Qu Jianlei sat on the starship, gazing out the porthole at the Star Port, momentarily lost in thought.

He truly hadn't expected that, after just over half a year, he could once again board the starship so openly.

Speaking of his boss, besides being rather greedy, there's really no issue with his work; he handled today's matter quite nicely.

The factory was indeed not large, and the boss was only a C-level Warrior, but his connections were pretty decent.

The boss even got hold of the starship captain's information and gave him a copy before departure.

"Once aboard the starship, if anything happens, find him and say you're a friend of Big, and you can slip some money if necessary."

Just for this reason alone, Qu Jianlei forgave the boss's exploitation—after all, it was a willing exchange.

However, the conditions for this trip weren't very good.

He booked a cheap starship, which carried over five hundred passengers in cramped spaces, with the cargo hold being somewhat larger.

His current room was a six-person space, with three bunk beds lined up and a Life Support Pod for each.

Even washing and bathroom facilities were public, the air was a bit foul.

But there was no choice; as a former gambler steeped in debt, being able to afford a ticket was enough to arouse suspicion.

If he dared book a business cabin now, the boss probably wouldn't agree to back him.

Qu Jianlei bought a lower bunk, the other five were occupied by a family of four, along with a middle-aged man and a young woman.

The two children in the family shared a single ticket and would use one Life Support Pod during jumps.

The middle-aged man and young woman were together; the man was dressed rather finely, the woman bore a trace of worldliness, yet she took charge.

Qu Jianlei was not interested in these details; reaching his destination safely was the priority, everything else was secondary.

The starship finally took off on schedule, and Qu Jianlei quietly breathed a sigh of relief, for the next three to five years, he couldn't return to Celestial Hook.

In truth, it was somewhat frustrating; he communicated quite well with Qinghu, who had even invited him to Maiden Star Realm.

But the exposure of Tribulation Thunder forced him once again onto the escape route, truly regrettable.

After the starship passed the ascent phase, the flight steadied, and the cabin became lively.

The two children played, while the four adults made idle chit-chat.

The couple seemed uninterested in outside matters, occasionally speaking, while the woman paid more attention to the two children.

The other man and woman were more lively, with the middle-aged man appearing sociable, capable of chatting with anyone, very enthusiastic.

The worldly woman was slightly aloof, only speaking with the middle-aged man and the husband in the couple.

Though she had a seductive air, her attire wasn't cheap, and her speech carried some authority.

Qu Jianlei didn't want to get involved, leaning there to doze off.

The woman tentatively spoke with him a few times, eventually closing her mouth in frustration.

The man displayed real patience, speaking with Qu Jianlei every so often, without any awkwardness.

In this sporadic manner, time unknowingly passed.

A day later, the cabin's broadcast sounded, "Now broadcasting an important message, now broadcasting an important message."

"A minor fault has occurred in the Warp Drive's maintenance robotic arm, a minor fault has occurred in the Warp Drive's maintenance robotic arm."

"Passengers with relevant expertise, please assist in handling the issue, passengers with relevant expertise, please assist in handling the issue."

The worldly woman turned pale upon hearing this, "Is an accident about to happen?"

The wife trembled all over, clutching the two children tightly as if to shelter them from the universe.

The husband also looked deathly pale, forcing a smile, "Luckily the whole family is here, but... not enough insurance."

It was clear he was trying to create a bit of a light atmosphere, but unfortunately, the joke was too cold.

The wife glared at him before starting to speak, but the middle-aged man intervened, "It's not a problem, just a small fault."

The wife immediately ignored her urge to scold, eagerly asking, "Is the issue really minor?"

The middle-aged man spoke confidently, "It's merely a fault in the maintenance robotic arm, not the main arm."

"Faults in the robotic arm are minor issues, in interstellar navigation, what importance does the arm hold?"

The wife remained worried, "It's the maintenance arm for the Warp Drive; what if it fails during a jump?"

The middle-aged man casually replied, "If it fails during a jump, it wouldn't be used in time anyway."

"Such robotic arms detect faults before jumps and can be promptly repaired."

He spoke convincingly, but the wife was still concerned, "What if a fault is detected before a jump?"

"Then we'll return," the man answered nonchalantly, "Though returning costs a lot, hence the starship seeks help for repairs."

The husband finally calmed down, coldly chuckling, "Ha, cheap starships, that's exactly it."

The wife shot him a sharp stare, "Isn't it your stinginess? I didn't want to take this cheap starship."

The husband sheepishly smiled, "Isn't there no issue? I scrimped to take the family on vacation, and that's wrong?"

Qu Jianlei didn't engage in the argument, simply squinting as he dozed; he knew the middle-aged man was generally correct.

A few people were loudly arguing when a beautiful flight attendant pushed the door open and entered, "Excuse me, is Mr. Tesla here?"

Qu Jianlei heard this and opened his eyes helplessly, "That's me. What's up?"

"The captain said that you have extensive maintenance experience," the flight attendant replied politely, "and asked me to request your assistance."

Qu Jianlei couldn't help but twitch the corner of his mouth, "My boss... really knows how to do business."

He had thought the boss only sold him goodwill, but unexpectedly, he also sold goodwill to the captain!

Well, it's not exactly selling goodwill since issues arise so infrequently during interstellar travel on a starship.

It's like the Divine Land football team promising a country, if we qualify early, we can negotiate letting you have a few goals.

Regardless, the boss's business acumen cannot be denied; he managed to sell goodwill on both fronts.

The beautiful flight attendant obviously didn't understand his background, but she couldn't disobey the captain's orders.

This was a man who could teach her many things.

She squeezed out a smile, "The captain said he'll reward you with a free return ticket, and additional contributions can be negotiated separately."

The husband couldn't help but mutter under his breath, "Haha, on a cheap starship, does one more or one less person matter?"

Qu Jianlei frowned but eventually nodded reluctantly, "Alright."

It's truly not a matter of money; after all, he's also a passenger on the starship.

Moreover... turning back is the last thing he'd want to see.

The captain was a young handsome man in his early forties, seemingly having some presence but still courteous in speech and behavior.

Qu Jianlei inspected the robotic arm and discovered... it was slightly leaking air!

Don't get the wrong idea, a starship is a starship, it's not one of Blue Star's ship girls, much less a simulation ship girl.

The Imperial technology is quite advanced, and the operating terminal of the robotic arm heavily relies on gas for lubrication and driving.

The specific details... won't be elaborated here, but this air leak is similar to a hydraulic column's fluid leak on Blue Star.

Once it leaks, the robotic arm won't be as smooth, increased friction can cause damage, and the driving force would be reduced.

In short, it's not a big issue, just a minor flaw at the terminal stage.

However, it involves not only lubrication but also driving, so it cannot be simply viewed as a minor issue.

"Just seal the gap and it will be fine," Qu Jianlei genuinely did not consider it a big deal.

But he emphasized one point, "I only specialize in finding defects; as for sealing the gap, the captain needs to arrange that."

The captain indicated that it was no problem; there were maintenance workers on the starship, but the maintenance master hadn't come out this trip.

Well, for a cheap starship... it's normal, as the maintenance master's fees aren't cheap,

Of course, compared to the revenue of a starship voyage, the cost is nothing; the key is... why bother, right?

Cheap starships earn just this bit of hard-earned money; they're called starship companies but need to be frugal in every aspect, otherwise, they won't make money.

The accompanying maintenance workers can handle simple repairs, but their ability to detect faults is somewhat lacking.

Qu Jianlei could not display too strong an ability, using the starship's own tools, it took him three hours to locate the fault.

Repairing took even longer, five hours, but the repair result was excellent.

After confirming the result, Qu Jianlei returned to his cabin supporting himself with a cane.

The captain originally intended to move him to the business cabin, but he didn't want to attract attention and politely declined.

Returning to the crowded cabin, facing the stifling air, he felt a bit of regret.

Especially when those few kept asking him what had happened.

He answered dryly a few times, and seeing his actual "dullness," everyone finally stopped bothering him.

Qu Jianlei resumed closing his eyes for some rest, but not an hour passed before the starship suddenly shook. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝓮𝒘𝙚𝙗𝒏𝙤𝙫𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝒐𝙢

He slowly opened his eyes and smacked his lips in speechlessness: Why is my luck so bad?

Two minutes later, the starship's broadcast resumed.

"We regret to inform all passengers that we have encountered star pirates."

"For everyone's safety, please do not resist; we will strive to ensure your personal safety."

The couple stared blankly for a moment; the wife cursed first, "The starship isn't resisting? Isn't this letting star pirates rob us?"

The husband sighed and replied softly, "Cheap starships, that's how it is."

Passenger starships do have defensive weapons, but for a cheap one... well, it's quite a predicament.

Not long after, the starship shook slightly again, and then the emergency hatch opened, and more than a dozen masked men rushed in.

Leading them was a C-level Warrior, holding a Gauss Rifle, speaking loudly.

"Good people, we're just trying to make a living; we're just after money... Staying alive is what matters most, right?"

The next moment, he pulled the trigger, with a "bang," shooting through a passenger's leg.

(To be continued. Asking for monthly tickets, subscriptions, and recommendation votes.)