Evolution - Chapter 131
Chapter 131
Forced into the role of a lone hero, He Qingzhi wanted no part of this hellish plot.
He had even considered abandoning the He family lead.
But the competitive spirit buried deep in his bones wouldn’t let him just lie back and coast to victory.
Abandoning the He family lead meant the network of interests could not be completely severed. It would only force them into hiding, and sooner or later, they would make a comeback, dragging even more people down with them. It was possible that the intelligence they were risking their necks to obtain, delivered back to the Alliance through great hardship, would only buy them a few years of peace.
Besides, Ji Changqing was the one who had contacted Adonis. Saiweiyala was operating with Ji Changqing. Nankong and Jixin had joined because of Ji Changqing…
If he really gave up on the He family lead, when they returned to the Alliance and people talked about it, they would say Ji Changqing did all the important work. He just tagged along, carried by her to an easy win. Who could stand that?
They’d had the same experiences, after all—three years of being knocked around at the Fourth Military, and the same demonic training in prison!
After six years of the same training, how could she be so ridiculously outstanding!
It was enough to drive a man crazy!
Staking all his honor, he would never admit defeat!
He couldn’t let Ji Changqing take all the glory.
As his supposed rival, Ji Changqing was completely oblivious. She led the group on a winding path, finally turning into the back alley of a casino.
Signaling for Nankong and the others to hide, she walked straight to the small door used by the casino staff. She furtively slipped two Imperial coins to the burly guard at the door, bowing and scraping, exuding the air of a street hustler trying to make a living. “Kui Ye told me to come give him a financial boost.”
The large man pinched the coins in his hand. They were 100-denomination coins—not a lot, but just right. He figured she must have come before when he wasn’t on duty and knew the rules.
A “financial boost” was a gambler’s self-deceiving euphemism for having lost everything and calling someone to bring more money to keep playing. The casino, of course, also offered loans, but that was an option for desperate people making a final, all-or-nothing bet. The interest rates were truly vicious.
Kui Ye was a rather famous gambler in the casinos of Flower Lane and a regular at this one, so the guard had naturally heard of him. The guy was a scion of a minor noble branch. He had a good background but didn’t walk the straight and narrow. However, he had a very capable older brother who was highly regarded by the main family, so they had generously arranged a cushy, lucrative post for Kui Ye as a minor manager.
The guy was shrewd. Although his gambling habit sometimes led him to take money to do favors, he never crossed any major lines. As a result, people often came to him seeking connections and helping him with a “financial boost.”
For the guards at this back door, the pickings were slimmer than for those watching the main floor. People who needed a “financial boost” and didn’t want too many people to know were a rare opportunity for them to make some extra cash.
“Go on in. Don’t cause any trouble,” the guard said, looking Ji Changqing up and down before waving her through.
Ji Changqing thanked him profusely but wasted no time, slipping through the door.
The casino was noisy and bustling. She wasn’t in a hurry, leisurely exchanging some money for chips. She was a little short on cash after her recent large-scale purchase of supplies for their daring interstellar journey and the money spent arranging several smuggling routes.
With chips in hand, she sought out Kui Ye, who was engrossed in a game of sic bo.
“Big! Big! Big!”
“Small! Small! Small!”
Although his name, Kui, meant “robust,” he was anything but. He was a weakling of a Beta with no physical prowess to speak of.
He had a scrawny, pale frame, dark circles under his eyes, and a haggard face. His bloodshot eyes, excited expression, and feverish gaze made him look like an addict who’d overindulged.
Ji Changqing stood by and watched a few rounds. When she judged the time was right, she walked over and patted his shoulder. “Kui Ye.”
Kui Ye, who was on the verge of losing everything, glanced at her. A quick look confirmed she was a stranger.
But Kui Ye wasn’t fazed. He tapped the table. “Give me a financial boost.”
Ji Changqing gave him a deep look and placed all her chips on the table. “Kui Ye, we fly at two this morning. The others are getting anxious.”
It dawned on Kui Ye that this person had paid for passage on a ship. He tossed a few chips on “Big” and said casually, “This isn’t enough.”
Ji Changqing made a hand gesture. “I paid the deposit four days ago.”
Kui Ye squinted, thinking for a long while before finally recalling that something like that might have happened. But he had no intention of following through. Everyone knew that while Kui Ye took money, whether he did the job depended on his mood. If he saw the job was tough and he couldn’t handle it, he’d do it. But for powerless commoners like her, he basically just took the money and did nothing.
He wondered who had sent her to him. Probably someone who held a grudge against her.
However, he had been holed up in the casino for a while, and his luck had been terrible. This time, his losses were pretty bad. He had to squeeze enough money out of this person to fund his gambling after this trip.
His eyes darted around as he began to scheme.
When Ji Changqing had approached him four days ago, he had been short on cash, so he took what she offered.
Now, he was even shorter. Besides, people who went to Wendeli were either dirt poor and taking a risk to strike it rich, or they had money to burn in the den of pleasure.
What had this person said at the time? Ugh, he couldn’t remember!
“Are you going to make a fortune or to broaden your horizons?” If he couldn’t remember, he might as well just ask. As long as she wanted to go to Wendeli, she couldn’t afford to offend him.
After all, his family held a monopoly on the starship route from the North Hub Starfield to Wendeli. There was one departure every ten days on the regular route, which took eight days to get from Baoling Planet to Wendeli. If a noble was traveling, they could take the military route, which had two jump points and took only three days.
The next ship on the regular route to Wendeli wasn’t for another five days.
The ship he was on was exclusively for entertaining and transporting the family’s distinguished guests. He was a minor logistics supervisor on board—a position with great perks, little responsibility, and a lot of power. Tonight’s two a.m. departure was a special trip to Wendeli to pick up a guest of one of the family’s young masters. They would arrive there around dawn. After refueling and maintenance, everyone could rest and have some fun before setting off for the return journey in the evening.
Ji Changqing wondered if this guy was planning to renege on their deal or make an outrageous demand. But it didn’t matter. She knew what kind of person he was. She wouldn’t have approached him if she couldn’t handle him.
Her expression remained unchanged as she said calmly, “Isn’t Wendeli’s monthly auction coming up in a few days? I’m going to broaden my horizons.”
Oh, he got it. This one had money.
Kui Ye tossed his chips. “Alright, it’s about time. Let’s go.”
Fleecing this fat sheep was more important!
Kui Ye casually handed his chips to a casino employee to be counted. After settling his account, he didn’t leave through the main entrance. Instead, he slung an arm around Ji Changqing’s shoulder and pushed her toward the back alley.
Once outside, they walked a short distance, turned a corner, and reached a dead end. Kui Ye let go of her. “You can get on the ship, but we need to have a good talk about the price.”
Ji Changqing glanced at the four men who had been following them and were now closing in. “How so?”
Kui Ye rubbed his hands together excitedly and held up a number.
Ji Changqing frowned. “That’s way too high. At the time…”
The four men surrounding them simultaneously revealed the energy guns at their waists.
“That was then, this is now. This is the price,” Kui Ye said with a smug grin, his leg shaking. “Kui Ye is taking a risk bringing you onto the ship. If the money’s not enough, I can’t take that risk.”
“Is Kui Ye going back on his word?”
Kui Ye stuck his nose in the air. “You should have asked around to find out what kind of person I am. Even if I go back on my word, what can you do about it… huh?”
The last syllable, “huh,” warped into a quavering wave of sound by sheer terror as two figures suddenly appeared, one in front and one behind their encirclement, each holding a micro-cannon.
Ji Changqing smiled, sent Kui Ye flying into a wall with a single punch, and slowly walked over to him, whispering like a demon, “What can I do? I can kill you, of course.”
Kui Ye, who had been so arrogant moments before, felt his legs turn to noodles.
The four men who had surrounded Ji Changqing turned pale as ghosts. They reacted with lightning speed, swiftly tossing their guns and raising their hands in a show of compliance. They all tried to distance themselves from the situation. “This has nothing to do with us! It was Kui Ye who said he’d lead us to a small fortune.”
They had done this sort of thing more than once, but who the hell knew they would run into such a ruthless person this time. Cannons weren’t something ordinary people could get their hands on. To brandish them so casually meant these were people they couldn’t afford to provoke.
There were four of them in total. While Ji Changqing was teaching Kui Ye a lesson, Nankong and Jixin were holding the cannons. Saiweiyala, taking the initiative, came forward to frisk the men. She didn’t miss a single corner, confiscating their comms, weapons, spatial equipment, and everything else. She also cleaned out all the cash on them and in their accounts, transferring it all to Kui Ye.
Ji Changqing was still asking, “Is it enough now? Is it? Is it?”
“Enough, enough, enough!” Kui Ye wailed, nodding repeatedly. Each question was punctuated by a punch. How could it not be enough?
“Good that it’s enough.” Ji Changqing smiled amicably. “Then what are we waiting for? Let’s go together.”
Kui Ye looked around, his voice trembling. “Th-there are too many people.”
“Too many?” Ji Changqing glanced at the four extras. “You mean these guys are extra? Well then, should we kill them?”
The four extras were terrified. “Kui Ye! Kui Ye!”
Kui Ye’s mouth opened and closed. He might be an arrogant bully who relied on his brother, but he didn’t have the iron heart to casually send his cronies to their deaths.
In the end, Ji Changqing fed Kui Ye and the four extras a pill—the kind that would kill them if they didn’t get the antidote in time. Only then did the group set off together in harmony and friendship.
Kui Ye was deeply troubled. He could usually get away with bringing two or three people onto the ship, but eight was going to be difficult. What was even more difficult was the return trip. Getting there was one thing, but what about coming back? Once they picked up the guest, outsiders would absolutely not be allowed to remain on the ship. His lackeys were now penniless; how could they afford a ticket back from Wendeli?
As expected, when they reached the spaceport and he tried to bring them aboard, the captain was reluctant. Kui Ye had to throw a young master’s tantrum, kicking up a fuss about needing to take his brothers to see the world and broaden their horizons. But he wasn’t just throwing a fit; he used a little strategy, repeatedly promising that his brothers would stay in his suite the entire time and not come out.
The captain looked at him, at a loss for words, but he could sense his determination. He knew that in the past, when this master brought people on board, he would just lock them in a random room and let them out at their destination. The fact that he was now vowing to keep them in his own suite and watch them personally showed how much he was willing to do for his brothers. He was really going all out.
What else could the captain do? He had to yield to the well-connected.
If Kui Ye knew what the captain was thinking, he would have cried tears of blood. Did he have a choice but to go all out? For the sake of his life, he was willing to go even further.
After the ship took off, Kui Ye and his four cronies, having battled at the gambling tables for days on end, finally succumbed to exhaustion despite their fear for their lives and went to sleep.
Ji Changqing’s group of four stayed in the living room. On someone else’s territory, they couldn’t possibly let their guard down, so they split into two pairs to take turns on watch. Saiweiyala and Jixin slept first, while Nankong and Ji Changqing stood guard.
Once the other two were sound asleep, Nankong asked softly, “Why did you choose this one?”
Ji Changqing had arranged several routes but had chosen this one, which involved threats and intimidation. It didn’t seem like the optimal choice.
Ji Changqing didn’t hide it. She spread her hands. “This was a last-minute arrangement. Who else’s fault is it but that certain someone who suddenly went back?”
She couldn’t just leave He Qingzhi to fend for himself, could she? What if their lone hero ran into trouble? As his teammate, she had to give him an insurance policy.
Nankong nodded in understanding. Then he suddenly felt something was wrong. His head froze mid-nod, unable to continue.
“How did you know they would land on Hading Planet?”
Ji Changqing smiled slyly and pointed at herself. “This family… they’re my enemies, too.”
Thank you, Zhao Qingci!
She was particularly enthusiastic about digging up dirt on her own enemies.
And thanks to Saiweiyala’s skills, she had decrypted all of Zhao Qingci’s information.
But Nankong wasn’t so easily fooled. He thought for a moment and whispered, “They’re smuggling arms. The pickup point is Hading Planet, and the delivery is on Wendeli?”
Ji Changqing smiled and nodded. But inside, she was worried. It was already this late, and there was still no news from He Qingzhi. He had either failed or was on the run for his life.
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