Although everything was under control, Qu Jianlei still asked Little Lake to be cautious and not get caught off guard.

But Big Head Butterfly was thinking of something else, "You’ve only let me control a few major systems, not the whole thing."

Qu Jianlei casually replied, "Isn’t that for negotiation? Controlling everything isn’t necessary, just knowing their movements is fine."

Little Lake expressed frustration, "But they might self-destruct or something, and if they manually self-destruct, I won’t be able to stop it."

The last time they encountered a manual self-destruction, those professional warriors were caught off guard; AI isn’t foolproof.

"Isn’t that normal?" Qu Jianlei laughed indifferently, "I doubt they even have the courage for that."

"But this is a heavily armed merchant ship!" Big Head Butterfly’s body spun continuously.

"Just make a few big holes and then repair them; it can sell for a lot of money, at least two hundred million, right? And then there’s the attack ship..."

"Boss, I’m the one repairing merchant ships here, just prepare raw materials and energy blocks, why not?"

Little Lake rarely spoke so much, indicating it was really reluctant.

Qu Jianlei sighed lightly; this AI still had a long way to go to develop independent consciousness.

"Do you remember what the kitchen maid said? If we can’t control our greed, it’ll be our turn next."

However, what followed still exposed a bit of his true intention.

"Besides, after wiping out these people, the Norton Clan will definitely go crazy searching for us."

"This heavily armed merchant ship is so distinctive; even if we modify it, how different can it look?"

"And you know how hard it is to sell an armed merchant ship."

Big Head Butterfly spun its body in reluctance, "We sold one last time, keep it for a few more years and we’ll have food security in hand!"

Qu Jianlei laughed, "Last time, we stole it from the kitchen maid, of course we dared to sell it, we could even advertise openly."

"Little Lake, money is something to be used by me, don’t become a slave to it, or you’ll end up lost."

"You just missed out on a billion!" Big Head Butterfly couldn’t help but complain again.

It was still stuck in its reluctance, but unfortunately, Qu Jianlei had made a decision, and it was powerless to oppose, so it could only mutter.

Moreover, it didn’t give up its final struggle, "Then what about the attack ship! Surely the attack ship can be sold freely?"

"Truly greedy," Qu Jianlei sighed, "Initiate the attack in five seconds."

"No need," Big Head Butterfly replied weakly, "That gesture means self-destruct, it’s already started."

"Actually, there are still a lot of energy blocks and ammunition in there."

"Don’t wait for them to self-destruct," Qu Jianlei commanded coldly, "erase all your invasion traces, blow it up!"

This wasn’t his coldheartedness, rather if he let them self-destruct, Little Lake’s data fragments might not be retrieved and could be leaked.

Of course, odds like that aren’t much higher than Divine Land winning the World Cup, but why take the risk?

With a large computation boost, Little Lake withdrew completely in less than three seconds.

The crew on the opposite merchant ship rushed into mechas or lifeboats, listening silently to the countdown for self-destruction.

Their hearts were filled with despair; against an opponent that even a merchant ship couldn’t withstand, how much longer could they survive even if they escaped?

But there was no choice, the young master’s attitude was clear, they wouldn’t let the enemy have the upper hand even in death.

Suddenly, someone exclaimed, "The power is starting up!"

Immediately, another voiced loudly, "Good news, the shield strength is increasing!"

A middle-aged A-level warrior had just climbed into a mecha, and his face changed upon hearing this, "Damn, the shield!"

The shield’s strength had initially dropped to the minimum, almost nonexistent; now it should be considered a good thing that it was increasing.

But for some reason, the middle-aged A-level felt a chill run down his spine.

The next moment, he shouted, "The enemy AI has retreated, damn, they’re going to blow us up!"

Unfortunately, he shouted too late, as a flash of white light hit directly next to the power core’s energy pod.

Almost simultaneously, another flash struck the ammunition pod.

The heavily armed merchant ship had thick armor, yet the armor had to be combined with the shield to form a composite defense.

Relying solely on the armor, it was hard to defend against heavy shipboard weapons, and evidently, this was no exception.

The middle-aged A-level correctly guessed the enemy’s tactic, but unfortunately, he simply lacked the power to resist.

Two muffled explosions set off a chain reaction of sympathetic explosions.

When the fiery explosions ended, the entire armed merchant ship turned into a wind-leaking iron coffin.

A mecha, like a billiard ball, staggered out of the merchant ship and rapidly shot into the depths of space.

The pilot of the mecha was that middle-aged A-level; years of military life allowed him to escape the internal fiery explosions of the merchant ship.

At this moment, he dared not even speak, let alone turn back and fight.

Facing the deep, dark space, his heart was filled with despair, yet he ultimately didn’t give up his struggle to survive.

Qu Jianlei saw this and shook his head, sighing again, "Erase him."

Little Lake faithfully followed the orders of his boss, becoming an emotionless executioner.

No need to elaborate on the cleanup work afterward; this battle was quite easy, yet they captured another attack ship.

Unfortunately, the attack ship was still damaged and needed repair at the abandoned star body.

But Qu Jianlei didn’t have time; after dropping off the attack ship at the old nest, he headed straight for Gedel Star.

Luckily, Li Ang heard he ran into trouble along the way and didn’t ask for details, saying it was understandable.

He even asked with concern if any help was needed, and the Sail Consortium was willing to help coordinate.

Qu Jianlei knew very well this was just a polite remark.

The previous incident already showed that Li Ang, though highly respected at the mine, had pitifully little say in the consortium.

So there was no need to take it seriously; instead, he asked if they found out who hired Siegwa.

Li Ang looked a bit awkward and embarrassed, "The consortium said they haven’t found out yet."

Upon hearing "the consortium said," Qu Jianlei knew what was going on and couldn’t help but snort.

Li Ang, of course, knew what he was thinking and could only smile wryly, "The consortium assures they will handle it."

"A promise from the big shots?" Qu Jianlei snorted dismissively.

He was using the identity of a "White Dolphin" now, feeling a bit indignant, "I never expected you to be so naive."

Li Ang felt even more embarrassed and could only change the subject, "Has the Supreme one arrived?"

Qu Jianlei rolled his eyes and replied irritably, "Don’t ask about the Supreme’s whereabouts."

Two months later, people from Wanmi Mining finally sent the exempted pass.

However, they also brought new news, saying that the Norton Clan was inquiring about Ship 8384 everywhere.

The Norton Clan was also involved in asteroid mining, but their force didn’t get along well with Pudding Mining.

This meant that the Norton Clan basically didn’t interact with the Lanyun Market; otherwise, this tragedy might have been avoided.

The tattered 8384 had some recognition in Lanyun, after all.

This news solved the last confusion in Qu Jianlei’s heart: No wonder they dared to be so reckless despite their large family and business.

Although Li Ang was rigid, he wasn’t entirely out of touch with the world and didn’t even ask what happened.

He only gave a hint, "The Norton Clan seems to have sent people to Lanyun too; your side should make early plans."

The mine offered goodwill to the other side many times, but they were indifferent; this time, he didn’t rush to ask if they needed help either.

It wasn’t that Wanmi Mining was unfriendly; everyone wants some face, but the other side had walked a narrow path themselves.

However, Qu Jianlei didn’t care about this at all, not even sensing it; even if he sensed it, it didn’t matter.

The same old story, doesn’t everyone have a Supreme? He was on a path of self-reliance, not one of mind games.

So he only asked, "Is the pass I received still valid?"

It was hard to get an exempted pass; if it was really useless, then this matter wouldn’t end here.

"The pass..." Li Ang hesitated, choosing his words carefully, "On Celestial Blade Star, there might be some trouble."

"But on the other hand, it can’t be said so absolutely; there are many considerations in the games between big forces, you should understand."

Qu Jianlei could only smile bitterly inside when he heard it; what kind of force was there? All he had was the skill to risk his life!

It used to be one-on-one duels, and now it’s become a confrontation between forces; indeed, the stronger you are, the more enemies you have?

He thought for a moment and spoke, "Is it possible for the Sail Consortium to join hands with the Norton Clan against me?"

Li Ang shook his head decisively, "Absolutely not; rest assured... after all, you just helped us eliminate Siegwa!"

Qu Jianlei spoke expressionlessly, "Gratitude turned to enmity is also possible; I hope what you said is true."

"This I really dare to guarantee," Li Ang replied without hesitation, "Not to mention the Supreme, even your crew’s combat power is terrifying!"

Wanmi Mine had high praise for the quality of Qu Jianlei’s crew and even requested them to teach their skills.

"Alright then," Qu Jianlei nodded, "If there’s nothing else, I’ll head back."

Li Ang hesitated and couldn’t help but ask, "Aren’t you planning to make any preparations?"

"Preparation?" Qu Jianlei looked at him in surprise, "If I terminate the security contract early now, will you agree?"

"Well..." Li Ang looked troubled; the Asteroid Belt was still somewhat chaotic, and such strong combat power was hard to find.

"If your side insists on terminating, we have no choice but hope you won’t."

"Then that’s settled," Qu Jianlei replied indifferently, "The Norton Clan won’t have trouble finding out we’re here."

"As long as the Sail doesn’t team up with the Norton, we’ll wait for them to come to us!"

Li Ang shook his head, "The Norton Clan wouldn’t dare act recklessly on Wanmi’s territory; rest assured."

Qu Jianlei, however, responded carelessly, "I actually hope they come to us, saving us from going to find them."

"By the way, which force does the Norton Clan belong to?"

(Update stop, calling for monthly tickets, subscriptions, and recommendation votes.)