Starting Cultivation in Wasteland-Chapter 629 - 499: Acting in Unison

Qu Jianlei didn't think those two families were that important, merely objects for venting his anger.

Aunt Liu wasn't surprised either; she understood Panda's motives for capturing those people very well.

She asked thoughtfully, "But they're asking you to hand over something, what can you give them?"

Qu Jianlei shook his head, "I don't know what they want anyway, but my stuff, I absolutely won't give to them."

"Then Xiang Xue..." Aunt Liu's brow furrowed even tighter, "What if they don't release her?"

"Then I can only avenge her," Qu Jianlei answered without hesitation.

After a pause, he apologized, "I'm sorry, I accidentally got her involved, please convey this to her family."

Aunt Liu sighed, "There's no need to say this now... By the way, how can we let them know your stance?"

"Do you have their contact information?"

Qu Jianlei shook his head, thinking that the Imperial really doesn't have the habit of exchanging hostages, it's a simple matter.

"No contact information, but inform those two families and let them relay the message: release the person, nothing else."

Aunt Liu thought for a moment and nodded, then sighed again, "That's all we can do."

That night, the two families were released.

However, the archaeology enthusiasts were not kind.

When the A-level and B-level members of the McGillen family were released, their cultivation levels had been crippled, but the C-level of the Aaron family was fine.

Mainly, those two C-levels were obviously lacking aptitude, not young anymore, probably hopeless for B-level, let alone A-level.

Notably, their cultivation wasn't crippled when they were captured, but before they were released.

Qu Jianlei only learned about it the next morning, unable to help but click his tongue: Xiang Xue's supreme father... quite ruthless!

However, Aunt Liu didn't see it that way, "Once a confrontation starts, you must strike at the opponent's living forces."

"Releasing those captured entirely intact would instead make them think Xiang Xue is very important, we can't give them that impression."

Hearing these cold words, Qu Jianlei couldn't help but shiver, "But what if Xiang Xue is retaliated against?"

Aunt Liu replied coldly, "Then they'll face wrath."

After a pause, she sighed again, "Let's see her luck... this isn't my stance, it's her father's choice."

Is this really her father? Qu Jianlei's mouth twitched: I still can't quite get used to the Imperial civilization.

However, the other side didn't seem to mind this point. In the morning, they again contacted the School Protection Team.

It was still a synthesized electronic voice, still concise, "Panda doesn't hand over things, we won't release people."

Upon hearing this, Qu Jianlei's immediate reaction was, "I'll end Aaron's family tonight!"

Are they really this foolish, thinking that just because I released them, I can't kill them anymore?

In any case, Aaron's family was released but had no intention of leaving—such a large family can't leave quickly anyway.

Aunt Liu, however, stated, "No rush, let me contact the organization to see what the upper level wants."

By evening, there was a reply from the Earth Scholar side, saying they had begun to take revenge.

Xiang Xue's father did not blame Qu Jianlei, in the supreme's words—after all, Panda had saved her twice.

This attitude would definitely make people on Blue Star question whether this is really her father.

At the same time, the Earth Scholar also made a request: hoping Panda will cooperate with the revenge actions.

Qu Jianlei agreed to this request without hesitation: even if you hadn't mentioned it, I was already planning to do so.

They're simply getting addicted to bullying, eyeing my things, and never stopping, huh?

According to Qu Jianlei's plan, he wanted to first take care of Bida Fourth Star's manager, Mel.

Mel himself is A-level, usually accompanied by a few B-level guards and, in tense situations, brings an A-level.

Normally, he would bring Aaron, but since Aaron is on leave now, he chose another A-level to accompany him.

Such a combination is hard to handle, but Qu Jianlei felt he could give it a try anyway.

However, the Earth Scholar not only provided information related to Bida's key personnel but also proposed revenge suggestions.

Their suggestion was: first target the freight starship, destroy a few ships of their cargo and see.

Qu Jianlei contemplated seriously and thought this could indeed be done.

What does killing two A-levels count for? The real deal is that any freight ship plus its cargo should be quite valuable.

Even if it doesn't reach a billion, it should be at least several tens of millions.

In fact, the typical starship's value exceeds a billion, but freight starships have insurance, and damaged starships can also be devalued.

Anyway, since the Earth Scholar provided the direction, he'd just execute it.

While Qu Jianlei was contemplating and planning the action, the Zi Jiu Immortal came over.

Xiang Xue's abduction alarmed the entire Engineering College, and the female professor naturally cared more about her assistant.

Qu Jianlei didn't hide from her, told her everything he could—Cheng Qingshan knew a lot already, so how could he hide it from her?

Upon hearing Xiang Xue's father's reaction, the Zi Jiu Immortal was also a bit surprised, "That's his daughter, really so heartless?"

It turns out I wasn't the only one who thought something was off, Qu Jianlei pondered and replied, "Maybe this is the Supreme mindset."

Ordinary people, whatever, but the Supreme involves too many interests on all sides, you really can't casually expose your weaknesses.

Others may think it's "aloof and lost the human touch," but maybe... it's lonely at the top.

Hearing him say this, the lady professor seemed to realize something as well, "So, are you planning to sabotage a few starships first?"

"That's right," Qu Jianlei nodded, "I'll investigate first, then contact the other party, and we'll take action on two planets simultaneously."

Zi Jiu Immortal furrowed her brows and couldn't help but ask, "Why only two planets... what about Star No. 2?"

Star No. 2 might also have Earth Scholars arranging a counterattack, Qu Jianlei had considered this possibility.

After all, archaeology enthusiasts are a real organization, unlike the one he fabricated, and they might have people on every planet.

The first time Qu Jianlei encountered Earth Scholars was at the Old City Library on Star No. 2.

However, hearing these words still made his heart skip a beat: even a fabricated organization shouldn't rely on me every time!

So he looked at the lady professor, "Do you have any suggestions?"

Zi Jiu Immortal answered without hesitation, "Ask my great-grandmother for help, taking down a few starships shouldn't be a problem for her."

"I thought you were going to introduce some notable power," Qu Jianlei frowned slightly, "She seems to just want to enjoy her twilight years now."

"You're mistaken," Zi Jiu Immortal shook her head and replied earnestly, "As long as you pay, she's in desperate need of money."

"In need of money?" Qu Jianlei blinked. Even the Supreme could be in need of money?

However, upon further thought, ever since he met Granny Jia, although she never showed that she was in need of money, she was never extravagant either.

But the Supreme's need for money might differ in level from his own needs, "Are you sure?"

Zi Jiu Immortal nodded, "Absolutely sure, in my memory, great-grandmother has never been extravagant."

"Then I'll get in touch with her," Qu Jianlei was a bit tempted.

It turns out that the lady professor was indeed correct.

Granny Jia was very straightforward upon learning of Qu Jianlei's request, "I can help, thirty thousand for each starship."

"No problem," Qu Jianlei answered without hesitation, "For anything within ten ships, you needn't ask me; for more than ten, consult with me first."

"How could it exceed ten ships?" Granny Jia replied shakily, "Do you really think the people at Bida are all fools?"

"If several ships have problems in succession, they will definitely investigate the cause, so the highest success rate is with the first few ships."

"Then I'll take it as you've agreed," Qu Jianlei didn't dilly-dally, "Shall we settle accounts when I return to Star No. 2?"

"I trust you," Granny Jia answered without hesitation, "Then you need to make an appointment with Star One, right? Act together."

Granny, your business acumen is indeed... impressive. Though now aged, once you were a formidable presence.

Qu Jianlei raised his eyebrows, "Okay, I'll ask right away."

The Earth Scholars received the news and weren't surprised that Panda planned to make a move on Star No. 2.

They simply stated that the organization also has arrangements on Star No. 2.

However, since Panda wanted it, they could cooperate; even halting the arrangements on Star No. 2 would be no issue.

Qu Jianlei expressed indifference, stating that everyone's efforts together made them stronger.

It's just that after selecting the starships to target, it's best to communicate with each other, as overlapping targets would reduce efficiency.

In the back-and-forth of negotiation, someone needed to relay messages, and it wasn't until near midnight that a decision was reached.

By this time, Qu Jianlei's attention had already shifted: Which starships should be targeted?

Bida Freight is truly a behemoth, with hundreds of cargo starships taking off and landing daily.

Without such a massive cargo turnover capacity, they couldn't possibly meet the demands of Star No. 4.

Yet most starships are not suitable targets,

First of all, a significant number of the starships don't belong to Bida; they participate in the company through affiliation or partnerships.

This is quite normal, as operating a single starship for interstellar transport is truly exhausting and risky.

Finding work is a challenge, not to mention the myriad dangers potentially faced in interstellar transport.

Large freight companies can afford to have dedicated guard teams, but can a small starship afford one?

While on a transport run, earning enough profit to hire a few bodyguards might not be difficult.

However, a lone starship often doesn't have consistent business—more work means more earnings, less work means less earnings.

For those with limited production materials, they face similar dilemmas, as reliability is just as much of a challenge as production capacity.

In times of sparse business, they must still pay the guard team even when idle, who can afford that?

The most troublesome thing is... interstellar freight is a special industry.

The permits, qualifications, pledges, and certifications are numerous and complicated to manage.

A single starship engaged in freight requires numerous documents, and a company won't require many more for freight operations.

So rather than struggling with certifications, it's better to affiliate with a company,

The company is sure to take a cut, but they also provide longstanding business opportunities, don't they?