn’t specify the details.”

“We’re just close partners. Yang Bo is part of our family now.”

Zhou Rui nodded. “Alright, but we need to find a way to get Liu Zhijie to step aside.”

“That’s easy. He only has a handful of people under him. Just stir up some trouble that requires his personal attention.” Zhou Rui’s father replied.

Zhou Rui nodded again. “I’ll look into the relevant information right away.”

“Do you think that other person will come?” Zhou Rui’s father asked.

Zhou Rui knew he was asking about Third Master and shook her head. “I’m not sure.”

“Let’s wait another month. If there’s no sign of him, I’ll leave first,” her father said before ending the call.

Zhou Rui sighed. Yang Bo’s behavior was unpredictable. When the Thief Sect member came today, he reacted so strongly.

After bidding farewell to the Fat Boss, Yang Bo left. The Fat Boss’s company had been attacked, and the government had yet to finalize the compensation and repair plans, so everyone was on leave.

Naturally, Yang Bo didn’t have any tasks to complete. Everyone else had taken their families on vacation.

After doing some shopping, Yang Bo returned home.

“Was today’s event really an accident?” Nowadays, Yang Bo was half-skeptical about everything.

He believed there was nothing wrong with being suspicious and preparing for the worst.

Thinking it over one more time, he hadn’t shown any flaws. “Looks like this situation won’t settle down anytime soon.”

“Maybe I should find a way to slip away?” Yang Bo wasn’t sure if that woman would still be targeted by the Grey Ash Organization.

If the Grey Ash Organization sent more people, there was a chance they could target him too, like catching two birds with one stone.

“Better switch to a new identity at the Bounty Hunter Guild and see if I can get some benefits.” Yang Bo planned to equip himself with high-tech gear from the guild.

Then he logged into the game, continuing to build his Mind Control. After all, he had money—if money could fix it, it wasn’t really a problem.

Once in the game, the Female Captain was left in frustration. Despite being a top-level psychic Genetic Evolver with A-rank intelligence, she couldn’t have predicted today’s outcome.

Being a Genetic Evolver skilled in analysis and prediction, she thought through countless possibilities but hadn’t expected to be rejected after hardly speaking a few words. It was impossible for her to accept.

“What exactly is this guy trying to accomplish?” The Female Captain mulled it over, unable to grasp Yang Bo’s true intentions.

Why had Yang Bo done all of this? Without knowing the target’s goals, any predictions could be wrong.

It was like solving a crime; the first step is understanding the suspect’s motive.

The hardest cases are those with no clear motivation.

Typically, investigations revolve around the victim’s social connections.

In 99% of cases, that’s the key. What puzzled the Female Captain most was figuring out why Yang Bo did all this.  Why enter the Mecha Game?  Why impersonate Fleet soldiers on Green Demon Planet?  Why stay there so long?  And how did Yang Bo, whose official background was so clean, have all these extraordinary abilities?

Yang Bo had grown up in welfare housing, and yet he somehow possessed these abnormal abilities. It wasn’t possible for someone to develop such powers overnight?

These doubts made it hard for the Female Captain to be sure of anything regarding Yang Bo.

She believed the sect was irresistible—99.99% of people wouldn’t refuse.

“Could Yang Bo be from some hidden sect?” A bold idea flashed in her mind.

“That would explain it. These secret sects lay down hidden lines to protect their inheritance and prevent the sect from being wiped out.”

“Who has Yang Bo met over the years?”

“How did he connect with them?” The Female Captain couldn’t stop her mind from wandering.

Now she began to doubt her own assessments; Yang Bo had too many mysteries surrounding him.

But his records were so clean that sometimes she wondered if she was overthinking.

That night, Yang Bo snuck out using Invisibility, heading straight to the secret base of the Bounty Hunter Guild.

He discovered the base had been bought by another company for exploration, which explained why the guild could establish its base there.

“Th-Third Master?” A member on duty at the Bounty Hunter Guild’s base stammered in disbelief as Yang Bo appeared in front of him.