Chapter 463 Interstellar Rebellion 2
Zhou Jue's figure slowly emerged from a dimly lit corner of the bar where no one noticed him. He was wearing the most ordinary clothes that had been prepared in advance.
She walked toward the thin man.
The man was about to pour himself another glass of wine when a hand pressed down on his bottle.
His hair stood on end, and he turned around abruptly to see a strange face.
A woman.
clean.
It's too clean.
On this garbage planet, cleanliness itself is an anomaly.
Her clothes were free of oil stains, her face was free of dust, and she showed no signs of sorrow or despair.
"What...what do you want to do?" The man's voice was dry, and his hand unconsciously reached for a metal crowbar tucked into his waistband.
"Relax, I'm quite interested in what you just said. Could you tell me more about it?" Zhou Jue said.
"What? I didn't say anything!" The man immediately denied it, shrinking back as if trying to create distance.
"It's about buying an identity." Zhou Jue only said five words.
The man's face turned deathly pale instantly. The way he looked at Zhou Jue was as if he had seen a legendary "inspector". For people like them at the bottom of society, buying identities was an unspoken understanding. Why would they need to ask about it? If they did, there must be something wrong!
“I don’t know! You misheard me! I was just bragging!” he said in a low voice.
“I need one.” Zhou Jue listened to his inner thoughts, ignored his explanations, and continued.
“You’ve got the wrong person! You need to talk to Boss Buck about this! He’s the one who makes the decisions!” The man pushed Scarface Buck forward.
"I'm looking for you because I want to know what Buck wants."
The man was stunned. He looked at Zhou Jue again, his fear lessening and replaced by a hint of inquiry.
The woman in front of me doesn't seem like someone looking for trouble; she seems more like a newcomer... a fat sheep.
His eyes darted around, greed overpowering fear.
"You want to know?" He licked his chapped lips. "Information doesn't come for free."
Zhou Jue didn't speak, he just looked at him.
The man felt a little uneasy under her gaze, but he still braced himself and held up one finger: "Just a small bottle, just a small bottle of 'pure water'."
Zhou Jue raised her hand, and a perfectly sealed bottle of purified water appeared in her hand, which was then placed on the table.
It wasn't something she brought from Earth; she just retrieved it remotely using her divine sense from behind the bar.
The man's eyes widened. He snatched the water bottle, unscrewed the cap, and gulped down a mouthful, letting out a satisfied groan.
"Ah...that feels great!"
He wiped his mouth, looked around warily, and carefully tucked the remaining half-bottle of water into his pocket.
"Since you're so straightforward, I'll tell you."
The man leaned closer and lowered his voice.
"There are many different kinds of identities associated with Boss Buck."
"The cheapest option is the 'mining slave' status, which will send you to a nearby mineral planet to mine until you die. It will cost about ten 'standard energy blocks'."
"There's also the 'laborer' status, which allows you to work on space stations or industrial planets. It's better than being a mining slave, but it still costs thirty energy blocks."
He paused, then said, "The best one is 'Free Citizen' status. With it, you can move freely on most non-military planets of the Federation, and even apply for legal flight routes."
"How much of that do you want?" Zhou Jue asked.
"How many do you want?" The man scoffed. "You can't buy those with ordinary energy blocks."
"Boss Buck wants something now. With it, he can exchange it for 'free citizen' status."
"What is that?"
"The MK-7 power core of the 'Thor's Hammer' frigate must be complete."
Zhou Jue's brow twitched almost imperceptibly.
She had seen the 'Thor's Hammer' class frigate in the exploration ship's database; it was the Silverwing Federation Navy's main patrol ship from two generations ago and had long been phased out.
Where to look?
“Outside the city, to the west, is the ‘Sea of Acid Mist’.” The man pointed outside the bar: “That’s the warship graveyard. Decades ago, the Federation destroyed a batch of decommissioned ‘Thor’s Hammer’ there.”
A hint of fear appeared on his face: "But it's dangerous there. The acid mist can corrode most metals, and many monsters have sprung up in the sea."
“The most crucial thing is that the ‘Vulture Gang’ has taken over the area, and they won’t let anyone get close.”
"Going there would be suicide."
After the man finished speaking, he looked at Zhou Jue with sympathy. In his opinion, it was impossible for this woman to obtain the status of a "free citizen".
"You want 'free citizen' status?" Zhou Jue suddenly changed the subject.
"Me?" The man laughed self-deprecatingly. "Does trash like me deserve this? I just want to save enough money to buy a boat ticket and leave this godforsaken place."
"How much have you saved?" The man looked at her warily, without answering.
Zhou Jue held out his hand: "Let me see your 'money'."
"What do you want to do? Rob me?" The man gripped the crowbar tighter.
“I can help you get out of here,” Zhou Jue said.
The man was stunned. He looked at Zhou Jue's clothes, which didn't seem to be from a garbage planet, and then looked into Zhou Jue's eyes. Those eyes were calm, not like he was joking.
After hesitating for a long time, he took out something wrapped in layers of oilcloth from the deepest pocket of his pocket.
Opening the oilcloth revealed an energy block, only half the size of a palm, covered in scratches and with a dim glow.
"This is all the wealth I've accumulated over three years," the man said in a hoarse voice. "A Grade B discarded energy block."
They can't even afford the cheapest boat ticket.
Zhou Jue took the energy block.
It feels cold to the touch, and the remaining energy inside is very thin and extremely unstable.
“You…” The man looked at her nervously.
Zhou Jue didn't speak. She lowered her hand holding the energy block, and under the table where the man couldn't see, a wisp of pure spiritual energy silently flowed into the energy block.
The energy structure inside that originally dull piece of junk was rapidly reorganized, purified, and compressed under the guidance of spiritual energy.
The surface scratches disappeared, the dull color faded, and it became crystal clear.
The whole process took less than a second, and she put the energy block back on the table.
The man looked down and froze. On the table lay a brand new energy block.
Its entire body is a pure blue color, and it seems as if there is electricity flowing inside, radiating a stable and powerful energy fluctuation.
"This...this is..." The man's lips trembled. He reached out his hand, but dared not touch it.
"A+ grade standard energy block." He murmured in disbelief, "Brand new...military grade!"
This thing is enough to buy not only a ship ticket, but also the status of a 'free citizen'!
He suddenly raised his head, and the way he looked at Zhou Jue was no longer that of a stranger, but that of a rich and foolish noblewoman.
"Take this," Zhou Jue said. "Go find Buck."
“Tell him you want 'free citizen' status.”
"If he asks, just say you found it."
The man was still in a state of shock.
"Isn't that enough?" Zhou Jue asked.
"Enough! That's enough!" The man snapped out of his daze, grabbing the energy block as if it were his own life.
He bowed deeply to Zhou Jue.
"My lord! Your kindness... I..."
"Go."
Without another word, the man clutched the energy cube and stumbled toward the second floor of the bar.
Zhou Jue's divine sense followed.
Second floor, Buck's office.
Scarface Buck was putting his feet up on the table, wiping a huge energy pistol.
"Boss!" The skinny man rushed in.
Buck didn't even lift his eyelids: "Get out! Can't you see I'm busy?"
"Boss! I want to buy an identity! The identity of a 'Free Citizen'!" The man carefully placed the A+ grade energy block on the table.
The action of cleaning the gun stopped.
Buck slowly lowered his feet off the table, picked up the energy block, and squinted at it.
“A+ grade, military standard, brand new.” He tossed the energy cube in his hand: “Where did you find it?”
“I…I was lucky! It was found in a sealed box in the γ-7 junkyard!” the man replied, following the story Zhou Jue had taught him.
“Is that so?” Buck smiled, stood up, walked to the man, and his huge figure completely enveloped the man.
"Did you know? The γ-7 junkyard was just emptied out yesterday. Forget about sealed containers, you can't even find a single intact screw."
The man broke out in a cold sweat instantly.
"I...I..."
Buck grabbed the man by the neck and lifted him up: "I'll ask you one more time."
Buck's voice was soft, yet carried a hint of bloodlust: "Who gave you this?"
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