The ships scrambled to flee, but because they were part of a sightseeing tour group, they had been flying too close together and hadn’t left enough space to turn around.
For a moment, the scene dissolved into complete chaos.
Panicked tourists cursed out the Mantis Armed Group over the communication channels, berating them mercilessly.
Oh, this is terrible!
Other tour groups only wanted money, but the Mantis Armed Group wanted people’s lives!
Lin Xiaohe was still alive! Even more terrifying, she could actually walk out of the Black Domain alive!
Boo hoo hoo, the Federation and the Ministry of Security had screwed her over so badly. What if she was here for revenge?!
Lin Xiaohe, being rather mischievous, even summoned her black whip and pretended to strike at the tourists.
Oh my black hole!
The tourists who saw this were scared out of their wits.
This was the weapon that had destroyed half of the First Star Ring’s space fleet with a single lash!
They were just ordinary folks with fragile civilian ships. Even being grazed by the whip’s residual wind could easily destroy their vessels and kill everyone on board.
The tourists maxed out their ship engines and fled without looking back!
Of course, the Mantis Armed Group and Brother Dong couldn’t run. They were forcibly detained by Lin Xiaohe.
The Mantis Armed Group dropped to their knees in unison and groveled: “Oh, great leader of the Star Hope Party, Lin Xiaohe, our admiration for you flows like an endless river, ceaseless and eternal. We brought the tourists here only to spread the word of your heroic deeds, to gaze upon your glory, so that they might bow at your feet and become your loyal followers!”
Brother Dong, who was listening in, was utterly shocked. If he had even one-tenth of the Mantis Armed Group’s thick skin and silver tongue, the Dong family would probably have already risen to the Second Star Ring!
Lin Xiaohe remained unmoved and sneered coldly, “How do you prove your sincerity?”
“The Star Hope Party’s supplies are still sitting in the warehouse. We haven’t touched a single thing.”
Actually, they hadn’t dared to touch them. Even taking an extra look made their hearts pound with fear.
Lin Xiaohe was somewhat satisfied inside, but didn’t show it on her face. “That’s it? Isn’t that just what you were supposed to do?”
The leader of the Mantis Armed Group, being quite sensible, offered, “How about we split the tour fees with you? Half?”
“Heh!”
“Seventy percent for you, thirty for me?”
Lin Xiaohe decided not to push them further. “Exchange it all for supplies. As fast as possible.”
The Mantis Armed Group, feeling as if they had been granted a reprieve, sped back to the black market in their ships without looking back.
Skinny Monkey watched the ships’ fleeing backs and reached out a hand like a desperate lover. Hey friends, did you forget that your top salesperson is still on the client’s ship?!
Using Brother Dong’s ship’s access to the star network, Lin Xiaohe sent the videos recorded by the Star Hope Party members to their families’ accounts.
The first person to receive a message was, of course, Brother Dong.
He had a lot of questions he wanted to ask Lin Xiaohe, but she seemed busy, so he suppressed his urgency and patiently opened the message.
In the video, a slightly chubby teenager claimed to be his little brother, Dong Yuxuan, and even said his mental strength was about to reach S grade.
Brother Dong didn’t even finish watching the video. He closed it directly and couldn’t help but complain, “Lin Xiaohe, if you’re trying to scam me out of money, at least find a more convincing actor!”
His eyes reddened, and his voice choked up. “Just tell me the truth. Did something happen to my brother?”
Otherwise, why would she just find some random actor to impersonate him?
Lin Xiaohe looked confused. “Nothing happened to him. That is your brother. It’s just that a lot of time has passed, and he’s grown up.”
Brother Dong completely lost his composure and said angrily, “What kind of normal person grows from a chubby little kid into a teenager in just three short months?! Even growth hormones don’t work that fast!”
His voice was thick with resentment. “And the mental strength! Don’t you think I know what my brother’s talent is like? I used every kind of mental-strength-boosting nutrient and enrolled him in every training class there was, and we only barely managed to raise his mental strength to B grade.”
“And now you’re telling me that in just three months, he’s not only advanced to A grade but is also about to break through to S grade? Are you taking me for a fool? If there really was some special training method that could completely transform someone this much, the Federation would be fighting over it!”
Lin Xiaohe looked completely baffled. “Wait, what do you mean, three months? We’ve been in the Black Domain for over nine years! I do have a special training method, but it’s only for use within the Star Hope Party. It’s not for outsiders.”
Brother Dong was stunned. His mouth hung slightly open, and the muscles in his face slowly tensed up.
They had been in the Black Domain for nine years? And there really was a special training method?
For a moment, he didn’t even know which piece of news to be more shocked about.
“Lin Xiaohe, you’re not lying to me, are you?”
Lin Xiaohe sensed something was wrong and quickly accessed the systems of various ships to check the time.
Oh my goodness! Out here in the outside world, only three months had really passed!! Did that even make sense?!
So, the saying “one day in heaven, one year on earth” really wasn’t just a myth!
Ten days in the Federation equaled one year in the Black Domain.
Brother Dong had already figured out the answer and couldn’t help but shiver.
In another three months, his little brother Dong Yuxuan would be as old as he was! Then who would be the older brother and who would be the younger?
Both of them were stunned for a long time.
Lin Xiaohe suddenly felt like her pants were on fire. She was ready to bolt. “Time is life! Just chatting with you for a bit might mean a whole day has passed in the Black Domain.”
Their supplies were already running low. She had to hurry up and gather more!
Images of her people waiting with mouths to feed flashed through Lin Xiaohe’s mind.
“I’ll help you!” Brother Dong didn’t hesitate. He immediately started using his connections, preferring to pay higher prices to buy supplies locally from the Sixth Star Ring rather than waste time on shipping.
As for what he had said earlier about wanting his little brother to come home and be a freeloader, he completely forgot about it, like it was nothing but hot air.
His little brother was doing well and had latched onto humanity’s strongest leg. Why would Brother Dong stand in the way of his success?
He made a decision. He was going to set up a branch company near the Sixth Star Ring’s black market! To strengthen business cooperation with Lin Xiaohe!
“Xiaohe, I have a lot of seeds on my ship. Do you want them?”
…
Melina closed her eyes wearily.
For the past few months, her political opponents had been relentlessly attacking her over Wesley’s defection.
If she hadn’t had such a clean record herself, she probably would have been forced out of office long ago.
She curled her lips into a bitter smile. The staff at the Third Star Ring’s Education Department admissions office were disobedient and made things difficult for her at every turn, making progress on various tasks extremely slow.
She probably wouldn’t last more than a few days before she’d have to report to the Minister of Education again.
Melina stood up and poured herself a glass of creaking fruit wine.
It was sour with a hint of fruitiness, and the bitterness gave way to a sweet aftertaste.
Her thoughts drifted far away, to the Black Domain, to Wesley’s side.
Her AI notified her of a new message.
Melina let out a long breath and frowned as she opened the message.
The face that greeted her eyes was a familiar one, looking much more mature and calmer.
She looked greedily at Wesley, playing the video over and over again.
“You’ve grown up, you’ve gotten stronger. That’s really wonderful.”
Melina’s eyes grew moist. She traced Wesley’s outline with her fingers, and her anxious heart instantly calmed down.
Half an hour later, Melina had calmed down completely. She stared at that mysterious communication account, hesitated for only three seconds, and then transmitted the information document she had compiled over this period.
It contained a top-secret Federation document.
