Qu Jianlei said that he would only leave after repairing the armed merchant ship, purely to scare Xiao Hu.

The Big Head Butterfly was really frightened and didn't dare to speak again along the way.

Returning to the mine, they saw that the second attack ship was also about to be repaired; it was only a matter of a day or two at most.

The clones were responsible for the repairs. Although they were slightly less intelligent, they were still competent.

Qu Jianlei asked Xiao Hu to check the first attack ship—after all, it had been out on a mission.

If there were no surprises, the two of them would set off for Lanyun Market in three days.

However, on the third day, both warships simultaneously sounded an alarm, "Received a rescue signal from a space wanderer!"

These were the survivors who, due to an accident with their starship, had no choice but to escape in the lifeboat.

"A rescue signal?" Qu Jianlei furrowed his brow slightly.

Before crossing over, he had also encountered the question of "comply or not", but at that time he was already very wealthy and not afraid in the least.

In fact, after being blackmailed, he even successfully sent the opponent's children to work at a sewing machine.

But here in the Imperial region, it's more troublesome; you never know who you'll end up saving.

In the Divine Land, saving bad people means getting blackmailed for money. Here, saving the wrong person could cost you your life!

After a moment's contemplation, he asked, "How far is it from us?"

Xiao Hu's soft voice replied, "Over one million kilometers."

Then forget it! Qu Jianlei didn't want trouble. The travel expenses alone were quite substantial, and what if someone else also received the signal?

However, before he could speak, the Big Head Butterfly shifted slightly, "Heading in our direction."

The rescue signal was actively released, making it easy for others to capture the trajectory of the distress caller.

Really...? Qu Jianlei was utterly speechless, "Are they planning to take refuge on this star body?"

"Very likely," Xiao Hu sighed softly, "it's written in the 'Space Emergency Self-Rescue Guide'."

The 'Guide' taught common knowledge, such as the loneliness of space, and how long-term drifting is bad for the body and mind.

When encountering danger in space, there are basically no means of sheltering or hiding.

However, star bodies may not always be safe; they could be poisonous or have mutant beasts, not to mention the greatest danger—the Star Thief.

Only those star bodies known through and through are the most reliable.

Clearly, the star body where Qu Jianlei resided met those standards.

Originally a mineral star, it had safe components like air and rock. Although now abandoned, it was still safer compared to space.

Qu Jianlei sighed, "Then let's do the rescue; we can't let them really land here."

The lifeboats coming down would have limited range of activity, but what if it's a space mecha coming?

He had disguised the mine well, even set up a concealing array inside, but why take the risk?

He pondered for a moment and asked, "How's the inspection of the two attack ships going?"

"Perfect," Xiao Hu replied very confidently, "we can depart now... which ship should we take?"

"The 8384," Qu Jianlei replied offhandedly, "It has strong computing power and you like it, right?"

Xiao Hu hesitated before speaking up, "Actually, I prefer the 3344, the feeling of not being able to outrun others is terrible."

So it feels that way too.

While chatting, Qu Jianlei stealthily moved out the armed merchant ship and didn't forget to activate the concealing array.

Frankly, with these assets, if someone were to rob the place, it would be heart-wrenching.

The armed merchant ship quickly ascended. To prevent any hidden dangers, it made a big detour, pretending to come from another direction.

When they were within a hundred thousand kilometers of the target, Qu Jianlei breathed a sigh of relief, "Wow, it's actually a lifeboat?"

The lifeboat was a larger version of the lifeboat, with room for more than one person, and it had some propulsion and supplies.

The other party was obviously prepared for a long fight, having even shut down the lifeboat's engines, planning to rely on inertia to reach the abandoned star body.

So when he discovered them, even after making a big detour, the lifeboat was still nine hundred thousand kilometers away from his base.

Luckily, he hadn't let this guy get away; otherwise, with the lifeboat's remaining bit of power, who knew what kind of trouble they could stir up.

Qu Jianlei deployed an attack ship, rapidly closing in to within fifty thousand kilometers of the target.

"Did you send out the rescue signal?"

"Yes, we did," a man's voice replied, "please save us, and there will be a generous reward!"

"Talk properly!" Qu Jianlei responded harshly. When asking for help, one must have an attitude of requesting help, and yet they dared to use an imperative tone?

"Apologies, my lord," the man quickly switched to a humble tone, "please save us, and there will be a generous reward!"

Qu Jianlei felt a bit puzzled. What kind of people are they?

In interstellar travel, those who ask for help are not necessarily good people, but those who rescue others aren't necessarily virtuous either.

"Seeking help from us? Didn't you notice that it's an attack ship approaching you?"

"That suggests your power is significant," the man responded neither humbly nor arrogantly, "we feel reassured."

In such situations, the ones handling communication would never be those with faulty minds, so the other party was either pretending to be impressive or genuinely impressive.

Qu Jianlei couldn't be bothered to figure out which, "Sit tight, don't make any moves, the attack ship will bring you on board."

The attack ship also had mechanical arms, a very small kind, but grabbing a lifeboat that hadn't started was a piece of cake.

Then, holding the lifeboat, it entered the cargo hold—indeed, the armed merchant ship had a cargo hold.

The cargo hold wasn't very big, with two attack ships inside, neither of which was in a state for immediate launch.

However, the lifeboat was pathetically small and could be easily squeezed in.

Qu Jianlei came out of the assault ship and said, "Alright, you can take a break for a moment."

Seven people disembarked from the lifeboat, four men and three women, led by a middle-aged man with a B-level stone attribute.

He curiously glanced at Qu Jianlei twice, with a serious expression on his face, "Was the attack ship operated by you alone?"

The opponent's appearance was ordinary, the kind of face that would blend into a crowd.

But he knew very well, the plainer they appear, the more dangerous they might be, especially in the asteroid belt.

Besides, he vaguely felt that the other person was like a mutant beast with a concealed aura, harboring a huge threat.

Qu Jianlei ignored his question, on my starship, you want to lead the conversation?

He straightforwardly said, "Let's talk first, how much is the monetary offer?"

"Name your price," the middle-aged man replied swiftly, "If you can get us to the Celestial Handle Star, you'll get ten million."

Seven people for ten million, even higher than the one million life-saving price for Xiang Xue.

However, interstellar travel has its costs, and accounting for the return trip, it's fair to say the offer wasn't low.

"I won't go," Qu Jianlei answered without hesitation, "We're here to rescue you, not to deliver you."

"Twelve million," the man immediately raised the price, "If that's not enough, you set the price."

My starship can't possibly land on the Celestial Handle Star, come on? Qu Jianlei felt a bit helpless.

Of course, since the other party dared to make such an offer, they probably had the wealth to back it, and possibly more hidden assets.

After all, in this vast space, there are just too many hidden dangers, keeping a low profile is prudent.

But it can be imagined, if he could navigate the starship to the star system where the Celestial Handle Star is, the other party most likely could arrange a starship to meet them.

So the Customs Enforcement Division meddling in this is actually normal, he really did impact others' business.

But he wasn't going to negotiate like that; in fact, he wasn't planning on indulging the other party.

"It's not about the money, how about this, if you're heading for that abandoned mineral star body, one million and I'll take you there?"

"No need for that," the middle-aged man quickly shook his head, they chose that star body because there was no other option.

After landing on the star body, they'd still have to wait for a passing starship to rescue them, would they give up the present opportunity?

The key is, who's to say there would even be a passing starship!

Qu Jianlei would calculate rescue costs, and other starships would do the same.

If it's ten or twenty thousand kilometers off, they might rescue them in passing, but for thirty or fifty thousand kilometers, who would bother to come especially for a rescue?

So he could only say, "Wherever you're going, just take us there."

At this moment, a dazzling woman spoke up, she looked to be in her thirties, with an extraordinary presence.

"Twenty million, Celestial Handle Star, just reach the star system, will you go?"

Qu Jianlei had been on guard against this woman, although her figure was moderate and even slightly slim, not fitting the mainstream aesthetic.

But this woman had an A-level Ice Attribute, her combat power in space could rival the Supreme.

The woman not speaking made Qu Jianlei sure she was someone who could make decisions.

Big shots usually only show up to make decisions, negotiations naturally have subordinates to handle it.

Qu Jianlei shook his head and answered simply, "I already said, it's not about the money."

The woman firmly replied, "There aren't many problems money can't solve, name your price."

Qu Jianlei laughed at her words, "You're really not worried I'm a Star Thief, are you? Two hundred million and I'll..."

"Then two hundred million," a hint of coldness flashed in the woman's eyes, "As long as you dare to take it, I dare to give it."

"Miss," the middle-aged man couldn't help but interject, "Please temper your temperament a bit."

"Doesn't matter," the woman answered calmly, but her eyes were fixed on Qu Jianlei, "Anyone who dares to outright name a price can't be too evil."

Hearing this, Qu Jianlei couldn't help but give a thumbs up, "You see through me, I'm not a bad person, but I have my own matters."

The woman pondered for a moment and asked, "Then where can you take us?"

She finally realized the reality, and Qu Jianlei naturally wouldn't complicate things, calmly answering, "Do you know about navigation secrecy?"

"We know," this time the middle-aged man answered, it was clear he was in a role similar to a steward.

"We won't reveal it, you encountered us there."

The location of their encounter could reveal too much information.

In interstellar space, some do business out in the open, but many quietly turn a profit, not wanting others to know their routes.

This has nothing to do with the legitimacy of the business, it's purely "borrowing money easily but borrowing routes difficultly."

He thought he had made things pretty clear, only to hear the ordinary man on the other side bring up something else, "Then let's discuss the cost."

(To be continued, please summon monthly tickets, follow subscriptions, and recommend tickets.)