Verina's expression hardened, and her gaze involuntarily shifted to the star map in front of Mingxi.

At this moment, Mingxi's fingertips were tracing the marks on the star map and the content extending from those marks.

"Leaving aside the time and place of their appearances, don't you think the coincidences of their main abilities each time they use are a bit too much?"

Verina wasn't stupid, she narrowed her eyes, "You mean these people are actually... planning something with a purpose?"

Mingxi smiled and said, "To be precise, these people are advance guards sent by someone with ulterior motives to test my bottom line, and cannon fodder to lower my guard."

Ordinary space pirates or mercenary groups cannot possess such capabilities and have such confidence.

"So who do you think it could be?"

A cold glint flashed in Mingxi's eyes, "Descend!"

She pointed to a coordinate on the star map, a cosmic coordinate that the Shijin spacecraft would inevitably pass through on its journey to Earth.

"If I'm not mistaken, this is where the great white shark will finally bite."

An answer that was both unexpected and reasonable.

"So what are you going to do? Wait for the real great white shark to come at you? Or will you turn the tables on them?"

A cold glint flashed in Mingxi's clear black eyes as she wiped the clean tabletop with her fingertips, leaving a translucent white streak on the glass.

"Instead of waiting passively."

Mingxi smiled.

"It would be better to take the initiative."

Verina was taken aback.

What is Mingxi planning...?

"Let's go talk to the captain; my idea requires their cooperation."

Three days later.

The Shijin quietly glided past the dust belt at the edge of the starry sea, like a silver fish diving into the deep sea.

The Shijin has now been transformed. It is no longer the solemn royal frigate, but an ordinary transport ship with its exterior painted with some battle damage.

There is no official registration record and no fixed flight route.

Furthermore, all external communications on the starship were completely silent, like a ghost that had vanished from the star map.

But its prey would never imagine that ghosts also hunt.

The Shattered Star Cluster is a temporary trading post known as the 'Bone Graveyard'.

Countless fragmented asteroids and starship wreckage form a natural barrier in this region, and the intense electromagnetic interference renders conventional scanning methods almost ineffective.

This is a logistics hub in the universe, a place for black market transactions, the sale of stolen goods, and also a perfect hiding place for fugitives.

Its properties are very similar to those of Zetalem.

But the liquidity here is much higher.

There were regular starships and transport ships coming and going, some of which needed resupply, but there were many more irregular groups.

The Shijin did not land at the Bone Graveyard.

Instead, it stopped in the outer realms.

Mingxi, Verina, and the captain of the Shijin, Colonel Ronald Kova of the Kaman Empire, were piloting an assault ship left behind by the space pirates, towing a total of 26 spaceships of various models and specifications that they had captured along the way.

It quietly docked at the third shipyard.

supply.

And while we're at it, we'll sell off those spoils.

After all, towing so many spaceships through the vast universe is a huge undertaking, even if it involves light.

A burden cannot be carried on one's back forever.

Moreover, these things also need to be cleared out for the sake of Shijin, who is willing to take risks with her.

The metallic clanging of the docking pipes echoed in the empty compartment.

"Dock confirmed, airtightness is good."

"Your Excellency, the 'Faceless' merchant group has already sent someone to make contact."

Mingxi stood in front of the observation window, looking at the busy scene in the dock below.

Personnel in various colored protective suits, along with all sorts of extraordinary creatures and mechanical beasts of different sizes, are busy at work.

Someone is inspecting the condition of those starships and then determining a suitable purchase price based on the degree of damage and value.

The extraordinary creatures, some quite large, were moving supplies.

Some were sold, and some were bought.

The Faceless Merchant Guild that Ronald Kova mentioned is a merchant guild power in this Shattered Star Transfer Station. It is unclear which country or power is supporting its operation, but it is known that it has a strong backing, acts relatively uprightly, and offers reasonable prices.

At least they rarely do double-crossing.

Therefore, it has a fairly good reputation among many 'homeless' people.

Mingxi didn't have much to be picky about. After a brief understanding, she had Ronald contact the Faceless Man Merchant Guild directly.

Of course, she herself will not come forward, after all, she is being hunted with a large bounty, and no matter how good the Faceless Ones' reputation is, it cannot change the fact that they are businessmen.

Merchants, on the other hand, prioritize profit over righteousness!

She had no intention of risking her life to test humanity.

So she eventually had Yaoxuan change his appearance and let him negotiate with the people sent by the Faceless Man.

Although Yaoxuan lacks the cunning of a merchant, it understands people's hearts and controls destiny, so it naturally won't suffer too much loss.

The transaction went smoothly.

"Your Excellency, the harvest this time is truly astonishing."

After listening to Yaoxuan's report, Ronald, this serious and earnest old man, sounded excited.

"Those three assault ships alone could fetch enough energy crystals on the black market to power the Shijin for ten years!"

Mingxi calmly watched the transaction process: "Of these star coins, 30% will be used for the maintenance and upgrades of the Shijin starship, 40% will be used as bonuses for all the crew members, and I will keep the remaining 30%."

Ronald was taken aback, then said, "This distribution won't do; we're taking advantage of you too much."

Although they encountered danger, in reality, apart from helping Mingxi with the cleanup work, they did not offer any other assistance whatsoever.

When Mingxi proposed a 50/50 split, they already had a huge advantage, but now Mingxi's distribution is even more outrageous.

Those who didn't contribute any labor received the lion's share.

Even with his thick skin, he felt this was inappropriate.

Mingxi smiled and said, "It's just material possessions. Captain Kowa, you don't need to care too much about it. Besides, you've all come with me on this adventure, and if things go wrong, you might not come back. I'm just giving up some money that isn't very important to me."

In the end, you're the ones who suffer the loss.

"...That's not how it works. All the actions we took were agreed upon by all of us. You've already given enough, so it's really a 50/50 split..."

Mingxi raised her hand to stop him from saying anything more. "In my opinion, your support is far more important than gold and silver."

“Moreover,” the girl raised her eyes, her gaze revealing a clear determination, “I don’t actually like it when people question my decisions.”

Ronald Kovacs was stunned.

He deeply felt that this girl was different from others. She was not an ordinary girl, but a true powerhouse, a beast tamer who had already stood at the top of the alliance!

"I understand, thank you."

Regardless, Mingxi's generosity and the thoughtfulness and respect she showed in her words made him feel comfortable.

After completing the transaction, he immediately sent the message back via the internal network of Shijinhao.

A commotion immediately broke out inside the Shijin, which was temporarily docked in the outer region.

Who wouldn't be happy to get more money?

There are currently 427 staff members on board.

Everyone is as happy as if it were Chinese New Year.

The finance director held an electronic list in his hand, his voice echoing through every corner of the starship via loudspeaker:

"According to Lady Mingxi's orders, after deducting the portion used for resupply from the starships and supplies she previously captured, there are still 1.48264 billion star coins remaining!"

According to the proportion she proposed, each of you will receive 2 million star coins!

After a brief silence, deafening cheers erupted.

"Holy crap! Two million! That's five years' salary of mine!"

"Old Mr. PLT, now your daughter's tuition fees are all set!"

"Hahaha, I want to buy an apartment on Earth!"

The young navigator ran around excitedly;

The old engineer in the engine department silently wiped away the corners of his eyes; his son's gambling debts would finally be paid off.

Several young soldiers are already discussing pooling their money to buy a small shuttle and start a transportation company after they retire...

Those who had been hesitant to follow Mingxi on her adventure now had all their concerns put aside, and even if they still felt uneasy, they were much more at ease.

Indeed, money emboldens people!

Since ancient times, interests have always won people's hearts.

Mingxi naturally couldn't see what was happening on the Shijin.

She was currently heading to the lower level of the dock with Ronald and Verina to find a man called 'Old Ghost'.

One of their other important purposes for this trip.

Seventh maintenance area, workstation number thirteen.

It's less of a workstation and more of a shack built from scrap parts and insulation boards.

The air was filled with the mixed smells of engine oil, solder, and cheap body oil.

Several people in dirty overalls were busy around a broken engine, but they stopped when they saw Mingxi and her group in disguise.

"We're looking for Old Ghost."

Ronald spoke first.

An old repairman, missing a front tooth, looked them up and down as if they were a flock of peacocks that had accidentally wandered into a garbage dump.

Mingxi and the other two remained relatively calm.

Such a gaze could not stir even the slightest ripple in their hearts.

The old repairman rubbed his teeth and pointed to a shack with a strong workwear style: "He's lying in there. He drank too much again last night."

Ronald thanked her, nodded to Mingxi, and went into the shack first.

Mingxi and Verina followed closely behind.

Although it's called a shack, the interior space isn't actually cramped.

In the dim light, a thin figure was curled up in a hammock in the corner.

Several empty wine bottles were scattered around.

The man looked to be in his fifties, with gray and disheveled hair, deep wrinkles on his face, and an old scar running from his brow bone to his jaw.

Wounds, which are usually a 'rare' occurrence in everyday life, are everywhere here.

It's not that there aren't any extraordinary creatures with healing abilities here, but rather that the humans living here value 'medals' more because their existence is a way of declaring to the outside world that they are not weak! 𝒻𝓇𝑒𝘦𝘸𝑒𝒷𝓃ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝒸ℴ𝘮

However, this man called 'Old Ghost' seems to have a bit too many medals on him.

Even in his sleep, his brow was furrowed, and he was completely unaware of their arrival.

The air was thick with the aroma of alcohol.

Mingxi noticed a detail that wasn't particularly special.

Although the man's hands were covered in grease, his fingers were long and strong, and there were calluses on the base of his thumb and index finger joints from holding precision instruments for a long time.

More importantly, there was a tiny, almost invisible interface behind his right ear, a trace of a neurosurgical device that had been implanted.

Neurointervention devices are a product of the combination of high technology and a side profession. They are technological tools whose function is to stabilize the mind.

It was mainly made for beast tamers who suffered brain damage. Although it has many side effects, it can stabilize the brain and prevent it from regressing.

That is, the beast tamer whose pet has died.

Of course, neurosurgical interventional devices are also devices.

As for any item, the higher its level, the better its quality, and correspondingly, the fewer side effects it will have.

Therefore, there are good and bad neurosurgical devices.

It's obvious that this old ghost once lost his most important partner.

"Old ghost, wake up!"

Ronald stepped forward and pushed the hammock.

The person on the bed mumbled something, turned over, and went back to sleep.

Mingxi raised her hand to stop Ronald from starting his rough wake-up call.

"Let him wake up naturally, otherwise he'll just be clueless when he does."

Of course, she could have Little Silver Flower use Divine Healing.

However, to avoid revealing her identity, she did not plan to summon the gold ingots in this cluster of broken stars unless absolutely necessary.

So people still have to wake up naturally.

She walked to the workbench.

Scattered on it were various mechanical parts, and a data board covered with hastily written formulas.

Mingxi never had the idea of ​​prying into other people's privacy.

But I still picked up the data panel and quickly glanced at it.

It turned out to be an analysis of the gravitational anomalies of some desolate planet, with calculations accurate to six decimal places, using an outdated but extremely stable old algorithm.

"He's calculating the drift of the jump point."

Mingxi suddenly spoke up, "I remember the Alliance officially declared the only jump point near K-7 Desolate Star invalid three years ago, so the route to and from K-7 Desolate Star has been cut off."

He is recalibrating, and...

The accuracy is extremely high.

At that moment, the person in the hammock suddenly opened their eyes.

Those were eyes that didn't match his disheveled appearance at all.

Clear, sharp, and unfathomable, like an old captain who has weathered a long voyage and can still lock onto the North Star in a storm.

"You understand old-style algorithms?"

Old Ghost sat up, and when he spoke, his voice was hoarse.

He seemed completely uninterested in why there were three strangers in the shack, focusing only on his own questions.

"I've read some related books."

Mingxi showed no panic at the man's sudden awakening; she put down the data panel.

"You are able ❖ Nоvеl𝚒ght ❖ (Exclusive on Nоvеl𝚒ght) to calculate the residual stability of the K-7 jump point and derive a new jump point. Your expertise in cosmological theory is remarkable. You should not rot here."

Ronaldo certainly made the right recommendation.

Because Mingxi's next plan requires a star guide to find and determine the most suitable and safest star route for Shijin.

So Ronald recommended this man called Old Ghost.

Old Ghost stared at her for a few seconds, then suddenly laughed.

The laughter was laced with bitterness. "So what if you're good? What good is it!"

Even the most skilled star astronauts make mistakes, and just one mistake, even a single numerical error, is enough to destroy a starship and cause countless deaths.

This would destroy all previous achievements.

As he spoke, he grabbed the half-empty bottle of wine next to him and took another big gulp.

Only then did he take a closer look at the three of them.

"By the way, I haven't asked yet, who are you? And what brings you here?"